KONAMI’S 2011 GOALS
Stone concludes: “We’ve made progress and that’s beginning to be noticed, but we’re also going to spend a few years rebuilding PESand rebuilding sales. It’s a long process.” Another major franchise that returns this year is Silent Hill. The new version, Silent Hill: Downpour, is due on PS3 and Xbox 360 in November and is described as a return to the series’ roots. It has less of the running and fighting elements that didn’t prove too popular in the last major, multi- format update, 2008’s Silent Hill: Homecoming. Many people’s favourite Konami
brand, Metal Gear Solid, will get a new lease of life on 3DS in November. A tech demo of MGS: Snake Eater 3Dwas shown extensively by Nintendo itself throughout the launch of its new handheld, whetting the appetites of games and kicking off a slow-burn launch that should explode into life in Q4. PES 2011 3Dwas, of course, part of the format’s launch line-up and, Stone says, has performed pretty much on target. Next up on 3DS is Dr Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights, a title which, thanks to some early, bell-ringing visuals, was widely regarded as Konami’s take on Professor Layton.
FOUR TO THE FORE Selected highlights from the Konami release schedule…
There are similarities, but also plenty of points of different. Stone says the latest versions are looking strong and that confidence is growing internally.
He also says that the title is part
of Konami’s ongoing strategy of regularly introducing new IP, attempting to create new franchises to slot alongside its existing roster.
DEATH AND DANCING Another example is NeverDead, a fantasy/horror action game for PS3 and 360, currently being developed by UK dev team Rebellion under producer Shinta Nojiri.
“With our leading brands, the idea is to make them better and make them feel new, that’s an ongoing challenge,” says Stone.
“But the other challenge is to develop new IP and see if any of them can become a franchise in their own right. That’s difficult, of course – creating and marketing new content is always tough and especially tough in current market conditions – but it’s something we strive to do and we’re confident about what we’ve got in the pipeline.” Another Konami brand worth checking in on is Dance Dance Revolution. In arcades and at home, DDRwas a pioneering and hugely
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DR LAUTREC AND THE FORGOTTEN KNIGHTS 3DS
Q2 2011
Originally derided as a clone of Nintendo’s Professor Laytonseries, Konami’s puzzler is actually a clever mix of exploration and object-related puzzles. While both titles may indeed star an academic in a tall hat, Lautrec’s explorations of 19th century Paris see the player wandering beautifully-realised streets, with key set pieces including daring escapes and retrieving vital clues.
24 May 6th 2011
METAL GEAR SOLID: SNAKE EATER 3D 3DS
November 2011
Kojima Productions makes its 3DS bow with a stunning conversion of the PS2 classic. Boasting the most detailed visuals of any 3DS title, Snake Eater’s jungle is brought to vivid life as series hero Snake sneaks his way into military installations. Awareness for the title is huge following Nintendo’s extensive showing of the game’s trailer. Should be one of the biggest games of the year for the format.
Konami’s veteran football title showed encouraging signs of rejuvenation last year, and PES 2012 should see the continuation of the much-needed fightback. More fluid, open gameplay is promised, with greater control, more intuitive movement and AI improvements being mooted as key selling points. The series has already made an impact this year with PES 2011 3D.
Downpourcontinues Konami’s determination to invigorate the classic horror franchise, following the well-received Shattered Memories. A prison van crashes, leaving convict Murphy Pendleton on the outskirts of you-know-where. Downpourthen takes players into a previously unseen part of the town, with promises of a more open play area, and use of the dark subway tunnels that link the city.
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I remember selling over a million units of DDR one year. Other dancing titles might be doing that now, but we’ve already done it.
Pete Stone, Konami
popular series in the dance game sector, more or less before there was a dance game sector. In recent years, with motion- sensitive technology giving rise to a slew of such games, a few of which have become commercial juggernauts. Does Konami feel, perhaps, that, having created the daddy of the genre, it maybe missed out? Stone says not: “I don’t think so, no. I think some years ago we had the market more or less to ourselves and did really well. I remember selling over a million units in the UK one year. So other dancing games might be doing that now, but we’ve already done it. “And Dance Dance Revolution might be slightly quiet now, but there’s no reason it won’t be big again. Meanwhile, Karaoke Revolutionscored a big hit with the first Gleeversion last year, and a second Karaoke Revolution Glee 2is due on May 13th.”
But it’s not the auto-tuned voices of the TV singing stars that need to hit the high notes for Konami this year. What the publisher really needs is to maintain momentum behind Silent Hill, deliver an MGS game for 3DS that’s as good as everyone hopes it will be and, perhaps most importantly, blast one in the top corner with PES 2012.
PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2012 Formats TBC Q3 2011
SILENT HILL: DOWNPOUR Xbox 360, PS3 Q4 2011
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