New details on Sega's HotD 4 & next arcade board

From Beyond3D & GAF:

"thanks to neo2046 on gaming-age for the first part

http://www.kobayan.jp/
http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?p=1588864&posted=1#post1588864

the Japan arcade webpage says that
there will be a location test of The House of the Dead 4 at July 2,3

- new ac board
- wide screen
- upgraded graphics
- more zombies in one screen
- auto fire machine gun / Grenade be the main weapons
- routes selectable

____________________________________



now I am wondering if this HOTD4 on test in Japan is the same HOTD game that Sega showed at E3 as a
"Next Level" next-gen demo, along with Virtua Fighter, AfterBurner and Sonic..


It says above, new ac board.... new arcade board - Could it be the arcade board Sega has been working on for a long time (PowerVR-based) or does it mean a new Xbox 360 arcade board (ATI-based) ?

Sega Sammy has at least two new arcade boards that are known to exist:

1. Aurora - a low-end board with chipset from Renesas Technology which includes an embedded PowerVR MBX core

2. LindBergh (aka System SP) - highend board with next-generation PowerVR GPU - assumed to be PVR Series 5 - note that Dreamcast, NAOMI and NAOMI 2 all used PVR Series 2 chips (PowerVR2 DC)




House Of The Dead 4 is either on LinderBergh / System SP (assumed to have PowerVR Series 5)
or another unnamed board that is likely to be based on one of the next-gen consoles, most likely, Xbox 360
(ATI's Xenos / C1 / R500)

I am absolutely starved for new HIGH-QUALITY Sega games such as HOTD4, AfterBurner, that new Sonic, and a new Daytona.

the HOTD demo looked really exellent...."

Translation from somewhere:

"' The house of the dead 4' locationtest in "Ikebukuro GIGO" 2 day - 3 day opening

Finally the up-to-date work is appearance. Don't you think? it is after 3 years. With being the case that it is said, you played promptly. The point is lifted when,

Weapon from shot cancer/gun "of 3" modification to machine-gun. It keeps pulling the trigger with it fires. When the cancer/gun it can tilt little bit, it is リロード. In addition the button due to the cancer/gun, when this is pushed, the grenade is thrown. When you compare to the shot cancer/gun, after all it has become light.

The monitor became wide type. When it compares with "3", considerably breadth has become wide.

The baseplate seems that becomes new. Concretely, it is not understood yet. As for logograph you see in the frame and do not hit and, looking at the title picture, and the like, there were no kind of any which are recognized.
But it is the favor, or furthermore being able to express beautiful and weird graphics than the previous production it is. And, than as many as the number of zombies who appear in one picture "3" increases.

There is route selection previous production in the same way and halfway. In addition, it is inserted on occasion the scene which mounds the story stage first including.
Is not attention even in the story surface, whether the being connected of the previous production how has become, probably will be?"


Lazy8's:

"A whole wave of next generation Sega Sammy titles are about ready; their development, as well as SEGA's premiere development these past few years, has been well known among company news outside of the console sector.

They've developed their own next generation arcade systems with PowerVR technology (one for the high-end and one for the value market) ahead of the launch of the new consoles by many months. They've been able to show the most complete next generation footage recently because they've been working with more finished hardware much earlier than next gen console developers.

High definition proscan, widescreen, rock solid 60 fps."

Pix from IGN:





Notice the laundry basket in the 1st pic.

IGN article:

"House of the Dead 4 Playtest
Sega's next generation begins now.
by Anoop Gantayat
July 3, 2005 - At E3, Sega gave the press a sneak peek at its next generation of games, offering short clips of properties like Afterburner, Sonic the Hedgehog, Virtua Fighter and House of the Dead. We weren't expecting to get our hands on any of these games for quite some time, but one of the games managed to sneak out in playable form today!

Heading out to the massive, seven story Sega Gigo arcade outlet in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district, we stumbled upon House of the Dead 4 on location test. Sega had an early version of the game set up for a two day period, allowing us to get some hands-on time with an actual Japanese-developed next generation game (all the playable next generation titles at E3 were developed in America or Europe). The game was set up with a large, wide-screen, high-definition monitor, contrasting nicely with the nearby Chihiro-based (that's Sega's Xbox arcade board) House of the Dead 3.
House of the Dead 4 clearly knows its roots. You'll recognize the general look of the game, the frequent cinematic sequences that break up the action, and the cheesy dialogue that has made the series famous. We couldn't hear the voices too well, but Sega's managed to produce hilarity three times already, so we expect no less from House of the Dead 4. The game's storyline focuses on a character called James Taylor as well as a girl character. Both look kind of like vampires, although we're not sure if this is a part of the story.

In terms of content, Sega has made some big changes to the game. While blasting away at zombies is still the point of the game, the experience is more intense thanks to the massive number of zombies that come attacking. We were occasionally attacked by more than a dozen zombies at once.

Once again, you'll find a good variety of creatures to blast. Some look like the normal blue-collar-worker zombie, while others don't even resemble people. Some move slowly to attack, while others leap out suddenly, forcing a quick response.

Sega has continued some gameplay trends with this title. You'll once again find clearly marked branching points in the level. One area of the first level lets you select from two different paths by shooting at a small video screen that shows a preview of the path. Similar to part 3, innocents seem to have been kept out of this title all together. The first level was all undead.

The switch to high definition makes HoTD4 stand out.

House of the Dead 3's characters used shotguns. This time, Sega has gone to the next level, giving James and crew machine guns. It's possible to shoot a lot more in less time with a rapid fire weapon. You have to reload by shooting off screen, but your gun holds plenty of ammo in one round. The game also has grenades, but we weren't sure how to toss them.

The gun that you use to play has one cool feature aside from a trigger. A sensor inside the gun can determine when the gun is being shaken. You'll often have to shake the gun in order to get out of situations, usually when an enemy has grabbed hold of you. The game seems to be capable of sensing how hard you're shaking the gun, so shaking hard is the way to go. This is a fun new play mechanic -- hopefully no one will get hurt.

The game comes together nicely for the final boss of the first level. This massive four-armed creature (whose design forms a part of the cabinet) fills the screen, chasing after you as you flee through a shallow canal. He's got his sights set on making you into dinner, and he'll break through anything that gets in the way. Occasionally, he'll grab on to you, and you have to shake the gun in order to get free. You build up a meter during the shaking, which determines how long you can shoot the boss during the next phase of his attack.

As a next generation title, we were most excited about seeing how far the game raised the graphics bar. Sure enough, House of the Dead 4 is a good looking game. Despite the massive number of zombies on screen, Sega's managed to up the zombie detail considerably. And these creatures aren't shy about showing off the detail by filling the screen -- particularly impressive with the first level boss, who likes to stick his tongue out at you. Lighting and environmental detail are also a step up from past titles.

This guy uses two guns a little too well...

House of the Dead 4 may be the most visually impressive arcade game ever made, but it seems to be a step below the visual splendor we've seen from some of the finer upcoming PS3 and Xbox 360 titles. Aside from the massive number of detailed zombies on screen, the most striking visual improvements can be attributed to the switch to high resolution and the use of a high definition monitor. House of the Dead 3 looks last generation in comparison.

Unfortunately, we couldn't determine the arcade board that runs House of the Dead 4. We presume Sega will make an announcement at an upcoming arcade show, and the reign of Naomi, System 246, Chihiro and Triforce will come to an end.

As for home systems, Sega has yet to announce House of the Dead 4 for any next generation system. However, given that every past entry has appeared on a home system, a PS3, Xbox 360 or Revolution release is likely."

There is some blurry footgae of HotD4 (good Vf5 footage aswell) in Shog's Sega video from E3:

http://www.xboxyde.com/leech_1399_en.html

<>

 

/me Moons Jeffahn

 

Does this mean that VF 5 will be widescreen?

Don't mind the saliva dripping from my mouth /versus/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

Only if they put it in the same cabinet and make us use the uzis...

 

Left Trigger + Grenade
(release grenade after 1 frame)

Would be best vf game ever!

 

^^
LOL,and where's Hare?

 

New pix of Sega's HotD 4 on Lindbergh























...

 

Re: New pix of Sega's HotD 4 on Lindbergh

"TOKYO--Recently, Sega staged a beta test in Tokyo for House of the Dead 4, the forthcoming light-gun shooter that uses the company's new "Lindbergh" arcade board. At the time, rumors began to circulate that the new board--which displays games in a 16:9 widescreen format--was based on the Xbox 360.

Today, new information emerged from arcade distributors in Japan that the Lindbergh does indeed use the 360's architecture. If true, it will mark the second time that a Microsoft home console has provided the basis for a Sega arcade machine. Sega's previous Chihiro board was based on the current-generation Xbox.

A 360-based Lindbergh would also mean that the next wave of Sega arcade games could easily be ported to Microsoft's next-generation console. If series such as Virtua Fighter also appear on the Lindbergh, it may help build up the 360's library with games of proven popularity in Japan. According to a recent survey, interest in the console remains low in the country, despite Microsoft's having hired some of Japan's most famous game designers for platform-exclusive projects.

That said, Sega has not disclosed any details or specifications on the Lindbergh yet. The only thing official is that House of the Dead 4 is currently slated to hit Japanese arcades in December. "

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07/14/news_6129092.html

 

Re: New pix of Sega's HotD 4 on Lindbergh

[ QUOTE ]
Jeneric said:

"TOKYO--Recently, Sega staged a beta test in Tokyo for House of the Dead 4, the forthcoming light-gun shooter that uses the company's new "Lindbergh" arcade board. At the time, rumors began to circulate that the new board--which displays games in a 16:9 widescreen format--was based on the Xbox 360.

Today, new information emerged from arcade distributors in Japan that the Lindbergh does indeed use the 360's architecture. If true, it will mark the second time that a Microsoft home console has provided the basis for a Sega arcade machine. Sega's previous Chihiro board was based on the current-generation Xbox.

A 360-based Lindbergh would also mean that the next wave of Sega arcade games could easily be ported to Microsoft's next-generation console. If series such as Virtua Fighter also appear on the Lindbergh, it may help build up the 360's library with games of proven popularity in Japan. According to a recent survey, interest in the console remains low in the country, despite Microsoft's having hired some of Japan's most famous game designers for platform-exclusive projects.

That said, Sega has not disclosed any details or specifications on the Lindbergh yet. The only thing official is that House of the Dead 4 is currently slated to hit Japanese arcades in December. "

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07/14/news_6129092.html

[/ QUOTE ]

The X360 stuff is nothing but pure speculation based on how Sega did things at E3. Every indication is still that the new board is based on Series 5.

I watched Shog's E3 vid again and this is what the female announcer says between the end of the Chrome Hounds demo and the start of the VF demo: "OK, now for something even more exclusive; from our world-class Sega [inaudible] development studios comes a little surprise; an exciting technology demonstration that is not a pre-rendered movie (I don't know whether or not this was implying that Chrome Hounds et al were not realtime) that will blow your mind. So without further ado, let's begin."

Then follows VF, AfterBurner, HotD4 and Sonic, until the announcer says: "What you are seeing is being controlled in realtime." during the Sonic demo.

At the end she says: "In fact I want to remind everyone that this entire performance was done without prerendered graphics. This "Next Level" that you've just witnessed may be coming sooner than you think. This concludes bla bla...""

"The Lindbergh = X360 arcade thing is still just wishful thinking from X-bots. Chrome Hounds was clearly distinguished from VF/AfterBurner/HotD & Sonic in the E3 presentation: "OK, now for something even more exclusive...".

 

Re: New pix of Sega's HotD 4 on Lindbergh

[ QUOTE ]
- Sega confirmed that its new Lindergh arcade system is not based on any next generation consoles, instead it is powered by Imagination Technologies' high-end PowerVR graphic processor.

- Sega mentioned that they don't have any plans to release console ports of the upcoming arcade titles The House of the Dead 4 and Virtua Fighter 5, both games will run on the next generation Lindbergh arcade system.

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course, this is from MagicBox, so take it with some salt.