Katsuya
January 12th, 2004, 21:57
hmmm... Lot's of info!
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Source: Gamespot
Suikoden IV, WWX, Silent Hill 4, Neo Contra, and four other games are unveiled at the publishers' San Francisco Event.
Today, at the sleek Sony Metreon entertainment complex in rain-swept San Francisco, Konami unveiled its lineup of new games for 2004. Following an announcement forbidding photography or video, a slick recap of the publisher's 2003 games was played, presented in a rapid-fire multimedia barrage to the strains of Elvis Presley's "Stop, Look, and Listen." Then Konami CEO Kazumi Kitaue took the stage and explained the rationale behind the company's 2003 move to Los Angeles. He also said the company's new name, Konami Digital Entertainment, is designed to reflect its expansion into "movies, games, and music in the international market."
Then, it was on to the games. First up was the world premiere of Nanobreaker, the new PlayStation 2 action game produced by Koji Igarashi, cocreator of the Castlevania series. Via a translator, Igarashi poked fun at his poor English--he said the reason he was speaking in Japanese was that he was the real "Last Samurai"--then presented footage from the game.
Set in the year 2015, the game follows the predictably catastrophic consequences when the computer controlling a nanotech research laboratory goes haywire. After multiplying "at a cancerous rate," crazed nanomachines start turning the citizens of an "unnamed American city" into killer cybernetic zombies. The government dispatches Jake Warren, a cyborg supersoldier wielding a transforming nanotech sword, to clean up the mess.
And what a mess it is. Even though everything onscreen was repeatedly sprayed with a red, viscous liquid, Igarashi insisted that it was not blood, since the victims were cybernetic monsters. "Try telling that to the ESRB," one reporter joked.
Igarashi also demonstrated Nanobreaker's gameplay in a brief demo. Looking much like a sci-fi Devil May Cry, the demo followed Warren as he hacked and slashed his way through a passel of hulking nanotech-possessed zombies and some smaller wormlike cyborgs. Igarashi demonstrated Nanobreaker's combat system, which has four basic moves--vertical slash, horizontal slash, stab, and launch attack--versus Castlevania's two. Particularly interesting--and gory--was the "capture" move, where Warren harpoons an opponent, reels him in, and splatters him over the walls with a deathblow Igarashi likened to "hitting a baseball." The producer also demonstrated a secret combination move that transformed Warren's blade into an axe, a bigger sword, and something resembling a butterfly net made from energy.
Next up, producer Junko Kawano unveiled the impressive-looking, PS2-only Suikoden IV. Set in an Oceanic archipelago, the game will feature many a voyage on various ships. Its story centers on another of the 27 True Runes--the Rune of Punishment, which "has the powers of atonement and forgiveness" but sucks the life out of its host. Also, as in previous Suikodens, the game will feature 108 characters--"some friendly, some backstabbing," according to Kawano. However, the producer was cagey when asked whether the game would take place before or after previous Suikodens, saying "that's still a secret."
Kawano also presented scenes from Suikoden IV. It looked much more polished than its predecessors, and the footage showcased detailed graphics and an improved battle system. Viewers were treated to a parade of monsters, including ogres, giant crabs, and dragons, as well as several speaking characters, including a scantily clad ingenue named Jeane.
Speaking of women wearing next to nothing, Konami preceded its next presentation with an impromptu match between two female wrestlers in glorified lingerie. The prize? A string bikini. The stunt was to get the audience in the spirit for WWX: Rumble Rose, Konami's "all-original," all-female wrestling title for the PlayStation 2, which is due in the fall.
Promising a "stimulating game experience" to the snickering audience, producer Akari Uchida presented some selected footage of a bout between two of the game's wrestlers--a chaps-wearing blonde name Daisy and a bikini-sporting Japanese wrestler named Reiko. Following the visually impressive and shamelessly gratuitous video, Uchida and members of the production team, including representatives from Yuke's Entertainment and Polygon Magic, fielded questions. Among the queries: "Will it be straight wrestling, or will players be able to use catfight moves like hair-pulling and eye-gouging?" (Answer: "Both.") "Will you be able to see their boobs?" (Answer: "We haven't decided.")
Throughout the course of the day, Konami unveiled five other games:
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes--Hideo Kojima was nowhere to be found, but Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack was on hand to show scenes from the GameCube-exclusive remake of the first MGS game. For comparison, he did a side-by-side demo with the PlayStation original.
Neo Contra--You can't jump in the latest, PS2-only installment in the long-running shooter series, but you can move around. While still present, the side-scrolling format will often give way to an isometric 3D environment packed with tough bosses and mass destruction. Joining series hero Bill Rizer is newcomer Genbei Jaguer Yagyu, a sword-wielding samurai unafraid to take on the game's high-tech villains.
Shaman King--As previously reported on GameSpot, Konami is bringing the popular anime/manga franchise to the PS2 and Game Boy Advance. Footage from the former showed off its blend of role-playing and action--the latter will be a more simplistic side-scrolling adventure.
Silent Hill 4: The Room--Both Xboxes and PS2s will be haunted by the latest installment in Konami's scary franchise, which is due in the fall. Several potentially heart-attack-inducing scenes from the game were shown, all of which showcased the game's enhanced horror effects.
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim--A new PS2 version of the sixth installment in Japan's most popular role-playing game (pronounced "yeez") will come out in North America this winter. Though Ys VI is already available in Japan for the PC, Konami officials said the PS2 version will feature new characters and levels.
Several other games were announced but were not presented at the event, including: Dance Dance Revolution Extreme, Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2004, Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of Chaos: Kaiba the Revenge, and Gradius V. GameSpot will have more details on these games as they become available.
By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot [POSTED: 01/09/04 04:52 PM]
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Source: Gamespot
Suikoden IV, WWX, Silent Hill 4, Neo Contra, and four other games are unveiled at the publishers' San Francisco Event.
Today, at the sleek Sony Metreon entertainment complex in rain-swept San Francisco, Konami unveiled its lineup of new games for 2004. Following an announcement forbidding photography or video, a slick recap of the publisher's 2003 games was played, presented in a rapid-fire multimedia barrage to the strains of Elvis Presley's "Stop, Look, and Listen." Then Konami CEO Kazumi Kitaue took the stage and explained the rationale behind the company's 2003 move to Los Angeles. He also said the company's new name, Konami Digital Entertainment, is designed to reflect its expansion into "movies, games, and music in the international market."
Then, it was on to the games. First up was the world premiere of Nanobreaker, the new PlayStation 2 action game produced by Koji Igarashi, cocreator of the Castlevania series. Via a translator, Igarashi poked fun at his poor English--he said the reason he was speaking in Japanese was that he was the real "Last Samurai"--then presented footage from the game.
Set in the year 2015, the game follows the predictably catastrophic consequences when the computer controlling a nanotech research laboratory goes haywire. After multiplying "at a cancerous rate," crazed nanomachines start turning the citizens of an "unnamed American city" into killer cybernetic zombies. The government dispatches Jake Warren, a cyborg supersoldier wielding a transforming nanotech sword, to clean up the mess.
And what a mess it is. Even though everything onscreen was repeatedly sprayed with a red, viscous liquid, Igarashi insisted that it was not blood, since the victims were cybernetic monsters. "Try telling that to the ESRB," one reporter joked.
Igarashi also demonstrated Nanobreaker's gameplay in a brief demo. Looking much like a sci-fi Devil May Cry, the demo followed Warren as he hacked and slashed his way through a passel of hulking nanotech-possessed zombies and some smaller wormlike cyborgs. Igarashi demonstrated Nanobreaker's combat system, which has four basic moves--vertical slash, horizontal slash, stab, and launch attack--versus Castlevania's two. Particularly interesting--and gory--was the "capture" move, where Warren harpoons an opponent, reels him in, and splatters him over the walls with a deathblow Igarashi likened to "hitting a baseball." The producer also demonstrated a secret combination move that transformed Warren's blade into an axe, a bigger sword, and something resembling a butterfly net made from energy.
Next up, producer Junko Kawano unveiled the impressive-looking, PS2-only Suikoden IV. Set in an Oceanic archipelago, the game will feature many a voyage on various ships. Its story centers on another of the 27 True Runes--the Rune of Punishment, which "has the powers of atonement and forgiveness" but sucks the life out of its host. Also, as in previous Suikodens, the game will feature 108 characters--"some friendly, some backstabbing," according to Kawano. However, the producer was cagey when asked whether the game would take place before or after previous Suikodens, saying "that's still a secret."
Kawano also presented scenes from Suikoden IV. It looked much more polished than its predecessors, and the footage showcased detailed graphics and an improved battle system. Viewers were treated to a parade of monsters, including ogres, giant crabs, and dragons, as well as several speaking characters, including a scantily clad ingenue named Jeane.
Speaking of women wearing next to nothing, Konami preceded its next presentation with an impromptu match between two female wrestlers in glorified lingerie. The prize? A string bikini. The stunt was to get the audience in the spirit for WWX: Rumble Rose, Konami's "all-original," all-female wrestling title for the PlayStation 2, which is due in the fall.
Promising a "stimulating game experience" to the snickering audience, producer Akari Uchida presented some selected footage of a bout between two of the game's wrestlers--a chaps-wearing blonde name Daisy and a bikini-sporting Japanese wrestler named Reiko. Following the visually impressive and shamelessly gratuitous video, Uchida and members of the production team, including representatives from Yuke's Entertainment and Polygon Magic, fielded questions. Among the queries: "Will it be straight wrestling, or will players be able to use catfight moves like hair-pulling and eye-gouging?" (Answer: "Both.") "Will you be able to see their boobs?" (Answer: "We haven't decided.")
Throughout the course of the day, Konami unveiled five other games:
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes--Hideo Kojima was nowhere to be found, but Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack was on hand to show scenes from the GameCube-exclusive remake of the first MGS game. For comparison, he did a side-by-side demo with the PlayStation original.
Neo Contra--You can't jump in the latest, PS2-only installment in the long-running shooter series, but you can move around. While still present, the side-scrolling format will often give way to an isometric 3D environment packed with tough bosses and mass destruction. Joining series hero Bill Rizer is newcomer Genbei Jaguer Yagyu, a sword-wielding samurai unafraid to take on the game's high-tech villains.
Shaman King--As previously reported on GameSpot, Konami is bringing the popular anime/manga franchise to the PS2 and Game Boy Advance. Footage from the former showed off its blend of role-playing and action--the latter will be a more simplistic side-scrolling adventure.
Silent Hill 4: The Room--Both Xboxes and PS2s will be haunted by the latest installment in Konami's scary franchise, which is due in the fall. Several potentially heart-attack-inducing scenes from the game were shown, all of which showcased the game's enhanced horror effects.
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim--A new PS2 version of the sixth installment in Japan's most popular role-playing game (pronounced "yeez") will come out in North America this winter. Though Ys VI is already available in Japan for the PC, Konami officials said the PS2 version will feature new characters and levels.
Several other games were announced but were not presented at the event, including: Dance Dance Revolution Extreme, Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2004, Yu-Gi-Oh! Power of Chaos: Kaiba the Revenge, and Gradius V. GameSpot will have more details on these games as they become available.
By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot [POSTED: 01/09/04 04:52 PM]
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