E3 2003: Konami Report

Written by Kyle Williams on May 15, 2003

E3 2003: Konami Report: Snake's found a new food group, Heather's having a heart attack, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are crawling out from the sewers, and much more is all happening at this year's E3 with Konami, ya'll!

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Konami started off this year's E3 with a glimpse of Solid Snake's next adventure. That's right Metal Gear Solid 3 is in the works for a 2004 release. Hundreds of clamoring fans crowded in front of the Konami booth for the unveiling of the video that shows Snake being is usual self, sneaking up on an unsuspecting soldier. The details are scarce right now, and probably will be for some time, but the visuals are looking spectacular and are generating a bunch of questions from the gaming public including, УWhat is the significance of the title, СSnake Eater?'Ф All I can say is that Solid Snake has developed an interesting appetite, taking a bite out of both a fish and a snake in the demo video. MGS 3 is currently a PS2 exclusive title, but I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually makes its way to the other consoles.

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Speaking of seeing Solid Snake on other consoles, Konami and Nintendo are coming together to bring us Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. Announced a couple of weeks before E3, The Twin Snakes is being developed by Silicon Knights under the leadership of both Hideo Kojima and Shigeru Miyamoto.

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is being developed as Nintendo GameCube exclusive title and will combine the story of the original Metal Gear Solid with many of the gameplay enhancements from MGS2: Sons of Liberty. Snake will again be able to aim and shoot in the first person view, hang from ledges and open lockers, just like he could in MGS2. The Twin Snakes is also going to feature all-new CG sequences and character voiceovers, completing the next-generation update. Even though it is slated for a November 2003 release, The Twin Snakes is already looking and playing like a champ, showing that the GameCube can handle anything that the PS2 can.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
With a new animated series from 4Kids airing as part of the FOX BOX and a new toy line from Playmates, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are making their comeback. Konami is adding to their new life with a fantastic pair of videogames, one for all of the major consoles, the other for the Game Boy Advance. Slated for a simultaneous release across all consoles at the end of October, TMNT is taking its cues from the original arcade title that Konami produced in the late 1980s. In fact, members of that original development team served as advisors on this new title.

With a fantastic cel-shaded art scheme, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is taking a visual edge that matches the new animated series almost perfectly. The gameplay, while reminiscent of the aforementioned arcade original, is also making the jump to the next generation with grace. Designed for either one or two players (no, there are no plans for a four player mode right now), TMNT is going to allow for both cooperative and versus play. While not being demonstrated at the show, the versus mode is going to turn this title into a two-in-one special as it departs from the brawler action genre and enters into a classic fighting mode. If everybody paid as much attention to detail for their licenses as Konami is with TMNT, the gaming world would be a much better place.

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Lament of Innocence is going to do for Castlevaina what The Ocarina of Time did for The Legend of Zelda. Currently in development for a November 2003 PS2 release, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence will explore the origin of the feud between Dracula and the Belmont clan, basically setting the stage for every other Castlevania game we have ever seen. The game is already looking and playing great with a distinctive art style (masterminded by Ayami Kojima) and intuitive controls. Lament of Innocence is the game that Castlevania fans have been looking forward to for the last 17 years.

Silent Hill 3
More of everything. That is what Silent Hill 3 is offering up. More gut turning horror, more disturbing visuals and more of that same small town Уcharm.Ф Silent Hill 3 is introducing us to Heather Morris, a new playable character that is mysteriously tied to the town of Silent Hill. The classic Silent Hill gameplay is back and is working better than ever, accentuated by an original score that is creepier than anything I have ever heard. Konami recognizes just how impressive of a score they have for this game and are including a copy of the soundtrack with this game with it ships to North American retailers in August.

Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand
This title is the definition of innovation and I give Konami props for even attempting this. Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand, under development of the Game Boy Advance, is taking advantage of the GBA's portability and is incorporating a solar sensor into the gameplay experience. The solar sensor, which will be housed in the GBA cartridge, will pick up specific wavelengths of light, strengthening your vampire-hunting hero when you are playing in more direct sunlight. The game is also incorporating a real-time clock that will dictate the day/night cycle within the title. When it is released this September, Boktai will revolutionize the time and place that we play with our GBA.

McFarlane's Evil Prophecy
Todd McFarlane was present to promote Evil Prophecy, an action-fighting game based off of the McFarlane's Monsters line of action figures, at Konami's booth on Wednesday. Set in the 19th century, Evil Prophecy will put you in control of a party of four McFarlane created monster hunters with magical powers. If you are going it alone (you will also have the option to play with up to three of your friends using a multi-tap) you will be able to switch between characters on the fly. With character designs from the artistic mind of Todd McFarlane and gameplay from the masterminds at Konami, Evil Prophecy is one of the pleasant surprises of this year's E3.

Karaoke Revolution
Never assume that any idea is off the mark. If you would have asked me a week ago, I would have said that no one would find a way to make a karaoke video game. Well, Konami is doing it with Karaoke Revolution. Using the SOCOM headset, Karaoke Revolution will turn your living room into a concert stage. With advanced vocal recognition capabilities, Karaoke Revolution will judge your pop performance on pitch, rhythm and whether or not you got the words right. Konami managed to revolutionize music gaming with their Dance Dance Revolution series of titles and has a good chance to do so again when Karaoke Revolution hits the PS2 this holiday season.

Еand that's not all!
Konami has a lot more on their plate tooЕDDRMax2 will be bringing North American artists to the next PS2 version of the rhythm classic. Count on being able to watch the music video for each song as you perform itЕDance Dance Revolution will make its Xbox debut with DDR Ultramix, slated to release in October. A new dance pad and downloadable content via Xbox Live will highlight this releaseЕSilent Scope Complete will offer up four complete games to Xbox owners in November. The arcade games Silent Scope, Silent Scope 2 and Silent Scope: Dark Silhouette, along with the console exclusive Silent Scope 3 will all be available with light gun support, a first for the seriesЕThis winter, shooter fans will rejoice with the release of Gradius V. Expect the same classic Gradius gameplay with a horde of new features, new weapons and original level designЕFirefighter F.D.18 will give players a unique opportunity to combat fire amidst backdrafts, flashovers and chemical explosions. Expect a February '04 release on the PS2ЕKonami takes on the idea of the end of the world with Apocalyptica, a third person action title coming to the PC (September '03) and Xbox (November '03). Players will need to use firearms, melee weapons and spells to defeat Neo-SatanЕThe mixed martial arts circuit will never be the same after K-1 World Grand Prix hits the PS2 in JulyЕTime to head across the street again. Everyone's favorite frog is back in Frogger's Journey: The Forgotten Relic on the GBA and Frogger's Adventures: The Rescue for the PS2, GC and PC.