RipTen Videogame Blog » Konami

David Hayter’s Favorite MGS Game is Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Drake Hess — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:30:26 +0000

If you found yourself trying desperately to remain awake as you played through Metal Gear Sold 4, fear not, you weren’t alone. When asked what his favoriate Metal Gear game was, the voice of Solid Snake himself, David Hayter, did not go with the PlayStation 3 next gen debut. Instead, he chimed in with the PS2 snake snacking third installment of the MGS series, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Why you ask? Because “it’s amazing.”

I happen to agree with him. Snake Eater was amazing. It was the perfect mix of varied gameplay elements, cinematics, and storyline. If you haven’t played this classic yet, check out the Metal Gear Solid HD collection that released a few months ago. You won’t regret it.

Konami Profit $73 million in December, Raises Fiscal Year Forecast

Sam Naylor — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:45:20 +0000

Konami seems to be doing very well, managing a $73 million profit in December and upping their prediction for this fiscal year.

In the first six months of the fiscal year Konami made 11.5b Yen ($151.1m) profit, and 123.1b Yen ($1.617b) in revenue. That grew to 194.522b Yen ($2.556b) revenue and 17.046b Yen ($224m) profit in the three months that followed. From this, we can see that Konami made $940m in revenue in the month of December, and nearly $73m profit.

Previously the company had predicted 258b Yen ($3.39b) revenue and 18.5b Yen ($243m) profit, but it has now changed this forecast. Konami now hopes revenue will rise to 265b Yen ($3.48b) and profit to 22.0b Yen ($289m).

There are lots more numbers to read and be confused by on the full report here (pdf).

There’s an interesting chart in there which lists the breakdown by genre- and brilliantly “Metal Gear” is listed as its own genre.

Via [VGChartz]

The Simpsons Arcade Game Coming to XBL and PSN

Catherine Cai — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:00:42 +0000

Bring yourself back to the days when you frequented arcades. Perhaps you never did, or perhaps your only experience with the arcades was at the local Chuck E. Cheese. Regardless, The Simpsons arcade game was a classic, and if you’ve yet to play it you are truly missing out. Yes, I’m talking about that side scrolling beat-’em-up game where you control one of The Simpsons and proceeded down the streets of Springfield, destroying everything in your path. The story of the game eludes me, but I certainly remember that beating people using Bart was extremely entertaining.

All of this brings me to the reason behind this trip down memory lane. Konami has decided to bring the arcade game to both XBL and PSN. The port has three modes: Quarters, Survival, and Free Play. It will be offered on XBL starting this Friday, February 3rd, and on PSN on February 7th. However, PlayStation Plus members will be entitled to this game for the low low price of absolutely free! Unfortunately, Xbox gamers are going to have to fork over 800 MSP or $9.99 to fart like Bart.

[Via PlayStation Blog]

Tomoyuki Tsuboi Named President of Konami Digital Entertainment

Sam Naylor — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:15:09 +0000

Konami Digital Entertainment has replaced former President Shinji Hirano with Tomoyuki Tsuboi.

Shinji Hirano, rather than leave altogether, will move to a new position as President of Konami Digital Entertainment, GmbH (Europe). Tomoyuki Tsuboi, his successor, has worked at Konami for more than 14 years managing Corporate Planning (whatever that means).

Tsuboi, who assumed the Presidency on November 16th last year, said:

My goal is to build upon the momentum the entire Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. staff has built for our company. We plan to intensify this momentum by continuing to innovate across our core franchises and creating those memorable gaming experiences that has been synonymous with KONAMI over the past four decades.

Before you decide to leave a nasty comment, be aware that I know how odd it is that we got this press release today considering he started this job on November 16th last year.

NeverDead Launch Trailer is Zany, a Little Gory and Fun

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:00:22 +0000

Konami and Rebellion Developments have released a launch trailer for their supernatural shooter NeverDead.

NeverDead has an interesting premise. The protagonist is an immortal and can survive severe injuries. Over time, the player will lose body parts and will have to collect the removed limbs by rolling into them. This latest trailer displays this interesting gameplay mechanic with a little backstory and plenty of flair.

Check it out below:

NeverDead is available at retail today for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Konami Keeps Dropping Lords of Shadow Sequel Hints

Justin Carter — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:00:15 +0000

Back in 2010, Hideo Kojima threw his hat into the Castlevania ring with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. The game was pretty well received, and fans have been clamoring for a sequel. Mercurysteam and Kojima Productions have been leaving hints every now and then. When asked when they would share more about their next project on Twitter, producer David Cox upped the anti with his reply.

“Projects…… Plural. When we are ready !! :)”

Well, that changes things. If they’re working on multiple projects, it’ll be awhile before we hear about a Lords of Shadow sequel. As for what the other projects could be, that’s unknown.

Konami Gets Groove On With Announcement of Rhythm Party for Xbox Live

Michael Gruver — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:30:58 +0000

Konami announced today that their game Rythm Party will be coming to Xbox Live on February 1st, 2012. It’s scheduled to launch with tracks by artists such as Lady Gaga, Bobby Brown, and Vanilla Ice to name a few. Below is the full press release, so stop the train, and check it out.

KONAMI ANNOUNCES RHYTHM PARTY FOR XBOX LIVE®ARCADE

Get Yourself Moving with this Kooky, High-Energy Rhythm Game that Brings Dancing Simulation and a Over the Top Style

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – January 27, 2012 – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced Rhythm Party, a new downloadable game for the Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Designed exclusively for use with the Kinect sensor, no avatars or elaborate customizations are needed in Rhythm Party, because YOU are the star! Use the Kinect sensor to put your own silhouette in the game, giving a whole new level of fun and entertainment.

One of the best features of Rhythm Party is the “open format” dancing. Unlike other music and dancing games, there isn’t any contrived choreography, so players can move about the beat and groove freely to create their own performance. Hit the performance “ripples” on screen to collect points and gain multipliers to increase your score. Players are thrown into a world of vivid color, wild backgrounds and random awesomeness. Zany and outlandish interactive backgrounds such as electric carnivals, wild discos and Spanish cafes will keep players laughing along the way!

And of course, no music game is complete without great music. Rhythm Party includes special collaborations with hit artists, motivating dancers with an interactive music experience unlike ever before.

TRACK, ARTIST
Born This Way, Lady Gaga
Every Little Step, Bobby Brown
Y.M.C.A., Village People
A Midnight Rendezvous, Shanice
Still unbreakable, Des-ROW Ft. Vanilla Ice
SAY A PRAYER, Des-ROW Ft. Maxi Priest
BEFREE, Des-ROW Ft. Vanilla Ice
Summer Fairytale, Design-MAD crew
HEARTBREAK (Sound Selektaz remix), NAOKI feat. Becca Hossany
All Thu The Night, jun feat. Lisa Lisa

Rhythm Party will be available February 1, 2012.

Are you excited for this? Is your body ready for the juking and the jiving it’s about to undertake? Well, better start preparing for the February 1st release window then, because the Village people can’t Y.M.C.A without you.

Bomberman Creator Hudson Soft Lays Down Its Last Bomb

Michael Gruver — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:50:38 +0000

Website Andriasang, has translated news that Konami is shutting down Hudson Soft, a developer best known for its Bomberman and Bonk’s Adventure franchises, as well as several other titles that have endeared gamers of all ages.

Hudson Soft has been powering our digital pastime since the original Nintendo Entertainment System back in July of 1984, and their games have graced pretty much every console and handheld that has come out ever since.

Konami bought Hudson Soft on April 1st, 2010, and the parent company quickly shifted the focus of their newly acquired subsidiary to the creation of games for the mobile gaming sector. Come March 1st, 2012, Hudson Soft will cease to exist in any capacity. All intellectual properties and resources of Hudson will merge into that of Konami.

The bright side for fans of their intellectual property is that titles such as the aforementioned Bomberman, or any other release Hudson may have been working on, could very well live on. Only time will tell. As for now though, it would appear that Bomberman has expanded his last explosion and killed his last enemy as a Hudson Soft Hero.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Sequel In 2012? Producer Retweet Stirs The Pot

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:10:24 +0000

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Producer, Dave Cox, playfully retweeted a CVG article that mentioned a potential Lords of Shadow sequel as one of 24 games they believe will define 2012.

In his retweet, Cox added “without comment :).” If you’ve ever met Cox in person, the smiley face says it all. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least bit to see a sequel release here. Not one bit.

Metal Gear Solid 5 Sort of Confirmed Again, A Bit

Sam Naylor — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:03:25 +0000

Hideo Kojima has resumed his favourite pastime- teasing fans about the existence of another “proper” Metal Gear Solid game.

While at the press conference for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (possibly one of the stupidest titles for a game ever), Kojima answered a number of questions. As part of this, he said:

For those of you desire for authentic stealth MGS, I want you to patiently wait for the sequel coming in future.

So that’s Metal Gear Solid 5 confirmed then. Well, sort of. A bit. It’s a confirmation that something exists.

Twitter via Destructoid

RipTen Review: BurgerTime World Tour (XBLA)

David Oxford — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 08:45:17 +0000

The original BurgerTime was released in 1982, and took its place as an arcade classic fondly remembered by many alongside the likes of other such icons of the day as Pac-Man and Donkey Kong.

The goal of the game was simple, yet something which could only ever make sense in video game logic: Chef Peter Pepper wants to make hamburgers, and does so my walking across the length of giant buns, patties, and other ingredients, causing them to fall down a layer until they are all neatly stacked up on the plates at the bottom. Unlike the cows you see at Chick-fil-a, however, there are other foods (a hot dog, a pickle, and a fried egg) who seem a bit jealous of Pepper’s burger-stacking, and wish to put a stop to it. Fortunately, the wily burger chef is able to stun them with a shot from his handy pepper shaker, allowing him to pass safely by until he can squash them between the giant burger parts.

It’s a weird concept, but sitting alongside a yellow dot-munching circle and knights riding ostriches over hot lava, BurgerTime was relatively mundane and endearing.

However, despite being ported to various platforms over the years, from the Atari 2600 and 7800 to the Intellivision, Colecovision, Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and more, occasionally with some slight updates or enhancements, BurgerTime and its cast never really quite managed to move on to become a universal gaming star like those from Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Mario, Frogger, and more. The game did manage to be featured in a portion of the 1990 season 2 premiere of Captain N: The Game Master, but never really rose any higher than that.

Fast-forward a few more years to 1994, as Nintendo released Donkey Kong (affectionately known to some by its production title, Donkey Kong ’94) for the Game Boy. Perhaps this was to re-familiarize its audience with their then-dormant character Donkey Kong before releasing Donkey Kong Country to the world in the holiday season of that year; regardless, they had not only brought back the arcade classic, but remade it.

Taking advantage of the extra storage space of newer game cartridges (as well as the extra boost in capability provided by the Super Game Boy adapter for the Super NES), Donkey Kong not only managed to remake the game with improved graphics and sound (well, in a sense– it was a Game Boy game, after all), but evolve it. 100 levels awaited players with countless challenges across numerous landscapes and a variety of moves and abilities virtually unimaginable to those who had played the original in arcades over a decade before.

And now, we come to 2011 and the release of BurgerTime World Tour, developed by MonkeyPaw Games and published by Konami for WiiWare, the PlayStation Network, Windows PCs, and Xbox LIVE Arcade, which is the version played for this review.

BurgerTime World Tour feels as though the developers took a good, long look at how Nintendo remade their arcade classic, and tried to apply the same formula to BurgerTime… with the benefit of an extra 17 years of technological advancement, of course.

The premise, as noted above, is largely the same: you take the role of Chef Peter Pepper (who now has a new design, not that his was ever very consistent) as he sets out to create giant burgers. Or, in the Xbox LIVE Arcade version, you can instead choose to play as your Avatar instead; the downside to this, though, is that the cutscenes still depict Pepper, which leaves one to wonder what the point is. Nonetheless, it’s not a bad thing to have the option; no harm, no foul.

As for the cutscenes, BurgerTime World Tour does have something of a story, as Peter Pepper sets out to stop a rival chef who has apparently taken over a burger-making machine. Precisely why this is necessarily bad isn’t particularly clear, though we assume it’s to make a statement about the superiority of handmade burgers versus those prepared in assembly-line fashion.

The core gameplay of BurgerTime World Tour is very much like its namesake, with Peter Pepper climbing ladders and running along burger toppings to make them fall, blasting foes with pepper in the process. But that is largely where the similarities end.

Taking advantage of newer technology, World Tour is more of a 2.5D game, with levels based around blocks of different cities, from New York to Paris and from Mexico to Tokyo and more, with 50 levels in total (though only 30 for the upcoming Wii version). The platforms essentially wrap around these settings, making each stage like a very large cylinder; you not only move left and right (in addition to up and down), but also around the levels as well.

This actually makes things a little interesting when projectiles come into play, as they follow the curve of the stage as well, defying logic and physics; such is the nature of video games. But with that said, it provides a unique and interesting twist on the normal perspective presented in platforming games.

And indeed, this is a platforming game, unlike the original, as Peter Pepper has now learned the art of jumping. Furthermore, he can now also pick up an enemy stunned by a shot of peppper and carry them to the burger ingredients, where he slams them down to force the pieces to fall further than they normally would.

Other items provide further new abilities, including a spatula which handily rids you of enemies outright, and rocket packs which blast Pepper off to new heights; in some cases, you’ll need to blast your rocket up to another rocket and continue the climb. Unfortunately for Pepper, he can only carry one item at a time (not counting his trusty pepper shaker).

And he’ll need all the help he can get. Mr. Hot Dog, Mr. Egg, and Mr. Pickle have all returned, and unlike the originals, whose behavior made them largely interchangeable, they each have new names and characteristics. Frank Furter will seek you out, wherever you go, and climb ladders to reach you, much like the original; Sonny the fried egg can climb, too, but tends to stick to certain areas, and will charge upon spotting you; Ruthless Dill the pickle sticks to certain areas as well, but now jumps when you do in order to prevent you from getting by.

Three new characters also appear to stop Peter Pepper from making his rounds, adding even more variety to the original formula.

Each city culminates in a boss battle, which plays similarly enough to the rest of the game, though there are some twists, such as repeatedly making the same jumbo burgers while dodging condiments to jam a burger-making machine, or dodging the blows of a massive luchador wrestler in the background.

If there is one word we would use to describe BurgerTime World Tour, it’s “unforgiving.”

Make no mistake about it: Despite the silly premise, this game, much like its forebearer, is tough. But even so, we would never go so far as to describe it as unfair; the controls work well, and you’re given plenty of tools with which to go about your burger-making business.

If there is any real problem that we could cite, it is that everything is so colorful and busy that sometimes you might not even see an enemy who is right in front of you… to be unable to see the trees for the forest, one might say. In addition, there’s a certain lack of “impact,” for lack of a better word, to the game’s physics; on the occasions where we would die, we weren’t even quite aware of it for a moment.

But even then, as you play, you develop a certain rhythm and become in-tune with the game, and that’s when it really becomes fun. In an age where “brown” seems to be the go-to color for so many games, we aren’t about to complain about something as vibrant and animated as this; it just takes a little getting used to.

To help with that, the developers have also included a handy Easy Mode. Interestingly enough, this does not seem to change the gameplay in the slightest; rather, you are given more lives with which to tackle each stage, as well as more shots from your pepper shaker to deal with your fried foes.

And it does make a huge difference if you’re having trouble. The only problem is, you cannot save your scores in this mode, and for some reason, the developers make it a point to tell you… at the start of every. Single. Stage.

Incidentally, one mechanic which thwarted us over and over again was when flat moving platforms would crush Peter Pepper to death. In most games, platforms like this are harmless enough, often even letting you pass through them, which just makes these all the more treacherous if you’re not paying attention. Frankly, we think that part seems a little like overkill, as the game is challenging enough without that bit.

Rounding out the game is the inclusion of multiplayer modes, which include simultaneous split-screen and online modes for up to four players. Here, you can unlock new characters, and even use your own as you race to complete the burgers first. In addition, you can even tweak which enemies and power-ups will or will not appear, how many of them there are, and how long the matches run.

Earlier in this review, we likened BurgerTime World Tour to Nintendo’s Donkey Kong revival, which leaves the question of whether or not the game succeeds in that regard.

And we definitely think so; while BurgerTime World Tour may not necessarily surpass Donkey Kong for the Game Boy (despite having an extra 17 years to do so), it has certainly done an admirable job bringing an arcade classic into the 21st century and updating it accordingly. If you love old-fashioned arcade-style gameplay, then this title is a must-play, especially if you were a fan of the original game.

Or, more simply put: this burger is well done.

Here’s The Rundown:

+ BurgerTime lives again!

+ The gameplay is very challenging, yet doesn’t tend to be unfair

+ It is to BurgerTime what Donkey Kong ’94 was to Donkey Kong, or Super Castlevania IV was to Castlevania; this is a sterling example of how to update a classic arcade game

+ Online and multiplayer modes extend the longevity

- While not quite floaty, some of the physics lack “oomph”

- Right, you can’t save scores on Easy mode, we get it… just like we got it the last 82 times you told us

- It’s sometimes hard to remember that moving platforms will squish you; was that part of the obstacle really necessary?

- No Avatars in cutscenes? But I wanted to watch myself get angry at a speeding cab driven by a weenie…

Learn more about the RipTen scoring system and what this score means. Visit our review scoring page.

BurgerTime World Tour was developed by MonkeyPaw Games and published by Konami. It was released on Xbox LIVE Arcade on November 2nd and the PlayStation Network on November 15th, 2011, with PC and WiiWare versions forthcoming. A review copy of the Xbox LIVE Arcade version was provided by Konami, and was played until our reviewer was full, though he now has the craziest craving for some Johnny Rockets…

Konami Announces Silent Hill HD and Book of Memories

Stephanie Gutowski — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:35:02 +0000

Konami’s got news for you, Silent Hill fans. Whether you’re hardcore into the sequential games or a lover of the spin-offs, you’re going to want to listen up. Looks like we’ve got a little bit of everything on the horizon. This latest press release from Konami has the details for you.

First up, releasing nationwide on January 24th, is Silent Hill HD Collections. Silent Hill HD Collections serves as a tribute to the core Silent Hill fans by taking the most famous games of the series, Silent Hill 2 & 3, and re-mastering them in high-definition graphics and adding new voiceovers.

Next, coming in February, is Silent Hill Book of Memories, exclusively for the brand new PlayStation®Vita handheld device. Book of Memories is an all-new game in the Silent Hill series, with a unique premise and storyline. The story begins with a strange book that is received; inside that book is your entire life story and all of your memories. You discover that by altering what’s written… you can actually change the past. You can write your own ideal history. And for the first time ever in a Silent Hill game, it will support multiplayer, so friends can share in the fright in a co-op mode.

And finally, coming in March, is the highly anticipated Silent Hill Downpour, an all-new Silent Hill experience. Silent Hill Downpour follows the story of Murphy Pendleton, a convicted felon, who finds himself trapped in Silent Hill after his prison transport bus crashes. Silent Hill Downpour is the most expansive Silent Hill to date, as players can embark on side missions, explore the town and piece more of the mystery of Silent Hill together.

Silent Hill HD? Don’t mind if I do. Not too sure about multiplayer, though. Oh well, have some screens.

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Will Ship November 8th

Dave Oshry — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:51:03 +0000

Konami has announced that the MGS HD collection will be out in just over 2 weeks for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

From the critically acclaimed director, Hideo Kojima, METAL GEAR SOLID HD COLLECTION offers a handful of the most popular Metal Gear Solid titles from the past in true HD for the first time ever. Featuring a total of 5 complete games including METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY, METAL GEAR SOLID 3: SNAKE EATER, METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER in HD, and the original MSX2 classics, METAL GEAR and METAL GEAR 2: SOLID SNAKE. The HD Collection offers old and new fans a chance to experience the epic game play, design and storytelling of the MGS franchise.

The ” METAL GEAR SOLID (MGS)” series is the seminal work of Hideo Kojima, Japan’s master game creator, and the progenitor of the stealth action game genre. The player controls numerous legendary characters from the METAL GEAR SOLID universe from elite special forces units who are sent on solo sneaking missions through enemy installations, vast jungles, and sometimes even the thick of battle. Alone and surrounded by the enemy, even a special forces agent will find it tough to come out alive. But that is the secret behind the series’ popularity-the cerebral challenge of figuring out how to avoid combat, and the thrill of sneaking through enemy territory undetected.

Will you be getting the MGS HD collection? Are you ready for some up-rezzed exclamation points?!

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection ‘Limited Edition’ Confirmed and Detailed

Garrett Hartman — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:30:18 +0000

Konami has confirmed an upcoming special limited edition for the Metal Gear Solid Hd Collection. The Limited Edition will come in beautifully drawn packaging and include a 248 page artbook.

Here is all of the additional content detailed below:

Standard game
Specialized packaging created by series lead artist, Yoji Shinkawa
248 page exclusive ”The Art of Metal Gear Solid” artbook

Features for METAL GEAR SOLID HD COLLECTION include:

Remastered from the ground up for PS3 & Xbox360
Stunning 1080p graphics
60 frames-per-second graphics
Icons, sound effects, and all fonts upgraded for HD
User interface rebalanced for HD
Added right analog stick input and force feedback*
Features Trophies on PS3 and Achievements on Xbox 360
Worldwide matchmaking for multiplayer (tentative)
TRANSFARRING (save data sharing) compatible with PSP version*

The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Limited Edition will be available this winter for both the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Now Available On PSN

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:07:56 +0000

Konami has announced Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is now available for download on PSN. The PS3 version includes additional content including the ‘Beauty, Desire, Situation Dire’ Map pack, which includes the Pyramid of Ruin level, and additional characters Julius Belmont and Yoko Belnades.

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair orginally released August 4, 2010 on Xbox Live. And we liked it (Read our Review). Harmony of Despair features the classic renowned fast paced, 2D side-scrolling action the series is known for, as vampire hunters from throughout the series come together to return Dracula to his eternal slumber. Joining forces with friends, up to 6 players can explore massive levels inspired by the worlds of Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin and Order of Ecclesia via online co-op play.

It is available now on PSN for $14.99.

TGS 2011: New Silent Hill Downpour Trailer Features Ass-Kickin’ Music from Korn

Garrett Hartman — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 00:30:59 +0000

Konami has released a kick-ass new trailer for Silent Hill Downpour for the TGS which features music from Korn.

Murphy Pendleton has been incarcerated for several years, having had his sentence extended once already. Due to his history at Ryall State Prison, he is being transferred to nearby Wayside Maximum Security Penitentiary-but a freak accident cuts the journey short. Waking up in a forest next to the wrecked bus, Murphy has a clear shot at freedom. He makes his way into the sleepy town of Silent Hill where mysterious locals welcome him into a slowly developing personal hell.

Silent Hill Downpour is the latest Silent Hill game offering the familiar Survival Horror gameplay delivered in the most defined visual quality to date. The game also expands on the exploration theme of the franchise both design-wise and through psychological torture, ambient story, horrific enemies and self-evaluative questions of despair.

Check it out:

RipTen Review: Red Bull X-Fighters (XBLA)

Chris Carlson — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:45:26 +0000

Do you remember back in 2009 when a spectacular arcade game hit XBLA by the name of Trials HD? I do, because I occasionally still play it. At first sight, Red Bull X-Fighters looks like a blatant rip-off with fancy X-Games tricks. That might be a good thing, right? Wrong. I hope you carry painkillers on you because you’ll want to repeatably punch yourself in the face after playing RBXF.

When I say bad, I don’t mean it’s riddled with bugs and glitches. In Red Bull X-Fighters case, I probably would have enjoyed it if I did encounter any because of how downright fucking boring the game really is. I actually had to stop playing it, it was that bad. Once you complete the training areas, here’s what you’ll do. Hold A, then hold A some more. That’s it; No multiplayer, no trick stunt levels, not even one type of alternative mode.

It's more fun if you crash instead of land that. I promise.

What makes matters even worse is, the game is horrifying to look at it. I’ve seen cell phone games look prettier than this. The “physics” for your bike are nearly non-existant. Simply holding just the A button will get you from point-A to point-B with no hassle at all. Worst of all, before the game even attempts to let you have any sort of fun, the track is over.

I haven’t had a track last me longer than 45 seconds, and it always ends with your guy holding his hands up in victory… assuming you win that is. Not like you’ll have much of a problem anyway as the game provides virtually no challenge what so ever. You’re basically playing boring ass 30 second segments over and over again. It’s not fun. At all.

Women call me the 30 second man, because that's as long as I last on the track.

The only remotely good thing Red Bull X-Fighters does right, that’s the slightest bit entertaining, is the rag doll physics when you crash. I think I might have grinned once when my character went flying face first into the dirt after a purposely failed “Saran wrap” trick. It’s actually more fun to fail the tricks, than it is to successfully land them.

Beat a set score, race against the clock, or perform certain tricks before you reach the end of the track. Besides also having the most annoying announcer I’ve ever heard in my life narrating every single trick you do, the game is as basic as it comes; During each and every event, I never once enjoyed myself.

CustomizZzZzation. Boring. Nothing to see hear folks. Move along!

The track design is as lazy as well, nothing is creative or even makes an attempt at being creative. You have your standard dirt ramps, rings of fire, and X-Game style ramps, but nothing more. Excitebike on NES has more creative track design for fucks sake. Speaking of which, THAT game supports multiplayer, and it was released before I was born.

The game also offers a sense of customization such as new outfits and bikes, but as I mentioned before, the game is so hideous to look at, you’ll never even think about wasting time to change anything up. Simply put, Red Bull X-Fighters is one of the most dull, boring, useless gaming experiences I’ve ever played in my life.

ZOMFlippingG Fire rings. Haven't seen that before!

If you were to walk up to me on the street and go: “Hey Chris! How is that Red Bull X-Fighter game I saw you playing the other day?” I would kick you square in the nuts, pour hot coffee on your face, and tell you to never mention that game to me again. In fact, I would probably never speak to you again. I might visit you in the hospital however… wearing an X-Games tracksuit.

Red Bull X-Fighters is in no way even close to being worth $10. I wouldn’t even recommend the game if the developers paid you to play it. If you want to know how I felt while playing Red Bull X-Fighters: take a bit of barbed wire, tie one end to a doorknob, wrap the other end around your nuts, superglue your ass cheeks to the floor, and have someone slam the door as hard as they possibly can. If you can successfully complete that task, then congratulations, you just experienced what it’s like to play Red Bull X-Fighters.

Here’s the rundown:

+ Crashing might make you smile

+ You get to laugh at the people who actually paid for this

+ Reminds you how good Excitebike still is on NES

- Ugly graphics

- Annoying music and announcer

- Horrid track design

- Not fun in any way

- Lost out on $9.99 for a bottle of Whiskey

- You’ll lose your self respect if you pay for this

Red Bull X-Fighters was developed by I-Play and published by Konami. It was released for Xbox LIVE Arcade on September 14th, 2011 for $9.99 (800MSP). The copy used for review was provided to us by the publisher. The game was played for a miserable 2 hours and now Chris must hunt down Dave Oshry for such torture he has unleashed.

Konami Drops More Details on the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection

Catherine Cai — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:00:28 +0000

Snake…?

Snake?

SNAAAAAAAAAKE…

…is getting a HD facelift. As you already know, Konami intends on bringing old Metal Gear titles from the PSP and the PS2 together into a HD collection for the 360 and the PS3. These titles include: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (MGS3), and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

Here’s the rundown:

・Remastered from the ground up for PS3® & Xbox360®
・Stunning 1080p graphics
・60 frames-per-second graphics
・Icons, sound effects, and all fonts upgraded for HD
・User interface rebalanced for HD
・Added right analog stick input and force feedback*
・Features Trophies on PS3® and Achievements on Xbox 360®
・Worldwide matchmaking for multiplayer (tentative)
・TRANSFARRING (save data sharing) compatible with PSP® version*

METAL GEAR SOLID HD COLLECTION brings together HD versions of the PlayStation®2 hits METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY (2001), METAL GEAR SOLID 3: SNAKE EATER (MGS3) (2004) and METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER (2010) which debuted on the PSP®, in one package. In addition, METAL GEAR SOLID HD EDITION contains the ports of METAL GEAR and METAL GEAR 2: SOLID SNAKE for the MSX2 that were included with the complete version of MGS3, METAL GEAR SOLID 3: SUBSISTENCE (2005).

Is there a pricetag for this package? Not yet, so stay tuned.

TGS 2011: Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection Trailer

Chris Carlson — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:00:38 +0000

Konami has released a brand new trailer for the Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection, which also showcases Metal Gear Sold 2 gameplay footage for the first time. Ah yes, how those VR missions bring back the memories. There’s also some beautiful footage from Metal Gear Solid 3 as well.

Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection is set to release on November 8th for Xbox 360 and PS3.

TGS 2011: Kojima Confirms MGS & ZoE HD Collections for PS Vita

Garrett Hartman — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:03:24 +0000

At the 2011 Tokyo Game Show during the Sony Conference, Hideo Kojima announced the Metal Gear Solid and Zone of the Enders HD Collections for the PS Vita to be released in 2012.

The MGS Collection, will feature HD versions of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Metal Gear Solid: Subsistence. The Zone of the Enders HD Collection will contain the original ZoE game, as well as Zone of the Enders The Second Runner.

Although announced for 2012, a more specific date has not been stated.