Konami’s 2012 Pre-E3 Show!

You got to love E3; it’s one of the only gaming events where big reveals happen BEFORE and during the event. Konami, for instance, had its 2nd annual Pre-E3 Show yesterday. They talked about different games currently being worked on as well as announced brand new titles for gamers to drool over. Don’t worry if you missed the show because I’m here to fill you in on the major news updates!

During the show, we got to look at Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Gamers were worried when the news that Konami had switched developers (they went from Kojima Productions to Platinum Games). Well, based on the trailer and developer feedback, I am sure Revengeance is going to be great. One thing to note is that Kojima Productions are still behind the story and character designs. Another thing to note is that the game no longer takes place between MGS 2 and 4. It now takes place nine years past MGS 4. This is interesting seeing as how Raiden said he was quitting the war biz and going to spend time with his family.

konami-pre-e3-show-screen-6

Raiden is older and more powerful, yet he is till suffering from his injuries (mental and physical) he sustained in the last title. No word on whether or not these injuries will affect gameplay or if there solely there for the story.

konami-pre-e3-show-screen-4

Konami went on to announce that there is going to be a playable demo at E3. So attendees will be able to slice and dice till their hearts content. Not only that, attendees may get a chance to play with the other weapons shown during the Revengeance trailer.

Moving on, there was one big announcement after the Metal Gear showing and that was Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2! This reboot to the series has been getting a lot of attention (the first game was a hit after all). It only makes sense that there would be a sequel.

“We are pleased to announce the development of the conclusion to the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow saga, giving players an all-new gameplay experience within the Lords of Shadow universe,” said Dave Cox, Producer on the title and Head of Product Planning and Development for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is the most successful Castlevania game to be released in the franchise’s history, and we are looking to provide series fans yet another nail biter, complete with Dracula’s resurrection and the Belmont clan’s desire for his final destruction.”

konami-pre-e3-show-screen

If you remember the last game, we found out that the main character became Dracula. Apparently, Dracula has returned in a weakened state. There is a new threat out there which will require Dracula to retain his old powers in order to defeat it. This new story will introduce the famous Belmont clan (the heroes from the original games). It looks like we’re playing the bad guy this time!

konami-pre-e3-show-screen-2

The trailer made this game look just plain awesome. He easily defeats…everyone, including a giant golem. At the end of the trailer we see a white haired figure draw a sword against Dracula. Is he a Belmont? Probably; he looks a little like Alucard (from Symphony of the Night). If it is him, that would be just awesome!

konami-pre-e3-show-screen-3

The last announcement was a teaser trailer for a 3DS title. The trailer showed blood being dropped into water, revealing different faces while words hint at the nature of the title. Based on the phrase “look into the mirror”, I’m guess it’s another Castlevania title. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow-Mirror of Fate, another sequel to the 2010 Lords of Shadow game, was announced not too long ago. It will be a side-scrolling game that follows the story of Trevor and Simon Belmont.

konami-pre-e3-show-screen-5

It looks like the console title will show the events from Dracula’s point of view while the 3DS title will show it from the Belmont clan. I’m guessing of course. E3 is in a few days; I’m sure we’ll hear more about both titles then.

The last big announcement was Konami opening a dedicated social and mobile games development studio based in San Franciso. This studio hopes to expand Konami’s social connectivity. Not sure if that means connectivity between their main titles and possible social/mobile ones. I’m sure this means there are going to be new mobile games coming from them though.

“The new development studio exemplifies our commitment to providing consumers with high quality social and mobile gaming experiences,” said Tomoyuki Tsuboi, President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “We have recruited top talent that will raise KONAMI’s profile as a leading global social games developer, and look forward to hitting the ground running with some of the biggest titles from our portfolio.” 

Well, that was a lot of news from Konami and E3 hasn’t even started yet. They’ve bond to have big surprises for the main show. Things are going to get real interesting next week. Be sure to check back with us as we continue to bring you up to date gaming news!

© United Front Gaming. All rights reserved. Site design by: 801red