Well, blame a combo of an office-wide epidemic, a delicious allergic reaction to... well, something in yours truly and some serious family problems, and we weren't able to get you the goods on Konami's offerings for 2003 in time. We DO, however, have them here in case you may have missed them, and a couple standouts look like potential games of the year for 2003. Behold the grand list (trimmed to include only PS2 titles), cut and pasted like the true lazy guys we are:



Cy Girls

Release date: Fall 2003

Genre: Action/Adventure

Platform: Sony PlayStation® 2

Prepare for a wild cyber-thriller adventure with female espionage agents Ice and Asuka in Cy Girls, a brand new action adventure game from Konami. Using explosive firepower and deadly martial arts skills, Ice and Asuka take down criminals with style and flair. While battling an evil syndicate, these sexy heroines will have the ability to dive into a "cyber world" where they can download additional information, skills, and techniques. Fighting futuristic crime has never been this smart, sexy or cool.



DDRMAX2 Dance Dance Revolution™

Release date: Fall 2003

Genre: Music

Platform: Sony PlayStation® 2

Get your dancing shoes on and pump up the volume! Konami's dancing revolution rolls on with the release of DDRMAX2™ for Sony PlayStation® 2. Now offering players a whole new library of unforgettable licensed and exclusive songs for the U.S., DDRMAX2 includes all-new high-energy play modes and an enhanced interface. Players will still have to stay on their toes as all of the standard game modes and the ever-challenging Workout Mode return!



Gradius® V

Release date: Fall 2003

Genre: Shooting

Platform: Sony PlayStation® 2

The Vic Viper returns in Gradius® V – the first title in Konami's classic space-shooter series that has been specifically designed for the Sony PlayStation® 2. Gradius® V preserves the franchise's classic gameplay and features stunning 3D graphics, inspired game design elements and a new control scheme that gives players more power than ever!



K-1 World Grand Prix

Release date: Summer 2003

Genre: Fighting

Platform: Sony PlayStation® 2

A growing combat sport that has taken Japan by storm, K-1 brings together the toughest practitioners of karate, kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do and Kung Fu to create the world's most challenging fighting competition. And now, players can step in to the virtual ring and feel the sweat on their brow in Konami's new videogame, K-1 World Grand Prix – the most realistic re-creation of the sport ever. Highlighted by stunning true-to-life graphics, realistic fighting styles and a unique damage/health system, K-1 World Grand Prix features over 20 real-life fighters, each of whom performed their own motion capture to deliver signature moves and celebrations that are true-to-the-man. Further delivering the sport, K-1 World Grand Prix boasts a wealth of game modes, including Grand Prix, Champion's Revolution, Exhibition, Trial, Revival and more. Get your kicks with K-1 World Grand Prix in Summer 2003!



McFarlane's Monsters

Release date: Fall 2003

Genre: Action/Fighting

Platform: Sony PlayStation® 2

Based on the popular line of toys developed by legendary comic book and action figure creator Todd McFarlane, this 3rd person action/fighting game brings players into the terrifying world of McFarlane's Monsters. Using original McFarlane-designed Monster Hunters, players battle through treacherous deserts, perilous jungles and foul swamps in an effort to stop Dracula, Frankenstein, the Werewolf and their evil cohorts from corrupting the world. Armed with swords, magic spells, and other unique weapons, McFarlane's Monsters guarantees non-stop action and thrills.



Metal Gear Solid® 2: Substance

Release date: March 4, 2003

Genre: Action/Adventure

Platform: Sony PlayStation® 2

The follow-up to Konami's 2001 hit action game, Metal Gear Solid® 2: Sons of Liberty for Sony PlayStation® 2, Metal Gear Solid® 2: Substance offers gamers a whole new experience within the extraordinary Metal Gear world. All of the energy and excitement return in Substance, as players navigate through 350+ VR missions, 150+ alternate missions and 5 Snake Tales – an entirely new game with 5 distinct chapters starring Solid Snake. In addition, the highly anticipated Skateboarding Mode makes its debut in this version of Substance, allowing players to grind, ollie and grab big air on the Big Shell as Raiden or Solid Snake.



Silent Hill® 3

Release date: Summer 2003

Genre: Horror

Platform: Sony PlayStation® 2

Silent Hill® 3 carries on Konami's trademark brand of psychological horror and terrifying gameplay. As in previous games in the series, this title incorporates a mix of action and puzzle solving, with an intricate story line, haunting music and twisted imagery that bind these elements together. With unparalleled graphical detail, a more engrossing storyline and even more grotesque monsters than the previous games, Silent Hill® 3 promises to be the best horror adventure ever.



Street Kings (working title)

Release date: Summer 2003

Genre: Sports - Basketball

Platform: Sony PlayStation® 2 and Nintendo GameCubeä

Konami is back in the game and hitting the blacktop in Street Kings for Sony PlayStation® 2 and Nintendo GameCubeä. Featuring in-your-face 3-on-3 basketball, Street Kings delivers rough-and-tumble lawless street ball with plenty of attitude. Through an innovative RPG mode that takes players from neighborhood obscurity to nationwide fame, players see if they have what it takes to become King of the Street. You got game?



Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™

Release date: October 2003

Genre: 3-D Fighting Action

Platform: Sony PlayStation® 2, Nintendo GameCube™, Game Boy® Advance and PC CD-ROM

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stars the famed heroes Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael and their legendary foe the Shredder. In these 3D fighting/action videogames, players take on the role of their favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle as they punch, kick and duck their way through battles against the Shredder and his vile pack of Foot Ninjas.



World Soccer Winning Eleven 6 International™

Release date: March 2003

Genre: Sports - Soccer

Platform: Sony PlayStation® 2

The world's most popular soccer game comes to North America in 2003! Having sold over 2.4 million units in Europe and Japan since its debut in April 2002, Winning Eleven 6™ (known as Pro Evolution Soccer in Europe) is poised to up the ante for soccer simulation supremacy in the United States. In WE6™, players choose from thousands of players and nearly 100 teams in five game modes – Exhibition, League, Cup, Practice and Master League. WE6™ combines unprecedented player physics and A.I. with a gameplay style that flawlessly recreates the speed and excitement of real-life soccer. Gooooooooooooal!



Zone of the Enders™: The 2nd Runner

Release date: March 2003

Genre: Mech Combat

Platform: Sony PlayStation® 2

Go on a high-flying mech combat adventure in Zone of the Enders™: The 2nd Runner. In this hyper-speed action-packed game, players are once again thrown into an interplanetary conflict. As the fate of Jupiter and Mars are held in the balance, players must master exhilarating new maneuvers, target and destroy swarms of enemy fighters and tear down walls to use as shields.



Also announced at the press conference was a new Castlevania for an as-yet "unnamed next-generation system." If you guessed PS2, you'd be as right as we are... And we're hoping that's plenty right. Having played demos of both Zone of the Enders 2 and Silent Hill 3, it's blatantly obvious that Konami has essentially claimed the throne of Flashiest PS2 Developers Evar™, thanks to mind-blowingly good graphics on both titles. The potential of games like TMNT and the FINAL release of Winning Eleven here Stateside for the first time in maaaany years makes us all kinds of giddy.



Konami's thrown down the gauntlet for this year, and now it remains to be seen who will pick it up an accept the challenge. First on the list appears to be THQ, and we'll have a report from their Editors' Day event at the end of the month.