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Sega officially announces Platinum Games deal, Infinite Line media released
We totally knew it was coming, but Sega announced their partnership with the Platinum Games supergroup last night, officially revealing the three games in development from the former Clover staff. Of interest to us: Infinite Line, the sci-fi RPG codeveloped by Platinum and Nude Maker and directed by the latter company's Hifumi Kouno. Along with the announcement, three pieces of spaceship concept art were released, which you can be totally impressed by in our gallery. They all show dates from early 2007, so this thing's been in the works for a while.In addition, Famitsu has posted some very confusing-looking screenshots, which reveal the process of arranging ship parts as some kind of Tetris puzzle-type thing, a matter of fitting parts composed of differing numbers and configurations of blocks onto your ship.%Gallery-22973%[Via Joystiq]
Platinum Games: MadWorld eyes-on, first screens & trailer
click to enlarge var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Eyes_on_first_screens_of_Platinum_Games_Mad_World'; MadWorld currently has the distinction of being the only Platinum Games game that we've actually seen -- you can peep the debut trailer after the break and first-time director Shigenori Nishikawa (adorned with an incredible MadWorld shirt) demoed the game for us live at last night's Platinum Games event. First, he prefaced the gameplay with the following sentiment: "We didn't want to create a game that was depraved or perverse but rather featured comical, over-the-top violence so that anyone can enjoy it." So think less Manhunt 2 and more No More Heroes. In fact, Nishikawa repeated this mantra throughout his demo, after every scene of grisly violence, he'd remark about how "lighthearted" the game was. And every single time, the skeptical audience laughed at (with?) his enthusiasm. We begin the demo by meeting Jack, the protagonist, set in a black-and-white world accentuated with flourishes of red blood. He begins tangling with enemies, throwing them into the spiked walls (sometimes over and over and over), tossing them into dumpsters only to have the lids sever their bodies at the torso, or shoving a street sign through their face, then dragging them around. Most notably perhaps is the chainsaw attached to Jack's arm ("everyone loves chainsaws," Nishikawa reminds us). With one swift flick of the Wiimote, you split enemies in half, right down the middle. After that: Man Darts. What? %Gallery-22959%
Devil May Cry creator makes Bayonetta a Platinum affair
When Clover Studios (Okami) was shut down by Capcom, many gamers shed a tear mourning the loss. Eventually, key staff from this ex-Capcom studio moved on to create PLATINUM GAMES. Today, Sega announced an exciting partnership with the team, and three titles have already been announced, with one going to PS3. Bayonetta is heading to PS3, and it comes from Hideki Kamiya, creator of the Devil May Cry series. This new action game has players facing "countless angelic enemies ... in a game of 100% pure, unadulterated all-out action." Players are encouraged to use "outlandish" finishing moves in stages that are "a veritable theme park of exciting attractions" (Sega's words, not ours). The game isn't expected until 2009, so stay tuned for more info. Gallery: Bayonetta
Sega announces Platinum Games partnership, first three games
At a private event last night, a very excited (and cautious) Sega told us about their new partnership with Platinum Games, the creative team comprised of former members of Capcom's Clover studio. Sega of America pres Simon Jeffrey introduced them like this: "These guys are some of the most talented, some of the most respected guys in the entire gaming business. Their portfolio is incredible, they're revered, they're almost worshiped in some parts of the gaming community and we're very truly honored to be working with them."The first three games should come as little surprise to anyone reading Joystiq the last couple days: Bayonetta, by Hideki Kamiya, creator of Devil May Cry, Okami, and Viewtiful Joe; Infinite Line, by Hifumi Kouno at Nudemaker, creator of Steel Battalion and, before that, the Clock Tower series; and MadWorld, a mad-cap feast of ultraviolence for -- you guessed it! -- the Wii by first time director Shigenori Nishikawa.%Gallery-22953%
Bayonetta revealed in scans for PS3, 360
Sega has been sneaking around behind the scenes, it seems. They recently collaborated with Platinum Games (previously SEEDs, previously Clover Studios) for several video game titles. We're interested in Bayonetta -- not because it's the best, but because it's the most relevant to PlayStation. Not only does the title look incredibly bloody, but it's also being spearheaded by the folks behind Devil May Cry with Sega signed on as editors or some similar minor role. A few scans have been released so we'll keep you updated on information as it leaks out.
A finite wait for confirmation of Infinite Line
Infinite Line, the rumored Platinum Games sci-fi RPG published by Sega, is totally a real game and not something made up by jerks to hurt us. These Famitsu scans reveal the Platinum Games/Nudemaker (Steel Battalion) co-production as pretty much what we heard, only awesome.You'll have over 150 ship parts from which you can build your ship, and over 200 crew members. Infinite Line uses a sort of Final Fantasy-like active-time system, in which each character has an individual wait between turns, but those count down in real time. The interesting wrinkle with Infinite Line's system is that a full ATB gauge enables more options.[Via NeoGAF]
Mad World to make violence cheerful again
Are you sick to the back teeth of violence being so goddamn depressing? If so, Platinum Games, the developers formerly known as Clover, are right with you! In the latest edition of Famitsu, Platinum director Shigenori Nishikawa has declared that "cheerful violence" and "curb brawler" will be the themes of the company's first Wii title, Mad World. Echoes of God Hand, perhaps? Mad World was unveiled yesterday through a shaky, grainy and spectacularly bloody video. Sporting heavily stylized black-and-white visuals, the only color to be found in the game was in the fountains of blood that regularly filled the screen. According to Famitsu, ultra-violence is very much the name of the game, which stars a troubled protagonist dedicated to committing his ultimate slaughter. If you missed the footage (it was constantly being removed from video sharing sites), go past the break to catch up, and see how having a road sign lodged through one's face doesn't have to be a miserable affair.
It's a Mad World of leaked video from Platinum Games
Yesterday, DS Fanboy reported on the rumor that Platinum Games, the company started by ex-Clover Studio members (and Capcom luminaries) Atsushi Inaba, Hideki Kamiya, and Shinji Mikami), was partnering with Sega for new games to be released on the Wii and the DS. This video of Mad World is not technically confirmation since it could be a total fake, but it sure looks real -- and it sure is getting taken down from Youtube and Gametrailers with alarming speed. Mad World is a bloody, futuristic action game that looks (from the blurry video) more like a brawler than the kind of operatic sword maneuvering we know from Devil May Cry. We hate to mention it again (because we always do when talking about Clover), but it evokes a futuristic, really bloody God Hand. It looks like we were wrong about one of the rumors, by the way: Bayonetta is a PS3 game (if any of this is real), and not a Wii game.
See first vids of Platinum's MadWorld and Bayonetta [update]
We brought you the rumor yesterday of Sega inking a deal to publish titles by ex-Clover staffers' Platinum Games, and a couple of new videos on GameTrailers basically confirm it. We're sorry about the quality (they're shaky-cam videos from a mysterious source), but we think you can get the idea. The first, seen above, is a super-violent Wii game called MadWorld.After the break, you can find a clip from Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya's Bayonetta. It's a story of a girl with guns on her feet (based on the classic short story by John Steinbeck). Look for higher-quality versions of these clips to rear their heads soon with Sega's Gamer's Day taking place tomorrow.[Update: It appears that (surprising no one) Sega has had the videos pulled down. Let's hope we get higher quality versions tomorrow.][Thanks, Fernando]
Rumor: Sega publishing Platinum Games ... games
Oops! Looks like some Sega news slipped through the grip of an embargo. The now-removed report detailed an agreement between Platinum Games – the development studio born from the ashes of Capcom's much-loved Clover Studios – and Sega, who will publish three of the developer's titles. Those three games are Bayonetta, directed by Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya, featuring a female protagonist with "guns on her feet" (finally!); a DS sci-fi RPG titled Infinite Line; and an "ultra ultra violent" Sin City-esque Wii game titled MadWorld. There's a good chance we may hear more during Sega's Gamer's Day event on Wednesday but, for now, consider this one a rumor.
Rumor: Sega publishing Platinum Games title for DS?
We aren't sure whether we should trust any of this -- Kotaku's summary of a pulled videogaming247 post whose source is a mystery -- but it's about Platinum Games, so it's quite irresistible. According to the rumor, Platinum Games (the company made from the former Clover Studio) is working on three games to be published by Sega: two for the Wii, and one for DS.The hypothetical DS title is a sci-fi RPG called Infinite Line, in which you play a starship captain of a crew you can customize. The Wii games sound like your basic Devil May Cry variations. We'll reserve judgment until we're sure any of this is real, but we're a bit disappointed that none of the rumored games are the least bit God Hand-like. We'll just have to make a crew of Genes.
Resident Evil's Shinji Mikami begins work on new project
"YEEEeeeees!!!"We couldn't agree more with Shinji Mikami's recent exclamation on his blog, where he announced that work had finally begun on a new, untitled project. The blog entry (translated by IGN) explains that the Resident Evil creator has managed to assemble a development team for his first endeavor under the Platinum Games banner. Though he says that more staff will be required to complete the game, we don't expect the lack of creative talent will pose much of a problem considering the company he's keeping at the studio.Mikami, eventually joined by Viewtiful Joe's Atsushi Inaba and Devil May Cry's Hideki Kamiya, departed Capcom in 2006 to form a new company, Seeds. In September 2007, it was announced that Seeds had merged with ODD Incorporated and ruined changed its name to "Platinum Games." NOOOooooo!!!
Event demonstrations in Mario & Sonic at the Olympics
IGN has dished out four new trailers for Sega's upcoming romp starring both Nintendo and Sega's most recognizable characters. It's also the first game to have both Sonic and Mario in it, although it might not be the one you're waiting for. So, check out the freestyle swimming above and head past the break for three more trailers from the other included challenges in Mario & Sonic at the Olympics. %Gallery-4700%
Okami returns -- as a rumor
It's the rumor that just won't die -- and now it's back for a second round. Or maybe it's more like sixth by now. Some blogs are rumbling that Capcom announced a long-awaited and much-hoped-for port of the PS2 title Okami to the Wii at their London event. It's being called confirmed, but after everything that's been said about the possibility of the port in the past, we're waiting for an official press release before we chime in ourselves ... or better yet, a copy of the game in our hot little hands. Hell, we'll settle for screens or video. We're easy to please. Other sources are reporting the opposite, but Capcom's Christian Svensson said to expect more announcements later this week, so grab your popcorn and we'll see how this one plays out. What are you wishing for, while we're tossing around possible ideas? Anyone up for a little God Hand?
Ex-Clover dev team buries 'Seeds' to form 'Platinum Games'
Shortly after producing the strikingly beautiful Okami and relentlessly challenging God Hand, Capcom's Clover Studios was duly rewarded with cold commercial apathy and prompt liquidation. In February, the studio's lead designer trifecta -- Viewtiful Joe's Atsushi Inaba, Resident Evil's Shinji Mikami and Devil May Cry's Hideki Kamiya -- formed a new studio, Seeds, and began the process of hiring new employees. Just over seven months later, it appears that Seeds will wither before producing even a single game. The company's recruitment website now states that Seeds will undergo a merger with a company called "ODD," resulting in a change of name to "Platinum Games" as of October 1st. No upcoming projects are mentioned, though one would hope that the new title becomes reflective of the success that's eluded Clover for so long.[Via IGN]
