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Japanese game devs give their verdicts on TGS
While plenty of games press and hardcore fans flocked to 2009's Tokyo Game Show, attendance was down versus last year, and developers noticed. "The total attendance is down from last year, but myself, it felt less like a crush of people and more like a fun festival atmosphere like we used to have," Hideo Kojima told Famitsu in an upcoming feature.But not every developer looked favorably on the late-September show. Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiya pointed out that only three titles out of the 12 awarded 'Future' prizes at the Japan Game Awards were non-sequels. "That seems to go crossways with the term 'future' in my mind and it's frankly kind of sad," he said.Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi revealed he was "a little disappointed" that there were very few Japanese-made titles positioned for the worldwide market. However, he does note the titles meant for Japanese consumption puts the industry (in the East) on a stable base. While Fumito Ueda -- currently working on The Last Guardian -- noted that he is extremely excited about offerings from the West, specifically Modern Warfare 2. "I feel a serious sublime beauty in all of Infinity Ward's FPSes," he told Famitsu, despite qualms that Western companies came to Japan to push their wares rather than discussing innovation.According to Akihiro Hino, head of Level-5 -- one of the busier booths at TGS 2009 -- the show felt "kind of plain." However, he does agree that the show offered a lot of games he personally wanted to play. "So in that respect," he noted, "TGS was great." If you consider waiting in line for 180 minutes to play one title great, we agree.[Via 1UP]
Interview: Bayonetta's Hideki Kamiya and Yusuke Hashimoto
Like the US release of Bayonetta, this interview from Tokyo Game Show is fashionably late. Who's responsible for creating a world where a witch must fight evil angels with her hair and shoe-guns? We talked with Platinum Games' Hideki Kamiya and Yusuke Hashimoto about the seriousness of Bayonetta's plot, and the inspiration behind the game's one-handed mode. [Note: While two people were interviewed, only the responses from our single Sega-provided translator are transcribed. We apologize for the lack of proper attribution.] Joystiq: Bayonetta has sex and violence, but do you consider it a "mature" game? It's definitely not a game for kids. Being a parent, is this a kind of game I would want my grade schooler playing? Absolutely not. It's pretty straightforward: all the blood and violence and sexual overtones. My idea is even more than that. If you see a movie for adults, does that necessarily make it an adult movie that you wouldn't let your kids watch? Or, would kids really understand it and get any value out of participating in that? Having made games like Viewtiful Joe and Okami, and Bayonetta as well -- it's never been a thought of "oh well, is this intended for adults or intended for children?" It's more like "we're making the best game we know how to make." And for a game like Bayonetta, because there's so much blood splattering on screen when you're in battle and stuff ... if it weren't for that, it probably would be alright for kids to be playing, on just the level that it's a game, an action game, and it doesn't really matter how old you are when you're playing it. You should be able to appreciate it and enjoy it. So the idea that we're targeting a specific demographic, or specific age rather, when making a game doesn't really enter in too much. Once the game comes in reaches this level of development, and reaches this stage of concept, it naturally gravitates in a certain direction.
TGS 2009: Hands-on: Bayonetta (PS3)
If you hope to impress the cultural sophistication and profound artistic merit inherent in the video game medium (ahem) upon a doubtful acquaintance, you probably shouldn't count on something like Bayonetta to help illustrate your point. Centered on the exploits of an improbably posh witch and her fashionable pair of gun boots, Bayonetta feels like the result of designer Hideki Kamiya answering every development question with, "Sure, why not?" The game's hyper excess occasionally veers into the distasteful -- Bayonetta's clothing seems to come and go as it pleases -- but it mostly leads to situations that feel creative and surprising. Even a boss fight avoids routine by constantly changing pace: a battle on a bridge eventually becomes airborne after the whole structure is flung across the stage, and the ordeal isn't over until after a brief chase and a final showdown atop a winding set of stairs. Sure, why not?%Gallery-22955%
Bayonetta demo will give you a taste of 'non-stop climax action'
Disrespectful bespectacled witch spectacle news now, with Platinum Games expressing the desire to release a demo for its "non-stop climax action" game, Bayonetta. Speaking at a demonstration event in Japan, producer Yusuke Hashimoto told Famitsu (as translated by Andriasang and hilariously mangled by Google) that the developers had already begun constructing a demo in earnest. Hashimoto hopes to provide a snippet of content not merely taken out of the full game, but devised to entice even existing owners.Said owners will mainly start appearing in Japan this October, when the game is scheduled to launch on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 -- well before the North American release in January 2010. You'll probably want to read our hands-on impressions before you get your hand on it.Update: Sega of America is unable to confirm plans for a North American demo at this point.%Gallery-22955%
Bayonetta jumps to January 2010, hits Japan October 29
Following on the less fashionable (and deadly) heels of games such as BioShock 2 and Singularity, Sega's Bayonetta and its bespectacled title character have slid -- gracefully, we'd imagine -- into 2010 for the US and Europe; January '10, to be precise. Sega West president and COO Mike Hayes has commented, "As a result of market analysis we have taken a Publishing decision that January 2010 is the optimum release time in the Western Markets to maximize this exciting new title's potential."Surely this has nothing to do with the prospect of going up again the "biggest entertainment launch of all time."It was announced in April that Bayonetta would see a simultaneous worldwide release in the fall of this year. Now only Japan will be getting it before the year is out. It hits in developer Platinum Games' home territory on October 29.Early 2010 -- it's the new Holiday 2009!
Hands-on: Bayonetta
So we're Bayonetta in this city and we're kicking monsters and shooting things with our boot guns and all of a sudden this giant statue comes to life we're dodging and our clothes are disappearing and then there's lava everywhere so we run on the skyscrapers and fight angels and we're chased by a tsunami and then we're in a cathedral and there's a dragon coming through the window and we're fighting it and then it lifts off and it's flying and the cathedral is flying and everybody's flying and fighting and shooting and what is going on. %Gallery-22955%
Bayonetta: Not just for the 'hardcore maniac player'
Well, that's a relief. Having previously expressed his desire to make Bayonetta "sadistically hard," director Hideki Kamiya was ready to address our concern that the game might turn off less dedicated gamers. Shortly after demonstrating some of the game's absurd action, Kamiya told us (via translator) that the over-the-top insanity and brutal difficulty stemmed from personal taste -- this is the kind of game he likes to play!However, Kamiya acknowledged that he won't be the only one to play it, and has added both "easy" and "very easy" modes, which introduce less complex combo controls. You'll be able to experience Bayonetta's dazzling attacks and mad set pieces without having to be a "hardcore maniac player," he explained.We'll be playing on hard, by the way. Ahem.
Bayonetta gearing up to hair-kick demons in Fall 2009
In Tokyo last night, Sega quietly announced plans for a "simultaneous worldwide release for Fall 2009" of action/hair manipulation game Bayonetta. New screens revealed at the event show the game's heroine battling enemies on the side of a building, unleashing her guillotine on another and fighting a really, really shiny dragon. Would we expect any less from Devil May Cry director Hideki Kamiya? As the press event held in Tokyo was, as you might expect, all in Japanese, we've reached out to Sega of America for confirmation of the worldwide-ness of this announcement. Call us skeptical, but we expect the next time we hear about the game won't be until E3. %Gallery-50067% [Via Inside-Games.jp]
Video: In Bayonetta, you can suplex a dragon
Our impressions of Bayonetta have been consistently favorable, and now we must invent new heights for our appreciation to soar. Following our viewing of this latest trailer -- the highlight of which is the game's heroine suplexing a giant dragon because we weren't lying in the headline of this post -- we've come to believe that Bayonetta's release cannot come soon enough. And it doesn't even have a release date yet, so it's that much tougher. Sure, it looks a lot like Devil May Cry, but is that such a bad thing? Let us hold hands through this near two minute video ride together, and embrace the action. And maybe watch her suplex that dragon 3 or 4 more times.%Gallery-22955%
Hideki Kamiya hopes Bayonetta will be 'sadistically hard'
Director Hideki Kamiya wants to be upfront about his new project, Bayonetta, as much as possible and wants to let gamers know what they're getting into. "With Bayonetta, we would hate for someone to think it is a heartwarming tale and then buy the game to discover it is really a sadistically hard game (I hope...)," says Kamiya in his first entry on Bayo-Blog.Kamiya warns not to let the gentle-looking female lead fool you, pointing out that Bayonetta is full of "hardcore battle action." We think this comes through clearly enough, judging from the Devil May Cry vibe we've picked up from the past couple of screenshots and vids.
First Bayonetta gameplay shots are hair-raising
click for extra-super detail What's niftier than a female action hero with guns on her feet? How about a heroine whose costume is actually her own hair. In fact, you can see her lengthy locks do their thang in this first glimpse of actual gameplay from Devil May Cry director Hideki Kamiya's very DMC-esque Bayonetta.Specifically, we'd like to point your attention to the gallery image of the game's slinky starlet performing a magic-based attack. It seems that she needs most of her hair to pull this off, so she's left more or less naked during the process. We expected something even more over-the-top than DMC from Kamiya's new game; we just didn't think we'd be getting over-the-toplessness.%Gallery-22955%
Platinum Games launches community site
Billed as a "grand experiment," Japanese developer Platinum Games just opened an English-language website for gamers outside of the land that birthed Chocobos. Rather than creating a corporate site de rigeur, Platinum's taking a more community-based approach, including forums (MadWorld will be teh awesome everyone!), social media interaction (Hideki Kamiya just ate a sandwich!) and even a video podcast. "It is part corporate homepage, part purpose built community portal," reads the site's front page. And between that fancy new logo and this community-based initiative, we'll remain hopeful going forward. After all, this isn't the first time a Japanese developer has tried to do this, right? What's the worst that could happen?
See the first gameplay trailer for Sega's Bayonetta
It may be taken off-screen and, as such, not the best quality, but here it is: the first public look at gameplay from Bayonetta, the PS3 and Xbox 360 action title Devil May Cry director Hideki Kamiya is working on for Sega. And ... it looks like it plays a lot like – ready for it? – Devil May Cry. Check out the full trailer after the break.
Devil May Cry director hearts God of War, Ninja Gaiden not so much
There was a time – when he was working at Capcom, creating the likes of Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, and Viewtiful Joe – that Hideki Kamiya didn't say much. In fact, he hated doing interviews. Something's changed, because now that he's at Platinum Games, the historically low-key director is letting his true feelings out – about action games, at least.Speaking to EGM, Kamiya said that, "I've never played Ninja Gaiden, and to be honest, I'm not that interested." Itagaki could not be reached for comment on whether or not he felt that epic burn. So, what does the master designer actually like? God of War. "There's one game that I am paying really close attention to, that I think is a rival game, a good game, which is called God of War 3," he revealed, boasting, "I want to make a game that exceeds God of War's sequel." That game, he hopes, is his next: Bayonetta. In particular, Kamiya credits Sony's series with being "Very carefully made," saying, "Devil May Cry was a bit rough, but I think that there's no roughness in God of War." Pretty nice words, eh, Mr. Jaffe?
Clover staff credits cut from Okami Wii, original director 'shocked'
Posting on the official blog of his new studio Platinum Games, Okami director Hideki Kamiya, who developed the original PlayStation 2 version with the now defunct Clover Studio, addresses (in English) Capcom's "incredibly disappointing" decision to cut the original credits. Capcom says the cut was made because the original staff roll, which is a pre-rendered movie, contains the Clover logo (at the very, very end), and since Clover was not involved with the Wii port directly, Capcom had "no right" to leave the old logo. Capcom claims it couldn't remove the logo (at the very, very end) because it didn't have the source file. What, couldn't pick up a phone or fire off a few emails? Kamiya explains that it's not simply the removal of his name and the staff names from the credits that upsets him. "Of course, we all have pride in our work; we all want to stand up and say 'I made this!' Yet more importantly, I find it extremely regrettable that the omoi that went into the staff roll is gone from the game as well." (A translator's note explains "omoi" is "best defined as a combination of thoughts, emotions, and messages.") Kamiya stresses the importance of this post-game omoi, specifically describing the relevance of Okami's original credits in relation to the epic length of the game. "It was a special staff roll for a special moment," writes Kamiya. "And now it is gone." Jeez, after the watermark debacle, Wii's Okami seemed transformed into a "comedy of errors." Now it's just a true tragedy, huh? [Via Kotaku]
Okami creator 'disappointed' by Twilight Princess
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Okami_creator_disappointed_by_Twilight_Princess'; Okami is deeply beautiful to our eyes, and it's a superb game. Twilight Princess, we feel, is a deeply brilliant game. But is Link's most recent adventure also beautiful? Okami's Director, Hideki Kamiya, was in Tokyo last week to pick up an Entertainment Award (for his work on Okami, natch) at the 10th Media Arts Festival, which is an event held annually by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. (And that must have felt good, after Capcom's no-show at the AIAS awards.)Kamiya was asked how he felt about Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and he explained: "To be frank, I was disappointed when I saw [Twilight Princess'] visuals. I'm a Zelda freak -- it's no overstatement to say that I created Okami because of Zelda. I really wanted [Twilight Princess] to have that regal aura, because Zelda was what we were aspiring to. I wanted it to show me things that were surprising, but..."So, which game do you find to be more beautiful?[Thanks, pokemogu]
