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MadWorld director 'definitely' interested in doing a sequel
Platinum Games' Shigenori Nishikawa, the director on MadWorld for the Wii, has told Official Nintendo Magazine that he wouldn't mind taking a second crack at the violent Wii game. "I think MadWorld was very well received and was acknowledged for its innovative graphical style and gameplay," Nishikawa said in Friday's upcoming issue. "We would definitely be interested in making a sequel in the future." Of course, you might have a tough time believing that Sega would also be on board. The company has said it would probably not be interested in more mature Wii games, which means Platinum Games would have to shop around for a new publisher first. Psst, we may know a publisher that isn't afraid to put out unique, mature games on the Wii.
Dante's Inferno producer hopes for sequel, despite challenges
Would it be possible to use Dante Alighieri's spinning corpse in oil derricks, as as a sort of fleshy drill, or perhaps to power a large centrifuge? That might be a real opportunity if Dante's Inferno executive producer Jonathan Knight gets to make a follow-up to his forthcoming adaptation, a hope he elaborated on for G4. There's a hitch though: While Knight knows that EA will want a sequel to the game if it performs well, he's not sure that the follow up in The Divine Comedy, Purgatorio, will lend itself as well to a game. ... So Visceral can turn one of the great literary works into a game about a scythe-wielding maniac fighting nipple-born monsters, but making a game about the seven-layer Mount of Purgatory that ends in Earthly Paradise is beyond it? Really?
To Borderlands director, a sequel 'seems like a no-brainer'
If you build it, they will come -- mostly for the loot. That's how Borderlands creative director Mike Neumann candidly describes the possibility of a sequel to his game. "Yes, I can probably confirm that there's a chance of a Borderlands 2 ," he told VG247 with a chuckle. "I mean, with anything, especially a new IP, if people want more and you can make more, and everybody can make money and do good business there, it obviously makes really good sense to do that."An unexpectedly large number of people thought it made really good sense to purchase the colorful, FPS-RPG hybrid. Neumann jokingly admits surprise at seeing stores running out of stock, even though "it certainly doesn't suck to be the people who made the game you can't keep in stock." Though plans for a sequel have yet to manifest outside of the water cooler area -- Gearbox is currently grinding through Borderlands DLC -- Neumann believes the "praise and love" for the franchise will make that first decision easier. "So yeah, if everything makes sense, Borderlands 2 seems like a no-brainer to me."
Reuters: RE5 sold 1.94M in US; Dead Space 2 in development for 2010
In a story about the scarier games (it's almost Halloween, don'tchaknow?), Reuters mentioned two things we thought would be good for this website we got going here. First, there's Capcom's Resident Evil 5, which Reuters reports has managed to sell 1.94 million copies in the US, according to NPD Group figures. The second part of the Reuters story talks about EA and its spookier titles for 2009: Left 4 Dead 2 and Dead Space: Extraction. While there isn't anything new on the former, in a discussion of the latter, Reuters revealed that Dead Space 2 is apparently planned for a 2010 release, which would seem to confirm what we've heard about the game so far.
Assassin's Creed 2 producer sees franchise expanding beyond a trilogy, maybe into WWII
When asked whether or not the Assassin's Creed series would be getting a third installment, Assassin's Creed 2 producer Sébastien Puel thinks the answer almost goes without saying. "I'm often asked if we're doing a third game after ACII... I mean, we could do 35 of these," he (hopefully) exaggerates to Xbox World 360 in the mag's latest issue (via CVG). When the game's creative director told us the second game would be ending with a cliffhanger, we didn't know he meant we'd have to play 35 games to resolve it -- that's approximately 35,000 assassinated fools, by our estimations.Explaining his hyperbole further, Puel admits that a female assassin isn't out of the question, even confirming "We've had discussions on that very topic." Still, the Ubisoft producer doesn't want to switch the protagonist's gender without a good reason. "World War II, the economies in England and France were run by women because the men were off fighting ... we don't want to just decide we want to change and have a female hero, as the first inspiration is always the time period." To read the full interview in its original context, pick up the latest issue of Xbox World 360 (if you're in the UK, that is).%Gallery-49869%
Dead Space 2 entering production in 'next few months'
LinkedIn continues to provide our only link to the status of a true sequel to Dead Space. A recent job posting on the professional networking site, created by EA senior recruiter Jeff Ballard, reports, "The previous installment in the Dead Space franchise received numerous awards ... and the same core team is in place to create an even better follow up." The posting adds, "The game is in the later stages of pre-production, ready for production in the next few months, with many of the navigational and combat mechanics in place."With the point-n-shoot spin-off, Dead Space Extraction, releasing this week for Wii, confirmation that the core-series sequel (expected for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC) will soon roll into production phase comes as welcome news to fans looking for the franchise to stay the traditional course. Hopefully, EA and developer Visceral Games' transmissions will continue to pick up from here on out.[Via superannuation]
Game Informer drops Crackdown 2 details
If the debut trailer for Crackdown 2 (which was revealed at E3 earlier this year) left you completely befuddled, don't fret -- you're not in the minority. However, Game Informer's recent write-up on Ruffian Games' open-world sequel explains the supernatural beasties hinted at in the teaser -- apparently, during a mission in Crackdown, your character unknowingly unleashed a virus into the city that caused portions of the population to mutate into hulking, violent brutes. Good going, stupid.The GI article also explains that the five upgradable stats in the first game will reappear in Crackdown 2, but will unlock new abilities as they're powered up. There are also some new armaments in the mix -- including something called a "magnetic grenade," which is capable of sticking enemies to moving vehicles. Oh, Ruffian Games. You are too good to us.[Via IGN]
Quantic Dream considering DLC sequels, prequels for Heavy Rain's characters
Don't fret -- Quantic Dream founder David Cage isn't planning on charging you for the ending to the studio's upcoming Heavy Rain. In a recent interview with VideoGamer.com, Cage explained that the game's eight to ten hour story was "a self-contained experience," but that Quantic is "talking with Sony at the moment about having maybe extra downloadable content, maybe with prequels or sequels about the characters." He added that players will most likely "get attached to some of them and will want to know them even better." We don't doubt Quantic Dream's proven ability to tell captivating stories, but we have one qualm with this statement -- what if all our characters get offed by the Origami Killer? Sure, the prequels could ostensibly still work, but sequels starring corpses probably wouldn't be that interesting.
Sega officially announces Phantasy Star Portable 2
Though it was beaten to the punch by the budget re-release of the original Phantasy Star Portable, and then by a Famitsu article released shortly thereafter, Sega has officially confirmed the existence of Phantasy Star Portable 2 -- a sequel not only imbued with a brand new story and gameplay features, but also with the oft-requested addition of online multiplayer support.The game's official site lists a December 3 launch date for the latest installment in the PSO franchise. It also gives some insight into the new features present in the game -- you can check out a translated version of Game Watch's PSP2 coverage here. We've sent an email to Sega in an attempt to find out if and when the game will be localized for U.S. release. We've got our Meseta-hungry fingers crossed for a favorable response.
Tony Hawk Ride sequel already planned
In an interview with IndustryGamers, Robomodo president Josh Tsui revealed some exclusive, shocking information about Tony Hawk Ride. We'll give you a moment to mentally prepare yourself. Are you sitting down?There's probably going to be a sequel. To the tenth Tony Hawk game*.Asked what else was happening at the company aside from development of the first Ride, Tsui said that "Obviously, we're very focused on getting this done, but being the creative types that we are, we're always writing up new game proposals and things we want to do." One of the new game proposals, of course, is Ride 2. "It's just a matter of timing," he said. "With Tony Hawk: Ride finishing up [we have to think about] the sequel to the game and where that fits into our schedules. It's a lot of juggling at this point."Of course, while Robomodo has just started thinking about the sequel, it's been an absolute certainty at Activision since, say, 1999, as have annual Tony Hawk sequels from now until they outnumber humans.*Not counting ports, handheld versions, or spinoffs like Tony Hawk's Motion.
Golden Sun DS trailer summons some excitement
Golden Sun is back after six years (the last time we saw a Golden Sun game was The Lost Age sequel), and this time it's on the DS system. We've got the first video, straight from the Nintendo keynote this morning, and you can watch it above.Looks good, no? It's gone more or less full 3D, but there's still the same exploring, summons, and (we're guessing) battle that appeared in the last few games. Camelot told us a while back that they'd love to play a Golden Sun DS game, and now that it's announced and we've seen this trailer, we can't help but agree.
ACE Team announces Zeno Clash sequel
Indie developer ACE Team has revealed it is hard at work on a sequel to the IGF-nominated PC fighting-FPS, Zeno Clash. According to the dev's latest blog entry, the team has begun planning a Source-powered follow-up, which will continue the story of Ghat -- a hero with amnesia, banished for setting off an explosion that kills an influential Golem known as Father-Mother.Zeno Clash 2 will take place after the events of the first title. If you're a fan of first-person melee combat (a la Breakdown and/or Condemned), make sure to check out Zeno Clash. It's creative and insane.
Dead Space 2 development reconfirmed by LinkedIn profile
You might want to sit down for this (you look tired). Judging by an update to Electronic Arts' Pratik Patel's LinkedIn page, work on Dead Space 2 is already underway. The engineering guru updated the page to include his role on the still as-yet-unannounced sequel, on which he is serving as the game's technical/development director. Hardly shocking, we know. Like a necromorph's limbs, any real doubt of Dead Space getting a sophomore outing was severed with EA's own Frank Gibeau and Glenn Schofield admitting as much just days after the original's release. Nothing else is yet known, though with E3 just around the corner and Dead Space Extraction dismembering Wii shelves later this year, we don't expect to be retiring our trusty plasma cutter any time soon.[Via Supererogatory]
Microids: Syberia 3 real, console release 'essential'
Developer Microids confounded our meager brains on April Fool's with a gag press release announcing a new point-and-click Syberia adventure in which players on both the PlayStation 3 and PC would be able to "collaborate online." Now the French dev sends word that while that announcement may have been all in good fun, the company is working on a third Syberia game. However, president Emmanuel Olivier notes that the game's console hopes rest with Sony. Syberia 3 will get a PC release "for sure," though Microids adds that, given rising development costs, a cross-platform release is "essential." That said, the company writes in a rather frank statement that Sony has a history of turning its nose up at the studio, having previously denied a U.S. release of several unnamed Microids titles including the PS2 version of the original Syberia. The developer calls out Sony for "censorship" and what it deems "exorbitant royalties" demanded by the console manufacturer as part of "the 'rule of the game' imposed by Sony." Microids has gone so far as to launch a letter writing campaign to get its game onto the PS3. We've reached out to Microids for more, if only to ask why it feels that Sony is the only game in town.
Valkyria Chronicles producer interested in a sequel
We've got exciting news for the three of you that bought Sega's surprisingly wonderful strategy-RPG Valkyria Chronicles -- in the latest issue of Famitsu, Nonaka Ryutaro, the game's producer, said he was pleased with Japan's reception of the war-torn title, and expressed interest in creating another installment in the franchise. However, considering the game was a commercial flop in North America and Europe, but absolutely beloved in Japan, where the title has spawned an anime series and reached Sony's Japanese Greatest Hits status, it's not certain that any prospective Valkyria sequels would find their way beyond Japan's borders. Still, while this isn't exactly a cold, hard confirmation of Valkyria Chronicles 2, but it should be enough to pique your interest, provided you bought the game, which Vegas odds would dictate you did not.
Blizzard's hate (/love?) relationship with consoles
Rumors are bubbling up from GDC '09 that Blizzard is finally considering consoles again for their future games. Blizzard seems to have a hate/hate relationship with consoles -- despite the fact that they started out with some extremely popular console games (Lost Vikings was one of the best games on the Sega Genesis), they've become very solidly a PC gaming company in the past few years. Sure, they released Starcraft 64 and the Playstation port of Diablo, but since Starcraft: Ghost left a bad taste in their mouths, they've stayed away from the console market (and some might say that's saved the PC market).The main problem, says Rob Pardo, is one of control: console controllers just don't have the flexibility to do what Blizzard wants to do with their games. "If I were them," he told the press, "I'd be sitting around trying to figure out what's a cool new input device that supports all types of new kinds of games." And he also hinted that he might be trying to do just that -- Blizzard is apparently in talks with Microsoft, not to develop for this generation of consoles, but to help them advance to the next generation. This is a little more than just Diablo III on the Xbox 360 (though that's definitely a possibility) -- it's Blizzard possibly getting the chance to bring what they love about PC gaming to the next console generation.Heady stuff. Blizzard doesn't need to do anything these days, of course -- if they want to take their next sequel and release it in, say, three separate parts, they can do that and it will likely still be a hit. But if they want to set their sights on innovating in the console space, we'll probably all benefit.
Joystiq interview: Majesco, WayForward spill the jelly beans on A Boy and His Blob
Every child wants a pet, be it a dog, cat, goldfish, or in the case of industry luminary David Crane's 1989 slice of Americana, A Boy an His Blob, a space alien with a hankering for sweets. Unlike E.T., however, Crane's extra terrestrial's fixation wasn't Reese's Pieces, but jelly beans of nearly every flavor imaginable, both delicious and gross. Not even Jelly Belly has a ketchup flavor in its confectionery arsenal, not that that's any reason to boast. Now twenty years on A Boy and His Blob is set to make its return. We recently caught up with Majesco exec Joe Sutton as well as WayForward director Sean Velasco -- and managed to even talk producer Robb Alvey down off a roller coaster to join the conversation -- to discover just what flavor of adventure we can expect out of the jelly bean-munching amoeba's hop onto the Wii. %Gallery-46747%
Rumor: Disney Interactive begins work on new TRON game
Greetings Program. With a sequel to 80s nerdgasm TRON set to digitize theaters in a couple years, Disney Interactive Studios is already rumored to be working to put an adaptation of the upcoming film on the Game Grid. The news follows reports earlier this week of layoffs and studio shrinkage at Disney's video game arm, though according to Variety this hasn't stopped the company from talking to potential game developers about the project.Master Control has not yet revealed what the rumored game will be like. Perhaps it will be a shooter like Monolith's TRON 2.0, or simply let us dress up a grizzled Jeff Bridges in a variety of rotoscoped outfits. End of line.
de Sequel
Last year's de Blob found a squishy, colorful place in all of our hearts and, more importantly, sold enough copies to make THQ keen on a sequel. Speaking to IGN, a representative for the publisher expressed pleasure at de Blob's performance worldwide, promising that we can "expect to see more of de Blob in the future." We'll hold you to that, THQ.Something else of interest in IGN's article: NPD data shows that de Blob sold 230,000 copies in North America between September 22 and the end of 2008, whereas Wario Land: Shake It! moved only 150,000 copies in the exact same period. de Blob isn't just a third-party "core" success -- it's even outsold a rival title from Nintendo!%Gallery-17709%[Via NeoGAF]
Rumor: Rockstar North prepping new GTA for holiday 2009
A sequel to a successful franchise, surely you jest!? Still, as much as another game being made in the Grand Theft Auto series is a no-brainer, if gossip found in the latest issue of Game Informer is to be believed, the inevitable follow up could be coming sooner than expected. The rumor mongers at GI write that Rockstar North is "already working" on the next GTA, with the game expected to light up cash registers during holiday 2009. The magazine describes the as-yet-unannounced title as a "full retail game," rather than simply new DLC or a compilation of previously released downloadables. Still, juicy as this is, we can't help but find this rumor somewhat difficult to swallow given that nothing about the project has been so much as whispered before now. However, if true, it seems likely that the game would follow previous releases and adopt a subtitle similar to GTA: San Andreas or Vice City. How about Sesame Street? What's the hooker situation like over there? Update: Rockstar denial.
