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El Shaddai director's new studio acquires IP from Ignition
The El Shaddai intellectual property (IP) changed hands today from original publisher UTV Ignition to Crim, a Tokyo-based studio where the game's director, Sawaki Takeyasu, is based now. As 4Gamer reports, Ignition confirmed the transfer of all El Shaddai derivative rights, including any prequels and sequels. Ignition, however, retains the rights to sell the original 2011 game. UTV Ignition was acquired by Disney in 2012, with Atlus picking up Dragon's Crown from Ignition shortly after. The news paves the way for a follow-up to the eccentric Xbox 360 and PS3 action game - interestingly, Crim is hosting an event in Tokyo on August 12 to celebrate the acquisition. Ignition and Crim did release El Shaddai: Social Battle in April 2012, but the smartphone social game ended its service just a few months later. Its lasting memory is this suitably bizarre teaser trailer.
Ignition teaser site hints at new El Shaddai title
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron was one of the prettiest and most uniquely original games we played last year, and we'd be lying if we said we weren't itching to get another glimpse into Ignition's surreal world of pseudo-Judeo-Christian mythology and fashionable jeans.We weren't expecting that itch to ever get scratched, if we're honest, considering how weird El Shaddai is and everything, but it looks like Ignition has more in the pipeline. A teaser site has launched showcasing concept art for five new characters, two of which bear a striking (albeit distinctly female) resemblance to Lucifel and Enoch from the first game.The text in front of the concept art roughly translates to "Who is the ultimate angel who God speaks of?" according to Andriasang. The site's URL, www.elshaddai-sb.jp, may also contain clues, specifically that "sb" may be the initials of this thing's subtitle, whatever it is. We'll keep an eye our for more details, but right now our money is on a fighting game: El Shaddai: Super Battle, El Shaddai: Seraphim Battalion, something along those lines.
Best of the Rest: JC's picks of 2011
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective If you were interested in this game, but didn't buy it on DS because of faith that an iOS version would follow, I'm holding you personally responsible for the foundering sales of my favorite game of 2011. Live with that. This came out in January, and I still have yet to experience anything so fresh, so unique, as Shu Takumi's side-scrolling adventure/puzzle game. Its comically unpredictable (but predictably comical) storyline cascades toward a twist that shouldn't work, its gameplay turns everyday objects like ceiling fans and globes into methods of both traversal and interaction, as you observe and influence the lives of a cast of bizarre characters from within their phone lines, headphones and wrecking balls. I can't mention this game without mentioning its beyond perfect animation, which gave a jazzy flourish to every movement of every character. The act of serving chicken never seemed so stylish.
El Shaddai $37 today on Amazon, Deus Ex $40 all week
Amazon's Deal of the Day discounts El Shaddai, dropping the price to a one-day-only $36.99. If you have yet to see the most beautiful game this year, or the one in which a pre-fall devil has his most prominent role ever, well, consider yourself tempted. The retailer has also updated its Deals of the Week, which are pretty interesting this time. Deus Ex is $39.99 on Xbox 360 or PS3 all week (the Augmented Edition is $50); Dungeon Siege 3 is $29.99 on Xbox 360 and PS3, and $19.99 on PC; and Dead Island is $45.99 on Xbox and PS3, and 36.99 on PC. Next time you're considering buying a new game, remember that it takes less than a month for it to go on sale at Amazon!
El Shaddai coming to Android as side-scroller
Ignition's bizarre but beautiful action game, El Shaddai, is visiting Earth once again in an Android incarnation. Famitsu has the first screens of the game currently called ... El Shaddai Ascension of the Metatron Android Version. While the original game had both 2D platforming and 3D action segments, the mobile version is strictly 2D -- but the screens show that it keeps the distinctive visual style(s) from the console release. The two screens show locations found in the first game. It'll be released in Japan at a date to be announced, through GMO's market. An Xperia Play version is also planned.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron review: Just like heaven
When I started playing El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron for review, I told myself I wasn't going to be fooled by the visuals. I would evaluate this game based on its mechanics more than anything, and I wouldn't let form distract me from function. I abandoned that idea quickly. For one thing, visuals are a part of the experience, and must be considered. For another thing, this game is beautiful, to the point that they justify the game on their own as a form of digital tourism. You must see this game -- and, since those graphics support one of the more mechanically interesting action games in recent memory, you should probably play it too. %Gallery-130678%
El Shaddai bumped up a day in Europe, to September 8
Konami has signed on to help spread the good word in Europe, assisting Ignition Entertainment's El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron in its holy pilgrimage to PAL territories. Konami will act as Ignition's distribution partner in Europe. Along with the announcement of the distribution team's bolstering, the release date for the religiously-themed PS3/Xbox 360 game has shifted -- but not back like it was in North America. It'll now be released in Europe one day earlier, on September 8. Thank heaven!
Report: Disney wants to buy UTV/Ignition for $454M
The Walt Disney Company is allegedly working to fully acquire UTV, parent company of Ignition Entertainment, for $454 million. Develop reports that Disney, which already owns 50.4 percent of UTV, is seeking to fully acquire the company for its Bollywood films and TV shows -- and not for its games. If the deal does happen, Ignition's fate would be in the hands of Disney. Ignition has been troubled for quite some time, altering its business strategy last year and ceasing to develop core games internally. Disney's strategy, on the other hand, has seen the shuttering of its core game studios like Black Rock and Propaganda, and a heavy emphasis on the social space. Disney's acquisition of UTV may have nothing to do with games on the surface, but it'll likely impact Ignition in a dramatic way.
El Shaddai Comic-Con trailer is biblically epic
Despite having been delayed until August 16, angelically-oriented and biblically-based action platformer El Shaddai: Ascension Of The Metatron is still very much alive, kickin' around the Heavens in its designer jeans and gleaming white armor. To prove as much, Ignition Entertainment has released a new cinematic trailer during this year's Comic-Con, which has been stuffed to the rafters with gooey tentacle angels, stained-glass platforming and futuristic motorcycle chases. Still no word on an Amy Grant Collector's Edition, but we'll keep digging.
El Shaddai officially delayed until August 16
Your faith in the official North American release date for El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is about to be shaken. Ignition Entertainment's New Business Development Director Shane Bettenhausen confirmed the shift in date from July 26 to August 16 in a statement to Joystiq, citing "unforeseen logistical issues." The September 1 release in Europe is still on track. Bettenhausen apologized for the "minor delay." Looking on the bright side (which is bright only for us), we suddenly find ourselves with much more time to complete our review, which is nice. For us.
Retailer sites show new August date for El Shaddai
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is officially scheduled for release July 26, 2011, but it seems Amazon and GameStop have their own schedule, both listing its release as August 16, 2011. Considering El Shaddai has been in development since 2007 and has been delayed once already, perhaps the retailers are just assuming here. We have contacted Ignition for confirmation of El Shaddai's release, or even just a date for when it will release information about a new release date, if that's Metatron enough for you. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
El Shaddai will be 'divisive' in America, says Ignition
During last weekend's Anime Expo 2011, Ignition Entertainment showed off the PSN/XBLA demo of El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron to an anime-hungry crowd of convention-goers and cosplayers. Shane Bettenhausen, Ignition's Director of Business and Marketing, told Gamer Gaia that Ignition "always knew [El Shaddai] was going to be divisive, because the graphics are so abstract." He went on to say that Anime Expo's reaction was more receptive than the mixed bag of emotions he encountered at this year's E3, claiming that anime fans are "more willing to take more of a chance on things that are a little different and refreshing." Bettenhausen doesn't think, however, that the title's Judeo-Christian origins will cause similar problems: "We actually wanted to take this text and treat it in a new way, to give it to a team in Japan that doesn't have any connection to that. They're not religious in that way, so they could treat it as just mythology and create a new graphical style and a new gameplay style." He hopes El Shaddai will avoid the negative connotation usually given to other biblically themed games, which he feels were created "just to try and sell" religion.
Buy El Shaddai from Amazon, and a $10 credit descends from heaven
Just as El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is very loosely based on the apocryphal Book of Enoch, some lesser-known works from the Book of Amazon.com have been discovered related to the game. For example, if you read this page in the sacred and infinite website, you'll learn the previously undiscovered commandment "If thou pre-order El Shaddai, thou shalt receive $10 in promotional credit." El Shaddai (and your emailed Holy Relic of $10) will be out July 26. Let us celebrate the happy news of free money in the traditional manner: by studying Amazon intensely to find more things to buy.
Ignition ceases internal game development; confirms Austin studio layoffs
Eccentric, unapologetically angelic action game El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron will debut on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 next month, and make for a strange conclusion to Ignition Games' internally developed lineup. The company will move forward with a new studio based in Marina Del Rey, California, and shift its focus to publishing games and seeking out more partnerships with independent developers. From an announcement this morning: "In order to facilitate shifting the publishing focus to more effectively work with innovative independent developers and explore new platform possibilities, Ignition Games has taken the strategic decision not to continue with internal development of games." New Business Development Director, Shane Bettenhausen, also confirmed a round of layoffs at Ignition's Austin location, which excised an internal console development team working on a unannounced project. According to a Gamasutra report, "around 15" people are believed to have been let go. We're told the status of the studio's first-person shooter, Reich, remains unchanged from when it was last mentioned (and said to be alive). Ignition's externally sourced range of games -- including an upcoming 3DS version of twin-screen platformer Fractured Soul -- should remain intact while the company slides out of its development jeans.
El Shaddai demo now on North American Xbox Live
After Japanese audiences have enjoyed an El Shaddai demo for quite some time now, North American games can finally get a taste of Namco's upcoming action title. The demo is available now via Xbox Live Marketplace for Gold Members.
El Shaddai rises July 26 in North America, Sept. 9 in Europe
We can understand your confusion, dear reader. "But, the Amy Grant platinum record Age to Age which featured the Michael Card-penned classic 'El Shaddai' was released to great acclaim in 1982! How can it be released on July 26 in North America and on Sept. 9 in Europe?" We love Contemporary Christian hits of the early 80s too, friend, but in this case the title refers to El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, a video game with few narrative ties to the career of Mrs. Vince Gill. Also this summer, look for Baby, Baby, a babysitting sim from Majesco and Nintendo's first application of the Vitality Sensor in Mario's Every Heartbeat.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron screens explore new (but still bizarre) locales
In a missive late this week from UTV Ignition, a handful of new screens for El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron were revealed. Among the shots are locations not yet seen in the game's pseudo-religious world, depicting the game's protagonist Enoch on his journey up the Tower of Babel through varying degrees of surrealist world design. If that weren't enough, a whole mess of photos from El Shaddai's Japanese launch event this past week were also included. Yes, that means there are at least a few scantily clad models repping the game in the gallery below, but it also means you get another look at those incredible designer jeans. And who could say no to that?%Gallery-123662%%Gallery-123664%
El Shaddai was once 'Angelic'
A 2007 video of a prototype version of El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (after the break) reveals a remarkably clear vision for the project. Even that far back, a lot of elements that remain intact in the new version were in place: Enoch, in his white armor and jeans (and a face like Brad Pitt), fighting enemies with arc-shaped weapons; Lucifel, looking kind of smug and telling a story against a black background, as the words fly by on the screen; and even a battle on the backdrop of a giant hand. The enemies and areas weren't quite as abstract-looking in this video, made for a presentation within Ignition. The name hadn't been finalized yet, either: it was called "Angelic: Ascension of the Metatron" back then. Unlocking the video required a password, presumably found within the game -- luckily, someone in Japan just uploaded it to YouTube for us.
El Shaddai demo ascends to Japanese PSN and XBLM
Would you like to experience Ignition's visually stunning action game, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, before its still-undated Western release? It's okay. No problem. Just sign into that Japanese PSN account you made for the Catherine demo, and you'll find a shiny new El Shaddai demo waiting for you in the PlayStation Store. Andriasang reports that it's on Xbox Live as well, for Gold members only through April 20. In a tweet, Ignition suggested that the demo "won't be up for long." So, unless you have the time-traveling abilities of Lucifel, you should get on it right now. Unfortunately, you can't use your Japanese PSN account to access the "pop-up" El Shaddai cafe in Tokyo.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron preview: No problem
When I played El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron at last year's Tokyo Game Show, I was told I was playing a toned-down demo version, the difficulty mellowed to allow the public to make its way through the demo. That was not the case in the version shown during GDC this week. In fact, my avatar Enoch got his ass -- well-appointed in limited-edition Edwin jeans -- handed to him. But as he says in the event of his (near) defeat, "It's okay. No problem."%Gallery-118277%
