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Seen@TGS 2013: Domino's (feat. Hatsune Miku)
While there was literally no indication of this whatsoever, we're holding out that this cross-promotion between Domino's and Sega is secretly paving the way for Hatsune Miku: Pizza Diva F.
Monster Hunter Frontier G heads to Vita in Japan, cross-play with PS3
Monster Hunter Frontier G is coming to Vita in 2014 in Japan, and it will allow cross-play and data transfer between PS3 and Vita, Capcom announced at TGS. Monster Hunter Frontier G is slated to hit PS3 and Wii U this year, also in Japan. Monster Hunter Frontier is an MMO first launched in 2007 on PC, and in 2010 on Xbox 360. Frontier G is an update to that version and is similarly subscription-based, even on Vita. The Vita version will not include every level of the full console game, but it will have "several PS3 worlds," Siliconera reports. Capcom previously denied rumors that Monster Hunter 4 was on its way to Vita. Check out screens of Monster Hunter Frontier G on Vita on its official site.
Gallery: The Tokyo Game Show 2013 Square Enix/Play Arts Booth
An annual staple of the Tokyo Game Show's shopping area, this year's Square Enix/Play Arts booth spared no expense in showcasing the future of its incredibly cute and/or highly detailed lines of action figures and statues. Now, we don't really have room for this sort of stuff in our tiny, hopeless apartments, but we'd be lying if we said we haven't already priced out Ikea display cases for some of this loot. But for the folks out there with ample shelf space and a proclivity for placing plastic personnel on pedestals, take note: You want some Metal Gear? You want some tiny little adorable Theaterhythm dudes? You want a hyper-future robotic samurai Batman? Our gallery has you covered, yo.
Gobble up Pac-Man CE DX+ next week
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+, the title update to the 2010 arcade game, chomps onto various platforms on September 25. CE DX+ commemorates Pac's neon antics coming to Steam as a standalone, but it'll also be available for on PS3, 360, and Windows 8 as a free update to CE DX. Going by last month's leak, CE DX+ itself provides light enhancments, adding leaderboard tweaks, challenge-based medals, and friend comparisons. As producer Kunito Komori explained to me, comparisons are tied to a specific friend's scores that are displayed on the CE DX+ dashboard, giving players another mark to top in addition to their own. The more exciting newness is the 'All You Can Eat' DLC that CE DX+ grants access to, comprising four maps, three reskins, and two pieces of background music. The reskins include Rally-X, Dig Dug, and Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures; they're cute enough, but the real meat is the four maps.
Sony confirms PS4 camera supports commands via voice, face recognition
You can order your PS4 about without picking up a controller, thanks to the console's add-on camera. Revealed by Sony Senior VP and Business Division President Masayasu Ito at the Tokyo Game Show, you can use its voice and face recognition tech to do things like loading up Knack. Although, sadly, you'll still have to get up and grab a controller to play it (we were so close to the future). The news isn't a great surprise given the leak from earlier this month. It's still unclear how these commands work in practice, but we expect Sony to show off the tech soon enough. The PS4 camera will be priced $60. Ito also revealed another interesting tidbit at Sony's keynote, namely that the PS4 supports video capture over HDMI, something the PS3 did not. SCE America VP of Publisher & Developer Relations Adam Boyes took to Twitter afterwards to say there'll be "more details to follow down the road." The PS4 launches on November 15 in North America, November 29 in Europe, and February 22 in Japan. Sony estimates by the end of March 2014 it'll have shifted 5 million units of its next-gen console.
Seen@Namco Bandai HQ: Harada and Hoshino's business tactics
Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada (right) and SoulCalibur series producer Masaaki Hoshino (left) were both heavily armed during our group interview session at Namco Bandai HQ this week. While neither of them explicitly said so, we figure it had something to do with fighting game rival and Street Fighter producer, Yoshinori Ono.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle coming to NA, EU in 2014
Hyper-stylized, multi-generational 3D manga fighter Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle will bring equestrian combat and psychically-summoned spirits to North America and Europe sometime in 2014, Namco Bandai announced at its pre-TGS showcase earlier this week. The PlayStation 3-exclusive fighter was released in Japan near the end of last month and has "reached 500,000 sales," according to producer Noriaki Niino (left). When it does finally launch in western territories, the localized version of All Star Battle will be on par with the Japanese version's character balance: "We are still making character adjustments – even in the Japanese version – based on the feedback that we're getting from fans," CyberConnect2 president and CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama (right) told us, when asked about the potential for future balance updates. "All of that feedback will be implemented in the overseas [version]."
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z delivers day one bonuses in early 2014
Originally announced way back in June, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z will bring big hair and even bigger bosses to saiya-jin worldwide in early 2014, producer Kunio Hashimoto revealed during a pre-TGS showcase at Namco Bandai HQ in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The game's pre-order bonuses and a special Day One edition were also unveiled at the event. Folks that purchase the Day One edition will receive a code to download a special Naruto Uzumaki costume for Goku, which not only gives him a totally sweet headband, but also changes his run and attack animations to mirror those of Naruto Shippuden's titular character. Meanwhile, pre-orders placed at participating retailers include one of two bonus characters: Super Vegito or Super Saiyan Bardock. Battle of Z is slated to launch on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Vita, although the Vita version will only be available through PSN in North America. Additionally, Vita fighters will have to make due with one voice-over language or the other – English in North America and Japanese in Europe – whereas both options are available on the console versions.
Tekken Revolution downloaded 2 million times, franchise to-date units crest 42 million
The Tekken franchise ain't doin' so bad for itself, according to a few humblebrags dropped by series producer Katsuhiro Harada during our recent visit to Namco Bandai HQ. "In three months we've achieved two million downloads," Harada said of Namco Bandai's free-to-play, PlayStation 3-exclusive spinoff Tekken Revolution. "The Tekken franchise," he added, "has told 42.5 million copies worldwide to date – making it the top in the genre – and 20 million of those or more have come from Europe." Harada also pointed out that "most of the user audience" for Tekken Revolution exists in the United States, with the Japanese audience "a close second," and that these results are "different from the traditional numbers" typically seen with packaged Tekken releases.
Vagrant Story creator Matsuno working on digital game Unsung Story
After leaving Level-5 last year, Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story director Yasumi Matsuno is now working with tabletop publisher Playdek on a new strategy game called Unsung Story, coming to digital platforms. That'll include iOS and Android for certain, Playdek CEO Joel Goodman told Joystiq today, but he was keen to not limit the game to those platforms. At the Tokyo Game Show, Matsuno explained to us that Unsung Story will be based around nine small countries, each one fighting one another. Matsuno is taking inspiration from the Saxon Britain of the 5th to 8th centuries, an era following the Romans' retreat. As the name suggests, Unsung Story will focus on the more ordinary people of war - the footsoldiers rather than the Eisenhowers, as Goodman put it. As for the tactics-based battle system, Matsuno said Unsong Story will play somewhat similar to Final Fantasy Tactics, based around a small number of combatants rather than large armies. In contrast to having a story based around a main character as Tactics did, Unsung Story lets players select whichever country and its leader they want to at the start of the game, and how they work through the various countries. That sounds a little complicated to build a narrative around, but Matsuno said that despite the game's name, narrative isn't as big a part of the game. Speaking to Matsuno and Goodman, it sounded like much of Unsung Story is still in germination; I didn't see the game in action, and the pair still has to talk and agree about how multiplayer should exactly be implemented, for example (for the record, there'll definitely be online PVP). However, there are some concrete plans in place. A two-player digital card game set in the Unsung Story world , co-designed by Cristophe Boelinger, will precede the tactics game when it arrives in 2014.
SoulCalibur: Lost Swords coming winter 2013 with Sophitia in tow
Namco Bandai's new free-to-play, single-player tale of souls/swords SoulCalibur: Lost Swords is expected to launch on the PlayStation Network sometime this winter, the company announced at a private pre-TGS event earlier this week. The game also marks classic Athenian warrior Sophitia's return to the stage of history, after being killed off between SoulCaliburs 4 and 5. So far, Mitsurugi and Siegfried are the only other confirmed characters, but we figure that won't be the case for long. Producer Masaaki Hoshino could not speak to how exactly the game will be monetized, though he was able to clarify that Lost Swords runs on "the next iteration" of the SoulCalibur 5 engine. "The game system itself is quite different, it's been more streamlined and simplified so that people can more easily perform flashy, over-the-top maneuvers," Hoshino told us through a translator.
Sony aiming to sell 5 million PlayStation 4 units by March 2014
Speaking at Sony's Tokyo Game Show keynote, SCE President Andrew House said his company aims to sell 5 million PlayStation 4 units by the end of the fiscal year 2013, i.e. March 31 2014. Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida confirmed on Twitter that the figure applies to the fiscal year rather than the calendar year. Sony recently announced the PS4 is coming to Japan on February 22. The next-gen console launches in North America and Europe on November 15 and November 29 respectively. Update: We've confirmed the figure applies to the fiscal year, which the post now reflects.
Dark Souls 2 director Tanimura on next-gen physics, covenants, familiar faces
Dark Souls 2 director Yui Tanimura would look to focus on physics rather than graphics for a next-gen Souls game, should that ever happen. Speaking to Joystiq at publisher Namco Bandai's Tokyo headquarters, Tanimura talked about potentially implementing a next-gen physics engine for a purely hypothetical Dark Souls game on Xbox One or PlayStation 4. "In terms of graphics, all the consoles have already reached the maximum level. From [my] point of view, there's not that [much] difference among the consoles when it comes to graphics," Tanimura told us, when asked about what he'd want to do with a next-gen Dark Souls that wasn't Dark Souls 2 (the available translator referred to Tanimura in the third-person during our interview). Tanimura would want to pay more attention to the physics engine: "In order to implement a physics engine, we'd need more machine power and more CPU power. That can only become possible if we were to create a game for the, for example, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. So that's something [I'd] personally be paying attention to if [I was] to create another [Dark Souls] title for the PS4 or Xbox One."
Dark Souls 2 confirms the date of your demise
Dark Souls 2 is scheduling your death for March 11, 2014 in North America, March 14 in Europe, and March 13 in Japan. Those dates apply to PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, while PC players must wait until "shortly thereafter," according to Namco Bandai. A spokesperson told us the extra time will allow the game to "fully capture all the necessary specs" for the PC audience. Namco also unveiled the sadistic sequel's Collector Edition (see below), should you choose to spend lavishly on your demise. Along with the game disc, the CE bundles in a 12 inch figurine, the soundtrack, an art book and a cloth map. If you'd just prefer to pre-order, you still get the bonus of a tin case housing the game along with the soundtrack. The news comes ahead of the Dark Souls 2 beta, launching on October 12. We took the beta for an early spin at Namco's Tokyo headquarters – more on that later this week – and we also chatted with director Yui Tanimura about all things Souls, including what developer From Software hopes to learn from the Dark Souls 2 beta, and how the franchise could benefit from next-gen tech.
PS4 hits South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan before Japan
The PlayStation 4 launches in South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan in December, MCV reports from the Tokyo Game Show. Japan gets the PS4 on February 22, 2014, Sony announced during its September 9 livestream. It'll cost ¥39,980 ($401) without the PS Eye, or ¥43,980 ($442) with the camera. Sony didn't provide prices or specific launch dates for the other Asian areas. PS4 hits North America on November 15 and Europe on November 29.
The Evil Within runs through darkened hallways at TGS 2013
The Evil Within makes an appearance at this year's Tokyo Game Show with trailer that is fittingly reminiscent of Japanese horror movies like The Grudge. While investigating a gruesome massacre, Detective Sebastian Castellanos makes a number of important discoveries. First, backup isn't coming. Second, there's almost always something behind you, and third, this building has way too many darkened, forgotten corridors for its own good. Horror fans will have a chance to discover what The Evil Within might be in 2014, when the game is expected to release on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and PC.
Microsoft shows off the first retail Xbox One box
Like a proud parent sharing pictures of their child, Xbox LIVE Director of Programming Larry Hryb, aka Major Nelson, has revealed the company's first Xbox One system off the assembly line via Twitter. The mystery can be sustained no longer, and we now know exactly what a retail Xbox One looks like. It's green! Surprise! Microsoft Game Studios head Phil Spencer will be bringing the Xbox One to the Tokyo Game Show, where there will also be eight Xbox One games playable on the show floor.
Eight playable Xbox One games at Tokyo Game Show
Microsoft and the Xbox One will be in attendance at next week's Tokyo Game Show, despite the next-gen system still lacking a Japanese release date. The company announced eight playable Xbox One games for the show floor, including Crimson Dragon and Titanfall. The eight Xbox One games slated for TGS are FIFA 14, Kinect Sports Rivals, Crimson Dragon, Forza 5, Ryse, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, Killer Instinct, and Titanfall. There'll also be a Xbox 360 section with 21 playable games, featuring the likes of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, and Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z among others. The news comes a month after Microsoft announced its return to TGS, having declined invitations last year to instead "focus on smaller, more localized promotions." A shiny, new, expensively developed system warrants attendance, of course, although the Xbox One could really do with a release date; Japan is not one of the 13 markets getting the console on November 22, and it isn't clear when the next-gen console will arrive there. The Tokyo Game Show, starting September 19, seems ripe opportunity to disclose more details, particularly since Sony played its hand earlier this week; the PS4 comes to Japan next year on February 22. Microsoft has previously stated it will hold an event in Japan at an "appropriate time" to divulge more details on the console's launch.
Sony Japan conference round-up: Vita TV, PS4 launch date, pretty colors
If you didn't stay up for Sony's pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference and don't fancy trekking through two hours or so of sometimes confusing translations, we've got you covered here on Joystiq. Sony's presser did not disappoint when it came to news, some reveals looking very positive, others... less so. Here are the highlights for you to peruse: Vita TV is the littlest new console in the PlayStation family. It connects to the TV, can play Vita games via a slot (using a DualShock 3) and stream PS4 games using remote play. And it's priced at around $100 in Japan. A little big announcement! If you wanted your Vita smaller but not that small and not so screen-less, there's a new Vita model hitting Japan in six oh-so-pretty colors. The 2000-series Vita is 20 percent thinner, 15 percent lighter, and comes in pink. Pink! Almost as surprising as those reveals was the PS4's Japanese launch date: February 22, 2014 - some three months after Europe and North America get their hands on the next-gen system. At least there'll be a fair few launch day games by then. Plenty of games got unveiled for systems, including Soul Sacrifice Delta and Phantasy Star Nova for Vita, and Yakuza Restoration for PS4. Suda51's Grasshopper has a new PS4 game in the works too, although quite what it is beyond a "supreme action" game with a strange title - well, we'll have to wait and see. No Final Fantasy 15 to revel in yet, but Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn has a PS4 beta date - the console's launch day no less. Meanwhile, the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD remasters are getting sentimental with a special edition Vita. All that excitement, and TGS 2013 is still yet to start. We'll be there when it does, though, so look out for our coverage from Tokyo starting next week.
Japan's PS4 launch day line-up features 19 games
We now have confirmation of what games will be available for the PlayStation 4 when it launches on February 22, 2014 in Japan. The nation's launch-day line-up includes 19 games - well, 18 games and a beta, although when that beta is for Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, it probably counts as a game. The full launch day line-up is after the break.
