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Ten minutes of co-op sneaking exposed in Peace Walker video

Though we don't possess the thorough comprehension of the Japanese language required to understand what's happening in the video posted above, we know that we like what we see. If you've got some time to kill, check out the ten minute co-op demonstration of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker at the top of this post. It shows of a few of the game's neat multiplayer tactics, including an invisibility gun and the increasingly iconic "four-legged tank maneuver." Judging by those two alone, it certainly looks like Peace Walker's capacity for hijinks is going to be near-limitless.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker release sneaks to June 8

Konami's pushed back the release of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker to June 8, a recent press release states. Back in January, the Japanese release was also delayed, so we've been waiting for the other combat boot to drop and it's finally happened. Yup, we're crying under our cardboard box, too. Of course, in addition to the game itself, the newly-announced PSP bundle will be released on the same day.

What we want to know is, if the Japanese delay is a crime, what's the North American delay? A case of first degree joy-icide?

North America getting its own Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker PSP bundle [update]

Okay, so North America's limited edition Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker PSP pack doesn't include an exclusive camo PSP, or a stand thingy, or a snakeskin-like carrying case. But it does include a "Spirited Green" PSP-3000, a color previously unavailable in America. It doesn't include a PSP Go, so we're guessing the "relaunch" hasn't begun yet.

Launching alongside the standalone game on May 25 June 8, the pack includes said green PSP, a copy of the game on UMD, a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, and vouchers for both an unidentified movie download (for US residents only) and exclusive in-game items in Peace Walker, for $199.99.

[Update: the game, and the bundle, are actually coming out on June 8.]

VC in Brief: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (TG-16)


As far as imports go, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is a pretty sweet one. For $9, it's a great game to add to any Castlevania fan's collection and plays quite well on the Wii: casual players get a forgiving save structure and stage system, while the hardcore fans get the same tried-and-true gameplay. Rondo of Blood is suited for quick pick-up sessions or even long marathon outings. Basically: you should play this game. It's good -- seriously good.
  • Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (Turbografx-16 CD-ROM, 1 player, 900 Wii Points)
Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer VC in Brief as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks like that.

Pre-order Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, get a free bandana

Still looking for a reason to pick up Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker? Would a totally sweet camouflage bandana push you over the edge? GameStop hopes so: it's offering an exclusive camo bandana, reminiscent of something Snake might adorn his head with, as a pre-order bonus for the game. Wear this, and even if you're not playing on the amazing limited edition system, everyone will know that you're Peace Walking.

We have yet to confirm whether or not it grants infinite ammo to the wearer.

[Thanks, Aidan!]

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?

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