Suda 51 on game design and dying without regrets

Let's get one thing straight. Suda 51 is crazy. But in a good way. He's the kind of guy you'd want to invite to every videogame party or conference you organize, because he knows how to put on a good show. He's smart, he's interesting, he's got a lot of unique ideas for what could and couldn't work in a game ... but most of all, he is crazy.

Case in point: Die Without Regrets.

No, that's not the name of his new game. It's the name of his recent Gamasutra interview. Here's a few highlights:

Do you know Kenji Eno?

Suda: Oh, yeah yeah. I know of him and see him every once in a while, but we're not close friends, I don't know him personally.

I know he's also making a sword fighting game... I was wondering if you may have seen it?

Suda: I haven't, but I do know that he's making games for the Wii.

His new company is called FYTO. From Yellow To Orange.

Suda: (Laughs) FYTO! I see. So it's "fight-o." I wonder why it's "from yellow to orange." From yellow to orange for a Japanese means… he likes blondes? No, that can't be it (laughs).

And here's Suda's opinion on tentacles:

Suda: What do you like?

Monkey Island 2 and…

Suda: How about Snatcher and Policenauts?

Of course. The Konami and LucasArts games are great.

Suda: What games did LucasArts produce?

Monkey Island, Loom, Day of the Tentacle, games like that.

Suda: Hmm… tentacle… tentacles are alright (laughs). So you like games like that, not text adventures?

There you have it. Tentacles are all right. Who knows ... maybe No More Heroes will have a few? That would rock. You know what's even better than tentacles though? Money.

What's most important is after you finish playing the game, you walk away feeling lucky to have played it, and elements in the game's storyline or the game itself can actually influence you somehow in real life. If I make a game like that, I can die anytime with no regrets. But I'm greedy, so I think I probably won't die. At least not until I make lots of money like Rockstar Games!

I would definitely recommend giving the complete interview a read. Suda is a total blast to read about and has some very interesting things to say about how games should be developed. I wouldn't be surprised if No More Heroes turns out to be a AAA-ish title for the Wii at all.

[ADVANCE]

Archaic Sealed Heat DS info

I have to say, Archaic Sealed Heat for the DS looks like an incredible game. Details about the game are scant, but whatever we do know seems extremely encouraging.

For one thing, the game is being developed by Mistwalker. It seems to feature a pretty interesteing interface as far as battles are concerned. According the game's Wikipedia entry:

Gameplay will be contained on the bottom of the screen, while the top screen contains an FMV depicting the action of the battle.


This game will feature video pre-rendering process, where segments of complete animation were already compiled before the gameplay rather than render graphics as the game advances. This technique causes the visuals on the small resolution screen to be of higher quality.

That certainly seems like an extremely unique approach to DS design. No wonder the game's screenshots look so incredible. Archaic Sealed Heat (or ASH, as it is commonly referred to) has been in development since 2005. Plot details aren't exactly in abundance either, but back in '05, Hironobu Sakaguchi did reveal some plot points to Famitsu:

In an interview with Famitsu magazine, Sakaguchi said that the game's heroine is a queen named Aisha who is left all alone after her castle home burns to the ground. Or so she thinks - it's not long before those who died in the fire are back, only in spooky ash-based form. Sakaguchi also hinted that there are other characters who have travelled back in time from the future.

Although he didn't have the plot completely formed in his head at the time, Archaic Sealed Heat has made significant progress since that interview.


Now, some new information has popped up about the game on NeoGAF:

- The story is about Aisha. She is the Empress as well as the Protagonist.
- The battle has RPG flair.. The Party is becoming one
- The upper screen shows the Party the touchscreen shows the Monsters
- Many CG movies
- They put a lot of effort in the environments
- The Battle system is very strategic you have many party members and colleagues that can be used for free strategic moves

The Battle screen
- Shows fight, item, wait and escape
- There is a HP and MP barometer
- 3 members in one party
- 6 new characters

- The graphics are the best on the DS yet

I honestly cannot wait to see what the finished game looks like. It seems very different from the kind of games Square Enix and the other role-playing developers seem to be making for the DS. I guess we'll find out soon enough which game will come out on top as the definitive DS role-playing experience: Final Fantasy IV or Archaic Sealed Heat.

[ADVANCE]

PS3 price drop finally confirmed?

Wow. I totally did not see this coming. All along, I've always figured that Sony would manage to hold on till late 2007 when some quality titles would hit the PlayStation 3 and boost its sales. I've never once thought that they would seriously consider a price drop this early on in the system's life. However, it looks like I could have been wrong.

GameDaily reports that the rumours from earlier regarding the PS3's price drop were, in fact, true. The Circuit City ad seems to hold the correct information.

It wasn't clear at first if this ad was a special deal specific to the electronics retailer or if it's indeed a retail-wide price cut instituted by Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA). As it turns out, a merchandising manager (who wished to remain anonymous) at one of the world's biggest retailers has confirmed to GameDaily BIZ that the price drop is indeed retail-wide and it's scheduled to take place on July 12, although the first wave of ads to promote the PS3's new price won't kick in until Sunday, July 15.

So, it's finally happening. A $100 price cut. I'm still scratching my head over this one. I know I shouldn't be ... it just seems so unreal. I wonder what things are like over at SCEA right now.

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DS camera add-on, Face Training revealed

Face Training? Or more specifically, Face Training? Yes, that is the actual name of Nintendo's latest upcoming game on the DS.

Face Training ships with a camera add-on which goes into the GBA slot on the DS. The camera records your face as you play and helps you "train it". Hence the name Otona No DS Kao Training or Face Training.

This, of course, is going to be a hit with all the women. However, I'm more interested in the potential of that camera. Two screens, touch screen, a mic and now a camera? The DS has got to be the most diverse gaming platform to be created since the Virtual Boy. Yes, I said it.

[Via Game|Life]

[ADVANCE]

Tetsuya Nomura talks Final Fantasy Versus XIII , Kingdom Hearts

Next-Gen has managed to do what few other game publications outside of Japan could hope to do at this point in time: Talk to Square Enix's backbone, Tetsuya Nomura himself about his ongoing project for the company; Final Fantasy XIII.

Well, not exactly XIII itself, but a game from the Fabula Nova Crystallis series. More specifically, the Final Fantasy-meets-Kingdom Hearts-and-Dirge of Cereberus hybrid, Final Fantasy Versus XIII. And what a talk it is! This is honestly the first time in a long while that a Square Enix interview has actually, genuinely got my attention for reasons other than screenshots or a trailer. You'll excuse me if I proceed to dissect various bits of the interview:

How do you consider that Versus XIII can offer this counterpoint to the Final Fantasy series?

The stories from the past entries in the Final Fantasy series are not exactly as I would have done, but that’s as it should be because I didn’t direct them. My only concern in terms of Versus XIII is that FF always talks about human emotion and psychologies in a broad way, and I want to go deeper in terms of offering some crude reality in terms of human emotion or human behaviour. The goal, when a player holds a controller and plays an RPG, is to make them believe in another world – to experience a dream in a fictional world. It will be different in Versus XIII because of the intrusion of the real world, and things that are really happening. There will be less fiction and more reality.

I must say, that is an extremely refreshing answer. No more "We have to create a fantasy world and make players relate to fantasy characters blah blah blah..." That's been done before. A lot. This is Nomura's answer to 20 years of fantasies. A change in style and ideology would be extremely welcome right about now. That answer right there just convinced me that this time around, the spin-off might actually best the main game in a series.

Moving on, Nomura makes comparisons between the game and his pet project Kingdom Hearts.

Those previous projects as director were the Kingdom Hearts games, which are much lighter than what we know of Versus XIII. Is the darker concept you have outlined a necessary change for you as director?

The world of Versus XIII might be a little closer to my personal taste than Kingdom Hearts, but the entire project owes something to Kingdom Hearts as well. When I first began KH I was part of the FF core team, and tried to bring elements of that into the development. The KH team was always inspired by FF, and I’d like to see that reversed. But as for the differences between KH and FF, KH is a lighter world of magic, fantasy, and people doing good things. I’ve been in that world for a very long time – perhaps too long.

Damn straight, Nomura. More power to you! This probably also explains why the Kingdom Hearts III teaser looks so different from what we've seen in past games in the franchise. Has Nomura decided it is time for the series to grow up a bit? After all, its fans probably have.

This might across as rather fanboyish, but I'm beginning to see why Tetsuya Nomura is so revered at Square. It's almost as if he's their Miyamoto. However, making that comparison might not be fair ... although, at this point I'm not very sure to whom. Hopefully we'll get to see a bit of the new Final Fantasy titles at E3. As a big fan of growth and change, I love that Square is finally taking the series in a different direction.

Nomura also talks about how developing for the PS3 doesn't really mean better graphics. Rather, it means seamless environments with several simultaneous events in progress. Highly recommended reading if you're into game design ideology.

[ADVANCE]

Ragnarok Online DS? Whaaaa?!

Hold up, hold up ... Ragnarok Online DS? DS? Why was I not told about this?

Apparently, there is a Ragnarok Online DS in the works and it has been bumped to 2008. But who cares?! RO DS! That. Is. Awesome.

Normally, I avoid MMORPGs like the plague, but RO is another matter entirely ... I've wasted several hours of my life on Ragnarok Online. Now, the question is, will this be a port of the game or will it actually include something new?

Either way, I'm psyched.

[NeoGAF via Go Nintendo]

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Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles to feature co-op mode

You know what's cooler than an on-rails lightgun game revival? A co-op on-rails lightgun game revival. And what better game to be honoured with the presence of a co-op mode than Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles?

That's right ... according to Famitsu, Umbrella Chronicles is going to feature a cooperative mode. Well, according to Jeux-France anyway. Yeap. According to J-F according to Famitsu.

Now, I haven't doubted Famitsu before and I don't plan to start doing so now. However, there is no mention of what the co-op mode will be like ... that is, whether it will be online (doubtful) or even with another, actual human player. In which case, you should be a little worried about the screen getting too cluttered. But not much because I'm sure Capcom has it figured out.

[ADVANCE]

Media Blasters reveals new solicitations

Among the various companies at Anime Expo was Media Blasters, owners of Kitty Media, which is famous mostly for its licensed releases of Bible Black. Of course, Media Blasters themselves have a fairly decent line-up of shows, but who cares about those, right?

Kidding, kidding. Calm down ... you with the reversed blade. Put it away.

Moving on, here's a list of MB's solicitations as of the end of AX '07:

Kujibiki Unbalance, Genshiken OVA, Ikki Tousen sequel Dragon Destiny, Otome wa Onee-sama ni Koi Shiteru (aka The Maidens are Falling in Love with Me.

But here's where it gets really interesting. In addition to these series, Media Blasters also announced two other OVAs, namely Angel's Feather and Futari H (or Futari Ecchi as it is known in the manga community). Futari Ecchi (the manga) was announced by TOKYOPOP as part of their solicitations not too long ago. I had no idea a Futari Ecchi manga even existed. It'll be interesting to see how they handle it.

In addition to this, they also nabbed the rights to Golden Boy from ADV and to Angel Sanctuary from Central Park Media. Finally, Media Blasters is also working on a new Kite OVA, which is titled Kite Liberator.

[Via Anime News Network]

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Soulcalibur Legends director touches upon Wii controls

SoulCalibur Legends is one of those Wii spin-offs no one saw coming. Information on the game has been scarce so far, and we don't know much, except for the fact that it will be an action/adventure game.

Speaking with CVG, the game's director Jin Okubo tried to explain the reason for this change in direction:

"Many people have already experienced the sword play and action of Soul Calibur, but we really wanted to expand its potential - and that's why we decided to go in a new direction. We'd like to make Legends appeal even to people who have never played a game in the Soul Calibur series."

Now, the first flaw with that ideology is failing to understand that people who have never played a Soul Calibur game in their lives will have little reason to pick up Legends. Also, were one to hear about Soul Calibur for the first time, they would most likely want to play it in its original form, ie; a fighting game.

Even so, Soulcalibur Legends could very well be a real treat for actual fans of the franchise. I'm strangely excited by the prospect of flailing a Wiimote about to perform Taki's diverse range of moves. Jin goes on to explain:

"By swinging the Wii Remote as players please, in-game characters will perform the exact sword actions that players are thinking of," Okubo added. "The Nunchuk is mainly used for body movement, but by shaking the Nunchuk it's also possible to block incoming attacks, evade dangerous situations, and to perform other unique moves. And there are various moves that can only be pulled off by combining Nunchuk and Wii Remote actions."

Why do I sense a hint of subterfuge in that explanation? More specifically, "Exact sword actions"? I thought 1-to-1 movements on the Wii were impossible because the system can't remember where the controller is in relation to the screen? That would technically mean that, while you could pull off 1-to-1 movements, you wouldn't be able to link them together.

I could be wrong of course. The Wiimote is still shrouded in mystery, so there's no telling to what extent people can exploit its technology. Still, SoulCalibur Legends does, at the very least, look like an interesting change of pace and direction from the main series. Hopefully, we won't end up comparing it to Soul Calibur II's Weapon Master mode.

[ADVANCE]

Life-sized Loli dolls

Gotta love Japan. Nowhere else would you see life-sized loli dolls, complete with clothes and a pillow, priced approximately at $6,000. The ones currently in question are from Orient Industries' "Candy Girl" line.

That up there is Meg. Deep in thought. Sure looks like she could use some attention, doesn't she? Yeah...

Er, I mean, life-sized loli dolls? Ewwww!

[Via Secret Japan]

[ADVANCE]

ImaginAsian to release Cat's Eye, Ie Naki Ko and Orguss

Talk about awesome. According to Anime Online, ImaginAsian will be broadcasting Orguss (1983), Nobody's Boy Remi a.k.a. Ie Naki Ko (1977) and my personal favourite, Cat's Eye (1983) on their TV network.

In addition to this, the aforementioned titles will also be released on DVD as part of the TMS Anime Classics line. The first volume of each will come with a DVD case with space for subsequent volumes. Subsequent volumes will be released in a sleeve and will cost $9.99, whereas the first volume of each will cost $12.99.

$9.99 for five episodes of Cat's Eye? That is an excellent deal. In case you haven't heard of it, Cat's Eye is a series about three female cat burglars by Tsukasa Hojo. I'm so ordering the first volume for myself. I got a chance to watch the series a couple of years back, and loved every second of it.

[ADVANCE]

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 DS images

YES! Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 DS images. My week is made. Many thanks, as always, to Jeux-France for uncovering them.


I have to say, the game looks gorgeous scaled down on the DS screen. There is also a new "Puzzle mode" added to the game, which looks like you'll be using a Tetris-like game to to damage your opponent. Considering that the game comes with online play, I can't wait to get my hands on it.

More pics after the jump.

[ADVANCE]

Retro discusses Metroid Prime 3

So, I'm guessing everyone knows by now that Metroid Prime 3 has gotten delayed by a week? Oh well, that's not too bad ... I doubt it has anything to do with development. Probably has more to do with Nintendo trying to find the most appropriate time to release the game. (Appropriate being just before Halo 3)

In the mean time, GamePro has managed to land a rather interesting interview with Michael Kelbaugh, President and CEO of Retro Studios. More than an interview, it's a rather lighthearted and frank discussion about the game and the series in general. Comparisons to Halo are made, debated over, the lack of online play is explained, the controls etc etc. It really is a rather interesting affair.

If Nintendo came to you and said, "We really liked the Prime series, and we want to a boxed set of all three games, but we'd need you to adapt the first two games to the Wii-mote." How long would it take to adapt those old games to the Wii-mote?

Oh, you're talking about code that's six, seven years old, so I can't answer that without diving into it.

Though for the Tokyo Game Show, a couple years ago, we did take Metroid Prime 2 code and adapt it to the Wii controller, and that took a couple months. But to really do it right, and really incorporate all the features of MP1 and MP2, it would take a while. It's just hard to really answer that without diving into it.

It's a great idea, though.

Well, go ahead and do it. And have them packaged in a Samus helmet.

I think I'm in love with that screenshot up there. It may not be high-res or anything, but I love how Samus's suit is designed. It looks kind of like the Fusion suit, only more mechanical and less "symbiotic". Can't wait for this game to release ... there are so many hopes riding on it.

[ADVANCE]