NeverDead

Dismembered limbs aside, NeverDead features a pretty standard arsenal of weapons. "As well as the twin pistols, Bryce will also have machine guns, shotguns, and a grenade launcher, as well as a melee attack with a sword," says Nojiri. He's not ready to discuss the melee system just yet, but promises it will be "very different from ordinary titles." When asked if this is because it will involve slicing yourself up, Nojiri simply responds with a sheepish grin.

Multiplayer is going to feature prominently in the game, so expect all manner of sadistic possibilities for slicing and dicing in both a co-operative and competitive sense. What is it with Konami and slicing people up at the moment? Weirdos. Precious little else is being revealed yet, with the project somewhere around the 50 per cent completion mark.

However, Nojiri is happy to talk about the rather unusual working arrangements for the project. With a focus on appeasing Western tastes, the former Kojima Productions team member has left his native Tokyo and shacked up with Rebellion's Oxford team to work on NeverDead.

"It's so different [working with a British team]. I learned everything from my ex-boss [Hideo Kojima] and I learned the Japanese way," Nojiri says. "I have worked with internal teams at Japanese companies, but we are so different from Western studios. I think Western teams like discussion, but in Japan, I only ordered.

"I had to think of everything, every feature in the game, and I'm not sure it's the ordinary way. In Japan, for example in Metal Gear, [Kojima] told us everything - 'Do it like this, there's no room for discussion' - but it's very different in the UK. I'm responsible for everything, but it's not so popular this way. I don't know if it's good or not.

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"But I think to make my title so unique, I need to do this. I am the only one who knows everything about it, and the only one who can see the future of this title, because there are so many strange, unique systems."

Nojiri admits that his Rebellion colleagues "didn't understand the rolling head system at first", cheerfully laughing off the culture clash. "It was OK for me even if they didn't understand, because if they constructed it as I said, I knew what we'd get. Before the project, I had to think of everything."

Describing his vision as "necessary for the whole structure" he admits, "It's so technical, but I learned from [Hideo Kojima], and he's the king.

"Sometimes we didn't understand what he meant, but finally we understood - 'Ahhhh, I get the point!' Sometimes he was crazy, and we'd think, 'What is he talking about?', but we didn't mention it! But then we'd finally understand."

Seeing as Nojiri has learned from the master, there's a good chance NeverDead will end up being a game we'd give our right arms for.

"What we want to do fully utilise dismemberment as much as possible, and design all the levels so that it incorporates it, like the throwing of the head to go into small passages," he says. "We hope people have fun trying things out."