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Another Vanquish demo on the way
1UP reports that a second Vanquish demo will soon be dashing its way to consoles. The announcement was made by director Shinji Mikami and producer Atsushi Inaba during a stage show at TGS. The demo is set to offer a challenge mode, designed to provide a more challenging experience for skilled players. The new demo will arrive in Japan on September 22. We've contacted Sega to see if it will also see release outside of Japan.
Ace Attorney Investigations 2 preview: My first game of Logic Chess
Despite the obvious problems with trying to play a graphical text adventure in Japanese, I attempted the Ace Attorney Investigations 2 TGS demo. I was able to glean at least the premise and highlights of the first case: a politician is shot during a speech, immediately following the landing of his plane, and Miles Edgeworth and Dick Gumshoe are assigned to investigate it. As tends to happen in these games, things got weird almost immediately, as my investigation led to a giant Steel Samurai balloon submerged in a body of water. That's probably an important clue! Ace Attorney nerds will be happy to know that the Steel Samurai seems to figure heavily in this game -- not only does that balloon appear in the first five minutes of play, but Capcom's booth included inflatable Steel Samurai decorations, as well. %Gallery-101844%
Ridge Racer 7: 3D License Version preview: Nothing left in the tank
Ridge Racer 7: 3D License Version is Namco Bandai's response to Sony's own MotorStorm 3D Rift. Unfortunately, the TGS demo falls a bit ... flat. Like 3D Rift, this PSN-exclusive will be available in Japan on October 1 for a fair price: ¥500 (about $6). However, unlike 3D Rift, this add-on will require the original game. Also, it doesn't look very good. Ridge Racer 7 was one of the earliest PS3 titles available, and it hasn't aged well. There's a noticeable lack of detail in the world, and it simply can't compete with the experiences offered by current games like Gran Turismo 5. Even the 3D effect in Ridge Racer 7 is not as pronounced as in other 3D racing titles. A North American release of Ridge Racer 7: 3D License Version hasn't been announced, but after playing the demo, I'm not particularly eager for that to happen. With so many other 3D games coming so soon, I don't think the ride would be worth even the budget-priced ticket.
Gal Gun preview: I heart art
I'm so glad my mom didn't attend the Tokyo Game Show with me this year. Being forced to cover the notoriously crowded and humid event in a sweater would be a miserable experience ("You'll catch a cold!"), but the perspiration would go into overdrive if I had to explain a game like Gal Gun: "Ludwig, are you playing a kids game?" (This is always the first question when a game's graphics don't quite portray reality.) "No, Mom, it's cel-shaded. It's an anime-styled, on-rails shoot-her with a first-person perspective. It's called Gal Gun." "Is that a school?" "Uh huh, it seems like a Japanese high school. Judging by the sheer amount of girls fawning over me, it's not co-ed." "Or anything like your school days."
Gran Turismo 5's weather effects and X1 Prototype in video
You've already heard about the new stuff coming to Gran Turismo 5, but Sony's uploaded a couple new trailers that better show off the X1 Prototype and weather effects -- both are past the break. Finally, we can all crash expensive cars in the snow like real rich people!
New Castlevania: Lords of Shadow screens: Witch you were here!
To go alongside the decidedly batty TGS trailer, Konami has released new screens of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. They show off Gabriel Belmont doing what Belmonts do best: Slaying demons, exploring castles and ... chatting with Baba Yaga? Even witches need some company now and then, right? %Gallery-102608%
Project Draco 'inspired by' Panzer Dragoon, not a Panzer Dragoon game
Despite looking like Panzer Dragoon, being developed by Panzer Dragoon creator Yukio Futatsugi, having a codename referencing dragons with the same initials as Panzer Dragoon and, most suspiciously, having a codename at all, Microsoft Game Studios VP Phil Spencer told Joystiq he "woudn't call [Project Draco] a Panzer Dragoon game." "It's a Kinect game for one thing, which is going to have its own take on it," Spencer said, referring to the concept of riding a dragon. Spencer added that "there are some differences between -- as a Panzer Dragoon fan -- the stuff we've seen in the Panzer Dragoon series and [Project Draco]," but he didn't elaborate on those differences. During the Microsoft keynote where the game was announced, Futatsugi explained, "What I wanted to do most is to fly." So perhaps Draco is more flying and less on-rails shooting? So if it's not a Panzer Dragoon game, then what's up with the whole dragons-you-can-ride thing? "Futasugi-san does have a passion for dragons and the interactions between humans and dragons," Spencer said. "I think you could say 'inspired by' and obviously Futatsugi-san's heritage with that franchise is an important part of his history." But Spencer still "wouldn't characterize [Project Draco] as a Panzer Dragoon game." "I think there's some great things about the mechanic in Panzer Dragoon that can work really well, but we're not in any way trying to diminish the value of that franchise or steal from it." So we're guessing they're not going to call it "Tank Leviathoon."
Fable 3 preview: A second date with co-op
We know Fable 2 didn't quite get co-op right. To hear Peter Molyneux talk about it, it was a "poorly implemented feature." And that's where Fable 3 comes in. The threequel promises to fix three specific shortcomings of Fable 2's co-op experience: bringing your hero into another player's game; returning to your game with the gold and items you earned; and (yes!) detaching the camera. First, the henchman problem. Since the concept of co-op was introduced into Fable 2 later in development, the game's quests were never designed to accommodate two heroes with all of their possible abilities and characteristics. Instead, when joining another player's game, your carefully curated hero would be replaced with a generic henchman. Hardly the kind of experience that drew players to Fable in the first place. In Fable 3, you take your hero – weapons and all – with you into a friend's game. %Gallery-102560%
Pictures of Sony's new technicolor PSPs, and Monster Hunter 3 Special Edition preview
Nothing spices up waning interest in an aging console like a special edition, and while one could say that announcing three special editions is something of a stretch for the word "special," these certainly are some... vibrant color schemes. At its press event yesterday, Sony announced a couple of new, pupil-assaulting two-tone color schemes for the PSP, along with a Monster Hunter edition that left many an otaku fainting in the aisles thanks to its gold highlights and redesigned analog nub. Read on for our impressions of all three noble beasts. %Gallery-102521%
Fable 2's co-op shortcomings as explained by Molyneux
"I think we're taking a poorly implemented feature in Fable 2 and really making it shine in Fable 3." Peter Molyneux's enthusiasm, equally infamous and infectious, doesn't necessarily extend into the past. The creative director of Microsoft Game Studios Europe guided us through Fable 3's improved co-op design during a Friday morning TGS session, eagerly contrasting new features with some earnest recollection of the previous game's shortcomings. "Well, to be honest, the problem we had -- it was a bizarre problem -- is that every time you do something different, and this will sound horribly mechanical but it comes down to this at all times ... When you create a different version, then that needs a complete test pass," Molyneux explained. "So we had in Fable 2, because co-op came in quite late, couch co-op and we had [Xbox] Live co-op. We hadn't really planned for the fact that we were going to have to do a test pass. An entire test pass for the single player; an entire test pass for the couch co-op; an entire test pass for the Live co-op." Intent on adding online co-op to Fable 2 within a limited time frame, Lionhead Studios essentially went for a prudent two-for-one deal: take the working couch co-op online. "We could save a whole test pass if we made Live and couch co-op almost identical in Fable 2, and we were kind of running low on time so we had to do that," said Molyneux. Since the game essentially believed it was running on one screen, both players had to relinquish control of the camera -- and one had to settle for playing as a generic impostor in place of a true hero. In Fable 3, you're allowed to take your hero into someone else's game, along with your upgradeable weapons, abilities and fluffy, canine companions. You can marry your co-op partner, divorce them, go into a business partnership and even play pat-a-cake with them. And -- finally -- both players have a fully controllable camera. This is how the best internet romances start.
Yakuza: Of The End designed to bring shooter fans to Yakuza
Yakuza: Of The End was ... unexpected. Not in that it's another Yakuza sequel -- we can pretty much count on those being at least annual -- but in that it's a zombie shooting game. Why would Sega take a series built around realistic criminal organizations, known for its accurate (if fictionalized) representation of Tokyo, and fill its latest entry with zombies? Where do people even find all those guns in Japan? At TGS, we asked producer Masayoshi Kikuchi about this seemingly inexplicable decision. "We want to essentially use the Yakuza universe to try our hand at different genres of games," he said. "In that effort, one of the games that hasn't been released [outside of Japan] yet, but that we've done, is a samurai-based game called Kenzan. That is our foray into utilizing the mythology and universe of Yakuza to branch out into different gameplay. The other one, obviously, is Of The End." "For us, it's a way to hopefully attract more fans to the Yakuza franchise by widening the gameplay styles that we create," Kikuchi added. In other words, Of The End hopes to attract people who love zombie shooters, and who might then discover there are other Yakuza games; albeit ones about punching street punks and running orphanages. But what about the people who already love Yakuza? Are they to simply stare at this spinoff in disbelief? "From my point of view," Kikuchi told us, "I feel that -- if you have 100 Yakuza fans, it's not going to be the case where all 100 of them will be receptive to the new direction. But however, we feel that by making something that is very enjoyable, we will be able to capture as many of the existing fan base who enjoy the games we create." [Pictured: Yakuza: Of The End TGS booth models]
Colonel Sanders returns from the grave to help you in Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity
How could Sega top its outrageous ad integration campaign for Phantasy Star Portable 2? What could entice you to buy the upgraded version of the PSP action RPG? The answer to both of those questions is Colonel Sanders. Famitsu snapped images from a Sega stage presentation during TGS, revealing a Kentucky Fried Chicken partnership for Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity that puts a Colonel Sanders partner character in the game. In addition, more KFC partnerships will be revealed, though we can't imagine how they'll top this. Perhaps you'll get a blend of 11 herbs and spices with which you can attack Rappies.
PlayStation Move shooting attachment preview: it's a shooting attachment!
We're not sure what we were expecting to experience when we picked up this gun-style "shooting attachment" for the PlayStation Move, but it was hardly full of surprises. Basically, it's a comfy, lightweight attachment that makes holding your Move controller feel like holding a gun, and pulling the trigger button feel like pulling a trigger. We do love the retro look, quality Sony construction (we're pre-rolling our eyes at the inevitable crappy third party versions and their inferior plastics) and pretty much everything else about the attachment. The biggest perk is that for shooting games you'll be able to hold your arm out straight more naturally, instead of pointing "up" at the screen with the traditional Move controller grip. Unfortunately, the Big 3 Gun Shooting title we tested it on wasn't showing off 1:1 aiming to really let us know how this would feel in that scenario, but for the on-rails-shooter lovers out there (the attachment puts the face buttons out of thumb's reach, so it's useless for more in-depth games like SOCOM 4 or Killzone 3) we'd say there are worse things you could spend $20 on. Check it out on video after the break. %Gallery-102526%
Ape Escape Move preview: Monkey madness
Ape Escape's first foray onto the PS3 is a PlayStation Move game. Ape Escape Fury! Fury! arrives in Japan on December 9, and, like much of the Move launch lineup, it will be budget priced. Perhaps that's a good thing, because I can hardly see Fury! Fury! being fun for too long. Unlike other entries in the Ape Escape series, the Move title is an on-rails shooter and uses the motion controller to act as both a pointer and virtual net. As you automatically move down a path, you'll collect various monkey power-ups by shooting them. Along the way, you'll also equip a variety of tools, such as a paper fan, to move obstacles out of the way. Eventually, at the end of the path, you'll come to an arena filled with monkeys. Here, you'll attempt to capture the "apes" using the Move as a net.
Ctrl+S PS3 controller for professionals and burgeoning arthritics
We really thought we'd seen it all when it comes to handheld video game controllers, but this upcoming "Ctrl+S" model from UNIQ brings a surprising quantity of new ideas. The most basic innovation is the weird "UNIQ wing" that sticks out from the rear edges of the controller, allowing you to passively support the controller with the insides of your index fingers instead of having to "grip" the controller to hold it up. Yeah, that sounds lazy, but the idea is to reduce muscle stress and cramps, which makes sense for people who game a few hours a day. The relaxed posture is also supposed to help improve thumb mobility, though we'll have to test it out with a game to see if that's actually the case. Around back are some nicely oversized and easily worked analog triggers, along with a grid of repositioned "face buttons." The feel of the prototype we were playing with felt just a little too light and a little too "cheap," but that's typical for prototypes, and the promises of improved ergonomics and optimized control placements are certainly compelling. The best news is that the controller will be highly customizable, with tweaks available for the analog sticks, "wings," and even the force feedback motors. We'll see how well this impacts gameplay when the controller hits the market in December for $69.99. Check it out on video after the break. %Gallery-102525%
PS3 holds breath waiting for Gran Turismo 5 release, turns blue at TGS
We knew it was coming, and now here it is: Sony's special edition PS3. To commemorate the impending release of GT5 the console is turning blue, and while the rather vibrant version we saw in the official press photos from August didn't do much for us, seeing the thing in the flesh (admittedly behind glass) gave us quite a different impression. It has the same matte finish as the current PS3 slim, but the rich blue gives it almost a metallic effect. It's really quite a looker, and while we wouldn't normally splurge for such "special" editions, how often does a new Gran Turismo come around? Once a decade at most. This Gran Turismo 5 Racing Pack hits Japan on November 3 for 35,980 yen. That's about $420 of those dollars you've been saving for oh so long. %Gallery-102523%
Capcom producer Megafies our understanding of Mega Man Universe
Mega Man Universe, seemingly a DIY Mega Man game with cameo appearances from characters across Capcom games, has been tantalizingly, tortuously mysterious since its splashy, stop-motion introduction. Finally, we found someone who knows a thing or two about the side-scroller: producer Akiko Ito. At TGS, we confronted Ito and begged her to give us any information possible. Well, actually we interviewed her in an appropriately professional manner, with our desperation just under the surface. According to Ito, the game isn't "just" a Mega Man title with customizable levels and guest characters -- it's also based on Mega Man 2; containing faithful remakes of the stages from that game as its premade levels. Find out more about the game's origins, its development, and our shared dream of playable Ace Attorney characters in the full interview after the break. %Gallery-102517%
Tokyo Jungle preview: It's a dog eat dog world
Tokyo Jungle has an interesting concept behind it. In the aftermath of what appears to be a catastrophic, human-extinction event, you play as a variety of animals trying to survive in the ruins of Tokyo's urban jungle. In the TGS demo I played, I took control of a dog whose singular goal was to eat everything he possibly could. A number on the top left corner of the screen shows your health, which dwindles as you go without food. How does one get nourishment? Sneaking up on other animals and eating them, of course! The game is a rather simple 2D platformer, with no real need for exploration. By pressing R2, you can sniff the ground and find animals on your radar. Crouch and hide behind bushes, and you'll be able lock on and attack your prey: birds, rabbits, cats -- all on the menu. The surprisingly violent (and ferocious) animations do little to make Tokyo Jungle feel like more than a novel concept. It doesn't take long before jumping on an unsuspecting rabbit gets old. The mediocre presentation and lackluster visuals don't add much flair to the overall experience. I'm interested in seeing how the other animals play, but I definitely walked away from the demo less enchanted than I expected. Check out the trailer after the break.
3D Blu-ray on the PS3: it works! (video)
We've been waiting for 3D Blu-ray support to hit the PS3 for a good long while now, and Sony's been promising it would happen for, well, exactly that same amount of time. Yesterday the company confirmed that the 3D-enabling 3.50 firmware update is less than a week away, dropping on September 21, and here's proof that it works: a demonstration unit up and running at TGS. Fully animated evidence after the break. %Gallery-102527%
Disgaea 4 coming to PS3 in Japan February 2011
Nippon Ichi Software introduced a project that "holds the fate of our company" -- Disgaea 4. The president of Nippon Ichi took the stage of a TGS press conference to announce the game wearing a Prinny suit to show "how serious we are." Like previous entries in the series, Disgaea 4 is a hardcore SRPG with a comedic twist. NIS is promising "stupidity to the MAX" in this upcoming endeavor. Taking place in hell, the story will have a political theme, with players building their own political cabinets. "I'd love to have questionable politicians play this game," he joked. New features for Disgaea 4 are the addition of network features which will allow you to invade other player's worlds, and vice versa. However, the primary new feature is the revamped focused on graphics. While the game will still retain its trademark 2D look, the resolution of the sprite art has been bumped significantly, and will look more like illustrator Takehito Harada's original drawings. "Wow, that must have cost a lot," the NIS host joked during the presentation. Disgaea 4 will be releasing exclusively on PS3 on February 24, 2011 in Japan. A US release should follow afterwards.
