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DDR purse is actually kind of neat

by Justin McElroy { Nov 9th 2009 at 10:00PM }

Printing a description on something doesn't necessarily make it so, as the hundreds of XXL T-shirts emblazoned with the words "Way 2 Sexy" all over our nation's Wal-Mart's will attest. But there's truth in advertising for this purse made out of a Dance Dance Revolution dance pad, which is, in fact, pretty cool.

As a bonus with this handy how-to, you get to see several lurid close-ups of a dance pad's guts. Sure, it's not the internet's biggest fetish group, but it's nice to see them being thrown a bone.

[Thanks, Liz]

Konami income declines as expected in first half of fiscal 2010

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 9th 2009 at 5:31PM }

Konami courteously warned its investors last week that the first half of this fiscal year had been ... unfavorable to the company. It forecasted a year-over-year decline in net income of 82%, falling from ¥12 billion ($132 million) in the first half of FY 2009 to ¥2 billion ($24 million) in the first half of FY 2010. This forecast now seems incredibly pessimistic in light of the recently released financial report, which reveals a net income decrease of 81%, down to ¥2.2 billion ($24.4 million) in the first half of FY 2010.

See, Konami? Shake off that melancholy. That's one whole percent less than you expected to lose! Hey, you know what they say: When life takes one less lemon away from you than you expect it to take, then you can make lemonade with that lemon. Sure, it'll be fairly weak lemonade with just the one lemon, but it'll still be crisp and refreshing.

Prototype Wii game found in developer portfolio

by JC Fletcher { Nov 4th 2009 at 6:40PM }

The website for Eric Testroete, who recently made the rounds for his "big head mode" Halloween costume, shows work-in-progress screens of an unannounced Wii war game he animated for MLB Superstars developer Deep Fried Entertainment. The game uses an almost top-down, zoomed-out perspective, and appears to put the player (or players) in control of jeeps equipped with machine guns.

As Kotaku notes, it looks rather like Konami's Jackal, prompting the site to speculate that it's a ReBirth made for Konami, like the recent Castlevania, Contra, and Gradius games. If true, it would be the first ReBirth title not to be developed by M2 in Japan. Of course, the American side of Konami is also working on refreshes of old Konami franchises in the form of Rocket Knight, so there is precedent.

Gallery: Undisclosed Deep Fried Entertainment game (Wii)

Two Konami 'Xbox Live' Compilations discovered on GameFly

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 4th 2009 at 3:30PM }

GameFly now has listings for Xbox Live Compilation Vol. 1 & 2 from Konami on its site. Noted by Siliconera, Konami's XBLA releases include Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Frogger 2 and a slew of classic titles. The site speculates that if Konami's subsidiary Hudson is thrown in the mix, the collection could also include Bomberman titles.

GameFly is known to "simply post information as it is supplied to [it] by the publishers." We've contacted Konami for any further details and will update if it responds to our request.

Source -- Xbox Live Compilation Vol. 1 [GameFly]
Source -- Xbox Live Compilation Vol. 2 [GameFly]

[Via Siliconera]

Konami forecasts 82 percent decline in net income

by David Hinkle { Nov 3rd 2009 at 3:21PM }

Konami has revealed its financial forecast for the six months ending September 30, 2009. Comparing profits to the same time last year, the company predicts that net income attributable to Konami corporation would fall 82 percent, from 12 billion yen ($132 million) to 2 billion yen ($24 million). Of course, Konami blames this sharp downturn on a lack of key titles (again), especially in contrast to MGS4 which buoyed much of 2008.

The company is hopeful for a climb into the black this time next year, forecasting net income to be around 16 billion yen ($177 million). Konami doesn't say what it expects to drive this rise in profits, but titles like Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and PES 2010 will likely play a part in that. Next year also promises the appearance of a revitalized Castlevania, a portable Metal Gear Solid and -- maybe -- a Rising action star.

[Via GI.biz]

Source - PDF document

MSX returns to Virtual Console in Japan with ... Metal Gear!?

by JC Fletcher { Oct 30th 2009 at 3:00PM }

There hasn't been an MSX game released on Virtual Console in Japan since July 2008. Konami has decided to start releasing its MSX library on Virtual Console, and as a result (should these games actually come out), the MSX selection will more than triple in November. Which just means it'll go from a whole two games to seven.

One of the MSX classics planned for November? The original Metal Gear! Only available in America as a bonus with Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, the debut of Hideo Kojima's verbose series will be on Japan's Virtual Console for 800 points sometime next month.

The full list of planned releases, which doesn't include whatever arcade games Bandai Namco will overcharge for, is after the break.

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Tomena Sanner running to North American WiiWare in Q1

by JC Fletcher { Oct 29th 2009 at 3:15PM }

Konami has announced a North American release for its one-button WiiWare action game Tomena Sanner. The mobile port stars a businessman named Hitoshi Susumu who must run to an "ultimate dance party" to get there on time -- and who has the terrible luck to face obstacles like chorus lines, T-Rexes, lizardmen, and Frankenstein's Monsters.

The game uses a single button to control Susumu's jumps, as well as attacks, basketball dunks, and whatever the situation calls for. It's like Canabalt, but with more dancing. All the while, a running commentary on Susumu's progress displays at the top of the screen. It also includes split screen multiplayer for up to four.

Tomena Sanner will be out, unfortunately, in Q1 2010.

Gallery: Tomena Sanner (WiiWare)

Frogger Returns, crosses street to WiiWare and PlayStation Network

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 27th 2009 at 9:28PM }

Click to see even larger rats.

Konami shocked us by announcing a complete reboot of Frogger, reimagined by American McGee as a dark, twisted platformer about a frog on a quest for revenge.

Wait, they didn't do that. Instead, they announced Frogger Returns, a by-the-numbers follow-up to the arcade classic that has you taking the titular mascot from one side of the screen to the other. This modern take on the franchise adds a few power-ups (like the ability to reverse and stop time) and invincibility. Whoa, who knew frogs could do all that?

Frogger Returns promises to be "12 times the size of the original" and will also offer "local multiplayer," according to the official press release. No details on price were revealed, but Konami's aiming for a release on both WiiWare and PlayStation Network later this fall.

Gallery: Frogger Returns

Whippin' out some Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth footage

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 27th 2009 at 2:45PM }

Upon close inspection of two new videos of the WiiWare title, Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, we can confirm the following: It's definitely a Castlevania game. While the game is a remake of the Gameboy title of the same name -- sans the "ReBirth" bit -- the WiiWare version is more reminiscent of the 16-bit games found on the Super Nintendo and Genesis. In fact, we're fairly certain we spotted some reused art from said 16-bit games, which is pretty characteristic for a Castlevania title! Still, the classic monster-slaying, holy-water-tossing gameplay looks to be firmly intact.

Check out the footage after the break.

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Konami extremely confident in PES 2010, ships 3 million to Europe

by David Hinkle { Oct 24th 2009 at 12:00AM }

Look, we know you Europeans love your ~~soccer~~ football, but GI.biz is reporting that Konami has shipped three million copies of PES 2010 to the region today. Three million -- that's like Halo 3 numbers, people!

While we're willing to bet you Euros are chomping at the bit for more pitch play, we're curious if PES 2010 needs such a hefty initial shipment -- especially since FIFA 10 has been out and selling really well. Have footy fans had their needs fulfilled? Apparently not, since Konami expects the game to "become a million-selling title at launch."

"Global sales for the PES series to date are over 55.5 million, and we expect a very strong performance from what is easily the best PES in a long, long time," says Martin Schneider, Konami's European marketing director. He credits the rise in quality and buzz to the latest iteration to the fans, whom he expects to stick around as Konami starts charging toward DLC for the game.

A single screenshot of Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 22nd 2009 at 7:45PM }

Taken directly from Konami's Japanese website, we present to you a solitary screenshot from its upcoming WiiWare remake, Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth. Given that the game is based on a GameBoy title, it's perhaps appropriate that the screenshot is very small. Still, we apologize for the pathetic tininess of the image. Then again, we're not sure what we were expecting. After all, what is a screenshot but a miserable little pile of pixels?

Japanese game devs give their verdicts on TGS

by Xav de Matos { Oct 22nd 2009 at 5:00PM }

While plenty of games press and hardcore fans flocked to 2009's Tokyo Game Show, attendance was down versus last year, and developers noticed. "The total attendance is down from last year, but myself, it felt less like a crush of people and more like a fun festival atmosphere like we used to have," Hideo Kojima told Famitsu in an upcoming feature.

But not every developer looked favorably on the late-September show. Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiya pointed out that only three titles out of the 12 awarded 'Future' prizes at the Japan Game Awards were non-sequels. "That seems to go crossways with the term 'future' in my mind and it's frankly kind of sad," he said.

Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi revealed he was "a little disappointed" that there were very few Japanese-made titles positioned for the worldwide market. However, he does note the titles meant for Japanese consumption puts the industry (in the East) on a stable base. While Fumito Ueda -- currently working on The Last Guardian -- noted that he is extremely excited about offerings from the West, specifically Modern Warfare 2. "I feel a serious sublime beauty in all of Infinity Ward's FPSes," he told Famitsu, despite qualms that Western companies came to Japan to push their wares rather than discussing innovation.

According to Akihiro Hino, head of Level-5 -- one of the busier booths at TGS 2009 -- the show felt "kind of plain." However, he does agree that the show offered a lot of games he personally wanted to play. "So in that respect," he noted, "TGS was great." If you consider waiting in line for 180 minutes to play one title great, we agree.

[Via 1UP]

Konami confirms U.S. release for Shadow of Destiny PSP port

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 22nd 2009 at 3:35PM }

We're currently experiencing a kind of Deja Vu that the protagonist of the time-traveling adventure title, Shadow of Destiny, would be quite familiar with. See, Konami just sent in a press release announcing that a PSP version of the aforementioned game would be coming stateside in 2010. We could've sworn that we already knew about the re-release of this cult classic -- perhaps someone's just changed something in the Matrix. Then again, maybe it's because the ESRB rated the PSP port almost three months ago. Yeah, that's probably it.

The plot of Shadow of Destiny is too complex for us to possibly relate to newcomers in any sensible fashion. Instead, we'll just say it's like Groundhog Day -- particularly the part where Bill Murray dies over and over again.

Atomic turns to Wii FPS port, not giving up on Fallujah

by Justin McElroy { Oct 22nd 2009 at 11:57AM }

You'd be forgiven for taking Atomic Games' announcement of a Wii FPS as the final nail in the coffin for semi-documentary game Six Days in Fallujah. Atomic says that, even though it's releasing a ported and renamed version of 2005's Close Combat: First to Fight for Wii (through publisher Destineer), it's not giving up on its original project, which was axed by Konami in April.

The news that Marines: Modern Urban Combat -- huh, what do you mean that subtitle sounds familiar? -- will arrive November 10 comes after rumors that layoffs had all but shuttered the studio. Though Atomic's on to other projects, Gamasutra reports that the developer's president, Peter Tamte, still insists it "remains committed" to Fallujah.

We're happy to see that Atomic's still plugging along, but if you're expecting to see Six Days in Fallujah anytime soon ... well, just don't.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker English voice cast announced

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 16th 2009 at 2:00PM }

With fingers crossed, we turned to the latest Kojima Productions podcast, hoping beyond hope that the studio had taken our recommendation to refresh the voice of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker's bearded protagonist. Our nominee for Solid Snake's new pipes? Bobcat Goldthwait. Sure, Mr. Goldthwait would likely take the series in an unexpected direction -- but what unsuspecting player wouldn't be swept up in an exploration of Snake's rarely discussed history as a rabid, nigh-incomprehensible stand-up comic? Now there's a 90-minute cutscene we can get behind.

Alas, Konami's recently announced voice cast for Peace Walker is actually (gasp!) sans-Goldthwait. Of course David Hayter will reprise the role for, like, the hundredth time. The rest of the totally unsurprising list can be found after the jump -- but why not watch this beautiful excerpt of the Peace Walker that could have been instead?

[Via Kotaku]

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