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Meet Durga, Anarchy Reigns' revolver-legged tiger man
In an effort to avoid being confused with Durga the Hutt, or Durga, The Invincible One Who Can Redeem In Situations Of Utmost Distress, Anarchy Reigns' latest character distinguishes himself through his stylish tiger-themed wardrobe, his platinum blonde kitty-cat haircut, and also by having a claw-footed revolver-cannon for a leg. Overall, the effect is subtle, and we think it compliments the title's understated visual style.%Gallery-130215%
Anarchy Reigns reveals it has a story in this story trailer
The characters in Anarchy Reigns aren't just running around, punching each other willy-nilly. Nope, there's a story behind all of that violence -- a tale of redemption, revenge and some sweet robo-suits.
Anarchy Reigns multiplayer preview: Funstration
You guys, I really want to like Anarchy Reigns. It's a ridiculous, over-the-top brawler and I really liked MadWorld -- like, a lot. So imagine my disappointment when I realized the only thing holding back Anarchy Reigns from being a whole lot of fun is the camera. %Gallery-126017%
Anarchy Reigns trailer (re)introduces Leo
Fans of MadWorld may have some questions about the inclusion of Leo in Anarchy Reigns, but Sega isn't talking. Initially thought to be dead, it seems Leo survived and was rebuilt as a cyborg, with some sweet, Guyver-like arm-blades.
Anarchy Reigns forecast: now dropping in January 2012
Talk about a mean tease. First, we spend practically all of February watching introductory videos about every human that inhabits the world of Anarchy Reigns -- including "Weird Paul," the guy who mops up after all the murdering. Now we learn we won't actually get to slaughter any of them until January of 2012, and not, as we'd been previously told, autumn of this year. Oh cruel, cruel fate! To be so close to these people, to know them so well, but to be eight months from being able to cut any of them in half with a chainsaw! It'd be romantic if it weren't so darn sad.
Hideki Kamiya offers director commentary for Bayonetta
Look, you can interpret the "story" of Bayonetta however you wish, but there's only one definitive authority on the game: director Hideki Kamiya. Because people were uploading so many commentary and walkthrough videos, Kamiya thought he'd offer his own. So over the course of the next however long it takes, Kamiya will be replaying the entire game, offering his own insights and anecdotes from the game's developments on the Platinum Games blog. Honestly, we can't wait to hear what he has to say about that whole "masturbating angel" scene. You'll find the first two videos just past the jump.
Platinum Games president releases new company manifesto
Though today is usually a day for press releases of the foolin' variety, Platinum Games president and CEO Tatsuya Minami is deadly serious. (Or really deadpan.) In a post on the Platinum blog, he has outlined "Platinum Next," the company's plan to become "The Japanese Standard Bearer in Global Competition." Five years ago, Minami says, Platinum Games was established with a credo to "deliver smiles and surprises around the world," a goal that has been accomplished through games like Vanquish, Infinite Space, Piledriver Style and Bayonetta. (Surprise! Her clothes are made of her hair!) Now, with Japanese game companies having "lost their vigor," Minami wants Platinum to be the new face of a renewed business. "Series grow ever-longer; original titles are on the decline," he writes. "Games with new at their core are disappearing. Japanese games that garner worldwide acclaim are slipping away." And so now, Platinum wants to do nothing less than "ignite a Japanese games revival." So, uh, buy Anarchy Reigns.
Anarchy Reigns adds another MadWorld character to the roster: Blacker Baron
MadWorld's salacious pimp, The Black Baron, is coming to Platinum Games and Sega's latest collaboration, Anarchy Reigns. Here he'll be known as Blacker Baron and fight with a pair of ostentatious gold gauntlets. You can take a pimp out of the game, but you can't take the game out of the pimp, it seems. We've got some screens in the gallery below and a brief trailer introducing the latest brawler past the break.%Gallery-119311%
Anarchy Reigns trailer fights to the death
If you thought Anarchy Reigns' only inherent danger was the combatants you'd face, we've got news for you: Watch Jack dodge a giant chainsaw! Watch Jack outrun a tsunami! Watch Jack get ... carpet bombed?
Anarchy Reigns gameplay trailer cuts, freezes, hammers and cuts again
We don't know if any video game has ever been quite so aptly titled as Platinum Games' upcoming beat-em-up, Anarchy Reigns. After watching this madcap trailer, we can think of no better name to sum up the game -- except maybe "Mega-Death," but we're pretty sure that one's taken.
Payonetta: Two grand for a pre-assembled Bayonetta model
Want a fantastic-looking Bayonetta figure but lack model-making skills? Kyoto's Mr. Big is happy to sell you a completed resin "garage kit" of the Platinum Games heroine for ¥180,000 ($2,186). Too rich for your blood? Good news: You can buy the unfinished kit by itself for only $558 in Japan.
See the madman of MadWorld in Anarchy Reigns
And now, here's the Anarchy Reigns character video you've been waiting to see: the one that introduces a character you already know. After the break, get reacquainted with MadWorld's chainsaw wielding slab of a protagonist, Jack. He's in color now!
Big Bull joins Anarchy Reigns, sees red
Big Bull is the latest character to join Sega's Anarchy Reigns brawler. Yes, he is a mechanical bull (technically), but you can see him in the trailer doing more than just throwing drunk co-eds off his back. His "Jet Hammer," for example, is literally a jet wielded as a hammer.
Meet Anarchy Reigns' ninja dude, Zero
As ninjas go, Anarchy Reigns' Zero isn't so much stealthy and discreet as he is "killing dudes in broad daylight with swords." Granted, it's not your typical ninja's modus operandi, but evidently it gets the job done. Besides, who needs discretion when you have magical katanas?
First Anarchy Reigns gameplay footage introduces 'Sasha'
After last week's teaser, Sega released a more substantive Anarchy Reigns video today. After the break, you'll meet "Sasha," one of the brawler's protagonists, who uses a weapon called "Snow Spikes" to create deadly chain whips, giant javelins, and other pointy implements out of ice crystals. Also, in true Platinum Games style, she dresses in super tight clothing. We've never had ice powers before, so we don't know if that's a necessary component or if it's unrelated. Sega will reveal more characters over the next three days, so look forward to finding out about their abilities and/or clothes.
Anarchy Reigns, and Sega teases
Sega has released a brief trailer for Platinum Games' Anarchy Reigns, featuring the graceful, brutal moves of three characters, including MadWorld's Jack. And ... that's about it. But at least we can now confirm that this multiplayer beat-em-up has animation. That's progress! In a blog post, Sega credited some of the Anarchy staff responsible for said progress. Platinum co-founder and MadWorld producer Atsushi Inaba is again filling a producer role, while Masaki Yamanaka, who did design work on RE4, God Hand and MadWorld, is settling into the director's chair for the first time -- which, for a game director, is probably just a comfortable office chair.
Platinum's 'Max Anarchy' coming to the west as 'Anarchy Reigns' this fall
Platinum Games' new multiplayer online brawling game, announced in Japan as "Max Anarchy," won't have as punchy a name when it hits North America and Europe, but at least it'll have the same punchy ... punches. Today, Sega announced that the game is being released this fall as Anarchy Reigns, on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Anarchy Reigns "challenges the boundaries of the conventional brawler genre" with its simultaneous online multiplayer, Sega says. The announcement reveals that several different multiplayer modes will be available, including tag team and "Battle Royal, where players can challenge others in a full-on fight for victory." So it's violence as sport? Sounds a lot like MadWorld -- whose main character, coincidentally, appears in this game.%Gallery-115237%
'Max Anarchy' revealed as next title from Platinum Games
We knew it was coming -- now we have a name and some initial details on the fifth collaboration between Platinum Games and Sega. Max Anarchy has been revealed in the latest issue of Japan's Famitsu magazine, with Andriasang reporting that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 title from the creators of Vanquish and Bayonetta will, as expected, be their first online combat game. Famitsu's article is said to feature screenshots from the game -- which is due this year in Japan -- showing characters fighting one another using chainsaws and torches. Interestingly, Jack, the lead character from MadWorld (shown) is playable, rendered in full color as opposed to the stark black and white visual style of the developer's Wii-only title. Famitsu is promising a full interview with producer Atsushi Inaba, in which we wouldn't be surprised to learn of more cameos by other Platinum Games characters.
Platinum creating a fifth game for Sega
In two years, Platinum Games has fulfilled its end of the four-game deal it inked with Sega -- with the release of Vanquish this past October, the all-star development studio completed its contractual run. It appears that the publisher still values the relationship, as executive VP of sales and marketing for Sega, Alan Pritchard, told Game Informer in a recent interview that another title is in the works from Platinum Games, with Sega as publisher. "We have a further title to announce from Platinum Games as well," Pritchard teased, speaking to the publisher's upcoming lineup. Assuming that Platinum isn't working on another new IP or one of Sega's existing franchises, it's choices for a sequel may be limited. Given Pritchard's admission that MadWorld was a financial miss for both parties, it's probably unrealistic to expect a follow-up to that one. Bayonetta, however, sold over a million copies and stands out as the only big success to come from Platinum's four-game run. Last we heard, Sega was "reasonably encouraged" by early sales of Vanquish.
Vanquish's original concept included remote pilots
In his final post on the Vanquish development blog, Shinji Mikami describes an early concept for Vanquish that was less "big action movie" and more anime. Instead of cigar-chompin' soldier Sam Gideon inside the suit, the original concept had the suit as a robot, remotely controlled by three different pilots. This was even before the robodog idea. "The robot would change forms according to the pilot in charge," Mikami explained, "as each pilot had been specially trained in areas such as shooting, melee, or hover and snipe." The idea "died a quick death," but Mikami noted that he still likes it, and that ideas are "never out of bounds," sometimes appearing in sequels or other new game designs. "I don't know what I will be making next, but considering how fickle I am, it will probably end up being a game completely different from Vanquish." At the very least, he knows it'll be a triple-A game for THQ.
