Every time I think about Konami I'm left with feelings of resentment. They were, without a doubt, one of the top-tier premiere game developers/publishers for decades, and then they just threw that all away last generation mostly by way of greed and poor management. In lieu of a long rant on the subject, let's just summarize the situation by saying that Konami effectively bowed out of the industry altogether outside of making gambling machines in Japan and occasionally trotting out ports/anthologies of their classic games to make a quick buck. And with their exit from the industry went some of their best talent (e.g. Kojima), and all of their most beloved and valuable IP's were left to wither and rot.
I honestly wonder what younger gamers think of Konami, if they even know about them at all. Would it surprise them to know that Konami was, for a very long time, an elite company that consistently put out some of the best games of each generation?
Anyway, it seems like in the last few years we've begun to hear rumblings of Konami seeking a return to the gaming industry, with some rumors finally coming to fruition like the SH2 remake and the MGS3 remake. But honestly, are we supposed to accept this and forgive them? I know that "forgive" is a dramatic word choice, but you know what I mean. Even if I didn't think that these two remakes of games from their glory days were going to be shit (which I do), I'd still struggle to fork over my hard-earned cash to support them at this point. It's too late. We've gone an entire generation and a half without any new entries in any of their once-coveted franchises because they took the ball and went home, so to speak. And now we're supposed to welcome them back with remakes? I'm not feeling it. Not one bit.
Now, if the rumors of a full-fledged new Castlevania game ever prove to be true, then I might be more inclined to give them a chance. After all, that series has so much potential in the modern era with FromSoft games achieving increasing success with every release, and Konami putting real weight behind a whole new game in the series would be something that I could appreciate and support financially. I know that they are doing this with Silent Hill, technically, but in my view that series (along with MGS) are better left in the past because I don't trust modern Konami whatsoever to resurrect them.
I honestly wonder what younger gamers think of Konami, if they even know about them at all. Would it surprise them to know that Konami was, for a very long time, an elite company that consistently put out some of the best games of each generation?
Anyway, it seems like in the last few years we've begun to hear rumblings of Konami seeking a return to the gaming industry, with some rumors finally coming to fruition like the SH2 remake and the MGS3 remake. But honestly, are we supposed to accept this and forgive them? I know that "forgive" is a dramatic word choice, but you know what I mean. Even if I didn't think that these two remakes of games from their glory days were going to be shit (which I do), I'd still struggle to fork over my hard-earned cash to support them at this point. It's too late. We've gone an entire generation and a half without any new entries in any of their once-coveted franchises because they took the ball and went home, so to speak. And now we're supposed to welcome them back with remakes? I'm not feeling it. Not one bit.
Now, if the rumors of a full-fledged new Castlevania game ever prove to be true, then I might be more inclined to give them a chance. After all, that series has so much potential in the modern era with FromSoft games achieving increasing success with every release, and Konami putting real weight behind a whole new game in the series would be something that I could appreciate and support financially. I know that they are doing this with Silent Hill, technically, but in my view that series (along with MGS) are better left in the past because I don't trust modern Konami whatsoever to resurrect them.
