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Radiant Silvergun gunning for XBLA?
In an interview with 1UP, Masato Maegawa, president of Treasure (shooter developer extraordinaire) talked about the company's current and future plans for Xbox 360. Firstly, Maegawa mentions that Ikaruga will have many new features on Xbox Live Arcade, including online co-op and the ability to record and share movies. Also, Maegawa spoke about the 360 shooter that was first announced back in January. Apparently, development for the unnamed shooter has been slow because of the resource-intensive nature of developing for 360. Also, it seems that part of the shooter team is also busy porting Ikaruga to Xbox Live Arcade. Finally, and perhaps most intriguingly, Maegawa notes the possibility that Radiant Silvergun may be headed to XBLA complete with high definition visuals. The sound you just heard was the jaws of millions of shooter fans hitting the floor.
New details on Treasure's Wii project, Ikaruga XBLA
Die-hard fans of Treasure's shooters probably already own Ikaruga for either Dreamcast or Gamecube -- possibly both. So why would they buy the title yet again for the Xbox 360? According to Treasure president Masato Maegawa speaking to 1UP, new features to the game include online co-op, worldwide rankings and the ability to share replays.Given Ikaruga's frantic pulsations of laser shots, we're hoping there's some code in place to fix any lag issues. There's a lot of quick, minute movements required in the shooter and being out of sync at all with your partner would lead to a very frustrating experience (see: Contra XBLA).Maegawa also told 1UP that they are in the midst of developing a title for Nintendo Wii. The project is being handled by the "action" team (other teams include shmup and fighting) who also made one of our favorite Virtual Console titles, Gunstar Heroes. No other details are available, though we expect the title to retain much of the side scrolling action style as its spiritual ancestors.
Don't expect any Treasure games on PSN anytime soon
On the cusp of Tokyo Game Show, the 1up crew tracked down Treasure president Masato Maegawa to ask him all sorts of questions regarding his company's future. Treasure, of course, is the company behind such great titles like Ikaruga, Radiant Silvergun and Guardian Heroes.While we're sure plenty of you would love to download any of those games via the PlayStation Network, it doesn't look like it'll be happening ... at least not for awhile, anyway. Maegawa said that Treasure is just now "fully up and running on developing for Xbox Live Arcade, so to move resources to PSN just now wouldn't make much sense."Ouch, did you hear that? That's the sound of my heart being crushed under Maegawa's steel-toed penny loafers. You'll rue the day for this decision, Maegawa. RUE!
GameCrazy predicts U.S. Bangai-O
With the game just now announced for Japan, it's a little premature for American publishing announcements for Bangai-O Spirits. But it's never too soon for rumors! (On that note, Bangai-O Spirits 2 for Dreamcast 2, coming 2009!) GameCrazy, whose mystical fortune-telling computer broke the news of Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, now lists a DS Bangai-O. No information about publisher or release date, but it shows a price of $29.99. Since D3 Publisher is releasing the game in Japan, we asked the U.S. branch of D3 if they were going to publish the game over here. Unfortunately, the D3 rep told us that they don't comment on unannounced games, and that D3 "will only focus on what makes sense for the Western market." Whether Bangai-O falls into that category or not is strictly a matter of how much insane hype we can generate on DS Fanboy.
Small sprites, big spirits
Just looking at Bangai-O Spirits makes us cheer-- yes! The Nintendo DS exists and Treasure got a development kit for it! And we also have a Nintendo DS! The world is an excellent place! It's not a catchy cheer, but it's heartfelt. We can close our eyes right now and imagine huge missile volleys flying out in 100 different directions, turning gun turrets and little houses and other missiles into gigantic fruit. It's the same heartfelt feeling that compels us to share these screens from Famitsu with you. They're the same screens seen in the "scan" before, with the added benefit of being clearly visible. We think that's kind of important! Speaking of visibility, we worry a little bit about being able to see what's happening on the DS's smaller screens-- teensy sprites and chaotic bullet patterns don't seem like the best fit for a portable system. But we'll put our eyes right up to the screens if we need to. It probably won't be a problem; Treasure generally knows what they're doing.
We must be dreaming: Bangai-O for DS
We hope you're ready for a Wednesday morning freakout, because that is exactly what is going to happen in this post. We didn't dare speak our secret wish that the new Treasure game would be Bangai-O; it seemed too beautiful a thought for our real world. But according to the kind NeoGAFfers who post the news from Famitsu every week, a new Treasure game called Bangaioh Tamashii (Bangai-O Spirits) is on the way, with 4-player local wireless and a stage editor.Of course, there's always the chance that it'll be a spinoff puzzle game or something, but we doubt that kind of behavior from Treasure. No, get ready for tiny sprites and huge chain-reaction explosions. For those of you unfamiliar with Bangai-O, it's a free-scrolling shooter originally for the Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast, in which players, as a pair of mecha-piloting kids, shoot thousands of missiles and laser beams at tiny enemies. Special attacks gain power based on the number of bullets and explosions on the screen, leading to a constantly-escalating feedback loop of super attacks. If this DS game is a real Bangai-O with multiplayer and a level editor, then the Nintendo DS will have crossed the line as the best game system ever released. Whatever it is, it's got a level editor and 4-player mode. Cheer and hurrah past the post break for a scanned page from Famitsu showing off the first screenshots for the game.
Sin and Punishment rated by OFLC, English-speaking world cheers
Looks like Nintendo has come up with a clever response to one Kiwi gamer's complaint. It sounds kind of silly to complain about a lack of releases when your region is about to get Sin and Punishment on the Virtual Console. Treasure's Sin and Punishment is basically the Holy Grail of Nintendo 64 games: a shooter from a very well-respected studio, which was never released outside of Asia. It's the N64 game that even N64 haters will drool over. This OFLC rating makes an upcoming Virtual Console release a near-certainty, and an Australian release portends a release for other regions, as well. Now we're going to go play every rail shooter we own in celebration of this great news. Although we think that's pretty much just Rez, so it'll be a brief celebration.[Via NeoGAF]
Treasure counts down to mystery game's unveiling
Famed developer Treasure has sent its fans into fits of thrilled, unbridled speculation with its new countdown page, promising to announce a new Nintendo DS title in less than six days. The studio's partnership with publisher ESP for the mystery project rules out any sequels to Gunstar Heroes, Bleach, or Sin and Punishment, but new installments for Hajime no Ippo and Ikaruga are still a possibility.Though we dare not risk our hopes and hearts on it, there's always a chance that Treasure could be working on something completely new and original! What are you hoping it'll be?[Via IGN]
The world of Zack & Wiki
We're slightly disappointed by the levels in Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure. It's not that they don't look nice, but they're just incredibly cliched. You can see cute little representations up there on the world map: the Jungle Ruins, the Volcano Cave, the Ice Temple, and Barbaros' Castle.Maybe the underwater level and the forced-scrolling motorcycle level are unlockable! Seriously, as much attention as this game is getting, we hope it's a little more creative than the levels make it seem. We're just going to assume that so much attention went into the puzzles that the level concepts kind of suffered.
Bleach pours out of Japan; Wii, DS games coming to US, Europe
Games based on the popular anime Bleach are coming to the US and Europe by way of Sega, according to a press release. Both Shattered Blade (Wii) and The Blade of Fate (DS) have been out since 2006, and the DS title has a sequel that came out five months ago. Having played a Bleach DS game at the Tokyo Game Show last year, even without knowing much about the anime I have to say I was impressed by the fighter. Both games are due out in North America this fall and Europe in early 2008. [Via DS Fanboy]
Bleach: The Blade of Fate coming stateside
Having read your suggestions on Japanese games that need to be localized earlier this morning, we spotted a couple of requests for Bleach DS, a 2D fighter based on the popular anime/manga series of the same name.We made a note of your interest and called in a few favors to see what we could get going*, and by the time lunch rolled around, wouldn't you know it, Sega announced that it would be bringing Bleach: The Blade of Fate to North America this fall. Europe can also expect to see the game early 2008. If there's one thing that can be said about us, it's that we get results.**Though we're still far behind Japan when it comes to awesome fighting games on the DS -- Jump Super Stars, Jump Ultimate Stars, Custom Beat Battle: Draglade, and Bleach DS 2nd for example -- we're not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially when that equine present has a 28-strong character roster, allowing for four-player online battles. And it was developed by Treasure, no less! Throw your white clothes in the washer and check past the post break for some shakycam video of the game. *This did not actually happen.**Actually, even this can't be said about us.
Volvo treasure hunt delayed after locating $500 million instead
In an interesting turn of events, it seems like the winner of Volvo's lucrative treasure hunt won't be unearthing the $50,000 treasure anytime soon, as the automaker's hunt partner (Odyssey Marine Exploration) has happened upon an actual $500 million treasure instead. The reported fortune is located somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean -- in a secretive area known only as Black Swan -- but reports are claiming that a court in the Spanish coastal town of La Linea has "issued an order for the Spanish Guardia Civil to detain any Odyssey vessel should it leave the port of Gibraltar," which has brought about an abrupt halt to Volvo's retrieval plans. Thankfully, it sounds like the Russian winner will still be awarded the dough and a new XC70 to boot, but there's no telling how long it'll be before Odyssey is able to put aside its bigger worries and dig up the (comparatively) paltry $50k.[Via CarTechMag]
UK inventor crafts remote controlled treasure hunting robot
Although John Corney's RC treasure hunter hasn't happened upon any $10 billion finds or unreleased iPhone knockoffs, the remote controlled truck has indeed scrounged up part of a Medieval Pilgrims badge which has now been donated to Warminster Library Museum. The off-roading machine is essentially a souped up metal detector on wheels (er, tracks) that has an on-board camera "to show its controller where it is going." The creator is already "qualified in remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) control," and has used his mountain climbing machine to land "hundreds" of old coins and medieval artifacts including a World War II medical badge. The project didn't come easy, however, as Mr. Corney has spent over seven years and £2,000 ($3,958) honing its skills, but apparently, he's hunting down VCs right now to help bring "Champion the Wonder Robot" to market.[Via Robot-Gossip]
Treasure Island Z gets a new name; try to give it a chance anyway
Capcom has announced the official name for their fun-looking pirate adventure, formerly known as Project Treasure Island Z. It's still got "Treasure" in it, so it's still vaguely pirate-esque, but we just aren't sure. The new name is Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure. As if the bright, colorful graphics didn't do the job, the title drives home the point: this is a game for children. We hope you don't dismiss it based on the name alone, since it's gotten positive impressions.[Via press release]
Treasure hiring for 3D action game, triggers panic attacks
In some support groups, the words "Treasure" and "3D" are out-of-bounds. Populated mostly by readers of the now defunct GameFan Magazine, these are the many scorned by glowing previews of what would be an early PlayStation 2 tragedy, Stretch Panic.It's been six years since that incident and from the sound of it, Treasure wants to give the 3D action genre another go. From animators to character modelers and more, Treasure looks to be seriously staffing up their Japanese office. Though Treasure also has an untitled project in the works for the Xbox 360, this sounds like something entirely different as their Xbox project is said to feature 2D gameplay.
DS Daily: Cartridge rancher
Yesterday we mentioned that Monster Rancher was going to be ranchin' up some monsters on the DS. One of the most notable features of the new version is that it uses GBA games to generate monsters, in the same way that previous Monster Ranchers used CDs, or the Barcode Battler used dog food labels, or Treasure Gaust uses magnetic fields. There have been a few games that give GBA bonuses, like Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, which rewarded Aria of Sorrow owners with an extra item, but this is different. To some extent, your success in Rancher is contingent on your GBA game ownership.How does that strike you? Is it cool to be rewarded for having access to a nice GBA collection, or do you feel like you're being punished for not buying enough cartridges? Or has this news got you out searching for cheapo cartridges?
New screens from Treasure Island Z and Devil Kings 2
Famitsu got their hands on some great screens from two upcoming Capcom games: the colorful pirate adventure Treasure Island Z and the upgraded Playstation 2 port Devil Kings 2. We have good news and ... miscellaneous news for both.First, the good news: Devil Kings 2 looks like a hybrid of Dynasty Warriors and Devil May Cry, with cool characters and over-the-top stylish moves. Treasure Island Z's screens show off the interface, which involves-- could it be?-- a hand-shaped cursor interacting with objects on screen! Pointing and clicking, as it were!Now for the other news: for some reason, one of the playable characters in Devil Kings 2 looks like a samurai version of Ultraman, and we haven't decided how we feel about that. And in Treasure Island Z, the character has some kind of stylized Wiimote item in-game. That's kind of a cheap way to be immersive, isn't it? Check after the break for a couple of screens from each game.
Treasure Gaust battle mode screens
Treasure Gaust, Bandai Namco's Pokemon-esque monster game that uses magnetic fields to generate monsters, is headed toward a Spring 2007 release in Japan. We've got some new screens that show off the battle mode, which is more Pokemon Stadium than Pokemon Ruby, in that it is presented in full 3D. We like the pseudo-cel shading they've used.Treasure Gaust's battling appears to be more action-based than Pokemon, as well. Players pick three creatures and battle with an opponent's three creatures in an underwater arena. You can capture defeated enemies to train them as partners. If a monster-collecting game with more action and more mysterious natural forces sounds good to you, then this may be exactly the game you're looking for! At least, it's as close as anyone's ever going to get to that specific description. We hope Banco decides to localize this one, because we're eager to play with the magnetism gimmick.
Avast! More Treasure Island Z scans spotted
A NeoGAFfer and frequent Wii Fanboy tipster named creamsugar posted these new, higher-quality scans of Capcom's Treasure Island Z, and later in the thread Xboxyde's Blimblim cleaned up the images, which we have provided for you. After a careful inspection, we must say, that if we were excited about the game yesterday, today we are in full hype hype hype mode! We're ready to start freaking out about this game without really knowing anything about it!The graphics look so great (and we aren't going to assume that it's because of Blimblim's filter)-- finally, next-generation cel shading is here! And the art style and general piracy motif reminds us of one of the best Capcom games ever, the Mega Man Legends spinoff The Misadventures of Tron Bonne. Please, Capcom, let it be like Tron Bonne.Click the post break to see the scans, and then click those to see them in their original resolution.
Treasure Island Z: new pirate adventure from Capcom
This week's Famitsu unearths a new game that appears to be basically like treasure: a new Wii adventure game from Capcom, called Treasure Island Z, that is about pirates. Players use the Wiimote to solve riddles and puzzles as they search for riches and improve their standing among pirates. The scan reveals a cartoony graphic style and what look like animated cutscenes.This thing is like a nexus of good news. We don't know how anything could actually turn out as cool as the sum of these parts (pirate adventure games have a lot to live up to, as do Capcom adventure games) but we're hoping that Capcom and director Eiichirou Sasaki (who previously worked on the Resident Evil Outbreak games) are up to the task. Check out the scan after the plank break!
