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Suda surprise: The Silver Case will be localized
Back at GDC, Grasshopper Manufacture's Suda 51 announced that his Playstation text adventure The Silver Case and its cellphone sequel were getting ported to the DS. We tempered our interest in this development with doubt that the games would be released outside of Japan, due to their limited appeal and the large amount of text involved.Sometimes, we don't mind being wrong. During the Australian G03 event, Suda announced that the game, which was "a minor hit" in Japan, would receive a worldwide release. Now we should all buy it and let him know he made the right decision![Via NeoGAF]
Kojima and Suda 51 tease Snatcher fans
Last Saturday, Suda 51's company Grasshopper Manufacture held the coolest event ever, at least for game nerds: Snake vs. Zombie vol. 2, a series of informal panel discussions by big names in the Japanese game industry, including Hideo Kojima, Shinji Mikami, ICO's Fumito Ueda, and Tetsuya Mizuguchi. There were also musical performances from Metal Gear Solid 3/Portable Ops soundtrack composer Norihiko Hibino and Silent Hill series producer and composer Akira Yamaoka.As if the mere existence of this event (and our non-attendance at said event) weren't causing us physical pain, now we have unbearable anticipation buzzing around in our heads. During a Kojima/Mikami panel hosted by Suda, Mikami, a man of taste, mentioned that his favorite Kojima game was Snatcher, to which the other two responded "Ah yes, Snatcher," followed by "Oh, should we announce it here?" To sum up, in italics, there is a possibility that Hideo Kojima and Suda 51 are collaborating on some kind of Snatcher game. We do not care if it is a sequel, a remake, a port, an action figure, or an official recipe for Neo Kobe Pizza. We want ten.
No More Heroes may go online
Online swordfighting of the most violent proportions on the Wii? Perhaps. Game developer Suda 51 (Killer 7, Contact) has told CVG that he is "very interested in online play" but that its inclusion in the upcoming Wii title No More Heroes is still up in the air.No More Heroes is about Travis Touchdown, a character inspired by Johnny Knoxville, who wins a beam katana via an internet auction site and joins an assassin's league by killing the 11th best (named after a Beatles song associated with Charles Manson). Other assassins you must face off in the free-roaming city of Santa Destroy include a Japanese school girl reminiscent of Go-Go from Kill Bill, a superhero assassin named Destroyman and a French-born assassin named after a French softcore porn actress. Sound crazy enough? We think so. Suda 51 has also said he wants to make the game "as violent, or even more violent than Manhunt 2!" No More Heroes is being planned for a Summer 2007 release in Japan and late 2007 / early 2008 for North America and Europe. The latest trailer, from GDC 2007, embedded after the break.
Possible No More Heroes t-shirt surfaces
This weird-looking t-shirt with the phrase "NO MORE HEROES" was spotted in Japan recently. Just from looking at the shirt, we have no idea if it's related to the Wii game, but the 4cr poster who purchased it seemed to think so, indicating that it is part of a line of No More Heroes shirts. We'd like to see the full line of these shirts; we'd be unlikely to purchase this one, but we really like the idea of having some No More Heroes memorabilia. Suda 51's games and his company Grasshopper Manufacture's website prove that they are capable of remarkable stylishness. Check their shop for some amazing stuff that doesn't look like it was designed by a video game company. Of course, the store is for Japan only, but go and gawk anyway.
Suda 51's inspirations for No More Heroes
This video interview with Grasshopper Manufacture's Suda 51, the eccentric auteur responsible for Contact and Killer 7, shows off the stylish semi-cel-shaded graphics and bizarre second-person camera angles we've come to expect from a Suda game. In addition, we get a few details about the storyline, which concerns an otaku named Travis Touchdown who wins a beam sword in an online auction and then (naturally) gets involved with a bunch of competitive professional hitmen.Suda goes on to discuss some of the influences that he synthesized into his new Wii game No More Heroes, including Ultimate Fighting, Grand Theft Auto, and Johnny Knoxville. No mention is made of the title, which is also the title of a Stranglers song-- no surprise from a guy who titled his GDC presentation "Punk's Not Dead." The video is embedded, after the cut.
Wii Warm Up: Antisocial behavior
The Wii is a very social console. From the marketing campaign to the pack-in, everything about it is designed to get a bunch of people together and interacting in the same room. It can even be fun to have a group together for single-player games, with everyone helping out and enjoying the events of the game together.But video games are not always social events. Sometimes you just want to get immersed in the game without all the interruptions and talking and people. Are you the kind of gamer who prefers to be alone with your games? Or do you always prefer to share your experiences? Or are there certain games that you just can't stand having people in the room while you're playing? Killer 7 on the Gamecube, for example, was something we preferred to play alone because we didn't think others walking in would have a clue what was going on. Especially since we didn't.
Suda 51 announces 'The Silver Case' remakes for DS
During a GDC presentation last week Grasshopper Manufacture frontman Suda 51 revealed that his studio would be remaking its first two games, porting them onto DS. The two installments of a mystery-riddled adventure series, The Silver Case (PS1) and The Silver Case Word 25 (mobile) were released only in Japan. Because these are both text-heavy adventures, there's a good chance the remakes will never be localized for non-Japanese markets either (Objection?!). Sure, you could import, but if you can't read the text featured in the image here, don't bother.But don't fret either, Killer 7 fans jonesing for a Suda fix have No More Heroes to look forward to. Peep the new footage and decide if this Wii game will live up to its ultra-violent billing.[Via DS Fanboy]
GDC07: Classic Suda 51 weirdness hitting the DS
Suda 51's first games as part of Grasshopper Manufacture are being remade for the DS. The games, called The Silver Case and The Silver Case Ward 25, were originally released for the Playstation and mobile phones, respectively. Suda revealed this fact during his GDC keynote "Punk's Not Dead".Both are graphical text adventures; Ward 25 uses static art and the original Silver Case uses full-motion video. Unfortunately, because of the amount of text that would have to be translated, Suda isn't sure the remakes will be released outside Japan. Someone tell him that American DS players love graphical text adventures! And tell him that we <3 Grasshopper Manufacture too.
Friday Video: No More Heroes
There's nothing like a blood-drenched trailer to wrap up the week, now is there? This one delivers, but what else could we possible expect from No More Heroes? We really, really hope this one ends up as good as it looks, and so it's this week's featured video. Check out Travis and his lightsaber of doom after the jump
No More Heroes to be most violentest Wii game. EVAR!
Take Jackass Johnny Knoxville, make him an anime and Star Wars otaku, give him a lightsaber and martial arts skills, call him an assassin, and then toss the concoction into an open-world game infested with more assassins ... that's the premise for Suda 51's Wii game No More Heroes -- but it doesn't stop there. The Killer 7 developer has proposed a particularly un-Wii-like challenge for his Grasshopper team: "make No More Heroes as violent, or even more violent than Manhunt 2!"And afterwards? Well, there's that secret "Project S" collabo with Kojima (a Snatcher sequel?) that's been floating under the radar; and, as Suda reveals, there's interest in developing for Xbox 360. "I want to develop games for Xbox 360 as soon as possible. In fact, I am planning the next project for Xbox 360," says Suda. "As for PS3, I don't have enough materials/topics to comment on this because there is only a small chance for us to develop for the console at this point in time." Small chance? Why's that?[Via Evil Avatar]
Heroes gets a new name
Forget Heroes -- we don't need no stinkin' heroes. Looks like Suda 51's latest is going through a rechristening and will sport a name not unlike the old name, just without all that messy implied hope. The forthcoming Grasshopper title will now be called No More Heroes. We're at a loss for which title is a better choice. Here we have a game rife with murder and mayhem, with light sabers katanas and a city named Santa Destroy ... it's hard not to see heroes in that!
New name, details for Suda51's Heroes
Japanese magazine Famitsu has published new information on the upcoming Wii game from Suda 51's Grasshopper Studios (Killer 7, Contact). Once called Heroes, the new name for the title is No More Heroes. Unlike Killer 7, you can roam freely around the Santa Destroy, a city purported to look more Westernized with a name so god awful we cringe typing it.In No More Heroes, you play assassin-wannabe Travis Touchdown (*cringe*), who fights with a beam katana. Sword fighting, however, sounds pretty hands-off: you position the Wiimote either up, down, or centered to indicate one of three fighting stances. Fighting is then accomplished via repeatedly tapping the A button. Repetition reprieve comes from shaking the control to build up an energy meter (Dragon Ball Z, anyone?) and swing the controlling following on-screen prompts. We're a bit dismayed by how the control scheme is described, but we'll await a hands-on impression before we make any judgments. When will a game designer figure out how to implement a fun-but-accurate sword fighting simulator?Suda 51 is hoping to sell one million copies worldwide, so expect a US release. No More Heroes is due out Summer 2007 in Japan.[Via Evil Avatar]See Also: Suda 51 reveals Heroes (Wii) game trailer
Europe gets a little Contact
Better late than never, right? Rising Star Games has announced that they will release Grasshopper's RPG Contact in February of 2007 for Europe -- for those of you who haven't ordered it elsewhere by then. Despite lukewarm reviews, the game is getting its fair share of attention, so such a long delay before European release would be surprising ... if the DS hadn't lately been plagued by delays for the region. Sorry, guys. Just know that we love you equally!
Gamespy previews Contact
Gamespy is running a preview of the game Contact, the collaborative effort of Grasshopper Manufacturer (Killer 7) and Marvelous Interactive (Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town), adapted for localization by Atlus. One of the upcoming WiFi-compatible games eliciting the most interest, and for good reason, Contact tells the tale of an extra-terrestrial professor who crashes to Earth and meets a boy named Charlie, whom he enlists to aid him in repairing his ship. By encountering others in his travels and befriending them, Charlie then brings them into this world and can enlist their aid to accomplish said goals. The preview is a good piece, chock full of information on the game's interesting WiFi implementation and other goodies. In connecting with friends, your character becomes a NPC in their game, complete with your own scripted dialogue and look. The game is currently scheduled for a July release in America.
Killer 7 creators to unveil newest project at E3
Revolution Reporter Shawn White tells of a confirmation from Nobuhiko Nakamura, the Project Manager for Grasshopper Manufacturer, that the development house's Revolution title will be shown at E3. Grasshopper Manufacturer, along with Suda 51, were responsible for the game Killer 7 on the GameCube, a title that received mixed reviews around. Whether you enjoyed Killer 7 or not, the game was undoubtedly full of style, which this upcoming game should also be abundant with.What did you guys think of Killer 7? Looking forward to their next title?
