Joystiq

Suda 51 and Grasshopper are using Unreal Engine 4 'heavily'

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:00:00 EST

No More Heroes and Killer is Dead dev Grasshopper Manufacture is "heavily relying" on Unreal Engine 4, with next-gen games in mind. Speaking to Joystiq at E3, Grasshopper CEO Goichi Suda, most commonly known as Suda 51, confirmed his studio's use of Epic's next-gen engine when asked about his thoughts on the PS4 and Xbox One.

"As a developer, we're heavily relying right now on Unreal Engine 4," Suda told us. "That works really well with both systems - or in the sense that we could go either way."

Grasshopper recently revealed it has a stylistic action game in development that isn't Killer is Dead - and it isn't No More Heroes 3 either. As Suda told Siliconera back in April, it's a new game coming to one or more consoles. He also teased to Siliconera the game was either running on Unreal Engine 3 or Unreal Engine 4, adding that if he said which one then "you would know about the platforms."

Suda told Joystiq we can expect Unreal Engine 4 in Grasshopper games "if it's a big title, or if it's suited to that title," all of which suggests a next-gen landing for said secretive game.

As for the future possibility of No More Heroes 3, Suda told us, "Travis [Touchdown] is one of the characters I'm really fond of, that means a lot to me. So if there was the opportunity to create another sequel then yeah, I'm always up to the idea."

Suda 51 and Grasshopper are using Unreal Engine 4 'heavily' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Puzzle & Dragons coming to 3DS in Japan

JC Fletcher — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:00:00 EST

Mobile puzzle hit Puzzle & Dragons, in which players build teams of monsters and explore dungeons, leading them into combat through color-matching puzzles, is coming to 3DS this winter, according to scans of CoroCoro Magazine found by Siliconera.

The 3DS version, called Puzzle & Dragons Z, features 200 different monsters to battle with. The nature of the release is as yet unknown - the mobile versions are free-to-play, but that is exceptionally rare on 3DS (approximately zero games ever have used the model on the platform).

Puzzle & Dragons coming to 3DS in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Updated 'Ace' version of Ragnarok Odyssey coming west

JC Fletcher — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:00:00 EST

Gungho Online Entertainment is planning an expanded version of its Vita online action RPG Ragnarok Odyssey, called Ragnarok Odyssey Ace, and will release that version in the west as well as Japan. The Ragnarok Odyssey series is a multiplayer Monster Hunter-style RPG based on the universe of the Ragnarok Online MMO.

According to Gematsu's translation, Ragnarok Odyssey Ace packs all the DLC quests from the original version, and adds a new playable epilogue, a random dungeon, and a new "ACE Skill" system that gives characters extra abilities. Ragnarok Odyssey Ace comes out in Japan this July; a date for the international release has not been announced.

Updated 'Ace' version of Ragnarok Odyssey coming west originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grasshopper already working on another action game

JC Fletcher — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:30:00 EST

Grasshopper Manufacture's latest assassin action game, Killer is Dead, is still in progress, but Suda 51 and co. are already thinking about the next stylized sword game.

Suda shared the above concept art by No More Heroes (and Fire Emblem: Awakening) character designer Yusuke Kozaki, for Grasshopper's first game to be conceived and developed as part of Gungho Entertainment (and now part of Softbank!)

"There is a base for our specialty, the slash action games we've made so far," Suda told Famitsu (translated by Gematsu). But with Gungho's power, we want to put in our knowhow in ways we haven't done before. We are also considering developing for not just offline devices, but online devices too."

Grasshopper already working on another action game originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Sentimental process behind GungHo's PSOne Imports

JC Fletcher — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:30:00 EST

I was impressed with Gungho Online Entertainment's first batch of PSOne Import games, partly for symbolic reasons: they were all interesting games, yes, but they were also numerous, and Gungho CEO Jun Iwasaki told me the company had plans to release more. Imports, in my mind, are the most potentially exciting aspect of legacy download services, as companies can cheaply bring over games that wouldn't have big enough audiences to justify a localization, much less a spot on shelves.

Gungho's second batch of imports crosses an important milestone on the path to comprehensive import catalogues by adding text-heavy games to the lineup. Most PS3 or Vita owners won't even be able to play dating game Sentimental Graffiti, due to the pages and pages of Japanese text required to enjoy it.

"Our approach is to bring over as many games as possible as long as we can secure the licenses to publish them in North America and Europe," CEO Jun Iwasaki told me in an email interview. As this batch of games shows, "as many games as possible" could mean almost anything!

Of course, a small group of bilingual gamers will be delighted by things like Sentimental Graffiti, as will people hoping to improve their Japanese reading comprehension through video games. And releasing games that don't really make sense to release is a step toward getting them out there indiscriminately - the true iTunes of retro games.

Continue reading The Sentimental process behind GungHo's PSOne Imports

The Sentimental process behind GungHo's PSOne Imports originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSOne Imports get extra challenging this week

JC Fletcher — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:00:00 EST

Looking for a new challenge from an old game? Gungho Online Entertainment has a new batch of PSOne Imports this week, which includes Sentimental Graffiti, a dating game that is, as far as we know, untranslated. Do you dare attempt to scale the walls of Japanese text?

You can also try your kanji dictionary skills with RPGs First Queen IV, Rung Rung: Oz no Mahou Tsukai, and Favorite Dear: Enkan no Monogatari. For a full-on language and culture shock, here's a mahjong game, Mahjong Uranai Fortuna: Tukino Megamitachi. Or a more familiar (but still Japanese) card game, Trump Shiyouyo!

Somehow, the DICE-developed racing game, Motorhead, got mixed in with these imports, all coming Tuesday.

PSOne Imports get extra challenging this week originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grasshopper Manufacture acquired by GungHo

JC Fletcher — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST

Suda 51's studio Grasshopper Manufacture has been acquired by Gungho Online Entertainment, known for its longstanding MMO Ragnarok Online. Rather than be renamed or realigned within the company, Grasshopper will continue to operate as Grasshopper Manufacture, much like Gungho's other acquired studios Game Arts, Gravity, and (ironically) Acquire, but will now have its games published by Gungho.

"We believe the strength of a publisher lies in its creative talent so with the addition of Grasshopper Manufacture and Suda 51 we are adding some of the most innovative talent in today's gaming world to our stellar family of independently-operated studios," said Kazuki Morishita, Gungho CEO (pictured, above, with Suda. "Suda 51 projects are known to put a unique spin on every game so coupled with our proven ability to support development with AAA resources including a tailored online experience, we believe gamers will benefit from this collaboration."

The good news there: Gungho has an American publishing operation, which recently released Dokuro, Puzzle & Dragons, and a selection of PSOne Imports, meaning Grasshopper games now have a built-in Western publisher.

Continue reading Grasshopper Manufacture acquired by GungHo

Grasshopper Manufacture acquired by GungHo originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Puzzle & Dragons now available on Android

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 16:30:00 EST

You guys are never going to guess what Puzzle & Dragons is about. Not in a million years. Want a hint? Well it's got something to do with ... Oh, no that's totally right, yeah. Puzzles and dragons. Good guess.

Originally released for iOS back in November, Puzzle & Dragon is now available on the Google Play store for Android devices in South Korea and North America. The free-to-play puzzle/RPG is an equal parts Bejeweled, Puzzle Fighter and Pokemon cocktail, with players capturing (and evolving) teams of monsters in order to do battle against other monsters. Damage is done by successfully matching groups of colored gems, as seen in the trailer above.

Puzzle & Dragon's microtransactional hook comes in the form of Magic Stones, which, once purchased, can be used to restore health, obtain rare monsters and restart failed dungeons, among other uses.

Gallery: Puzzle & Dragons (12/15/12)

Continue reading Puzzle & Dragons now available on Android

Puzzle & Dragons now available on Android originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 15 Dec 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GungHo on its new PSOne import initiative

JC Fletcher — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST

Welcome to Living in the Past, a weekly column about what's new in old games. Now get off our lawn.

Last week, GungHo Online Entertainment America joined the ranks of PSOne Imports publishers with a bumper crop of six Japanese games, all available on the PlayStation Store for $5.99 each. Since it's so rare - an initiative only taken to heart by MonkeyPaw Games in the past, and one that requires extensive licensing work for a potentially niche product - I asked Gungho president and CEO Jun Iwasaki about the company's plans.

"We are hoping to bring over as many PSOne Classics as possible," Iwasaki, who previously ran XSEED, told me, "but oftentimes these releases require license deals." He explained that the somewhat unusual collection of games, ranging from shooter collection Zanac X Zanac to dekotora board game Art Camion Sugorokuden, wasn't curated according to some unifying theme. "We were able to secure the licenses for these particular PSOne Classics, so we went ahead and released them first.

"So far, Zanac x Zanac seems to be getting the most attention out of the six titles," Iwasaki added.

Continue reading GungHo on its new PSOne import initiative

GungHo on its new PSOne import initiative originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gungho releases six PSOne imports

JC Fletcher — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST

Joining the esteemed ranks of Capcom and MonkeyPaw Games and nobody else ever, publisher Gungho Online America has released a suite of weird, random Japanese games to the PSOne Imports Store on the PlayStation Network.

The six simultaneous releases include shmup compilation Zanac X Zanac, Kendo Rage sequel Makeruna Makendo 2, mech vehicle combat game Vehicle Cavalier, Art Camion Sugorokuden - a board game about the garish "dekotora" trucks in Japan - and no fewer than two games with stars in their titles, the match-three puzzle game/platformer hybrid Lup★Salad and the action rock-paper-scissors game Finger★Flashing.

All six will be available on PSN today when the store updates, for $5.99 each.

Gallery: GungHo Online Entertainment PS One Classics (December 2012)

Gungho releases six PSOne imports originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dokuro review: The Mr. Skullhead Show

Heidi Kemps — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:30:00 EST

Let's talk about puzzle games. When you hear the term, your mind usually goes to falling-block stuff like Tetris and Puyo Puyo, right? But it's broad terminology: it can also apply to games in which you are presented with a series of problems that need solving - say, escaping a room, moving objects into certain positions, solving riddles ... you know what I mean, right?

Well, I have an issue with these games: I'm almost universally terrible at them. I can't really tell you why, either. I like most of the ones I play, mind you. But as soon as I start feeling that twinge of frustration from a solution that eludes me, I hop on the internet and turn on Youtube. If I don't, I'm just going to fluster myself trying to figure it out. By the time the game reaches its climax, I have a controller under one hand and my laptop under the other, checking to make sure I'm doing everything right.

This is one of the reasons why GungHo and GameArts's Dokuro sticks out so much. For perhaps the first time since the original Portal, I'm not immediately running to the online solution bin the moment things start to get tricky. I'm savoring the feeling of gradually figuring things out for myself, discovering how mechanics work together and deducing how they can be used to accomplish the task at hand, and I'm loving it.

Gallery: Dokuro

Continue reading Dokuro review: The Mr. Skullhead Show

Dokuro review: The Mr. Skullhead Show originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ragnarok Odyssey journeying to North American Vitas sometime this year

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 05 May 2012 22:00:00 EST

In addition to bringing Orgarhythm stateside sometime before the end of this calendar year, XSEED has also announced equally nebulous plans to localize Ragnarok Odyssey for North American audiences and their Vitas. This follows the game's Japanese release last February, though how closely it'll follow remains to be seen.

Set in the same world as Ragnarok Online, Odyssey is a Monster Hunter-esque runabout wherein the player's (fully customizable) character traverses the world, hunting "monsters and giants" as they do so. Players can choose from six different job classes, switching between missions when necessary, and play cooperatively either online or via local ad-hoc network, the later of which supports up to four players at a time.

Continue reading Ragnarok Odyssey journeying to North American Vitas sometime this year

Ragnarok Odyssey journeying to North American Vitas sometime this year originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 05 May 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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