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Veteran producer Tak Fujii departs Konami
Veteran producer Tak Fujii announced his departure from Konami today following a "great 20 years of creation." Fujii revealed the career move via Twitter, giving thanks to "all who supported, loved my titles." Fujii's time with Konami began in 1997, serving as audio director for 11 years with the publisher. Fujii worked on a number of games with Konami, including the Pro Evolution Soccer series, Q-Entertainment's Ninety-Nine Nights 2, the PS3 port of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise and Volition's Darksiders, which Konami published in Japan. As for Fujii's future, the producer added that he "will be freelance for a while." Of course, Fujii may be best known for providing an interesting presentation at E3 2010, about which he also tweeted, "don't think that was the best of me." [Image: Konami]
S.A.V.3. on games all day with Amazon Lightning Deals
Amazon has dropped a selection of Lightning Deals on us, and while we can't be 100% sure of the identities of all the mystery deals (and less sure of the prices) it looks like there's enough stuff in there that you'll want to keep an Amazon window open, and an alarm clock set. Right now, F.E.A.R. 3 is $20 on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Upcoming discounts include GTA IV, Mortal Kombat, and what is likely No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise. To round out the deal while flattening your tummy, the ongoing Deal of the Day is Zumba Fitness for Wii or Xbox 360.
No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise discounted before it's even out
Amazon has already discounted Konami's PS3 release of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise to $29.99, suplexing $10 off the retail price. For some reason, the retailer chose to forgo its usual credit offers, discounting the game directly. Heroes' Paradise hasn't even been released yet -- that happens tomorrow. As even more incentive to buy the game today, Amazon is also throwing in some exclusive pre-order DLC items, in the form of the "Cross Saver" beam katana and the "Moto Magazine 2" motorcycle. It might be nice to have a different motorcycle to look at during the open-world driving segments.%Gallery-130625%
Let Travis Touchdown show you how to play No More Heroes with Move
Say you're interested in No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise, but you have no imagination. How best to communicate the Move controls to you? Japanese publisher Marvelous has figured it out, by having someone dressed as Travis Touchdown demonstrate the game using the PS3 motion controller. That way, you won't be confused at all about what motions to perform, and whom you'll be manipulating when you make those motions! Just for reference, we're reasonably certain the controls work even if you aren't wearing a Travis Touchdown costume. You won't have to worry about that until a Kinect version of No More Heroes comes along. Warning: he goes through most of the second assassination, so if you'd consider that a spoiler, don't watch.
A totally unfair No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise visual comparison
During E3, Konami released the intro from the new PS3 version of No More Heroes as a trailer. Since the Wii original started off with the same trailer, we saw this as an opportunity to post a visual comparison between Heroes' Paradise and the original. Unfortunately, it turns out it's really hard to find high-quality YouTube videos of Wii games from three years ago, and even harder to find trailer downloads for games of that vintage on publishers' servers. So what you'll see after the break is the HD, redrawn, retextured, re-lit intro of the PS3 game ... followed by a capture of the Wii game running in a tiny window, in 240p. The PS3 video looks better. Surprise!%Gallery-125991%
No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise coming August 16 to North America
No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise is cutting a bloody path to North America for an August 16 launch. The PlayStation Move-enabled title will be available tomorrow in Europe; a non-Move version with the same title hit Japan last year. Konami reiterated that the upcoming No More Heroes: Red Zone for Japan simply adds Move support and is the same game as the Western version of Heroes' Paradise.%Gallery-112530%
No More Heroes: Red Zone packs Move controls, new material in Japan [Update]
The weekly Famitsu leak has brought early word of another re-release of No More Heroes coming to Japan, called No More Heroes: Red Zone. This PS3-only version adds material not found in last year's Japanese PS3 release of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise, including PlayStation Move compatibility, and five bosses from No More Heroes 2. It also restores the full CERO Z rating. The Japanese PS3 release was cut down to fit a more generally acceptable D rating. All of this material is included in Konami's upcoming Western release of Heroes' Paradise, but Red Zone also reportedly includes ten missions that were cut from the original Wii version. This could be exclusive content -- or it could just be a bonus that Konami hasn't told us about yet! We're asking the publisher now. Update: Konami told Joystiq that this is the same version we're getting in America.
Suda 51 would like to do No More Heroes 3, it just won't happen anytime soon
It appears that Suda 51 thinks the odds of another No More Heroes game happening in the near future are about nil. During Grasshopper Manufacture's recent streaming event, Suda said (translation via Andriasang) he'd "like to" do another entry "at some point," but it isn't something that would happen anytime "soon." Oh, now you've got JC crying, Mr. Suda. Wonderful. Character designer Yusuke Kozaki also offered an interesting proposition: a new game where Shinobu, the high school student by day, assassin by night who appeared in both No More Heroes and No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle is the main character. Kozaki also revealed that Grasshopper had come up with so many characters, it had enough for two more No More Heroes games. Okay, guys, now you're just being cruel! The remainder of the event then shifted to Frog Minutes, the studio's charity iOS game. We spent some time with it, which you can read all about here.
Grasshopper releases free songs in memory of Japan's quake victims
Grasshopper Manufacture has released a trio of songs produced by its audio team in remembrance of those affected by its native Japan's devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Two of the songs, "Otomodachi, as you wake" and "Otomodachi, before you sleep," were created by Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka. A third, "Otomodachi, in the afternoon," is by his GhM co-worker Tak Hiraoka. The tracks are available for free via the dev's Facebook page. Although they don't cost a cent, consider contributing to the relief efforts of the Red Cross (redcross.org) if you like them -- or even if you don't. It's nice to be, well ... nice.
No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise slicin' fools on PS3 this fall
No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise was oddly placed (misplaced?) on a PlayStation 3 2011 "exclusives" list, and given a tentative release window by the US PlayStation blog: "fall 2011." Last we heard, the up-rezzed third-person brawler was heading to PlayStation 3s at some point in 2011, but now we know the game won't arrive until the back half of the year. "But why," you ask, "is a port of a 2007 Wii title taking so very long to bring to the PlayStation 3?" Besides making the graphics look much, much nicer, and adding Move support, a handful of No More Heroes 2 content will make its way into the PS3 re-release. We're also hoping that developer AQ Interactive is secretly working on more wacky TV shows for Travis Touchdown to flip through, but we're not holding our breath.
No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise screens touch down
Konami has sent out five new screenshots of Heroes' Paradise, the Move-enhanced PS3 port of No More Heroes. We'd be frustrated about the gradual release of media, but we've already seen No More Heroes. Besides, these do a good job of showing off the visual improvements -- mostly shadows!
No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise on PS3 includes bosses from No More Heroes 2
Those "additional boss characters" added to the Western PS3 release of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise? "All of the additional bosses in the game are from No More Heroes 2," Konami's Tak Fuji told GameSugar, "making this much more than just the original Wii game." That's welcome news for people experiencing the series for the first time through this PS3 game, as it now encompasses at least a bit of a sequel. He didn't mention which bosses or how many -- but we can guarantee that whichever bosses are included, whether it's the revenge-obsessed young man who pulls his own head off, the flamethrower-wielding ghost of a murdered child, or the robot filled with cheerleaders, they're going to be weird. Fuji also indicated that Konami is at least considering a Kinect-enabled release on Xbox 360. "We have, and are still tossing around ideas for linking NMH with the Kinect for Xbox 360 gamers," he said, "but since the Kinect is such a unique device, it's a bit more difficult. This isn't to say that the Kinect is a poor interface by any means, but more that in its uniqueness it requires a bit more care and planning to bring Travis to the Xbox 360. So if we were to do so, we'd need more time." It's worth noting that Heroes' Paradise was released on both Xbox and PS3 in Japan, so there is a 360 version to work with.
No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise will be PS3-exclusive in North America
Two months after Konami announced that it had picked up the PS3 publishing rights for No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise in Europe -- with added PlayStation Move controls -- the publisher has revealed plans to release the same HD port in North America. Heroes' Paradise is a high-definition version of Grasshopper Manufacture's Wii assassinate-em-up No More Heroes, with a few extra modes (including a cutscene viewer and a "Rebout" boss rush mode), new visuals and, for the North American and European releases, the choice between DualShock-based or Move controls. In addition, an announcement on the PlayStation Blog teases "additional boss characters that were not available in the original episode" for the PS3 version. No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise will be released for PS3 in 2011 -- no plans for an Xbox 360 release outside of Japan have been announced. Of course, you could always go get the spectacular Wii version, which has been out since 2008, but if you've waited this long for an HD version, you may as well hold out. %Gallery-106024% [Thanks, Israel]
No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise, now with PlayStation Move icons
European PS3 owners can look forward to playing No More Heroes in HD, with Move controls, courtesy of Konami. Those of us in North America, so far, can only look forward to importing No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise, as the publisher hasn't made any announcements regarding the title. The screens released by Konami today look about how you would expect: No More Heroes, in HD, with little (non-pixelated!) Move controller icons in the UI where Wiimote simulacra once stood. However, it seems that Konami (or developer feelplus) took the initiative to put even more controller icons on screen than were in the Wii original, as seen above. In the original game that was just an arrow -- and we all figured out what it meant.%Gallery-99916%
Konami releasing No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise on PS3 in Europe, with Move support
Konami Europe has picked up the rights to No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise, the Feelplus-developed HD port of No More Heroes -- but seemingly just the PS3 version and not the Xbox 360 release. To make the news even more baffling, Konami is adding PlayStation Move support. That's right, the motion controls that were replaced in the game's transition from Wii to PS3 are back! Both previous No More Heroes games were published in Europe by Rising Star Games, which was first a subsidiary of -- and then a content partner with -- Japanese publisher Marvelous Interactive. We're following up with Konami's American branch to find out whether Travis Touchdown will appear in HD in North America. The European release is scheduled for 2011.
Marvelous profits in fiscal Q1 -- by cutting back on game releases
Marvelous Entertainment has, in the recent past, been reporting disappointing earnings. Well, not even "earnings." Losses. To combat those losses, the company reduced its slate for fiscal 2011, a strategy that appears to have worked. In its last fiscal quarter (which ended June 30), Marvelous's digital content division had ¥71 million ($829,000) in profit. The same quarter last year saw $1.5 million in losses! According to Siliconera's summary of the report, the boosted performance has more to do with reduced costs than game sales -- sales were actually down 55.4% year-over-year. Marvelous released just three games in the quarter, including No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise.
Marvelous focuses on PSP development in fiscal 2011
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, given the company's recent executive pay cuts and low sales figures, that Marvelous Entertainment is looking to cut costs in fiscal 2011 by reducing its lineup of games slightly. Siliconera points out a slide from the company's latest earnings report (Japanese PDF downloadable at the bottom of the window) that shows only ten releases for the period between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011. That's down two from the previous year. The biggest move comes from the DS lineup, which is reduced from six games to just one. Also unsurprisingly, Marvelous is putting emphasis on PSP games. PSP development was the segment of Marvelous's game business that paid off in the last year, and the publisher is putting out more games there -- four -- than anywhere else in fiscal 2011. That includes the RPG Fate/Extra and the humiliating fighter Ikki Tousen: Xross Impact, as well as two currently unannounced games. The rest of Marvelous's lineup includes the already-released No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise on PS3 and 360, Harvest Moon: Twins' Village on DS, one unknown PS3 game, and two unknown Wii games. [Via Siliconera]
No More Heroes remakes outsold the original by a little
We're not going to say that No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise is a hit, but those of us in constant fear of Marvelous running out of money can breathe a sigh of relief, as the remake has brought a little cash in (more considering that the game is a port and therefore probably less expensive to produce). In fact, both versions managed to make it into the Media Create top ten, with the PS3 version's 16,000 copies securing a #7 position and the Xbox 360 version's 15,000 copies at #8. Both of these actually outperformed the Wii original, which sold 11,700 copies in its debut week back in 2007. Now that we think about it, however, the real story might be that 15,000 people in Japan bought an Xbox 360 game in a single week. %Gallery-78530%
No More Heroes: Wii vs. Xbox 360
No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise was released in Japan last week, allowing the site PS360 to set to work comparing the new HD version (in this case the Xbox 360 release), ported by Feelplus, to the Wii original. After the break, you can see the intro to both versions, presented in split-screen. We suggest watching them in full-screen, because you can't really compare resolutions or detail inside a tiny window. You can, however, see noticeable differences in texture detail, and especially shading -- the Xbox version has crazy high-contrast shadows on everything. You can also hear the new Japanese voice acting, which sounds totally silly. The second video compares load times between the Xbox 360 version installed to the hard drive and the Wii's disc-based version. Surprisingly, in some cases, the Xbox game takes much longer to load! While that's not a huge deal-breaker, Siliconera reports that users are complaining on Amazon about freezing as well. It's hard to determine how widespread the issue is, because it's an Xbox 360 game released in Japan, and thus probably not in that many hands.
New trailer for No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise adds to our frustration
Other than providing a more specific April release date of the 15th (in Japan at least), the latest trailer for No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise which we've dropped after the break does little but fill us with frustration. First and foremost, we don't have any idea what it says because the whole thing's in Japanese. Second, the quick cuts don't give us enough of a chance to ogle the newly HDified graphics in the Xbox 360 and PS3 port. Third, we wanna see pure madness produced by that light ... sword (not a saber, that's for sure) if the game's gonna be in HD. We might normally say something at this point about hoping for the best when the game arrives at retail, but this one's a Japan-only release, folks. Time to bust out that extra milk money (and Japanese dictionary) for the import copy, eh? %Gallery-78530%
