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Killer is Dead's first trailer is live
Killer is Dead finds Suda 51 back in his comfort zone, a land of high-contrast assassins (here, Mondo Zappa, reminiscent of Flower, Sun, and Rain's Sumio Mondo), mysterious blondes, and contract kills of monstrous freaks. There's a lot of blood in this trailer, and some suggestive sound. What we're saying is that you should use your best judgment when loading up this trailer at work.
Lollipop Chainsaw 'Premium' and 'Valentine' editions coming to Japan
We're not sure if y'all are aware of this, but Valentine's Day works way, way differently in Japan than it does here. Boys traditionally don't give Valentines to girls, for instance; women are the primary gift-givers, and generally speaking giving anything other than chocolate is atypical.There's also two new Lollipop Chainsaw special editions coming out exclusively in Japan this Valentine's Day, but that's less of a cultural difference and more of a marketing thing. The game's new "Premium Edition" will cost ¥3,980 (about $48) and will include codes to unlock costumes and additional character voices.Meanwhile, the ¥4,980 ($60ish) "Valentine Edition" includes a "Happy Valentine Disc," which contains a PC desktop Juliet clock, wallpapers and various gravure pictures of the game's official cosplay models. It also comes with a "Premium Movie Disc" full of trailers and cinematics, as well as a Lollipop Chainsaw manga and the Premium Edition's unlock codes.No word yet on a potential North American release of either version, but we have learned that the Japanese phrase "義理チョコ" (giri-choko) means "obligatory gift chocolate," which is probably more entertaining in the long run.
Lollipop Chainsaw review: Missing the sweet center
Reviews of mediocre games are generally the hardest to write. While it's as effortless to dole out shining praise as it is to spew acrid condemnation, elucidating the merits of something that is neither great nor awful is considerably more difficult. Normally, that would be the case for Lollipop Chainsaw, which neither truly excels or completely fails in any particular area.As I said, that would be the case – if only developer Grasshopper Manufacture hadn't already delivered excellent examples in the character action genre, giving us the perfect lens with which to suss out Lollipop Chainsaw's faults.%Gallery-149593%
Grasshopper working on 'Killer is Dead' for PS3 and Xbox 360
Famitsu reveals the next collaboration between Grasshopper Manufacture and publisher Kadokawa games: Killer is Dead, which is not directly related to Killer 7 -- though, of course, 90% of Grasshopper games are about assassins anyway. In Killer is Dead, players take the role of an "Executioner" who hunts down "S Level" criminals and kills them with a sword.According to Famitsu (according to Andriasang) the sword action will be similar to No More Heroes. Suda is in charge of the scenario and acting as executive producer, so expect leather jackets and wrestling masks like in No More Heroes as well.Key words and themes for the game include "Moon and Earth," "Brilliant Game," and "Love." We'll find out what all that means as the 2013 release approaches for PS3 and Xbox 360.
Warner Bros. picks up Lollipop Chainsaw for Western release
Grasshopper Manufacture's cheerleader-versus-zombie action game, Lollipop Chainsaw, will be released outside of Japan in 2012, thanks to Warner Bros. Interactive. The publisher announced a new partnership with Lollipop's Japanese publisher, Kadokawa Games. That seems like a good match -- both companies are media conglomerates who have only recently expanded into games. Warner is using those media connections to bring in some Hollywood talent: writer/director James Gunn (Slither, Dawn of the Dead) will "bring his cult humor and edgy storytelling to Lollipop Chainsaw." Considering that the Suda 51 game already appears to be 100% cult humor ... that's a lot of cult humor. If WB is putting this much effort and cash into the writing, it seems possible that the company could go so far as to market the game, something that didn't fully happen with Grasshopper's last game. [Image: Famitsu]
Grasshopper Manufacturing 'Lollipop Chainsaw' for PS3 and 360 [update]
Being a secondhand report of data out of an early leak of Japanese mag Famitsu, it's only right to approach the news of Grasshopper Manufacture's Lollipop Chainsaw for PS3 and Xbox 360 with skepticism. The reports also describe it as a game about a cheerleader raised by zombie hunters, who uses her acrobatic training and a chainsaw to destroy zombies ... which certainly sounds like a Suda game. Additionally, the zombies will spray pink blood on the screen when destroyed, something that Siliconera says is meant to convey a "pop" feel. According to Andriasang, Suda 51 is serving as creative director, with the very busy Akira Yamaoka working on sound. It's reportedly 70% complete, and will be published by Kadokawa Games. Update: Famitsu has posted the first artwork and screenshots of the game, including the above screen.
Metal Max 2 being remade for DS
RPGs that have no chance of being localized are the hot new thing for Nintendo fans, right? Well, this one's very unlikely to make it over. Metal Max 2 was originally released on Super Famicom by Data East, and is now being ported to DS. The post-apocalyptic mech RPG is being remade in the style of Metal Max 3, its DS sequel ... which was never released here. The new version is called Metal Max 2 Reloaded, according to Famitsu leaks. You might actually be familiar with the series: one of the games, a PS2 entry, was localized by Atlus as Metal Saga. All of the games are open-ended, mission-based RPGs, in which players choose missions to complete in the order of their choice, as a team of mechanics, soldiers, bounty hunters, and robodogs.
Yuji Naka's 'Rodea the Sky Soldier' in motion
At first, you'll probably be underwhelmed with Rodea the Sky Soldier, Yuji Naka's airborne Wii/3DS game, thanks to the anime stereotypes and mid-90s CG look. But as soon as the gameplay starts up in this trailer, it gets more impressive, looking like a high-speed NiGHTs with rail shooter elements.
Yuji Naka unveils 'Machinist of the Sky Rodea' for Wii and 3DS
Here's something refreshing: 3DS news that isn't from a Nintendo event. The latest Famitsu magazine unveiled a new 3DS and Wii game by Yuji Naka and Prope: Machinist of the Sky Rodea, published by Kadokawa Games. Machinist is an anime-style flight game in which you control a character's flight by pointing (with the Wii remote, at least) and shaking, then pressing B in mid-air to fly in different directions. The A button fires projectiles or launches spinning attacks Naka, of course, is no stranger to flights of fancy, having produced NiGHTS into Dreams for Saturn. And, in fact, according to Andriasang, Rodea is designed to "allow players to experience free flight through the skies" without complicated controls.
