I make video games for the so-so company Namco Bandai Games Inc.
Or, erm, did. Mr. Katamari himself, Keita Takahashi badmouths his employers to The Setup.
The Last Guardian definately at Tokyo Game Show
By Mark / 2010-09-08 13:15:07
It was previously only rumoured, but now it's confirmed that after missing this year's E3, Team Ico's latest title, The Last Guardian will be making an appearance at next week's Tokyo Game Show.
This will take the form of a Fumito Ueda-fronted reveal and Q-and-A session, on Thursday morning at about 7AM our time.
By Mark / 2010-09-08 13:15:07
It was previously only rumoured, but now it's confirmed that after missing this year's E3, Team Ico's latest title, The Last Guardian will be making an appearance at next week's Tokyo Game Show.This will take the form of a Fumito Ueda-fronted reveal and Q-and-A session, on Thursday morning at about 7AM our time.
The way people play Mass Effect 2
By Mark / 2010-09-07 18:07:52
IGN has a sit down with Casey Hudson, Executive Producer on Mass Effect, who waxes lyrical on some of the stats they've gathered on the way people have played the game.
A surprising 50% of people who started the game finished it, and a similar amount brought their save over from the previous game.
Two of those people felt the need to complete it twenty eight times.
There's a few more stats on the IGN article, and you can see what Duane thought of the title from when he reviewed it back in Februrary.
By Mark / 2010-09-07 18:07:52
IGN has a sit down with Casey Hudson, Executive Producer on Mass Effect, who waxes lyrical on some of the stats they've gathered on the way people have played the game.A surprising 50% of people who started the game finished it, and a similar amount brought their save over from the previous game.
Two of those people felt the need to complete it twenty eight times.
There's a few more stats on the IGN article, and you can see what Duane thought of the title from when he reviewed it back in Februrary.
You may actually find some of the features erotic or sexy. But that's not our intention, really.
For example, Aya, as she continues to fight, sometimes what she's wearing gets ripped and torn to reveal more of her skin, which lots of gamers may find quite sexy.
You all disgust Yoshinori Kitase. [Eurogamer]
I just heard that PC Zone will be shutting down the presses after seventeen years, and I can't decide if I'm heartbroken or pissed off. Both, I think.
It's back! Although PC Zone never will be- and Epic Games president Mike Capps has to come to terms with it. [CVG]
Mario All-Stars Wii confirmed as straight port
By Mark / 2010-09-06 15:30:34
Some Random Japanese Games Site (via Andriasang confirms that the forthcoming release of Super Mario All-Stars which we told you about last week is just the SNES game again.
This is something we should have expected, all things considered, as the site points out that the game is to be sold at the budget price of two-and-a-half kiloYen, which comes out at about £20, compared to the four or five thousand Wii games normally go for.
It's also only ¥500 more than it would cost to buy the four games on Virtual Console, which more than covers the value of the soundtrack CD and the book and all that.
By Mark / 2010-09-06 15:30:34
Some Random Japanese Games Site (via Andriasang confirms that the forthcoming release of Super Mario All-Stars which we told you about last week is just the SNES game again.This is something we should have expected, all things considered, as the site points out that the game is to be sold at the budget price of two-and-a-half kiloYen, which comes out at about £20, compared to the four or five thousand Wii games normally go for.
It's also only ¥500 more than it would cost to buy the four games on Virtual Console, which more than covers the value of the soundtrack CD and the book and all that.
Halo film potentially still on, but TV series more likely
By Mark / 2010-09-06 14:11:44
Talking to Variety, Frank O'Connor, who oversees the franchise for Microsoft, let slip that they're "still interested in making an excellent 'Halo' movie", but the entertainment media website also points out that
Ben reviewed the Halo Legends anime compilation back in February.
By Mark / 2010-09-06 14:11:44
Talking to Variety, Frank O'Connor, who oversees the franchise for Microsoft, let slip that they're "still interested in making an excellent 'Halo' movie", but the entertainment media website also points out that Microsoft is also "intently watching" the TV landscape as a potential outlet for a "Halo" series.But before you get all excited about any future filler content on SyFy, Microsoft are happy to stick with advert director Noam Murro and his live-action shorts, including "Birth of a Spartan" and "Deliver Hope".
Ben reviewed the Halo Legends anime compilation back in February.
Yakuza 4 gets western release date
By Mark / 2010-09-03 04:59:28
Next spring!
That means it's been about a year between the Japanese and Western releases of the game, and without all the will-they-won't-they faffing around we were subjected to with Yakuza 3.
On top of that, Sega blogger ArchAngelUK "can at least confirm to you that the much loved Hostesses will return in Yakuza 4 in all their alluring glory" after they were missing from the third game.
I'll just go revive Ben.
By Mark / 2010-09-03 04:59:28
Next spring!That means it's been about a year between the Japanese and Western releases of the game, and without all the will-they-won't-they faffing around we were subjected to with Yakuza 3.
On top of that, Sega blogger ArchAngelUK "can at least confirm to you that the much loved Hostesses will return in Yakuza 4 in all their alluring glory" after they were missing from the third game.
I'll just go revive Ben.
Super Mario All-Stars to make Wii return
By Mark / 2010-09-02 13:36:46
Andriasang reports that Nintendo have confirmed a title called Super Mario Collection Special Pack, to be released to retail in Japan next month.
Super Mario Collection is the Japanese name for what we know as Super Mario All-Stars, the enhanced SNES compilation of NES Super Mario Bros. games.
It has been implied by a retailer that this will simply be the NES games again, to celebrate Mario's 25th anniversary.
However, no real details have been forthcoming from Nintendo (other than "Yes, this game does exist"), and despite talk of an accompanying booklet on the history of Mario and a soundtrack CD, I personally can't imagine a world where four NES games glued together can command a pricetag that makes the product worthwhile for retailers.
Worth keeping an eye on, I think.
By Mark / 2010-09-02 13:36:46
Andriasang reports that Nintendo have confirmed a title called Super Mario Collection Special Pack, to be released to retail in Japan next month.Super Mario Collection is the Japanese name for what we know as Super Mario All-Stars, the enhanced SNES compilation of NES Super Mario Bros. games.
It has been implied by a retailer that this will simply be the NES games again, to celebrate Mario's 25th anniversary.
However, no real details have been forthcoming from Nintendo (other than "Yes, this game does exist"), and despite talk of an accompanying booklet on the history of Mario and a soundtrack CD, I personally can't imagine a world where four NES games glued together can command a pricetag that makes the product worthwhile for retailers.
Worth keeping an eye on, I think.
By Mark / 2010-09-01 20:55:44First impressions: "Wow! I can actually read the on-screen text!" Chalk one up for Dead Rising 2 being an improved sequel.
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is the much-publicised 'playable prologue' to Dead Rising's forthcoming full-fledged sequel, seeking to bridge the storyline gap between the two games- explaining how lead character Chuck Greene comes to find himself in the Zombie-infested Las Vegasalike Fortune City.
It explains it by putting Chuck- and his daughter- in Still Creek, a small town near to Fortune City, trying to find out exactly what it is behind the zombie outbreak which has taken his wife and infected his daughter. As he stops for gas, he sees his truck, and his supply of zombie antidote Zombrex, stolen, stranding the pair of them as the zombie hordes close in.
It is at this point that we are launched straight into the game, and immediately back into familiar DR territory, an open world full of shambling undead, terrified survivors and random objects to pick up and fling at them. And the most important feature of Dead Rising, nice pink dresses to put your big, hairy bloke of a player character in.
For the most part, the return of all this is welcome, and comes with a few changes- for a start, three save slots replace the solitary slot from the first game, for most a welcome change, but one that arguably undermines the time management element of the first title, a seemingly needless move considering that Case Zero is played over a significantly shorter length of time. Another helpful streamlining feature is that it is now possible to attack zombies while carrying a survivor, rather than having to put the survivor down, wait for the animation to play out, attack the zombie, go back to the survivor, pick them back up, and then wait for that animation to play out before you could get back to actually playing the game.
The biggest change is the inclusion of 'combo weapons', where certain weapons can be taped together to create a more powerful one- although only in certain locations, and to a guitar soundtrack that would embarrass an A-Team montage. Otis is also gone, and in his place is Bob, a store owner who stands on a roof and will wave at you until you respond to his call, rather than call you on a walkie-talkie and ignore you if you don't respond in time, which is a much better way of handling the survivors.
Fundamentally, however, the game plays much the same as its predecessor, which allows us to concentrate more on the game's form.
Rather than being a traditional 'demo', as such, Case Zero takes the form of a short, self contained game with a definite ending, rather than just tailing off into what would otherwise be "The Rest Of The Game". It also comes with a price tag of 400 MSP, or about £3.40.
Taken on its own as an 'episode' of Dead Rising, the title stands up, and I can see myself enjoying five or six of these, released periodically, just as much as a full length, retail Dead Rising. Knowing that there's a full length, retail Dead Rising on the way, however, leaves a nasty taste in the mouth since you've paid for what is ultimately a demo, and even at its low price can seem to be a way of gouging players, especially score whores who want another 200 gamerscore, which could become a worrying trend should less scrupulous publishers decide this game is a success.
Also, despite its completeness, its brevity causes it to lack the same sense of scale that the first game did, and the chaos that ensued when having to make a decision between continuing with the survivors you are already on the way to save, taking the survivors following you somewhere safe, or firefighting newly-discovered survivors.
So long as this game remains separate content, and not part of the game proper, Case Zero is definitely worth your time, and makes a nice starter for the main course due later this month.
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is the much-publicised 'playable prologue' to Dead Rising's forthcoming full-fledged sequel, seeking to bridge the storyline gap between the two games- explaining how lead character Chuck Greene comes to find himself in the Zombie-infested Las Vegasalike Fortune City.
It explains it by putting Chuck- and his daughter- in Still Creek, a small town near to Fortune City, trying to find out exactly what it is behind the zombie outbreak which has taken his wife and infected his daughter. As he stops for gas, he sees his truck, and his supply of zombie antidote Zombrex, stolen, stranding the pair of them as the zombie hordes close in.
It is at this point that we are launched straight into the game, and immediately back into familiar DR territory, an open world full of shambling undead, terrified survivors and random objects to pick up and fling at them. And the most important feature of Dead Rising, nice pink dresses to put your big, hairy bloke of a player character in.
For the most part, the return of all this is welcome, and comes with a few changes- for a start, three save slots replace the solitary slot from the first game, for most a welcome change, but one that arguably undermines the time management element of the first title, a seemingly needless move considering that Case Zero is played over a significantly shorter length of time. Another helpful streamlining feature is that it is now possible to attack zombies while carrying a survivor, rather than having to put the survivor down, wait for the animation to play out, attack the zombie, go back to the survivor, pick them back up, and then wait for that animation to play out before you could get back to actually playing the game.
The biggest change is the inclusion of 'combo weapons', where certain weapons can be taped together to create a more powerful one- although only in certain locations, and to a guitar soundtrack that would embarrass an A-Team montage. Otis is also gone, and in his place is Bob, a store owner who stands on a roof and will wave at you until you respond to his call, rather than call you on a walkie-talkie and ignore you if you don't respond in time, which is a much better way of handling the survivors.
Fundamentally, however, the game plays much the same as its predecessor, which allows us to concentrate more on the game's form.
Rather than being a traditional 'demo', as such, Case Zero takes the form of a short, self contained game with a definite ending, rather than just tailing off into what would otherwise be "The Rest Of The Game". It also comes with a price tag of 400 MSP, or about £3.40.
Taken on its own as an 'episode' of Dead Rising, the title stands up, and I can see myself enjoying five or six of these, released periodically, just as much as a full length, retail Dead Rising. Knowing that there's a full length, retail Dead Rising on the way, however, leaves a nasty taste in the mouth since you've paid for what is ultimately a demo, and even at its low price can seem to be a way of gouging players, especially score whores who want another 200 gamerscore, which could become a worrying trend should less scrupulous publishers decide this game is a success.
Also, despite its completeness, its brevity causes it to lack the same sense of scale that the first game did, and the chaos that ensued when having to make a decision between continuing with the survivors you are already on the way to save, taking the survivors following you somewhere safe, or firefighting newly-discovered survivors.
So long as this game remains separate content, and not part of the game proper, Case Zero is definitely worth your time, and makes a nice starter for the main course due later this month.
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