Remember when we told you that Hideo Kojima, the loveable genius/lunatic that he is, would support a remake of the original Metal Gear Solid? Well some guy that simply goes by the name of Tom recently took to Kickstarter with a campaign that would see the classic Metal Gear game brought to life with the Fox Engine.

But doesn’t that sound more than a little bit off? Well it should, and apparently everybody thought it did and straight up refused to pledge money towards what sounds like a scheme to get your money and bail. The campaign reads, “Metal Gear Solid is one of the best experiences on PSX. With the Fox Engine and next gen graphics, we will relive all of the best moments. For those of you who have not played it yet; Now is your chance to see what all the fuss is about! Not just updated graphics, this will be a whole new level of cinematic depth only the fox engine can handle! We won’t keep you waiting! This is a long awaited project that we can’t wait to start! Thanks, you’re pretty good!”

The fun thing about this failed kickstarter is that nobody pledged anything towards it. Not a penny. And in light of that crushing failure, “Tom” has since cancelled the campaign. I get a warm fuzzy feeling from seeing it fail, I’m not gonna lie.

[Source]

Kojima Productions is currently streaming its latest episode of Kojima Station which is touted to be revealing new gameplay footage for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. In the midst of this, it seems all the more strange that the recent fan-made Metal Gear Remake – recently greenlit by Konami – should suddenly cease development.

If you head to the mod’s site, you’ll see this message: “The mod you are trying to view has ceased development and consequently been archived. If you are a member of this mod, can demonstrate that it is being actively developed and will be able to keep this profile up to date with the latest news, images, videos and downloads, please contact us with all details and we will consider its re-activation.”

Konami hasn’t offered any reason for the project’s closer – maybe it really wasn’t with the publisher’s approval after all? Regardless, no remake of Metal Gear happening. Kindly resume waiting for The Phantom Pain.

Next gen consoles have come and gone. The same can be said for Final Fantasy games, with the series having seen its highs, lows and unpredictable circumstances. But one thing has stated constant: Players still want to see a remake for Final Fantasy 7, arguably Square Enix’s most successful Final Fantasy game of all time.

Speaking to Eurogamer, series producer Yoshinori Kitase said he personally would like to make the game, but that it would be a tall order overall. “I can honestly tell you I would love to do that. If you simply ask me if I personally would like to do that, yes I would. Definitely. There’s no lie about it. But you must believe me when I say it would take a lot to happen.

“Even if I casually say I would like to do that, because it would be a huge project I would have to motivate myself to the level that I really am prepared to take on this huge responsibility

“I don’t know if those three things will happen simultaneously. It has to tick lots of very big boxes. I won’t rule out the possibility, but it would take a lot to make it happen. But should I ever take it on, it would have to be the biggest project I’ve done. My life work. So I would have to be as highly motivated as that to end up with something I’m very happy with. It’s a huge thing for me.”

One thing is for sure though. With projects like Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III incoming, Square Enix isn’t hurting for fan interest. If they really need the bump in profits though, look for a remake to be on the highest priority.

“It wouldn’t be worth it. I think it’s better to bring back the maps like we’re doing and then maybe there’s some other fan favourite that people really want and we can probably bring that back as well. But the feature set and the core game of Battlefield 3 versus Battlefield 4, it would be going backwards in time.

“There’s nothing really in Battlefield 3 that’s better than Battlefield 4, in my opinion. Of course, people might not agree, but in my book there’s nothing that is better in BF3, so why bring it back? That would be a very retro thing to do. Maybe two generations ahead we can do that and do like a retro rehash, but then I think people will always pick Battlefield 4 to do that.”

Battlefield 4 releases on October 29th for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, with a PS4 release on November 15th in North America and an Xbox One release slated for later.

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However, with the announcement of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind being rebuilt using the Skyrim engine, an interesting point has come up: Would fans rather go for Fallout 4 or a remake of the first two games using the Fallout 3 engine (or even id Tech Engine 5)?

The first two Fallout games are still relatively unknown among a new generation of gamers, and reintroducing them in a new form would both be a great way to garner revenue as well as give Fallout 3 fans something to satisfy them until the fourth game hits. Of course, the obvious benefit of having Fallout 4 immediately is that Bethesda will be focusing all its resources on creating a brand new experience, one that we’ll be seeing that much sooner.

What would you prefer to see: a remake of the first two Fallout games or Fallout 4? Let us know in the comments below.

So how did Sega go about re-making the old classic title to create an experience that is appealing to today’s standards? Well, for one they went back to the original director Emiko Yamamoto who created the game the original Castle of Illusions: Starring Mickey Mouse. Second, they wanted to make sure the game is keeping its Disney charm and animations up to par by stressing the importance of character animation. At this year’s E3,  I managed to get a hands-on  demo for Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse at the Sega booth. Was I left with positive impressions? Find out in this preview by reading down below. Let’s begin.

Presentation

The best thing about Castle: of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is its presentation. Sega did a fantastic job at providing classical sounds, animations and visuals in a Disney-like fashion. Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is full of classical Disney moments as soon as you look at it. It’s not some cheap knock-off that was made by a unknown developer who tried to match the magic of Disney. Instead, this is a full fledged roller-coaster ride that we all used to know and love.

If you’re looking for a platforming game that is full of charm, fantastic animations and re-imaging of classical Disney themes then Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is the perfect answer. The game’s presentation is appealing to both adults, children and families.

Gameplay

Castle of Illusion was one of the games I wanted to check out at this year’s E3 due to the fact that I am a Disney fan and Mickey Mouse is a significant part of my childhood. I used to watch Disney cartoons all the time, especially if any of them included Mickey Mouse. Obviously, my passion for gaming also led me to playing Disney games like The Lion King, Alladin and Chip’n’Dale on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in the 1990’s. However, I never got to play the original Castle of Illusion on the Sega Genesis, so I didn’t get to experience the game at it’s original form. Meanwhile, ever since I heard of the remake, I was instantly intrigued and wanted to check it out. I won’t be able to give you my comparison impression to either of the games since I didn’t play the original, but I will touch upon the game’s overall feel and mechanics.

The demo started with Mickey standing inside a castle hall that had several rooms with closed doors. Each room represented a level in the game, and the castle’s main hall acted as the game’s main hub. Most of the doors were closed off, so I went into the door that was open which lead me to one of the indoor castle levels. Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse felt just like an old school 2D platforming title with the exception of extraordinary Disney-like visuals and animations. It was exciting to play a game that reminded me of how Disney platforming games were back in the day.

The gameplay mechanics were quite simple, you run, jump and kill enemies as you traverse from point A to point B throughout the stage. Overall, the controls and the platforming was responsive. It was easy to get into and start having fun right-off the bat. The game doesn’t have anything complex or annoying to figure out; instead it focuses on delivering a 2D/3D classical platforming experience. The formula is quite standard, if you’re looking for something revolutionary here for platforming then I am afraid you won’t find it here. This is not a new platforming game but instead a remake of a classic that was memorable and fun back in the day. All Castle of Illusions: Starring Mickey Mouse is trying to do is to re-create that original feeling that the old-school game had.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a platforming game that is full of charm, fantastic animations and re-imaging of classical Disney themes then Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse is the perfect answer. The game’s presentation is appealing to both adults, children and families. While I only played a bit of what the game had to offer, I think most people will be happy with the results and re-creation of the Sega’s classic platforming game.

Stay tuned for our review of Castle of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse when it hits the digital stores on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC later this Summer.

Please note that the games are not complete entities.

OXM UK boasts of a secret Xbox reboot reveal coming in next month’s issue which will be released on September 30, revealed exclusively by them. They’re describing the game as “One of the best games ever made reborn on Xbox 360.”

OXM UK editor Jon Hicks told CVG: “I’ve been discussing it with the publisher ever since the reveal was pushed back, and I’m delighted that it’s finally ready to be seen.

“Unfortunately we aren’t doing the official reveal any more, as our on-sale dates don’t match up, but we will have exclusive access to the game and the studio making it.”

What do you think it is? Knights of the Old Republic? Halo 2? Or some non-Xbox related game? Tell us what you think the game is in your comments below.

The Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma says that a remake for Majora’s Mask similar to the recent Ocarina of Time remake in a similar fashion is possible. It “wouldn’t be an utter impossibility”, he says.

“It’s been 13 years since Ocarina of Time was originally released, and one of the big things that we made this remake possible was that there was an outpour of emotions from people who said they would like to see this game done,”Aonuma said, speaking in a Nintendo Power interview.

“I think certainly if there was a similar output of emotion and clamor from fans for a remake of Majora’s Mask, it wouldn’t be an utter impossibility.” The continuously passing time mechanic of Majora’s Mask might actually make it perfect to be played on the go, according to him.

He also feels portable Zelda games are now as good and fleshed out as their console brothers. ““The ability to deliver that kind of experience is now available for handhelds as well; it’s not just in the domain of consoles anymore.

“However, if that’s the case and we can deliver what people previously considered a console experience, to a handheld, it makes me think, ‘Well, what can we do to make those home-console Zeldas that much more engrossing and appropriate for being in your room and spending the time to really dive deep in the game?’ So, that’s a theme that I’m certainly going to carry though into future development.”

[Zelda Informer]

We recently sat down with Rob Saunders, Head of Communications for Nintendo UK and we talked about if the 3DS Ocarina of Time remake will be more of a re-imagining of the original OOT, or a conventional remake.

When we asked what kind of a remake Ocarina of Time 3DS will be, Saunders said, “I think it really depends on what that game looked like first time round.

“Take, for example, Super Mario Bros on the NES. If you were to bring that straight out again today I think a lot of people would scratch their heads. However, with the New Super Mario Bros: You can tweak it, you can update it, you can sharpen it and you can change the character models, the environment. But the core mechanic of that 2D side-scrolling game play remains the same.”

He carried on: “So with some games, like Ocarina, you’ll see a much more ‘faithful’ reproduction but I think with some other games you need to tweak them and bring them into the modern era, so to speak, so it depends on the title.”

In this very interview, Rob told us that Nintendo is already working on a new home console which may include 3D technology.

Here’s the full interview.