Shinji Mikami
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Shinji Mikami on his Shadows of the Damned role and 'adult love'
Shadows of the Damned represents not only a partnership between EA and Grasshopper Manufacture, but also a reunion between Grasshopper and Shinji Mikami, who produced its Killer 7 for Capcom. Mikami is lending his action-horror expertise to Grasshopper's new game, completely separate from his work with the Zenimax-owned Tango GameWorks. "Grasshopper is making all these great games, with really a nice visual style," Mikami told us at an EA event during last week's GDC. "I'm there to make sure the gameplay is right -- make sure it's tight, make sure it's fun. That's why I'm there." He denied the assertion that Shadows of the Damned would feel strongly Mikami-like." "When you look at it, you're going to say this is a Grasshopper game," he said. "When you play it, especially if you've played a Resident Evil, you can kind of sense 'ah, there's a little bit of Resident Evil here.' But I don't think it's from the start it's a Mikami game. It's definitely a Grasshopper game." We asked Mikami about the heart-shaped buttons EA was handing out at the event, which seemed hilariously out of step with the outrageous violence and manliness of Damned. Is Shadows of the Damned a love story? "There's two sides to it: there's that aspect of a love story, but it's not the romantic type of love," Mikami explained, cryptically. "It's a very adult type of love. And you'll see that when you play through the game -- it's definitely conveyed in certain aspects." Apparently, the "adult" type of love is so strong that a man can be fooled by a giant, grotesque demon wearing the shape of his girlfriend like a costume. As the interview concluded, the subject turned to another violent, quirky action game from Mikami: 2006's God Hand -- a title that Mikami burst into laughter upon hearing. Mikami firmly denied even a superficial relationship between his own PS2 action game and Shadows of the Damned, but he did tell us that "I'd like to make a sequel to God Hand sometime." When we suggested he could make a spiritual "sequel" to get around the Capcom-owned IP, Mikami laughed again and said "Someday, I'll do it."
Shadows of the Damned blood boss pours its heart out in new screenshots
Maybe you didn't notice, but this guy is made of blood. He's a "blood monster," if you will, and he's just one of many bosses players will face in Grasshopper Manufacture's Shadows of the Damned. More horrific V-Day screens can be found after the break.
Vanquish's original concept included remote pilots
In his final post on the Vanquish development blog, Shinji Mikami describes an early concept for Vanquish that was less "big action movie" and more anime. Instead of cigar-chompin' soldier Sam Gideon inside the suit, the original concept had the suit as a robot, remotely controlled by three different pilots. This was even before the robodog idea. "The robot would change forms according to the pilot in charge," Mikami explained, "as each pilot had been specially trained in areas such as shooting, melee, or hover and snipe." The idea "died a quick death," but Mikami noted that he still likes it, and that ideas are "never out of bounds," sometimes appearing in sequels or other new game designs. "I don't know what I will be making next, but considering how fickle I am, it will probably end up being a game completely different from Vanquish." At the very least, he knows it'll be a triple-A game for THQ.
Shinji Mikami talks about his life before games and after Capcom
Tango Gameworks head Shinji Mikami tends to be reticent in interviews, but he opened up to Famitsu in a recent talk (translated by 1UP), discussing abuse from his father, and how he ended up at a Capcom job fair mostly out of interest in free food. He also talked at length about his displeasure with moving into a producer role at Capcom after the first Resident Evil. "There was a time when I wanted to leave Capcom because of that," Mikami said. "I joined Capcom in order to create things, and I thought that going away from that would be counterproductive. It was hard, not being directly involved with the development process." Even so, it was with some reluctance that he took over directing for Resident Evil 4. "I had been a producer for eight years, and the moment I finally get a chance to return to development, it's on RE. That sure wasn't what I intended!" Discussing his future at Tango, he didn't put quite the sense of finality on his next game as he had in a previous interview with Famitsu. "Sooner or later, I'll have to shift my attention to raising new talent and handing the baton over to them. Joining the ZeniMax family puts me in a situation where I can leave the more boring details of that to other people. I'm trying not to expect too much, but I do feel that this is a chance for me to keep working in the front lines of development." [Image: Tango Gameworks]
Former Grasshopper composer, ex-Capcom staff join Mikami's Tango
Shinji Mikami is putting that Zenimax money to good use, adding three new members to his Tango Gameworks team. The biggest name among the new acquisitions is Masafumi Takada, former Grasshopper Manufacture composer, and the man behind the soundtracks for Killer 7, God Hand, No More Heroes, and recent Platinum Games releases Infinite Space and Vanquish. Environmental artist Naoki Katakai and programmer Shinichiro Ishikawa, both of whom worked on Resident Evil games with Mikami in the past, have also joined the team. You can read bios of all the new staffers, and see drawings of them with nosebleeds, here. Tango also opened an art blog, which currently features the grisly image seen above -- a possible first look at the studio's new game.
Mikami making AAA title for Bethesda, will be his last as director
In an interview with Famitsu (translated by 1UP), Shinji Mikami and Bethesda's Asia GM Tetsu Takahashi revealed that Tango Gameworks is already at work on a major, AAA title for Bethesda. "That's the only sort of title we're interested in," Takahashi explained. "Any such project is going to involve tens of millions of dollars either way, so instead of cutting dev time and features and hoping for a million copies sold, it's better to take your time, make something great and aim for five million instead. We believe that there's actually less risk when you do it that way." According to Mikami, this project will be his last as a director, though he intends to focus on running Tango after the (currently unannounced) game is complete. "I can only last for so long handling both director and company president duties," Mikami said, "and besides, I want to give our younger developers a chance." Bethesda knew of Mikami's intentions before its parent Zenimax acquired Tango, he insisted, and he was brought on with the understanding that he wouldn't be directing every game. That said, Mikami reassured that he would aim to put "all of my experience, my energy and everything else I've got into this game."
Shinji Mikami still working on Shadows of the Damned after Bethesda deal
Zenimax's acquisition of Tango Gameworks -- and therefore of Shinji Mikami -- won't affect his existing deal with EA Partners and Grasshopper Manufacture to make Shadows of the Damned. In a statement to Eurogamer, the new parent company said that "Shinji will serve as creative lead on the games developed at Tango Gamework[s] and will fulfil his remaining obligations to Grasshopper pursuant to their prior agreement." We wouldn't bet on Mikami continuing to freelance with other companies after the existing agreements have elapsed, which casts doubt on his contribution to a Vanquish sequel with Sega -- if one is ever approved. In addition to confirming his continued influence on Grasshopper's stylish shooter, the statement suggests that Tango Gameworks will continue to operate as a unit, rather than having its staff absorbed into Zenimax's Bethesda teams.
Shinji Mikami to develop games for Bethesda, as Zenimax acquires Tango
Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami isn't cooling his jets after completing work on the chaotic sci-fi shooter, Vanquish. Zenimax Media has acquired his Tango Gameworks studio in Tokyo and repositioned it as a division of Zenimax Asia. As creative lead at Tango, Shinji Mikami will oversee development of games for the Bethesda Softworks label. "It's refreshing to find a publisher who understands, trusts, and supports the development of blockbuster games and works to make it a collaborative effort," Mikami said of the announcement. "The library of AAA franchise titles ZeniMax owns speaks for itself. We are very excited to be joining ZeniMax and working with a company that is dedicated to creating the best games ever made." Shinji Mikami's games also speak for themselves, usually in gruff and scary voices. In a profile posted on the Tango website, Mikami described his goal as "making games from the viewpoint of the creator," and producing something that would "unify everyone's love of games around the world." With famous Japanese creators like Tomonobu Itagaki, Suda 51 -- and now Shinji Mikami -- forging deals with the likes of THQ, EA and Zenimax, it seems that a strong Western partner is becoming crucial in achieving that. [Image: Tango Gameworks]
Vanquish review: Smokin'
You know how we're always saying how great it would be if someone could just make a modern, polygonal version of one of our favorite 2D classics, yet they seldom, if ever, turn out good? Well, Vanquish isn't a rebirth of any existing action franchise, but it is what a younger me dreamed a game like Contra would be like ... in the future. The work of Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami and Platinum Games (Bayonetta), it brings the classic, run-and-gun feel of games like Konami's classic into the HD era with a plot that doesn't really matter, characters who spout ridiculous one-liners and -- oh yeah -- action that will have you on the edge of your seat from explosive start to thunderous finish.%Gallery-87352%
'Shadows of the Damned' is the long-awaited Suda/Mikami/EA Partners collaboration
"We've had you waiting for a long time." Grasshopper Manufacture's Suda 51 and Platinum's Shinji Mikami took the stage at EA's TGS showcase to reveal Shadows of the Damned, a new "psychological action thriller" from EA's Partners division. According to Suda, he and Mikami wanted to make this game for a long time, and searched for the right publisher to bring it to a global audience. "Finally, today, we can reveal our game that we've been working on together with EA," he said. The game is expected to release in 2011. EA Partners announced this new horror franchise in August 2008, under the direction of game "auteurs" Suda and Shinji Mikami. Since then, Grasshopper has increased its roster of stars with musician Akira Yamaoka and designer Kazutoshi Iida, released No More Heroes 2, and announced the downloadable Sine Mora. in this game, a character named Garcia travels to Hell to rescue his love. Hopefully, this will be a bit classier than Dante's Inferno... Update: Trailer now available.
Electronic Arts TGS 2010 liveblog
We're at the Keio Plaza Hotel in lovely Shinjuku, Tokyo for Electronic Arts' 2010 TGS press conference. Things are getting underway, we've taken our seats in a small, but well attended ballroom. Join us just past the break for all the news, live from Tokyo.
Vanquish story trailer has a good ending
The United States vs. Russia. That's all you need to know. Now, skip to the good part!
Vanquish demo coming August 31 to PS3, 360
It's almost time to start honing your rocket-sliding skills. Sega has announced that a playable demo of its over-the-top Platinum Games and Shinji Mikami developed shooter Vanquish will arrive on the Xbox Live Marketplace and PSN Store on Tuesday, August 31. Europe will get the demo a day later on September 1, with Australian gamers getting their hands on it Thursday, September 2. Famitsu reports (via Siliconera) that Japan will also receive the demo on the 2nd. The "Vanquish Official Demo: Velocity Attack," as Sega calls the demo, will comprise the section of the game we played at E3 -- a space station interior with bipedal "Walker" mechs to commandeer and an enormous spider-like robot boss to defeat in incredibly stylish ways. (You know, the usual stuff: by grabbing the monstrosity's missile out of the air, turning it around and throwing it back like a giant lance.)
EA's Suda51, Mikami horror collaboration will be at TGS; no mention of Wii, PC anymore
Last Friday, EA announced a "Tokyo Showcase" event to be held the night before the annual Tokyo Game Show kicks off. We speculated that it was a prime opportunity to share EA Partners' highest-profile project: the Shinji Mikami-produced, Suda51-directed, Akira Yamaoka-scored, Q Entertainment co-developed horror title first announced in 2008. David DeMartini told Eurogamer that the title would be revealed at TGS (we're guessing at EA's aforementioned showcase) and explained the unusual pairing. "The key thing is not for us to tone down Suda or try and Westernise Suda, but to try and make sure the game gets broad enough exposure that more people appreciate it," DeMartini said. "Obviously with EA's publishing and sales team [...] people are going to get an opportunity to finally listen to what you guys have been writing about Suda for a long time." DeMartini also confirmed that the game would, unsurprisingly, be released on Xbox 360 and PS3. What is surprising, however, is the omission of the Wii. The announcement press release stated that the title was in development for all three console platforms as well as PC: "The title is being developed for the PC, Xbox 360 video game system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Wii." We've asked EA to comment on the title's intended platforms, but more than likely we'll be waiting until the September 15th event.
New Vanquish trailer spotlights crazy action, men speaking gruffly
Sega's Vanquish is really fast, really pretty and, judging by this video, out-gruff-speaks every Metal Gear Solid game combined. The main character is a not-very-gruff-looking DARPA "researcher," but even his voice sounds like he gargles nails. Hear (and see) what we mean after the break.
Itagaki: 'The era of pursuing technical strength has ended'
When he was at the top of Team Ninja, Tomonobu Itagaki was seemingly obsessed with high-end graphics and processing power, choosing to work exclusively on the first Xbox for technical reasons. With his new Valhalla studio, Itagaki has shed that aspect of his public persona as well. At a party for Famitsu Xbox 360's hundredth issue, Itagaki and Shinji Mikami recorded an installment of Itagaki's "Valhalla Freaks" column, during which the Dead or Alive creator declared that "the era of pursuing technical strength has ended," adding, "From here on out, we should pursue what makes games interesting and fun." According to Andriasang, Itagaki suggested that Japanese developers should share technology like some Western companies do. Xbox 360 marketing chief Jouji Sakaguchi then undercut Itagaki's message about pursuing technical strength by announcing that the monitors for Xbox game demos at this year's Tokyo Game Show would be larger than last year's.
Woohoo! Vanquish has 'Casual Auto' and 'God Hard' modes
Vanquish is following in the stiletto-heel footsteps of Platinum's last action game, Bayonetta, in a couple of interesting ways. First, the Shinji Mikami-designed shooter is being outfitted with an optional "Casual Auto" difficulty level, much like Bayonetta's "Easy Automatic" mode, designed to allow even those new to action games have a good time. "Once you get your target on the enemy, the rest is easy as pie," Mikami said in the blog post announcing the mode. "I'm sure saying it that way makes it sound totally uninteresting, but when you actually give it a shot, the tempo it gives the game play will make you jump up and say, 'Woohoo!'" That's the other way in which Vanquish echoes Bayonetta: exclamations. It's "Woohoo!" from the player, versus "Wuhhh!!" from Bayonetta. "You know ... 'Wuhhh!!'" Vanquish also includes an unlockable "God Hard" difficulty. "I think our fans will get where this one is going," Mikami teased. We suspect apocalyptic beatdowns are to be found within this mode.
Increased 'visual density' led to a more linear Vanquish
In a recent developer blog at the Platinum Games website, director Shinji Mikami discussed the changes Vanquish has undergone during development. In the beginning, said Mikami, Vanquish was "an open battlefield type of game, where the goal was to move around crushing enemy positions." As development progressed, however, it became clear that an open environment hurt the game. The reason, according to Mikami, was an increased level of "visual density." There were so many things happening on screen -- special effects, loads of enemies, etc. -- that it was hard for players to focus on the objective. "In an environment where we were doing whatever we pleased," noted Mikami, "it became pretty obvious that there was no good way of keeping your eye on the prize – the enemies you are targeting." As such, a more linear style of play helps keep players focused. Furthermore, Mikami also notes that the staple enemy, a robot called a Gorgie, was changed from white to red in order to make it stand out from the predominantly gray background. If Vanquish turns out to be anything like Platinum's most recent action-fest, Bayonetta, then helping players focus on killing baddies is probably a good decision.
Japanese devs sound off about 3DS
Famitsu recently rounded up some high-profile Japanese developers to gauge their reactions to Nintendo's 3DS hardware. According to a translation by Andriasang, the responses ran from business-minded declarations of intent to somewhat philosophical thinking-out-loud. Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono seemed to be most able to keep his excitement in check. He was collected and business-minded when he said, "We'd like to put in some ideas that make effective use of the portability." Hideo Kojima was happy that he wouldn't have to change glasses to use 3DS and mused about the implementation of CO-OPs, the multiuplayer mode featured in Peace Walker, "and other things -- elements fitting of a 3D and portable game machine." Super Monkey Ball (and Yakuza) creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, already working on a 3DS Monkey Ball game, said that he would "like to make a variety of proposals" for games that use the Wi-Fi and 3D aspects of the system. Shinji Mikami and Tomonobu Itagaki were on their way to a meeting in which they planned to talk about the system (and eat yakiniku). Others developers got more ... philosophical. Suda 51, for example, wants to make "The Next Game," in the same sense that he sees 3DS as "The Next Hardware." Bayonetta producer Hideki Kamiya hopes to make "a 3D game where you can enjoy the feeling of existence given by portable 3D." Kamiya's Platinum Games partner Atsushi Inaba, "experienced a strong jolt of the feeling 'I want to make something.'" He added, "Since the start of the game industry, there's never been a system that better fit the words 'dream' and 'next generation.'"
Sega defeats confusion over Vanquish release date: Oct. 19 in North America
The European version of Vanquish is no longer alone in having an official release date. Sega of America announced that Shinji Mikami's new shooter will ship to North American stores on October 19. Just in time for Halloween -- look out for the inevitable trend of homemade, spark-spewing robot suits at this year's parties. Pre-ordering the game at GameStop will allow you to acquire a pack of three in-game guns: the Boost Machinegun, the Anti Armor Pistol and the Laser Cannon (the same three being used for a pre-order promotion with the European release). Enjoy glamour shots of these weapons being fired at things and/or people in our gallery. %Gallery-97142%
