In addition to the new update to Deadstorm Pirates coming to Japan next month, there is another light-gun shooter in the works by Namco although this one really seems to fit into local tastes. It’s a little strange though and I wondered if it was a joke but we aren’t close to April Fools yet and a couple of different sites mention it, including one that has a location test report for it. You’ll have to pardon my ignorance on the “Japanese idols” industry but apparently the game is based upon the world’s “largest pop group” which is called AKB48. Otherwise your standard quick internet search can fill you in if interested.
According to the location test report by Small Room Aries, the setup is similar to Dark Escape 3D (in Japan it’s called 3D, internationally they use the 4D term instead) using the same gun shells without the heart beat sensor and the other hardware is the same as DE3D/4D. In the game, zombies can be made up of both band members and fans as the zombie infection spreads. As the player you shoot them with a vaccine to cure them of their zombie-ism. There is also an element of matching up shots with the music so there is that element to it as well but it is hard to tell whether it works like Taito’s Music Gun Gun or something else.
It seems unlikely that Namco would offer this as an upgrade to Dark Escape 4D systems in the West but you never know. It sounds interesting for the music play although that is something that would probably be best enjoyed by fans of the band since it would feature their music.
Correction: removed AV from the idols description as there is a difference. Like I said, I’m not versed in that industry 😉
AKB48 are merely idols, not AV idols, as they do not appear in “adult videos” (AV).
Thank you for the correction! As I mentioned, I am pretty much ignorant when it comes to the idol phenomenon in Japan 🙂
Still feels like a new year joke!
i sense something a presence i havent fealt since….
Depending how popular the group is outside of japan which is highly unlike it could be a great game but would have to be a group more familiar in the west. Funny enough this game reminds me of the game Revolution X made by midway game featuring the rock band Aerosmith where some governments try to ban music or something in the game.
This is Japan’s Revolution X, do you think?
Actually, it’s not Thrill of the Night, it was Sailor Zombie: AKB48 Arcade Edition that we saw on Bandai Namco’s site.