Koei Tecmo
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Dead or Alive Dimensions demonstrates the playable bosses
Want to know what it takes to crush your opponents like a boss in Team Ninja's upcoming 3DS fighter, Dead or Alive Dimensions? Check out a whole bunch of gameplay trailers, featuring the game's most fearsome kick-punchers, posted after the break.
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Tecmo Bowl Throwback
There's a decent chance many gamers out there have passed judgment on Tecmo Bowl Throwback. If you've played any of the original titles, the decision has likely been made. For the rest of us, allow us to present the latest XBLA in Brief, where we take a look at the revamped classic. In short, Tecmo Bowl Throwback takes video game football and boils it down to the absolute basics. Pick a play, run it and hope for the best. Check out the video above and see if it deserves your 800 ($10). [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly. [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly. Xbox.com: Add Tecmo Bowl Throwback trial version to your Xbox 360 download queue
Tecmo Bowl Throwback blitzing XBLA on April 28 [update: PSN 'TBD']
Update 2: Now with a trailer! That's right, everyone's favorite retro football experience Tecmo Bowl Throwback, finally has a solid release date. According to Microsoft's most recent Xbox Live schedule, Tecmo's revamped classic will tackle Xbox Live Arcade on April 28 for 800 ($10). We've contacted Tecmo to find out if the PSN version will be released during the same week as well. Update: Tecmo has informed Joystiq (and Twitter) that the release date for the PSN version has not been set. %Gallery-87016%
Itagaki's suit against Tecmo ends in settlement
Finally, Tomonobu Itagaki can have a restful night of sleep in his sunglasses. The ongoing legal dispute between the Dead or Alive creator and former employer Tecmo, over unpaid salary and bonuses, has ended in a settlement. Itagaki announced the resolution of the dispute in a public statement. Itagaki didn't specify the terms, but we can only imagine a copy of Dead or Alive Paradise was involved. "How could I resist?" we imagine him saying, "It's my own private paradise, in the palm of my hand!" As for things Itagaki actually said, the statement (per Andriasang's translation) revealed that he's working on something new: "I cannot wait for the day when I can announce to everyone the new title that I'm currently conceiving." Itagaki's aiming for "world class entertainment" with "a greater depth of play than before."
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Greed Corp, Lazy Raiders, Fret Nice
Three very different games on Xbox Live Arcade this week, gang. We've got the turn-based strategy of Greed Corp (800 / $10), the reverse platforming of Lazy Raiders (800 / $10) and the ... guitar-controlled platforming of Fret Nice (1200 / $15). Okay, so both Lazy Raiders and Fret Nice are basically platformers, but they're definitely different. Watch all the games in action in today's XBLA in Brief. Shortcut: Download the trial version of Greed Corp [via Xbox.com] Shortcut: Download the trial version of Lazy Raiders [via Xbox.com] Shortcut: Download the trial version of Fret Nice [via Xbox.com] [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly. [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce demo now available
Considering Xbox Live is currently knee-deep in face huggers and split-chinned alien jerks, you'd be forgiven for not noticing there's another demo available on Marketplace. That demo is for Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce, otherwise known as that Dynasty Warriors game with a mythical twist, including Dragon Ball-esque character transformations. The demo allows players to try out the single-player mode -- the full game supports four. Like other entries in the series, expect hordes of enemies and, of course, plenty of button mashing. Shortcut: Add the Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce demo to your 360 download queue [Via Xbox.com]
Tecmo Koei lowers profit forecast after Q3 losses
Tecmo Koei has announced that it's lowering its annual operating profit forecast (essentially its guess for how much profit it will bring in before taxes) by a painful 95%. In addition, stock fell 9.5% to 630 yen ($7). This comes after the announcement of disappointing third-quarter losses (PDF link) totaling 1.842 billion yen ($20.4 million), and after the announcement that two high-profile games, Quantum Theory and Trinity: Zill O'll Zero, have been delayed, thus eliminating whatever they would have contributed to the current fiscal year. Now it's all up to Dead or Alive: Paradise and the Western releases of Monster Rancher DS and Again. Source [PDF]
Tecmo sees 'opportunity' in expanding audience, pursuing women
Speaking to Edge, Tecmo's Quantum Theory development team had a few things to say about the Japanese game market, expanding its audience and, of course, Quantum Theory. According to producer Yasuo Egawa, the Japanese game market is shrinking, though the global gaming audience is expanding. "We've been trying to target customers who haven't bought Tecmo games before," says Egawa, "specifically women." Given Tecmo's offerings over the last few years, it's hard not to find that just a little hilarious. Regarding Quantum Theory itself, the company sees the game as its "third pillar" alongside Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive. Character designer Hiroyuki Yazaki notes that Quantum Theory is a departure from other shooters thanks to its AI-controlled female sidekick, Filena. Yazaki states that most shooters are "full of men; big, sweaty men," which lead Tecmo to design a "softer character" for the game. Yazaki adds, "We're Tecmo – we're good at female characters!" Again, just a little hilarious.
UK Quantum Theory date no longer theoretical
Good news for fans of openly derivative third-person shooters, as Koei Tecmo has confirmed a UK release date for Quantum Theory. The gory shooter, which features brown landscapes, beefy characters, bloody explosions and is not Gears of War 3, will hit UK shelves beginning March 26, according to CVG. Similarities to Gears of War aside, the game had its own set of problems when we got our hands on it at the Tokyo Game Show last year. Here's hoping the kinks are ironed out by release. After all, the most important thing is that it's fun, right?
Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce footage murderously arrives online
Would you believe us if we told you that Koei's first Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce trailer had to brutally slice its way through an army 1,000 strong to arrive where you see it today, resting atop this post? It's the truth! It joined up with three friends online to "infiltrate heavily-armed enemy strongholds" and "slay dragons" and ... oh, who're we kidding. It's a trailer for one of the many upcoming Warriors games, and certainly not one of the historical characters littered throughout the series, bent on murdering all that stands in its path. It does, however, feature all of the aforementioned excitement. So there's that, right? %Gallery-74696%
Koei Tecmo's new game is North Star Musou
The new game being teased by Koei Tecmo -- the one with the flowers? Um, yeah, it's actually about punching people: As predicted, the game's been revealed by Famitsu as Fist of the North Star Musou (officially, just Hokuto Musou, or North Star Musou) combining Koei's populous Dynasty Warriors series with the venerable manga series, and it's the smartest thing Koei has ever done with the Warriors series since the original idea.The Fist of the North Star franchise follows a martial artist named Kenshiro who wanders around a post-apocalypse Earth, using his "Hokuto Shinken" style to fight gangsters that prey on hapless innocents. Why is this series so perfect for Warriors? Because it's a well-known universe in which it's perfectly believable for one guy to beat up a couple hundred enemies with his bare fists. This license will not require much adapting in the transition to a Warriors game.Hokuto Musou, according to the magazine, will be out sometime next year on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Koei Tecmo teases new game with dead flowers
Man, Koei Tecmo, you really know how to confuse the hell out of us. You've proven your capacity to perplex with your billion-dudes-on-screen action franchises -- now, you're diversifying your riddlecraft with a teaser site for a heretofore unannounced game. Based on context clues, we're guessing it's the long overdue revival of everyone's favorite classic franchise: Pretty Flower, Dead Flower, Falling Girl. We're kidding, of course. Judging by the Big Dipper which slyly appears at the end of the teaser's video loop, and the fact that the entire Musou (or Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors) team will be in attendance when the game is revealed on October 14, we're guessing it's actually Fist of the North Star Musou. Shame, really -- we were so excited about a current-gen reimagination of PFDFFG. [Via IGN]
Ninja Gaiden characters to appear in Dynasty Warriors, vice versa
Merged game companies rarely fuse their franchises together, but when the two partnered entities' action-genre focus overlaps as much as Koei and Tecmo's do, inter-brand cameos come naturally. That's why we weren't shocked to hear that Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hayabusa and Warriors Orochi's Nu Wa would make appearances in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, respectively, of Dynasty Warriors Multi Raid. In addition, Multi Raiid's Sun Shang Xiang and Zhao Yun will appear as costumes in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. At this rate, we expect the many, many ninjas from Koei and Tecmo's respective properties will soon be thrown into a "ninja pool," which players of any their titles will be able to choose from. For the record, we're strong advocates for this ninja unionization. Fairer wages for our shiruken-slinging brethren!
KoTec 'very interested' in motion control for Ninja Gaiden
One of the highlights of the motion controller demo during Sony's E3 2009 press conference was a swordplay sequence that seemed to handle magnificently. Koei Tecmo must have been paying attention -- in a recent interview with Play Magazine, KoTec's Kenji Matsubara explained the developer is "very interested" in adapting the Ninja Gaiden franchise to work with the new motion sensitive peripheral.However, Matsubara explained that there are some barriers to clear before said adaptation takes place -- namely, he wants to "know how responsive it is," adding that "if you're swinging your arms around like you're using a sword you will soon be tired." Yeah, no kidding. Had the controller already been usable in one of the next-gen Gaiden titles, the games' infamously difficult Hard mode would cause the world's shoulder dislocation rate to skyrocket.[Via NowGamer]
Koei reveals first screens of Samurai Warriors 3
Having had our attention turned sharply toward Samurai Warriors 3 by Shigeru Miyamoto, we were eager to learn more about the game itself. And ... well, it looks like any other Warriors/Musou game. But it does look pretty nice! There are a couple of incremental gameplay changes in this one, including "Shadow Techniques," special combos which expend energy from a blue gauge at the bottom of the screen. Triggering one of these with a full gauge will unleash an even bigger attack -- like, in new character Kuroda Kanbei's case, a giant blue fist from the sky. By the way, this game will have over 35 characters, including characters from previous Samurai Warrior games, as well as new ones like Kuroda.Check out more screens at GAME Watch.
Koei 'nams new studio location
Koei Tecmo has discovered a clever way to combat rising game development costs -- Japanese gaming blog AndriaSang recently turned our attention to a Japanese newspaper article that explained the company will be opening a studio in Hanoi, Vietnam in mid-September. The lower labor costs in that area should reduce the overall price of game development for the company. As ninjas are extremely expensive to render accurately, we're sure it's a much appreciated discount.Though the new studio (which will initially be staffed by 20 to 30 locals) will be named "Koei Tecmo Vietnam," the original newspaper report states it will be a subsidiary of Koei rather than the recently merged Koei Tecmo Holdings. In other words -- Koei's gettin' some action on the side. Scan-duh-lous!
Shigeru Miyamoto unexpectedly promotes Samurai Warriors 3
Why should we care about yet another Dynasty/Samurai Warriors game from Koei? Because Shigeru Miyamoto does, that's why. Nintendo's Senior Managing Director surprised press by appearing at Koei Tecmo's press conference for the Wii-exclusive Samurai Warriors 3, and announcing a new gameplay mode based on Nazo no Murasamejou, a samurai-themed Zelda-like game released only on Famicom Disk System.Samurai Warriors 3 will support the Classic Controller, and will be sold in a Classic Controller Pro bundle like Monster Hunter 3. It is due in November, with a playable demo presented at Tokyo Game Show. These things still sell in Japan, so we expect this to move some Wii hardware, as long as it isn't in first person or anything like that.[Via GameSetWatch; original Japanese report via Inside-Games; image via Famitsu]
Tecmo/Koei crossover games possible [update]
According to what Gigazine claims to be scans from the Nikkei Corporate Quarterly (a book that provides snapshots of information about Japanese companies), the new Tecmo Koei Holdings is planning to combine IP in at least one new game.Andriasang translated the relevant blurb: "New Games: Will release games that combine Tecmo and Koei titles. The aim is to reach fans of both." The identity (or number) of games, and the identity of the titles that Tecmo and Koei plan to merge are unknown, which means we can amuse ourselves briefly by coming up with our own, like Dead or Alive: Xtreme Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Rygar's Ambition, Dynasty Monster Ranchers, Gitaroo-Man Gaiden Sigma, and Mighty Bomb Genghis Khan. We've checked in with the North American branches of both Koei and Tecmo in an effort to find any additional details about the plan.[Update: Tecmo declined to comment, indicating that the US office didn't know any more than we did about this.]
Koei-Tecmo focusing on the West, not Japan
Swine Flu may be keeping Koei-Tecmo (well, really just the Koei side) from heading to E3 next month, but it won't keep the company away from North America forever. In fact, Koei-Tecmo plans to have a stronger presence in the West, shifting its focus onto more original, Western-aimed IP. "Our expansion into the Western market is the most important part of our mid-term plan," Koei CEO Kenji Matsubara told MCVUK, citing the yearly decline of the Japanese market as a major factor.Koei's Canadian studio in Toronto will receive the bulk of the workload on these new IPs -- which means the strictly-Japanese work ethics currently at the studio will probably have to go. Hopefully though, it won't get rid of all its ethics.
Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires getting US release in June
Even in this crazy Kotec world it's refreshing to know the sun still rises in the east, Wheaties is still the breakfast of champions and Koei and the Dynasty Warriors are still best buds. Some things, you see, never change.The latest in Koei's venerable action strategy franchise, Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires, will arrive on June 23 for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, promising character editing and a return to series' button mashing heroics set in China's good old days. Equally ancient is the game's multiplayer mode, with just two players supported offline and apparently no online mode at all. Still, with its boots stuck in history, it sort of completes the symmetry to have the whole experience cemented in the distant past.
