Namco Bandai's Global Gamers Day Wrap-Up
Poppin' bottles with Namco as they drop new details on a slew of upcoming titles.
Published: April 13, 2012
Sizzle reels were shown and champagne glasses were raised at Namco Bandai's 2012 Global Gamers Day in Las Vegas Nevada on Wednesday. Nearly every press outlet was on hand for the one day, two night affair, which kicked off Tuesday evening with the Soul Calibur V World Championships and wrapped with a series of hands-on sessions and developer Q&A's the following day. While I've got plenty of exciting new info on some highly anticipated titles such as Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, if I give specifics before the appointed time, I'll be bagged and tagged by Namco's ninja embargo hit squad before the sun comes up. So in the meantime, here's a ninja approved list of tidbits from the keynote press conference to whet your appetites:
- A fairly extensive live demo of Namco's upcoming Star Trek game was played and to the surprise of many a game journo in attendance, it didn't suck one bit! Set after the events of the 2009 J.J. Abrams directed reboot, it actually functions as a direct sequel to the film. Billed as a third person action/adventure, it focuses closely on the relationship between Kirk and Spock, who must constantly use their complementary skill sets together in order to overcome challenges. The game is being developed closely with Paramount and the original film team to ensure that every ship, character and environment look uniform with the source material. I'll be putting up a more detailed preview soonly!
- An extended series of cinematics were shown of One Piece: Pirate Warrior. They didn't give much away about the style of gameplay...but the hands-on demo I got did. Of course, it would be all too ironic if I got killed by ninjas over pirate intel so I have to keep it under wraps. What I can say is that in the tradition of their solid stable of Naruto based games, it appears that, if nothing else, fans of the series will be delighted by the presentation and use of the One Piece license.
- We finally saw a solid chunk of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch in the form of a 10 minute live demo. Of all the games at the event, I had the highest hopes for this one and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. The demo took place in the town surrounding the palace of the “Porcine Prince”, where the player was free to roam and explore at will. Still screens completely fail to capture this game's beauty. In motion, Ni No Kuni is a work of art worthy of Studio Ghibli's pedigree and boasts a story that has the potential to be just as heartfelt and absorbing as any of the outfit's animated features. Be on the lookout for my full hands-on preview in the coming days when the embargo lifts.
- Last but certainly not least, Katsuhiro Harada, the creator of the Tekken series, made as grand an entrance as has ever been made at a press conference when he stepped out of a one-of-a-kind Tekken themed Lamborghini Aventador, and busted through the double doors of the conference room with not one, but two models cosplaying as Tekken characters while a procession of waiters and waitresses flooded in to put a glass of champagne in every attendee's hand. He then proceeded to stand there in his white, pinstriped suit and give us the low down on Tekken Tag Tournament 2. It was an entertaining, and impressive display of confidence in the game by Namco, who touted the franchise's unrivaled international sales success during the presentation. I'd love to dig into the game's new 2v1 and Fight Lab modes, but I just can't right now, you know, because ninjas. But fret not! I played plenty of TTT2 and threw some questions at Harada san for good measure, so the details will be worth the wait. I promise.
So there's your rundown of what was revealed at the keynote. Stay tuned for full previews on each of these featured titles when the embargo lifts on April 17th. I'm about to go slam back a 22 ounce can of Monster so I can stay awake 'til then. Can't sleep, ninjas will eat me!
- A fairly extensive live demo of Namco's upcoming Star Trek game was played and to the surprise of many a game journo in attendance, it didn't suck one bit! Set after the events of the 2009 J.J. Abrams directed reboot, it actually functions as a direct sequel to the film. Billed as a third person action/adventure, it focuses closely on the relationship between Kirk and Spock, who must constantly use their complementary skill sets together in order to overcome challenges. The game is being developed closely with Paramount and the original film team to ensure that every ship, character and environment look uniform with the source material. I'll be putting up a more detailed preview soonly!
- An extended series of cinematics were shown of One Piece: Pirate Warrior. They didn't give much away about the style of gameplay...but the hands-on demo I got did. Of course, it would be all too ironic if I got killed by ninjas over pirate intel so I have to keep it under wraps. What I can say is that in the tradition of their solid stable of Naruto based games, it appears that, if nothing else, fans of the series will be delighted by the presentation and use of the One Piece license.
- We finally saw a solid chunk of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch in the form of a 10 minute live demo. Of all the games at the event, I had the highest hopes for this one and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. The demo took place in the town surrounding the palace of the “Porcine Prince”, where the player was free to roam and explore at will. Still screens completely fail to capture this game's beauty. In motion, Ni No Kuni is a work of art worthy of Studio Ghibli's pedigree and boasts a story that has the potential to be just as heartfelt and absorbing as any of the outfit's animated features. Be on the lookout for my full hands-on preview in the coming days when the embargo lifts.
- Last but certainly not least, Katsuhiro Harada, the creator of the Tekken series, made as grand an entrance as has ever been made at a press conference when he stepped out of a one-of-a-kind Tekken themed Lamborghini Aventador, and busted through the double doors of the conference room with not one, but two models cosplaying as Tekken characters while a procession of waiters and waitresses flooded in to put a glass of champagne in every attendee's hand. He then proceeded to stand there in his white, pinstriped suit and give us the low down on Tekken Tag Tournament 2. It was an entertaining, and impressive display of confidence in the game by Namco, who touted the franchise's unrivaled international sales success during the presentation. I'd love to dig into the game's new 2v1 and Fight Lab modes, but I just can't right now, you know, because ninjas. But fret not! I played plenty of TTT2 and threw some questions at Harada san for good measure, so the details will be worth the wait. I promise.
So there's your rundown of what was revealed at the keynote. Stay tuned for full previews on each of these featured titles when the embargo lifts on April 17th. I'm about to go slam back a 22 ounce can of Monster so I can stay awake 'til then. Can't sleep, ninjas will eat me!
