tgs-2012
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Summoning monsters as a plant-based wizard in Soul Sacrifice
I'm still not clear what the actual name of the character I selected during my demo of Kenji Inafune's upcoming Vita game Soul Sacrifice was, nor was I able to grasp the more delicate workings of some of its deeper mechanics because the Tokyo Game Show demo I experienced was (surprise!) completely in Japanese. But I worked around it.Though the context of the upcoming universe alluded me, the combat in Soul Sacrifice broke down language barriers ... because it spoke the universal language of kick ass.%Gallery-163120%
Phantasy Star Online 2 is free-to-play on Vita
Phantasy Star Online 2's Vita version will also be free-to-play when it comes to Japan next spring. The PSO2 team revealed this information during a presentation at Tokyo Game Show, translated by the Phantasy Star Fan Blog. Vita players will be able to play with users of the PC version, but only certain lobbies will be available to both.Sega hasn't announced whether the Vita version will be free-to-play in the West, as Sega has yet to announce any availability for the Vita version in the West.
Keiji Inafune's favorite game is Zelda: A Link to the Past
During the Tokyo Game Show this year, we asked some of Japan's biggest game industry figures what they felt is the most important game to them (outside of games they've actually created). For Keiji Inafune, creator of the Mega Man series and the brainnnnnz behind the upcoming zombie action game, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, that fundamental game is The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo. As important games go, we'd agree that Link to the Past is definitely on the list (and handily available on Virtual Console).Meanwhile, Hiroshi Kawano, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, picked Crash Bandicoot, which was conveniently (perhaps too conveniently) just released as a PSOne Classic for the PlayStation Vita. While it may not be the game many would have picked, it certainly has a memorable spot in PlayStation history, especially considering its developer, Naughty Dog, went on to create the phenomenal Uncharted series.
Seen@TGS: Your very own end of the world
We're all for accessorizing and taking advantage of pertinent merchandising opportunities and everything, but maybe selling individual, snack-size vials of the world's most-dangerous substance isn't the best idea? Maybe you should sell the apocalypse for more than $20, is what we're saying.On a related note, we bought one and now we can't find it or the dog, so maybe now would be a good time to invest in crowbars.
Relapsing with Phantasy Star Online 2 for Vita and mobile
Back in early 2001, my last year of high school was laced with an addiction: I just couldn't stop playing Phantasy Star Online. I know, it's not exactly the sort of thing worthy of an after-school special or a heart-warming episode of Blossom. Still, I churned away many, many hours with friends – some I knew personally, others I'd only met online – slaying dragons with my Lavis Cannon and grinding my HuCast all the way up to level 100.Playing Phantasy Star Online 2 on the PlayStation Vita and Android at the Tokyo Game Show instantly evoked those old memories and, honestly, it's a little terrifying. As someone who works from home, the fact that a game like this could always be within arm's reach is deeply worrying.%Gallery-159973%
Resident Evil 6 TGS trailer shows drama in action
We can't tell you how much of a relief this trailer is. Finally, someone in Hollywood has the vision to make a Resident Evil movie that actually resembles the video games, and it looks to be an action-packed gore fest to rival Liam Neeson's latest – wait, what? This is a trailer for Resident Evil 6, the video game, and not a high-budget action-drama flick? Huh.Well, if you can't have a movie like the game, might as well make the game more like a movie. The above trailer comes directly from the Tokyo Game Show, where it was shown exclusively at Capcom's booth. That must have been intense.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle director aiming for casual appeal
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle director and CyberConnect2 president/CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama wants his company's first entry into the JoJo's mythos to be as casual-friendly as possible, Joystiq was told during a Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 event held last week.When asked if he hoped that All Star Battle, the new JoJo's fighter being developed for Namco, would be accepted by the competitive fighting game community (or if that was even a goal for the project), Matsuyama responded via translator that he "actually prefers JoJo to become a game that casual users can pick up and play, because if you appeal to the 'maniac' users too much, it becomes too niche, and the people who can play this game become very limited."Matsuyama referred to fans of the JoJo series as 'maniac' at one other point during the event, and at both times the term was said with a cheerful inflection. Here's hoping that the director's goal of creating an accessible fighting game involves making it accessible in countries that aren't Japan.
Joystiq says goodbye to Tokyo Game Show 2012
After another wonderful, humid week in Japan, it's time for Joystiq to say goodbye to the 2012 Tokyo Game Show. You might see a few more articles trickling out this week, but for now we present you with one last video, a quick look back at the sensory overload that is TGS.If you haven't already, be sure to take a gander at all of our TGS 2012 coverage (there's a lot of it!).
Rappies, figures and cosplay: a look at the TGS 2012 shopping area
You say you need a new Hatsune Miku costume? A wind-up Rappy? The soundtrack to every single Mega Man game? The shopping area at the 2012 Tokyo Game Show is the place for you. Come have a look at its wares. Just be sure to bring plenty of Yen.
Take a tour of Sony's booth at TGS 2012
Sony had a big presence at the Tokyo Game Show this year, as evidenced by its hefty booth. Join us on a video tour of the booth, including looks at some of the company's new goodies, including the even slimmer PS3, red and blue Vitas and the HMZ Personal 3D Viewer.
Cooperative reality: Hands-on with Box! Open Me for PS Vita
Augmented reality games are nothing new. Over the past several years, we've seen them pop up on virtually every platform, from the Xbox and PS3 to Vita and 3DS to mobile phones. Box! Open Me for the PlayStation Vita is a little different, however, in that it challenges players to work together to solve puzzles.It's a very simple concept – two players coordinate to open puzzle boxes – but the simple act of cooperating in an augmented reality game is intriguing to say the least.
Strapping on Sony's HMZ-T2 Personal 3D Viewer
Sony's HMZ-T2 Personal 3D Viewer certainly gives off a good first impression. The device looks sleek, like something out of the future, the sort of streamlined future that movies have been promising us since Metropolis. Actually strapping the thing to your head is a slightly different experience.The unit had a tendency to slide down my nose during my hands-on session at TGS, though this was alleviated somewhat with the straps tightened. Essentially, the entire weight of the HMZ-T2 is distributed between a pad that rests on the forehead and the strap that circles the user's head. Even with straps tightened, it can be difficult to keep the HMZ-T2 stable, which is especially important to experience the headset's 3D display. I found myself having to adjust it frequently.
Getting some wet work done in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
The thirty minutes or so of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance that I played at the Tokyo Game Show were entirely in Japanese. I had no idea what was going on in the story (not that I ever really know what's going on in a Metal Gear game anyway), and the purpose of my mission was never clear.With the narrative out of the picture, I was left only with the gameplay itself. Thankfully, based on what I experienced of the Kojima Productions / Platinum Games collaboration, that was more than enough.%Gallery-166124%
Tokyo Game Show breaks attendance records again
The Tokyo Game Show continues to attract increasing numbers of attendees, breaking attendance records every year. This year is no exception: 223,753 people attended TGS 2012, up from 222,668 in 2011 and 207,647 in 2010.Oddly, attendance on the first public day, Saturday, was way up (94,989 people versus 86,251 last year), but fewer people attended on Sunday than in 2011. Perhaps the Monster Hunter lines were more efficient, and more people got that out of the way on Saturday.TGS will return to the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan from September 19-23 next year.
Slicing into Metal Gear Rising with Platinum's Kenji Saito and Kojima Productions' Yuji Korekado
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance had a huge presence at the Tokyo Game Show this year, and we made it a point to snag a few minutes with the game's team. In the interview above, we chat with Rising's director at Platinum Games, Kenji Saito, and producer at Kojima Productions, Yuji Korekado. In the interview, we discuss how Platinum reacted when Hideo Kojima offered them the game (after canceling the project internally) and just how much collaboration there is between the two studios.
SCEJ president Hiroshi Kawano on the Vita, social games and the power of Hatsune Miku
At the Tokyo Game Show this year, we stopped to chat with Hiroshi Kawano, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, about his company's future. In part one (above), we ask about how Sony plans to push the PlayStation Vita, which was a big focus of the company's press conference this year (both at TGS and E3). We also take a second to ask about the latest Hatsune Miku game, which boosted Vita sales by over 300 percent when it launched earlier this month.In the second part of the interview, Kawano discusses social games. Social games are huge in Japan right now, so where does Sony – a company busy trying to sell dedicated gaming hardware – fit into a market steadily shifting toward mobile phones and tables? Find out after the break.
Macross 30 coming from Namco Bandai
During the Tokyo Game Show Namco Bandai announced a new game in the Macross series called Macross 30. The game will launch some time in 2013.The lone detail known about the game is that its theme song will be sung by Haruka Chisuga, the winner of the 2012 "Miss Macross 30" competition. Had we been aware of the competition that bears the name of the new game, this Macross 30 announcement would have been less of a surprise.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition features Nintendo-themed 'Mushroom Battle' mode
During a private pre-Tokyo Game Show event held at Namco Bandai's massive headquarters in the Shinagawa ward of Tokyo, we had a chance to experience a guided tour of the special (and fittingly bizarre) exclusive features coming to Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition.Though there are some ancillary new features that take advantage of the Wii U's hardware, the real meat of Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition's console-specific feature set is its "Mushroom Battle" mode, which incorporates power-ups and music from classic Nintendo games into standard Tekken matches. Mega Mushrooms, Poison Mushrooms and other classics litter the floor of a standard match, each performing their expected function when walked on by a character. The results are, predictably, completely hilarious and wacky.Absorbing mushrooms (or other power-ups like Invincibility Stars) changes the dynamic of the match, as larger characters do more damage and smaller characters move more quickly, for instance. We asked Harada if balance was a consideration while designing Mushroom Battle mode, and he told us that breaking the traditional conventions of Tekken is what makes the mode so entertaining.At present, it is unknown whether the mode will be online-enabled - in fact, Harada was unable to answer any questions regarding the Wii U's online infrastructure - but we're sure to learn more over the coming months.
Heard@ Tokyo Game Show 2012: Harada and Ono can never work together due to 'animal turds'
The friendly rivalry between Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada and former Street Fighter mastermind Yoshinori Ono is a long and storied one, though we've always suspected that, were their powers to ever truly combine, the fighting world would never be the same.As it turns out, it'd likely be the carpet in the Namco Bandai offices that never recovered: "I think he would be a positive asset to the company and on that front we definitely would want to hire him," Harada told us during a pre-Tokyo Game Show event earlier this week, after we asked if Ono would have a future at Namco Bandai, should the need ever arise."But personally working with him, I don't think we'd get very far in our jobs because we'd be too busy playing pranks on each other and putting animal turds around each other's desks. I think work would slow down a great deal if we worked together."
