Tagged: koei

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce Demo on PSN

Not many developers offer demos for their PSP games. Koei makes itself an exception today, as they announced that a playable demo of Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce is now available exclusively on PlayStation Network.

The PSP demo lets players team-up or fight alone on their quest to slay a monster. It offers a sample of the gameplay to be found in the full game which is due to hit stores beginning the week of April 28.

Tecmo and Koei Merge

Japanese publishers Tecmo and Koei have merged together to form Tecmo Koei Holdings, which will come into effect on April 1, 2009. Koei, the larger of the two, will hold three quarters of the newly combined venture, which will see 20 billion yen ($207 million) infused into it at launch.

The new company has put forward a business plan aiming for a profit of 16 billion yen ($164 million) in its fiscal year 2011. Interestingly, the two added up to a combined profit of 8.5 billion yen ($87 million) in their last fiscal year.

Tecmo is known best for publishing the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises, whereas Koei is best known for the Dynasty Warriors series.

Dynasty Warriors 6 Announced

Also announced at the PlayStation Premier event was Dynasty Warriors 6 by Koei. In development for the PS3, the game will get a graphical overhaul for the system, new weapons and the ability to perform practically unlimited combos. It is also said that the game will offer players more freedom.

The game will reportedly hit stores in Japan this Fall, with a playable version debuting at the Tokyo Game Show this September.

Samurai Warriors 2 Empires Announced

More tactical Japanese action is headed our way, thanks to Koei‘s Samurai Warriors 2 Empires. The game, announced for the PS2 and Xbox 360, will combine action, fighting and strategy to offer an environment set in feudal Japan. Scoop:

SAMURAI WARRIORS 2 EMPIRES combines the most exciting aspects of Action, Fighting and Strategy games. At the start of the game Feudal Japan is divided into warring states and it is up to the player to resurrect a nation using equal amounts of strategy and strength! The game’s ultimate goal is to unite Japan’s 25 regions into a single nation under one ruler. Prior to each battle, the player will meet with their war council to discuss military and political affairs; then it’s time for combat.

SAMURAI WARRIORS 2 EMPIRES is the first in KOEI’s successful line of “Empires” games to be set in Japan. Accordingly, the game’s deck of 90 policy cards, used to issue military commands and impose political policies, is boosted by 50 new cards inspired by Japanese history, while all-new formation cards are based on historically-authentic samurai attack formations.

Special events in the game chronicle major turning points in Japan’s history including “The Honnôji Incident” where the powerful warlord Oda Nobunaga, met his demise, and “The Battle of Kawanakajima,” considered the largest and most prolonged encounter of the Warring States era.

Key product features include vicious multi-Musou attacks with up to four officers, 5 “Unification” scenarios plus 6 “Regional” scenarios, over 400 playable characters to choose from, a create your own warrior mode, as well as 2-player co-op play.

The game is pegged for release on February 27, 2007.

Two Koei PS3 Titles Go 360

According to a revelation by Microsoft Japan, two previously PS3-exclusive titles will be making their way over to the Xbox 360. Two games by Koei – Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War and Fatal Inertia – has gone multi-platform, following on the footsteps of titles such as Assassin’s Creed.

Fatal Inertia, in development at Koei Canada, is a futuristic high-speed racer which was initially pegged as a PS3 launch title. Omega Force, the studio behind the Dynasty Warriors series, is working on Bladestorm which was also thought to be a launch title.

Tim Sweeney on Cell, UT2007 PS3; Koei Having Problems with Unreal Engine

The Tokyo Game Show this year saw Epic’s Tim Sweeney speak on various topics including the challenges of multi-core processors and PS3’s Cell processor, as well as some new details on Unreal Tournament 2007 for the aforementioned console.

Sweeney talked specifically about the difficulties of programming for multi-core processors, saying that it takes “about twice the effort and development cost” for these processors when compared to a single-threaded one. IBM, Sony and Toshiba’s custom-developed Cell processor is no different: the PS3 Cell chip “required about 5 times as much cost and development time than single-core.” He also said that the complex Cell architecture “introduces some economic difficulty for developers.” The Xbox 360 processor wasn’t part of the discussion.

However, he was full of praise for Sony when it came to the company’s open network scheme for the PS3’s online service. “Enlightened business model” were the exact words he used to describe the console’s online capabilities, as opposed to Microsoft’s closed platform Xbox Live which seems to be “quite negative toward user-created content” as the company has encountered.

Having praised PS3’s online network, he then proceeded to mention that users will be able to create Unreal Tournament 2007 levels and mods on the PC and play them on the PS3. After noting that the mod community was an “essential part” of the company’s success, he said that the company would love to transfer this mod community over to consoles, letting modders and mappers create content on their computers and then have them distributed online, as well as on the PS3.

As for Unreal Tournament 2007‘s release date? Epic’s Jay Wilbur disclosed that they plan on shipping the game to PC and PS3 in Q2 or early Q3 2007.

In related news, Kotaku reports that Koei‘s Fatal Inertia, initially pegged as a launch title for the PS3, has been delayed to Winter 2006. The company cites problems with the Unreal Engine 3, though they do mention that they being helped by both Sony and Epic on this. When asked about multiplayer by the site’s editor, the game’s producer said that he was “dreading this question,” as they’ve been having issues with their middleware platform. As noted by Kotaku, it seems that multiplayer is planned, but not set on stone yet.

The report also discloses that both Fatal Inertia and i, the company’s new PS3 title, will be in 720p, with the former making use of the console’s tilt controller. Koei also indicated that they are in discussions with Microsoft to bring over the titles to Xbox 360.

Koei's TGS06 Lineup

By way of Famitsu comes Koei’s full lineup for the Tokyo Game Show later this month. The following titles are scheduled to be present at the show:

  • Blade Storm (PS3)
  • Dynasty Warriors Mahjong (DS, PSP)
  • Fatal Inertia (PS3)
  • G1 Jockey 4 2006 (PS2)
  • Harukanaru Toki no Naka De (PS2)
  • Mahjong Taikai IV (PS3)
  • Ni-Oh (PS3)
  • Nobunaga’s Ambition Online (PS2, PC)
  • Pocket Scenario Series Harukanaru Toki no Naka De (DS)
  • Samurai Warriors 2 Empire (PS2)
  • Samurai Warriors Wave (Wii)
  • Sangokushi 11 (PS2)

Import Tuner Challenge and Samurai Warriors Headed for Europe

Ubisoft sent word that it will publish Import Tuner Challenge for the Xbox 360 across Europe. A customizable street-racing game set in the streets of Tokyo, ITC will let players race and modify licensed import cars using real tuner parts and tuning techniques; more than five million combinations are possible in tailoring a car’s interior, exterior and engine.

Developed by Genki of Japan, Import Tuner Challenge will be skidding across Europe this Autumn.

Europe will also be getting another Japanese treat – Samurai Warriors 2 on PS2 and Xbox 360, thanks to Koei. Set for release this September, the critically-acclaimed game builds upon its predecessor, offering 26 playable characters, including 10 new warriors; castle warfare with field combat; as well as co-op play and Xbox Live support. Further information can be found after the jump.
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KoF MI2, Atelier Iris 2 and Disgaea 2 Coming to Europe

SNK and Ignition Entertainment have announced that King of Fighters Maximum Impact 2 will be released in Europe for the PS2 this Autumn.

The new game in the fighting franchise will feature 24 initially selectable characters, with many more unlockable during the course of the game; new and improved fighting system; lots of extras; four modes of play, including Story, Versus, Challenge and Practice; and even more.

Meanwhile, Koei has sent word that it plans on releasing Disgaea 2 and Atelier Iris 2 on PS2 in Europe the same season. Here’s a bit on Disgaea 2:

Disgaea’s wickedly dark sense of humour has always been one of its most popular features and this has been taken to a whole new level of evil enjoyment with the new Dark Court system. Now the player is positively encouraged to be bad with the game rewarding your darkest most devious actions. But be careful, there are positive and negative results for everything you do within the game. Think you’re badder than you really are and you might just get summoned to court and suffer the shame of being found innocent.

As a direct response to calls from fans of the original, Disgaea 2 will now take place within a brand new 3D environment with animated sprites and anime cut scenes. Players will also be able to stack their characters on top of each other in order to combine their powers and unleash special combos and attacks.

Disgaea 2 is the latest RPG spectacular from Nippon Ichi and follows in the footsteps of the hugely popular titles Makai Kingdom, Phantom Brave, La Pucelle: tactics and of course the massive original Disgaea. With a whole new cast of characters along with many of the gang fondly remembered from the first game all turning up to do battle, Disgaea 2 is already looking like being one of the RPG events of the year.

As for the other title, Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny will ship in September and will feature new characters, two different worlds to explore, a new “Active Time Battle System”, and more new stuff. The UK release of the game will also see more powerful monsters, allowing for “even more thrilling battles.”