If there’s one thing to really dislike about the Xbox 360, it’s that game manufacturers have the ability to region lock their games. Without getting into the economic justifications as to why this might be a good thing for the console, it means that some titles just won’t be experienced by a majority of a potential Western audience.
Cave’sAkai Katana – which sees release in Japan later this month – is unfortunately one of these region locked titles. A bullet hell shmup, much like the incredible DeathSmiles, AK is thematically different from the horror focused witch-em-up, concentrating instead on military technology blending with magic. Here’s the latest trailer for the game…
As you’ll see, the screen gets just as busy as DeathSmiles, filling the play area with brightly coloured projectiles and massive bosses. Cave have a pedigree of excellence in shmup design and this is no different, Akai Katana being warmly received in Japan’s hardcore arcade scene. And here’s why…
So is there a chance it’ll be picked up for a release on these shores? DeathSmiles‘ success both commercially and critically should point to a resounding “yes” but as yet there’s no confirmed interest from publishers. Joystiq’s JC Fletcher seems to be a big advocate of the title, drumming up talk state side for a US release and Cave have publicly stated that they want to bring the game over if there’s enough demand and the right outlet comes along.
We’ll certainly be keeping an ear to the ground for a European release of this one. Here’s hoping…
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Can Someone Bring Akai Katana To Europe?
May 8th, 2011 by xeroxeroxero
Cave’s Akai Katana – which sees release in Japan later this month – is unfortunately one of these region locked titles. A bullet hell shmup, much like the incredible DeathSmiles, AK is thematically different from the horror focused witch-em-up, concentrating instead on military technology blending with magic. Here’s the latest trailer for the game…
As you’ll see, the screen gets just as busy as DeathSmiles, filling the play area with brightly coloured projectiles and massive bosses. Cave have a pedigree of excellence in shmup design and this is no different, Akai Katana being warmly received in Japan’s hardcore arcade scene. And here’s why…
So is there a chance it’ll be picked up for a release on these shores? DeathSmiles‘ success both commercially and critically should point to a resounding “yes” but as yet there’s no confirmed interest from publishers. Joystiq’s JC Fletcher seems to be a big advocate of the title, drumming up talk state side for a US release and Cave have publicly stated that they want to bring the game over if there’s enough demand and the right outlet comes along.
We’ll certainly be keeping an ear to the ground for a European release of this one. Here’s hoping…
Tags: Akai Katana, Cave, DeathSmiles, Xbox 360
This entry was posted on Sunday, May 8th, 2011 at 11:00 and is filed under Commentary, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.