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TGS: Koei to show *yawn* Wii Dynasty Warriors, PS3 concepts are *fingers crossed* more original
Koei has revealed plans to preview Sengoku Musou Wave (Dynasty Warriors) for Wii at Tokyo Game Show. So what's more tired than another "historical" hack n' slash sequel? How about a mahjong game based on a "historical" hack n' slash series? Yep, Koei will also be showing off a Sengoku Musou-themed mahjong title for PSP and DS. Thankfully, Koei's PlayStation 3 support deviates from the developer's norm -- at least, in three out of four games to be featured at TGS. Most notable, but unfortunately unplayable, is Ni-Oh, billed as an action game in which bodyguard monks must defend Buddha. Of course, Koei could be tossing this concept into the Sengoku Musou engine and churning out another Dynasty clone, in which case, Koei's non-brawler offerings fall to just two, an aerial combat racing game (Fatal Inertia) and *sigh* a mahjong game (Mahjong Contest IV). Don't worry Europe, you ain't missin' much.
First Circle of Doom artwork unleashed
Developer Blue Side has gracefully decided to share some early and undeniably striking concept art for their forthcoming Xbox 360 sequel, Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom. Though the Kingdom Under Fire series failed to set retail charts on fire during its run on the original Xbox, vocal fans won't allow you to overlook the game's considerable critical success. The Xbox 360 version's main draw is its Xbox Live functionality, allowing up to 4 players to go on a hack 'n slash frenzy through dark fantasy lands, presumably populated by psychotic clown-men.
Xbox 360 impressions: Ninety-Nine Nights (N3)
How disappointing. Since Tetsuya Mizuguchi has been responsible for so many great games, including Sega Rally, Space Channel 5 and Lumines, we've decided to forgive him for his involvement in the Phantagram developed Ninety-Nine Nights. It's not that the game is incredibly bad, only that it's overly chaotic and suffers from an awkward camera system. Taking control of the outrageously bossy Inphyy, it didn't take long before we charged right into the midst of a horde of trolls, swinging our sword wildly in the hopes of killing everything in our path. There's really very little skill required to succeed, and even the most basic of combos is effective at taking out the fairly inept enemies. Though the game boasts some beautiful graphics and an insane number of on-screen characters, it requires almost no mental input whatsoever--it's like your brain goes into a button mashing autopilot, taking care to press Y every now and then to unleash a slightly different looking move. We don't need to tell you that this game plays similarly to Dynasty Warriors, but we do need to mention that the game quickly starts feeling repetitive and even a little boring. The camera does a terrible job of keeping up with the action and, given the number of times we had to correct the angle in order to find Inphyy in the mass of polygons, I have a feeling that it simply gives up at some point. We did too.
PS3 update hinted to arrive on the Ides of March
Speaking with reporters at a recent Dynasty Warriors event, Koei vice-president Kiyoshi Komatsu hinted at a Sony event to be held on March 15 at an unspecified location in Japan. Though Sony refused to comment on the event, this latest revelation has sparked hopes that Sony is finally ready to come clean about the status of the PlayStation 3. March 15, or the "Ides of March," was thought to be an auspicious date in the Roman calendar—it's also the day Julius Caesar was assassinated. To borrow the phrase from Mr. Shakespeare, all ye doubters best "beware the Ides of March.”
