Ash's E3 2003 Coverage: Part 5 - Konami

Many a gamer is proud to call Konami their favorite third-party developer. After all, they alone created Castlevania and Metal Gear, two of gaming's most popular and revered franchises. And besides that, they've gone on to create and maintain other series as well that are extremely popular today, such as Silent Hill and Dance Dance Revolution. So you can imagine that E3 goers had much to be excited about when it was discovered that their booth this year saw the unveiling of the next major installments in all of these franchises, plus more. It's also no secret that, in an E3 that will be most likely be remembered as "the show with few surprises," Konami was the one third-party that had more surprise/just-barely-announced games than anyone else (though that doesn't necessarily make them better). In all, it was a spectacular E3 for Konami, and they had a plethora of extremely solid titles on display at various kiosks for booth-goers to peruse. Here are the experiences of just one of those booth-goers...

a. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2)
b. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (GCN)
c. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (PS2)
d. Silent Hill 3 (PS2)
e. DDR MAX 2: Dance Dance Revolution (PS2)
f. Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix (Xbox)
g. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PS2, GCN, Xbox)
h. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (GBA)
i. Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hands (GBA)

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a. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2)
Release Date: Fall 2004

Something tells me that maybe, just maybe, a few people were waiting for this one to be announced. And something else tells me that perhaps another couple of people (maybe two or three, you know) couldn't wait for it to be officially unveiled at E3. smile.gif All kidding aside, the third installment in Konami's legendary Metal Gear Solid series certainly was unveiled at the show, and it was unveiled with a bang at that. Actually, a snippet of the trailer was leaked before the show began, and some thought it was a hoax; after the rather dramatic and flowery "Sons of Liberty" subtitle for Metal Gear Solid 2, many thought that the new subtitle "Snake Eater" sounded sort of corny and just plain stupid - too stupid for it to be real. But real is exactly what it is, as the massive crowds that gathered around Konami's giant projection screen for every scheduled showing of the trailer found out. I don't know what I can say here that will be news to any of you, as I'm sure that everyone who even remotely cares about this title went out and downloaded the trailer the nanosecond it was released by Konami of Japan on their website. In the trailer, several key elements of the game seem to be revealed; MGS 3 will apparently focus on survival in a harsh environment. In this case, the harsh environment - or at least one of them - is a Russian jungle. Solid Snake (or someone that looks a whole lot like him - more on that in a second) is shown eating snakes and fish and wearing jungle camouflage to survive as he sneaks his way around enemy guards and troops, attempting what looks to be an infiltration of their base. Snake uses a bevy of new moves to sneak his way around the jungle, some of which include hanging from and grappling across tree limbs, hanging from limbs with one arm and shooting guards with a silenced gun in the other, and shooting at guards while in the water, underneath a wooden bridge. During the trailer, several strange, intriguing, and downright goofy bodies of text flash across the screen briefly, such as "Battle of Ideologies," "Survival of the Snakest!," "Eat or Be Eaten," and "Eat or Die." One other particularly confusing thing we see is a collage of Snake against text in the background that reads "1960s." This reference to the 1960s is made more than once throughout the trailer, which has led many to believe (and, I believe, rightly so) that MGS 3 is actually a prequel to the "previous" two and that the story (or at least a part of it) actually takes place in the 1960s. Another popular rumor going around right now is that the "Snake" in the trailer is really not Snake at all; rather, it's Snake's "father" (genetically speaking), Big Boss, and this could very well be true if the story does indeed take place in the 1960s. But at the same time, it's also possible that only a part of the story delves into the past, and that Snake Eater will still continue the story from where it left off in part two, with Revolver Ocelot escaping back to Russia with Metal Gear Ray in tow (which makes the jungles of Russia being one of the settings in part three a much more interesting fact) and Snake finding out some unsettling facts about the Patriots (and Raiden and Rose watching King Kong movies in their apartment). Let's hope that this is the case, as many fans will undoubtedly cry foul and stage riots if MGS 3 doesn't continue the riveting, complex story and explain that cliffhanger ending that's been nagging at them since they finished it all those months ago. Or maybe all Konami needs to do to ensure MGS 3's success is not include Raiden...
b. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (GCN)
Release Date: November 2003

Coming as one of Konami's biggest pre-E3/E3 shockers was the official announcement of their project with Nintendo, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. Metal Gear Solid producer Hideo Kojima and Nintendo/industry god Shigeru Miyamoto have both been quoted as saying that they've been corresponding very heavily on this GameCube-exclusive Metal Gear Solid game to ensure its success, and so far the correspondences seem to have been working. For the absolutely none of you that don't know, The Twin Snakes is a GameCube-enhanced remake of the original Metal Gear Solid. It's basically MGS with MGS 2-style graphics, music, sound, and menu interfaces, etc... in other words, an orgasm on a very small disc. The core story of the game and script will remain unchanged, but it has been reported that extra story scenes and lines for the characters will be added to more successfully flesh out and make clear the entire tale. Most of the voice actors who worked on the original MGS have returned for repeat performances and new lines in The Twin Snakes, but there are a few exceptions. The biggest one that I know of, if you'll allow me to brag for a moment, is the re-casting of Ninja/Gray Fox/Frank Jaeger as Rob Paulsen, who also happens to be my dad. No, really. That's why I was able to bring you all news on The Twin Snakes (via Games Are Fun) long before official word on the project was ever leaked. But getting back to the normal coverage, judging from my hands-on time with The Twin Snakes, the game appears to be a faithful remake of the original and the enhanced graphics and character models - especially Snake himself - look superb. The only slight problem I noted was that the framerate tended to drop at times, but this usually only happened in cutscenes and it was very uncommon. And controlling Snake with the GCN controller proved to be somewhat confusing and awkward at first, but I can't fault the game for that, and after a little time it became second-nature (and it's not like the PS1 version's controls were exactly simple). So I can officially say that this GameCube-exclusive remake is coming along very nicely, and that fans have nothing to worry about. This is MGS enhanced in every technical and aesthetic way for a next-gen system, and that's not something anyone can complain about, especially when it's done so well.

c. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (PS2)
Release Date: November 2003

The third and last of Konami's big pre-E3/E3 surprises was Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, the hotly-anticipated next-generation installment in the Castlevania series. Like Metal Gears Solid 3: Snake Eater and The Twin Snakes, we all knew the game was coming; we just didn't have any official information on it. But now we do. Subtitled Lament of Innocence, it seems that Konami has finally satisfied their craving for subtitling almost every Castlevania game with a musical term (first there was Symphony of the Night, then the utterly ridiculous Harmony of Dissonance, and then finally Aria of Sorrow). To the inevitable disappointment and chagrin of some, this Koji Igarashi- (the developer of the indomitable 2D masterpiece Symphony of the Night) developed installment is fully three dimensional and does away with any traces of traditional 2D Castlevania gameplay. But Igarashi himself has confirmed in interviews repeatedly that he himself detested the 3D Castlevania games on the N64 (he didn't produce them) and is taking great pains to ensure that his project is a masterpiece by comparison and truly deserving of the Castlevania name. In any case, think of this game as a sort of cross between Castlevania and Devil May Cry; the game's protagonist, Leon Belmont, can unleash smooth and stylish combo attacks on his enemies and the combo system is fast-paced overall. Also like DMC and more akin to the series' roots, the game is mission- and level-based, unlike the more freeform and nonlinear gameplay style of the last four Castlevania games (which, incidentally, many fans seem to prefer). Fear not, though - the RPG elements that have enhanced the Castlevania experience so much in recent years are still in full swing in Lament of Innocence; damage to both the hero and his enemies are dealt in HP, and spells and techniques are limited in use with MP. Leon can also gain experience and level up as well as find items, though I'm not yet sure to what extent he can equip different weapons and armor (in other words, whether only an upgradeable/changeable whip can be used like in Harmony of Dissonance or a variety of weapons can be equipped and used like in Symphony of the Night). Story-wise, this installment is the ultimate prequel to all the Castlevania games; that is, it takes place even before Simon Belmont's adventures in the first Castlevania for NES and tells the story of Leon Belmont, the forefather of the vampire-slaying clan. The tale beings when Sara, Leon's fiancee, is kidnapped and taken to Dracula's castle. Determined to win her back, Leon storms the castle in search of her, unaware of the centuries of events he's about to set into motion. Ultimately delving into the origins of Castlevania, Dracula, and the Belmont clan, Lament of Innocence looks like it could answer a lot of long-standing questions about the series' mythos and characters. Unsurprisingly, this title is extremely nice-looking and features a smooth framerate, superb animation, and outstanding graphical effects, so lovers of eye-candy will have a field day here. But perhaps more importantly, the extremely-talented composer of Symphony of the Night returns to grace us with more of her beautiful, haunting, and shockingly diverse melodies in this latest chapter of the series, and it may not be so far of a stretch to say that this fact alone might guarantee this title's success with series fans. Rather surprisingly, this title is currently set for a stateside release this November, which is a lot sooner than most of us ever thought we'd be playing the next-gen Castlevania. I know I can't wait, because regardless of the number of dimensions and from what I played of the game at E3, Igarashi and his team look to be developing another masterpiece that'll have people talking for years to come, much like Symphony of the Night is still doing now.

d. Silent Hill 3 (PS2)
Release Date: August 2003

Konami's going for a hat trick with its latest installment in their survival-horror (or, to those that have played the games, just plain horror) series, Silent Hill. The first two games were pretty big hits, and it seems that Konami just may score that hat trick from the way the third chapter is coming along. Having nothing to do with and starting completely fresh from Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3 puts you in the shoes of Heather, an all but ordinary young woman who finds herself caught up in a horrific destiny that could be too terrifying for her to handle. The story begins when Heather makes your usual trip to the mall to do some shopping, but at some point during this trip, something goes terribly wrong; almost as if she's stepped into another world, the hustle and bustle of human shopping eventually fades from sight and sound and is replaced with the hustle and bustle of fleshy, faceless and horrific creatres looking for some fresh meat. Quite panicked, Heather eventually runs into a mysterious woman named Claudia as she tries to make her escape from the mall. After being questioned about the existence of those monsters wandering throughout the mall, Claudia tells her that she has been chosen to "lead them to paradise, which has been bespoiled by mankind, with bloodstained hands." Sounds pretty good to me. Moving on from the specifics from the story, the main draw about this third chapter in the series is that, surprisingly, the story is based off and an indirect continuation of the original Silent Hill, which many fans found to have a much more horrific and complex story than the sequel. Even the E3 trailer that Konami showcased on its videowall started off with FMVs, cutscenes, and still photos from the original Silent Hill, and if I may speak personally for a second, that's what draws me more than anything else to SH 3. I found the first game to be, bar none, the absolute scariest and most disturbing and unnerving game I've ever played, and since the stories of SH 1 and 3 are related and focus on the same themes - religion, theology, religious cults, drug use, satanic rituals in which infants are sacrificed, the resurrection of Satan, etc. - this just provides even more of a draw for fans of the first game to pick up the third. Gameplay-wise, you've played this before: Heather, an ordinary person otherwise untrained in physical combat, runs and fights realistically clumsily, and although more weapons than ever will be available in SH 3, the focus is still on avoiding combat to further stress story-unraveling, exploration, and puzzle-solving. Just as in SH 2, three different difficulties for both battles and puzzles will be selectable at the start of a new game, in order to cater to all manner of players. Graphically, this game is astounding: the super-realistic graphics engine produces super-accurate grittiness and real-world imperfections more than any other game I've ever seen. Of course, this same graphics engine also helps make the monsters and settings look all the more disturbing as well. But fans of the series know that these games have always been about atmospheric sound, and though nothing (obviously) could heard at the show, from what I've read, SH 3 continues the trend of the series' penchant for creating perfect atmospheric sounds that will slowly get you more tense and scared than any on-screen visual will (and yes, the ever-popular radio that emits static when monsters, seen or unseen, are shuffling nearer to you, is back). Additionally, series composer Akira Yamaoka returns once again for music-composing duties and provides us with another brilliant, moody progressive rock soundtrack (I can attest to that from the song played during the trailer). In the end, it seems like Konami just can't go wrong with SH 3 at this point, because they've already done so much right with it. Now it's just a matter of waiting a couple more months until we can actually play the game and get ourselves lost in the sleepy, but inconspicuously nightmarish town of Silent Hill once again.

e. DDR MAX 2: Dance Dance Revolution
Release Date: November 2003

Hot on the heels of their hot-selling DDR MAX: Dance Dance Revolution, Konami is bringing us its followup, DDR MAX 2. Arcade-born DDR fans will recognize this as Dance Dance Revolution 7th Mix in Japan, but just as our American version of DDR MAX was not their DDR 6th Mix, neither is this version their 7th. Sporting an entirely original songlist full of songs from a wide variety of DDR mixes plus lots of licensed American and European dance songs (apparently a lot more than DDR MAX had), Konami appears to be making quite a focused effort to cater to fans of all kinds of music and to also rope in listeners of mainstream American music. All this being said, DDR MAX 2 does share a few things in common with the Japanese 7th Mix: the two share the same menu interface, and this release also sees the American debut of the "Dark" modifier, which removes the gray arrows at the top (or bottom, if you're playing Reverse) of the screen that help you keep your feet on beat (rhyme not intended, I assure you). Two new gameplay modes will also be available in the final release of this title: Endless Mode, which, according to your settings, sets you up with an endless lineup of songs that keeps on going until you fail or die from exhaustion, and Nonstop Mode (recently debuted in the arcade's DDR Extreme), which provides you with an assortment of four-song nonstop (no rest in-between songs) courses to challenge. No word yet on whether the popular, expert-only Oni mode is back (it wasn't in the E3 demo), but considering Konami included it, albeit in a limited fashion, in DDR MAX, I'd be surprised and they'd be stupid if they didn't have it return in DDR MAX 2 (hopefully with better designed and more-balanced courses this time). From the demo songlist, it seems that we can expect a conglomeration of songs from at least 5th (Still in My Heart), 6th (Twilight Zone), and 7th Mix (D2R, I Feel..., Tsugaru). Licensed tracks so far include Days Go By (by Dirty Vegas), A Little Bit of Ecstasy (by Jocelyn Enriquez), and Into the Night (by 4 Strings). Graphically, this game is identical to its predecessor (aside from the differently-colored and designed interface), which means sharp, high-res menus and FMV backgrounds. Ah, but there's one exception: speaking of FMV backgrounds, there will be actual music videos for some of the licensed tracks in the game, a first for the DDR series. No word yet on the total number of songs in the final version, but seeing as DDR MAX had 71 in all, I think we can expect quite a few. If Konami can strike a nice balance between DDR songs and licensed tracks (and bring back Oni mode), this could very well be the best version of DDR to date. As a major DDR player, I can safely say I liked what I played at E3, so keep an eye out for it!

f. Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix (Xbox)
Release Date: November 2003

What's this? DDR for Xbox? Yes, it's true, and there will even be spiffy green-and-black pads to buy along with the game once it comes out. Sporting an entirely original interface created specifically for this Xbox-exclusive mix and a never-before-heard female announcer (no, not the same one from DDR Solo 2000), Xbox-owning DDR fans are certainly getting quite a treat this November. Unfortunately, not very much is known about Ultramix quite yet. From my extensive playtesting of the E3 demo, I can say that the familiar Light, Standard, and Heavy difficulties are in the game, and that the songlist, so far, seems to be more geared towards longtime fans of DDR and Beatmania songs than those of more local music. Broken down more specifically, the songlist includes MGS 2: Mission R (a remix of the Dead Cell boss theme, VERY awesome), What is Love (Tomosuke), Mind Parasite (also by Tomosuke), Keep Your Body Movin' (Thuggy D), On the Jazz (from 6th Mix), Quickening (DJ Taka), Electro Tuned (from 5th Mix/Beatmania), Overblast!! (from our DDR MAX), Let's Talk it Over (from 4th Mix), Kind Lady (from our DDR MAX and DDR Extreme), and Look to the Sky: True Color Mix (also from our DDR MAX and DDR Extreme). But getting back on track... from the main menu, one can see that not only does Ultramix include Endless Mode, but it also has a mysterious Gallery Mode, which could prove to add an interesting new layer to the inevitable unlocks in the game. But that's not even the best part. Get ready for this: Konami has announced a bevy of Xbox Live support for DDR Ultramix. Not only will new songs and courses (which seems to hint at the existence of the Oni and/or Nonstop modes being in the game) be available for download each month to supplement the initial total of 55 songs, but players will be able to compete in Internet rankings and play against each other directly via the 'Net. Unfortunately, this seems to open up the possibility of players "cheating" by playing with standard Xbox controllers and challenging the more honest players who go it the real way with the dance pad, who will obviously be at a major disadvantage in these cases. It remains to be seen whether Konami or Microsoft can or will do anything to prevent this kind of cross-playstyle cheating. Regardless, though, Xbox-owning DDR fans look to be in for a major treat when DDR Ultramix is released this November. For the first time ever, I'm jealous of you Xbox owners! ;)

g. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PS2, GCN, Xbox)
Release Date: October 2003

This past February saw the revival of one of the longest-running, most successful and just plain cool-ass cartoons of all time: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And now this widespread revival is reaching the video game industry as well, as Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello are set to star in an all-new 3D, arcade-style beat 'em up that's hitting all three major consoles this October. Fans of Konami's classic TMNT games for the NES and Super NES will no doubt recognize this new game's style of play: it plays pretty much exactly like all of the TMNT beat 'em ups that we were graced with all those years ago. Which, if for some reason you aren't aware, is a very good thing indeed. There are lots of modern updates, obviously: besides the four turtles having distinctly unique fighting styles and control nuances, you can team up two turtles to unleash a dual attack, or, once you've gotten far enough in the game to learn one, a super-flashy, four-turtle attack that deals major damage to Shredder and his minions. Of course, the series has gotten the next-gen aesthetic treatments and the game looks and sounds awesome on all three consoles. Fully utilizing the ever-popular cel-shading technique employed in other games like Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil and Viewtiful Joe, the four heroes on the half-shell look like they were lifted right out of their new cartoon (upon which this game is based, which is good, since the new cartoon is aimed at an older audience than the classic one was) and animate just beautifully. This game really does look awesome in action and it does the turtles justice. Even the Purple Dragon street thugs and the Foot Soldiers look great and have detailed animation. The well-done lighting effects and blur-inducing explosions are also deserve mentioning. Sound-wise, all the voice actors in the new cartoon are present and accounted for in the game, and the acting doesn't sound forced or "gamey" at all. It really does sound like you're playing an episode right out of the cartoon itself, as all the turtles' battle cries, martial arts yells, and grunts sound realistic in the context of the game. Better yet, the game includes full voice-acting for its story cutscenes, which are made up of a combination of clips from the cartoon and entirely original animation (in the style of the new cartoon) made especially for the game. In conclusion, it appears that Konami has gone all-out to give the respected franchise the treatment it deserves, and the Turtles have never looked better. This game is remarkably solid in all areas, and I'm really looking forward to playing the full game. Turtle (and just plain beat 'em up) fans, you will not be disappointed. :)

h. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (GBA)
Release Date: October 2003

Okay... now this is a different story. Unless I'm just being too harsh, on-the-go fans of the Turtles may have considerably less to look forward to. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the GBA is an entirely different beast than its console-based brothers: predictably and fittingly, it's a sidescrolling beat 'em up, but where the game just remarkably fails to impress is in animation and graphical detail. After the brilliant visuals of the recent Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, there's no excuse for the manner of remarkably average sprite designs and animatiion I saw in this game. The game is fun enough to play - it's your standard beat 'em up, but starring four of the coolest heroes ever - and features some well-drawn cutscenes and in-game martial arts attacks, but it all just seems remarkably average when you put everything together. Now, admittedly, I didn't spend nearly as much time with this one as I did the console versions of the game, and perhaps I'm judging it too hastily, but from what I played it seems to me that unless Konami really polishes this one before release, I don't see what's going to make it stand out from all the other side-scrolling beat 'em ups out there, besides the (admittedly considerable) star power of the Turtles. But I haven't yet lost hope; this is Konami after all. Come on, Konami, give the Turtles the portable treatment they deserve...

i. Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hands (GBA)
Release Date: September 2003

Hands-down one of the coolest video game concepts of all time (and for a portable system, no less), Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hands really does, in a sense, put the sun in your hands. In the game you take on the role of a vampire hunter whose job it is to slay all manner of the undead. He does so by using his customized weapon, the Gun del Sol (Gun of the Sun), which fires charged rays of sunlight at its undead targets. Obviously this is quite the ideal weapon, as there's nothing undead creatures hate more than sunlight (well, except Holy Waters and Revivifiers, but this is no RPG). But here's the catch: the weapon must be constantly exposed to the sun's rays to stay charged and usable indefinitely. But we're not talking about digital rays here: you need to actually physically expose the game and its small sensor, which will only react to solar light (artificial light from lamps won't work), to the sun's rays in the real world to keep your weapon charged and your chances of survival suitably high. But this extremely unique gameplay concept extends farther than that: enemies become stronger at night and in dimly-lit environments, so you'll want to play this game on the sunniest, brightest days possible to ensure success. So how do you keep your weapon charged in dungeons and caves? Easy - there are strategically placed cracks in walls and ceilings that will let you recharge your sun energy... but only if the game is being exposed to sunlight. Otherwise, no sunlight will shine through in the game and you'll be stuck with no means of offense, and that's where Boktai's MGS-inspired elements come into play. All enemies have a direct line of sight and combat can be avoided if you can manage to stay out of it. Additionally, the hero has the ability to knock on walls in order to get the attention of and lure enemies where you need them to go. So does all this mean you can't play the game at night? Nope - if you're resourceful you can "store" extra sunlight at certain locations and go and draw upon it for when you need it in no- or low-light situations, such as nighttime. But it's no secret that Boktai is a game designed primarily around the daytime and the physics and behavior of the real world's sun, and as such, the game is quite strategic as far as when and where are the best times and places for you to play it. Definitely more than a gimmick, our real-world sun is integral to the game's core gameplay concept and this makes Boktai stand out among, well, every other game ever produced up to this point. If the solar light-sensing technology is accurate and efficient in the final release of the game, Boktai could make for one totally unique and entertaining gameplay experience.

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And so you see that Konami, especially for a show with few surprises this year, had a booth full of interesting and flat-out surprising games, nearly all of which look extremely promising and seem to guarantee that Konami is set to be very successful this year. I'd also like to quickly mention that there are two other games - Gradius V and Cy Girls - that I caught quick glimpses of at the booth, but I didn't seem enough of them to write up full impressions. All I can say is that Gradius V, in particular, looks like one hell of a vibrant and fluid 2D shooter, in the vein of past games in the series. Fans shouldn't be disappointed. Cy Girls looked like a rather typical 3D action game, but I saw so little of it that I wouldn't recommend taking my word on that. In any case, Konami had a phenomenal E3 showing this year - perhaps the best they've had in quite awhile, Metal Gear Solid 2's public debut notwithstanding - and gamers have a lot to look forward to from them for the next year.

Next in Part 6: Capcom, the house that Mega Man and Street Fighter built! Certainly known (and criticized) for milking their franchises for every penny they're worth, Capcom has nonetheless remained a powerful force in the industry and their E3 showing this year does nothing to buck that status. Milked though they may be, Capcom's franchises are still running at full speed, and are showing no signs of slowing down. This goes especially true for a little blue hero named Mega Man, whom Capcom's booth this year was predominantly centered around. Stay tuned for full coverge of his and other upcoming Capcom games soon!