Konami Message Board older than one year ago

#randomencounters There are a lot of disgruntled gamers out there. More »

#xmen While many arcade games can accommodate two players, and some even four, there aren't many that can crowd six around a single cabinet like the incredible X-Men arcade game could. More »

Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition is set to run into XBLA, PSN and WiiWare during the week of July 10, this week's PlayStation Blogcast confirms.

Zombie Studios, the team behind Blacklight: Retribution, is developing Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition. It will featuret traditional and new game modes, and a few different skins, including sprites from classic Castlevania and Contra games.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow studio MercurySteam will be ready to leave Castlevania behind after Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2, Konami EU head of development Dave Cox tells VG247. "Well, I think it's about wanting to leave a legacy," Cox said. "And I don't want to be in charge of a series that perhaps over a certain time is going to decline. I'd rather go out with a bang and leave that as our legacy in the Castlevania universe."

Cox said he didn't want to be known as "Mr. Castlevania," nor for his team to be "the Castlevania team." Should Lords of Shadow 2 be even more successful, another team can take on the momentum.

However, Cox doesn't want to move away from the established Konami canon entirely. "I love Contra. I'd love to do Contra. At Mercury Steam we've got an original idea that I think is really awesome. We'd love to bring that idea to market and I'm hoping that the success of Lords of Shadow 2 will allow us to do that."

Konami teased a Contra revival at E3 2011, but it's unclear whether that project is the same as MercurySteam's Contra. If so, that would alter the proposed timeline a bit, as it would suggest that Cox and his team have already been working on the "awesome" idea.

#manga Manga creator Mine Yoshizaki, best known for Sgt. Frog, recently went to the shore, where he left a sand drawing for all to see. This is it. More »

#konami Konami not only makes video games, it also owns a string of sports clubs in Japan. One of its employees, Kohei Uchimura, is on the Japanese Olympic team—one of four Konami employees, that is. More »

Leading into the release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Kojima Productions tantalized MGS fans with an iconic trailer that depicted a cybernetically augmented Raiden (a la Gray Fox) slicing and dicing hordes of foes using a razor-sharp sword and acrobatic flips. MGS4’s Raiden was a refreshing departure from his whiny, abrasive turn in MGS2: Sons of Liberty, and before long series fans fantasized about controlling him in a dedicated adventure. Luckily, that fantasy will become reality thanks to Kojima Productions and Platinum Games.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance takes place nine years after the fall of the Patriots in MGS4. We played a demo at E3 2012 and tested Blade Mode, which you probably saw in the game’s trailer. Blade Mode is very simple: you activate it using L2, which triggers slow-mo and a zoomed-in camera view while Raiden gets into slashing position. You control the sword with the right analog stick: Everything in the path of the sword will be severed, whether it’s a structure, the body of an unfortunate combatant, a vehicle…even a girl’s dress (ooh-la-la!)

But Blade Mode is even more satisfying when you can work it into a combo by lifting an enemy from the floor and turning him into human sushi. The MGRR controls work to perfection; the game runs at 60 frames per second. Raiden is very fast, and the combo system is simple but visually spectacular, especially when you take hold of the sword with your feet and you slice everything around you to pieces — yes, just like that trailer from MGS4!

At E3, Platinum Games Executive Director and Producer Atsushi Inaba confirmed to us that MGRR will feature many references to the Metal Gear universe. One example: We were tasked with obtaining a code from an enemy, and this was found hidden in a box. The Gekkos from MGS4 also make an appearance, but you have to apply a counter before being able to attack them: press Triangle just before being hit and you’ll be slicing and dicing in no time.

The main advantage that I see in MGRR is that it feels like a completely fresh product. It is a great action game from a series that has millions of followers, and it may also attract a new audience which eventually could become interested in the adventures of the two Snakes.

There is still a long time to wait before MGRR goes on sale (recently confirmed to be early 2013) and we have many questions. Will we learn more about Raiden’s cyborg transformation? Will we see more characters from the Metal Gear universe? What happened to Sunny, the daughter of Olga? We’ll have to wait until 2013 to find out.

#suikoden Kirk was like "yo Jason write me something for Kotaku Melodic" and I was like "yo okay." More »

#metalgear Walk quietly and carry a very sharp sword. Oh, and wear a Cyborg Ninja suit. Raiden is one of Metal Gear's most iconic characters—and the star of the upcoming Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. More »

#metalgear Listen up, social butterlfies. Stealth series Metal Gear might eventually contain social game elements. According to creator Hideo Kojima, social and core games will evolve together, until they converge. More »

#zoneoftheenders Zone of the Enders. Not Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima's most well-known work, but it's well-known enough (or Konami are desperate enough) to be getting a HD re-release. Here's the collection's E3 trailer. More »

Konami has announced plans to release Karaoke Joysound, four years after its Japanese release, on the Wii in North America. We're sure everyone else who remembers this old Hudson game is as shocked as we are.

Joysound uses a streaming library of over 1,000 songs, access to which can be rented for one or three days, or one month, at a time. Contents of the library have yet to be announced, and we don't know the cost. For reference, the Japanese version was 300 Wii Points for one day, 500 for three, and 1,000 ($10) for a month.

The North American version ships this fall, and includes two microphones.

The screen above represents the natural evolution of Castlevania. Throughout the series, we've been told (and shown) that Dracula's castle is a living organism, that changes form every time it reappears, and attempts to confound the hapless vampire hunter who wanders in.

Now, in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, you literally face down a building.

The official website reveals where the story picks up: as a weakened Dracula, "yearning for release from his immortal bonds," you go in search of your old powers, in order to stop a "new and powerful threat." So it's like a reverse Simon's Quest.

#silenthill Do you? Spotted by photographer David Ngo, here's Pyramid Head and a Silent Hill nurse, looking hellishly cute in Sailor Moon sailor suits. More »

#castlevania Upcoming 3DS title Castlevania: Lord of Shadow: Mirror of Fate gets a teaser that's long on teasing and short on everything else. More »

#zoneoftheenders Mecha game Zone of the Enders is getting an HD version. Check out its opening in full hi-def glory. More »

In addition to developing a 3DS game, Mercury Steam is also hard at work on a new console game: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. Announced this evening during Konami's pre-E3 press briefing, Konami had little to offer outside of the brief CG teaser here.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 will be on-hand at E3 and you can bet we're going to get our hands on it. Stay tuned for more next week, when Joystiq lands in LA for the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo.

#castlevania As expected since its reveal was spoiled yesterday, Konami has announced that it's currently developing a sequel to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. More »

A few weeks ago, we traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil to meet with our fellow PlayStation bloggers in Brazil and to attend the debut of Pro Evolution Soccer 2013. This was the first time we had an opportunity to play the game, and some members of the development team were there to answer our questions. A few games later, here’s what we learned:

This year, the PES team has lots of new people onboard who are sure to inject new life into this soccer simulation game, which already has millions of fans around the world.

In addition to all-new AI that I noticed after just a few games, PES 13 has implemented many new features in direct response to fan feedback, including better control that gives you more freedom, such as manual passing and full manual shooting, giving you more control over your actions. It is a bit difficult to use at first, but highly rewarding once you master it. In the short time I used this feature, I obviously couldn’t master it, and so I had to resort to traditional shooting..

Other improvements include more natural dribbling and defensive moves, especially when lines are arranged depending on your play. There are also goalkeepers with all-new animations who are more effective and have the ability to manually pass the ball for more precise counterattacks.

Now for what I liked best… the Player ID.

The Player ID is the digital representation of some of the top players in the world of soccer. This means that players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Ribéry, and Neymar can run, shoot, and dribble the ball just like they do in real life, reflecting the individuality and authenticity of the stars they are. PES 13 will have approximately 40-60 players using a Player ID, including forwards, the defensive line, and goalkeepers. Ranging from famous players to promising younger players, we were shown a video highlighting how the actions of various players were reproduced identically in the game. I must say, it looked fantastic in action.

The Player ID is a major feature for PES. After all, people go to soccer games to see the stars of the team, and it really makes a difference when you have a star on your team in PES 13.

PES 13 is still a game that requires decisions, from what to do with the ball when it reaches your feet to making a pass, running and facing your opponent, shooting at the goal, or simply freezing. If you do nothing, you lose possession of the ball. Fortunately, you can learn to make the best decision after a short time of playing, and become an expert in the sport, even if you never were before.

We spoke with Senior Producer Naoya Hatsum and Marketing Producer Manorito Hosoda to learn more about PES 13.

PlayStation.Blog: You mentioned that you are not working on a PS Vita version this year, but are you at least planning some kind of PS Vita connectivity? For example, you could play on your PS3 and use your PS Vita for making changes or something in gameplay without pausing the game?

PES Team: We are thinking about adding connectivity on tablets and mobile communication tools, but not PS Vita at this time.

PSB: We know that the Americas are a huge market for you right now: Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and so on. Are you working to get any new licenses from this region? The US licenses for example? You know, soccer is growing in the US…

PES Team: We wish we could say something related to licenses, but we can’t… at least not until E3! Of course we do understand that licensed teams are very important for Latin America market, for countries like Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, as well as the US major clubs.

There’s no simple way to express how Latin America is important to PES. It is a very important market and we’re focus on it in different ways. What we can say at this moment is: Latin America is one of the most important market this year, and that’s why we have been here [in Brazil] in February and we are back here now. You know, it’s a pretty long flight from Japan!

[laughs]

And that’s something we indicated in the last few years. For example, we included the Copa Santander Libertadores about two years ago. That was an example of how important Latin America market is for the PES series.

PSB: You said there is going to be among 40 to 60 players replicated in PES 2013 using Player ID. Are you planning to include more players via DLC in the future?

PES Team: At this moment we don’t have any plans for additional players through DLC. However, if there’s a very huge demand from users or community asking for it, we may have to think of it. And if we do something like that, we don’t know if people would pay for it. Would you?

PSB: Well, that’s a very good question. [laughs] But yes, I think I’d pay for it. Talking about community, you mention that user feedback is very important this year. So how are you collecting and implementing that feedback into PES 2013?

PES Team: Yes, community feedback is very important to us. Of course, listening to the opinions from fans is one thing, and that is going to satisfy users. But we also are creators, and there are features we want to offer that cannot be obtained through feedback from the users, because they are looking to the current product, and we are looking into the future. So, in a sense, we would like to surprise the players. That’s something we also want to do. There should be a good balance between what we want to do and user feedback.

And we highly value user feedback because, depending on what they want, the actual gameplay may vary greatly. For example, Brazilian players can see football as something different from people in other parts of the world. So we would like to know these nuances, if there are any, by collecting all this feedback from users, because our game is intended for a worldwide audience, and we have to think about all these elements.

PSB: Playing soccer is about decisions, I think. For example, if you’re playing in real life, when you receive the ball, you have maybe a split of a second to think what to do – you may pass, you may shoot to the goal, maybe you can faint… How do you translate that into a videogame? I mean, PES is like super hardcore, it’s a game with a very difficult learning curve, but when you understand it, it’s so fluid, it’s so fast. How do you transfer the complex elements of soccer to the controls?

PES Team: As you mentioned, it is quite hard to translate that split-second movement from the real game, because a soccer videogame requires a controller. What we aim is to do is make players feel as if they are in the real field when playing with a controller. That’s always our ultimate goal. And we try to reach that goal by continuously adjusting the AI and tweaking other elements of the game and the gameplay itself. It’s something very hard to express with simple words.

PSB: Any chance we’ll be seeing 11 players online this year?

PES Team: We can probably talk about that next year. [laughs]

PSB: You said in the presentation that Shingo “Seabass”Takatsuka-San is busy with another project, but at the same time he is still part of the team. So, how is he involved with PES 2013?

PES Team: We cannot detail what Seabass is doing at the moment. The only thing we can say is that he is working in a new project. As for PES 2013, he actually supervises the production of the game and is deeply involved with the main improvements we’re making this year.

PSB: You mention a lot of new improvements like Full Manual Passing, and Pro-Active AI, but is there any improvement made on player customization? Because that’s a feature a lot of people love. They like creating players and playing with their own custom team. Are there any improvements in this area?

PES Team: Well, there are no major improvements or changes for the Edit features this year.

PSB: Up until now, all your DLC for PES has been free, for example new sneakers, new balls, player customization itens… With the market constantly changing, have you ever thought about offering paid DLC in the form of a huge DLC pack with new modes or seasons or tons of new features?

PES Team: As for this year, there will be no paid DLC, there is no plan for it. However looking at the situation, of course, we got the feedback from you that you would be pretty much happy to pay for additional Player ID, for example. So we may think of introducing something as paid DLC in the future.

PSB: PES is evolving every year, but talking about the future, where do you see PES maybe in three or five years? Do you want to be more social, do you want to see better graphics, improve AI or something entirely different?

PES Team: We believe people’s life style has been changing drastically, because of things like the new mobile gadgets and tablets, and cloud storage is also one factor… The game user itself has been changing because of the development of the mobile devices, so what we are trying to do is cater to all possible potential users. That’s what we want to do in the future. So not just reach console gamers, but also any potential user, including those using these new kind of devices.

#castlevania Last week news of a game called Castlevania: Mirror of Fate for the Nintendo 3DS had fans of the series (myself including) imagining a brand new 2D adventure for Nintendo's latest handheld. Perhaps if we had known the game's full name, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — Mirror of Fate, we would have known better. More »

#zoe Late last week, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima revealed a new Zone of the Enders project. Fans of the sci-fi series have been waiting for Kojima to start work on a new Z.O.E. Thing is, he won't be doing much much work on it. More »

#breaking Tonight at an event for Zone of the Enders, game designer Hideo Kojima and his studios Kojima Productions announced that they were working on a new Z.O.E. project that currently has the working title of "Enders Project". More »

#hideokojima When Hideo Kojima started out in the games industry, he met a lot of people like himself, would-be creators like him who had set other life goals for themselves. The famed game designer wanted to make movies but never found a path to that aspiration and he worked with many others who got into games unexpectedly. A great two-part interview at The Guardian talks about how people reacted to the Metal Gear creator's decision to go into games as a career and who Kojima's unlikely peers were: More »

#castlevania Over on their official Facebook page, Konami links out to a teaser site that sure seems to hint at something Dracula-related. The site bears the words "The Dragon Returns," which refers to the linguistic roots of the evil count's name. Dracul—as in Vlad Dracul—means dragon in Romanian. More »

City National Bank has sued Konami and Autumn Games for millions over allegations of fraud. Courthouse News reports the bank hasn't received any return on a $15 million line of credit it approved to the defendants, and in court documents claims the financial conditions of Autumn and Konami "were false at the time they were made and that defendants never had any intention of repaying the loan as promised."

"Rather than paying game-related proceeds directly to CNB as agreed, defendant have kept all game-related proceeds for themselves and have refused to remit any such proceeds to CNB."

City National Bank is seeking over $8.9 million in damages for "fraud, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, money had and received, unjust enrichment, recovery of personal property, and punitive damages."

This isn't the first lawsuit the game has spawned. In March, EMI Music Group filed suit against Def Jam Rapstar creators 4mm Games and Terminal Reality, claiming the game contains unlicensed tracks by several artists.

#rumor The latest rumor suggests that Konami will be announcing a new Castlevainia game called Castlevainia: Mirror of Fate at E3. More »

This Wednesday, May 23rd is brimming with excitement. We welcome a new developer Bigyama to the fold, Novus Prime releases some new game-enhancing weapons, the x7 Nightclub updates, Lockwood brings new Delirious Squid items, and Konami releases a new collection of dazzling auras.

Novus Prime gets four new game-enhancing virtual items this week with the Alpha Squadron Arsenal. Deck out your pilot’s jacket with the menacing Twin Pulse Cannons for an added XP bonus and fill your hands with the stylish new Disruption Shot Pistols, complete with animated barrels and permanent in-game Nebulon boost!

Blend into your surroundings and boost your XP by 5% with the holographic Avatar Projection System outfit, and harness the destructive power of the Handheld Arc Drill to increase your Nebulon gains even further. Head over to the Novus Prime space station to get your hands on the Alpha Squadron Arsenal today!

Look forward to a new game in the Lockwood Publishing Showcase next week as part of Lockwood’s epic Fantasy Update. Brinsop the Evil Dragon descended and started wreaking havoc – Brave warriors will be rewarded!

Prepare your friends for action by sending a fantastical pet their way – Rachis the fire breathing Cockatrice and Gribbler the Dragon are available from the Lockwood Gift Machine one week early! Visit the Gift Machine now and get sending.

In the future world of Forthstar, humanity has traveled to the stars. But, in the last few decades, the situation has begun to unravel: Central government exists in name only and feudal states are at constant war. The rim of explored space is where only the hardiest can survive as Gunslingers and Dropship pilots. Gunslingers are outlaws and warriors who sell their skills to the highest bidder, while Dropship pilots help get goods and people into and out of the danger zones as war spreads.

The exclusive x7 nightclub gets another members-only bundle this week as well as a collection of Fire Opal clothing for men and an Amethyst collection for the ladies. Head there and be the first to dazzle your friends and torture your frenemies with your unique taste in fashion.

Delirious Squid stretches its tentacles once more with a range of bright tees and quirky accessories. Who wouldn’t want to look as if they have a bear trying to swallow their head? Boring people, that’s who! Crazy-cute pretty much sums up the theme of the ladies’ tees, hats and peeptoe shoes. The guys’ range is more rugged, but includes some familiar freaky faces. MC Squid and Squiddy Bones have draped themselves all over each item. Go backpacking in Delirious Squid world – these bags and boots are all you need!

Konami brings you their newest line of Auras. Check out some of their unique auras like the plasma shields, rainbow glow and glow dust. Check out Konami’s take on some classics such as hellfire, lightning storm and snowstorm. Unleash the power within!

This week in the Community Theater, HomeCast busts out the east coast Jersey accent to cover “stuff and stuff,” complete with a cameo by the Demon Warhorse. Among the “stuff” covered: the many new changes introduced with Home 1.65, as well as Super Madhouse, the new Bigyama items, the Casino’s update and more.

Codeglue brings a touch of the East here to the West with some elegant new furniture. Let the minimalist styling of hand carved, dark woods put your mind at ease while you enjoy the rest of nature around you.

Another exciting premier this week, Wrangler brand clothing launches their first ever virtual items with a collection of 10 pieces in PlayStation Home, including dark denim jeans for men and women. These will be available in both the VEEMEE and Threads stores in the Mall. With 10 new items available at launch and many more to follow, Wrangler will continue to bring their latest designs to the Home community in the months ahead.

Last but certainly not least, this past Friday the Home Community Volunteer program turned three! On behalf of the PlayStation Digital Platforms Community team, we wish to thank all HCVs past and present. You have added so much to the culture of the Home community, offering a bit of guidance to the newbs, and a friendly face to masses and healthy dose of friendly competition to the leader boards. May you continue this journey with us for years to come.

See you in Home!

- sales up from 258 billion yen to 265.8 billion yen
- operating income was up from 20.8 billion yen to 41 billion yen
- net income up from 12.9 billion yen to 23 billion yen
- sales from the consumer games division were down from 65.7 billion yen to 50.4 billion yen
- Japan accounted for 6.86 million software units sold
- Europe sold 6.23 million units
- The Americas sold 4.93 million units
- software units sold in total were 18.3 million pieces
- PS3 accounted for 34% of software units sold
- PSP accounted for 21%
- Wii accounted for 10%
- Xbox 360's accounted for 12%
- DS accounted for 10%
- 3DS accounted for 6%

Full presentation here

Link

This Wednesday, April 23rd, PlayStation Home gets an exciting core client update to version 1.65, the gorgeous Island Bungalow Personal Space releases to the public, beats by Dr. Dre arrive, new x7 exclusive early-access items release (and another freebie!), Konami releases more Secret Agent items, Juggernaut releases a down-to-earth companion, more Granzella Samurai items, and more! (Whew! This is a big week)

Let me get to the biggest news of the week—PlayStation Home gets an exciting new core client update. With it come a bunch of new features and improvements, including:

• A new simplified Menu Screen
• Furniture slot memory adjustments and enhanced visual display of available memory use
• A new Voice Chat system
• Alerts are now integrated better
• Shopping right from the Wardrobe
• Cross game invite system has been expanded
• Improved stability of real time games
• And more!

To see the full Patch Notes, click here. Users new and old will appreciate this great variety of new features and improvements.

Increase your swagger with beats by dr. dre. Available in sleek black, red, white, and blue, pick up the bundle to complete your collection. Style in technology never looked so good.

x7 Exclusive Update—Members of x7 will get early access to several new items this week including some new fantasy furniture, three new companions, a new x7 exclusive bundle and even a freebie. Head there starting Wednesday to reap the benefits of being part of the most exclusive club in all of Home.

Konami is releasing more Secret Agent items. Be the lady or gentleman spy while you operate your covert missions. Who would suspect such taste in fashion would reveal you have ulterior motives? Head to the Mall and prepare for your next secret assignment.

Juggernaut is releasing possibly the most unusual companion to date—the Green Machine. Pick up this truly groovy little guy and feel at one with the universe. Like, whoa, man!

Urgent Fury and Gamer Indepth’s Luge from The Tester, season 1, drop some new videos in the Community Theater this week. Urgent Fury starts out with a deep look at MLB 12 The Show. MoChocolate (also from The Tester, season 1) tries to impersonate Luge and take over her show for a day, but there can only be one Luge. Head to the Community Theater Wednesday to see his antics followed by another great Luge Cam tour of PlayStation Home. You might even see Akilleez_Might, the current winner of The Tester, season 3 celebrating his recent win with the community.

Now available to the public, the Island Bungalow personal space and clubhouse arrive after a couple weeks of preview tours given by our Home Community Volunteers. Inspired by exotic tropical getaways, this personal space has a simple elegance, letting nature take center stage. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, you should. I personally find that it has the absolutely most gorgeous sunset vista in all of Home. Escapists and traveler bugs that enjoy a get-away should snap up this instant vacation right away. Both personal space and clubhouse versions are available. Find them in the Estates store starting Wednesday.

Other items now available to the public include some classy ladies evening wear from Juggernaut, the Elemental Auras and more.

See you in Home!

#minecraft Konami came close to a satisfying 3D Castlevania experience with Lord of Shadows, it was missing a certain something. Something that Nick "Nario" Hagman found in Minecraft by recreating the entire original game, block-by-block. More »