Future Kojima/Inafune crossovers unlikely
Konami's Hideo Kojima and Capcom's Keiji Inafune's latest GBA titles will interact, but a Capcom insider reckons we won't see much beyond that.
A senior source close to Capcom reckons it's unlikely that we'll see Konami golden boy Hideo Kojima and Capcom's own equally resplendent development talent Keiji Inafune joining forces on anything substantial in the near future, despite news this week of their collaboration on the Game Boy Advance.
The unlikely union, which will see owners of Konami GBA title Boktai 2 able to wirelessly hook up with owners of Megaman Battle Network 5 to take part in Crossover Battles, is "a very exciting link up," we were told.
But what chance we'll see more of it, perhaps bringing Kojima's Metal Gear Solid characters together with those of Onimusha or Resident Evil on Inafune's side?
"It would be wicked to see Solid Snake fighting alongside Samanosuke or Leon Kennedy in a Capcom environment, but I don't reckon it'll be happening in my lifetime!" the source said. "We can dream though eh?"
Both companies declined to comment officially on the subject of further crossovers.
The collaboration on Boktai 2/Megaman Battle Network 5 isn't quite as mouth-watering a prospect for the developers' respective fans as it might be, then - more a product of the pair's longstanding friendship, according to both companies - but it's nevertheless quite intriguing. Konami and Capcom are usually seen competing with one another.
According to a Konami release, Kojima and Inafune "have long discussed ways to work together, and the first steps came when Boktai's vampire hunter, Django, made a cameo appearance in a previous Mega Man title for the Nintendo handheld. From here, the team committed to extending the relationship between the two games, and the 'Crossover Battle' wireless mode was created."
The battles will be side-on fights, with players able to make tactical changes mid-battle and, fairly obviously, the loss of hit points over the round determining the winner. The characters from each game will have unique abilities that tie in with their respective games.
Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django, which re-uses its predecessor's light sensor to help the player fight vampires, is due out in May, while Megaman Battle Network 5 is down for a 10th June release according to Capcom Eurosoft's current release schedule.