Koei-Tecmo LIVE!

Koei-Tecmo LIVE! (コーエーテクモLIVE!) is an online variety program that is officially sponsored by Koei-Tecmo. It is first broadcast live on Nico Nico Live before it is archived on the company's Youtube channel. The goal of the program is to televise company products and information with special guest stars for interested viewers, not unlike the previous radio program Neoroma & Musou. It has been advertised online in the Koei-Tecmo twitter since early March this year. While the program mainly features Koei titles, IPs from Tecmo and Gust have also been promised coverage in future episodes.

Episodes are scheduled to be in one or two labeled programs, or "channels". Channel alpha (チャンネルα) will try to include live gamplay footage and guests. Merchandise and a variety of live events related to the company will also be featured or introduced. Channel beta (チャンネルβ) introduces new products for its first half before concluding its broadcast with a Neoromance and Infini corner for the female audience.

Comments and thoughts regarding the program are always welcomed on the company's Twitter or Facebook accounts. During the live broadcast, viewers can post their comments and hosts can read/respond to them live. Registered my GAMECITY users can also join the program's community to post suggestions and requests directly for the hosts of each program.

Fans can email the programs separately to ask questions for the hosts or guests of each show:
 * ktl-alfach@koeitecmo.co.jp (for Channel α)
 * ktl-betach@koeitecmo.co.jp (for Channel β)

Personalities

 * Channel α
 * Katsura - doubles as his myGC handlename
 * Ayako Suzukawa
 * G.Mee
 * Saya (assistant)


 * Channel β
 * Hajime Kuon - same MC for several Neoromance events; known as Kuon at the myGC community
 * Five members from a new performance group Infini (comprised of members in L.A.F.U)
 * G.Mee
 * Sori
 * Yuuki
 * Kan
 * Taisho
 * Takumi Ogawa - MC for news half of the program

Episodes
Notices regarding new episodes and dates are always announced on the Koei-Tecmo Twitter. All listed times are in Japanese Standard Time.

Episode 0

 * March 7
 * Nico Nico Douga, Youtube
 * Introduction
 * First pilot episode with a white board behind Katsura and Suzukawa. Shortly after the program began, members from L.A.F.U. (G.Mee, Taisho, Yuuki) were introduced as their guests. The members who were present said they were fans of Koei's games. On a spur of the moment's notice, the members agreed to perform Sunday at Neoromance ♥ Festa ~ Haruka Festival 2012.

Episode 1

 * March 23, 20:00
 * Nico Nico Live, Youtube archive
 * Channel α, Channel β
 * A green screen is now placed behind the hosts as they introduce topics and pre-recorded videos are broadcast for watching fans. Hosts introduce themselves online to fans, and G.Mee replies that he has been a long time fan of Koei's historical simulation titles (he said he started with Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII). They announced events which happened during the first half of the month before they featured the renewed my GAMECITY service. A costumed Nyabraham Linnyahn also made an appearance.


 * After their commentary regarding the service, members of Channel β introduced themselves for viewers. Recorded footage of L.A.F.U's live performance at was shown when they covered the topic. Fanservice messages for the ladies watching was performed by Infini members.

Games/Merchandise/Events covered
 * Hyakuman-nin no Sangokushi Special
 * Pokémon Plus Nobunaga no Yabou
 * AMD Awards Ceremony
 * Nobunaga no Yabou Online Houoh no Shou, Shin Sangoku Musou Online Ryujin Ranbu
 * my GAMECITY
 * Hyakuman-nin no Kin'iro no Corda ~Precious Present~
 * Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5 Kazahanaki Awayuki no Souru
 * Neoromance ♥ Festa ~ Haruka Festival 2012

Episode 2

 * April 3, 20:00
 * Nico Nico Live, Youtube archive
 * Channel β
 * Yuuki, Taisho, and Ogawa were the hosts for the day. Yosuke Hayashi, Team Ninja producer, appears as a guest to introduce NINJA GAIDEN 3 and tried to make it appeal to the ladies watching. He stated that the staff wanted to create a realistic and different feeling game, one that had the potential to surpass the second game of the franchise. During the character introductions, shout outs to Kenyu Horiuchi and Wakana Yamazaki's roles in Angelique and Samurai Warriors were mentioned. Snippets of the first DLC trailer for the game was shown to conclude the brief segment. Hayashi's voice was extremely hard to hear during his time on the show, so it's hard to comment on his further thoughts regarding the title.


 * Ktl-episode2.jpg his brief segment, the hosts announced Neoromance Time! Angelique UFO dolls of the guardians decorated the desk. After the trailer, the characters in Kazahanaki and a rough outline of their stories were introduced. Taishou said he would want to cosplay as Rindou someday, something which the fans earnestly responded that they wanted to see. Recorded footage of Infini's newest performance was shown as well. Bonus photos of the group was shown, a few of which include a gag Hideyoshi, a serious Ryoma, and a rugged Toshizo. One of the Infini members will be appearing in Hyakuman-nin no Corda.


 * A survey regarding cherry blossoms was done live. Fans were asked if their blooming meant it should be a season for meetings (1) or the season for farewells (2). 72.7% favored 1 so the Infini members performed fanservicey messages themed to the winning vote. Sori and Kan will appear the next show.

Games/Merchandise/Events covered
 * Shin Sangoku Musou VS
 * Gust Gala
 * NINJA GAIDEN 3
 * Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5 Kazahanaki
 * Hyakuman-nin no Kin'iro no Corda - brief shout out
 * Fab Style - hairpins modeled on those found in the game and the official guidebook were shown off

Episode 3

 * April 10, 20:00 (scheduled time); 20:30 (adjusted time)
 * Nico Nico Live (original address), Nico Nico Live (second address), Youtube archive
 * Channel α
 * The original broadcast started but concluded in two minutes time to fix audio issues. The official Twitter updated to inform viewers of their technical difficulties and to watch their Nico Nico Live channel for another link.


 * Before their guest appeared on the show, Katsura introduced real life photos of cities which appear in Daikoukai-jidai Online. He plays it himself and acts as a GM for the MMORPG, saying he plays it to relax. After the videos and products were covered, the newest trailer for Sangokushi 12 was shown before the game's producer, Ken Kitami, appeared to showcase the game. It is the first main installment of the series to feature fully voiced historical events. Kitami commented that he thought it was unfair that only select figures had revised portraits throughout the series, so he pushed to have new portraits for the entire cast in this title.


 * Ktl-channelαepisode2.jpgi had Sun Ce as the warlord for his demonstration. The overall presentation of the game somewhat resembles the one found in the series's ninth title. Unlike the last title, which had players constantly viewing their base of operations in close detail, this game returns to the overhead map seen in older titles within the series. Orders are located at the bottom of the screen. Players can click on each territory to view detailed information of officers held within. Characters hold their own station within the player's city and can be ordered individually by clicking on their portrait. Events can be triggered when a character reports at the player's castle, which is represented by a speech bubble icon.


 * He made Sun Ce attack Liu Yao to showcase the game's battle system. Units move to the player's command ala real-time strategy style. Strategies and attacks on a base's camp now have miniature cinematics to indicate their activation. Like Nobunaga's Ambition: Rise to Power, each war has its time limit which is indicated by the numbers in the upper left hand corner. A victory screen to compare the army's stats is shown when battles conclude. The lower left icons indicate the ally troops and the state of their activated strategy. Although Kitami said it wasn't something viewers should see, a Mobile Joy feature is in the game.


 * After the game's presentation, the hosts talked about their favorite figures in the game. Their portraits were shown as they talked. Katsura favored Sun Ce for his boldness and his compassion for his friends and loved ones. Kitami said Zhao Yun since he was a character he used a lot when he first played the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series; afterwards he liked Zhao Yun after reading the novel. He commented that Kou Shibusawa apparently really likes Zhao Yun as well and that's the reason for his handsome image and high stats in the series. Suzukawa said Gan Ning for the bells he wears is something she could relate to (bells being suzu in Japanese and a pun of her name), but she also remarked she prefers old man characters too. G.Mee said he likes Cao Cao, but he really likes Jia Xu since he admired the latter's guts to assassinate Cao Cao. He also had a fun, personal episode of creating characters in the series with his friends regarding Jia Xu.


 * The survey's results were: Katsura (Sun Ce): 26.3%, Kitami (Zhao Yun): 25.3%, Suzukawa (Gan Ning): 17.9%, and G.Mee (Jia Xu): 30.6%. Viewers who email the program have a chance to win the game's artbook.

Games/Merchandise/Events covered
 * Daikoukai-jidai Online
 * Shin Sangoku Musou VS - newest trailer for Story Mode and first TV commercial
 * Ciel nosurge -surge concerto- ~Ushiwareta Hoshi he Sasugu Uta~ - TV commercial shown and plug for completion meeting
 * Sengoku Musou 3 Z: Special - latest DLC
 * Shin Sangoku Musou 6 - upcoming DLC; Diao Chan's original 2 outfit was shown
 * NINJA GAIDEN 3 - upcoming DLC
 * Sangokushi 12 - latest trailer and plug for completion meeting
 * my GAMECITY - contest for the program's official community

Episode 4

 * April 17, 20:00
 * Nico Nico Live, USTREAM, Youtube archive
 * Channel β
 * Infini members, Sori and Kan, and Kuon appeared in this episode. Kuon apologized for not being in the second episode due to his sudden cold. The hosts touched on the Taishou cosplay idea from the previous episode and even showed Tadayoshi's unmasked portrait for uninformed viewers. They agreed that he looked a lot like Taishou and would be a better fit for him than Rindou. Sori and Kan said they might convince Taishou to change his outfit. A recorded company party and one of the developers' karoke sessions was shown, which included a band performance with Keiko Erikawa, Yosuke Hayashi, Hisashi Koinuma, and six other members. Saya and Infini also sang for those present.


 * For the new game segment, Takumi Ogawa from the previous episode returned to the show. He said his alias as Takumi may or may not change for future episodes. A short recorded message for viewers from Masaya Takatsuka was played; he mainly talked about his excitement for the series and his thanks for being to perform characters for it.


 * Ktl-channelβepisode3.jpgNeoromance Time! began with an introduction of Kin'iro no Corda. The games have been displayed on their desk since the start of the program. Kan said he has been playing the romance simulations lately and commented that he's really getting into the franchise. When the established cast of Hyakuman-nin no Kin'iro no Corda was introduced, most of the Nico Nico comments were fans raving over their favorite characters as they were introduced. The hosts actively pointed out their comments for Shimizu and Yunoki. A small tidbit for the exclusive character, Shouma Fudoh, was stated for the show.


 * The game was then played live using its Mobage service. Kan named his protagonist Soriko and they progressed through the opening scene. Like most games in the series, the player can choose which character they wish to practice with first. Practicing with a character boosts the protagonist's stats for a musical theme, levels up the avatar, and increases their affinity with the selected character (in this case, Kan chose Tsuchiura). When their affinity rating reaches max for the avatar's level, the character can be invited watch their musical competition. Competitions are a quick-time event like session similar to the series's third title. A character event can take place for those who win. Other events were mentioned after their short play session. Still illustrations from the social game were shown for the currently romanceable cast, including the holiday themed images for Christmas, Valentine's Day, and White Day.


 * A new character for the game (Junya Niwa, 丹羽淳也) voiced by Sori was introduced. Although only the rough illustrations were shown, the hosts commented that his character looked a lot like him. He performed a short character quote for viewers as well. A brief rundown of his character was stated: he is a 23 year-old band member who seems cold to his fans. The hosts said more information will be available when the game is updated to include him. Kan said that there needs to be a character with a Kansai accent for the series, which is a character he said he would be willing to do. Interested fans agreed with him on the Nico Nico Live stream and their comments were acknowledged by the hosts.


 * This survey asked fans their preference for men out of the two choices. Either "a person who never changes his appearance or personality" (1) or "a person who is entirely different than how they appear" (2). 81.7% favored 2 so the Infini members performed fanservicey messages themed to the winning vote. Kuon was asked to do one as well, but he bowed out of the proposition.

Games/Merchandise/Events covered
 * Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5 Kazahanaki
 * Sangokushi 12 - recorded footage of the completion meeting
 * Shin Sangoku Musou VS - release date and guidebook
 * Ciel nosurge -surge concerto- ~Ushiwareta Hoshi he Sasugu Uta~ - recorded footage of completion meeting and plug for the next episode
 * Sengoku Musou 3 Z: Special - latest DLC
 * Pokémon Plus Nobunaga no Yabou - in-depth guidebook
 * Bokujou-Monogatari Hajimari no Daichi - guidebook
 * Gust Gala
 * Hyakuman-nin no Kin'iro no Corda - including glass marker straps and character song and message CD
 * Neoromance ♥ Festa ~ Haruka Festival 2012 - banana clips and two flower corsages worn by Eiji Takemoto at the event were presents for lucky viewers at my GAMECITY

Episode 5

 * April 24, 20:00
 * Nico Nico Live, USTREAM, Youtube archive
 * Channel α


 * The hosts remembered their favorite characters and events from the Three Kingdoms era as a call back to Episode 3. G.Mee remarked that he really got into the genre again and looked up various movies and other works centered on the historical period. Saya came on the show for the first time to introduce new product information for the company. Recorded footage of her performance at the company party for new recruits was played after her introduction to the show. The only downloadable content shown this time was the Okuni episode in Pokémon Plus Nobunaga no Yabou and the Musou Orochi 2 crossover images for Masamune, Keiji, and Nene.


 * Ktl-channelαepisode3.jpg Tsuchiura (director) and Ai Kakuma (Ion) appeared for the Ciel nosurge segment. The director briefly introduced the title to uninformed viewers, stressing that it is a game centering on communication. While the director showed how to play the game, Kakuma insisted that she called Ion for the show. He says that the game was conceptualized about two years ago, before the Vita was presented. Tsuchiura thinks the console allows for a deeper sense of immersion for players through its touch screen and first person presentation. Nico Nico viewers often remarked at how quickly he tapped the screen to skip the game's script, some complaining while others laughed at the sudden video cuts away from the PSV to avoid showing spoilers.


 * Unlike other playthroughs in the past, Tsuchiura briefly showcased the fairies and the method of unlocking character events. He insists there are many secrets within the game that can be unlocked with its real time system, but he wants players to decide for themselves. At most, Tsuchiura only wants to inform viewers of the world's features. A video recorded message from Cath and Kanon's voice actors was shown as well. They both performed character messages for those watching. Kakuma performed quotes from the game as Nico Nico viewers typed "tap,tap,tap" (as though they were touching Ion). When the quotes edged towards the game's mature rating, Katsura cut her off and asked for her thoughts regarding the game. Both guests hope interested viewers buy the game and enjoy it for themselves.


 * The trailer for Shin Sangoku Musou VS played to usher Tsuchiura and Kakuma's exit, and Kenichi Ogasawara (producer) appeared to replace them. He said 300,000 people have downloaded the trial version mentioned at the end of the video. After he gave a brief introduction of the title, pre-recorded gameplay footage of the Story Mode was featured. Ogasawara explained that players can switch between with their own character and unique playable characters even in Story Mode. They can do so by touching the corresponding character icons on the 3DS touch screen. The three character team still applies in this mode. Their scheduled Versus Mode tournament was canceled to avoid prolonging the program.


 * Viewers can win either Ai Kakuma's autograph (3 available) or Sangokushi 12's original soundtrack (3 available).

Games/Merchandise/Events covered
 * Sangokushi 12 - recount of previous episode and plug for Japanese release and Treasure Box
 * Ciel nosurge -surge concerto- ~Ushiwareta Hoshi he Sasugu Uta~
 * Shin Sangoku Musou VS - also showed photos of the media tournament
 * Pokémon Plus Nobunaga no Yabou - Okuni's Episode
 * Musou Orochi 2 - latest DLC
 * NINJA GAIDEN 3 - latest DLC
 * Sengoku Musou 3 Z: Special - latest DLC
 * One Piece Kaizoku Musou - latest DLC

Episode 6

 * May 1, 20:00
 * Nico Nico Live, USTREAM
 * Channel β


 * Ktl-channelβepisode4.jpgou, Yuuki, and Kuon were the hosts of the show. The program froze nine times during the 80 minute broadcast; waits for the retried recordings in between freezes varied from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. The first three times the program froze the hosts performed humorous poses to re-introduce themselves. The sixth time the video played but there was no sound. To answer the viewers' confusion, the company posted a question mark on the screen rather than the usual company logo. Due to technical difficulties, the majority of the planned program was canceled.


 * Whilst the program experienced difficulties, Nico Nico Live viewers were given various apologies and thanks for their patience from the company employees. They also wrote that a new live event was going to be announced once their end was repaired. One of the popular guesses for the event's theme was a Kuon Festival. Neoromance fans also chatted about their favorite franchises/characters/merchandise or so on –including multiple requests they had– to pass the time.


 * The hiccups for the broadcast had fans jokingly blame lurking Tanatos, Ereboros (Neo Angelique), a curse, Akram, and/or Onryou (Harukanaru Toki no Naka de). Therefore a flood of comments had viewers pleading for an Aube Hunter or a priestess to purify them pronto. When the question mark screen was put up, viewers wanted Ernst (Angelique) to explain the situation. Realistically fans postulated that difficulties were caused due to the show being scheduled during Golden Week, which is the most likely reason for the troubled recordings. Over 2,000 viewers remained on Nico Nico Live, even when the broadcast was frozen after an hour of waiting.


 * The new event is Neoromance ♥ Festa 13 which is scheduled to take place on July 28th and 29th. This time characters from Sengoku Musou will appear in it; this makes it the first official stage event in which Neoromance characters mingle and interact with any character from the Warriors franchises. The announcement was quickly announced by Kuon and Taishou held up a whiteboard which had the scribbled information of the event on it. A website was promised to be up before the program crashed again. Information regarding the participants was promised soon after, but the company posted a message five minutes later stating that they would instead have their farewell message. The hosts apologized once more but said they were looking forward to the next episode.

Games/Merchandise/Events covered
 * none besides event

Episode 7

 * May 8, 20:00
 * Nico Nico Live
 * Channel α


 * Focus on the company's online games. Tomokazu Takeda, one of the producers for Daikoku-jidai Online, will appear as a guest for this episode.