Kojima + Suda = Snatcher, Mizuguchi + Al Gore = ?

This weekend saw Killer 7 developer Grasshopper Manufacture host a music/game discussion event in Tokyo - and the bash wasn't short of big names - or indeed cryptic game hints. In attendance at the fantastically named Snake Vs. Zombie Vol. 2 were Japanese game masterminds Hideo Kojima, Suda 51, Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami among others.

The first juicy piece of banter to come from the event's discussion panels was a tease from Suda and Kojima directed at their jointly-developed Project S, long rumored to be a sequel to Kojima's own cult PSX and Saturn adventure game Snatcher.

When asked directly if Project S and Snatcher are linked, the pair of games bosses responded with blank stares and the blatant giveaway: "Oh should we announce it here?" Yes Mr. Kojima, you probably should have.

Above: Suda 51's No More Heroes is close to release. Is that when we'll hear more about Project S?

More bizarre goings on happened later in the day when Rez and Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi talked about his next non-game project with, of all people, Al Gore. "Like in the recent movieAn Inconvenient Truth, we talk about preventing global warming, about conserving water, energy, reducing gas emissions and so on, but I think it is not easy," he said.

"I think that we would need to see our own planet from outer space. We see that there are no borderlines between the countries and simply notice how beautiful it is. And maybe then, we will be more conscious about the environment. It's about gaining a new perspective, like when we moved from 2D to 3D. When we gain a new perspective, I think our conscious mind changes."

Rez meets An Inconvenient Truth then? Not quite, says Miz: "It's not going to be a video game. The concept derives from video games, and its something which the gaming generation will appreciate."

Finishing up, Mizuguchi revealed that he will be making a new announcement in the next few weeks.

April 17, 2007