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T*HQ announced Friday that it has signed an agreement with entertainment software developer, Aramat Productions Inc., to develop and publish Dead Unity, a 3-D science-fiction adventure game for the Playstation.
The game is promised to be an immersive, real-time 3D adventure game, set in alternate universe.
Dead Unity should be released in first quarter, 1998.
1/31/97
To help celebrate Mega Man’s ten-year anniversary, Capcom have created a new racing game with a Mega Man theme. And while 3D polygonal racing may seem about as far away from Mega Man as you can get, they’ve still managed to keep hold of that certain Mega style. And it’ll only be available on the PlayStation. The whole thing is flat shaded It’s all laid out in bold Mega Man colors, and looks just like a Mega Man game should.
It has the same look as Mario Kart and other, combat-based racing games. Mega man Battle And Chase puts you behind the wheel of one of 10 wacky cars, each based off of Mega Man’s anime theme. Mega’s car is actually a large, mobile version of his dog, Rush, and some of the other vehicles include a bizarre snowmobile contraption and other such strangeness.
The races take place on 8 different courses, ranging from city streets, to canyons, to a rather difficult mechanical factory. The road itself is beset with strips to slow you down and speed you up, and there are plenty of hazards to contend with. As you drive, you pick up various weapons that scroll, slot machine-like, and get chosen randomly. These weapons can temporarily slow down your opponents in a variety of ways. and when you win, you get to take your opponent’s primary weapon, just like in the old Mega Man games.
Atlus, publishers of the infamous Devil Summoner, is preparing for a February release of Lunacy, a FMV adventure game originally created by Sega of Japan. The game is on schedule and 99% complete.
Command & Conquer, Westwood's popular real-time strategy game, will be released in Japan under the Sega label. Its release date is scheduled for Spring '97.
Sega will also be releasing Shinseiki Evangelion 2nd Impression on 3/7/97. This title is an eagerly awaited tie-in to the popular "babes and heavy mecha" anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, completing Sega's grand production tour of Evangelion trading cards, model kits, and posters.
Capcom is releasing a new shooter called X2, coming March 2nd. The game combines side-scrolling and top-down shooting genres, and uses a mix of computer-rendered and hand-drawn graphics. (We've seen this game, and it looks great, but super hard)
First details on Eidos red hot sequel. Tomb Raider 2 is already making waves with its new features. Eidos is toying around with multiple outfits for Lara. Though nothing is final yet, one thing is for certain, she will sport new clothes. Another new addition in the works is a harpoon gun which she can carry with her while swimming! New abilities Lara now posseses include rock climbing and crawling underneath objects. Eidos is also working hard to make the new level design vastly different from the original, so no comparisons will be made. Finally, human enemies will be more abundant than ever. All these new tidbits are making our mouths water.
It appears that Bushido Blade is nearing completion. Each character (there are six total) now has "good" and "bad" side to them, or Yin and Yan. The differences are very subtle between the two and are made most obvious by their uniform colors. Also, each character can now select one weapon from an ansenal of eight different types. These range from guns to kendo to shurikens. The wizards at Square have programmed each of the characters with motion blurs to give the illusion motion when a fast attack or dash is performed.
Bushido Blade is due out in mid-March in Japan. A US release date is still up in the air.
Electronic Arts has picked up Overblood, a Resident Evil type game for domestic release. The game is nearly translated and a release date will be set...check back later.
Within a week after it announced its merger with Sega, Bandai surprises gamers again. Bandai America announced today week that it will be publishing Saturn games for America. It's first release will be Akira Toriyama's ultra popular Dragon Ball Z game. There are currently two different Dragon Ball Z games available in Japan, but Dragon Ball Z Legends, the latest in the series will be the lucky winner.
Sony says the new machine won't happen for a few years "We plan to continue selling the 32-bit model for at least another two to three years,"Nobuyuki Idei, Sony chief executive
He thought it would take three or four years for DVD (Digital Video Disc) technology to really take off, Idei was asked when Sony planned to introduce their 64-bit machine, the PlayStation 2 (the new machine is rumored to incorporate DVD technology).
While this may seem a long time to wait, this means that Sony is very committed to their current platform, and that we should see software continue to come out for a long time.
Sony announcement sparks further Sega drama. Rumors surrounding a new machine from Sega continue to build in development and user communities. Sony's recent announcement that a PlayStation 2 would be released at the earliest in 1999, may have put Sega in the catbird seat as far as new hardware announcements go. Deals with Lockheed Martin over graphic technology for Model 3 arcade boards may stretch to Sega's home console development.
A Power PC based console capable of running Virtua Fighter 3 would represent a pretty dramatic leap forward - but Saturn still has a great foothold in Japan, so why risk alienating existing consumers? Sega will undoubtedly make some sort of announcement this year, even if only to deny the existence of "Eclipse" (the most commonly recurring codename) or any other hardware.
Maybe Sega will respond with the dream machine some people have been wishing for. Take a look
Power PC based 64 bit hardware. DVD storage. Saturn compatibility (downward). Low price point. Lots of AM2 arcade conversions.
Saturn owners have yet to see any support of the NetLink outside Sega's offices. Despite their optimistic claims of a large number developers ready to make online games, support may be less than total.
GT Interactive, one of two companies announcing online support at the October debut of the NetLink, seems to have dropped any plans for online games. GT reps were not aware of any plans to make NetLink games for 1997. But as mentioned yesterday, May be giving games like Duke Nukem to another publisher. So not all hope is lost
Capcom is the only known 3rd party company that will produce a NetLink title in the near future. And is still in developement
Capcom Entertainment today announced that their long running, blue action hero, Mega Man, is celebrating his tenth birthday by premiering on the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn with Mega Man 8 - Anniversary Collector's Edition. Mega Man is an icon among video game players and Mega Man 8 is the most advanced Mega Man ever. It catapults the "Blue Bomber" into the next generation with Japanese-anime style intros, cut scenes, cinema screens, new robots, cartoon-quality action and new innovations in gameplay.
In honor of his anniversary, Capcom has added a special bonus to Mega Man 8 by packing in a 12-page Mega Man Anthology Collector's Book packaged inside each game. This series retrospective Collector's Book charts the history of Mega Man's first seven games and exhibits Mega Man art previously unreleased in the United States. Purchasers of Mega Man 8 will also be able to take advantage of an additional special offer to own a numbered, limited edition resin kit model of Mega Man in action stance. Capcom also plans to announce other Mega Man special offers to it's web surfing fans through the Capcom website http://www.capcom.com. Mega Man 8 - Anniversary Collector's Edition will be available in March.
"Mega Man is one of Capcom's most successful and recognizable characters," says Simone Seydoux, product marketing manager at Capcom Entertainment. "Mega Man has now appeared in dozens of titles across multiple platforms, is starring in his own hit cartoon series, has generated a popular toy line, and has firmly established himself among gamers. With Mega Man celebrating his tenth birthday, the timing is perfect for Capcom to present his new adventures on the 32-bit platform."
Celebrating with Mega Man in his 10th Anniversary Edition is his entire supporting cast of characters including Roll, Protoman, Rush, Bass, Treble, Flip-Top, Auto, Dr. Light and the nasty Dr. Wily. Mega Man 8 retains all the classic qualities that have kept the series a hit for over ten years while adding new and enhanced power-ups, weapons, moves, and secrets. Mega Man 8 features 14 huge stages with eight all-new Wily-bots for Mega Man to battle. The game also provides players a way to upgrade and customize Mega Man to their own specifications each time they play.
After numerous delays and at least one gameplay concept scrapped, Kirby's Air Ride once again faces a total re-design. Apparently Nintendo feels they have too many racers slated for the N64, and have decided to mold Kirby's first 64-bit game into something totally different (many sources state a side scrolling action title). There's been no word on when we might finally see this new Kirby title, or when pictures of this new version will be released.
Now that the hype and the hoopla of the Christmas gaming season has subsided, Sony has revealed its Yuletide sales figures. According to figures, Sony PlayStation actually outsold Nintendo 64 in the N64 launch period of Sept 29 thru December 31. Sony sold 1.46 million machines versus 1.3 million (approximately) N64s during the same period. These of course are US figures, but they're pretty significant.
Does this mean that Sony won the Christmas battle? Well Nintendo sold virtually all the machines they had manufactured - and their figures suggest that they could have sold more N64s if they had them. However, the figures Sony just announced suggest that the PlayStation became a true mass-market consumer electronic device this Christmas. Some consumers decided perhaps, that after such a long
Nintendo has just announced a Japanese release date of April 27 for their highly anticipated N64 title, StarFox 64! Sadly though, StarFox is also the last Nintendo-made game (other than the Japanese version of Shadows of the Empire) still on the Japanese release list. Every other Nintendo title is floating in the limbo of "unknown", so unless Nintendo starts making some surprise announcements soon, this might be the last major N64 title we'll see until later in the year.
Seta is putting the finishing touches to two great new action titles. Rev Limit and Wild Choppers are two of the most eagerly awaited N64 titles around.
Rev Limit looks like something of a standard setter for the Nintendo 64. A race game with a Ridge racer-style scenario and amazing graphics, the game is further enhanced by the use of analog control for steering. The polygon count is high, the frame rate is smooth and all in all, Rev Limit could be the first true racing game for the N64 unlike Cruis'n USA and Mario Kart is fun, but doesn't supply the high-octane thrills of say, Daytona USA.
Wild Choppers on the other hand is a pretty straightforward shooter, with the added bonus of 64 bit 3D graphics. You can choose from a variety of helicopters (and pilots) each with different abilities and weapons. Blowing stuff up is the main objective and Seta has done something pretty special with the pyrotechnic effects in this game. If you don't leave the smoke-filled ruins of a city behind you, then you aren't playing properly.
Both games are due to debut in Spring in Japan, and although no release dates have been confirmed for the US, both games have already been picked up for an American launch and should show up here soon after.
Here's the latest news on Konami's next US RPG release.
The story takes place 15 years after a massive revolution. The people of the newly formed Ishtarian Republic have been at peace even though their leader, Arris, has disappeared. Now, revolution once again threatens to destroy the peace. People are becoming restless, and the military is becoming corrupt. Your character, Ash, starts off as an Ishtarian security, but like in Suikoden, realize that something has gone terribly wrong with the nobles and government. It is now the time for you to choose sides and forge alliances.
Vandal Hearts is broken up into a bunch of separate acts. The battle system is very close to Mystaria/Blazing Heroes, but the lack of menu shortcuts makes battles a little more tedious and tiresome. However, the battle environment is fantastic, creating beautiful stages and backdrops. The addition of the dynamic camera, which pans and zooms around the battle makes the fight even more dramatic. The story starts out a little slow, but picks up in a hurry after an hour into the game. Unlike Mystaria, Vandal Hearts spends more time on character development and stays focused on the plot.
Konami definately has a winner in Vandal Hearts. Expect it to hit stores sometime this spring.
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