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Lost Planet 2, Yakuza demonstrated on NGP
Capcom's Jun Takeuchi took to the stage at today's PlayStation Meeting to show off Lost Planet 2 running on the NGP handheld -- as a demonstration only, as he said Capcom was not announcing new titles at tonight's event -- "but before long we will be able to announce new titles for NGP." According to Takeuchi, LP2 was running on MT Framework Mobile (which also powers Capcom's 3DS games) and this demo was put together in just two weeks. "I'm sure you've seen the PS3 version," he told the audience, "and the quality is just as good" on NGP. Takeuchi said the NGP could handle the "full specification." Next up, Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi demonstrated assets from Yakuza: Of The End, to show that "everything can be transcribed [from PS3] onto NGP."
Takeuchi unsure about his Resident Evil 6 involvement
It sounds like that high-stakes game of Blackjack might not be necessary in deciding the producer of Resident Evil 6. In an interview with Xbox World 360 magazine (via online affiliate CVG), Resident Evil 5 and Lost Planet 2 producer Jun Takeuchi acknowledged his intent to give up a possible leadership role in developing the next installment in the series. "Personally, I don't think I'm gonna deal with Resident Evil 6 at all," Takeuchi explained, "as far as the series is concerned I'm not planning to return until at least two more Olympics have passed!" You mean ... in four years? (Why couldn't he just say "in four years?") Well then, we hope to hear more about the future of Resident Evil in just 1/24th of an Olympics calendar. Which is to say, in June, at E3 2010.
Takeuchi: Lost Planet 2 faced difficult content cuts
When you finally play Lost Planet 2 after it launches on May 18, you'll explore and uncover more of the misplaced celestial orb than ever before -- but you won't see everything. In an interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu (transcript; Kotaku translation), producer Jun Takeuchi explained that, although development on the co-op shooter proceeded without trouble, a "significant" amount of content had to be cut before the final product took shape. Takeuchi noted that "the edited content was way too much and dealing with that was more difficult than anything." Whether it was difficult to say goodbye or simply to get it to work in the first place is unclear, but it's a story that has become familiar as games grow in intricacy and developers share information with more candor. "This time, truly, the content that was cut was significant and at the end, we had to wrestle with disc space," he said. Since the Xbox 360's DVD drive offers the least amount of storage space -- compared to the Blu-ray drive on the PlayStation 3 -- it's easiest to assume that disc space was the cause of the cut content, and not an additional issue. However, in a note to Joystiq, Capcom described the process as standard practice. "Editing the amount of content released with the final version of any game is a standard practice during game development. Edits to the initial concept of a game can come from a number of sources including the amount of time given to develop the title, hardware constraints, story elements, or other factors that can detract from the experience. We are confident that consumers will not be disappointed with Lost Planet 2 and the variety of massive Akrid, powerful vital suits, beautiful environments and deep level of customization included in the final product." The final product may be expanded through DLC in the future (just like Assassin's Creed 2, which lost several sequences to a deadline), but for now Lost Planet 2's excised terrain will remain on ice.
Confirmed: Local split-screen co-op in Lost Planet 2
This week's Famitsu (via Andriasang) confirms Capcom's Lost Planet 2 will include offline split-screen co-op when it releases May 18. Series producer Jun Takeuchi told Joystiq last year at GamesCom that the developer was working on couch co-op for the game, which already features four player online co-op. The split screen will reportedly be similar to Resident Evil 5's staggered screens, maintaining the aspect ratio and cutting down on the hardware requirements. So, go ahead and play Lost Planet 2 snuggled with a buddy on the couch or drinking beers with the spouse when it releases ... wait, reverse that. %Gallery-45837%
Takeuchi on marketing Lost Planet 2 across our planet
Lost Planet 2 may be produced in Japan by Japanese developers at a Japanese company, but it's rooted in Western design philosophies -- namely, the art of shooting. In a Capcom published developer interview, producer Jun Takeuchi explained the company's marketing strategies in and outside of Japan. "In foreign countries that account for a large share of sales," Takeuchi said, "we are going to rely on the brand recognition of Lost Planet and emphasize the new features in the game, as well as four player co-op mode." To emphasize the parts of the game that Japanese gamers might be more interested in, Takeuchi suggested, "we're going to focus on pushing the concept of 'enjoying four player co-op mode' instead of the fact that this game is an action shooter." In other words, Capcom's hoping to make Lost Planet 2 sound as much like Monster Hunter as possible. Additionally, as part of its "Single Content Multiple Usage" multimedia initiative, Takeuchi said that Capcom may extend Lost Planet to manga as a promotional tool in Japan.
Japanese game devs give their verdicts on TGS
While plenty of games press and hardcore fans flocked to 2009's Tokyo Game Show, attendance was down versus last year, and developers noticed. "The total attendance is down from last year, but myself, it felt less like a crush of people and more like a fun festival atmosphere like we used to have," Hideo Kojima told Famitsu in an upcoming feature.But not every developer looked favorably on the late-September show. Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiya pointed out that only three titles out of the 12 awarded 'Future' prizes at the Japan Game Awards were non-sequels. "That seems to go crossways with the term 'future' in my mind and it's frankly kind of sad," he said.Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi revealed he was "a little disappointed" that there were very few Japanese-made titles positioned for the worldwide market. However, he does note the titles meant for Japanese consumption puts the industry (in the East) on a stable base. While Fumito Ueda -- currently working on The Last Guardian -- noted that he is extremely excited about offerings from the West, specifically Modern Warfare 2. "I feel a serious sublime beauty in all of Infinity Ward's FPSes," he told Famitsu, despite qualms that Western companies came to Japan to push their wares rather than discussing innovation.According to Akihiro Hino, head of Level-5 -- one of the busier booths at TGS 2009 -- the show felt "kind of plain." However, he does agree that the show offered a lot of games he personally wanted to play. "So in that respect," he noted, "TGS was great." If you consider waiting in line for 180 minutes to play one title great, we agree.[Via 1UP]
TGS 2009: Sony adding motion to existing titles, new RE5 with motion coming Spring 2010 [update]
During Sony's second press conference at the Tokyo Game Show, Capcom's Jun Takeuchi took the stage to demo the PlayStation 3's new motion controller with his game, Resident Evil 5. That's right, Sony will be bringing motion control to a handful of existing titles, including a re-released RE5 in Resident Evil 5: Director's Cut this coming Spring.Sony also showed off LittleBigPlanet being controlled by two people, one wielding a motion wand while the other used a DualShock 3. Apparently a mess of other titles will be getting the motion treatment -- 13 in total (seen here, mostly in Japanese see update below) -- with Flower and Pain standing out as notable examples. Update: We've got the full list right here.%Gallery-73849%
Lost Planet film will have 'completely different' story, Inafune on board
It's been a while since we last heard about the Lost Planet movie, but G4 managed to get a couple of words about the flick out of Capcom's Jun Takeuchi back at Gamescom. The film likely won't reference Lost Planet 2, according to Takeuchi, who also noted that "as the story line goes, the movie is completely different from the game." Well, as long as they don't turn it into something about a planet that everyone knows intimately, we won't mind (and neither will EA's Alain Tascan). Takeuchi also confirmed the involvement of Capcom veteran and Mega Man creator, Keiji Inafune. The extent of his role in the production is still unknown, but we'll sleep a bit easier knowing that Inafune is there to help make sure none of that 200 million goes to waste.
Hearsay: Sony motion controller opens door for Wii-to-PS3 ports
Here's something we're betting Sony will want to wish away using its "magic wand." Speaking with 1UP, Capcom producer Jun Takeuchi (Resident Evil 5) noted, "Speaking to other developers in Japan, I've heard a few of them say they were delighted by the Sony motion controller because they can just port over their Wii titles to the PS3."We're going to be optimistic here and presume these devs are at least considering a fresh coat of pixels for their ports. It's probably of more concern that, outside of Nintendo's first-party offerings, we've yet to see many studios even get Wii motion control right. Somehow, it's hard to picture Sony saying, "Yes, we welcome your waggle-infused minigame compilations with open arms!" Then again, PS3 "does everything" -- maybe even Wii games.
Takeuchi: Lost Planet 2 team 'working on' couch co-op
Do you like the idea of playing Lost Planet 2 with a friend, in the same room? You'll be pleased to know that, according to producer Jun Takeuchi, the team is doing its best to make that happen. Well, the game part. You supply your own friend."We are actually working on two-player splitscreen," Takeuchi told Joystiq at GamesCom. "It's not easy, but if we are confident that we can do it, we'll let you know." When asked if the Lost Planet 2 solution would be similar to the staggered picture-in-picture-style display in Resident Evil 5, Takeuchi said that the issue wasn't so much the aspect ratio of split screens, but rather hardware. "Technically, cycling between two split screens, you can actually say it took visual RAM," he said. "You still have to work with two sets of AI and physics and so forth at the same time."So, while Takeuchi "can't guarantee yet" the existence of splitscreen in the final game, don't lose hope. Or any planets -- we've lost enough of those already.%Gallery-45837%
Blackjack game may decide producer of Resident Evil 6
Curious about the direction the next entry in the Resident Evil will follow? By the sound of things, so are the franchise's tried-and-true creators. During Capcom's San Diego Comic Con panel, Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi responded to a fan's query about the possibility of a series reboot with a startling answer -- he's apparently playing a long-running game of Blackjack with fellow RE5 producer Masachika Kawata to see who will be in charge of the next Resident Evil title. Seriously.We're not sure if Takeuchi's response was sincere -- after all, he later explained that "it doesn't appear as though either of us is going to be in charge." Still, we wouldn't be surprised if he was telling the truth. There's certainly precedent for this kind of thing. Remember when Satoru Iwata won the presidency of Nintendo from Hiroshi Yamauchi in a high-stakes Cribbage game?
Lost Planet 2 demo coming 'soon,' features 4-player co-op
If you were jealous that we got our greasy, unworthy hands on a 4-player co-op demo of Lost Planet 2 during our ransacking of E3 2009, you can now cool your jets -- according to producer Jun Takeuchi during an appearance on Famitsu's "Midnight Live 360," the same demo is coming to Xbox Live "soon." Actually, Takeuchi's exact words were, "soon, I guess," a sentiment that doesn't exactly fill us with optimism regarding the actual soon-ness of the demo's release.Takeuchi showcased a number of new features during the Famitsu program, such as computer-controlled bots, custom weapon sets and character customization, which he explained can be done using items you unlock in tandem with certain achievements. We don't know whether any of these features will be present in the demo -- but if it's as similar to the E3 demo as Takeuchi says, it should be radical enough without them.
Takeuchi: Capcom 'investigating' other platforms for Lost Planet 2
Resident Evil 5 producer and all-around Capcom hotshot Jun Takeuchi recently talked to GameDaily about a variety of subjects. Most important to those of you anxious to head back out into the cold is the news that Capcom is considering a multiplatform release for Lost Planet 2, as Takeuchi admits the company is "currently investigating other platforms." Whether those other platforms include the PS3 is anybody's guess right now, but if the first game is any indication, it'll arrive on Sony's platform eventually. Lost Planet 2 is slated for release next year.%Gallery-45837%
RE5 producer signing copies of game in Seattle today
A Major Nelson communiqué brings word that Resident Evil 5 executive producer Jun Takeuchi will be signing copies of the game later today in Seattle. If you want to touch the master of Las Plagas, head on over to the Gamestop in Redmond Town Center this afternoon from 2:30-4PM.Oh, and Major Nelson will also arrive sometime after 3PM. If you ask nicely, we're sure he'll autograph stuff for you too.
WSJ explores claims of racism in Resident Evil 5
The Wall Street Journal's Jamin Brophy-Warren has a piece today exploring the racial connotations some are seeing in Capcom's latest effort, Resident Evil 5. The game's producer Jun Takeuchi recently said, "There is no racial element to it at all," and Capcom's Chris Kramer expands on that point, stating to the WSJ that the game adopts an "anti-colonialist" stance. Mr. Kramer is referring to white protagonist Chris Redfield, shooting his way through RE5's African non-zombies, and the imagery it represents with regards to traditional Western colonialism on the continent.The theme of the piece is one of exploring whether or not the game is racist, rather than starting with a condemnation and then going forward like we've seen so many times in mainstream video game coverage. He speaks to a variety of major game developers (from Fallout 3's Todd Howard to Dead Space's Glen Schofield) and even broaches the topic of racism in American society being perpetuated by a largely caucasian game industry. Surprisingly, no sweeping claims are made and no aspersions cast. Bravo, we say!
Anthropologist says Resident Evil 5 is not racist, Takeuchi continues defense
Everyone has an opinion on this whole Resident Evil 5 racism debacle -- well, everyone except a real expert on the science of race relations. Prompted to settle the ongoing debate once and for all, Videogamer.com has employed Glenn Bowman, University of Kent senior lecturer at the Department of Anthropology, to weigh in on the subject matter. So, is it racist? Long-short of Bowman's response: "I don't think it's racist. I think people are looking too quickly to be able to jam that label onto it."Bowman argues that the knee-jerk reaction of attributing racism to black characters being portrayed as bad guys "is actually itself a kind of inverted racism which says that you can't have scary people who are black." This sounds a lot like something RE5 producer Jun Takeuchi recently said to Yahoo! Games: "We don't want to create something that offends a certain element of society. At the same time, we don't want to be in a place where you can't set a game in Africa or in an Arabic country. That in itself is a form of racism. For us, as creators of entertainment, it's important for us to strike that right balance."Interestingly enough, Bowman tries to strike that balance by painting a "counter-thematic" of anti-colonialism: "This whole idea of the victimization of Africa by pharmaceutical companies, by terrorist groups, all of whom seem to be run by white characters who are coming in and exploiting people ... seems to me to be far more damning of the colonial powers towards Africa than it says anything about whether or not blacks are some sort of savages. The blacks here are clearly being set up as victims, alterity, frightening." When the game hits stores next Friday, perhaps you can judge for yourself.Source 1: VideogamerSource 2: Yahoo! Games
Lost Planet 2 no quick 'n' dirty sequel, says Capcom
We could have easily gone for a more vulgar headline! Here's what Christian Svensson, Capcom's vice president of business development and strategic planning, actually said about the upcoming co-op shooter, Lost Planet 2: "Takeuchi's approach was, you know what we're not going to sit back on our laurels and just shit out a sequel, we're actually going to take it up five notches. We're not going to under invest in this, we're actually going to over invest in this, and we're going to build it bigger."Speaking to VideoGamer.com, Svensson relayed Lost Planet 2 (and Resident Evil 5) producer Jun Takeuchi's overall vision as being one that keeps all of the original's best qualities in, while dismissing the lax ambitions of lazy sequel design. You might even catch a whiff of 2007's critically acclaimed Call of Duty 4, which Svensson says was a big hit among the Lost Planet team. "So I think you're going to see some influence from that sneaking in." So, to sum all this crap up: Lost Planet 2 is promised to be the shit, but won't be shit out.%Gallery-45837%
1UP: Capcom considering series 'reboot' for Resident Evil 6
It appears that Resident Evil producer Jun Takeuchi is ready to hit the reset button for the next game in the series. Speaking with 1UP, Takeuchi believes that a reboot is possible for Resident Evil 6. No further details were given, so it's unclear whether he means RE3 to RE4 type change, or something bigger.In our interview with Takeuchi, we did ask what the plans are for RE6. The producer told us that Capcom is simply in the "thinking about it stage" of development. However, he does believe that if too much time goes by between this installment and the next, that people lose expectation. Probably not a good idea to wait too long between franchise installments, though, as other games can fill people's heads with new expectations. [Image]
Joystiq interview: Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi
Jun Takeuchi has been very busy the last few years, dedicating his time to franchises like Onimusha, Lost Planet, and of course Resident Evil. With the latest installment of Capcom-brand survival horror, Takeuchi has been battling accusations of racism and complaints about the dated controls, all while serving up four million downloads of the demo. He didn't have to deal with any such matters back in the days of Resident Evil 2, that's for sure.We met up with Takeuchi during his recent stop in Los Angeles to discuss these issues and other hot topics. Find out what he had to say after the break.%Gallery-5253%
DICE 09: Capcom delivers its ten commandments (of development)
Though we expected the list to start out with something obvious, like, "Thou shalt never speak of Dino Crisis 3 again," Capcom's ten commandments of development are more aimed at the business side of the gaming industry. Speaking at the ongoing DICE summit in Las Vegas, Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi shed some light on the Japanese publisher's demonstrable success in reaching Western audiences.The ten rules, captured by MTV Multiplayer, highlight the importance of carefully managing development costs (Rule #3: Keep development cost fluctuation within 10 percent), man power (Rule #1: Keep staff turnover below 10 percent per annum) and prudent handling of new IP (Rule #4: Investment in new IP needs to be kept within 20 percent of total development budget). Oh, Rule #10 is a good one: Don't set unachievable targets.Let's hope that's the end of Capcom's attempts to make a good Resident Evil lightgun game.
