KONAMI
www.konami.com

With more than 20 games on display Konami was easily one of the most impressive booths at E3 this year. Their trademark big-screen display was showing off the new Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater movie that was causing huge congestion problems just trying to get in and out of the South Hall. Here is just a sample of the killer stuff you can expect from Konami in the upcoming year.

Enthusia Professional Racing (PS2)
Enthusia puts players in the driver’s seat and recreates the sensation of racing actual cars. Using the game’s proprietary “Visual Gravity System,” Enthusia is the first racing game which graphically depicts G-forces – conveying a true sense of movement. As in the real world, Enthusia emphasizes driving skills and ensures that winning is a result of ability rather than how much money has been spent tuning a car. The game maintains a subtle balance between the power of the car and a driver’s skill. With a host of features Enthusia promises to deliver the ultimate driving experience for casual and hardcore racing fans alike. Fasten your seatbelt!

Features:

  • Delivers the first graphical representation of G-forces in a racing game!
  • Randomly-generated courses offer new tracks while creating a new experience every time you get into the driver’s seat!
  • Wide range of weather conditions to challenge your driving techniques
  • Photo-realistic graphics of all the cars, tracks and environments
  • Hundreds of cars from over 30 manufacturers
ARRGH! Another PS2 racing game. Just when I had cleared a 5-month slot to play the new Gran Turismo Konami drops this bombshell on us. Enthusia is certainly ambitious in design, covering street, road, and rally racing with hundreds of cars and PS2 graphics that already look like Xbox-quality. Given the 2005 release date, this game should be even more stunning when it finally ships.

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Gradius V (PS2)
No - you're not having a flashback. We did report on this game in last year's coverage but its Winter 2004 release date got pushed so we got to see and play Gradius V again this year. Not much has changed in gameplay but the graphics are going to rock your world not to mention the next-gen gameplay and all new features, including new Option Controls, original level designs, new weapons, captivating missions and dazzling next-generation graphics.

Features:

  • Long-awaited next-generation sequel to classic arcade and 1980’s console hit
  • Classic Gradius action with new features, weapons, missions and inspired level design
  • Spectacular 3D graphics – the best looking Gradius ever made
  • Four Option Control Types adds depth, gameplay and replay value
  • 7 expansive levels of exciting shooting action
  • First Gradius with 2-player simultaneous play
  • New Internet Ranking System tracks high scores
Featuring the return of the Vic Viper and the series’ classic side-scrolling blasting action, Gradius V offers players access to 12 upgradeable power-ups including the new Option Bomb and Option Stock to heighten power and gameplay. In addition, the new Option Controls feature and beautifully designed levels create new challenges and obstacles for gamers to blast through seven intense stages of classic arcade style action. Gradius V is expected to launch this Summer.

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Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater (PS2)
Of course the biggest news at the Konami booth was the same big attraction as last year, only the movie was longer and revealed much more of the intense gameplay coming to the PS2 this November. People waited in huge groups to catch a glimpse of the trailer that was running each hour, and I can't blame them. This new Metal Gear game is taking the franchise where it has never gone - OUTDOORS!

Set in the 1960s when two world powers struggle for global supremacy, an elite tactical soldier is sent on a dangerous mission to infiltrate a heavily guarded enemy territory and uncover highly coveted secrets behind a newly created weapon of mass destruction. Survival within these natural jungle environments and often unpredictable settings will require relying on basic animal instincts, as well as finely honed combat and hunting skills to succeed in the ultimate espionage mission.

Features:

  • All-new chapter to the critically acclaimed Metal Gear Solid® series
  • A riveting story set in the 1960s where the global political landscape and escalation of war are shaping real world history
  • In-depth camouflage index takes the world of espionage to the next level helping to aid players in infiltrating dangerous enemy territory
  • Acquire camouflage patterns online – a first for the Metal Gear Solid® series
  • New moves, new infiltration methods, new environment setting, new story and new era
  • Fully interactive, immersive and open-ended outside environments bring the realism and stealth combat to a whole new dynamic
  • Blockbuster musical score composed by Harry Gregson-Williams (Armageddon, The Rock, The Replacement Killers, Enemy of the State)
With the release of Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater, PlayStation 2 owners will once again dive into a spectacular world of espionage with new, highly detailed levels and characters, an arsenal of deadly weapons, vengeful adversaries, stunning plot twists and fully interactive environments. Now Snake must battle and coexist with his environment, which is often hostile and full of deadly creatures. It's eat or be eaten when Snake makes his new debut in November.

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Rumble Roses (PS2)
Starring the sexiest female models ever to grace the ring, Rumble Roses – the first and only all-female wrestling game – is a sexy grappler set to deliver intense girl-on-girl wrestling action with jaw-dropping graphic detail. Each of these vicious vixens comes with an arsenal of moves, as well as a little jiggle in all the right places, that will knock gamers off their feet. Providing an experience not found in any other wrestling game, gamers get down and dirty in Mud Mode with intense visuals and gameplay that plays as good as it looks.

But Rumble Roses is much more than eye candy, as it encourages players to experiment with unique combative moves to develop their own technique to get to the top. Unlike any other fighting game, players can change the wrestlers’ personalities by choosing to fight dirty or fair, resulting in a good or bad persona for the character. Whether or not a character is naughty or nice in the ring is reflected through a change in costume, attitude and wrestling style.

Key Features:

  • Realistic wrestling action featuring the sexiest women ever to take the ring
  • Delivering realistic mud matches, players will literally see mud sliding off these sexy wrestlers after each take down in the mud pit
  • Visually stunning in-game movies created by renowned CG movie specialists, Polygon Magic’s VSL Team
  • Sexy costumes that reflect the personality and unique style of each wrestler
  • Highly interactive crowds that respond with wild cheering or strong booing when appropriate
  • Multiple playable characters in several game modes including Story Mode
  • Humiliation system – disgrace or humiliate your opponent to gain power-ups and temporary invincibility
  • Theatrical stage performances complete with fireworks, dancing and grand entrances
Without a doubt, this game is a pure guilty pleasure that will have teenage boys swarming the video game stores this November. Oodles of sexy women in revealing costumes jiggling in and out of the ring - who cares if there is any gameplay. But the good news is there is actually a substantial wrestling game buried under the flesh feast.

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King Arthur (Xbox/PS2/GameCube)
Live the true story behind the epic legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Based on the upcoming King Arthur motion picture from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by David Franzoni, the King Arthur game lets players take control of the motion picture’s heroes. Join the Knights as one of five playable characters including Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere, each with unique weapons and skills. With three modes of battle, photo-realistic environments and seamless transitions from film to gameplay, King Arthur beautifully re-creates the events of this legendary tale.

Features:

  • Detailed facial scans from the outstanding cast members, including Clive Owen and Keira Knightly
  • Photo-realistic 3-D environments beautifully recreated from the film
  • Dynamic fighting system featuring unprecedented combat via horseback component
  • Motion-captured fighting sequences and moves
  • Deep story driven adventure that mirrors the plot of the film
  • Seamless cut scene transition from film to game
  • Upgradeable characters with unlockable special moves and combos
  • Take control of the motion picture’s heroes: Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere, Tristren or Bors each with unique skills
  • Single-player and Two Player Co-operative
One of the few games Konami has planned for cross-platform release, I took my turn at the controls of the Xbox version and was pleasantly surprised at the intuitive gameplay and rich graphics. While I always have my doubts about movie-license games, when King Arthur is the subject matter it's hard to go wrong.

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