FYI: Game Delays & Cancellations From Japan

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squareenix-logo.gifHeadlines

Yakuza: Of the End delayed indefinitely (via AndriaSang)

  • Zombie themed Yakuza game set in a ruined depiction of Tokyo
  • Sega cited delays due to “various circumstances”
  • Nagoshi (creator) said it was delayed due to the post-earthquake state of Japan
Disaster Report 4 cancelled (via: AndriaSang)
  • Disaster theme game was bound for the PlayStation 3
  • Game started out with a major earthquake hitting a city
Japanese release of MotorStorm: Apocalypse delayed (via: AndriaSang)
  • Disaster themed racer exclusive to the PlayStation 3 delayed
Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV service suspended (via AndriaSang)
  • Both Square-Enix MMORPGs placed on hold to conserve power for at least a week
Metal Gear Online service suspended (via AndriaSang)
  • Service suspended indefinitely to conserve power

Marvel vs Capcom 3 DLC characters delayed (via Siliconera)

  • Jill Valentine and Shuma Gorath DLC characters were delayed in Japan only

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Yakuza 4 N.A Demo Impressions

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Yakuza 4 - Saejima Kicking Ass

When the Japanese demo of Yakuza 4 was released back in 2010, I navigated my way through the Japanese PSN Store towards the download link. It was an all encompassing demo which gave a sizable sampling of what Yakuza 4 was about.

They separated the demo into “Story Mode” and “4 player battle mode”. Story mode showed off voice work and Sega’s latest cutscene presentation skills. The latter showed off the four protagonists and their fighting styles along with the minor tweaks they made to the fighting system in general. It was still brutal and context sensitive, but I felt it was a bit more polished this time around.

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LTTP: Yakuza 3

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yakuza-3-logo

LTTP or ‘late to the party’ pieces are opportunities for me to catch up and write about games I missed out on the first time around. They may contain spoilers.

Yakuza 3’s release was not guaranteed after the poor sales of Yakuza 2. But after enough hounding from fans, Sega decided to bring it over to North America. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a straight forward localization — they decided to make a few changes. The removal of the hostess clubs was the most significant change, but did it impact my enjoyment of the game? On one hand, it saved me from those ghastly looking floozies, but on the other, I missed out on one of the most interesting segments of Yakuza 2. I was genuinely curious if they improved that experience or simply ported it over to the PlayStation 3.

The quality models of key characters and the cutscenes made it clear that this was a PlayStation 3 game. In fact, the visual improvements were so drastic compared to Yakuza 2, I didn’t even recognize a couple of significant characters like Daigo Dojima or Kaoru Sayama. The one key area Sega absolutely nailed were the characters’ eyes. Subtle movements and convincing expressions of emotion were conveyed convincingly thanks to the impressive tech.

But that was it. Everything else felt like this game was a higher resolution Yakuza 2.

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TGS 2010: Other Announcements and Reactions

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Sega
  • Yakuza: Of The End features zombies – Sounds crazy and intriguing. I also hear it features some mechas? Even crazier.
  • Valkyria Chronicles 3 is PSP bound – Don’t expect me to pick it up right away. Like with VC2 for PSP.

Sony

  • Shadow of the Colossus and Ico are being re-released in HD – No details on whether it’s 720p60 or what, but I am looking forward to this!

Electronic Arts

Shadows of the DAMNED

Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release: Summer 2011

Debut Trailer

My Reaction

Even though it has so many talented high profile Japanese gaming developers involved, very skeptical about this. That trailer did not impress me at all.

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