Dementium: The Ward hit Japan this year (along with a colorful launch event for the game), yet is now enduring its first public outcry in the country. According to Yahoo! News (and Google's translation tools), the Japanese Association of Psychiatric Hospitals has requested that the title be removed from shops instantly, arguing that the game could instigate "discrimination and prejudice" against sufferers of psychiatric disorders.
Interchannel distributes the game in Japan, and has yet to comment, but Mike Wilson of [U.S. publisher] Gamecock did proffer a view to MTV Multiplayer, stating that the criticism is down to a "lack of understanding or appreciation (and therefore fear of) games outside our little sub-culture." He also confessed to being "thrilled" by the extra attention the game has enjoyed as a result; as the game failed to penetrate the Japanese top 30, we know what he means.
Seriously, we thought the only people who could create such sound first-person shooting were Renegade Kid. But, homebrew creator Smea has gone ahead and disproved that notion with the tech demo you see in the video above. With some impressive lighting effects and a custom 3D collisions engine, you can bet we're impressed.
If you're a traditionalist and you want to go off and access the new Moonwebsite yourself, you can. We guess. But why would you want to do that when you can instead sit back and watch Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham visit the site for you?
Watsham's latest post on his IGN developer's blog doesn't include an actual link to the new site -- just the video of Watsham showing off the features. If you want to do something as renegade as checking out Moon for yourself, you have to get the link from the video.
Keep an eye out in the future for the special limited edition Moon pack, which features not an actual game (as if), but instead, video of Watsham playing it. If you preorder, they throw in an artbook filled with shots of people who aren't you looking at the concept art.
Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham recently posted this Moon boxart on his IGN blog, along with the planned back of the box. So, armchair analysts ... what do you think?
We must admit, we're really excited for Moon. Renegade Kid didn't make the perfect game with Dementium, but they did create a moody and atmospheric experience that set a wonderful and scary tone throughout. It looks like they're set to do that again with Moon.
Within the trailer above, you'll catch an eyeful of some combat and those oh-so-pretty environments we were swooning over before. Are you just as excited for Renegade Kid's newest FPS?
Dementium: The Wardlaunches in Japan today, and Japanese publisher Interchannel-Holon could not have found a more perfect venue to promote Renegade Kid's horror title*. "Alcatraz E.R." is a novelty restaurant in Tokyo's Shibuya ward with a mental asylum theme where patrons must announce their blood type before entering. They are then handcuffed by girls dressed as nurses who serve up food in surgical trays and drinks in hospital drips.
In other words, it's a totally amazing and ideal place for a Dementium promotion. Hit the break for more gory pics of the press-only event (our invites must have got lost in the mail).
* Admittedly, they could have used an actual abandoned psychiatric asylum, but that probably comes with its own issues.
Wait, are we dreaming, or does Moon look this good? We've seen the game in motion before, but not direct-feed like this. Sure, the clip is only seconds long, but those are some lovely graphics over those few seconds. While we'd like to have had some gameplay included in the clip above, we'll certainly take this. It looks like Moon is going to have to be bumped up a couple places on our list of highly-anticipated DS games.
Posted Jun 19th 2008 2:45PM by JC Fletcher
Filed under: News
GamesRadar interviewed Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham about the company's upcoming DS sci-fi first-person shooter thing Moon, and about the DS in general. The Dementium creator, like other developers, sees too many cheap me-too DS games being thrown into the market, calling it "the inevitable cash-cow-console catastrophe." One bright spot in recent DS releases? Contra 4.
When the subject turns away from the awesome Contra 4 and toward Moon, Watsham reveals that Moon has been in the works in one form or another for a long time. It began its life as a Game Boy Color game, before going through "many changes since that original idea" and ending up as an FPS built on the technology used to create Dementium. Technology that other companies want, and that Renegade Kid is considering licensing.
While you're reading, you can also have a look at GamesRadar's new screens -- including a very special codec moment.
Now, the game's Japanese site has launched and it's an incredibly effective platform for advertising the title. Just checking out the site makes you think J-horror, in the likes of Silent Hill and Fatal Frame. It's a great way to market the title, we believe, so be sure to hit up the site for the goods.
Just as with Dementium: The Ward, Renegade Kid is all about letting us see every aspect of their games, and when we're getting a peek at something that looks as awesome as Moon, we appreciate it. Creative Director Jools Watsham updated his blog at IGN with a short video that features some low quality footage of the game, and even through a pokey webcam, it looks incredible. He pauses on the screenshot to the right, so we've included it for comparison. Check out the video after the break to see the gorgeous base in full motion!
Fans of Dementium (see: uh, DS Fanboy), you should pay attention. The game is headed to Japan in a few months, as it will see a release to the region on June 26th. It will retail for a price of 5,040 Yen. Other than that, Japanese gamers should pretty much know what they're in for.
The game was, in our eyes, an under-appreciated gem and a very competent FPS on a system lacking them. We can't wait to see what Renegade Kid has in store for us with their next game.
You all know we dug Dementiunm. It was a fine title and a decent FPS on a handheld that is seriously lacking in that department. Now, Renegade Kid is preparing their second FPS for Nintendo's handheld in Moon. What should we expect?
Well, Renegade Kid's owner and creative director, Jools Watsham, spoke with Joystiq about the new project and reassured us it's going to be something we'll want to play. It's a pretty interesting read, if we may say so. Head on over and check it out already!
First, Renegade Kid did horror. Next up is science fiction for the burgeoning studio, with Moon, a first-person adventure with a trailer featuring a distinct John Carpenter vibe. Jools Watsham, director and producer on Moon, recently spoke with IGN regarding their plans for this title.
While most of the interview covers the basics of the game, there are some interesting moments focused on Dementium's flaws and how they're trying to deal with those issues with the development of Moon. Dementium fans will be happy to hear that the save system is being addressed, and it sounds as though the similarity of the level designs from is also much on their minds. From the sound of it, we may be treated to an even better experience this time around -- which would truly be something to see.
Renegade Kid, they of Dementium: The Ward fame, have whipped the covers off of their next DS project. Moonis a series of minigames centered entirely around revealing one's backside in an assortment of hilarious scenarios is the new name for the game formerly known as "Project M," and will take the form of a first-person, sci-fi, action-adventure set in 2058.
Featuring isolated lunar bases and mysterious alien hatches, publisher Mastiff describes the experience as "dark, twisted, heart-pounding, frequently violent and always disturbing." We like! Incidentally, Moon will be built on the same engine that powered Dementium. That's good news, because for all of its flaws, Dementium was one heck of a technical achievement.
Update: The first Moon trailer just touched down in our inboxes. We've embedded it for your viewing pleasure above.
If you're a traditionalist and you want to go off and access the new Moonwebsite yourself, you can. We guess. But why would you want to do that when you can instead sit back and watch Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham visit the site for you?
GamesRadar interviewed Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham about the company's upcoming DS sci-fi first-person shooter thing 
Renegade Kid's 
Just as with 
Fans of Dementium (see: uh, 
