Going back to heavily shadowed art style is the best idea.

And I love the idea of a dating and murder simulator being in the same game SO MUCH.

That's why this and Drakengard 3 have me so hyped.

Killer is Dead has performed favorably with Famitsu, getting a 35/40 (9/9/9/8):
http://www.vg247.com/2013/07/24/killer-is-dead-first-review-scores-3540-in-this-weeks-famitsu/

And a Platinum Award:
http://www.psu.com/a020278/Killer-is-Dead-bags-Famitsus-Platinum-award

So that's something.

>>178430
Keep in mind that Famitsu scoring has gone the way of Western videogame scores for quite some time now. FFXIII and FFXIII-2, as well as Resident Evil 6, being the ones that stand out most to me.
Suda51 certainly makes interesting games, and the art style is certainly appealing to me, but trusting reviews nowadays can be a mistake.

>>178430
Famitsu scores don't mean a goddamn thing anymore. They hand out perfect scores like candy now considering almost all of them were for games released in the last five years.

I'll never understand why everyone goes crazy for Suda 51. Artstyle creativity blah blah. I played both killer7 and No More Heroes and I thought they were both mediocre.

>>178452
The overworld elements might've been shit but I thought the boss battles themselves were great. If NMH2 had actually been a straightup boss rush instead of the trolling bullshit we did get it probably would have done much better.

>>178452
Think of it like Jazz, it's the notes that aren't played.

I know that's just as bullshitty, but still that's really what it is, If a came can take me on a journey I am all for it.

KID looks like they are making a straight up perfect game though.

>>178453
NMH2 wasn't trolling bullshit, it had some of the most fun classic game tributes I've ever played,

>>178455
>Charlie Macdonald's cheerleader squad
>Henry's message
>not trolling bullshit

>>178456
IF YOU DON'T THINK THAT THE CHEERLEADER SQUAD FIGHT WAS THE GREATEST THING EVER GET OUTTA MY FACE

>>178458
They accounted for about half the ranking battles, if that's what anon means. On the other hand, I can't see them pulling off 50 unique bosses well enough, but that may just be the optimist in me thinking.

>>178455
>KID looks like they are making a straight up perfect game though.
Okay let us be straight here Tiki: KID will be great. Amazing even. But it will probably play badly. Every Suda game except the NMH games plays badly.

Also while i personally enjoy that Suda is a total creeper weirdo because it emphasizes how crazy he is, it is still a bad thing how it's in all his games.

I feel like Grasshopper Manufacture needs like... Platinum Games level of design mastery in order to overcome their style over substance nature.

If Hideki Kamiya or the guy who directed Revengence made the mechanics for a game and Suda could just build the art assets and story around it I think we'd have something really great on our hands. As is I just expect this to be a neat looking beatemup.

>>178493
While you are probably right I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

>>178498
Sure I'd be willing to take a spin on those, Shinji Mikami certainly didn't help, fucking Shadows of the Damned is the only Suda game I hate.

>>178498
As Tiki said, they tried that in Shadows of the Damned, and it's easily the worst Suda game from the Killer7 onward era (I don't know much about Flower, Sun, Rain, Michigan, and stuff like that from before Killer7).

>>178506
Flower, Sun and Rain is Deadly Premonition tier broken everything making it the best.

>>178507
The original PS2 game is JP only, and all I really know of the DS Remake is that I think I once picked it up for about 10 minutes and had no idea what I was supposed to be doing.

>>178508
No one ever does that's the best part.

Michigan is basically like a super jank Fatal Frame which is more notable for it's concept than for trying to be anything resembling a game.

It was Suda trying to make his own [REC.], like that's literally what Suda calls it.

>>178507
>>178508
>>178509
Shame though. Flower, Sun and Rain's story was pretty quirky and fun when you could get to it (a set of giant speakers that turn into boats?!) and it had a real sense of mystery and sadness at points. The art direction was also top notch.

Welcome to Flower, Sun and Rain

FSR on air

>>178513
What you just said is why I compared it to Deadly Premonition but pins it much better than that statement.

I was holding off on watching this because I thought it would be asinine. I was right:

Killer is Dead: Just Like Suda…

And the follow-up video is somehow even worse:

The Problem With Feminism, and the MRA

>>178516
Is this guy fucking brain damaged?

Does he really not get that this entire game is...oh lets say...a tribute to something else? And that perhaps his beef would be better directed at the source material?

>>178516
Wait, looking at the titles how is the second video related to the first?

God after that stupid video I half expect someone to start shitting the bed over the "TOTALLY ORIGINAL AND NOT A TRIBUTE TO ANY CLASSIC MOVIE AT ALL EVER" depiction of one of the bosses committing seppuku while being beheaded.

This is just reminding me of the conversation that keeps popping up in regards to Tarentino's movies, and the line between "homage" and "blatant rip-off".

>>178539
It was made a little ways after the first and the guy in it makes note of some negative backlash he received in regards to the former video.

>>178572
I've never been happier during a movie than when Trinity's theme played during the end of Django.

They Call Me Trinity (Lo Chiam…

>>178578
Heh made me go "OH SHIT, he's going to have to face drifter superman in the next film."

Bought a Platinum Edition of Killer is Dead from a store that sells imports.

Game's pretty fun so far, but I'm having trouble redeeming the codes for the "complimentary" DLC, errors that say the codes are typed incorrectly or aren't valid.

Is the DLC not out yet and if it is, is there a way I can circumvent this error?

>>178644
How does it fare compared to previous Suda works?

>>178650
Gameplay is excellent with a deceptively simple control scheme that gets deeper and more comprehensive as the game progresses and the enemies become tougher/more aggressive/numerous. Of particular note is the enemy targeting system that is both elegant and effortless allowing for quick diverting of attention to any of the myriad of foes present on the battlefield. While not integrated very neatly into the combo system, the arm cannon weapons are easy to use and feasible in combat, Mondo's speed not being all too impeded when he whips them out.

Art direction is grand and while cyberpunk is a pretty known genre, there are enough flourishes and personal touches that make the setting and persons therein unique while complimenting a deranged mythology that works more often than it doesn't. Thematically, it comes across as a 3D spiritual successor to Black Knight Sword but with more polished controls and mechanics to make navigating the magical-realism-esque world.

Music's perhaps the high point of the game next to action which is further felt through the noteworthy sound design, giving a slick passage an equally slick sound that's prone to calm or excite depending on the moment.

The voice actors all do good work though some may find Mika to be on the shrill side. The story is perfectly capable of playing with your emotions and a lot of the tragedy and horror is palpable and genuine even when set against some truly absurd circumstances. Whether or not it will generate the same amount of analysis as GM's other games is up to the discerning public. The script though, could've used a punch-up or two or perhaps a tapering of some lines that feel awkward and/or unnecessary. Characters exude a lot of charm and are sure to be memorable to some extent though that's a given for a GM game.

In comparison to the last two big Suda51 releases, it plays the best, possessing the speed and energy that was either absent or inconsistent in Shadows of the Damned and Lollipop Chainsaw. An unorthodox aesthetic/narrative helps elevate this trait into producing an inexplicable and entertaining game with plenty of upgrades to purchase and side missions to accomplish tat could encourage one to replay it and extend the modest running time. The game gets to where it wants to go and does what it wants to do a little too quickly, but at least it does it well. Who knows? Maybe GM will go ahead and produce more DLC episodes in the future like they said they might now they have an efficient and functional framework to build them around.

>Do you think there’s a danger that Killer Is Dead’s Gigolo levels will alienate female players?

"I’m actually not that concerned, because I think women can have just as much fun with that mode; that’s certainly the case in Japan anyway. I don’t know about North America or Europe. We haven’t done any focus tests for this mode specifically, but I did have the publishers – both European and North American, Deep Silver and Xseed – give us their feedback on the mode, and give us what they thought was wrong. And they also seemed to feel that it’s a mode that would be palatable for audiences local to Europe and North America. I’m not as concerned as you might think."

http://www.edge-online.com/features/suda-51-on-originality-videogame-sexism-and-next-gen-development/

It's hilarious how fucking dumb the tumblr crowd is when Suda is just like "I'm just making games I think are fun, I can't any reason why ladies don't like flirting with ladies."

So what's with the idea that Suda51 and GM are all gung-ho about male power fantasies? Most of their games have these guys that start out all self-assured and badass getting emotionally destroyed by the insane events of the narrative:

Flower, Sun and Rain-Sumio Mondo, a sharply dressed and confident "Seeker" is frequently bullied and belittled by the cast, eventually finding out that he is one of several Mondos.
Michigan: Report from Hell-Depending on how you acted, the cameraman is either a perverted degenerate or a noble seeker of truth. Both however, are completely powerless to prevent their demise.
Killer7: Garcian Smith, a fearless and efficient assassin is rendered a blubbering, horrified mess after discovering the truth behind the killer7 and outright tries to deny his guilt.
Contact: The kid hero was powerless all along and a pawn of yours and the professor's the whole time.
No More Heroes: A trash-talking, violent, socially maladjusted young man pushing 30 gets a lightsabre and lives out his samurai fantasies as he is humiliated and scammed.
Shadows of the Damned: A gruff, arrogant demon hunter brimming with machismo who for all his big talk is frequently unable to stop his girlfriend from gruesomely dying again and again to the point that she tries to murder him for failing so much when he finally succeeds in saving her. His "victory" is rather questionable as he, Johnson and Paula are still being pursued by Fleming's forces and it's implied that they'll never stop coming.
Black Knight Sword: A man's failed suicide results in him being conscripted into liberating the land from a tyrannical princess and given a magic sword as well as a set of enchanted armor. However, the war is a farce and is little more than a spat between two incredibly petty sisters. For his trouble, Wormwood is unceremoniously dumped back in the dingy hotel room the game started in and it's ambiguous as to whether or not he goes through with trying to kill himself again.
Lollipop Chainsaw: Nick, arguably the secondary protagonist of the game, spends most of the story as a decapitated head and is little more than an accessory and punching bag to his girlfriend and her family. Even after receiving a new body for sacrificing himself to stop Swan's master plan, it's that of an old, diminutive man.
Killer Is Dead: Mondo Zappa's suave and professional demeanor slowly crumble as he learns more about his past (maybe), revealing a frenzied, unstable persona beneath. His curt, ruthless attitude ends up destroying the arena during the final boss battle, releasing all the evil energy contained in the moon which is set to drown the world in a mass baptism of darkness. He manages to reverse this, but not before killing his brother and perhaps, becoming one of the corrupt and megalomaniacal psychos he mocked, despised and killed throughout the game.

>>178748
Nobody's been talking about Killer Is Dead or Dragon's Crown on Tumblr.

Not as far as I've seen, anyways. They're only mad when something they already know of ends up being sexist. If they haven't heard of it, it goes completely unmentioned.

>>178861
They're too busy right now with Attack on Titan and Nostalgia Critic's Sailor Moon review. Thankfully.

>>178862
I haven't seen anyone mention the Sailor Moon review, either. I think I've only met maybe two people who casually watch anything TGWTG at all.

I'm a feminist too, but I pick my battles.

>>178862
>>178866
What are they saying, that Doug is a total spazz who prefers to shout and over-act rather than fact-check?

>>178862
What's so misogynistic about Attack on Titan? It has a lot of useful females with personalities and body types as varied as the men, there's no overt romance to drag the characters down, and the ones that are there are mostly dysfunctional in a way that gender is mostly irrelevant.

>>178876
You're trying to put logic to their actions.

Kind of want to replay Killer 7 again.

>>178879
The neat thing about Killer 7 is that it plays EXACTLY like you remember.

>>178882
I still don't get why GM/Capcom hasn't made an HD version of it for the PS or Nintendo stores. Just spruce up some of the rougher textures, greatly reduce the loading times (including the transformation sequences between assassins) and you're golden.

>>178879
What actions? All they do is sit behind a computer and complain and feel important.

>>178862
What exactly are they saying about Titan? All I know is the incident where the fandom was twisting facts in order to flame people for calling Hanji female.

>>178879
>>178885
That's how activism starts. Discussion. Just because something doesn't apply to you, or you don't think it's important, doesn't mean it can't be discussed.

Granted, some things aren't actually as sexist as people think, or sexist at all, but that doesn't mean you can sweep the entire argument under the rug.

>>178888
It can be when people are nigh making things up of thin air to have an excuse to get self-righteous, such as the whole transgenders-in-Attack on Titan debacle, which seems to have spread to other characters such as Levi who are very obviously not.

>>178888

The problem is that these discussions are really stupid and never translate into actual useful activism.

>>178882
I think that was one of my favorite games of that gen.

I almost never see it mentioned when people argue video games are art.

>>178901
>>178898
I know nothing about Attack on Titan, sorry.

But I think feminism is worth talking about, just in general. Maybe not with every game, but it's something to keep in mind.

>>178988
Just wondering, do you apply that to other forms of media as well? Books, movies, television, music, youtube shows... Do you keep feminism in mind for all of them, or are games singled out for some reason?

All this talk of feminism and no one's brought up that Mondo's most profound relationship with a woman isn't with any of the Gigolo Mission Girls or any of the female clients for that matter, but with Mika though not in the manner you think. Rather than acting as a love interest or little sister (or both), Mika, despite her rampant immaturity and young age, acts as a stand-in maternal figure for Mondo; She cooks for him, frets over his safety, despairs at the prospect of strangers being spontaneously invited into their home and even, against all odds and common sense, comes to save his life in the most baffling and unreachable of locals by healing his injuries.

>>178989
I keep it in mind in general. I think games do a better job of feminism than some other media, in fact.

I don't think anything in Killer Is Dead is sexist. I love the hell out of No More Heroes, and I think even though some of the women in it were wearing revealing clothing, they were all incredibly badass. I just get annoyed when people say "you're not allowed to bring up sexism in any context, ever".

So how does it play compared to Lollipop Chainsaw and No More Heroes? Is it any better?

Is it me or is Suda getting a little better at making games? Or maybe he's just picking the right partners for it. Sine Mora and Liberation Maiden were actually pretty good.

>>179017
All signs point to drastically.

>>179018
Yes.

>>178516
I think this is the best response to the idiot.

When I murder David it will be to this song.

mewithoutYou- The Angel of Dea…

>>179206
I shouldn't have been surprised that the paintings strewn about Episode 4 turned out to be of David, back when he was an Executioner, but I was anyway.

A quick guide to some of Killer Is Dead's influences as well as some works of media that might just tickle your fancy if you want something similar in movies, comics, and music:

Killer Is Dead, Sexy Gigolos &…

DLC VAMPIRE VINCENT PRICE

THE BEST

http://globegander.tumblr.com/post/59534088268/love-killer-is-dead-eros-and-thanatos-in-grasshopper

I wrote this article some time during early August based on my experiences with the import version of the game. Originally, I simply wished to explore some its overall themes albeit in a rather comprehensive and lengthy fashion. However, set within the context of being released so closely and concerning subject matter of considerable consternation to the less favorable reviews of Killer Is Dead, it has incidentally become, with little to no alteration to the original material, a defense of the game's creative and structural decisions. To summarize, it explores the thematic significance of the Gigolo Missions, how they establish Mondo's character arc, and manner in which the game's story isn't so much simple as it is understated.

These are the impressions and conclusions I drew from playing the game and hopefully it provides an intriguing and fresh perspective on it for you apart from the more cynical criticisms out there.

So I'm playing this and a few comments:

1) I think the Giggalo missions are alright. Not as sexist/misogynist as people think they are except for one element which I'll get to. Mondo himself doesn't seem like he's coming onto the women in very forceful ways, and even when you fail a mission he tends to at least bow out with grace and it feels more like the "mood" has been ruined more than anything. It doesn't seem like he's leading the girls along or is intentionally aiming to screw them over (literally) it just seems like he enjoys being a ladies man and giving ladies some nice company.

WITH ALL THAT SAID THOUGH the glasses are a bit... much. All I'm saying is that glasses being able to see path ones clothes to their underwear is maybe crossing the line...

2) The gameplay's pretty good! Not a Platinum level styled game. But not bad all things considered. My only complaint is that the block mechanic seems drastically weak compared to the dodge mechanic where you can get a much better chance at a counter-attack.

I really do hope that KiD here gets a sequel or a follow up or something cause I think if the same team who made this got some more time to refine some shit we could have a really great stylish action game on our hands! As it is though it's mostly just the good side of average.

>>179691
I'm not making a federal case out of it but blocks should be worse than dodges, taking a hit is always worse than avoiding it.

>>179692

Tiki I get that you're a man who's experienced life and who knows his shit but here's the thing:

It's a game. I have a robotic bio-arm that can turn into a gun and fire a charged blast megaman style. I'm fighting giant monsters made of flesh and metal who're powered by dark matter from the moon. Tiny blue gems are giving me health and roses are giving me ammunition and the ability to heal myself further. I get drills, freeze guns and said charge cannon from women I fuck who just happen to have them laying around. Whom I can also ogle with my 3D X-ray glasses.

As a person who wants to get into game design, not just videogame design mind you, I will tell you right now that "realism" is never a good reason to make an option objectively worse in a game. Because games don't need to play by the rules of realism and ESPECIALLY these stylish action games are allowed to play more loosely with it. MGR makes the block option viable because it's the primary way you counterattack and some enemies NEED to be countered in order for you to really hurt them, not to mention it gives you more time to Zandatsu them. Even though the dodge option is nice to have, you really NEED the block option in that game in order to beat it and that's what makes the game feel a lot more fluid and unique.

Having the option to perform something in a game, but having an objectively better option at almost all times is a sign of really lazy and slapdash game design. Either remove the ability to do the inferior option altogether (and remove all pretenses) or make the option better. You're not here to make a perfect simulation of reality (as I would argue that's only really good in a sort of 'look what we can do!' hypothetical sense) you're here to make a GAME. And games operate by rules and checks and balances that don't necessarily apply to our world. That's one of the most common things people mock about in games anyway. That silly things like turkey legs and ice-cream Sundays can revitalize your health or that a random highschool girl can appear in a puff of smoke, punch your chest a whole bunch and you can get up from having 7 bullet holes in your body.

>>179699
I wasn't really arguing for realism, just kinda thinking of the Darksiders 2 argument.

>>179699
How does
>blocks should be worse than dodges, taking a hit is always worse than avoiding it
imply a demand for more realism?

Performing a harder to do action should net you the better reward in a game. In general, if an action game has a block option it should only prevent all damage if it is difficult(subjective term) to execute (usually done via a narrow time window).

>>179701

The way it was worded made it sound like a realism argument that and I flashed back to /tg/ where that's usually used to justify shitty design

I guess the point I was trying to make is that in KiD the block feels almost like an afterthought and there's no reason NOT to dodge any attack. Which IDK makes it feel a bit unpolished. I feel like a better way to handle it would've been either doing it DMC3 style where you can pick to focus on blocking/parrying/dodging or Revengence Style where the blocking lets you counter-attack and the dodging just guarantees you a better chance at avoiding an attack.

But that may just be me...

>>179701

The way it was worded made it sound like a realism argument that and I flashed back to /tg/ where that's usually used to justify shitty design

I guess the point I was trying to make is that in KiD the block feels almost like an afterthought and there's no reason NOT to dodge any attack. Which IDK makes it feel a bit unpolished. I feel like a better way to handle it would've been either doing it DMC3 style where you can pick to focus on blocking/parrying/dodging or Revengence Style where the blocking lets you counter-attack and the dodging just guarantees you a better chance at avoiding an attack.

But that may just be me...

http://globegander.tumblr.com/post/59854327305/killer-is-chess-chess-motifs-in-killer-is-dead-black

Part One of a detailed look at how chess motifs pervade Killer Is Dead's story, characters, and game design.

Can anyone find me a good picture of ultimate mondo?

Oh god
Killer Is Dead Walkthrough Gam…

the animations are so cute and heartbreaking.

>>179723
Basically Mondo turned into a Wire.

So I just realized that in episode one You were playing as David the entire time which makes me wonder just how long Mondo's had Mussleback and how did he even come into having it. So much about this story actually kinda interests me but then it's also just in that field of being intentionally vague that I get annoyed by it.

>>179923
There are two possibilities as to how Mondo attained Musselback:

1) He got it after the events of Episode 8

2) Suda's explanation from an interview which states that Mondo was part of the team of assassins (possibly the government job he mentioned in Episode 8) that killed his world's version of Osama bin Laden. When bin Laden died, the Dark Matter released infected Mondo's arm and turned his teammates into Wires. Mondo cut off his arm to avoid being transformed into one as well and had it replaced with Musselback when he got back home.

http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/egm-exclusive-suda51-explains-origins-of-mondo-zappa/

http://globegander.tumblr.com/post/60860285807/killer-is-chess-gold-side-and-other-chess-allusions-in

The second and final part of a detailed analysis of how chess motifs pervade Killer Is Dead's story, characters, and game design; In this installment, the bosses take center stage!

This one came out a bit late as I was more-or-less writing "LOVE & KILLer Is Dead" and the first part of "Killer Is Chess" in tandem. At over 7000 words, it's roughly twice the size of either of the previous articles, so I hope that makes the wait (for those of you that were waiting), worth it.

If you have the time, feel free to check out Part One:

http://globegander.tumblr.com/post/59854327305/killer-is-chess-chess-motifs-in-killer-is-dead-black

or the article, "LOVE & KILLer Is Dead" for a look at how eroticism and murder intertwine and clash to produce a complex, if understated experience:

http://globegander.tumblr.com/post/59534088268/love-killer-is-dead-eros-and-thanatos-in-grasshopper

Yahtzee wasn't too fond of Killer Is Dead, considering it to be so-so, but the Gigolo Mode has elicited this essay from him that partially vindicates one of the most widely lambasted aspects of the game and tidily displays his attitudes regarding sexual characters vs. sexualized ones:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/extra-punctuation/10616-Sexy-Characters

CGR Undertow - KILLER IS DEAD …

Reload - Three Days with Suda51 | EinsPlus