Oops. With all the stuff I’m working on I forgot that (since I’m not at the show) Gamescom was still going on. Here’s Konami’s final two days of content from the show floor. I’ll probably post the longer On Air videos about Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and the two Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 games on the other blog at some point this week. Too much to do, not enough time, as usual! OK, off to get some much-needed sleep.
Konami revealed a nice selection of upcoming titles at Gamescom this year and even had their own web show to promote the goods. Here’s a look at the three post show videos for each day of the show as well as the pre-show peek behind the scenes video that kicked things off. Between Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 – Mirror of Fate, and a few other cool games, I’m going to be glued to my TV for a nice chunk of time, that’s for sure. I just hope I don’t go even more broke stocking up on extra controllers…
More video preview fun below the jump!
I’ve played and still play a lot of fan-made games and while many are really great, too many are trying to masquerade as unofficial side stories or sequels that fail to do justice to their source materials. On the other hand, sometimes a remake is the best way to go if you’re new to a certain classic you may never have heard of before.
An excellent example can be found over at Santi Ontañón’s Brain Games. Hop on over for a visit and you’ll find some really cool remakes of classic Konami PC and console games that aren’t (surprise!) Castlevania, Contra, Metal Gear or other games you’d expect. Fortunately, Konami had many other games that became fan favorites outside of those three cash cows and the amount of care that went into these updated versions is quite impressive. Of all the games there, I currently love The Maze of Galious (aka Knightmare II: The Maze of Galious), a tough side-scrolling action game with a few minor RPG elements that some have called one of Konami’s best games ever.
As I haven’t yet finished the game myself, I can’t say much other than so far, it’s definitely really good (and really hard at times). This remake features a few different custom graphics that can be toggled through as you play (including the original MSX version), some excellent tunes and you’ll definitely want to read up on how to solve a few of the game’s trickier mysteries, as things can get baffling if you aren’t paying attention. If you like MoG and want more, there are some other nifty remakes on the site to check out and they’re all free to download and play at your leisure.
“This is not a game. This is not a movie. This is real. And guests will be tormented by horrifying creatures from an alternate dimension, including the iconic deformed nurses and the executioner. “
So, Universal Studios is adding a Silent Hill theme to its hugely popular Halloween Horror Nights attraction at its Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood locations. That’s a good thing or a bad one, depending on how much you like being scared silly by things that go bump in the night. Personally, I’ve never really been scared at any horror house I’ve been to most likely because I have a pretty morbid sense of humor to begin with and tend to elbow anyone who tries to do a “jump out’ scare on me in the eye. I also know that at the end of the day everyone going in will come out alive (soiled shorts optional) and all those mask and makeup wearing guys and gals putting the fear of fear into the heads of those who show up are making an honest buck.
If you missed out on Little King’s Story on the Wii a few years back, you didn’t get to play a really cute and fun blend of real time strategy and RPG elements wrapped into a surprisingly neat neat tale that was also pretty funny at times. This sequel gets a completely new visual style, more mature looking characters and a few other tweaks, but as many Vita owners will be new to the game, that doesn’t matter all that much, I’d imagine. What DOES matter is that the Vita NEEDS more quality games such as this and as many as possible over the next few months so that this current dry spell is rendered a thing of the past sooner than later. Let’s keep ’em coming Sony!
Do you LOVE the Metal Gear series? Are you going to be in New York City next week? Do you need some new (and really cool) T-shirts and don’t mind spending a little money? Well, here’s something awesome you can be a part of.
Er, cue the press release, as I’m buried under pre-E3 stuff:
©Konami Digital Entertainment
METAL GEAR 25th ANNIVERSARY UT T-SHIRTS GO ON SALE
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HIDEO KOJIMA / YOJI SHINKAWA AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS (JUN 8 & 9)
WHAT:
UNIQLO Celebrates the Metal Gear 25th Anniversary and UT (UNIQLO T-Shirts) Collection by hosting Autograph Sessions with game designer Hideo Kojima and artist Yoji Shinkawa
WHO:
UNIQLO
Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd., Metal Gear game designer – Hideo Kojima
Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd., Metal Gear Solid artist – Yoji Shinkawa
WHERE:
UNIQLO New York 5th Avenue Global Flagship: 666 Fifth Avenue at 53rd Street
UNIQLO 34th Street Flagship Store: 31 West 34th Street, bet. 5th and 6th Avenues
WHEN:
Friday, June 8th at UNIQLO 5th Avenue 6:00PM – 8:00PM
Saturday, June 9th at UNIQLO 34th Street 4:00PM – 6:00PM
DETAILS:
The Metal Gear series is taking over two UNIQLO stores on June 8th and June 9th to welcome the arrival of a special UT and UNIQLO T-Shirt collection in honor of the series’ 25th Anniversary. To celebrate the occasion, UNIQLO will be hosting autograph sessions at their 5th Ave and 34th street locations featuring the game’s designer Hideo Kojima and artist Yoji Shinkawa. For the first time in New York City, fans will be able to get autographs from both of the game’s key influencers at the same time! In order to get these coveted VIP autographs, both events require a minimum $30 UNIQLO purchase.
The limited edition Metal Gear UT merchandise will go on sale at UNIQLO 5th Avenue the morning of June 8th and then at 34th Street the morning of June 9th. All 10 exclusive designs retail for only $19.90 each!
Castlevania – Lords of Shadow was the first truly great non-2D game in the fan favorite series that did a great job of bringing the long-running franchise to current -gen systems, keeping elements from the classics intact and adding influences from a few key games of this decade. Super talented developer Mercury Steam is once again going all out to bring gamers a hardcore action game that looks to be the best it can be for the platforms it’s coming to, and that just makes me grin even more. The official site is alive and kind of kicking, so go check it out. If you still haven’t played the first LoS, go grab a copy and try it out – it’s super fun, long as hell and the story is really good stuff.
X-Blades was a great looking game for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC that probably would have been even better if the gameplay, story and level structure were a lot better. I’m guessing that it sold well enough for Russian developer Gaijin Entertainment to get to work on a spiritual successor set to be released in March for the PS3 and Xbox 360. That, or all those military games they’ve been churning ut like clockwork have helped fund this one. Based on the lovely trailer above, I’m a lot happier with the visual style, especially Ayumi’s new look and the supremely lush-looking levels. Hopefully, the plot and gameplay will be as great as the graphics, but I’m gathering that you won’t see Gaijin making the same mistakes twice. Of course, Konami is not doubt hoping the exact same thing, so keep an eye peeled for this one in the next few weeks…
Why all the anger and cuteness and punching and cuteness and kicking and cuteness? Ouch! There are more than enough fighting game fans out there who want to get their sweaty little hands on you gals once you’re finally released over PSN, so no need to get violent. Oh, wait… it’s a fighting game. Oops. Anyway, save some of that energy for the steadily growing fan base you’re getting, I say. Still, as awesome as the game looks, I actually wish it were getting the Phantom Breaker treatment (as in a retail release with a nice bunch of swag). Oh well, I guess we’ll all have to hope that the game does well enough as a digital download that it can hit the Vita as a retail and digital release, right?
Sure, the big, fat secret game Platinum was working on (despite denial to the contrary) is indeed Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and sure enough, the floodgates of Hell have opened with some MGS fans (and professional Raiden haters) getting all up in arms about the trailer for a few crazy reasons. Most of these are at best unfair (as not one of these people griping has actually played the game) unless they have a time machine) and at worst, insane (you can’t apply ANY actual rules of “reality” to ANY Metal Gear game if you think about it). Anyway, I plan to wait with bated breath until Konami jets into NYC with a playable demo at some point so I can draw my own conclusions after some play time. Continue reading
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 