Tag: Konami - Page 4
News Xexex, One Of Konami's Greatest Shmups, Is Coming To Switch This Week
The Arcade Archives range expands again
Hamster has done a fantastic job in bringing a host of cult arcade games to home systems of late, and it's continuing the trend with the cult classic Xexex (pronounced "Zekseks"), which joins the Arcade Archives range next week. Originally released in 1991 and powered by hardware that was far more advanced...
News Konami's Castlevania And Contra Collections Just $5 Each In Cyber Switch Sale
Bomberman, Rogue Corps and more also on offer
As part of Nintendo's huge Cyber Deals sale taking place on the Switch eShop, several Konami titles have been reduced for your buying pleasure. Perhaps the stars of the show here are the Castlevania and Contra collections, which already offered several games at welcome price points, but have now been...
News Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D To Be Temporarily Removed From The 3DS eShop
Konami has to renew some licenses
If you were planning to pick up Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D from the 3DS eShop any time soon, you might have to wait. Konami has had to remove 12 different versions of Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3 from multiple digital storefronts - this includes the Nintendo 3DS eShop, due to license renewels...
News Four More Classic Shmups Confirmed For Switch, Including Konami's Cult Hit, Xexex
Shooter shower!
Hamster – the Japanese company behind the excellent Arcade Archives series – has announced at the Tokyo Game Show that it is bringing four classic shmups to Switch, including Konami's Xexex. Released in 1991, Xexex is held in very high regard by fans of the genre, and sadly never got a domestic port at the time of release (it...
News Konami Competition Tasks Indie Devs With Reviving Its Classic IP
Konami will fund and publish the winner's creation
Konami is currently hosting a Japanese indie game contest (in cooperation with Shueisha Game Creators Camp), asking small team developers to create action and shooting games based on its classic IP. The winner scores 2 million yen (about $18,000 USD) and will be given the opportunity to...
Rumour Konami Reportedly Reviving Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, And Silent Hill
The game giant pivots back to... games
For a few years now, Konami has been pretty quiet on the premium games front, preferring to focus on their presumably lucrative pachinko content instead. Back in 2015, it all blew up spectacularly with the cancellation of Silent Hills, the removal of spooky and beloved teaser
News Konami Celebrates Castlevania's 35th With A 26-Disc Music Collection That Costs $250
What music they make!
This year marks Castlevania's 35th birthday, and Konami is celebrating the occasion with a lavish 26-disc music collection. The catch? It's exclusive to Japan at present and costs an eye-watering 28,600 Yen ($256 / £190). Comprised of two volumes that span the aforementioned 26 CDs, the collection launches on the 15th of...
News Castlevania Advance Collection Gets Updated Rating In Taiwan, Dracula X A Surprise Addition
Update: Official artwork also spotted
Update: As if it wasn't obvious enough already, the listing for Castlevania Advance Collection spotted in Taiwan now has official artwork associated with it (thanks, Gematsu), as well as more details on what games are included. The newly published description confirms that Castlevania: Circle of the Moon...
News It's The Konami Code's 35th Anniversary, And That Means Merch
Up, up, down, down... You know the rest
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the famous Konami Code, and for some reason, that means we're being treated to a new wave of merchandise based on, well... buttons. As you may well know, the hidden 'Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A' command was first used in Gradius back in 1986 – when you...
News Konami's Castlevania: Grimoire Of Souls Rises From The Dead
Update: Announced in 2018, resurrected in 2021
Update: Well, that was unexpected. Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls was announced in 2018 (see story below), soft-launched in Canada in 2019 and then delisted, but it's now getting resurrected (pardon the pun) on Apple Arcade (thanks, Gematsu). It has been confirmed for iOS, tvOS, and Mac, and the release...
News Konami Teases New Announcements At Gamescom 2021
eFootball and Yu-Gi-Oh set to appear
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is confirmed for the event. Konami has announced that it'll be taking part in this year's gamescom, the "world's largest" video game event, teasing some new announcements set to be revealed during the show. gamescom 2021 will be an all-digital event held from Wednesday 25th - Friday 27th...
News Super Bomberman R Online Blasts Its Way To 3 Million Downloads
Konami celebrates with a free gift
Back in May, Konami released its free-to-play title Super Bomberman R Online on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms. If you've not played it yet, this is the battle-royale take on the long-running series - allowing up to 64-players to blast each other away online. Now, a few months on, Konami has...
News Konami's Next Yu-Gi-Oh! Game Arrives In Japan This August
It's time to duel, again!
Update #3 [Tue 13th Jul, 2021 03:05 BST]: A Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel demo is now available on the Japanese eShop. Once again, this game launches in Japan on 12th August. There's still no word on a local release. Update #2 [Sun 18th Apr, 2021 09:30 BST]: While there's still no mention of a local release, Konami has now locked...
News Konami And Horror Specialists Bloober Team Confirm 'Cooperation Agreement'
Both companies stay Silent on upcoming projects
Ending what has been a long-running rumour, Konami and Bloober Team have both formally announced a 'strategic cooperation agreement', with the companies confirming this will mean "jointly developing selected contents and exchanging know-how." Konami needs little introduction of course, but in recent...
News 'Castlevania Advance Collection' Possibly Revealed By Rating In Australia
Update: Second rating appears in South Korea
Update: The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea has rated Castlevania Advance Collection for PC (thanks, Gematsu), which is another pretty solid indication that it's coming. Original Story [Fri 18th Jun, 2021 21:00 BST]: 2021 may just be the year of the Metroidvania, and
News Konami Might Have Plans To Outsource More Classic IP Following The GetsuFumaDen Revival
"please wait for future projects"
Konami is reportedly open to outsourcing more of the company's gaming brands in the future, following on from GuruGuru's announcement of GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon. The original game, Getsu Fūma Den, was released in 1987 as a Famicom exclusive. According to Konami's Shin Murato, who is also the producer of Undying...
News Konami Won't Be Attending E3 2021 But Still Has A Number Of Projects To Reveal
"stay tuned for some updates in the coming months"
Japanese games company Konami - known for titles such as Metal Gear Solid - has announced it won't be attending E3 2021. In a statement on social media, the company said it still had "great respect" for the ESA and would continue to support it in the future. It's also taken this opportunity to...
News Limited Run Reveals Four Castlevania Anniversary Collection Physical Editions
Standard, Classic, Bloodlines and Ultimate
Last July, Limited Run Games announced it would be releasing a physical version of Konami's Castlevania Anniversary Collection for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. There'll be a total of four different versions up for grabs. This includes the standard edition ($34.99 USD), classic edition ($59.99),...
News Konami's Classic Coin-Op Shooter Thunder Cross II Hits Switch This Week
Bring the thunder
It has been revealed that this week's Arcade Archives release is Konami's 1991 shmup Thunder Cross II, the sequel to the popular 1988 original (which is also available on Switch). While the Gradius series tends to get all of the attention, both Thunder Cross outings are worth a loo
Rumour The Voice Of Metal Gear Solid's Snake Hints That A Second Remake Is On The Way
"Now it’s an industry rumour, so that tends to be a little more accurate"
David Hayter – the man who voiced super soldier Snake in multiple Metal Gear Solid entries before vacating the role for Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland – has suggested that Konami is planning to remake the original Metal Gear Solid for a second time. Hayter dropped the...
News The Konami Code Turns 35 With A Special Album Of Lo-Fi Gradius Tracks
⬆ ⬆ ⬇ ⬇ ⬅ ➡ ⬅ ➡ 🅱 🅰
We've had a lot of 35th Anniversaries this year, including the Mario celebrations and the Zelda... non-celebrations, and this weekend — specifically, the 25th April, 2021 — is the birthday of the Konami Code, perhaps the most famous sequence of buttons in hi
News Konami España Hints At More Switch News To Come
Don't call it a comeback
In the not-too-distant past Konami was a powerhouse in the video game industry, with regular games in massive franchises through the days of pixels and bits to polygons and discs. It's fair to say that in recent times - outside of eFootball PES titles, legacy game collections and the occasional cringe-inducing release like...
News Konami Has Trademarked 'Castlevania' And 'Metal Gear Rising' In Japan
(Well, it's Akumajou Dracula, technically)
It's fair to say that Konami isn't the force it once was in the world of video games. Not so long ago it was competing with the likes of Capcom, Sega and Nintendo at the top of the market, but these days it is more content pushing out moderately successful titles like Super Bomberman R and less profitable...
News Konami Is Bringing GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon To Switch In 2022
A remake developed by indie studio GuruGuru
And you thought Konami didn't make games any more! GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon is being developed primarily by indie studio GuruGuru 'alongside' Konami Digital Entertainment, and it turns out it's a remake of a 1987 Famicom game. Who knew? Well, a particular stalwart staff member reminded us all, actually,...
News Here's A Look At The Bomberman Board Game We'll Never Get To Play
Originally planned for a 2020 release
With Super Bomberman R reaching two million sales worldwide and Konami's announcement that Super Bomberman R Online is coming to Switch later this year, we're pleased to see this iconic character back in the news. Sadly, it's not all for good reasons.
News Super Bomberman R Passes Two Million Sales Worldwide
Previously hit one million back in 2018
For those of us who bought a Switch day one, you may remember Super Bomberman R being a key name in that launch line-up. Once a Switch exclusive, R made for a strong launch title, and it received some lengthy post-launch support, adding new stages and crossovers with fellow Konami franchises, like
News No, Konami Isn't Exiting The Video Game Business
"We have not 'shut down' our video gaming division"
While video games seem to be fairly resilient to the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, that hasn't stopped some companies from taking a good, hard look at how they operate – one of which is Japanese giant Konami, the firm behind titles like Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, Pro Evolution...
All aboard with the chart-topping hit
This digital board game's only been out a few months, and yet in that short period of time, Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban! has utterly dominated the Japanese charts and sold over 2 million copies (digital and physical sales combined). It topped the Japanese multi-format charts when it...
News Konami's Puzzle Shooter Block Hole Is This Week's Arcade Archives Release
Better known as Quarth
This week's arcade archives release is the puzzle shoot 'em up Block Hole by Konami. It's available now on the Switch eShop. Block Hole was originally launched in Japanese arcades in 1989 and was sold in this region as Quarth. Home version releases, like the 1990 Game Boy title, went with the name Quarth globally. Here's...
News Konami's Anniversary Collections On The Switch eShop Are Currently 75% Off (US)
Get 'em while you can
Right through until the 21st of January, Konami is offering its retro collections for a whopping 75% off in the US. Instead of paying the usual price of $19.99, each one will only cost you $4.99. That includes the Castlevania Anniversary Collection, the Contra Anniversary Collection, and Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection...
News Konami's Gradius III Blasts Onto The Nintendo Switch eShop This Week
"Enjoy playing the best game in the series"
Just over a month after Hamster's release of Gradius II on the Switch eShop, we've now got Gradius III to top it off. The third entry in the scrolling shoot 'em up series was released by Konami in the arcade in 1989 and followed with a SNES port in 1990. Here's a bit about it: "The story of Planet...
News Don Your Green Beret, Konami's Rush'n Attack Hits The Switch Today
Always in a rush
Hamster is releasing Konami's 1985 run-and-gun shooter Rush'n Attack ("Russian Attack" - get it?) on the Switch eShop today. The title – which was released under the alternative name Green Beret in Japan and Europe – is part of Hamster's superb Arcade Archives range. You're tasked with going behind enemy lines to rescue POWs...
News Konami's Gradius II Blasts Its Way Onto The Switch eShop This Week
A classic returns
The year might be slowing down, but Hamster's weekly Arcade Archives releases are still going strong. Today sees the arrival of Konami's 1988 shooter, Gradius II. This includes three Japanese versions and two overseas versions (also known as Vulcan Venture). Here's a little bit of backstory, straight from the PR: "Players will...
News Fangamer Has Just Launched A Range Of Goemon Merchandise
Mystical merch
Konami's Goemon series – also known as Mystical Ninja in the west – is one of those franchises that we hope and pray will get a proper revival one day soon. Until that time, we'll have to make do with Fangamer's amazing range of officially-licenced gear, which includes shirts, pin badges, posters and even a vinyl LP. You can check...
News Hamster's Arcade Archives Brings A Konami "Masterpiece" To Switch This Week
Get ready to shoot 'em up
The shoot 'em up library on the Nintendo Switch continues to expand - with Hamster Corporation this week adding Konami's 1990 "masterpiece" Lightning Fighters (known as Trigon in Japan) to the Arcade Archives library on the eShop. Here's a bit about it from the official press release, along with some screenshots: "SUPER...
News FIFA Rival Pro Evolution Soccer Won't Be Making The Switch This Year
So much for "getting closer"
Last month, Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer brand manager for Latin America said the long-running football series was "getting closer" to a possible release on the Nintendo Switch. As promising as it sounded at the time, it seems there's nothing planned for this year. PES European brand manager, Lennart Bobzien, confirmed...
News PES On Nintendo Switch Is "Getting Closer", Says Series Brand Manager
Also wants to bring ISS to Nintendo Switch Online
Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer might not be the force it once was, but the series still has its long-time fans, and those same fans would no doubt appreciate being able to play the game on Switch. While that might seem like a pipe dream for some, Robbye Ron, PES brand manager for Latin America, has...
News Konami's Seminal Shooter Gradius Blasts Off On Switch Today
Shoot the core!
Alongside the likes of Space Invaders and R-Type, Konami's Gradius is considered to be one of the most influential shmups of all time. Released in arcades in 1985, it introduced the world to the notion of the 'weapon bar', a feature which allowed players to tactically upgrade their Vic Viper ship. Gradius has since inspired multiple...
News 16-Year-Old Student Arrested For Allegedly Threatening To "Blow Up Konami’s Headquarters"
Individual was upset by connectivity problems with Konami's PES mobile game
A 16-year-old student has been arrested in Japan for allegedly threatening to blow up Konami's Tokyo headquarters. According to Yomiuri, the suspect made the threats between June 16th and June 18th on the review section of an online app store. Another Japanese outlet,
News Konami Pulls The Plug On Nintendo Switch Exclusive Hyper Sports R
Track and failed
When Konami first shared the multitude of screenshots from its upcoming game Hyper Sports R back in 2018, it's fair to say that it didn't generate too much interest. The cartooney character models in this sports sim did seem a bit unusual, and perhaps this upcoming Switch exclusive was never going to capture the imagination of...
News Konami's Cowboy Classic Sunset Riders Is Galloping To Switch This Week
Update: We've got a release date!
Update: We now have a solid release date, for Japan at least: June 11th. That's tomorrow, you guys! Bury with me my money, indeed. Original Story [Thu 19th Mar, 2020 12:15 GMT]: Fans of six-shooters and saddlebags will be pleased to learn that Konami's seminal arcade shooter Sunset Riders is heading to the...
News Konami Looking To Fund And Publish More Games Like Skelattack In The West
It's part of a long-term initiative
Earlier this week, Konami surprised many people when it published a brand-new game on the Nintendo Switch and other platforms called Skelattack. If you're still wondering how this came about, it's all part of the Japanese company's new strategy to strengthen its position within the western market. Senior...
Run for your life
Dead by Daylight fans are in for a treat on 16th June - with Behaviour Interactive announcing it has teamed up with Konami's horror series, Silent Hill. This next paid DLC will add Cheryl (Heather) Mason as a survivor and Pyramid Head as a killer. There'll also be a new map for all players (based on Midwich Elementary School), a...
Poll Box Art Brawl #44 - Super C / Probotector II
Return of the evil forces
Welcome all to Box Art Brawl, the weekly series where we scrutinise regional box art variants from around the globe and vote on the best. Last week we examined the European, North American and Japanese covers of Super Turrican. At the time of writing, the easy winner is Japan with 66% of the vote. However, both Europe and...
News Take To The Skies In Hamster's Latest Arcade Archives Release MX5000
A Konami shmup
Hamster has added another Arcade Archives game to the Switch eShop. This time around, it's Konami's 1987 shoot 'em up, MX5000 (otherwise known as FLAK ATTACK). Like previous releases, this one will set you back $7.99 / £6.29 and supports up to two players. You'll take control of "the latest fighter aircraft" of the Roufanis...
Rumour Sony Could Be Raiding Konami For Castlevania, Metal Gear And Silent Hill IP
Smash and grab
Konami and Nintendo go back a long way. It's highly debatable whether the former would have enjoyed the success it has had over the years without the NES, as titles such as Castlevania, Gradius and Contra all found a receptive audience on the system. Likewise, you could argue that the NES (not to mention the SNES and Game Boy)...
News Please Konami, Stop Trolling Us And Release Castlevania: SotN On Switch Already
iOS and Android are getting it, so where's the Switch version?
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is unquestionably one of the best games of the '90s, and arguably one of the most influential titles of the past few decades. Along with Super Metroid, it sired the Metroidvania genre which continues to see new additions up to this very day. It also...
News Konami Is Developing A Switch-Exclusive Monster-Battling Strategy Game
Update: And here's what it looks like in action
Update: The demo for Soloman Program is available in Japan, so footage has started appearing online: Original Story [Mon 13th Jan, 2020 14:30 GMT]: Konami was once the toast of the video gaming world thanks to franchises like Gradius, Contra, Metal Gear, Castlevania and Ganbare Goemon, but in...
News Another One Of Konami's TwinBee Games Joins The Arcade Archives Series
This shmup has all the bells and whistles
Towards the end of last year, Hamster added Konami's vertical side-scrolling shoot 'em up TwinBee to its Arcade Archives collection on the Nintendo Switch. Now, to follow this up, it has decided to release Bells & Whistles. Although the two titles sound like they have nothing in common, Bells &...
Allowing players to fend off vampires
The Game Boy Advance generation was a magnificent time for Nintendo in terms of first and third-party software releases. One of the quirkier and perhaps more innovative games released on the system during this period was Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand. It was developed and published by Konami and produced by...
