Death Jr. Finds a New Home
Backbone Entertainment's little action platformer has snuggled up to the big K.
Published: January 28, 2005
Death Jr. was (and, some would say, still is) the first big buzz-worthy game for the PSP, and not just because it was one of the first PSP projects announced. The cutesy graphics and near-constant action coupled with some fancy-schmancy particle effects showed that Sony's little wunderportable had plenty of muscle.
For a while, though, the actual publishing of the game was in limbo. A couple of big names were rumored to have nibbled at Backbone's offering, but it was Konami that finally took the bait, helping to round out the list of launch titles that will be ready when the PSP hits here in the U.S. sometime this March.
For the full deets (including hands-on impressions of the game), check out the Death Jr. game page, but because you begged audibly for it, we'll toss in a couple of official lines from big cheeses at Konami and Backbone. Only cause you asked, though.
"Death, Jr. is a groundbreaking title for the new PSP handheld system and a perfect compliment to the Konami catalog of video games," gushed Konami Digital Entertainment America product manager Dennis Lee. "Death, Jr.'s unique character design and engaging storyline about the mischievous son of the Grim Reaper is a fresh and original concept that has never been approached before and will appeal to a wide variety of gamers."
Lest you think that Backbone would argue with their betrothed publisher, think again:
"We’re thrilled to be working with Konami," agreed Andrew Ayre, Backbone Entertainment's President. "Konami’s experience in successfully launching new franchise titles is second to none, and we can’t imagine a better publishing partner on Death, Jr.”
So there. Everyone's playing nicey-nicey and the game, which plays pretty darn well, will be available around the time the PSP is here on these shores.
For a while, though, the actual publishing of the game was in limbo. A couple of big names were rumored to have nibbled at Backbone's offering, but it was Konami that finally took the bait, helping to round out the list of launch titles that will be ready when the PSP hits here in the U.S. sometime this March.
For the full deets (including hands-on impressions of the game), check out the Death Jr. game page, but because you begged audibly for it, we'll toss in a couple of official lines from big cheeses at Konami and Backbone. Only cause you asked, though.
"Death, Jr. is a groundbreaking title for the new PSP handheld system and a perfect compliment to the Konami catalog of video games," gushed Konami Digital Entertainment America product manager Dennis Lee. "Death, Jr.'s unique character design and engaging storyline about the mischievous son of the Grim Reaper is a fresh and original concept that has never been approached before and will appeal to a wide variety of gamers."
Lest you think that Backbone would argue with their betrothed publisher, think again:
"We’re thrilled to be working with Konami," agreed Andrew Ayre, Backbone Entertainment's President. "Konami’s experience in successfully launching new franchise titles is second to none, and we can’t imagine a better publishing partner on Death, Jr.”
So there. Everyone's playing nicey-nicey and the game, which plays pretty darn well, will be available around the time the PSP is here on these shores.