E3 2009: Konami Press Conference Recap

Konami started off their 2009 E3 press conference by announcing that Metal Gear Solid 4 would be joining Sony's Greatest Hits lineup on June 16, and then Hideo Kojima took to the podium to make a few big announcements. First up was that Metal Gear Online would be going coin-op with Metal Gear Arcade. And not only will it bring the online action games to arcades that will be linked up together via a special system, it's also going to be in 3D if you wear the special goggles! They're looking at a release in Japan sometime this year, but had no details when (or if) it would be making its way to US arcades (what few are left). Next up was Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for the PSP, which had already been revealed at Sony's conference. Set in the '70s, ten years after Metal Gear Solid 3, Konami is touting this true sequel as "the missing link in the Metal Gear saga." There were multiple Snakes fighting alongside each other in the trailer, but the best bit was the hilarious gag at the end where a pink cardboard box dropped on top of Snake as he was hiding from a guard, and then another Snake came up and joined him under the same box. As the box started a'rockin, the guard came a'knockin, and didn't know what was going on! Hee! After that, Kojima revealed that a new, younger team was working on a game for a new, younger audience, and this time, it's starring Raiden, all cyborged-out Titled Metal Gear Solid: Rising, it's coming for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

But then Kojima had a shock for everyone when they started playing a trailer that was recognizable immediately as Castlevania. That's right, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is due out for the PS3 and 360 in 2010, and it kicks all kinds of ass. The crow naturally went wild for the teaser, and wanted more, although details were scarce. A reimagining of the Castlevania for the next generation of consoles, Lords of Shadow isn't a true sequel, but will feature elements familiar to fans of the series. It features voice talent from Patrick Stewart, Robert Carlyle, Jason Isaacs, and Natasha McElhone. While Kojima is only acting as some kind of vague supervising support, from the trailer screened at the conference, developer MercurySteam is doing a bang-up job. Seriously, it looks awesome.

Then Konami switched gears and had Torbin "Jigsaw" Bell come up to talk after screening the trailer for the Saw game. While I wasn't too interested in this title before, seeing some gameplay has me somewhat intrigued. There's some fairly interesting visual puzzle solving going on in there. It's coming out on the PS3 and 360, and also as a download for the PC. Next up was the new Karaoke Revolution, which will feature 50 new songs as well as extensively customizable characters and arenas when it lands on the PS3, 360, and Wii. Another Dance Dance Revolution is also on its way with 50 new songs of its own from artists like Britney Spears, Moby and Lady Gaga. What was awesome was when the fantastically fabulous DDR producer revealed that the Wii version would feature support for the Balance Board, and then proceeded to demonstrate for us how instead of stepping, you swivel your hips or punch with the Nunchuck and Wiimote. Awesome. Oh, and it's also coming for the PS2, because it's not dead yet.

WireWay is coming to the DS this fall, and it's a platforming adventure in the LocoRoco vein where you flick elastic bands with the stylus to propel your little alien character around the levels and through obstacles. DecaSports 2 will bring 10 sporting events to the Wii in the form of family-friendly party games, although I have to admit I'm a little intrigued to see how synchronized swimming controls. Then they showed a new trailer for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, which is not only coming to the Wii, but also the PS2 and PSP. It looks terrific. And they closed by revealing that DDR is not only coming to the 360, but for the first time to the PS3. And this time, they've got something called "Octomode," which basically seems to involve a brand new dance pad that has eight arrows instead of four. Like DDR needed to get any harder. Oh, and they're also promising 150 downloadable songs.

They probably should've closed with Kojima, because honestly, after Castlevania, nothing could compare. But DDR with a Balance Board looked like it might be fun, and I'm always up for another trip into Silent Hill. In fact, afterwards, I got some hands-on time with Shattered Memories, and learned some intriguing new details about it. But that's a story for another time...