2010

Contains news concerning Koei Tecmo's activities in the year 2010.

January

The official site for the PlayStation 3 port of Dynasty Warriors Online has updated to include screenshots and information about the Premium Boxset.
Koei-Tecmo released an exclusive video channel on Niconico Douga featuring promotional videos for their newest products. Niconico members can view it here.
Huang Zhong's weapon is available for players on January 21st in Dynasty Warriors Online. A new side story starring Sun Ce and Da Qiao is also going to be added on February 4th. As the couple passes through Xishan, they encounter a mysterious illusion and Da Qiao braves herself to face it.
Dynasty Warriors 5 versions of Zhu Rong, Da Qiao and Jiang Wei are available as downloadable content for edit characters in Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires. The previous cut characters were released in December last year. Dynasty Warriors 5 versions of other playable characters (so far only Wei) are also being released for the PlayStation Portable port.
A Sengoku Jidai themed party is being held on March 6th~7th. Koei will be presenting voice actors from Samurai Warriors 3, Nobunaga's Ambition related events, and various live action festivities. Vocalists alan, Shanadoo, Nana Tanimura, Do as Infinity, and Gackt will also make an appearance. Tickets are available at E-plus's website. An online shop with related merchandise can be found here.

February

The PlayStation Portable version of Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires continues its Dynasty Warriors 5 model releases, this time having four characters from Wu featured. Shu models were released on February 25th.
Koei-Tecmo will be at the Yamada Dengeki Labi1 Namba talkshow event. They will present their games for everyone to play. The giant Kenshiro figurine from the first press event for Hokuto Musou will also make an appearance for fans.
Previews of Shin and Toki's original stories have been announced for Hokuto Musou, mentioning more characters that will appear in the game. Renders and descriptions for Fudoh and Jyuza are also out. 160 chosen users have a chance to preview a Premium version of the game before its release. Applications are on the official website and the actual play tests will take place on March 3rd.
The PC port of Dynasty Warriors 6 and the Playstation 3 port of Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires won gold medals at the Game Star Awards. These titles were chosen from 64,000 users from a total of 206 nominated titles. This marks the seventeenth time that Koei's titles have won an award for the ceremony.
Xing Cai is formerly introduced into the Dynasty Warriors Online universe. She will start appearing in the game on February 4th. An update to celebrate the Chinese lunar new year is also going to be added for the Playstation 3 port on February 18th. A side story focusing on Pang Tong and Zhang Fei was also announced to begin on March 4th. It deals with the incident when Zhang Fei is angered at Pang Tong for neglecting his duties as the magistrate at Leiyang.
Xiang Yu is announced as a new character in Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2. An event starring Jiang Wei, Zhen Ji, and Sun Shang Xiang appeared for download on February 10th. Aside from the battle introducing Shi Huangdi, it also includes a map called the Battle of Shouchun. The trio fight against a beast representing the Jupiter star resurrected by the evil emperor.

March

A press release for Hokuto Musou reveals several new techniques and details within the game. Ryuga's official render is also revealed.
The PlayStation Portable port of Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires now has four additional Dynasty Warriors 5 Wei and Wu outfits up for download for edit characters. Shi Huangdi and his army also star in a Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2 crossover event in the Japanese play reports.
The massive Sengoku Jidai related event, Sengoku Busho Matsuri, was held in Japan from March 6th to 7th. Both Koei and Fuji TV were the main sponsors of the event. Attendees could view live events such as pro-wrestlers fighting under the names of select historical figures in battles whilst in Samurai Warriors 3 inspired costumes, mascot appearances, and on-stage performances by several vocalists and voice actors. Game fans were able to visit the Nobunaga's Ambition corner to see the illustrations for all of the main titles and could line up to gain an autograph from the original artist of some of the game covers, Tsuyoshi Nagano. They could also play test Hokuto Musou, Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2, Winning Post 2010 and fifteen other titles. A report of the first day can be seen here and the second day can be seen here.
Koei-Tecmo has renewed their official channel on YouTube. It can be seen here.
Dynasty Warriors Online will update to Revolution 6 on March 18th. Players will be able to use Liu Bei, Jiang Wei, Cao Pi, and Zuo Ci's weapons for their characters. Players can team up with the characters from the opening movie to obtain a rare item that changes the attack actions of their characters when equipped. They will also be able to have tigers assist them in battle. A mode that allows players to observe the battles of other factions will be added in the game on April 15th.

April

Mr. Heart can now be bought online for the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 and can be played during the original story mode in Hokuto Musou. The first episode of new scenarios in challenge mode is available, starting on April 22nd. Outlaw was also made available on April 30th.
Players can use Zuo Ci's weapons in Dynasty Warriors Online starting on April 15th. A special event involving two brothers from a trading town can also be unlocked on the same day. Lu Jia and Lu Zhen have a history of friendly relations with one another. One day, however, the younger Lu Zhen suddenly labeled his brother as a criminal. Players have to solve the mystery behind the mysterious incident. For a limited time, players can initiate a rain of flowers during their "/welcome" emoticon. Players who take part in the 2010 Netcafe campaign or the Musou Coin Ticket 1150 can win awakening gems for Diao Chan or Lu Bu. These gems momentarily allow the players' characters to morph into either unique character, regardless of their current weapon or stats.
The PlayStation Portable port of Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires has four additional Dynasty Warriors 5 models from Shu up for download for edit characters. Four more outfits from Wei and five more outfits from Wu were also made available. Three more models for Shu and Meng Huo were available on April 28th.

May

Players in Dynasty Warriors Online can use Liu Bei's weapon starting May 20th.
The PlayStation Portable port of Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires has five additional Dynasty Warriors 5 models for the players' original characters, this time having the remaining Other characters available for download.

June

Koei-Tecmo has announced four titles for the Nintendo 3DS at E3 2010, two of which include the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors franchises. The Dynasty Warriors title is just the series name while the Samurai Warriors title has the tentative title, Samurai Warriors 3D. The Tecmo side has announced similar plans for their Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden series.
3D Renders for characters appearing in Warriors: Legends of Troy have been revealed and can be seen here.
Players in Dynasty Warriors Online can use Jiang Wei's weapon starting June 17th.

July

Koei has announced a voice actors event for the Samurai Warriors cast to take place later this year in October. The official site and details will be out in August.
The newest update for Dynasty Warriors Online, "Revolution 7", has been announced to begin on July 15th. Players will be able to obtain "Rank 6" weapons and can have the chance to use Xing Cai's weapon for their characters. The edit option for the player's characters is also going to be revised and updated. The announcement for the updated weapons can be seen here.

August

Gamecity has launched Koei-Tecmo's Tokyo Game Show 2010 site and it can be seen here. It will update as a full website on September 9th.
The North American version of Dynasty Warriors Online for the PC is announced with no release date given. Signups for the closed beta are now open.
This month marks the ten year anniversary of the Dynasty Warriors series. To celebrate, Koei is issuing a special event in the online title. Players can collect several unique items unique to this event, two of which includes orbs to spontaneously transform players into Da Qiao or Xiao Qiao. The campaign lasts until the 17th of this month. Additionally, players can use Zhang He's weapon for their characters starting on August 19th. Parts to replicate his hairstyle and costume will appear as a collection event for players starting on September 2nd. Koei will also be holding a cosplay contest for the series at the 2010 Tokyo Game Show. Series producer Akihiro Suzuki will be one of the judges for the contest.

September

Sengoku Musou Chronicle has been announced for the Nintendo 3DS at the Nintendo Conference 2010 and will be out in stores in Spring 2011. This title will emphasize teamwork through the touch screen, allowing players to switch between four characters. Tecmo has also revealed more information for their Dead or Alive Dimensions project and another installment of their Fatal Frame series on the Wii.
Koei-Tecmo's official YouTube channel has updated to include trailers and other footage for this year's TGS. Be sure to check it out.
A radio program has been announced in Japan featuring Koei's popular Warriors and Neo Romance series at once. It will be hosted by Zhao Yun, Zhuge Liang, and J.D.'s (Neo Angelique) voice actor (Masaya Onosaka) and by Mitsunari, Katsuie, and Ōchi Fukuchi's (Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5) voice actor (Eiji Takemoto). The hosts chat about either series on the fly based on responses they receive from Twitter. Details for how to submit questions for the program is at Twitter here. The show begins sometime in October.
Shin Sangoku Musou 6 (Dynasty Warriors 7) has been revealed as a PlayStation 3 exclusive title. New visuals for the characters can be seen by answering a short quiz on the series' 10th anniversary page or at Koei Warriors.
Koei-Tecmo will have a special Dynasty Warriors 6 movie rendered for a 3D film experience at their TGS booth.
The official Japanese website for Warriors: Legends of Troy has undergone a small renewal to include character descriptions, a screenshots section, and a story introduction. Check out the official website to see.
Gundam Musou 3 presents itself for the first time to the public with a complete overhaul in graphics and mecha planned. Series appearances from the first two games are staged to appear along with the following Gundam series: 00 second season, UC, 0083 STARDUST MEMORY, and X. A playable demo is scheduled to be at TGS 2010.
Kyoraku has announced its pachinko adaption of Samurai Warriors titled CR Bikkuri Pachinko Sengoku Musou MAX EDITION. The image song for their machine was composed by Alice Nine and is titled Senkou. Promotional videos can be seen at YouTube here and here. Yamasa, maker of the pachislot title, also announced an update for their own machine Pachislot Sengoku Musou Jyuku "Aki no Jin".
Dynasty Warriors Online is releasing its second expansion, Souten Ranbu, on November 11th, 2010. In the new expansion, players can ride mounts and find several new items in battle. Additionally, the music is upgraded and Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao will be recognized as two new factions for players to join with many new options added for existing battles. Three new updates have already been revealed in the future. Players may use Lu Bu's weapon in December, they can partake in a new scenario with the two new forces, and players can ride on tigers starting in January 2011. Consumers who buy the PlayStation 3 port on the release day will also have the opportunity to use Lu Bu's and Diao Chan's color scheme for their characters. The expansion will allow PlayStation 3 users to create two characters per user account. A promotional movie and screenshots can be seen here.
- For the current patch, a grand tournament between all the factions is expected to take place throughout September and October. Players can fight in four-vs-four match ups to see who is the best among them. Starting on September 16th, players can use a powered up version of Lu Xun's weapon. On September 30th, players can also participate in a quest to collect parts of his model for their own characters.
Prizes for participants in the Dynasty Warriors series cosplay contest at TGS 2010 have been confirmed. These prizes are based on three categories: grand prize, special judge prize, and Omega Force prize. Details for these prizes can be seen on the contest page. Masaya Onosaka, Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang's Japanese voice actor, will also be present at the event. Contestants and winners can be seen at Famitsu here.

October

Koei has released an invitation for 30 specially selected bloggers to attend their October 26th Dynasty Warriors 7 press event. The details and application can be found here. Dynasty Warriors 7 is up with news from the aforementioned event.
Yamasa has announced the true name of their upcoming pachislot machine Pachislot Sengoku Musou ~Moushouden~. The early promotional videos can be seen here and here.
Dynasty Warriors Online is scheduled to have a powered up version of Zhang Liao's weapons on October 14th. Parts of his model can be equipped by players on October 28th.
The English official pages for Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage have updated to include characters in the game, a few story tidbits, and a jukebox option. Visitors who are 18 or older may access the portal site and see the launched sites for themselves. An international version of Hokuto Musou has been slated to be out in Japan on December 2nd. It will include the higher level of violence that was made specifically for the overseas audience.
The Neo Romance and Warriors radio show has launched its official website. Broadcasts will begin on October 9th.

November

To celebrate the Neoromance Starlight ♥ Xmas 2010 stage event, a character CD will be featured. The star characters include Bernard from Neo Angelique (voiced by Daisuke Hirakawa) and Richard from LoveφSummit (voiced by Kenji Nojima). Aside from character solo songs, monologues from both characters will be featured on the disk. The CD's themes are "holy night" and "propose". A commercial for the new CD can be seen here and the voice actor commentary can be seen here. An introduction for the Sengoku Jidai themed comic, Sengoku Angelique, is present for the Angelique members attending the event. The members can be seen here.
A talk show for Gundam Musou 3 will be held by Bandai-Namco with a few of the developers and the original author of the novel series for Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. The ninety minute meeting will take place on November 23rd (Japan Time) with select bloggers present for questions and attendance. People who can't attend the event in person can also choose to watch the live broadcast on Bandai-Namco's channel at Ustream. For those who missed the live broadcast, they can see the archived version of the stage event here. Like other Omega Force titles, store meetings in Japan have been announced for those curious about the game throughout this month and up until the release date in December. Details are available for interested fans on the game's main page.
The eighth episode of Neoroma & Musou has Tomohiko Shou (the director of TRINITY: Souls of Zill O'll) appearing as a guest this week. He explained the basic layout of the game and stated that its system was easy for anyone to play. Shou hopes the title will be enjoyable for action and RPG fans alike. Since Masaya Onosaka brought it up, he answered that Omega Force is the "action team" for Koei whom try to explore different genres for the company. Onosaka then proposed his idea for a game title, "Nobunaga Invader", and suggested to keep everything about the game a secret until its release date. Shou politely declined the idea with a chuckle. After this segment, Eiji Takemoto passionately narrated a commercial for Hokuto Musou International and ended it by saying "You are already dead!" in English.
A live festival event for the Harukanaru Toki no Naka de series has been announced to take place January and March next year. The event is called Neoromance ♥ Festa ~ Haruka Matsuri 2011. So far, the announced cast includes the brother gods of Yume no Ukihashi, two of the Heike brothers from the third title, Yasuhira from Izayoiki or Michiomi from the fourth title, and mixed Hachiyou from the older titles. All of the Hachiyou announced for the upcoming Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5 will also attend the event. Two exclusive animated clips prepared for the event includes a sequence starring characters from the fourth title -a series's first- and a new animated video dedicated to the three Heian Period titles of the series.
60 specially picked players of Uncharted Waters Online can win a chance to obtain the upcoming fourth expansion pack early. Details of the presentation are found here. An update allows players to explore the ancient Mayan city Palenque, unlocking new items, quests, and site seeing opportunities. When a player logs-in around the area, they may also be entreated to a random quest by one of the unique NPCs in the area.
- The expansion, Tierra Americana, will be released on February 22nd, 2010. Its subtitle means "onwards to America" or in this case, towards a new world and a completely new system for players. Players can buy their own plot of land and customize their property entirely to their liking. Their new plot of land helps the player trade, since towns now act as another trading route. Europe is now going through its Renaissance and Paris becomes a new addition for players to explore. The player has to pay close attention to the ever changing trends of the city scene, as their reputation might take a hit if they ignore them. Reputation is needed for certain quest givers in town. Firenze is another new town of interest if the player wants to do business with the influential Medici family. They may either purchase unique items or auction off their inventions or treasures for a higher reputation. Players can also initiate their own sea battles -as opposed to waging war only as an event- if they feel their merchant trade route is threatened. Boats and other tools needed for traveling across the sea have upgraded as well, allowing more customization options. The three new NPCs being added are an American woman named Justine, Lorenzo de' Medici, and Albrecht von Wallenstein.
Various store front meetings are planned to promote TRINITY: Souls of Zill O'll throughout Japan this month. Details of the meetings and the present for attendees can be seen here. An illustration contest has been announced for interested fans. For more details, visit the game's page on the wiki.
Koei-Tecmo will be present at the Jump Festa 2011 with their historical simulation title for the Nintendo DS, Ishin no Arashi ~Shippuu Ryomaden~. Sengoku Musou 3 Z and Sengoku Musou 3 Moushouden will also be at the event.
To gradually introduce the newest expansion, Dynasty Warriors Online is undergoing a promotion of classes and upgrading the player's friendlists. A commemoration outfit for the expansion will also be available.
Sourcenext has announced their PC releases of Sangokushi IX with Power-up Kit and Nobunaga no Yabou Kakushin with Power-up Kit. They will be available in Japan's stores on December 3rd, 2010.
In a Famitsu report this month, Sengoku Musou 3 Moushouden and new characters in Dynasty Warriors 7 have been announced.

December

An evaluation of this year's progress and next year's expectations from Kou Shibusawa, Hisashi Koinuma, and Akihiro Suzuki can be seen at 4gamer. Shibusawa looks forward to seeing some of the social games released for Japan also be played overseas. Koinunma gave his regards to fans for the new title he is working on. Suzuki has said on the Dynasty Warriors 7 Twitter his fond farewells to fans for this year. Although this weekend and next week is filled with New Year parties in Japan, he said a report for new characters appearing in the title will be out by then.
Heiwa has announced their pachislot adaption of Dynasty Warriors called Shin Sangoku Musou Pachislot. It sports visuals from Dynasty Warriors 5 with Sangoku and Lu Bu Rush features announced. The official website can be seen here and the promotional video can be viewed at YouTube here.
Two new mobile games announced from Koei-Tecmo include 100man-nin no Monster Farm and Nobunyaga no Yabou. The former title is a game for Tecmo's Monster Rancher series that seeks to make the game completely based in a social network. Basic gameplay features remain, allowing users to raise their monsters and pit them in fights against other users. When the game reaches its title namesake of 1,000,000 users, the game's world will change. Nobunyaga no Yabou is a pun of Nobunaga no Yabou and changes figures of the Sengoku Jidai into cats (the "nya" in the title is named after the sound of a cat meowing, "nyan"). These "neko bushou" then partake in a bid to control the land. Both games will be in service next year in January.
The twelfth episode of Neoroma & Musou begins with Onosaka performing a love confession request from a fifteen year old male listener, which surprised both hosts on the show. Naozumi Takahashi, who provides the voice for three Ten no Suzaku, Touya, and Suzaku in the Harukanaru Toki no Naka de series, is this week's special guest. Although listeners could not see it, Takahashi supposedly came to the show while dressed as a Christmas tree. They cover the recently released Portable/ Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4 Aizouban and the upcoming fifth installment. Takahashi talked about his role as Touya and finally becoming a god in the fifth title. He particularly stated his excitement of the gods finally talking more than they have in previous titles. Takemoto then brought up the upcoming Haruka stage event and asked for advice from Takahashi about conduct. When advised to act like his character and wear colors close to Ouchi Fukuchi, Onosaka brought up the idea of Takemoto dressing up like a white tiger to match the Byakko theme for his character; Takemoto hesitated to answer and merely thanked Takahashi for the pointers. After the segment concluded, Takemoto narrated a commercial for the fifth title's drama CD with Ouchi's image song on it. Before leaving the show, Takahashi took the time to inform fans of his newest single and its upcoming DVD. Onosaka pushed Takahashi to say "a proper Christmas themed message" so Takahashi ended his time on the show with, "Merry Christmas." Three listeners of the show may receive a Haruka 5 poster with autographs from Onosaka, Takemoto, and Takahashi by mailing the key word "papaya-pan" to the radio's official email address.
Nobunaga no Yabou Tendou is coming out with its Power Up Kit on the 17th of this month. This expansion will include a precedent feature for the series: the AI Editor. Players may choose to alter and program any daimyo they desire within the game; changes can be done on their behavior, military strengths, personality, and other personal aspects. When finished, the altered AI can be placed within a custom map which can also be altered to the player's preferences. Players can even share these altered characters with one another online to test their skills. New downloadable contents include three new warriors dealing with Ishida Mitsunari themed histories, whom can be seen here. The game includes lots more "what if?" scenarios than the original release. More is allegedly scheduled to be revealed in the game's tie-up radio program, Neoroma & Musou.
The Opoona original soundtrack is finally coming out this month on the 22nd, three years after the game's original release date. Basicscape's listing for the CDs are now available.
Dynasty Warriors Online, 100man-nin no Sangokushi, and Dynasty Warriors 7 are part of a collaboration campaign with the Japanese DVD releases of the Three Kingdoms TV series. Upon purchasing the DVD set, the consumer can then contact Gamecity to receive a present for the three games. Click here for the official page of the event.
Dynasty Warriors Online will update their Asian servers to allow players the chance to obtain an ungraded version of Lu Bu's weapon for their characters on December 16th. Players can use a new attack with the weapon called "Demon Force" to break through their opponent's guard. On the same day, players may also choose to recollect Zhang He parts for their character models. Starting on January 6th, 2011, players may do the same with Lu Bu's costume. Details and other updates can be seen in the official press release here.
Koei has created a special page for their participation in Jump Festa 2011. The three previously mentioned titles from the previous month will be joined by Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5. A 3D promotional video for Dynasty Warriors 7 will also be at the event.
Hokuto Musou won a Gold Prize at the Playstation Awards. Receiving the Gold Prize means the company has successfully shipped over 500,000 units of their product. The rest of the games and winners can be seen in a news report here.
The Neoromance Starlight ♥ Xmas 2010 stage event has revealed a few details of the brand new Angelique game. It will be a special collaboration title with the otome game brand, Otomate. The title is Love Love Tenshi-sama ~Angelique~. Characters from the two universes have been hinted to appear and their designs are with modern outfits instead of the clothing found in the Holy Land. According to the early comments from fans attending the event, it might be a parody themed title. A promotional video showing the designs and new character for the game can be seen on YouTube. Despite rumors and expectations, Sengoku Angelique has not been announced for a game adaption.
Voice actors from the Neoromance franchises will attend the Japan Otome ♥ Festival next year. Event details and other otome game series appearing at the event can be seen here.
The first downloadable outfits for the main party in TRINITY: Souls of Zill O'll can be seen here. The second set of downloadable content is out to include more costumes and exclusive scenarios.
Hokuto Musou International is out for sale in Japan's stores. Discount prices for downloadable content have been announced.
The PlayStation Portable versions of Winning Post 7 2009 and Warriors Orochi 2 will be available to download online at the Japanese Playstation Store on January 13th, 2011. A downloadable version of Samurai Warriors: State of War is now available for Japan this month.
Nobunaga no Yabou Online will start its Playstation 3 servers on December 22nd. A statement regarding events for winter and next year was included. An update for the title will happen next year in Spring. On the same note, Uncharted Waters Online will be conducting a Christmas themed event with Santa Claus costumes starting on the 14th of this month.
In a Famitsu report at the end of last month, new characters in Dynasty Warriors 7 have been announced. The official website has updated to include them.