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Shadows of the Damned screens don't do much for Hell's tourism
Warning: the latest screens from Grasshopper Manufacture's Hellacious shooter Shadows of the Damned feature some ... disturbing imagery. We see a hanging dead body, a giant tattooed monster about to get shot in his demonic beanbag, and -- is that a cage full of eyeballs? The guy seen here, who appears to have a head made of three skulls hacked together, is among the tamer images. And this is apparently just from acts 1 and 2.%Gallery-123625%
Pre-order Shadows of the Damned and get the Damned soundtrack
Shadows of the Damned is, among other things, a delivery system for new Akira Yamaoka music. Pre-ordering the game, according to a new announcement, will get you the soundtrack, featuring some new Yamaoka tunes and English punk band The Damned, in an even more convenient format. Pre-orders of Shadows of the Damned from the EA Store, GameStop and Amazon will come with a free download of the 12-track soundtrack. Amazon specifies that the incentive applies to existing pre-orders, too, so if you've already put money down on the Suda-Mikami grindhouse epic, you're already getting a musical bonus! You can hear a bit of the soundtrack under the funny voice-overs in this dev diary.
Suda and Mikami get silly in Shadows of the Damned dev diary
Watch as famous game designers Goichi Suda and Shinji Mikami pretend to strangle each another, act like zombies and generally goof off. The point? They're promoting Shadows of the Damned, the new survival-horror title they're co-developing for EA. Oh, there's plenty of gameplay footage in here, too.
Shadows of the Damned preview: Hardly Hell
As the tall, blood-covered Frankenstein doppleganger leapt from a gigantic flame in the middle of a courtyard, I thought to myself, "Man, this guy could really use a bath." The shock set in when the demon reached into his own chest and ripped out its heart, then ate it, causing him to transform into a gigantic beast-man with a grotesque wolf's head. Howling at the moon, he summoned forth a mouthless steed covered in blood and rotting skin. Mounting his hell ride, he then conjured a trident and spear from the ether and set his sights on me. If there's one thing I can say about the brief 15-minute Shadows of the Damned demo I played this week, it's that the game isn't short on crazy. Also, I wish I got to kill that demon and the disfigured horse he rode in on. %Gallery-121868%
Shadows of the Damned launching on June 21, 2011
At a recent event in San Francisco, Suda 51 from Grasshopper Manufacture announced the new launch date for Shadows of the Damned: June 21. That gives it two weeks to get out of E3's way (the game was originally scheduled for June 7). Shadows of the Damned is a bizarre, horror-themed third-person shooter coming from EA Partners and a trio of well-known Japanese developers. If the names Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil), Suda 51 (No More Heroes) and Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill composer) don't ring any bells, then you really have no idea just how weird this game is going to be.
Shadows of the Damned concept art is ... Aaah! AAAAAH! WHAT?
Listen, Grasshopper. We get that Shadows of the Damned is supposed to be an action game set primarily in the deepest bowels of Hell -- that doesn't mean that you need to turn the game's Facebook fan page into some kind of Hellwindow by uploading the concept art posted below.
Grasshopper announcing 'charity app' at streaming event March 30
A Grasshopper Manufacture event originally announced in February will now serve as a charity function following the March 11 earthquake. The "Grasstream 2" event will be held at the Shinjuku Loft Plaza One venue on March 30, with ticket sales going to the Red Cross -- and it will also be streamed on Ustream in both English (thanks to 8-4) and Japanese. That night, Grasshopper will show a new the GDC Shadows of the Damned trailer, accompanied by a talk by Suda 51 and audio director Akira Yamaoka. A new "charity app" will also be introduced on stage by model Kayo Sato and J-pop group Vanilla Beans. "If you own an iPhone or iPad," the announcement notes, "don't forget it!" This segment of the presentation is in the same time slot as the "new game announce" that was originally planned -- and features the same personalities on stage -- suggesting that a new Grasshopper-developed iPhone game is now being adapted for charitable purposes. In addition, a No More Heroes 2 segment will feature music by Kazutoshi Iida, discussion from artists Yusuke Kozaki and Shigeto Koyama, and a talk by Suda about Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, which is notably similar in story to No More Heroes.
Shinji Mikami on his Shadows of the Damned role and 'adult love'
Shadows of the Damned represents not only a partnership between EA and Grasshopper Manufacture, but also a reunion between Grasshopper and Shinji Mikami, who produced its Killer 7 for Capcom. Mikami is lending his action-horror expertise to Grasshopper's new game, completely separate from his work with the Zenimax-owned Tango GameWorks. "Grasshopper is making all these great games, with really a nice visual style," Mikami told us at an EA event during last week's GDC. "I'm there to make sure the gameplay is right -- make sure it's tight, make sure it's fun. That's why I'm there." He denied the assertion that Shadows of the Damned would feel strongly Mikami-like." "When you look at it, you're going to say this is a Grasshopper game," he said. "When you play it, especially if you've played a Resident Evil, you can kind of sense 'ah, there's a little bit of Resident Evil here.' But I don't think it's from the start it's a Mikami game. It's definitely a Grasshopper game." We asked Mikami about the heart-shaped buttons EA was handing out at the event, which seemed hilariously out of step with the outrageous violence and manliness of Damned. Is Shadows of the Damned a love story? "There's two sides to it: there's that aspect of a love story, but it's not the romantic type of love," Mikami explained, cryptically. "It's a very adult type of love. And you'll see that when you play through the game -- it's definitely conveyed in certain aspects." Apparently, the "adult" type of love is so strong that a man can be fooled by a giant, grotesque demon wearing the shape of his girlfriend like a costume. As the interview concluded, the subject turned to another violent, quirky action game from Mikami: 2006's God Hand -- a title that Mikami burst into laughter upon hearing. Mikami firmly denied even a superficial relationship between his own PS2 action game and Shadows of the Damned, but he did tell us that "I'd like to make a sequel to God Hand sometime." When we suggested he could make a spiritual "sequel" to get around the Capcom-owned IP, Mikami laughed again and said "Someday, I'll do it."
Voice of the Damned: Suda 51 on being an EA Partner and surviving the Japanese market
At a preview event alongside GDC, EA offered the first playable demo of Grasshopper Manufacture's From Dusk Till Dawn-esque third-person shooter, Shadows of the Damned. Immediately after experiencing its floating skull sidekicks, baby-head gates, and demons in seductive-woman suits, we spoke to Grasshopper's CEO, Suda 51, and asked the first thing that came to mind: how did he convince EA to back such a strange game? Suda, of course, understood the intention, saying that "strange equals compliment for us." And besides, "Actually, EA has always respected our punk rock style. It was really easy, and we had a lot of freedom. EA is not just a giant corporation, but they're very accepting." He said that Grasshopper pitched the game to EA -- though later in the same interview, he told us that it was at EA's request that the game became a shooter. "We wanted to do well with the Western market," Suda said, "and we wanted to have that challenge of creating shooters," and so the studio agreed.
Shadows of the Damned preview: Goat toward the light
If you thought Grasshopper Manufacture was "selling out" by making a third-person shooter, of all things, with EA Partners, of all people, you need not worry about such a thing. Having played Shadows of the Damned for about 20 minutes, I can confirm that it is a true Grasshopper game, full of the punk rock style, weird humor, brash, sexy women (one of whom wears mechanical devices on her arms and legs, and causes earthquakes when she dances), and over-the-top melee violence you'd expect from Suda 51's studio. It just has better production values.%Gallery-118565%
Shadows of the Damned and Alice: Madness Returns get June release dates
Halloween is in October, EA. It looks like the publisher has forgotten that, pegging June as the month to release two of its upcoming horror games. Shadows of the Damned, a "psychological action thriller" from Shinji Mikami and Goichi Suda, is the first slated for release: June 7. CVG notes that this is a "worldwide" release date. A week later, on June 14, is Alice: Madness Returns, EA's sequel to the classic American McGee platformer. Two horror games, two weeks. But we can't help but wonder: will one be a trick while the other a treat?
Shadows of the Damned blood boss pours its heart out in new screenshots
Maybe you didn't notice, but this guy is made of blood. He's a "blood monster," if you will, and he's just one of many bosses players will face in Grasshopper Manufacture's Shadows of the Damned. More horrific V-Day screens can be found after the break.
Shinji Mikami still working on Shadows of the Damned after Bethesda deal
Zenimax's acquisition of Tango Gameworks -- and therefore of Shinji Mikami -- won't affect his existing deal with EA Partners and Grasshopper Manufacture to make Shadows of the Damned. In a statement to Eurogamer, the new parent company said that "Shinji will serve as creative lead on the games developed at Tango Gamework[s] and will fulfil his remaining obligations to Grasshopper pursuant to their prior agreement." We wouldn't bet on Mikami continuing to freelance with other companies after the existing agreements have elapsed, which casts doubt on his contribution to a Vanquish sequel with Sega -- if one is ever approved. In addition to confirming his continued influence on Grasshopper's stylish shooter, the statement suggests that Tango Gameworks will continue to operate as a unit, rather than having its staff absorbed into Zenimax's Bethesda teams.
Shadows of the Damned composer sounds off
EA revealed Grasshopper Manufacture's Shadows of the Damned at its pre-TGS event earlier today -- and it was about Damned time. We cornered one of the "Video Game Band" members, composer Akira Yamaoka, to discuss his role creating music and sound for the "psychological action thriller." We also discuss his old gig at Konami and how he feels about passing the Silent Hill torch (at least for now). Joystiq: Were you excited to have your new music premiere in the trailer this evening? Akira Yamaoka: Very exciting, yes. Were you also nervous about showing your first project outside of Konami? Not nervous. I was more excited about the project. %Gallery-102296%
Shadows of the Damned announcement trailer enters the light
Shadows of the Damned, a new "psychological action thriller" from EA Partners, Grasshopper Manufacture's Suda 51 and Platinum's Shinji Mikami was just announced at TGS -- and now it has a spiffy trailer. Check out the footage featuring the "hunter of demons," whose "wrath is your hell," after the break.%Gallery-102296%
'Shadows of the Damned' is the long-awaited Suda/Mikami/EA Partners collaboration
"We've had you waiting for a long time." Grasshopper Manufacture's Suda 51 and Platinum's Shinji Mikami took the stage at EA's TGS showcase to reveal Shadows of the Damned, a new "psychological action thriller" from EA's Partners division. According to Suda, he and Mikami wanted to make this game for a long time, and searched for the right publisher to bring it to a global audience. "Finally, today, we can reveal our game that we've been working on together with EA," he said. The game is expected to release in 2011. EA Partners announced this new horror franchise in August 2008, under the direction of game "auteurs" Suda and Shinji Mikami. Since then, Grasshopper has increased its roster of stars with musician Akira Yamaoka and designer Kazutoshi Iida, released No More Heroes 2, and announced the downloadable Sine Mora. in this game, a character named Garcia travels to Hell to rescue his love. Hopefully, this will be a bit classier than Dante's Inferno... Update: Trailer now available.
