Konami Pre-E3 Show Round-Up Part 1

A couple of days ago, a timer appeared on the Konami site with the title “E3 is Coming” above it. When the timer reached zero, a pre-taped video launched on GameTrailers.com. In that video, some of Konami’s upcoming titles were announced. I figured I would rundown the list of what was announced and give my thoughts on them. First up:

Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater

The creative producer of Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater for the 3DS, Yoshikazu Matsuhana, kicked things off (after the intro) by talking about the upcoming game. Matsuhana has worked on pretty much every Metal Gear game to date, and this new one is “a tribute to the successful, long-running Metal Gear series.”

He said that one of the reasons they decided to remake Snake Eater for the 3DS was to properly showoff the hardware of the handheld, such as the stereoscopic 3D. Since most of the game takes place in a jungle, they wanted to “truly display the beauty and depth of the jungle.” With all the different pieces of scenery in the jungle and with the 3D, they were able to create a “natural depth of field” which is better looking with a much wider scope than an “interior environment.”

But the 3D screen is not the only new hardware specs Konami will be utilizing in the 3DS. One of the cornerstones of the Metal Gear is Snake’s camo. Players have had a lot of different camo choices in the past. But this time around, players will be able to use the camera on the 3DS for new camo. You take a picture of something, and then whatever you took a picture can then be used as camo. Matsuhana called this feature “photo-camo.” The 3DS’s gyroscope will also be used for balance when climbing trees or crossing narrow planks or vines…. or something.

To be honest, I have never played an actual Metal Gear games before. I once played a bit of the demo for Peace Walker but they just never looked that appealing to me. Neither does this one really. Plus I would have to buy a 3DS, and those cost money, and my ass is broke. Oh, well….. Trailer!

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

Yupp…. That’s a soccer game. Shingo “Seabass” Takasuka, a guy working on PES 12, showed up to talk about his game since he will not be at E3. His was doing well.

According to Seabass, when they started making PES, they wanted to “implement the ideal game experience.” In PES 2011, players could control the ball handler’s movements, but soccer is a team sport. This time, the team focused on the movements of the off-the-ball players as well as the ball handler’s. The AI controlled members of your team support you in whatever game plans you make. That is the kind of game Seabass and his team want to make.

The offense weren’t the only ones getting upgrades, though. The AI for the opposing team has been updated for more sophisticated moves. This helps the defense feel more realistic. They also upgraded the delay play from the previous game (whatever that is).

Even with all these fancy new thingies thrown into the game, Seabass believes that all that alone makes the game “too simple and keeps it at a standstill.” That’s why they also beefed up the one on one encounters on the field, emphasizing the players technique. The team improved some soccer moves that I don’t understand making them easier to perform.

And that was a brief intro to PES 2012. If you want to keep up to date on news and events for PES, here’s a link to their Facebook page. Now, moving on to the trailer.

NeverDead

Now this is something I am actually really interested in. Shinta Nojiri, the producer of the new IP action game, was at the Oxford base where he and his team have been “creating the characters, story and unique game design.”

As the title implies, the main character is immortal and can never die. Shinta originally started this project one his own with just the idea of the immortal player character. Even if he was dismembered, the player could just collect his limbs again and go right back to playing.

The story starts 500 years in the past, and we are introduced to Bryce, a legendary demon hunter. He challenges the Demon King and loses. The shit keeps on coming because his wife, who was with him at the time (for some reason), is murdered in the process.

Shinta says that the most unique and interesting feature in NeverDead, one that you won’t find in any other game, is that the player character cannot be killed. It’s third-person shooter action, but no matter what kind of attack the player sustains they can keep on going. Even when their arms and legs are cut off or blown off or something, you just pick them back up and they reattach. Then you get right back into the action.

One of the first things they had to do when making the game was come up with the immortality mechanics. They couldn’t just have detachable limbs. They had to think of ways the players could use those limbs to their advantage.

Shinta’s goal with this game was to create something completely new, something that hadn’t really been seen before. Since it is a third-person shooter, people will be familiar with that. But it is the immortality mechanics that, Shinta believes, will deliver a game unlike any we have seen before.

I am so fucking stoked to see more of this game. It kind of reminds me of Stubbs the Zombie with the idea of removing limbs to help you fight, but this is way crazier. The immortality stuff looks really cool. Check out this trailer:

Well, I’m tired. Looks like this will have to be a two-parter. Check back tomorrow for the rest of the Konami Pre-E3 Round-Up and come back the rest of the week for whatever E3 news we can actually cover. Let me know in the comments what you think of the titles I talked about so far and what you want to see from this E3. Not just from Konami, from anyone you want. See you tomorrow.