GAMES

Q&A: Grasshopper Manufacture CEO considering new IP for Sony and Microsoft’s motion-sensing systems; admires Heavy Rain’s attempt to bring “new experiences” to players.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle was released in the US to critical acclaim in January, and is heading to Europe next month. The CEO of developer Grasshopper Manufacture Goichi Suda–commonly known as Suda-51–was in London yesterday to talk about the game’s upcoming launch and his future plans.

Talking to GameSpot UK, Suda said he was “very interested” in making games geared towards Project Natal and the upcoming PlayStation 3 motion controller, which he saw first hand at last year’s Tokyo Game Show. This isn’t just going to be an expanded port of No More Heroes, however. “I will make some original IP to fit that control system,” Suda said.

Suda went on to explain that it it took some time playing with the Wii to work out exactly how No More Heroes was going to work, and that he anticipated doing something similar with Natal and the PS3 motion control systems. Any new IP would have to be designed with the control scheme in mind to make sure the end product is as good as possible, he said.

Suda also expressed admiration for Heavy Rain, saying he would “very much like” to make a title in a similar vein at some point in the future, as he likes the idea of “new designs and anything that gives new experiences to the players.” Suda-51 beleives such a game might be tricky to make with “the current generation” of Japanese developers. However, he thinks as developers become aware of the “different tastes” of the three major markets–Europe, North America, and Japan–it might become easier.

Grasshopper Manufacture CEO, Goichi Suda.

Suda also adressed No More Heroes’ relative lack of success in Japan, where Marvellous Entertainment has yet to confirm a release date for the sequel. He said that western gamers are more open to games that are “silly” or “nasty” than those in his home country. He shrugged off suggestions that the Japanese development industry was not in good health, joking that the problem was just that journalists were upset at not being able to play No More Heroes 2 at TGS 2008.

Finally, Suda-51 teased that he might have something new to show off at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, though he wouldn’t elaborate. Tune in to GameSpot UK’s video show Start/Select next week for more from Suda-51, as he shows off a couple of his favourite parts of No More Heroes 2.

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Xbox 360-exclusive 3D installment of SNK fighting game gets a new publisher, name, spring release date.

At last year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, Ignition Entertainment showed off Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny, an Xbox 360-exclusive 3D installment of the long-running SNK fighting series. The game dropped off the radar shortly after the show, but it has resurfaced with a new name, publisher, and release window.

Xseed is hoping the third time’s the charm for a 3D Samurai Shodown game.

Xseed Games today announced that it has obtained the North American publishing rights to the game, which it will release as Samurai Shodown Sen. An Ignition Entertainment representative would not say why or when the company’s involvement in the project ended.

Samurai Shodown Sen features two dozen fighters (13 of them returning from previous Shodown games), online multiplayer, and a “healthy” amount of gore. It marks the third time SNK has developed a 3D version of its sword-swinging fighter series. The previous two attempts, 1997’s Samurai Shodown 64 arcade game and its sequel, Warrior’s Rage, were critically unsuccessful.

Samurai Shodown Sen is set for North American release this spring. For more on the game back when it was still called Edge of Destiny, check out GameSpot’s hands-on coverage from E3.

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If you’re pacing out your Dragon Age playing to ensure that you have a steady drip of elfin lovemaking and epic dragon fighting, here’s a bit of new info to consider in your tactical strategy: EA is planning to launch a new Dragon Age title in Q4 of its fiscal 2011, which, in real-world time, falls between January 1 and March 31, 2011.

Intriguingly, EA currently lists “Dragon Age Title TBA” (that’s what it’s called at the moment) for consoles, PC and handhelds — which could mean either handheld game devices, cell phones, or both. Whatever platforms it appears on, expect the game to be super hot. Assuming, of course, this is the real sequel to Dragon Age: Origins and not a spinoff.

New Dragon Age in early 2011 on consoles, handhelds & PC originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Having pulled some of its heaviest hitters out of the busy Q1 release calendar, Capcom is ready to reassign those titles to an entirely new part of the calendar, one that hasn’t been getting nearly as much attention as its numeric predecessor: Q2. Monster Hunter Tri was already announced for April, but now Super Street Fighter IV will join it on April 27th in North America and April 30th in Europe. New characters, new combos, and the return of the smash-a-car bonus stage (see pic!) are highlights of the not-yet-priced though sure-to-be affordable followup.

Lost Planet 2 is more “sequel” than Super Street Fighter IV-style expansion. The co-op focused third-person shooter offers “larger-than-life bosses” and four player co-op over Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, and you’ll be able to take it up on that offer on May 18th in both North America and Europe. That leaves us some room in the June video game budget, if any publishers are looking to take advantage of the rest of Q2.

Super Street Fighter IV dated April 27; Lost Planet 2 on May 18 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After numerous trailers for the upcoming Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition’s zany costumes, Capcom has finally released a trailer focusing on both of the extra DLC story chapters. “Lost in Nightmares” takes place before the events of Resident Evil 5 and includes a mansion inspired by the setting of the very first RE game. “Desperate Escape” takes place during the end of Resident Evil 5, as Jill and Josh race to save Chris and Sheva from the endgame’s exploding volcano.

With Jill serving as the “main character” for the additional content, the Gold Edition expansion looks like a genuine sequel, a la Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Most importantly, we’re glad to see Jill’s masterful unlocking skills put to good use in this trailer. The first batch of RE5 DLC will be available on February 17.

Continue reading Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition looks like a sequel in new trailer

Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition looks like a sequel in new trailer originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This past summer, we learned that Mass Effect 2 players could import save files from the previous entry in the franchise, bringing all of the decisions made in the first game into the sequel. But are decisions capable of decimating hordes of insidious, robotic invaders? No, boosted stats and abilities are — and according to a recent forum post from BioWare Community Coordinator Chris Priestly, players who import their saves will get access to these as well.

Of course, you won’t be able to play as your super-high-level Shepard when you import — however, the higher your character’s level was when you finished Mass Effect, the better bonuses your Mass Effect 2 Shepard will receive. Some of the bonuses mentioned include extra money or crafting resources when you start the game. In addition, though BioWare has said that the game won’t have a “New Game Plus” option, Priestly says that multiple playthroughs with the same Shepard will be possible.

Mass Effect 2’s save game import features explained originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back when we knew the sequel to the original Army of Two as simply “Army of Two: TFD,” we solicited suggestions on what that abbreviated secondary title meant. “Total Fistbump Destruction,” suggested lapsed Kotaku commenter strawberrycream. We really liked that.

Enough to use it in one of our many previews on Army of Two: The 40th Day and bother EA producers about it at press events.

Apparently, someone else at Electronic Arts liked it, as one of the game’s Xbox Live Achievements—and presumably one PlayStation Trophy—has been named, yes, “Total FistBump Destruction,” netting the player 10 Gamerscore for finishing the game “as best friends.” Nice.

There’s also a “Total FistBump Deflation” achievement, scored by finishing the game with “a fractured friendship.” You can check out the full list at Xbox360Achievements.org or—if you find yourself muttering under your breath “How is this news?”—read our newest Army of Two hands-on preview right here.

Achievements: Army of Two: The 40th Day [X360A - thanks, Ryan!]

Remember that silly, insane rumor from back in 2008 about Diablo 3 being released by Blizzard before StarCraft 2? Turns out that Blizzard’s Rob Pardo thinks that’s a bunch of hogwash. Rather, that’s at least what we can infer from his recent conversation with Techland on the subject. “We always announce all of our games too early,” he says. “I think it’s safe to say that, yeah, [Diablo 3] is not going to be out next year.”

Considering StarCraft 2’s delay to 2010, we think it’s fair to assume that Diablo 3 will in fact not be arriving before a StarCraft sequel. Pardo adds that it’s not a question of lacking resources, as “each game has individual development teams; it’s just that the way that we develop games, we develop them very iteratively.” Worse yet, there doesn’t seem to be a finish line in sight for D3. “Now when we announce [a game] we just go, ‘Here’s the game we’re working on, we’re going to start talking about it and who knows when it ships.’” If any of you were still holding your breath for Diablo 3’s release, now might be a good time to exhale.

[Via Big Download]

Blizzard says no Diablo 3 in 2010, ‘who knows’ when it’ll be released originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Irish gaming site claims musician behind Rockstar Vancouver’s juvenile delinquency simulator will be starting up work on sequel soon.

Get the full article at GameSpot

Perhaps the essence of Lost Planet isn’t the snow of the first game or the jungle of the upcoming sequel’s first demo. Kotaku’s recent hands-on suggested a different signature element: Sci-Fi Battleground Chaos.

Capcom was showing a desert level of the company’s winter-slated third-person shooter in New York this week. It controlled the same way the demo now available on consoles does, but it presented a new theater of combat. And in that theater were about a dozen human-sized combatants, many wielding super-human-sized guns. I fought alongside three other players on locally-networked Xbox 360s.

Clearing out the enemies triggered the arrival of two beast I can best describe as nimble, blind brontosauruses called Arkid. Though they could not see, they could hear very well. Anyone making a sound with their guns or feet would be mauled. That noisy man was me. A few times.

The controls and even the flow of the action in Lost Planet 2 take some getting used to. After playing so many other third-person shooters that react to a pull of the controller’s left trigger by zooming the camera closer to a target, I find it jarring and dangerous to re-discover that Lost Planet 2 responds by having your guy toss a grenade. Your character makes right turns with the taps of other shoulder buttons. He switches his grenades and his ability to toss health energy with a two-button press. The mission flow can be confusing too, because both levels I have played have pretty much dropped me into battle as if I was storming Normandy Beach. The player doesn’t even have a mini-map at first, but several small stations the size of short trees can be approached and activated on the battlefield, the first one turning on that mini-map. Turning on others adds numbers to the players’ battle gauge, which essentially acts as a collective pool of lives.

Those elements are odd, but I liked them. They seem to produce in players a tactical scramble, allowing for precise movement that requires some thought about where you stand, cover and fire — a shade more Gears of War than, say, Modern Warfare. Getting in a bad position forces a sudden shift in strategy, from combat to healing to more battle-gauge collection. This makes the battle feel just a bit more open and frantic, less scripted than the norm.

Of course, the battles are scripted in the sense that certain actions trigger new events. As I wrote above, clearing out the enemy forces triggered the arrival of the Akrid. These monsters showed up on an overlook in a scene that looked good enough to be pre-rendered but was happening in real-time. I could move my guy around for better position. And then I had a choice: 1) Fight them and hope to hit their orange weak spots enough for them to die or 2) Work with my team to activate a number of scattered switched that would enable us to board a train and get out of there. We kind of executed both strategies. I managed to get the killing shot on one Akrid but then hopped on the train as the other one rushed it.

Throughout the battle, players earn badges to note things they’ve done mid-mission. They are currently called “Good Jon Awards.” An example I was given involved firing from cover. Doing it well might earn a player “Half-Ass Cover.” Doing it well multiple times could earn a better commendation, though probably not one as amusingly named.

More important for players than whatever Awards you win will be the points you earn for a mission well-fought. These can be applied to your character’s stat development. Lost Planet 2 doesn’t have a main character and lets players play on different factions in order to experience different sides of the same war. But a player’s accrued experience transfers to whichever character the game has the player controlling, a Capcom rep told me.

The ability to have four-gamers jump into battle and fight giant monsters is, well, a bit Monster Hunter-ish. The stat-gaining in a shooter is somewhat Borderlands. All of this can be played solo with no change in the mission flow, making it more, well, Lost Planet-ish.

Whatever comparisons you want to make, the game is shaping up to feel like a chaotic science fiction of men against men and monsters. There are a lot of ingredients here. Cooked well and already looking good, Lost Planet 2 has surprising potential.