Konami announced recently several games they would be releasing for the iPod Touch/iPhone.  Among the 4 titles is none other than the previously teased about Metal Gear title, now revealed to be Metal Gear Solid Touch.

I had previously suspected that the teaser was concerning a Metal Gear title for the Xbox 360.  Many people also assumed that the title would be a continuation of the Ac!d series due to the use of the “!” in the bizarre teaser equation. It turns out the only element in the equation that mattered was the “i” for iPod, since the rest of the elements seem to have no purpose at all.  I guess I gave Konami too much credit.

The game takes place in the same world as Metal Gear Solid 4, but Konami said that there would be original content.  I am not sure if this means it will be ALL original, or partially original.  The touch panel will be used mainly for aiming and zooming in on targets (pictured top right).  The game will include 8 stages, and more can be acquired while playing.  Other goodies players can earn are wallpapers for their iPod and exclusive videos.

Among the other titles being released are Silent Hill: The Escape, Dance Dance Revolution S Lite, and Frogger.  I don’t know what is more exciting, iPod sneaking action, or iPod avoid-moving-vehicles-and-jump-on-logs action.

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Konami: A Next Metal Gear Is…

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Square Enix is bringing a second game to a largely unused gaming medium: the iPod.  This time it’s the iPod Touch and iPhone.  The game, Crystal Defenders, is planned for a winter release this year.  I have been a bit busy at work so I asked Foxes to do the translation work for me:

Square Enix is releasing the Defense Simulation Game, “Crystal Defenders,” for iPhone 3G and iPod Touch. It will be released this winter in the App Store. The priced is yet to be determined.

“Crystal Defenders” is the company’s first game to be released for the iPhone 3G/iPod Touch. The maps’ arrangements and enemy system is similar to that of Final Fantasy Tactics.

At the start of the game, you encounter various monsters that steal crystals at the entrance and make their way to the exit. Using soldiers and mages, etc., you defeat the monsters and defend the crystals. The maps are arranged so that each stage demands high level of tactics for fighting.

Also, the game takes advantage of the touch screen interface from the iPhone 3G/iPod Touch.

This original title is the primary W1 game, where as combined with W2 and W3 (versions of the game that you can get by obtaining a power crystal and high level characters, respectively) totals to up to more than 300 levels that can be played.

It seems that the game will use the same system as the iMode/EZWeb/Yahoo! cellphone game Crystal Guardians. It will also take advantage of the technology used in iPod 3G/iPod Touch.

This game appears to be a port of an existing title that is available for keitai (cellphones) in Japan.  I always saw it and was super jealous.  I think the odds are pretty good that Square (or someone else) will translate it for us English speaking folk.  After all, we did get Song Summoner, Square’s first iPod title.

I wish more developers would make games for the iPod.  It seems like a really cool medium for games and Square really incorporates some creative elements into the gameplay.  Hopefully other companies will take the hint.

On an unrelated note, maintenance person Foxes, as of today, is officially unemployed.  Although I enjoy the free labor, I would be happier to see her employed.  If anyone out there knows someone who needs a web/graphic designer, please e-mail me or her with some details.  Thanks!

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Square Enix Releases Song Summoner for the iPod

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Square Enix just released Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes in the iTunes store today for the affordable price of $4.99. The game is compatible with 5th gen and above iPods with video capabilities, but not the iPhone or iPod touch. I bring my iPod with my just about everywhere, so the idea of having anything more advanced than Parachute or Solitaire is pretty damn exciting.

The game focuses on a song summoner by the name of Ziggy who befriends a robot whom he names ZERO. The two set out to try and save Ziggy’s brother from the Mechanical Militia, an evil force stealing souls from the world of Melodica.

Song Summoner has some awesome features that really take advantage of the fact that the game is for the iPod. I know it may seem limiting to have only a turn-wheel and a select button, but Square Enix really used their imagination.

The game’s battle system is tactical in nature, the player will more units around a grid based map attack, use magic, etc. Units are created by selecting songs that are on your iPod and morphing them into warriors called Tune Troopers. God damn that’s cool. If you listen to the song you used to make the Tune Trooper outside of the game, that unit will gain Play Points, which can be used to power up that unit.

The game features a ton of different Tune Troopers designed by many different character designers. The main characters however are designed by Yosuke Naora and Roberto Ferrari. I am just guessing, but I believe Ferrari may be an Italian name. Anyway you can really see the difference in the character design, it’s a bit refreshing after Tetsuya Nomura kind of had a monopoly on their games.

If you happen to have $4.99 and a newer generation iPod definately pick this game up. For more info here is the Square Enix press release and here is the game’s official website as well as a link to download it. I sure hope this is the beginning of quality RPGs appearing on iPods.

Roy iPod, square enix 2 comments