Konami posts(Subscribe to this feed)

Lengthy MGS: Peace Walker gameplay video floats in

Wanna watch 9 minutes of a guy sneaking around, tying people to balloons? What if we told you it was Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker footage? Kojima Productions has uploaded a lengthy gameplay video of the former "Metal Gear Solid 5," in which our hero Big Boss does a bit of recruiting for his cause -- in this case, that means knocking dudes out and floating them back to his base on a balloon.

We also get to see the "Sonic Eye" and "Analyzer" tools in action (a radar device and an item used to determine the stats of potential recruits), as well as the ninja-inspired "Stealth Mat," which allows Naked Snake to hide in plain sight while he's holding it up. Check it out after the break!

Continued →

Move supported by 36 companies, 20 games this fiscal year

At Sony's special GDC event, Activision, Capcom, WB Games, Namco Bandai, Square Enix, Ubisoft, EA, Disney, Konami, Sega, Crave and Tecmo Koei all confirmed that they'll be supporting the Move in future versions of their games. Although that confirmation came in the form of a slide full of company logos and word from Sony vice-president of marketing and PSN that, "Virtually every third-party publisher" will support the new motion-control device.

Sony's Jack Tretton went on to say that 36 publishers and third-party developers will support it, and according to a press release, "In fiscal year 2010, SCE Worldwide Studios will also release more than 20 games that are either dedicated to or supported with the PlayStation Move platform. While this same group of publishers will probably support Microsoft's Project Natal as well, it's good to know that everyone is onboard. But onboard how? Are they developing Move departments that will get every possible ounce of gameplay out of these things? Or do they mean support like backrubs and cookies?

We aren't sure what titles will be supported just yet, but our team of Joystiqers are waving the Move about as you read this, and we'll have more news very soon.

IGN: Six Days in Fallujah complete, awaiting release [update: it's true!]

Update: An Atomic Games representative got back to us this afternoon and said, "Yes, IGN did talk to somebody, we can't say who, but they did talk to someone. From what I understand that person did say that the game is finished and coming out. What I have for information is the game is still going to be coming out. 'Cause we have a game coming out first, we'll be working on that before Six Days in Fallujah. But yes it's finished. That doesn't mean there won't be new features, and new technology incorporated into the game engine." We'll be speaking with Atomic Games later in the month regarding the game, so keep an eye on the site in the coming weeks for more information.

Original:
According to IGN, "a source close to the game's development" at Atomic Games confirmed that the studio's controversial FPS, Six Days in Fallujah (based on the real-life Battle of Fallujah), is not just "coming out," but also "finished." There is no clear declaration whether or not Atomic has acquired a new publisher for the title after Konami dropped it last year, nor is there any information on a possible release date.

When last we heard from studio head Peter Tamte back in October, he was still saying his company "remains committed" to the eventual release of Six Days in Fallujah. We've contacted the developer to confirm the anonymous source's claims and will let you know if we hear anything back -- but don't hold your breath.

Konami shoots 'Gradius Arc' into core of Japanese trademark database

Konami has filed a Japanese trademark for something called "Gradius Arc." The "Gradius" part is easy enough to parse -- Konami's long-running series of horizontal shooters, last seen in the form of WiiWare's Gradius ReBirth -- but the "Arc" leads us to one particularly fanciful hypothesis.

"Arc" happens to be the frontrunner among rumored names for the PlayStation Motion Controller, having been mentioned by several developers and even trademarked by Sony. Could this be the first evidence of a motion-controlled Gradius game?

However, we shouldn't jump to (horrifying) conclusions based on the presence of a common word that happens to coincide with what a controller might be called. "Arc" could just be a subtitle for a Gradius game that you play with a controller like a sensible person.

New 'Castlevania: Lords of Shadow' screens, artwork

Click to Enlargania

This post may not offer any new Castlevania: Lords of Shadow details, but you can find new pictures and art in the gallery below. Those looking to do creature comparisons should check out the enemy renders -- the warg from Symphony of the Night has certainly grown in both size and definition.

Hideo Kojima's Twitter feed goes bilingual, now in English

Given our limited comprehension of the Japanese language, we were free to imagine Hideo Kojima's Twitter feed to be an outlet for the idiosyncratic developer's most outlandish, puzzling statements. However, an English-language version of his Twitter page is now up and running, revealing that Kojima is just an ordinary dude. Whod've thunk it?

Take, for example, this recent Tweet: "My stomach hurts, nose's running, and my hair is getting long." And then, following that, a picture of his hair. See? He's just like you or us, only when he's done posting self-shot pictures of himself on the internet, he gets back to making Metal Gear Solid games.

MGS: Peace Walker Japanese pre-order items are the best

[Famitsu]

Here's your daily dose of Japan envy, as Famitsu reveals a set of pretty sweet pre-order bonuses for Kojima's upcoming PSP game, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The first item is a jigsaw puzzle appropriately called "Love & Piece," while the other pun-tastic item is the plastic "Peace Water" bottle -- an aluminum water bottle/comically large key chain that kinda looks like a grenade. Some days you go through the rain and some days you want to drink from an appropriately-themed liquid transportation device, right?

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is set to debut in Japan on April 29, while US gamers will be forced to wait until May 25.

[Thanks, Fintan]

Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth out in Europe next week

By now, European Wii owners probably feel like they've been waiting for Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth since the actual 16-bit generation. We're happy to report that, according to the Nintendo Channel, the WiiWare reimagining of the Game Boy's Castlevania: The Adventure will be released in Europe next Friday, February 26.

As always, it's a rare treat to know ahead of time when a WiiWare game's coming out -- especially when it's a game someone out there may actually be interested in buying. Everyone, buy the Rebirth games so we can get a Parodius or Mystical Ninja Rebirth!

[Via GoNintendo]

Metal Gear Arcade's head-tracking 3D glasses exposed!

Metal Gear Arcade, which has been sneaking under the radar since its unveiling last June, is playable at Japan's AOU Expo this week. To mark the occasion, Konami has released a new trailer and two new screenshots of the Metal Gear Online–based arcade cabinet. The trailer is available on the game's website.

Konami has also provided a first look at the 3D glasses used to enable the game's "Integral Vision" effect. It's going to be totally worth putting on those goofy glasses, even after some sweaty guy just used them: not only do they create a 3D effect, the glasses also enable head-tracking. Where you look, Snake looks. To further immerse you in the experience, Metal Gear Arcade also has a mic for voice chat and a giant speaker system surrounding your head. !.

Konami publishing Ninety-Nine Nights II this spring in North America

Konami, which picked up the publishing rights for the Xbox 360-exclusive N3II: Ninety-Nine Nights in Japan, has announced that it'll also publish the feelplus-developed sequel in North America. In fact, the North American release is slated for the same spring 2010 window as the Japanese version. N3II features five different storylines telling the three sides -- humans, elves and goblins -- of a "free for all" battle. Prepare your thumbs, because that sounds like a lot of button-mashing!

But you know, if all those storylines can maintain the kind of epic narration featured in this new trailer, N3II is guaranteed to be a multi-million seller. Wouldn't you agree?

Brand sparking new Rocket Knight art


click to rocket-size
We're going to level with you: There's not a lot of new info to be found in the latest batch of character art from Konami's upcoming reboot of Rocket Knight. The press release does mention a few of Sparkster's abilities. While most should be familiar to players -- wall ricochet jumps, etc -- one new addition is the "burst vortex," which can reflect projectiles back toward enemies. Beyond that, however, we're left only with images of Emperor Sweinhart and Sparkster's nemesis, Axel Gear, both of whom can be seen above. Konami has also released a high resolution version of Sparkster himself.

Yes, it's not much but, when it comes to Rocket Knight, we'll take what we can get.

Like a mean cousin, Upper Deck steals Konami's Yu-Gi-Oh! cards

Konami announced yesterday that Upper Deck had been forced to settle with the company after allegedly printing hundreds of thousands of faked Yu-Gi-Oh! cards in China and bringing them stateside. On any other day, this news would just be kind of funny, but it's elevated by attorney for Upper Deck Richard Howell who said "At this point, Upper Deck doesn't have a lot of Life Points. We're talking about behavior that, from a defense attorney's standpoint, I can't defend and I am not going to defend. I'm here defending a counterfeiter. And now I have to deal with that issue."

That's right: Life Points. Dude learned enough about Yu-Gi-Oh! to drop Yu-Gi-Oh! references. Man, that's the kind of lawyer you want to have. ... Unless, we guess, you're Upper Deck, in which case, it seems like you probably could have chosen a guy that didn't tell people how guilty you were.

Konami's 2009 revenues fall in the absence of legendary soldiers

Konami announced its financial results for its Q3 and the nine-month period ending December 31, 2009. The publisher's net revenues for the period were ¥190.9 billion, down 18.4% from the same period in 2008 -- despite breakout success in Japan with the DS dating sim Love Plus, "strong sales" of Dance Dance Revolution and "game content for overseas consumption, such as Saw."

What was missing from 2009 was, of course, the megahit Metal Gear Solid 4. "Due to the absence of major titles, such as last year's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, however," the publisher said in its financial results release (PDF), "the overall sales fell this quarter as compared to the same period the previous year." Should Konami succeed in releasing Peace Walker, 2010 should look a bit happier. We're still shocked to see one of the biggest game companies ever become this reliant on a single franchise.

Source: Consolidated Financial Results for the Nine Months Ended December 31, 2009 [PDF]

Kojima considers Japanese MGS: Peace Walker delay a 'crime'

Listen, Kojima knows that he disappointed a lot of people by delaying the release of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker in Japan, and believe us, he feels bad about it. In fact, we'd argue that he's probably being just a bit too hard on himself. Writing on the Kojima Productions blog (as translated by Andriasang) Kojima wrote, "I always preach to the staff, 'You must not have a delay after a release date has been announced. There is no greater crime as a game developer.'"

We appreciate the sentiment, but we think Mr. Kojima might have temporarily forgotten some other heinous crimes: box puzzles; not having "Continue" as the first menu option; letting the game timer run while it's paused; horse armor; limited installs; ruining the A.I. director; and being on Facebook.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker delayed in Japan

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is slowing its gait just a bit. Originally slated for release in Japan on March 18, the game is now expected on April 29, as displayed on its official site. In a statement announcing the delay, Konami said the extra development time was needed to ensure customer satisfaction. At least fans can now play Piece Walker while they wait.

Whatever the issue is with the development, it appears not be affectimg the localization process, as the release dates for the rest of the world (May 25 for North America, May 27 for most of Europe, and May 28 for the UK) have yet to change.

[Via Kotaku]

Joystiq Features




Featured Galleries (view all)

Club Nintendo 2009 gifts
Logitech Wii instruments
Lost in Shadow (Wii)
Dementium II (10/26/09)
Calling (Wii)
DiRT 2
Let's Catch
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Crystal Defenders R2

Team Joystiq

Chris Grant

Editor-in-Chief

RSS Feed

James Ransom-Wiley

Managing Editor

RSS Feed

Ludwig Kietzmann

Senior Editor

RSS Feed

Andrew Yoon

East Coast Editor

RSS Feed

Randy Nelson

West Coast Editor

RSS Feed

Justin McElroy

Reviews Editor

RSS Feed

Alexander Sliwinski

Contributing Editor

RSS Feed

Ben Gilbert

Contributing Editor

RSS Feed

David Hinkle

Contributing Editor

RSS Feed

Griffin McElroy

Contributing Editor

RSS Feed

JC Fletcher

Contributing Editor

RSS Feed

Kevin Kelly

Contributing Editor

RSS Feed

Mike Schramm

Contributing Editor

RSS Feed

Richard Mitchell

Contributing Editor

RSS Feed

Xav De Matos

Contributing Editor

RSS Feed

About Joystiq

Autoblog

DailyFinance

Download Squad

Engadget

Massively

Asylum

WoW

Engadget HD

Big Download