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Who let the polar bear dogs out - Platinum's Legend of Korra did
We once lived in a world without hope of a Legend of Korra video game. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked Platinum Games announced that they would develop a game based on Nickelodeon's animated adventure series. IGN has the first gameplay footage from the upcoming project, which shows Korra using the elements to dispatch her foes. Of course, if throwing water, earth, wind and fire at your opponents isn't quite exciting enough for you, it looks like you'll also get a chance to ride Korra's polar bear dog, Naga. The demo shown is running on PlayStation 4, though the final game will be available on PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC as well come this fall. [Image: Platinum Games]
Bayonetta 2's co-op mode bets on your success
Platinum Games' Wii U-exclusive sequel Bayonetta 2 will include a two-player mode. That much was revealed at E3 2013 by Nintendo, and further details on the game's online multiplayer offerings are now available via Famitsu (translation courtesy of Siliconera). The game's "Tag Climax" mode allows players to team up online with friends, strangers and CPU partners to annihilate waves of enemies and large bosses. Online quick matches will also feature a betting system, in which players can wager in-game "Halos" to challenge their partner in a scoring contest to see who will rack up the most points in a match. The in-game currency can then be exchanged for additional weapon variations, accessories and techniques. Players will have the ability to pick their characters and weapon/accessory loadouts of choice as well as stages and their respective difficulty levels, with tougher matches resulting in higher Halos payouts (but at a steeper cost of entry). The equipment players carry in to Tag Climax mode is based on their progress in Bayonetta 2's main story mode as well. The game is slated to launch this October.
Report: Bayonetta bundle split into two purchases on eShop
Are your shelves so stuffed with movies, books and games that they can't fit even one more case? Are you dismayed that, despite Bayonetta 2 for the Wii U bundling a copy of the original Bayonetta into a single package, you simply have nowhere to put the thing? Fret no more, good sirs and madams, for the Nintendo eShop is here for you! According to a statement given by a Nintendo rep to NintendoWorldReport, this miracle elixir digital store will offer both Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 as individual purchases. And while those looking for the complete Bayonetta experience will need to make separate purchases, buying both will cost the same as if you had picked up a physical copy. However, neither game's digital version has been given an official pricetag just yet. It's okay; these things take time. Say, about three months' worth of time? Bayonetta 2 hits the Wii U this October. [Image: Nintendo]
The Legend of Korra: as told by Bayonetta dev Platinum Games
The Legend of Korra, Nickelodeon's animated successor to Avatar: The Last Airbender, is being turned into a cel-shaded pummelfest by Platinum Games. The announcement comes a few days ahead of the third-season premiere of The Legend of Korra on June 27. Platinum's take on Korra, overseen by show scribe Tim Hedrick and rooted between Book 2 and Book 3 of the show, will be available only for download on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC this fall. Platinum Games, the Japanese studio behind The Wonderful 101, Metal Gear Rising, and Bayonetta (which has itself been adapted into an anime), is hinging its Legend of Korra game on the protagonist's established strengths. Beyond a barrage of swift kicks, punches and counters, Korra can summon fire, wind, water and earth in spirited combat. The game also sees Korra hurtling down the streets of Republic City atop her polar bear-dog, Naga, and fighting in pro-bending tournaments, which are staged arena battles in which elemental users fight one another for territory. Publisher Activision has also announced a different Legend of Korra game for Nintendo 3DS, developed as a strategy role-playing game by Webfoot Technologies.
Here's what makes Bayonetta's Nintendo costumes special
Bayonetta 2's special brand of absurdity includes a few nods to Nintendo's roster, but its outfits are more than just reminders of Link, Samus and Princess Peach's existence. Isao Negishi, director of the Bayonetta Wii U port that will be bundled with Bayonetta 2, wrote out a few details about the garments, covering summons, sword-based attacks and a prime method to disarm tension. Princess Peach and Bowser disagree on the romantic qualities of kidnapping, but channeling Peach's fashion sense as Bayonetta lets players summon the spiky-shelled antagonist. As seen in the above image, Bowser will stuff his limbs through portals to knock around enemies, leaving coins as remnants of the carnage. Donning Link's tunic adds the Master Sword to Bayonetta's arsenal, but it also recalls iconic audio samples from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Negishi specifically mentions the triumphant sound that plays while opening a treasure chest, but he notes that there will be other audio-based cues as well. Negishi's post finishes with the Samus costume, which reflects the bounty hunter's original suit of armor by request of Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya. While arm cannon-oriented details weren't offered, players will be able to toggle Samus' visor up or down, which Negishi adds is surprisingly amusing when "endlessly going up-down-up-down during the game's more serious moments." Considering Bayonetta's one-liners and the new portal-punching Bowser, it's tough to remember serious moments even exist in this universe. [Image: Platinum Games]
Bayonetta anime coming to North America courtesy of Funimation
If October's Wii U debut of Bayonetta 2 just isn't enough sexy witch for your tastes, you'll be pleased to learn that Funimation has signed an agreement to release the Bayonetta: Bloody Fate anime feature film in North America. Bayonetta: Bloody Fate is based on Platinum Games' critically beloved, fan-favorite action game Bayonetta, which sees the titular witch battling the forces of heaven in a quest to regain her memory. Amnesia is as common a trope in Japanese fiction as magical schoolgirls or giant robots, but Bayonetta brings her own special flair to the well-worn storyline. If nothing else, it takes a very special protagonist to wield guns on her feet without making the whole premise seem like the sort of thing conjured up in the mind of a 10-year-old hopped up on high fructose corn syrup. Funimation has yet to reveal a release date (or even a nebulous release window) for the film, but it does state that director Fuminori Kizaki will be on hand at this year's Anime Expo in Los Angeles for a special, sneak peek at the English dub of Bayonetta: Bloody Fate. Following the July 5 screening, Kizaki will be available to answer questions from fans, though if you're looking for a logical explanation behind the physics of Bayonetta's magical hair, you're likely to walk away disappointed. [Image: Funimation]
Platinum invites you to battle monsters in Scalebound, exclusively on Xbox One [Update: Trailer]
Platinum Games director Hideki Kamiya has announced his studio's next game: Scalebound. The Microsoft Studios published game will arrive exclusively on the Xbox One. A rendered trailer for the game was a mash-up of a fantasy world with some modern twists. A giant dragon lands with a thunderous thump near a young man who dons a pair of headphones. Suddenly, it's an all-out war of monsters and the trailer comes to a quick end. We hope to learn more at E3, which officially kicks off tomorrow.
Japan says moshi moshi to Bayonetta 2, Hyrule Warriors this summer
Bayonetta 2 and Hyrule Warriors are set for summertime debuts in Japan, but North America and Europe are still getting by with a nebulous and miasmic 2014 window. Just to recap - just in case - both games are Nintendo-published Wii U exclusives. Hyrule Warriors sees Tecmo Koei bring its dynasty to the Zelda family, with Link taking on hordes of enemies at a time in fast-paced 3D action. Nintendo's previously stressed the game isn't a new installment in The Legend of Zelda series, and we already know a new, convention-rethinking entry is in development for Wii U. Whereas with Bayonetta 2, what we know is Platinum's hack-and-slash is absolutely bonkers. We also know the sequel adds a two-player mode to the madness, and features both analog and touch-based controls. Oh, and Bayonetta sports a glam new do. Apart from Mario Kart 8, there are two other first-party Wii U games confirmed for the West this year. Monolith Soft's X is scheduled for sometime in 2014, while the console version of Super Smash Bros. is pinned for the winter. On the 3DS side, beyond the games confirmed for May and June there's the handheld Smash in the summer, and the only-just-announced Pokemon Sapphire and Ruby remakes for November. [Image: Nintendo]
Platinum wanted Miis in Wonderful 101, could be featured in a sequel
Platinum Games originally wanted to include playable Mii characters in its Wii U superhero action game The Wonderful 101, but the feature didn't make the cut in the final version of the game, director Hideki Kamiya revealed this week via Twitter. Kamiya hopes to feature player-made Miis in a potential sequel, however. Though a follow-up project has not been announced, Kamiya assures fans that he will direct The Wonderful 102, if it ever comes to fruition. The Wonderful 101 was one of the first games announced for Nintendo's Wii U console, and our own Ludwig Kietzmann named it as one of his favorites from last year. Platinum's current project, Bayonetta 2, is set for a Wii U release later this year.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance offline play bug now fixed on Steam
Konami has issued a patch for the recently released Steam version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance in response to a widely-reported offline play bug players discovered earlier this week. "Online bug should be fixed and you should be able to play offline now with no issues or in the *very* near future," Platinum Games producer JP Kellams announced. Kellams reports that additional resolution options are currently being considered, in response to player requests. A lingering region lock issue is also under investigation.
Metal Gear Rising PC owners report problems playing offline
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance made its Steam debut earlier today and players have already discovered a major flaw in the port, according to user reports on the Steam forums. "[W]henever I lauch [sic] the game while I'm connected to the internet, if my internet goes down (which is often because it's pretty bad) the game will just immediatly [sic] crash," writes Steam user "Howl," before asking other players to report any similar issues. The comments that follow are nearly unanimous: Losing your Internet connection while playing the PC version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance causes the game come to an abrupt end. Following this discovery a fan asked Platinum Games producer JP Kellams about the issue. Kellams seemed taken by surprise. "No idea. I'll ask first thing," he replied. While this is currently the biggest flaw in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, it isn't the game's only problem. Earlier we reported on an apparent region-lock issue preventing players from gifting the game to others living in certain parts of the world. We've attempted to reach Konami for more information on what the publisher is doing to fix this oversight, though we have yet to receive a response.
Konami investigating Metal Gear Rising's region lock on Steam
Konami is looking into region-locking concerns related to Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance on Steam. The news comes from a tweet recently issued by JP Kellams, a creative producer at Platinum Games. Kellams assured players that the "first thing I did in the office today was talk about the MGR region lock thing." The game's Steam community includes a number of discussion threads questioning players' inability to give the game as a gift to others across the globe, locking Russian and Argentinian copies to those regions, as an example. One discussion noted that Ireland-based players were unable to access the game's page, but seemed to find a work-around by being gifted the game from other European countries. The PC version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will launch Thursday, and is currently 20 percent off on Steam until then.
Konami slashes Metal Gear Rising to $30, free DLC included
You can have your Revengeance for half the original price, after Konami announced it's reducing Metal Gear Rising's tag to $30. If you're still unmoved by that reduction, Konami is chucking in two bits of free DLC in the form of the Jetstream and Blade Wolf side-stories. It's unclear if the free DLC will be bundled with copies sold at the new price, or if they'll simply be made free on the Xbox Games Store and PlayStation Network. At the time of writing, we're didn't see online retailers reflecting the reduced price with any detail about the DLC. Also, Konami's announcement doesn't touch on the downloadable PC port, which we last heard about in June when it was coming "soon." Revengeance was one of 2013's first big-name (and silly-name) arrivals, and Raiden's return was a happy homecoming according to our four-star review. As Ludwig put it, the Platinum Games-developed hack-and-slash is "seriously sexed up Fruit Ninja fan-fiction," a phrase we're still reeling from eight months later.
The gang's all here in the latest Bayonetta: Bloody Fate trailer
This latest trailer for the Bayonetta: Bloody Fate anime reassures that the series' cast of lovable goofballs/demons, which were largely absent in the first trailer, are along for the ride on Bayonetta's latest adventure through the land of spread-eagle backflips and hair dragons. Jeanne, Luka, Rodin, Enzo and Cereza all return, sporting their poppin'-fresh new Japanese voices. Bayonetta herself will be voiced by Atsuko Tanaka, who is perhaps most well known for her smoky portrayal of Motoko Kusanagi in multiple entries in the Ghost in the Shell series. Jeanne's pipes reside within Mie Sonozaki of Strike Witches fame, who is also the voice of EVE in the Japanese version of WALL-E. Bloody Fate is directed by Afro Samurai director Fuminori Kizaki, and is set to debut in select Japanese theaters on November 23. While there has still been no official word on a localized release for western territories, a small, disabled "English" link in the top right-hand corner of the official website does at least indicate production company Gonzo's awareness of international interest in the film.
Bayonetta anime shoots into Japanese theaters this November
Platinum Games' sultry witch Bayonetta will make her silver screen debut this November, at least in Japan. Famed production studio Gonzo has teamed with Bayonetta creator Hideki Kamiya and director Fuminori Kizaki (Afro Samurai) to create a feature-length anime film centering on the titular heroine. Plot details for Bayonetta: Bloody Fate are scant, but as you can see from the newly released trailer above, the anime will feature copious cleavage, near-blasphemous angel murder and a swirling mass of strategically placed strands of hair. So far, this all seems faithful to its source material. Though Bayonetta: Bloody Fate is slated to hit Japanese theaters on November 23, there's been no word on an English-language localization of the film.
The Wonderful 101 review: Barrel of superheroes
At some point in your life you've probably heard somebody say that video games are just toys. Perhaps you argued the issue, talking about how games are like interactive movies and that they're often made for adults and how the average gamer is in his or her thirties. And then maybe you went home, turned on your game box, stuck a Skylander figure onto your Portal of Power and zoned out for a few. Games may not be toys, but they often owe a lot to them. Whereas Skylanders and Disney Infinity require actual toys to play, the The Wonderful 101, an action-packed Wii U curiosity from Platinum Games, feels more like playing with toys than either of them. With dozens of costumed characters to control, most with no defined personality traits, and a rambling plot that makes little sense and shifts gears on a dime, Wonderful 101 has the same illogical bent and opportunity for imagination as a child playing with action figures.
The Wonderful 101 initially starred Nintendo characters
Despite its cast being wonderfully original, The Wonderful 101 was initially conceived as a way to unite "world famous characters" with Nintendo's iconic characters, Nintendo's Iwata Asks series revealed this week. Wonderful 101 Director Hideki Kamiya explained that the original concept stemmed from Platinum Games CEO and President Tatsuya Minami's order to "bring together world famous characters with Nintendo characters at its center, appearing all in one game." While working with the original idea, Kamiya wanted to find a way to "please everyone by letting them play the whole game as their favorite character." As one would imagine, the involved licensing sunk the original concept. Nintendo President Iwata said that the game's "cover certainly [had] impact to make even me think twice, and I was the producer working hard to gather all the characters in the first Smash Bros.!" Nintendo Producer Hitoshi Yamagami reacted similarly, noting that "the moment I saw the cover, I winced ..." Several months after Platinum Games' initial pitch, Nintendo's Licensing Department contacted Yamagami concerning a revamped build of the game without Nintendo's characters. Once Managing Director of Nintendo Shinya Takahashi showed him a demo of the new project, Yamagami "knew the moment [he] saw it that this was that idea from Platinum Games."
The Wonderful 101 demo soars onto EU eShop today [Update: NA too!]
European citizens looking to join up with The Wonderful 101 can give it a shot later today, when the demo arrives on the Wii U eShop. As revealed at the end of the European version of today's Wonderful 101 Nintendo Direct, the demo of Platinum Games' superheroic effort will be available on the continent as of 4PM BST/5PM CET. There was no mention of a demo in the North American stream, indicating it may take a bit more time to arrive on this side of the ocean; the game is out in Europe on August 23, and doesn't come to North America until three weeks later on September 15. Platinum Creative Producer JP Kellams tweeted the US version is due soon. At least this morning's Direct provided plenty of info on the game, including the various ways you can use the dozens of heroes around you to save the day. There's also a chunky new seven-minute trailer to tide you over until next month. Update: The Wonderful 101 demo is now also available on the North American Wii U eShop.
The Wonderful 101 prologue lends a hero's hand
In the Wonderful 101, characters go from Joe Shmoe to superhero in three billionths of a second. With that kind of speed, we could build a tree fort in an instant, adopt 437,812 puppies and set a world record for ice cream sundae speed-eating – wait, not that one. Superheroes get brain freeze too.
Bayonetta 2: I have no idea what just happened
I didn't understand much of what was happening outside of combat in my Bayonetta 2 demo at E3. If ignorance is bliss, then surfing jets and fighting a demon dragon while scaling a seemingly infinitely tall skyscraper is transcendent. What I do know is that Bayonetta 2 is an exercise in the ridiculous, exchanging rationale for crazy-fast combos and elaborate torture finishers. It's very fitting then that Bayonetta 2 delivered on every expectation for a sequel that felt like such an impossible idea a year ago.%Gallery-191090%
