"Give us MotionPlus!"

That seemed to be the most popular response when we asked you what changes you'd make to No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle. Luckily for us, Goichi Suda seems to agree (does he read Wii Fanboy reader comments? If so, hai, Suda!). Speaking to IGN (hit the break for the full video interview), the maverick developer discussed how he'd like to utilise Wii MotionPlus in the No More Heroes follow-up, despite not having touched the add-on yet. 1:1 beam katana action? Um, yes please.

He's also "very interested" in online play, though sounded slightly less committed to the idea when he discussed it with CVG, describing it as "still up in [the] air." We'd probably take MotionPlus over some online mode, though if Suda feels like adding both to Travis' next outing, we suppose we can accept that as well.

After reaching for the lightswitch and squinting over Fatal Frame IV media, Nintendo has updated the official website by adding new screens and character profiles. It seems Fatal Frame just isn't scary unless it stars tiny, innocent-looking girls, and this latest installment has three of them. The only prominent male is wearing a tight shirt with a neck that's a little too big, so he could be classified as the fourth girl in the ghostbusting team.

Fatal Frame IV is hiding in the shadows, ready to pounch on unsuspecting customers when it hits the shelves in Japan on July 31st. Hit up the website to examine the rather impressive character renders. One question - why is it always night time, and why are they always holding torches?


[Via NeoGAF]

New screens of Fatal Frame IV have appeared on Famitsu's site, coinciding with the launch of the game's official site. Our verdict? They're all rather lovely, but terribly dark. Yes, we fully appreciate that traipsing about in pitch black darkness while being scared witless is a key part of the Fatal Frame experience, but in some of these shots it's the Famitsu watermark that is most prominent. The old adage about "what you can't see is what scares you most" will no doubt apply here, and we look forward to hiding behind our sofas whenever this makes the inevitable trip westwards.

Make sure your night light is on before heading past the break for a few other screenshots.

Grim. Dingy. Grimy. Dilapidated. No, we're not referring to the more picturesque parts of Fanboy Towers (though could well be), but to the environments found in Fatal Frame IV. The latest edition of Famitsu has some of the first gameplay shots from the Tecmo/Grasshopper Manufacture collaboration, most of which feature the title's waif of a heroine and some not entirely pleasant sights; you can see the full scans at the "Source" link below.

It also appears that Nintendo's Japanese arm has updated its release schedule with a date for the camera-based horror title -- Nintendo itself will be publishing Fatal Frame IV in Japan on July 31st.


[Thanks, HellAlucard!]

European gamers are already feeling pretty sensitive about No More Heroes, since they're getting the original Japanese version and not the "extra bloody" American version. Now there's one more thing to complain about, as Rising Star Games has bumped the release date back a week from February 29th to March 7th. That's not too long to wait, but considering that the game has been out for two months in Japan and one month in the U.S., we can imagine how it would sting.

In lighter news (to distract the European audience from the boiling rage they're sinking into), check out Suda 51's joking, Suda-like design idea for an 'adult' Mario game: "Maybe Mario could wear an Italian suit and have a machine gun," he hypothesized, adding, "But Nintendo probably wouldn't like that idea." Oh, Suda, you certainly do enjoy making games about professional killers.

Spoiler alert: This is the first boss fight in the game.
If there's one thing we can't get enough of right now, it's No More Heroes. Suda's masterpiece (yeah, we went there) came in to our video game collection and proceeded to decapitate every single other game in its pursuit to be the top title of our library. We're so smitten, we've cuddled with the game's case every night in bed, clenching it tight against our chest like our teddy bears of old.

But enough about our rampant love of the game. One of the biggest concerns for Europeans is how the censored version would stack up the bloody affair that is the U.S. release. One gamer was kind enough to do just that, taking video of each death scene in the game from both censored and uncensored version of the game. So, if you're beaten the game or just don't care about spoilers, hit up the link below. For the rest of you, go play No More Heroes already!

Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
Publisher: TBD / TBD
Release: TBD / TBD

The DS boasts an enviable spread of adventure games, and 2008 promises much for the genre. Courtesy of Grasshopper Manufacture, both Flower, Sun and Rain and The Silver Case will be appearing on the handheld in the coming months, and it's fair to say that both reek of awesomeness.

Flower, Sun and Rain puts the player in the shoes of Sumio Mondo, an assassin tasked with defusing a time bomb planted on a plane. Sumio initially fails his mission, only to wake the next morning and find that the explosion has yet to happen. Presented with a second chance to save the stricken plane and redeem himself, Sumio again fails, but wakes the next morning to find himself living the same day over and over, his hotel room becoming more and more warped as he slowly begins to lose his mind from the repetition.

Comparatively little has been revealed about the DS version of The Silver Case, a murder mystery title that originally appeared on the PlayStation back in 1999. Centered around a series of grisly murders, the game is played from two perspectives: that of a leading detective, and of a freelance writer investigating the affair. In the PlayStation original, the story was narrated entirely through a montage of 2D illustrations, 3D CG, live-action images, and motion graphics, but it's not yet known whether the DS version will adopt the same techniques (the presence of two screens would seem like the perfect excuse to mimic this, however).

While both titles are wildly inventive, we feel we should also contribute part of this preview to the man behind them. Here in the DS Fanboy dungeon, our admiration and respect for Goichi Suda knows no end. As the name behind the likes of Killer 7 and No More Heroes, Suda has proven time and again that the punk spirit is alive and well in videogames, and that there remains a place in gaming for the unconventional and the plain bizarre.

As much as it saddens us, Suda won't be making games forever, but we like to think that his eventual successor will keep the punk flame alive in game development by following:

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FFIV	Back	Many infos

We can totally get behind No More Heroes cosplay. For one thing, it's a cheap and fairly easy pastime, not unlike your mom requiring none of the intricate and potentially expensive items needed for, say, successful Metroid cosplay. For another, the end result generally looks quite good, if you have the right physique to pull it off (we don't), as well as the correct cocksure attitude (again, no).

Hit the link below for more photos of Travis Touchdown and Sylvia Christel imitators that you can shake a paper-mâché WarioWare mask at.

[Via GameSetWatch]

With over two thousand entries in our giveaway for No More Heroes, the task of selecting a winner would be a very difficult one. Thankfully, we take the easy way out and select the winner via random drawing. So, without further ado, let's congratulate:

• Patricia Mortimer, who said her favorite hero is Oprah Winfrey

Congratulations to Patricia and better luck next time to the rest of you! Be sure to keep an eye out for our next Fanswag giveaway!

Months after announcing a new installment to its survival-horror/photography game, Tecmo unveiled a two-minute CG trailer for Fatal Frame IV (Rei: Tsukihami no Kame) and discussed a few specifics behind the spooky title. The video hasn't yet been released, but you can peek at screen grabs from the movie in the gallery below.

According to series producer Keisuke Kikuchi, the game's "image color" will be yellow, and the words "memory," "moon," and "mask" will be recurring themes. That's not much to go on, but we still have months before Fatal Frame IV's expected summer release in Japan.

Tecmo has teamed up with studio Grasshopper Manufacture (No More Heroes, Killer 7) for Fatal Frame IV's development, bringing in Goichi Suda (!) to help direct the game along with Makoto Shibata. Surprisingly, Nintendo will handle production, publishing, and promotion. What an interesting mix!


[Via IGN]

Two great titles hit stores this week, one for hardcore gamers, taking you through the twisted and stylized world of Travis Touchdown, the other for those with more casual tastes, allowing you to explore the Manaurai Sea and its marine life. So, considering your limited budget, which of these two are you considering picking up, No More Heroes or Endless Ocean?

Or are you planning to skip them both, buying Advance Wars: Days of Ruin instead? But then what if No More Heroes bombs, and US publishers refuse to bring Goichi Suda's games stateside in the future? Won't someone please think of Suda 51?!

There seems to be some sort of inextricable link between No More Heroes and toilets. Previously, it was revealed that we'd all be saving our progress in the game by perching on the john. Then there was that novelty No More Heroes themed toilet paper that was handed out at the game's launch party in Japan, and which director Goichi Suda would later give away on the streets of Akihibara.

Now, Suda has told Eurogamer that the creative process behind the game was comparable to ... pinching a loaf. You know: making a deposit at the Porcelain Bank. Taking the Browns to the Super Bowl. Defecating. We're struggling, so we'll let Suda take us from here: "When you take a shit, everything you've consumed is all mixed together, there are all sorts of things in that -- and that's the same kind of idea, I think."

That's ... charming.

No, we're not talking about the heroes you might be thinking of. We're talking about the heroes behind the heroes. The names and faces that make our games come alive. The visionaries, if you will.

Yesterday's unveiling of a release date and the official website for Flower, Sun and Rain inspired a chat amongst the staff about the game's creator, Goichi Suda. You see, around these parts, we simply can't get enough of Suda's work: the wildly imaginative concepts, that inimitable visual style. Hand on heart, Suda's mere involvement in a project means a sale to this blogger is more than likely. We only wish others felt the same way.

But what about you, reader? Is there a particular development guru you look up to? Are you more about Sakaguchi or Shiggy, Molyneux or Mizuguchi? And do you ever purchase a game solely because they played a part in its creation?

A recent announcement that Europe would be getting a bloodless version of No More Heroes didn't go down well with many of our bloodthirsty commenters. At the time, PAL publisher Rising Star Games refused to reveal what was behind the decision, but more light was shed on the omission earlier today, in a joint statement from director Suda51 and producer Yasuhiro Wada (pictured above unsuccessfully trying to give away free toilet roll and autographs on the streets of Akihabara).

Turns out that it was Suda and Wada themselves who decided to drop the outrageous levels of gore from the European version, citing the "broadly growing Wii market" in the region.

Not that this affects many of you, as the U.S. version still contains plenty of the crimson stuff. Buckets of it, in fact.