SPOnG speaks to KOEI Europe Bossman
Mr Naoki Katashima on handheld Samurai Warriors
SPOnG managed to have a quick chat with KOEI Europe’s big cheese earlier today, to quiz him on some aspects of its forthcoming Samurai Warriors: State of War on PSP, due out in March.
The Samurai Warriors games have already appeared on PS2 and Xbox, featuring some spectacular battles and explosive action, so SPOnG is keen to see how the game makes the move onto handheld. Is this looking like a game we are going to want to play on the move?
The game is described as a tactical action game and is set in the turbulent times of civil war Japan. Players take control of famous military commanders and other legendary characters, and engage in a multitude of battles in a dramatically unfolding war.
Mr Naoki Katashima is the Senior Vice President for KOEI in Europe, and here is what he had to say about the game:
SPOnG: How well do you expect the PSP version of Samurai Warriors to go down?
Naoki Katashima: Our first PSP release was Dynasty Warriors and this went down very well with UK gamers, so we are hopeful that Samurai Warriors will be just as successful, if not more so. Especially now that Samurai Warriors is utilising the full width of the screen, offering co-op play and taking full advantage of the PSP’s capabilities.
SPOnG: How does the handheld version change the gameplay?
Naoki Katashima: The handheld version has been designed with portable gaming in mind. This has resulted in our developers breaking down the gameplay into smaller chunks, perfectly suited to quick bursts of play while on the move. It lends the game a more tactical slant with each area of a level presenting different challenges. This enables gamers to progress through the game in smaller sections while still maintaining all of the core features that has made the Samurai Warriors series such a success.
SPOnG: What are your plans for the future of the series?
Naoki Katashima: At this time we are totally focused on Samurai Warriors: State of War but we feel that there is still much we can do on PSP and therefore we are always looking to the future and how to build on every release. And of course, looking at the wider perspective, there is still a lot more to come from the Samurai Warriors series on other platforms as well.
There we have it then. Another one for the PSP Easter list. Hopefully Samurai Warriors: State of War’s new story system, the ‘Battlefield Area System’ (whereby you can play the game in short, quick bursts on the bus) and the wireless multiplayer PSP support should appeal to both battle-hardened Samurai fans as well as first-timers who have yet to experience the full-on intensity and chaos of samurai-era 16th century Japan.
The Samurai Warriors games have already appeared on PS2 and Xbox, featuring some spectacular battles and explosive action, so SPOnG is keen to see how the game makes the move onto handheld. Is this looking like a game we are going to want to play on the move?
The game is described as a tactical action game and is set in the turbulent times of civil war Japan. Players take control of famous military commanders and other legendary characters, and engage in a multitude of battles in a dramatically unfolding war.
Mr Naoki Katashima is the Senior Vice President for KOEI in Europe, and here is what he had to say about the game:
SPOnG: How well do you expect the PSP version of Samurai Warriors to go down?
Naoki Katashima: Our first PSP release was Dynasty Warriors and this went down very well with UK gamers, so we are hopeful that Samurai Warriors will be just as successful, if not more so. Especially now that Samurai Warriors is utilising the full width of the screen, offering co-op play and taking full advantage of the PSP’s capabilities.
SPOnG: How does the handheld version change the gameplay?
Naoki Katashima: The handheld version has been designed with portable gaming in mind. This has resulted in our developers breaking down the gameplay into smaller chunks, perfectly suited to quick bursts of play while on the move. It lends the game a more tactical slant with each area of a level presenting different challenges. This enables gamers to progress through the game in smaller sections while still maintaining all of the core features that has made the Samurai Warriors series such a success.
SPOnG: What are your plans for the future of the series?
Naoki Katashima: At this time we are totally focused on Samurai Warriors: State of War but we feel that there is still much we can do on PSP and therefore we are always looking to the future and how to build on every release. And of course, looking at the wider perspective, there is still a lot more to come from the Samurai Warriors series on other platforms as well.
There we have it then. Another one for the PSP Easter list. Hopefully Samurai Warriors: State of War’s new story system, the ‘Battlefield Area System’ (whereby you can play the game in short, quick bursts on the bus) and the wireless multiplayer PSP support should appeal to both battle-hardened Samurai fans as well as first-timers who have yet to experience the full-on intensity and chaos of samurai-era 16th century Japan.
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