Metal Gear Solid fan remake has ceased development

                     

The Shadow Moses Project, which was to be a remake of the Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid, has been canceled. The team took to social media to announce this, though their announcement was vague:

The team says they have some “other news coming though,” and they have asked fans to stay tuned.

Fan remakes like this are always a risky venture when it comes to the time put in by those developing the game and the hopes and excitement of fans following it. While a few companies seem happy to let these things percolate, most notably Valve and Bethesda with the Half-Life remake Black Mesa, and the Morrowind remake called Skywind, most companies seem more focused on protecting their properties and these projects are often shut down hard and fast. While we don’t know why it was shut down quite yet, a cease and desist seems likely, as Konami’s been pretty protective of their properties as of late.

If it was indeed Konami, though, that’s a bit disappointing. While PC games like Half-Lifeand Morrowind are still available and can be installed on modern PCs, something like Metal Gear Solid, originally released on PlayStation in 1998, is lost to time until the company decides to remake or re-release it on a more modern platform, meaning there’s no money flowing to the company for them to miss out on. Konami had cheekily acknowledged the existence of the remake a few months back:

Shadow Moses’ team had been teasing a big announcement set for just a week from now, and we may never find out what they had in store. Hopefully that news is that the game is getting an official remake, or that the team is making their own stealth game, or something like that.

source: technobuffalo

Etrian Odyssey V debut trailer – It’s not easy being green

Atlus confirmed the long-rumored latest entry in the Etrian Odyssey series last week, and it has followed up with the debut trailer. For what it’s worth, if you love Etrian Odyssey and are not yet sick of the formula, you’re going to love Etrian Odyssey V.

Unlike Etrian Odyssey IV, which received a much needed graphical overhaul when Atlus brought the series to the Nintendo 3DS, Etrian Odyssey V doesn’t do anything new on the graphical or artistic front. The celebrated team behind the franchise is still cranking out adorable character art and crude monster models in the same graphic engine, and, of course, everything is still green.

Now, I’m not one to dismiss a game in a series because it looks just like the ones before it. I’ve always tried to look at each game in a series by its own merits, beyond the continuing aesthetic. However, after three games of trouncing through the forest in this same engine, the Etrian Odyssey team is really going to have to do something special with the series if it wants me to slug through another one.

This goes double after seeing what it can do with unique aesthetics, like in the marvelous Persona Q.

I’m sure it will be a solid game, but we might need to wait for the Nintendo 3DS’ successor to get something that at least looks different. Etrian Odyssey V launches for the Nintendo 3DS on Aug. 4 in Japan. No word on the localization just yet.

source: SILICONERA

Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 confirmed for release this summer

After it was leaked by the developers recently, Nintendo stepped in to confirm that Inti Create’s hot sequel Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 would indeed be coming to the Nintendo 3DS this summer. You can pick it up on June 1 at a special launch discount.

This confirmation makes me wonder if Mighty No. 9 will be released by then.

Gunvolt returns to the run ‘n gun platforming genre with his electricity field and fully customizable blaster. This time, though, Copen, one of the challenging rivals from the first game, will be returning as a playable character, and he will be armed with each of the villains’ special attacks.

Inti Creates’ Azure Striker Gunvolt is a pleasant run ‘n gunner available on the Nintendo 3DS and Steam. It’s held back by rudimentary platforming design, but, otherwise, is an excellent, if slightly uninspired, blast from beginning to end. If Inti Creates properly addressed the first game’s criticisms, this should be a much more solid game.

Again, Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 launches for the Nintendo 3DS on June 1.

SOURCE technobuffalo