Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune is mega-mad about the state of Japanese gaming. I wonder if the next Mega Man game will feature Creative Stagnation Man?
News Blips:
Keiji Inafune, head of global research and development and global head of production at Capcom, restated his belief that the Japanese game industry is lagging behind its Western counterpart after viewing the nation's offerings at this year's Tokyo Game Show. "I look around TGS, and everyone’s making awful games," Inafune told The New York Times. "Japan is at least five years behind." He includes Capcom in his statements, saying the company is "barely keeping up" and lacking diversity and originality. I agree with Inafune and think more developers should follow the examples he set with Mega Man 9 and 10. Less is more, people!
Digital-game distributor Good Old Games closed its service this week citing "business and technical reasons." Users will be able to re-download their games beginning Thursday. The initial closure announcement mentioned that, while the service is closing, "this doesn't mean the idea behind GOG.com is gone forever." GOG.com's management will issue a statement about the situation Wednesday. Some are speculating Valve is planning to buy the service.
Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales and marketing, is leaving the company in October. NOA President and Chief Operating Officer Reggie Fils-Aime said the company appreciates the role Dunaway played in bringing the Nintendo Wii and DS to millions of Americans and that her team will remain focused on maintaining momentum through the upcoming holiday season. I always thought Dunaway got a bad rap from her appearances in Nintendo's E3 presentations, but I think the company will manage to survive its harsh, money-filled winter without her. [IGN]
Steve Wiebe, star of the 2007 "King of Kong" documentary, regained his title after game-rankings authority Twin Galaxies verified his recent score as the Donkey Kong world record. Wiebe was bested by his rival Billy Mitchell a few months after he first set the record in 2007, and Hank Chien topped both in March. Mitchell regained the title in July, but Wiebe's latest score of 1,064,500 points makes him the king of Kong once more. Maybe they should just end the vicious cycle and team up for some Donkey Kong Country Returns co-op later this year. [Twin Galaxies]
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