A Word About Konami, Apathy, And Pachinko Machines

Konami doesn't care anymore. The only games they've produced in maybe two years are a single Bomberman game for the Switch, a Pro Evolution Soccer game, and Metal Gear Solid V. Their two most important game makers, Koji Igarashi and Hideo Kojima, abandoned ship after they were seemingly trapped only making the sequels to the same games over and over. The last money I gave Konami was when they released the remastered collection of Hideo Kojima's Zone of the Enders games. I foolishly hoped it would convince the at the time game publisher to push their most celebrated creative mind to produce a third installment to one of his most beloved franchises. Alas, we got no such goodness and instead have been met with shoddy mobile iterations of the companies beloved franchises and Castlevania themed pachinko machines.

I can't speak for anyone else as far as their opinions of video game publishers, but many of the so called AAA publishers are guilty of the "take my ball and go home" garbage Konami has done in recent years. I'm not sure who their current leadership is, but we didn't have these problems with Konami in the 80s, 90s, or even in the last decade. Was every game they released perfect, not in the slightest, but they didn't blame gamers for not buying crappy games and just stop making games altogether. When the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles console title didn't set the world on fire, they borrowed from what worked with the followup. When Castlevania titles felt stale, a creative turn was made and the best titles in the franchise, particularly on the Nintendo DS followed. After a long hiatus of sorts, Treasure was tapped to develop Gradius V. This brought a fresh feel to a tried and true shooter series.

New Konami will give you a Metal Gear zombie game. I don't get it, but it's not my company. I don't make a dime from their decisions, but a lack of quality games released from what was once one of the most heralded publishers in gaming hurts everyone who loves gaming. Konami, Capcom, and other prominent publishers from the late 80s struggle to stay afloat in the age of the also-rans that dominate store shelves. The sad thing is that it's their fault for churning out shovelware much like it's our fault for not supporting good games that get released. Everyone has a role to play in the apathy of Konami, but Konami has to carry that cross. Carry it they will. Right to the trailer for the next Castlevania themed pachinko machine.

Koji Igarashi Launches Kickstarter, Nostalgia For 1997 Ensues

When Koji Igarashi left Konami in 2014, fans of his work were left stunned and concerned. I was one such fan who has been worried about the direction of the Castlevania series for some time as it seemed that the games seemed to be pulled in a different direction. I was sure Igarashi would land somewhere, but I wasn't sure where or what he would be doing. Soon, it became clear that the man who married the gothic action adventure gameplay of Castlevania with the seamless, expansive level design of Metroid was about to do something very big.

It was been noted since his departure from Konami that Igarashi was seemingly trapped in a cycle of working on projects that he was nowhere near interested in being a part of. Igarashi wanted to work on more "Metroidvania" titles, but higher ups at his former employer determined that nobody wanted those types of gameplay elements anymore. With that, it was no surprise that Igarashi began work on a "spiritual successor" to his heralded Castlevania titles. This game is titled Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and a Kickstarter campaign was started to fund the initial development of the title.

It's safe to say, if there was any question involving the viability of a game of this type in the current age of gaming it was quelled with the Kickstarter campaign for Bloodstained raising almost $2.7 million more than it's initial goal of $500,000. Does this prove that nostalgia is just as strong among gamers as it's ever been, that we still want games that harken to the days where we clamored for the latest big thing from Japanese developers, or that a title featuring a female protagonist can truly garner this level of grassroots interest from the gaming public? Maybe all three.

The last time I saw a title that was still technically vaporware starring a female character garner this much buzz without seeing any actual gameplay was when a teaser for a possible Beyond Good and Evil sequel popped up on an Ubisoft sizzle reel during E3 a few years ago. Knowing that such a big positive response came from a title like this may not trigger a ripple effect among major publishers who don't seem to get that the ballooning budgets they command for their upcoming titles aren't necessarily vital to big sales numbers. That's quite a sobering thought.

If the last few years have shown us anything it might be that gamers don't always need ridiculously realistic games filled to the brim with tropes that got old when the Atari 800 was cutting edge. Legends in gaming are stepping out of their corporate safe spaces to take chances in the indy realm. Tim Schafer, Keiji Inafune, and now Koji Igarashi are a part of an ever growing list of big names in game development who are essentially doing a new version of what the founders of Activision did in the early 80s. They're making games that they and (as evident by the response to their fund raising efforts illustrate) gamers in general want to play. These games don't get big name voice actors, huge advertisement budgets, and the other trappings that the average "AAA" title enjoy, but they have something those games tend to severely lack. That thing is a soul, and because of that I'm waiting with great anticipation for Bloodstained.

Koji Igarashi Leaves Konami!!!!

BREAKING NEWS: Koji Igarashi, the man largely behind Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, has left Konami as of March 15th. He has apparently left with designs on starting his own development house.