Konami had their third annual pre-E3 show today, headlined by Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2.
The show began with John Coligan, Director of Digital Publishing for Konami Digital Entertainment, discussing the company’s looking to help indie studios by taking care of everything outside of development. It was also revealed that the newly signed on indie developer, Kung Fu Factory, will be developing iOS titles for Konami, the first being Domo Jump. MLB Live Challenge is also in being developed, this time by Konami’s Baseball Content Studio, and will combine fantasy with team management. The company’s Orange County development studio is working on the social gambling titles Slot Revolution and Casino League.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 was then detailed by the Creative Producer at PES Productions, Kei Masuda, explaining its new Fluidity engine. Based off the Fox Engine, Fluidity will utilize TrueBall tech, allowing for control over the character and the ball separately. The ball can also travel in any direction even while airborne. The game’s Motion Animation Stability System (M.A.S.S.) was also will simulate physics of body collision utilizing reportedly seamlessly animation integration. PES 2014‘s Heart mechanic will give teams and individuals morale and confidence; the former growing in the team when the player is doing well, which then affects individual motivations and abilities.
The show then moved onto Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, with Director Hideo Kojima detailing the game and announcing the new voice of snake as film and TV actor Keifer Sutherland. Kojima explained that because Metal Gear Solid V will be dealing with heavier subjects including race and revenge, he wanted “Snake to have a more subdued performance, expressed through subtle facial movements and tone of voice rather than words.” Kojima also wanted someone who could “genuinely convey both the facial and vocal qualities of a man in his late 40’s.”
“It’s an honor to be able to play this character,” Sutherland said, in a pre-recorded interview. “This character has an unbelievable legacy. I’m not a gamer and I even knew about this game. I was certainly keenly aware of the legacy of [Metal Gear] and the success of these games.” Sutherland also stated there was a “real personal quality” that he was able to connect with.
“Thanks to the top notch acting it’s been a great success,” Kojima added.
The show closed with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, with details coming from MercurySteam studio head Enric Avarez, and Studio head of Konami Digital Entertainment Europe and producer Dave Cox. Lords of Shadow 2 will pick up where the first in the series left off. Cox said that when the idea for the Lords of Shadow sequel first arose they decided they wanted to tell the story of Dracula, and felt that he had never been properly explained. The game will run on an adapted version of the Mercury Engine, with players free to explore the games universe without loading times. While a large time will be spent exploring Dracula’s castle, there is also a huge modern city to explore.