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Sakura Con - Sunday - Enix
 Is this the
face that sold a million games? If you're into scrolling console action
games, it is. This plush slime is one of the cutest characters from the
Dragon Quest series of games from Enix of Japan. You can't easily buy this
slime in North America, but Enix is thinking about bringing these toys
across the Pacific... |
 ...according
to Andrew Stein (left), marketing director for the American arm of Enix,
and John Laurence (right), the product manager. Fans at the Enix panel
were anxious to learn what the company would release in 2000, but the pair
wasn't talking. However, Laurence had some hints: "If we were to release
new games, I think we'll start with a clean slate," Laurence said. "We
will do what we can to bring the otaku to us," Stein added. Expect those
games to be translations of Enix' Japanese titles, of course. |
 The Enix pair
had some demos of games not sold in the U.S., including a drumming pattern
matching game that seemed like a cross between Bust A Move and Simon; a
vegetable growing simulation that features monsters who eat the vegetables
and then must cross an obstacle course; and the Valkyrie Profile fantasy
fighting game that was released in Japan in December. There also were previews
of the next version of Dragon Quest, which looks to add a third dimension
to console scrolling games. |
 "I think we're
at the beginning of the video game media," said Laurence. "We have not
reached the golden age." What about the recently released Sony Play Station
2, the successor to the original Play Station platform used for most of
Enix' games? "It depends on how fast the developers start using the new
machine," Stein said. "There's still life left in the Play Station." |
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