Ico

Are you tired about hearing how underrated Ico was (and still is)? Well, we’re not tired of saying it. Developed by Sony Japan Studio and Team Ico, the story of Ico and Yorda – told deftly through minimalist dialogue and incredible aesthetics – is still underappreciated. In terms of animation, presentation and puzzles, Ico was ahead of its time in 2001. It’s still a shame that it only sold 700,000 copies worldwide as of 2009.

General Mikiel – Strider

General Mikiel has no qualms about attacking from afar and then retreating when Strider approaches. And you can kind of respect that strategy but as a boss fight, having to chase him through several rooms before he finally hops in his tank and stands his ground? It’s…interesting, that’s for sure.

In the wake of several developers praising Death Stranding after seeing it – from Remedy Games’ Sam Lake to Ubisoft Massive’s Julian Gerighty – Kojima Productions has quite a lot to live up to. Director Hideo Kojima has teased a new trailer, which should be out in the lead-up to E3 (hopefully). However, before that, you can add yet another industry legend to the list of approving creators – Rez creator and Tetris Effect producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi.

The Enhance, Inc. CEO recently stated on Twitter that he, “touched the heart of Death Stranding today. Stunning… Hideo Kojima is still progressing. Can’t wait to play!” He added in Japanese that he was shown “the latest Death Stranding” and that, “After all, it is great. It is true.” If Mizuguchi indeed saw the most recent build of the game, one has to wonder how far along development is.

Kojima noted in March that development was slightly behind schedule. Several weeks later, he noted that Death Stranding was in a “key time” of development. What could the latest trailer contain? When will it be showcased? Will we receive some kind of release date information?

Death Stranding is in development for PlayStation 4. However, it wouldn’t be all that strange to see it on PlayStation 5, if a recent exchange with the system’s lead architect Mark Cerny is any indication.

https://twitter.com/Mizuguchitter/status/1129259170614530048

In a new interview with EDGE (via Videogamer), Rez creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi talked about returning to game development. Mizuguchi left Q Entertainment in 2013 and occupied himself with other interests. He’s currently contemplating a new project for either this year or the next.

“I’m helping with a few games, but these aren’t like my past works. These are not like my created games. I’m helping with some social games in Japan; I can’t say anything about it just yet. But I’m just helping. So I want to start a new project [of my own] maybe this year or next.

“I can’t share details yet. At BitSummit, I shared my thoughts on synaesthesia, and this is a big thing for me. I started that kind of concept in games with Rez and this is a long journey, across Rez and Lumines and Child of Eden, and maybe Space Channel 5 too. That part of my DNA will never die, so this is kind of a life’s work for me. So I’m thinking about what is next, and what’s the future experience.”

Would you look forward to a new Rez or some other magical new title? Let us know in the comments.