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Metal Slug rolling onto XBLA
1UP reports of an SNK Playmore pamphlet circulating the halls of Tokyo Game Show, advertising Metal Slug for Xbox Live Arcade. Allegedly, the text translates to "the original," suggesting that Metal Slug 1 will arrive on Microsoft's download service. But when?Aside from the XBLA pipeline being jammed full of pending titles, Metal Slug also has its unofficial successor, Alien Hominid, to contend with. With Hominid well ahead of Metal Slug in the queue, and (hopefully) a more dedicated effort from Microsoft to diversify XBLA content as the service evolves, SNK's classic could fall by the wayside. We predict a late 2007 rollout.
TGS Marketplace content, 9/22
Here's the rundown of today's Marketplace content.Fuzion Frenzy 2 demoPortal TrailerTGS Showfloor video 1TGS Showfloor video Day 1 (Japan)GM Sensui Interview (Japan)Xbox Live The Party #1 (Japan)Xbox Live The Party #2 (Japan)Xbox Live The Party #3 (Japan)Xbox Live The Party #4 (Japan)Not much for those of us outside Japan., but the Fuzion Frenzy 2 demo is certainly welcome. We guess that whole "no demos on Friday" thing is pretty much dead by now.360 at the Tokyo Game Show:Lost Planet and Viva Piñata videoMicrosoft TGS briefing video now availableToday's Marketplace content, 9/21DOAX2 video makes us feel naughtyLost Odyssey intro videoVideo of Trusty Bell
A trinity of new Unknown Realms screenshots
You may be wondering why, all of a sudden, we're doing an entire post on a few measly screenshots? Fanboyism, of course! Unknown Realms has been a fairly elusive PS3 title, and for good reason. Kouji Okada is behind this game -- for those who are really into knowing the names of people behind their games, he's renowned for his work on the Shin Megami Tensei series (one of my favorites!).We finally have some details about the game. An occult journalist gets a call for help from a girl and when he arrives to assist her, she's dead. He decides to investigate. A second character ends up in the same place as the journalist, following a letter from her mother who has been dead for a good while. It's dark fantasy, as the characters are transported to dream-like areas with whacky and amazing lighting effects. Not to mention insane monster designs. Anyway, maybe more details will surface. In the meantime, gawk at the above screen and check out the others listed at IGN.
Percentages for PS3 games and whatnot... more lists...
Agh! It's yet another lengthy bulleted list. We thought it'd be nice to know how far along a multitude of PS3 games are, so we'll pass this knowledge onto you if you'd care to know as well. Virtua Fighter 5: 70% Sega Golf Club: 70% Sonic the Hedgehog: 75% Armored Core 4: 80% Coded Arms Assault: 50% Ridge Racer 7: 100% Gundam Target in Sight: 80% Gran Turismo HD: 50% Warhawk: 50% Unknown Realms: 30% Lair: 35% Motorstorm: 60% The Eye of Judgment: 70% Genji 2: 70% Resistance: 85% Minna no Golf 5: 30% Heavenly Sword: 65% Earlier we gave the list of confirmed Japanese PS3 launch titles and among them was Sega Golf Club and Genji 2. If they're listed as only 70% complete, could we possibly (pleeeease?) hypothesize that percentages of 70+ have a chance of being launch titles? That would be so awesome, you can't deny it. That would also make some of the other titles a lot closer to completion than we'd imagined.
Joystiq's hands-on with Devil May Cry 4... a kind rebuttal
All right, so the fellows at Joystiq did not think Devil May Cry 4 was all that (yet they simply won't shut up about the mediocre hack fest that is Dead Rising, also by Capcom), but we here at PS3Fanboy love a good argument (and a seemingly unrelated comparison). Let's strip down the problems they had with the game and give 'em our two cents. "...feels neither new nor exciting." It's a sequel. It's supposed to be a familiar scheme, but with different content (weapons, etc... like Nero's arm. Of course, that wasn't commented on at all). If games were judged by how new and exciting they felt, how many times would Madden have to reinvent their franchise? If it's game #213523 (MegaMan, we're looking at you) then okay, but this is a pretty new franchise and deserves its familiarity. "Nero felt particularly clumsy in this build, going from a standstill to a full sprint with almost no transitional animation, a far cry form the series trademark fluidity." We disagree. Dante always busted into a full sprint with hardly any animation transitions and that's fine. If you want him to walk, hold R1. Otherwise, you're busting ass. How does that detract from gameplay, again? "The enemies were also repetitive and uninspired and, perhaps due to the controller's lack of rumble, pounding on them lacked the visceral oomph the series is known for. The experience felt particularly detached." Again, let's compare to the Joystiq-ly hailed Dead Rising. Because you know, hordes of zombies don't grow repetitive and uninspired at all. Even so, it's a demo. They aren't going to throw a multitude of baddies at you yet -- they want you to survive the demo. But the rumble thing? We agree. Everything is going to take a hit from that crucial missing feature. His other reactions were cautiously optimistic and understandably so. Still, Joystiq's spin train seems to be following a different set of rails than the PS3fanboy track. We're still excited for this game and all lovers of previous entries should be, too -- with the gameplay videos and reactions popping up, it seems few can deny the beauty the PS3 is putting out.[via Joystiq]
PS3 game case revealed! And it's not blue!
Our good buddy Ross Miller over at Joystiq snapped a picture of what appears to be the final design for the game casings for the Playstation 3. It contrasts what all the fakes circulating the web assumed -- a large, nasty blue border sporting a large Blu-ray logo. These cylindrically encased, pressure sensored, infrared laser guarded boxes don't have that, clearly... forgive the poor, poor pun. Regardless! The casing is clear with a small Blu-ray logo in the upper left. They look snazzy, don't you think?[via Joystiq]
TGS videos attack! Pick your poison... or wine... whichever
A gameplay video of Coded Arms Assault is now available for your viewing pleasure. It looks all right. It doesn't seem like too much of a separation from standard FPS titles, but it's worth a look if you're an FPS junkie. There's also a gorgeous Ridge Racer 7 gameply video. It looks better than all right. Mostly awesome. Just look at that gorgeous car go around that gorgeous track... and rear-end that other car. It's pretty sweet. Also, a Ninja Gaiden Sigma trailer is up and running. If you guys were right, those who've played Ninja Gaiden Black won't see too much new here. But then again, maybe so. Let us know. Here's a gameplay video of Lair also. What can we say? Dragons, flying, destruction... it's something special, to be sure. Lastly, there's a gameplay video of Devil May Cry 4. Besides the fact the person playing it has no idea what he's doing (sorry, but it's true, unless the controls have changed completely), the game looks astoundingly good. Bias? Sure. But it does. If you mention the cape/sword clipping, that's true, but that in no way should detract from your enjoyment of the game. Anyway, we'll keep you informed of other game videos and other stuff as we get our news from the Joystiq staff that had the honor of being there.
TGS 06: PSP Fanboy gives away prizes
We've been avoiding sleep to give you the best coverage of the Tokyo Game Show possible. There's so much to go through that it may seem a bit daunting to read all the news that's pouring in. Well, don't give up! Here's a nice incentive that should provide enough motivation for you to keep it locked to the Fanboy.Post a comment in any story with "TGS 06" in the title and you'll be entered to receive one of TWO PSP gear pouches from SFBags. These bags range from $29 to $39 and let you carry your PSP, UMDs and accessories in one convenient bag. Tokyo Game Show continues all weekend long, so make sure you're always checking in.Contest ends 9/26/06. Limit 1 comment/entry per post. No purchase necessary. Open to US residents only. Thanks, SFBags!
TGS: Blogging Ken Kutaragi's PS3 keynote [update 1]
It's hot and humid outside the room in which Sony's Ken Kutaragi will deliver the most anticipated keynote address of Tokyo Games Show. The journalists who are queuing up are sure to be tired and cranky by the time they get into the show, ensuring, perhaps, a properly sceptical reception for the tsu-hype-nami to follow.After a raucous round of DS PictoChat, the keynote starts at 10:11am. Introducing Ken Kutaragi, CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment, reading from his latest work, "PS3 Creating Next Generation of Computer Entertainment."Sony asks us to refrain from taking pictures of demo stuff. Fine, we'll oblige, but we won't like it. 'Cause you wouldn't want to show off the product you want everyone to buy in a couple months. Instead, we'll provide some additional color commentary, courtesy the press and attendees hanging out in the DS PictoChat chatroom.
TGS 06: Sony Conference [Updated]
Getting ready for Tokyo Game Show where Sony's press conference is about to begin. They will obviously speak a great deal on PlayStation 3, but will they mention anything about the PSP? Keep refreshing this page throughout the hour to see updates as they happen.9:45PM EST Ken Kutaragi says the internet has gotten much, much faster now. WOW! Thanks!!!9:58PM EST PlayStation 3 will feature downloadable PlayStation games, akin to PSP's ability to download PS1 games. Also, Turbografx and Genesis games will be available for download, a la Wii.10:10PM EST Sony officially has worst press conference ever. Afrika is the only "game" shown.Internet, please start flaming Sony. GO! Just in case it wasn't obvious, that was it. One hour of absolutely nothing. It's going to be hard to be a Sony fanboy after this...
Bleach trailer: ass kicking at its finest
Whether or not you're a fan of the anime Bleach, it's hard to argue with a good round of ass kickery. One of the first things we thought of when the WiiVolution was first introduced, way back in the long ago time of 2005, was a fighting game. What better use for the controller than beating down your best good friends?Bleach looks to do just that. This new trailer is equal parts gameplay footage and hot Wiimote-swinging action. Check it out after the jump.
White Knight Story for PS3 sounds huge -- literally
Imagine a giant turtle carrying an entire town on its back. No, this isn't a rip from Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" novels (the giant turtle carried the whole world, if memory recalls correctly), this is an example the scale being delivered in Level 5's new RPG, White Knight Story. You'll remember that Level 5 was in charge of Dragon Quest VIII and the soon-to-be-stateside-after-a-ton-of-delays Rogue Galaxy, so you've got to expect quality from these guys.WKS is the tale of a boy who can transform into a 7 meter tall knight thanks to an ancient artifact. Enough of that! Let's get technical. This game is about scale. Texture limitations prevented a title of such, er, magnitude to come into existence on previous consoles. Now, however, we can show such small details on large objects that it's entirely possible! In fact, Level 5 has to make its own capture studio for this game since it is using an incredibly complex animation blending studio.The battles themselves stray from the typical JRPG and almost sound like a single-player MMO experience, with a palette of skills to set up for each character. You can only control one character in battle at a time like in the ill-received Magna Carta and use only the skills you've equipped. It sounds further along in development than expected and we'll get more details as it's unveiled over the next couple of days. Awesome!
The official Japanese launch titles for the PS3
In this list, we're only naming the absolutely confirmed and set in stone titles to be released side-by-side with the Japanese release of the Playstation 3. Japanese titles only, so don't be afraid, we'll still get our Resistance upon American release. Here we go. Mahjong Fight Club (retailing at 5229 yen... we guess that's approximately $54.99 US) Genji 2 (still the tentative title) Gundam: Target in Sight Ridge Racer 7 Sega Golf Club Not the largest list in the world, but we've got a fair spread of genre to look forward to. There's golfing! There's swordplay! There are big robots! There's racing! There's... Mahjong? If only Armored Core 4 made the list, we'd have a double dose of robot annihilation.
Metal Gear Solid 4 in late 2007, hopefully -- new trailer for now
According to a Famitsu report, Hideo Kojima estimates that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will need at least another year's worth of development time before it's finished. While Kojima had previously promised to deliver in 2007, he's narrowed that window to late 2007 -- at the earliest. For now, Konami is offering a new trailer, which is currently premiering at Tokyo Game Show.The new trailer -- partially captured in bootleg form from the show floor here & here -- is allegedly 100% gameplay, although Konami has tweaked the camera perspective for clarity. At just 6 minutes, it's significantly shorter than the E3 presentation, but reveals new gameplay elements, including stealth items (e.g. an oil drum), the Octocam suit, and a shift from stealth-orientated missions to player's choice gameplay (i.e. you have a goal and are free to decide how to achieve it).[Thanks, nijah]
Microsoft TGS briefing video now available
If there is one completely memorable moment for us in the Microsoft TGS press briefing, it was seeing DOAX2 announced as a "sports" title. That ... is hilarious. Xbox.com has posted two videos of the Microsoft TGS briefing. One is the entire briefing, full of Japanese goodness, and the other is only Peter Moore's remarks. The whole conference clocks in at just under an hour. There are no trailers or anything we typically associate with press briefings so, if you don't speak Japanese, we'd suggest you stick with the Peter More video.The conference does a good job of emphasizing all things Japanese -- complete with Peter Moore humbling himself to Pac-Man creator, Toru Iwatani. Of course, Blue Dragon gets its fair share -- Sakaguchi-san talks it up for quite a while near the end. Perhaps the most bizarre bit is Microsoft's marketing slogan for Japan: "Do! Do! Do!" Let's hope that didn't come from the same marketing team that did all those "playtests" of the original Xbox control.We'll go ahead and say that things look better than they have in the past for MS in Japan. As usual, it's the games stupid, and Microsoft showed up with more actual Japanese titles than ever before. Will it help? Who knows, but they're definitely heading in the right direction.[Via Major Nelson]360 at the Tokyo Game Show:Today's Marketplace content, 9/21DOAX2 video makes us feel naughtyLost Odyssey intro videoVideo of Trusty BellSee Blue Dragon gameplay (finally)
TGS: Today's Marketplace content, 9/21 [update 1]
Another day, another batch of content. TGS rolls on, and Microsoft gives us more to drool over. Now, without further ado, today's content:Vista Game MontageFusion Frenzy 2 trailer (Weren't we just talking about this?)Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom trailerTeam Fortress 2 trailerTable Tennis trailer (Japan only)TGS ThemeWe haven't had a chance to watch any of these, but we'll give you the skinny once we do. If anybody spots one of these trailers floating around the interweb, send us a tip and we'll post it.360 at the Tokyo Game Show:DOAX2 video makes us feel naughtyLost Odyssey intro videoVideo of Trusty BellSee Blue Dragon gameplay (finally)And the mystery XBLA game is ...Update: We've realized there will be a lot of content in the next few weeks. Changed headline to reflect the date that the content went up.
TGS: DOAX2 video makes us feel naughty
The TGS video madness continues with this clip of Dead or Alive Xtreme 2. We all know DOAX2 is about watching digital hotties in swimsuits, but this is just south of ridiculous. Just when you thought Itagaki and friends couldn't get any raunchier (remember the E3 video?), they go and make this. Let's just say this: the video is technically safe for work, but don't let anyone catch you watching it. Before checking out the video, we would be remiss if we didn't note a few things. One, it looks like the hair physics have improved since DOA4. Two, the game should hit the States on November 15th (before Japan actually). Our Japanese is rusty, but we're guessing that the date mentioned for Europe was "coming soon" -- can anyone translate? Click onward if you dare; you have been warned.
Video of Xbox 360 HD DVD player in action
We've already got the info on the Japanese prices and 1080p support (whether it's really necessary/useful or not), but how about we see the thing in action. Microsoft gave a live demo of the HD DVD drive at the Tokyo Game Show and the guys from Xboxyde were there to see it. The cam video isn't HD, only 960x540, but you can get a good look at the much-ballyhooed special interactive features of the Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift HD DVD coming soon, as well as the Xbox 360's ability to bring the guide up as the movie continues to play in the background. Even if you're not thinking of getting the HD DVD add-on, who could miss a moment of the glory that is Fast and the Furious 3? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
TGS: Lost Odyssey intro video
Yet more cinematic RPG goodness from the Tokyo Game Show, this time from the other Mistwalker game, Lost Odyssey. Lost Odyssey is a game about a man who has lived for over a thousand years. If this intro video is any indication, he apparently lived that long by kicking ass. Check out the video after the break. Be sure and watch the very end when the intro snaps right into real time play. Very slick.
TGS: Blue Dragon = Dragon Quest + Chrono Trigger + Grandia
Wired's Game|Life blog has posted an early, albeit vague, impression of Hironobu Sakaguchi's pair of upcoming Xbox 360 RPGs, Blue Dragon & Lost Odyssey. During today's media briefing in Shibuya, Japan, Sakaguchi took the stage and demoed (read: picked up controller and played) his studio's new projects. While Game|Life doesn't provide many specifics, its post does draw some big comparisons, describing Blue Dragon as a fusion of Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger, with "maybe" a dose of Grandia. Game|Life notes that enemies are on-screen (i.e. no random battles) and that the Job Change system (from Final Fantasy V) is featured in Blue Dragon. Game|Life's description of Lost Odyssey is even more provocative, as it declares the game to look like a "much more dramatic" Final Fantasy. We're sure that Microsoft has its fingers crossed that this impression will stick -- and spread. We'll hit you with our own from the show floor in the coming days. In the meantime, see for yourself: Blue Dragon Lost Odyssey
