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Quantum Theory review: Derivative formula
Occasionally, you see a remake that simply works better than the original. When Aretha Franklin belts out "Respect," it somehow has significantly more power than when Otis Redding first recorded it. And when the new series of Battlestar Galactica aired in 2003, it garnered critical acclaim, rather than relying on nostalgia and the cheese factor of the original show. But most of the time, imitations can't come anywhere near the quality of that which they're attempting to capture the magic of. That's when you get The Monkees and the New Monkees trying to cash in on the success of The Beatles. Following in that grand tradition, Quantum Theory is the Airheads to Gears of War's Wayne's World. That is to say it's almost identical to Gears of War, except terrible. %Gallery-34101%
Fist of the North Star media depicts more victims of Ken's Rage
What motivates the thugs in the Fist of the North Star universe? "Sure, that guy Ken just punched through the last 400 identical guys like they were tissue paper, but I'll get the drop on him." You won't. Go home. Be with your loved ones.
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage erupts on November 2
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage, the manga-based, Dynasty Warriors-esque action game about punching and kicking absolutely everything until it explodes, will be in North American stores just in time for an exceptionally violent holiday season. Tecmo Koei just announced a November 2 release date for the post-apocalyptic thug tenderizing game. Ken's Rage allows you to play through the manga/anime storyline, or a "Dream Mode" that steps outside of canon, with a cast of characters including Kenshiro, Mamiya, Rei, and more, all of whom are guaranteed to be brutal enough to make you feel bad about playing video games.
Dead or Alive Dimensions' first trailer is in hot pursuit
No matter how many exploding bundles of wood Ayane rolls through, she just can't seem to escape Dead or Alive 1's Raidou. This first Dead or Alive Dimensions (3DS) gameplay trailer reminds us it's damn hard to shake a pursuer who's glowing red and clearly on PCP.
Tear through mobs galore in Dynasty Warriors Online
Had a frustrating day? Just in the mood to feel obscenely powerful? Like lots of hack-and-slash? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then we've got an MMO you'll want to keep an eye on. The newest update from Dynasty Warriors Online features a preview video chock-full of crazy fighting action. We're not just talking interesting moves, here -- we mean these weapons seem to cut through mobs like a freakin' lawnmower. Dynasty Warriors Online from Tecmo Koei and Aeria Games offers lots of old-school weapons like nun-chucks and staves, as well as more imaginative weapons like the Beast Gauntlets. Giant swords, maces, and axes feature in the action too, if you prefer something a bit larger-than-life. Sound like your kind of stress-release game? After you've checked out the screenshots below and the video behind the break, head on over to the shiny new Dynasty Warriors site to sign up for beta. Gratuitous slaughter awaits! %Gallery-99390%
Warriors: Legends of Troy preview: Changing the dynasty
It seems that nearly every Koei game, in some shape or form, is related to Dynasty Warriors. Legends of Troy is no different, giving you control over a lone warrior slaughtering hundreds of generic enemies. While it's bound to fall victim to the curse of repetition, Warriors: Legends of Troy makes some significant advancements to Koei's familiar formula: improved visuals and deeper combat. That said, the TGS demo I played wasn't polished enough to keep me captivated. %Gallery-102564%
Ni-Oh returns as Team Ninja collaboration
Buried beneath all the Ninja Gaiden 3 hoopla, GamePro reports Team Ninja today revealed a collaboration with developer Kou Shibusawa on a "samurai action" game. The cause is noble indeed, as it would seem Team Ninja will help finish Ni-Oh -- a sort of "Duke Nukem Forever" project that's been simmering on Tecmo Koei's back burner for years. First teased at TGS 2006, Ni-Oh has undergone a long, sheltered development, earning a brief mention in an April 2009 issue of Famitsu -- and nary a word since. Team Ninja did not confirm whether the game will remain exclusive to PS3 and wisely made no guarantees on a release date. [Wikipedia says: Ni-Oh was original conceived as a multimedia project that would include a film based on a lost Kurosawa script. The movie was eventually canned.]
Ninja Gaiden 3 announced
Tecmo Koei revealed Ninja Gaiden 3 during a behind-closed door event today (in conjunction with TGS), reports VideoGamer.com. The announcement was accompanied by a teaser image showing blood-soaked franchise protagonist Ryu Hayabusa removing his mask. According to VideoGamer, the image represents themes that will be explored in the new sequel: both the "human side" of Ryu and a "more violent and bloody experience" (if you can believe it). Neither platforms nor further release information was given. Shortly before E3 last year, Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi talked up his studio's commitment to furthering the Ninja Gaiden series. Today's reveal is the first hard evidence of Ninja Gaiden 3 since that time. Update: GamePro confirms the reveal went down at a private event hosted by Team Ninja, and adds that Ninja Gaiden 3 "is so early in development, the developer only showed journalists a piece of concept art" (above; see a bigger version after the break).
Quantum Theory demo on Xbox Live 'later this month'
While PS3 owners are already enjoying the demo for Tecmo Koei's Quantum Theory, it looks like the denizens of Xbox Live will have to wait a little longer. Unfortunately, we don't have a solid date for the demo's Xbox debut, with an official announcement saying simply that it will arrive "later this month." Don't worry about it too much though, we're sure you'll find something to keep you busy for the rest of the month. %Gallery-101736%
Sega, Konami, Level-5 and Tecmo-Koei share TGS lineups
Heading to Tokyo for the annual game show later this month, but your handmade convention center itinerary is sadly lacking ideas for how to divvy up time? No worries -- Sega, Konami, Level-5, and Tecmo-Koei have announced their showings for TGS 2010! The highlight of, well, all of the listings is Level-5's news of a playable Ni no Kuni for both Nintendo DS and PlayStation 3. Sure, Konami bringing Metal Gear Solid: Rising is kind of exciting -- we guess -- but we've got a mighty large soft spot for Studio Ghibli animation. Perhaps yours was cut out by Raiden's urge to slice, slice, slice? Head past the break for the complete list of games, broken down by publisher.
Tecmo Koei brings strategy, kanji to iPhone
Tecmo Koei has announced a trio of new apps for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Well, not so much a trio as "two and a half" releases. The "half" is add-on content for Romance of the Three Kingdoms Touch. If you've already romanced those kingdoms as much as you possibly can, $4 will get you three new scenarios and an edit feature for officers and territories. The main game has also been updated to version 2.0. The company has also announced another strategy release for iPhone: Nobunaga's Ambition. The classic game of power struggles between Sengoku-era warlords is available now for $10. Finally, and most lovably weird of all, Tecmo Koei has released Kanji Shaker, a free app that transliterates any word into Japanese kanji, and then assigns point values to each character based on ... we don't know what, actually. It's baffling, and we can't stop "playing" it.
Dynasty Warriors Online coming to North America and Europe
A recent press release has announced that Aeria Games' free-to-play MMO Dynasty Warriors Online will soon expand its borders beyond Japan as part of a new licensing agreement with Tecmo Koei. The online hack-and-slash is now set to launch in North America and Europe as well, though no timetable has been placed on its arrival. Hopefully, the interim will give us enough time to figure out what the hell is going on in this gameplay video. If you can't wait to try your hand at reaping vast fields of soldiers with the help of some remote accomplices, keep an eye out for Dynasty Warriors Online's beta, which the press release promises will be "testing soon."
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage includes both English and Japanese voice
Chances are, if you're interested in playing Tecmo Koei's Fist of the North Star game, you aren't just tolerant of Japanese voices in video games, you prefer them. The company is aware of anime fans' preference for Japanese audio, and told Eurogamer that it will retain the original voice track in the North American and European releases of the Dynasty Warriors-alike. You'll be able to hear "ATATATATATATATATA" in the original Japanese. In order to satisfy both the audience who craves authenticity and the audience who likes knowing what the characters are saying, Tecmo Koei is also including a full English voice track. That way, you won't have to have your screen filled with subtitles reading "ATATATATATATATATA." %Gallery-94946%
Tecmo Koei's first iPad game is a pricey 'Romance'
Adapted from last year's iPhone release, Romance of the Three Kingdoms Touch, Tecmo Koei's iPad version of its long-running strategy series, adds a Plus to the title, high-res graphics, three new campaigns and -- oh yeah -- $6 to the price.
Preview: A quartet of Tecmo Koei titles
I usually try to avoid whirlwind preview sessions during gaming events -- hour-long booth tours that see me bouncing between a handful of titles from the same developer. However, that was the case during my recent E3 time with Tecmo Koei's suite of upcoming titles, a collection which included Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage, Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll, Quantum Theory and Warriors: Legends of Troy. Given my limited time with each of the aforementioned games, I decided to arrange my initial impressions about them into a single preview. You can check out my thoughts on Tecmo Koei's lineup after the jump.
Uncharted Waters Online free-to-play MMO journeys West
Sorry, this isn't an MMO adaptation of Naughty Dog's Uncharted franchise. Instead, Uncharted Waters Online is Tecmo Koei's long-running online RPG, and it's making its way to America and Europe via CJ Internet. Like Pirates of the Burning Sea, the experience centers around traveling the oceans, trading, exploring and battling on both sea and land. While Uncharted Waters may be an unfamiliar name Stateside, it's been big enough in Asia to warrant three expansion packs and an online-enabled PS3 port. While CJ Internet is only bringing the PC version to English-speaking audiences, the free-to-play model being adopted should make it an easier sell to the MMO masses.
Tecmo Koei brings Fist of the North Star, more to E3
The combined Tecmo/Koei entity has revealed a selection of four games it will have on display at next week's E3. The shooter Quantum Theory and the action RPG Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll, both delayed earlier this year, will be present at the show. In addition, Tecmo Koei has announced that it's localizing its punchy Dynasty Warriors game, Fist of the North Star, as Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage, with a planned fall 2010 release on PS3 and Xbox 360. Rounding out the (known) lineup is Warriors: Legends of Troy, which is also kind of like Dynasty Warriors, but focused on ancient Greek history instead of pseudo-historical China or Japan. Check out new Fist of the North Star screens in our gallery below, and follow the break for galleries of the other three. %Gallery-94946%
NintendoWare Weekly: Bit.Trip Runner, Looksley's Line Up, Kirby Super Star
It's quite the week for the DSi and Wii as far as downloadables go -- Bit.Trip Runner arrives on WiiWare today and EA, Tecmo Koei and Konami all offer solid titles for DSiWare. Oh, and you can finally get your hands on Looksley's Line Up, the interesting 3D DSiWare game from Nintendo. There's even a new Virtual Console game starring a certain hungry pink blob to check out!
Quantum Theory set for 'summer' release
What are you doing this summer? Oh, you're going to Six Flags? Screw that, you're going to want to blow stuff up ... and punch junk ... and play Gears of War 3 instead, right? Okay, we can't help you with that last one, but VG247 reports that a very similar experience will be available this summer: Quantum Theory. A Tecmo Koei spokesperson confirmed to us that the game is set for "a TBA Summer 2010" release. Previously, the game was set to release sometime in March, but was pushed back due to quality concerns. We're sure you can't wait to see Tecmo's, uh, softer side.
Metareview: Dead or Alive Paradise
Tecmo has been calling Dead or Alive Paradise a piece of "paradise in the palm of your hand." It's a pretty hilarious phrase, but it would seem that the game is anything but -- according to the reviews that have rolled in, anyway. Turns out the majority of gaming press that have braved the buxom beauts and horde of mini-games in the PSP title have found it mediocre at best. And if you're still on the fence after checking out these reviews, remember there's a demo available on the Japanese PSN right now. IGN (50/100): "Dead or Alive Paradise is a poorly conceived, undersized grouping of mini-games that aren't aided by the visuals' ability to sell the characters' sex appeal." Game Informer (4/10): "Not only is Dead Or Alive: Paradise a bad game, it also drags down whatever reputation its namesake carried." Eurogamer (30/10): "If it's erotic imagery you're after, just get some porn. The visuals will be more realistic, the acting will be better and the plot will make more sense." G4 (1/5): "The greatest problem facing Paradise is that, in the end, once you cut through the photography and tedious friendship process, the gameplay and entertainment value are as skimpy as the most risqué bikinis on display. Had the games been better and more bountiful, and the socializing/photography nonsense been left out, maybe this might've been okay." %Gallery-83709%
