tgs-2014
Latest
Former Last Guardian devs' teaser trailer is so Vane
Friend and Foe Games offered a teaser trailer for one of its two introductory games this week, Vane. The Tokyo Game Show 2014 trailer shows the game's desert-and-ruins environment, following a bird in flight before observing a shadowy sprinting child. The team of five at Friend and Foe Games includes credits on Team Ico's The Last Guardian, Bionic Commando, Battlefield 3 and the Killzone series. Head past the break to check out the trailer. Announced in June, the game's youthful character has an "odd ability" and is stuck in a "strange land." While the trailer doesn't shed any light on Vane's setting other than it being prone to severe lightning strikes, the child does appear to leap off a platform and morph into a bird near the end of the video. Vane is in development for PC with other consoles to follow and does not currently have a release date. [Image: Friend and Foe Games]
Engadget goes thumbs-on with new 3DS XL
There was always that one kid in your fourth-grade class who "had a cool uncle" that worked at Nintendo, and "totally knew" about all the fancy doodads and thingamajigs the company was working on. Well, we've got a cool uncle too: His name is Engadget, and he's gotten some hands-on impressions of the recently-revealed new 3DS XL model. It was Engadget Senior Editor Mat Smith who had the privilege of toying about with Nintendo's new hardware, and his initial impressions have left him ... well, not exactly jumping for joy, but not weeping in woe either. "If we're honest, there really wasn't much difference from my now-obsolete 3DS XL at home on initial handling," Smith wrote. "There are no games that appropriately make the most of the analog stick (at least, not yet). Here at TGS 2014, with Monster Hunter 4G, the right stick was assigned to camera duties, a role it shared with the d-pad and, er, about a third of the touchscreen too." At least when it was getting use, the new stick felt responsive and pleasant. Smith also noted that the new ZL and ZR triggers on the back of the device were "appropriately spaced" so that users shouldn't have problems with accidentally bumping the wrong button. The new 3DS and 3DS XL launch in Japan on October 11. As for those of us stateside and in the Europe/Australia regions, well ... we can hope. [Image: Engadget]
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD trailer shows before and after
Previously limited to PSPs in Japan, Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is coming to PS4 and Xbox One in North America on March 17, 2015, and Europe on March 20. It's priced $60 for the consoles, and as an extra incentive Square Enix is bundling in vouchers for the upcoming FF15 demo. A new trailer - which you'll find below the break - showcases the visual leap from PSP to 1080p on current-gen hardware, while also providing a idea of what to expect from the fast-paced, mission-based action-RPG. While there are recognizable FF themes of magic mixed with sci-fi and a beautiful but war-torn world, the way you control, fight and explore using students from the Class 0 military academy isn't as familiar.
Nomura no longer directing Final Fantasy 15, new TGS trailer [update]
Square Enix announced designer Tetsuya Nomura is stepping away from Final Fantasy 15 to focus on other projects, with Final Fantasy Type-0 and Before Crisis: Final Fantasy 7 director Hajime Tabata appointed as the game's new director. In a statement released today, Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda said Nomura will shift efforts to "production of titles that can only be made possibly by Nomura himself," and that includes the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 3. The news comes as Square Enix confirmed reports of the Episode Duscae demo for Final Fantasy 15, which players can access via vouchers included with copies of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. The PS4 and Xbox One versions of the 2011 PSP game are due in North America on March 17, 2015, Japan on March 19 and Europe on March 20, with a US price-tag of $60. As for the Duscae demo, Square Enix said the it's based on the game's opening sections "but alters story progression and more to create a unique first-play experience." [Update: On the PlayStation Europe Blog, Square Enix's Daniel Seto says the demo will be available for PS4 on March 20, which suggests it'll likely also be available on the same day Type-0 releases stateside] Square Enix marked the news with a two-minute Tokyo Game Show trailer for Final Fantasy 15 featuring some of the combat, and you can check it out below the break. The trailer closes with main protagonist Noctis saying, "It's been a long time coming. Almost there." That said, the PS4 and Xbox One JRPG remains without a release window.
Deadly Premonition designer's D4 out on Xbox One tomorrow
Surprise! D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die, the cel-shaded mystery game from Deadly Premonition designer Hidetaka "Swery65" Suehiro, debuts on Xbox One tomorrow, September 19. The $15 downloadable marks the start of D4's episodic series, and Suehiro told Eurogamer it includes the prologue, first and second episodes. Later episodes are due at an undisclosed date. If you've played 2010 psychological horror Deadly Premonition, you'll know some of what to expect from D4. Just as Suehiro's cult hit riffed on the surrealism of Twin Peaks, D4 looks to bring its own batch of weird to the party. You play as David Young, a detective who's lost his memory following the unsolved murder of his wife. However, the amnesic gumshoe has a special power up his sleeve: the ability to travel back to the past by touching certain objects. Check out the launch trailer below the break.
Sony unveils Tokyo Game Show line-up
Disgaea 5, Tales of Zestiria and Resident Evil Revelations 2 are some of the standouts among the playable games Sony's exhibiting at the 2014 Tokyo Game Show. Sony unveiled the first and last of that trio at its Japan & Asia press conference, but Persona 5, newly announced for PS4 as well as PS3, isn't coming to the show floor. Other games that have graduated from the presser to this month's expo include Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War & Nightmare for PS4 and God Eater 2: Rage Burst on Vita. Attendees can also get their hands on, among others, Bloodborne, The Order: 1886, Minecraft Vita and Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix, as well PS4 VR headset Project Morpheus. To see the full list of confirmed games, queue up in front of the break for 3 hours before heading below it.
Sony's Metal Slime PlayStation 4 comes with a piece of gunk
We touched on it yesterday in the hubbub of Sony Japan & Asia's press conference, but here's a proper look at the Metal Slime PS4 that's coming to Japan. We're guessing your two immediate questions upon discovering this are 1. Why? 2. What's that thing? Well, the why is to commemorate the release of Dragon Quest Heroes, the new PS4 and PS3 Hyrule Warriors-like crossover that will combine the world of Square Enix's RPG series with action crafted by Dynasty Warriors devs. That's due in spring 2015. As for what that thing is - the happy little slimy dude - it's a removable USB cover rather than a permanent fixture. We're filing it under S for "Sure..." and Y for "Why not, I guess?"
Hot Shots Golf trailer brings green screens to PS4
This morning Sony published the reveal of the brand new Hot Shots Golf for PS4, as first broadcast during yesterday's pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference in Japan. Don't be fooled by that Bob Green fellow at the beginning, this really isn't Fat Cat Simulator 2014. Someone should make that if that hasn't been done already, which it probably has. The debut footage gives us a glimpse into the how Sony's oddball sportsballer looks on PS4, and the cutesy Shuhei Yoshida cameo suggests the series' super-deformed style isn't going anywhere anytime soon. During yesterday's stream, Yoshida said (as translated by Sony) the game features "open world entertainment focusing on golf." Interesting, even if we're a country mile from knowing what it means. Check out the trailer below the break.
Sony Japan & Asia presser round-up: Fives alive on PS4
While some of you were snoozing, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan & Asia had a little shindig ahead of this month's Tokyo Game Show, and it was news-stuffed. If you want you can re-watch the whole shebang here, all two hours or so of it... on your precious day off. Just in case you'd rather not, we've compiled a list of the highlights below the break.
Disgaea 5 announced for PlayStation 4
Some three years after Disgaea 4 hit PS3 back in September 2011, Sony and Nippon Ichi Software announced its successor is coming to the PS4 with a 2015 release window in Japan. Disgaea 5 has long been in the shadows and while today's news makes the tactical RPG official, details remain limited for now. [Image: Sony]
New Ys RPG announced for PS4, Vita
A new game in the Ys series was announced during Sony's pre-Tokyo Game Show 2014 press event today. The role-playing game is being created by Nihon Falcom, the series' longtime developers. It will launch in 2015 for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita.
Dragon Quest Heroes coming to PS4 from Dynasty Warriors devs
Dragon Quest Heroes is coming to the PlayStation 4 in Japan, marking the first time the series has appeared on a Sony platform since 2005's Dragon Quest 8. Helmed by Dynasty Warriors series developer Omega Force, Dragon Quest Heroes is an action-oriented spinoff in the same vein as the upcoming Hyrule Warriors. Sony will also release a Metal Slime-themed PS4 console in Japan to commemorate Dragon Quest Heroes' release. [Image: Sony]
Senran Kagura making PS4 debut with Estival Versus
Marvelous' portable action series Senran Kagura will make its first console appearance with next year's PlayStation 4 release of Senran Kagura: Estival Versus, as revealed during Sony's pre-TGS press conference today. While many series entries have made their way stateside courtesy of publisher Xseed, a localization for Estival Versus has not been announced. For now, it hits Japan on March 26, and a Vita version is also confirmed. [Image: Sony]
God Eater 2: Rage Burst terrorizes Japan on PS4, Vita
Bandai Namco Producer Yusuke Tomizawa announced the action-RPG God Eater franchise will live on. During Sony's Pre-TGS media briefing, Tomizawa revealed God Eater 2: Rage Burst is coming to PS4 and Vita in Japan. With the addition of Sony's console, Tomizawa said – via a translator – the franchise can live on and allow the developer to try new things. God Eater 2 first launched on the PSP and Vita, in Japan, in 2013. The Burst branding indicates an expansion of the original sequel, similar to the re-release of the first game in the franchise under the banner God Eater Burst in 2010 (Japan, 2011 worldwide). God Eater Burst added new characters, story and monsters.
Yakuza Zero sets the calendar to 1988, coming 2015
Yakuza Zero, the recently-revealed entry in the Japanese crime sim series, will take fans back to the year 1988, developer/published Sega announced at Sony's pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference. Taking place years before the first Yakuza game, the new entry in the series will focus on two protagonists: Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima. The game, which is coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, will feature cross-play with the PS Vita. Yakuza Zero is expected to start its crime spree in spring of 2015. [Image: Sega]
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 confirmed for early 2015 [update]
Update: Capcom Unity and a press release confirm Resident Evil: Revelations 2 for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in early 2015. There's no mention of the 3DS, which the original Revelations debuted on. Check out a teaser below the break. Capcom confirmed the development of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 during Sony Entertainment of Japan's press conference today. The publisher will launch the game in early 2015. While the game's predecessor, Resident Evil: Revelations, featured series mainstays Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield as protagonists, Revelations 2 will star new heroes in a new story and setting. Box art for the game was leaked on Microsoft's official Xbox site earlier this month for Xbox 360. Capcom confirmed the game for PlayStation 4 during Sony's press event. A playable demo of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 will be available at Tokyo Game Show later this month.
Upgraded PS4 port of Earth Defense Force 2025 in development
Sony announced during today's pre-TGS press conference that an upgraded PlayStation 4 version of D3 Publisher's bug-blasting third-person shooter Earth Defense Force 2025 is in development. The Japanese edition, Chikyuu Boueigun 4.1, is launching in 2015. A North American release date was not announced. [Image: Sony]
Bloodborne to tear up Japan in February 2015 [update: trailer]
From Software's Bloodborne will launch in Japan on February 5, 2015, Sony announced at this morning's pre-Tokyo Game Show conference. There's no further news as yet on when it will launch internationally. Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida revealed the game's limited edition will include an artbook and soundtrack over in Japan. For more on the new terror from the Demon's Souls and Dark Souls studio, check out our hands-on from Gamescom.
New Hot Shots Golf swinging to PlayStation fore
A new Hot Shots Golf - or as its known in Japan, "Everybody's Golf" - is in development for PlayStation 4, Sony announced during their pre-Tokyo Game Show conference. According to Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida (as translated during the stream by Sony), the game will feature "open world entertainment focusing on golf." The Hot Shots Golf series has been off the green for some time now; the last major entry developed for console specifically, Hot Shots Golf 5, appeared on PS3 in 2008, while Hot Shots Golf World Invitational took golf on the go by way of the Vita before coming to the PS3 later. No release window or official name was announced for the new game. [Image: Sony]
Vita gets a personal touch with themes in new software update
Sony will soon allow players to give their Vita handhelds a personal touch, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia President Atsushi Morita announced during the company's Pre-Tokyo Game Show briefing. A new software update for the system will add customizable themes to the handheld, allowing for customization of wallpaper, icons and sounds on the system's dashboard. The announcement only featured themes of popular Japanese video game franchises, so it's unclear if players can use any images and sounds for the customization options. A translated tweet from PlayStation Japan appears to point to an October release date for update 3.30, which features themes. [Image: Sony]
