April 30th, 2008 Chris "Kramez" Kramer
Kotaku’s Man In Japan, Brian Ashcraft, has a long-ish feature with Capcom’s Ben Judd and Gearoid Reidy on the challenges inherent in bringing Western games to the Land of the Rising Sun. It’s a pretty interesting article — more so if you’re involved in the production of video games — and hits on all sorts of tricky issues that must be overcome, including tough text translations, the merits of dubbing vs. subtitling spoken dialog and good old-fashioned cultural differences.
The article also contains this bit:
‘In Japan, we can’t do community. It’s considered a liability here.’ There are too many unknowns with community sites. What if an employee says or does something stupid? The lack of direct corporate control is dangerous.
Scary! We’re doing/saying stupid stuff on Unity every day, but it seems to be okay with y’all. Do us a favor and don’t tell anyone in Japan, por favor.
Posted in Bionic Commando Rearmed, Bionic Commando, Interview, Capcom® | 1 Comment »
April 29th, 2008 Seth Killian
Just when you thought it was safe to surf you some internets, the Bionic Commando podcast strikes:
In a change to our scheduled programming, IGN’s Anoop Gantayat and Destructoid’s Brad Rice join us on the podcast after taking part in our Three Days of the Commando multiplayer event. We talk Japan with these Oriental experts, as well as answering a small mountain of reader mail and playing the Bionic 1980s Game. It’s a special leg warmers and chest hair Top Secret!
The boys of Bionic Commando have also enabled comments on their blog posts. Check it out and take the opportunity to tell them about all of your exciting credit card offers and male enhancement opportunities.
Posted in podcast, Bionic Commando | No Comments »
April 23rd, 2008 Seth Killian
The total crumb-bums over at Bionic Commando headquarters have a secret, and they’re not telling:
We recently invited some members of the press here to Capcom HQ for a little event. It was a lot of fun and will actually be the first step to announcing another big piece of news in the Bionic Commando world.
Since they came all the way over to little ol’ Osaka to see us, we will let them break the story, but check back on the site in the very near future to see some exclusive videos, as we kick off our “3 Days of the Commando” community site segment starting tomorrow.
Also, like I said above, you’ll want to be scouring the internet for some key Bionic Commando announcements.
The only question is… “What are those guys looking at?”
Probably it’s a video of Ben Judd’s Prom-stopping performance of the Mashed Potato dance, which–for some reason–the press believes they are playing with 360 controllers. That’s my guess, anyway.
As above, stay tuned to the Bionic Commando site for the freshest BC news, podcasts, and all Judd-related desiderata.
Posted in Bionic Commando | 2 Comments »
April 3rd, 2008 Seth Killian
The Bionic Commando podcasting team returns:
Top Secret File 012: Christian Svensson, VP of Strategic Planning & Business Development, Capcom USA
Christian Svensson joins us from across the Pacific to talk about the rebirth of Okami on the Wii, as well as the challenges of bringing Japanese games to the West, and the future of Capcom. Christian also talks about Capcom’s other downloadable titles, including Super Street Fighter II HD Remix!
And in case you’re wondering, yes, we have switched our blog format over to the increasingly popular “All Svensson, All the Time!” format. Featuring Svensson updates at 15, 20, and 40 past the hour, we are your #1 source for the most in-depth Svensson reportage you’ll find this side of the Mississippi.
We’ll stop talking to him when he runs out of interesting things to say. So far, no luck, so click here to hear him dish.
Posted in podcast, Bionic Commando, Okami, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix | 4 Comments »
March 26th, 2008 Seth Killian
Created by Capcom artist Shinkiro, the exploding head “Pop Goes the Dictator” t-shirt pays homage to the most famous moment in the original Bionic Commando: beating “Master-D” and thrilling to one of the most shockingly gruesome and unexpected displays of 8-bit gore in gaming history.
Any fan of the original NES Bionic Commando wants this shirt, but the Grinches over at Bionic Commando HQ aren’t just giving them away. Instead, they have issued a challenge to the hardcore fans in the form of a contest:
Only a few weeks left to enter the limited edition Bionic Commando t-shirt competition!
Recreate the legendary exploding head scene, using whatever real-life methods you choose, or your favorite generic photo editing software. Buy a jumbo bottle of tomato ketchup and a large collection of fireworks, use your favourite photo imaging software to recreate the real thing, or take your airgun collection to the watermelon section of the local supermarket - just recreate that scene.
You’ve got about two weeks to get those entries in to us, or you’ll never have another chance again, because Master-D is taking these shirts to his grave…
This white version of the shirt is modeled by the finely-sculpted Colin, although the picture is of course ruined by Frank, who physically cannot walk past a camera without throwing up the horns, trying to flash you, or giving someone the bunny ears.
Contest details are HERE, and you can submit your entry HERE.
Posted in Bionic Commando, Contests | No Comments »
March 18th, 2008 Seth Killian
This week the crew stirs up headlines by taking cheap shots at the voice acting in revered classic, Resident Evil 1. Featuring Voice Director Kris Zimmerman and Voiceover Manager (what’s that?) Chip Beaman.
The Top Secret podcast goes on location at the voice recording session of Bionic Commando in Hollywood, California, as we talk to Soundelux VO manager Chip Beaman, and the Voice Director of Bionic Commando, Kris Zimmerman. We find out what it takes to make a game sound great, and explore the mixed past of Capcom voiceovers.
Check out this week’s show and all the past episodes here!
Posted in podcast, Bionic Commando | 1 Comment »
March 6th, 2008 Chris Tou
Throughout history, not many have been able to lay claim to the moniker of “Super”. There’s (Super)man and a mustached guy named Mario. The Bionic Commando blog has news of the return of the fairest of them all, Super Joe. Players will be able to experience Joe’s superness in both 2D and 3D. First in the upcoming 2D Bionic Commando Rearmed and then the 3D Bionic Commando, as the boss of Nathan Spencer. The image above is the handsome devil himself looking none-the-older despite debuting in 1985.
To celebrate the announcement of the return of Super Joe, the Bionic Commando site also has a very cool “History of” page up, giving you a detailed history of the previous Bionic Commando games, all the way back to 1985. Definitely be sure to check it out!
Posted in Bionic Commando Rearmed, Bionic Commando | 1 Comment »
March 4th, 2008 Seth Killian
I was lying about the turntables, but the microphone was for reals. The Bionic Commando podcasting crew is back again, and they seem to have tricked the sublime Minae Matsukawa into appearing on their show. Please note: I was planning to spare you yet another “Objection!” joke, but I see the temptation was too much for our podcasting crew to resist. Here’s the lowdown on this week’s show!
There can be no objections to this week’s special guest - the producer of the Ace Attorney series, Minae Matsukawa! To coincide with the release of Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice, Matsukawa-san will be talking about the development of the popular handheld series, being a female producer in Japan, and the future of the series. She’ll also be deciding which lucky listener will win signed AA goods taken straight from the evidence locker.
As if Matsukawa-san herself weren’t enough, they’re also giving stuff away for the best listener-submitted question. Check it out:
- 1st Prize - A Gyakuten Saiban 4 (Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney) t-shirt, signed by Matsukawa-san, with a signed Gyakuten album!
- 2nd Prize - A Gyakuten album signed by Matsukawa-san, as well as a limited edition promotional DVD for Gyakuten Saiban 4
- 3rd Prize - A limited edition promotional DVD for Gyakuten Saiban 4
Listen to the show here. Do it for extreme justice.
Posted in podcast, Bionic Commando, Ace Attorney™ | No Comments »
February 26th, 2008 Chris "Kramez" Kramer
For those not in “the industry,” as we call it (to our everlasting shame), GDC is the annual gathering of the supernerds; the be-all, end-all mecca for the men and women who actually crank out these special, magical treasures we shamelessly refer to as “product” in marketingland. Last week, Capcom crashed the 2008 Game Developers Conference in a big way. While coders were getting their code on across the street at the Moscone Center, a few Capcom staffers set up basecamp at the St. Regis Hotel, ensconced in a lovely suite that contained both flavors of Bionic Commando as well as the first two Street Fighter IV arcade machines to hit the US. It was three days of pizza, video games and high energy. More follows, so come along with me to reminisce about last week… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Bionic Commando Rearmed, Street Fighter® IV, Bionic Commando | No Comments »
February 21st, 2008 Chris Tou
We’ve started a couple of “official” groups on Facebook (Which by now, everyone and their grandmother’s cousin should have an account on). Next time you’re on Facebook, be sure to also drop by and show your support for Capcom and Bionic Commando by becoming a fan of the groups on Facebook!
Becoming a fan is easy. You can either click on the links above, or search for either Capcom and Bionic Commando after logging into Facebook. While you’ll get various results for them, the one you’re looking for is of the type “Game” and should have “Become a Fan” as an available option (As opposed to “Join Group” for the others). After becoming a fan, you’ll by default receive notices on any updates we make in regards to the group, making it easy for you to keep up on the latest Capcom and Bionic Commando news.
Be sure to share the fandom with your friends on Facebook as well. The more the merrier!
Posted in Facebook, Bionic Commando, Capcom® | No Comments »
Loading ...