PlayStation LifeStyle » Konami

PSP’s New Suikoden Pre-Order Bonuses Evoke Nostalgia

Heath Hindman — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:41:18 +0000

On February 9th, Japanese PSP owners will get a brand new Suikoden game in Genso Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki (Suikoden: The Whirling 100-Years). Recently, Konami let out some character screens taken from the game’s animated sequences and the official packaging. Pre-order bonuses.

Knowing the popularity of its older games, Konami’s pre-order bonuses are custom PSP themed that will remind longtime Suikoden fans of yesteryear, as they feature recognizable artwork of the previous games’ characters. The themes vary by retailer, and full details can be found on the official website, or by clicking the image above — the one in which you can see multiple pictures. Of course, to ensure that people don’t simply download the images and make their own themes without pre-ordering the game, the only released images are very small and have SAMPLE written across them.

This game has not been the subject of any international release announcements and sadly, chances seem a bit on the low end.

[Via]

New Silent Hill: Downpour Screens Will Drench You With Fear

Josh Fernandes — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 03:45:24 +0000

You know how it goes. You’re cruising along, enjoying the scenery, and then you make a wrong turn and end up in Silent Hill and have the town psychoanalyze you. With this town not being very friendly towards tourists, the franchise’s many different protagonists always find it much harder to leave the town than to find it. The next installment of the Silent Hill franchise, Silent Hill: Downpour, follows the story of a prisoner being transported in an armored van who gets stranded in Silent Hill after the van crashes off the side of the road. It turns out this game will have some elements familiar to fans of the series, but some totally new environments.

Check out the screens below and let us know if you are sufficiently creeped out.

Silent Hill: Downpour takes place in an all new area of Silent Hill, specifically the southeastern section of the town. Konami release some screenshots to show off some of the environments of the new section of the town. The screens show off some of the more familiar environments, such as residential sections and deserted city streets. Of course, the fog hangs heavy in Silent Hill and visibility is extremely limited. The screens also show off the exterior of an abandoned mine. So, Silent Hill: Downpour may have the player navigate the claustrophobic corridors of an underground mine. As if Silent Hill environments weren’t horrifying enough. Silent Hill: Downpour may also investigate the original mining disaster that destroyed the town of Silent Hill.

Konami Makes Silent Hill Loud and Proud at Retail Come This March

Tony Wibowo — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:24:39 +0000

Konami needs a lesson in releasing games. Not only is it planning to release three games in one month this March, but the games will be from the same franchise. Yup, you heard that right, Konami is releasing three Silent Hill games in March alone.

Earlier this week, Konami announced a delay for Silent Hill HD Collection, and today it gives us a solid date of March 6. However, the good news (or bad news depending on how you look at it) doesn’t stop there. Konami also announced the release dates for the other two Silent Hill games, Silent Hill: Downpour (PS3) and Silent Hill: Book of Memories (Vita). They are launching on March 13 and March 27 respectively. Three Silent Hill games in four weeks!

Although it is nice to see positive proof that Konami is capable in shipping Silent Hill games to retail stores, but why do they need to be released one after another in one month, and it’s not even close to Halloween, Could it be because the company’s fiscal year ends on March 31? Hmmm.

[source]

January Silent Hill HD Collection Dreams Get Shot Down by Konami

Tony Wibowo — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:59:05 +0000

Silent Hill HD Collection has previously been planned to come out on January 24, 2012. Since the release date is only a few weeks away, fans are extremely excited to play their beloved games all over again, but Konami shot down that dream today — or at least for the near future.

GameInformer reported today that Konami has delayed the Silent Hill HD Collection until March, with no specific day mentioned. The company did not provide any reasons behind the delay, so it might just be in an effort to release within a less competitive window, if not because the game just isn’t ready to go gold.

The collection includes fans favorite from the Silent Hill franchise, Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3. Similar to Sony’s first-party HD collections, Konami also put a lot of work toward this collection; HD visuals and trophy support are to be added to both titles In addition, Konami are also including some extra content for fans of the horror series, such as new (optional) voice over recordings.

Hopefully this news does not dissapoint any of you Silent Hill fans. In positive light, delayed games are better than games with day-one patches anyway.

PS3 Is Lead Platform For Metal Gear Rising

Tony Wibowo — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:44:27 +0000

Yesterday, Konami released a video interview regarding Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance which showed the game being controlled using an Xbox 360 controller. This caused speculation that the game might be developed on an Xbox 360 as the lead platform. However, that is not the case – the game was being played on a PC and the only way to connect a controller to a PC was using an Xbox 360 controller.

Platinum Games Producer Atsushi Inaba cleared the confusion today via a series of tweets. He said that multiplatform games made by his company have always developed on PS3 as the lead platform starting from Vanquish. The only title that Platinum produced that was developed on Xbox 360 was Bayonetta; the PS3 version was handled by external developer, which explains the broken state of the game when it released.

To end the confusion once and for all, he tweeted:

So, in closing, Metal Gear Rising’s lead platform is also PlayStation 3.

So there you go, now that we know that the PS3 is the lead platform we can all expect a top-notch version of the game will release on PS3. Vanquish‘s release last year proved that having the PS3 as the lead platform was the way to go for Platinum, even if it may be more challenging.

[Via]

Metal Gear Solid 4 Was Tailored Specifically for MGS Fans, Says Hideo Kojima

Jonathan Leack — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:20:44 +0000

It’s impossible to ignore Metal Gear Solid 4 even after all of these years. It was the most hyped game of the PlayStation 3 since its announcement, and many consider it to be the first true system seller of the platform. Hideo Kojima had fans of the series in mind when he made the title, and shared his thoughts on how he incorporated fanfare in a recent interview.

When speaking about the most memorable moments in gaming history, Hideo Kojima was contacted by NowGamer for his work in Metal Gear Solid 4, where he commented the following:

MGS4 is a game that I created for hardcore MGS fans who have known and loved the series since MGS1. Therefore, I wanted players to recall their memories of playing MGS1 and to look back on how they matured together with the series.

Who can forget the references Metal Gear Solid 4 made to previous titles in the saga, and especially the entirety of Chapter 4? I vividly remember hearing the song “The Best is Yet to Come” as I entered Shadow Moses for my first time in 10 years. Never before had I felt emotion overwhelm me so much from something fictional, but it was real to me. Seeing the same areas, but in gorgeous high-definition, along with the theme song of the original title evoked déjà vu from my mind, where I remembered the weeks I spent playing the game in middle school. It was around this time (shortly after the PS1 came out) that I began really enjoying video games for my first time, which is something that a lot of people can agree with. Kojima’s ability to utilize these moments in such a powerful way without getting in the way of storytelling is something special, and while only people with previous Metal Gear experience were able to enjoy it at that capacity, the game’s other values made it tasteful for anyone who didn’t understand the references.

Suikoden PSP Gets Release Date in Japan

Tony Wibowo — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 22:52:55 +0000

Konami announced a new Suikoden for PSP during TGS 2011, revealing only a a few details about the game’s story. Today, the title’s official site has announced that it will release on February 9, 2012 in Japan, carrying a price tag of ¥5,980.

Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki will have some limited editions offered via the Konami Style shopping site for Konami products. The “special version” of the game is priced at ¥12,000 and will include the game, a drama CD, a soundtrack and an art book. For ¥9,580, you will get just the game bundled with the soundtrack and drama CD. You can go to the Konami Style site to get more details – if you can read Japanese.

Even though Konami didn’t announce the US release date for the game, it is safe to assume that it will come our way since most Suikoden games in recent memory were released in US (except Genso Suikogaiden Vol. 1 – Swordsman of Harmonia, Genso Suikogaiden Vol. 2 – Duel At Crystal Valley and Genso Suikoden I & II). Hopefully, the game will also be available for PS Vita.

The game’s official site also posted some new screenshots for the game, which you enjoy down below.

[Via]

Fan Feedback Wins; Silent Hill HD to Offer Original and New Voice Overs

Jonathan Leack — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:44:03 +0000

When Konami announced that they’re following the high-definition re-release trends with a Silent Hill HD Collection, fans of the terrifying series were quick to show their excitement. However, after a sample was released which displayed the new audio recordings for Silent Hill 2, the excitement quickly dissipated. As a result, Konami’s management has re-thought their design.

Tomm Hulett and Devin Shatsky of Konami have announced that the Silent Hill HD Collection will allow players to choose whether to use the original voice overs or the new recordings in Silent Hill 2. They even shared that the thousands of petition signers are what made the change happen, showing the importance of fan feedback.

The Silent Hill HD Collection will contain Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3, two of the most well-received titles in the horror series, along with a new 720P visuals and trophies to unlock. The collection will release on January 24th, and will kick off yet another great year of games.

Band Together and Defeat the Horde in Zombie Apocalypse 2

Tyler Minarik — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 03:55:14 +0000

A new trailer for Zombie Apocalypse 2 has been released showing off squad based play and new upgraded powers.

Zombie Apocalypse 2 is the follow up to Backbone Entertainment’s 2009 twin stick shooter which brings significant improvements to the successful original. I had the opportunity to check it out earlier this year at E3, where new level layouts and special powers were available to try out in an early build of the game. One noticeable change was the transition from arena style levels to progressive ones, similar to the also popular twin stick zombie shooting game, Dead Nation. Besides that, players now have the ability to switch characters on the fly to make use of each one’s unique special ability, like using the teddy bear bomb or a healing power to buff your teammates. A new trailer just released shows the game in action, which chaotic battles, huge explosions, and plenty of special powers being fired off withing.

Zombie Apocalypse 2 is also a working title, and has also been seen under the name Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone. No official release date has been announced yet, but Zombie Apocalypse 2 should be arriving on the PSN and XBLA sometime this fall. The PSN itself has been flooded with twin stick shooters, three of which involved killing zombies (Burn, Zombie, Burn!, Zombie Apocalypse, and Dead Nation) but it seems the masses just can’t get enough of murdering the zombie horde. Are you ready to dive back into more zombie killing mayhem from a top down view later this year, or are the zombies finally beginning to warm out their welcome?

Stars Shine on Suikoden PSP Details

Tony Wibowo — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:22:58 +0000

For some gamers, TGS 2011 came and went without any big announcements that would excite them. Many were disappointed by the absence of The Last Guardian and of course Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Konami healed the wound by making a shock announcement of a Suikoden game for PlayStation Portable. Other than a teaser trailer, Konami kept any other details in secret.

Andriasang reported that Famitsu has shared some of the details. The game, whose full title is Genso Suikoden Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki, tells a story about a group of characters (108 presumably) battling an ancient beast that appears every 100 years to destroy the world. Famitsu also reveals names of several main characters of the game such as Jino, Myura, Zephon and Ducasse (yap, it’s a Japanese game alright). Famitsu however does not have any gameplay details on features such as the battle system.

Hopefully we will get more details sooner than later, but in the meantime you can watch the teaser trailer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Silent Hill: Downpour Springs a Leak, Gets Delayed

Cameron Teague — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:33:43 +0000

For those chomping at the bit to get their hands on Silent Hill: Downpour, you are going to have wait a bit longer as the game will not make its fall 2011 launch. Konami has confirmed that the game will be delayed until Q2 2012, which gives them between March and June of 2012 to release the title.

Konami did not give any reason for the delay, but it could either be due to bugs, or the fact that the rest of 2011 is jam-packed with higher profile games. If it has been delayed purely to polish the game, I think most people will be able to stomach the delay, as it could mean a good Silent Hill game, something we haven’t been able to say much lately.

Silent Hill: Downpour will take players back to the town of Silent Hill, but this time they will be exploring areas of the city that have never been available in the past games. Gamers will take control of Murphy Pendleton, an escaped convict who must now survive a new kind of prison.

What do you think of the delay and are you still planning to pick up the game next year?

[Via]

Silent Hill: HD Collection Box Art is Ghostly in the Best Way Possible

Jonathan Leack — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 18:02:50 +0000

The Silent Hill: HD Collection is only a month or two away, and now we have our hands on the official boxart for the title, and as with other releases in the series, it’s a gorgeous piece of art.

Konami’s Silent Hill: HD Collection box art features Maria, an integral character in Silent Hill 2, with an extremely ghostly appearance. It also shows the included games, Silent Hill 2 and 3, both of which had great cover art as well. See it in full glory below:

It was recently confirmed that the collection will only include the two above mentioned titles, which almost immediately faced backlash from fans of the psychologically horrifying series. The Producer responded by stating that Konami only intends to re-release the games that fans truly care about. While the original Silent Hill is perhaps the most renowned, and even sparked a movie adaptation, PlayStation One remakes simply aren’t viable. Thankfully, Silent Hill 2 is included, which features one of the most captivating stories in the series, as well as plenty of thrilling moments.

Konami Supports Vita with 4 Showings at TGS

Heath Hindman — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:57:43 +0000

Without a doubt, the PlayStation Vita is going to be a huge focal point of discussion, observation and excitement at the Tokyo Game Show next month. Hoping to take advantage of some of the buzz, Konami will be bringing a handful Vita games to the show.

The four Vita games are the racing title Asphalt Injection, the oddly named simulation game AR Combat Digi Q, RPG New Little King’s Story (which we reported on over here), and genre-self-explanatory Mahjong Fight Club. The first rule of Mahjong Fight Club is that you do not talk about the movie Fight Club…which contains minimal mahjong.

Konami’s other PSP and PS3 titles set to appear at the show include, but are not limited to, the following, in alphabetical order:

Ao no Eiyuu Birds of Steel (PS3/360)
Blades of Time (PS3/360)
Frontier Gate (PSP)
Metal Gear Solid HD Edition (PS3/360)
Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker HD Edition (PS3/360)
Neverdead (PS3/360)
Pop’n Music Portable 2 (PSP)
Silent Hill HD Edition (PS3)
Silent Hill Downpour (PS3)
Terror of the Stratus (PSP)
Winning Eleven 2012 (PS3/PSP)

There are always a few surprises at game shows like TGS, plus there are three weeks until the show, so more titles for all systems will likely emerge in the near future.

Vita to Get New Little King’s Story Game, Burger King Declares Awesome

Heath Hindman — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:23:07 +0000

Made by Cing and published stateside by XSeed Games in 2009, Little King’s Story pleased many RPG and simulation fans on the Nintendo Wii. It was famous for its epic, lengthy boss battles and huge amount of things to do and places to explore. This week’s Famitsu magazine has revealed that the game might soon become a series, as another title is in development, this time for the PlayStation Vita.

The full title is quite lengthy: The King, The Demon King, and The 7 Princesses: New Little King’s Story. The male lead will the be “little king” Korobo and the female lead will be an obnoxious brat of a princess named Apricot; these were also the main characters of the Wii game. It’s unclear at this time whether it’s an enhanced port or completely new game, though at the very least it will have a new story and Vita upgrades such as touch controls. Development and publishing is being handled jointly by Konami and Marvelous in Japan, as Cing has closed down in the days since the original game’s launch.

The New Little King’s Story is teaming up with Burger King for Japanese promos, which will work well for both groups. My island only just recently got its first Subway. Burger King would be a welcome addition. It is a wonderful restaurant.

[Via]

Silent Hill HD Collection Skips Seven Releases, Includes Only What “Fans Cared” About

Jonathan Leack — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:28:44 +0000

A Silent Hill HD Collection is currently in development and, despite there being nine titles to choose from, only two releases have made it into the collection: Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3. If you’re confused about this move, look no further; one of the Silent Hill Producers has spoken.

Silent Hill: Origins, Shattered Memories, and Downpour Producer, Tomm Hulett, had a chance to speak about the upcoming Silent Hill HD Collection, and has revealed why only two of the Silent Hill releases are packaged into the bundle. Tomm stated:

We really wanted to focus on the we knew fans cared the most about since we needed to put in the effort to put them in HD, redo the sound, and do all these things, we didn’t want to give them something we weren’t sure they wanted 100%

As a series fan, I find this to be a bold statement. The first two releases are the two most well-known, but I was more terrified by Silent Hill 4: The Room than any other release in the decade-old franchise. The Twin Victims are arguably the most frightening in the series next to Pyramid Head, and something about being locked in that creepy apartment ruined my sleeping schedule for a week or two.

If you could pick only two releases in the series to convert to HD, which would you choose? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

[Source]