http://ir.capcom.co.jp/english/news/html/e061012a.html

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Capcom Co., Ltd., hereby announces that a resolution was passed at the Board of Directors’ meeting held on October 12, 2006 that Clover Studio Co., Ltd., one of consolidated subsidiaries, is to be dissolved. The details of the dissolution are as follows:

1. Details of Consolidated Subsidiary to be Dissolved
(1) Trade Name: Clover Studio Co., Ltd.
(2) Head Office: 3-2-8 Uchihirano-machi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 540-0037, Japan
(3) Representative: Haruhiro Tsujimoto
(4) Date of Establishment: July 1, 2004
(5) Paid-in Capital (millions of yen): 90
(6) Principal Businesses: Development of software
(7) Primary Shareholder: Clover Studio Co., Ltd. is a 100% subsidiary company of Capcom Co., Ltd.

2. Reason for the Dissolution:
Clover Studio Co., Ltd. has met the goal of developing unique and creative original home video game software, however, in view of promoting a business strategy that concentrates management resources on a selected business to enhance the efficiency of the development power of the entire Capcom group, the dissolution of Clover Studio Co., Ltd. has been raised and passed at a Board of Directors' meeting.

3. Schedule of Dissolution: End of March, 2007

4. Impact on Financial Forecasts:
The impact of the dissolution of Clover Studio Co., Ltd. on the financial forecasts, separately announced on the same day, is inclusive as part of Extraordinary Losses amounting to 400 million yen.

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The fate of Clover's development team seems hazy right now.  Some are thinking that they'll be assimilated back into Capcom or Capcom's Studio 4, while others believe it was Clover themselves who wanted to split to form their own independent company.  In either case, it's a shame to see the company that brought us such pure awesomeness as Viewtiful Joe and Okami, now gone.

Anyone picked up God Hand yet, by the way?  I may do so, just out of respect.

IGN's review of God Hand may convince you otherwise?  It got like a 3.

I just read an article in the newest OPM that interviews the Clover dude and he seemed to be pretty enthusiastic about his studio and that Capcom might not always agree with them, but they give them the creative freedom and respect that the studio deserves.

Oh well. At least this happened after VJ and Okami hit.

IGN is crap.

The same is said about God Hand, which is what we were talking about.

Yeah, but the thing is, IGN is wrong.

I am usually not one to bash game reviewers for differing opinions, but that IGN God Hand review was terrible in every imaginable way. My own view is more in line with the Gamespot and 1up reviews, although I can understand the otherwise mediocre reviews. It's definitely not a game for everyone.

Anyway Kotaku just posted a rumor that Clover might break off. Sounds like conflict's a-brewin'.

Have you played the game?  If so, why is their review wrong?

3 major individuals from Clover had already left Capcom at that point.  One is apparently a contractor for Capcom.  There are definitely rumors some Clover members will form their own company.

It's not worth it to go through the entire review, but the biggest problem I have is this:

One of the only interesting aspects of the game is its combat system

The combat system IS the game you retard.

Most of the rest of the review is spent complaining about how the reviewer doesn't get the sense of humor and what it's parodying, and the game is terrible because of it.

There are a few valid complaints -  yeah, the camera is not fantastic, but it's not THAT hard to tame - but it's mostly just whining about irrelevant stuff. It was definitely given a "shock" score. I mean, this is IGN, the site that gave Jade Empire a 9.9 and gave goddamned Scarface an 8.7.

So you recommend the game then?

Oh god....please don't tell me this means no Viewtiful Joe 3. This and Legends...why does Capcom let its best franchises die young?

Okami is great, and Viewtiful Joe was decent, but otherwise I'm not terribly concerned about this.  I'm sure their talents will turn up again one way or another.

Who cares? They gave Tokyo Extreme Racer Drift a 4.something. That was a game I really enjoyed. If anything, IGN's reviews should serve as general guidelines for a game. They present the facts of the game, but the review scores in the end depend entirely on the reviewer, which shouldn't be taken into account, so much as the pros and cons listed throughout the review, right? It's up to the reader to determine if the game is their cup of tea based on said facts.

I have God Hand, and while it's no masterpiece, it does NOT deserve a 3. The controls are a little stiff and remind me of the Capcom "tank" style of control (think RE4 but much faster in execution). There are some clipping and graphical glitches; for instance, when you swing the camera around while you're standing against the wall on the inside of the building, you can see outside of the building as well. Sloppy programming, I guess.

The game has a great sense of humor and is real fun in an old-school brawler way. Lots of ass kickin'! The best way to describe the game is that it's a video game adaptation of a Japanese mockery of an American Western movie. I love the humor and the music, and sometimes loading the game up just to beat the crap out of some dudes is the best way to let out some frustration.

My theory about that review is that the reviewer is a p---y. The game was too tough for him, and in this day and age he's used to the ever-present tutorial, easy enemies, a very gradual and slow "buildup" of "challenge" (if you want to tall it that); God Hand throws you in the mix with barely a tutorial and says, "Here. Punch shit. Have fun."

EDIT: So, that being said, the game does not deserve a 3, not even in black-and-white technical terms. I would give the game a 6.5/7 or so for technical quality, and as far as personal preference and how much fun I've had with it, I'd give it an 8.5... which would average out to a 7 or a 7.5 or so. More than double IGN's score.

I totally loved God Hand - it was one of the more refreshing games I'd play recently.  The combat system is just so deep, the humour is great, and the music is all across the board!  Lots of fun with that, enough that I put down the money to buy the Japanese version AS WELL because of that soundtrack CD.

I picked up Okami as a result of it and I have to say, I haven't been able to get 'into' it yet.  I'm sure its just a mood thing but I played the game for one day and the next day went right back to Gradius V and Space Channel 5 P2, and haven't been bothered to pick it up again since....