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Kojima originally envisioned Gray Fox as the star of Metal Gear Rising
Hideo Kojima's transition from game designer to game producer is one steeped in compromise, the Metal Gear mogul explained during a recent interview with IGN. Specifically, Kojima would have preferred that Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance star series mainstay cyborg ninja Gray Fox, rather than Raiden."It was my staff in Kojima Productions that insisted on Raiden, and I respected their idea," Kojima said. "In my personal opinion, I wanted to go for Frank Jaegar or Gray Fox. But if we had gone with that, I would have had to write the script and then be really committed to creating the game."In the end, passing the torch of crafting Metal Gear's universe to the next generation of developers was of greater importance than ensuring Gray Fox as the star. "I want to pass game development to the younger generation in my team, and have been trying to do so for quite some time. Before I never could give complete responsibilities for other games, but for Revengeance, they are fully in control. Besides, if I had created the game and directed it, it wouldn't have been this game."
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance demo hits Jan. 22
The Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance demo slices up Xbox Live and PlayStation Network on January 22. Konami also released a new seven-minute 'Jack the Ripper' trailer for the game, as edited by a certain Hideo Kojima.This is the same demo as included with Zone of the Enders HD Collection, released last year in October. With a week left to wait, buying that now just for the demo is inadvisable.
Anarchy Reigns review: A rocket-fist and a hard place
The world has descended into anarchy as the remnants of governments bomb one another, scramble for power and generally make a mess of our once lovely planet. As a side effect of nuclear war and chemical proliferation, the populace begins to mutate, only able to stave off physical disfigurement with advanced technology. Or something like that. The story of Platinum Games' Anarchy Reigns isn't terribly important, and the premise is conveyed entirely via a long wall of text during the first loading screen. It's all merely a backdrop for what's really important: punching things with rocket-fists. %Gallery-176272%
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance DLC trailer showcases Raiden skins coming to Japan
This vid shows off some Raiden skins available in Japan for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. The first one, the Cyborg Ninja skin, is available in the US with GameStop pre-orders, and the red 'Inferno' armor at Amazon. The other three, including the MGS4 Raiden skin, are apparently limited (for now) to Japanese promotional campaigns and pre-orders.
This is Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance's North American box art
We know how much you kids these days like the Metal Gears, what with the Raidens and the nanomachines and all that, so we figured you'd appreciate an early look at Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance's North American box art.The full monty is tucked away in that gallery below (make sure to hit the "high-res" button for the full effect), and we have to say we like this new cover a heck of a lot more than the macro shot of Raiden's gross robot face that other territories will have to look at all the time.Unless you kids are into that sort of thing now. Are gross robot faces cool now? Did we take our medicine this morning? Are you Carol's daughter? Where's our soup? %Gallery-173498%
Platinum and KojiPro on partnership: 'We'd love to do it again'
The build of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance shown off this week at a press event in Los Angeles was essentially complete, and while the game itself won't be released until February, finished product means that the collaboration between Kojima Productions (represented at the event by producer Yuji Korekado) and Platinum Games (represented by producer Atsushi Inaba) is also done. So when Joystiq sat down to chat with them, we only had one important question: How'd it go?Both sides were unsure of the partnership when it began. Korekado said that "the challenge for us was the worry about what kind of game would this end up being," and Inaba told us that Platinum wasn't sure about taking over for Kojima's series on this iteration. But now that all is said and done, both sides also say they not only had a great time, but they'd do it again. "We could not have done that without Platinum Games' expertise, it would not have happened," said Korekado. "So of course, this tag team, we'd love to do it again."Inaba was even more adamant about the two studios working together in the future. "From our side, it would be a waste to not do this again. We made a great game, and we'd love to do it again," he said. He agreed that when the project started, both teams were reticent about joining forces. "But after working together on the game for a while, they were both able to learn from each other and grow as people and as developers. And we feel that's a plus. Moving forward as a team, we'd love to do it again, no doubt." Obviously, nothing's been announced yet, and the goal right now is to get Rising in the public's hands. But it sounds like Platinum and Kojima are ready to make more Metal Gear music together in the future.
Solid slicing action in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
The "law of the instrument" is a popular concept attributed to psychologist Abraham Maslow, which is usually phrased as: "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." It means that when you find one tool useful for one task, you'll then start applying that tool to other tasks, even if those tasks have tools better suited for the job.Raiden, in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, carries a sword as his only tool, and as swords go, it's a nice one. It crackles with a kind of blue electricity, and it can cut through almost every available object in the world, from barrels and crates to palm trees and iron fences.And with such a tool in his grasp, it's not hard to see why Raiden would fall prey to the law of the instrument. Cutting is his currency, and in this Metal Gear spin-off title, Platinum Games and Kojima Productions have sent Raiden on a spending spree.%Gallery-172842%
Anarchy Reigns soundtrack available for download
Platinum Games and Sega have released the official Anarchy Reigns soundtrack, on iTunes and Amazon MP3 for $8.99/£7.99. The album features a new track by Dilated Peoples, which you can hear in the above video.It's up to you to decide whether this early soundtrack release counts as a gesture to ease the protracted wait for Anarchy Reigns' Western release, or as a cruel tease. Anarchy Reigns will finally, finally, probably be released in North America on January 8.
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance screens remind us Raiden is still doing his thing
After all the hubbub over Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes in September, Raiden's here with his shiny sword and even shinier cyber-suit to remind us Metal Gear Rising Revengeance arrives in just a few months, ginormous mechs and all. %Gallery-171598%
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance pre-order at GameStop lets you dress up like Gray Fox
Wait, you've only got one suit of robotic armor in your closet? What are you, some kinda poor? GameStop is offering to double your wardrobe with the Cyborg Ninja costume – if you pre-order Metal Gear Rising Revengeace.The GameStop-exclusive skin (for now, anyway) is modeled after the Cyborg Ninja suit worn by Frank Jaeger (AKA Gray Fox) in the original Metal Gear Solid. Not only does the ensemble have nostalgia going for it, there's also the benefit of not being able to see Raiden's face for an entire video game – you know, in case you've seen enough of Raiden's skin to last a lifetime.
Anarchy Reigns 'Day One' edition includes Bayonetta, two bonus modes for Europe
Anarchy Reigns is set to launch on January 8 here in the States at a reduced price. Platinum is also preparing a special early-adopter limited edition that's exclusive to Europe – for now, anyway. According to Sega, the limited edition will include an extra character, Bayonetta, and two extra multiplayer modes: Mad Survival and Dogfight.Three players fight waves of enemies in Mad Survival, and Dogfight has them hanging from helicopters, shooting others in the same perilous predicament.Sega has only announced this "Day One" edition for Europe, but we'll update this post as soon as we hear otherwise.
Vanquish conquers PSN November 6
Madcap shooter Vanquish is sliding its way onto PlayStation Network in next week's update. As revealed in this week's PlayStation Blogcast, Platinum Games' 2010 helping of robot-armored carnage will be available as a PS3 download on November 6. The podcast didn't disclose a price, but for reference it's currently on Xbox Live Marketplace at $19.99.Also confirmed for PSN next week is Portal 2, as indicated by yesterday's news about the Move-based In Motion DLC. The full game is coming with built-in Move support, which also arrives as a patch for retail copies.
Anarchy Reigns in North America on Jan. 8
After some miscommunication with publisher Sega, Platinum Games has announced that Anarchy Reigns will finally launch in the west this January. It will be available in North America on January 8 and Europe on January 11 for $29.99 and £19.99/€24.99, respectively. Anarchy Reigns has been sowing seeds of institutional discontent in Japan since last July.Platinum's latest is a free-for-all brawler starring several of the developer's characters, like Jack from MadWorld and Bayonetta from that game with the gun-boots.%Gallery-168783%
Getting some wet work done in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
The thirty minutes or so of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance that I played at the Tokyo Game Show were entirely in Japanese. I had no idea what was going on in the story (not that I ever really know what's going on in a Metal Gear game anyway), and the purpose of my mission was never clear.With the narrative out of the picture, I was left only with the gameplay itself. Thankfully, based on what I experienced of the Kojima Productions / Platinum Games collaboration, that was more than enough.%Gallery-166124%
Slicing into Metal Gear Rising with Platinum's Kenji Saito and Kojima Productions' Yuji Korekado
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance had a huge presence at the Tokyo Game Show this year, and we made it a point to snag a few minutes with the game's team. In the interview above, we chat with Rising's director at Platinum Games, Kenji Saito, and producer at Kojima Productions, Yuji Korekado. In the interview, we discuss how Platinum reacted when Hideo Kojima offered them the game (after canceling the project internally) and just how much collaboration there is between the two studios.
Platinum breaks the silence after Bayonetta 2 announcement
The executives of Platinum Games, who were among the only people on Earth not to be shocked by the announcement of a Nintendo-published, Wii U-exclusive Bayonetta 2, issued statements on the company's website about their exciting news, and about the choice to work with Nintendo."The console games market is in a state of upheaval, so establishing a new game franchise requires a considerable amount of will, determination, and love," said Platinum CEO Tatsuya Minami. "Bayonetta is a brand that we want to see become stronger, reaching the hands of more and more gamers, so we have continued to consult with Sega, the previous game's publisher, on how we can make sure this takes place. Our answer was a new partnership with Nintendo."Director Yusuke Hashimoto spoke more about the narrative setup and game world. For empowering our heroine with incredible new action to introducing new characters (which you may have noticed in the teaser trailer), Bayonetta will further expand on the mythology of the Trinity of Realities – Inferno, Paradiso, and our human world. I can't wait to take the journey with you.Supervisor Hideki Kamiya boasted of a successful secret. "Even though there has been a bit of a gap since the release of the last game, but I still got lots of request for a sequel from gamers. We were secretly making one the entire time." Kamiya said he is supervising the "world, story, characters, etc." and working closely with new director Hashimoto.We personally like Kamiya's succinct reaction on Twitter. "Lots of !s & ?s & XDs & DXs. I can understand all of them."
Project P-100 now 'The Wonderful 101' [Update: Now with trailer!]
The Wonderful 101, a Pikmin-esque action game from Platinum Games for the Wii U, was just announced during Nintendo's European Wii U event. As it so happens, The Wonderful 101 is actually the official name of Project P-100, which was originally announced back at E3.In the brief trailer shown, players were shown controlling a large group of superheroes via the WiiPad, which could then combine into larger creatures to wage war with a seemingly invading alien race. As it did back in June, the game had a distinctly Viewtiful Joe vibe to it and seemed quite lighthearted.Update: The official trailer has been added above for your viewing pleasure.%Gallery-165266%
Konami PAX 2012 gallery megapost: Metal Gear Rising, Castlevania, Silent Hill and more
The ancient game developer's tradition of distributing a massive pile of media assets during a conference is a sacred, time-honored trust that Konami is well aware of, hence the four galleries of brand spankin' new screenshots you see before you.The images represent the latest look at Kojima and Platinum Games' slicing simulator Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, while the three galleries beyond the veil represent the same for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate, Silent Hill: Book of Memories and New Little King's Story.%Gallery-164083%
PC port for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance to be considered after console versions ship
A PC version of Metal Gear Rising has always been on the table, even before Platinum Games took over the project and re-dubbed it Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. For now, however, the developer and its collaborator, Kojima Productions, are adopting a wait-and-see attitude before adding a third platform to the list."Right now, honestly, we are doing our best to complete at the same time the PlayStation 3 version and the Xbox 360 version," Kojima Productions creative producer Yuji Korekado said to Eurogamer. "For the PC version, we will contemplate making it or not once we reach this goal of completing the PS3 and 360 versions." Korekado added that, should a PC version even happen, it would launch after the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions carve out their spot on store shelves on February 19, 2013.
Raiden makes julienne guys in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance tutorial
Raiden slices! He dices! He ... rips electro-spines out of cyborgs!
