Konami and Hudson Soft reveal all-new cop partnership for Nintendo DS: Law and Starling
Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced it will release MIAMI CRISIS, a new action-adventure title for Nintendo DS created and published by Hudson Soft, in September.A mix of crime-scene detection and action elements, MIAMI CRISIS offers the player to guide one of two characters – Martin Law from the Miami PD or FBI Agent Sara Starling – as they are charged with solving a series of linked crimes in the US city. Law is an intense officer who will use any means necessary to make a bust, while Sterling is an intelligent agent with an eye for detail, and both will face different challenges as the game unfolds.
Playing as Martin Law, players will experience a more action-orientated game, wherein the Miami PD officer becomes embroiled in the hard-edged side of law enforcement, with MIAMI CRISIS throwing up car chases, intense shoot-outs and face-offs. Alternatively, playing as Starling presents a more puzzle-solving side to the game, with the FBI agent using forensics and detailed examination techniques to search for clues. Both are working to uncover a shadowy terrorist conspiracy, but their successes and failures along the way will have an ongoing effect on the plot.
Eight-player racer roars on to Wii this July
Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced a new multi-player racing title entitled Driift (working title), which will be released as a WiiWare title from July.Viewed from above, Driift is a fast-paced racer that allows up to eight players to race each other, using cartoon-style chars. Featuring twelve different tracks based on four themed environments – cityscape, hills, snow and a desert oasis – players can also select one of 32 vehicles from four categories. Each category is tailored for use within the different environments, with variations of speed, acceleration and handling and grip levels making specific vehicles ideal for particular locations.
Driift’s multi-player modes allow users to play using combinations of Wii Remotes, Nunchucks and Classic Controllers, and seven game modes are on offer. These range from the single-player and multi-player championships, and Team Race, wherein participants are divided into two teams, with the winner determined by those that accrue the most points. The VIP mode elects one player per team as a VIP vehicle, who must be protected at all costs from the opposition cars, with the removal of the VIP car resulting in a win for the attacking team.
Target stores have begun placing their Wii merchandise (including Wii Fit games, Wii consoles, and Wii accessories) in the toddler sections of their stores. The logic behind this is likely to appeal to the younger demographic of Wii fans, or the appeal of Wii Fit to mothers and their children. In my own opinion, this is a good move to increase sales of Wii products, but I feel that it only adds to the child-like appeal of the Wii, which will further “deteriorate” the system’s image to more serious gamers.
“Right, right. Well we wouldn’t have minded Nintendo at all. But of course, that’s not really their style so… Yeah, of all of the others that we could possibly have gotten, I think that Sega was a very good choice. We had some other offers earlier on, but we obviously passed them by because they weren’t really with us in the spirit of what we were trying to accomplish. What I mean is, there were people who wanted to like, get everything out there as soon as possible and make that quick buck; and that’s just not what we wanted to do with this.” – Rob Nicholls, Lead Game Designer on The Conduit
1. 467,891 DS – Mario & Luigi RPG 3
2. 459,876 PS3 – Yakuza 3
3. 428,545 PS3 – Resident Evil 5
4. 356,305 PSP – Monster Hunter Portable 2 G (BEST)
5. 355,784 PSP – Shin Sangoku Musou: Multi Raid
6. 301,609 Wii – Wii Fit
7. 300,753 DS – Rhythm Heaven
8. 296,037 PSP – Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2
9. 243,240 DS – Wagamama Fashion: Girls Mode
10. 220,550 Wii – Taiko no Tatsujin Wi
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
– Matt did call Bozon about the game and Bozon was pissed
– Not a port, not a Wiimake
– It’s a reimagining
– Designed for Wii
– Start the game similar to the original
– Told to fill out a form for Psych Profile – lasts for rest of the game
– If you said you drink alcohol, might see a bar that’s open instead of a diner
– Character interactions, backgrounds change
– Looks very good
– Better than the flashlight in Fragile, Winter
– “Looks really damn good”
– Frame-rate holds up
– Stylized
– Matt doesn’t mind the character designs
– No weapons – Matt likes the idea
– Environments really good, dynamic, snow effects are great
– When it changes to Nightmare World, it happens dynamically
– Matt was really impressed, psyched for it
– Not bloody but will be an M rated title
Fatal Frame
– Not coming to America anytime soon
– Matt still trying to get another word from Nintendo but it has been difficult
– Reggie had said that Nintendo is not the publisher of Fatal Frame IV in North America
– “Translated” Tecmo statement: Nintendo, what the hell are you doing? We’re going to call you out and let the fans know it’s your fault, not ours
– Bozon thinks the game would need some changes before it would come out
– Would be a welcomed addition to the library even though it wouldn’t receive the best review score and would be a bit clunky/unchanged
– Real loss for the audience since it appeals to the hardcore player
– Fatal Frame wasn’t a huge seller in Japan
Gamereactor published a “preliminary analysis” article on The Conduit and essentially slammed the game with a tough score. The magazine gave the game a 2/5 rating, but again, this is based on a preview build. Gamereactor criticized The Conduit for having a weak storyline while also ragging a bit on the game’s controls. Full machine-translated article after the break.
