Sega's Yakuza series has been met with critical praise throughout the world, but its commercial success has been limited to Japan. That pattern could be coming to an end -- but not with a Yakuza game. Japan's Weekly Famitsu reveals this week that the team that brought us Yakuza is working on Binary Domain, a new multiplatform PS3 and Xbox 360 title that targets the world market.
First details on Binary Domain have leaked out ahead of the magazine's Wednesday release. The magazine's first report on the new title is limited to an interview with overall producer Toshihiro Nagoshi (considered the father of the Yakuza games -- and Monkey Ball too) and a few plot details.
Binary Domain is set in Tokyo in the 2080s. Tokyo is separated into rich and poor sides, and all facets of human life have been permeated by robots. The game tells the story of a battle between man and robot.
Nagoshi and crew are aiming to deliver deep human drama with the game, which is why they selected the Tokyo setting. In Nagoshi's mind, for someone born in Japan, it's easier to make a dramatic story if the setting is in Japan.
The setting was apparently an area of contention with the overseas development staff who are contributing to the game. The overseas staff felt that if the game will truly be targeting international audiences, a setting outside of Japan would be more appropriate.
Strangely, Nagoshi also confirmed that the game will have an overseas voice acting cast rather than a Japanese one. Maybe in the year 2080 Japan has finally managed to improve its English education system?
Nagoshi wouldn't share too much about the gameplay side of Binary Domain, but two concepts seem to be central: AI and Online. Enemy robot AI will be at the highest level, Nagoshi said, leading to the possibility for some interesting gameplay. On the online front, he said players will feel strong connections with other players.
http://ie.xbox360.ign.com/articles/113/1137228p1.html
