This Week on SPOnG: The Great Japanese Games Studio Tour - Part 1
Grasshopper Manufacture pluys previews of Lollipop Chainsaw, Black Knight Sword and Diabolical Pitch incoming.
For the next three weeks on SPOnG, you can expect a mountain of previews, reviews and interviews from adventures in the great Japanese city of Tokyo. Studio tours, interviews, games and more - all fresh from my visit to that great city.
This week SPOnG will be focusing heavily on Grasshopper Manufacture, the studio behind cult hits Killer 7, No More Heroes and Shadows of the Damned. Iconic designer and company CEO Goichi Suda (aka SUDA51) has spoken with me about his Western influences in the past (read the first in 2007, the second in 2010), and it's clear to see when you take a look around the lobby of the Grasshopper studio.
Batman figures dominate the shelves here, and take equal pride of place with SUDA51's past creations at the studio - from debut title The Silver Jiken to 3nd Impact and Contact, the developer has a lot of love for each of his works. Adding to the Western influences vibe, a vintage Star Wars pinball table stands right beside the green and black shelving space.
Perhaps the most eye-catching item in this corridor-sized reception area is a poster detailing SUDA51's close ties with former Capcom producer Shinji Mikami and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima. Taking the form of a comic cover, it sees Snake (Kojima) doing battle with a vicious zombie (Mikami), with Travis Touchdown (Suda) also making an appearance.
After admiring the unmanned lobby area, and making an awkward phone call to an invisible receptionist (in broken Japanese) to alert them of our presence, I was able to have a sneak peek at Grasshopper's latest projects: Lollipop Chainsaw, Black Knight Sword, and Diabolical Pitch. Keep an eye out for these, and other Japan-related features, throughout the whole week.
This week SPOnG will be focusing heavily on Grasshopper Manufacture, the studio behind cult hits Killer 7, No More Heroes and Shadows of the Damned. Iconic designer and company CEO Goichi Suda (aka SUDA51) has spoken with me about his Western influences in the past (read the first in 2007, the second in 2010), and it's clear to see when you take a look around the lobby of the Grasshopper studio.
Batman figures dominate the shelves here, and take equal pride of place with SUDA51's past creations at the studio - from debut title The Silver Jiken to 3nd Impact and Contact, the developer has a lot of love for each of his works. Adding to the Western influences vibe, a vintage Star Wars pinball table stands right beside the green and black shelving space.
Perhaps the most eye-catching item in this corridor-sized reception area is a poster detailing SUDA51's close ties with former Capcom producer Shinji Mikami and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima. Taking the form of a comic cover, it sees Snake (Kojima) doing battle with a vicious zombie (Mikami), with Travis Touchdown (Suda) also making an appearance.
After admiring the unmanned lobby area, and making an awkward phone call to an invisible receptionist (in broken Japanese) to alert them of our presence, I was able to have a sneak peek at Grasshopper's latest projects: Lollipop Chainsaw, Black Knight Sword, and Diabolical Pitch. Keep an eye out for these, and other Japan-related features, throughout the whole week.
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