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Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms TGS trailer
This game looks pretty cool. What should be especially noted in the trailer is the music. It's spooky! This game would make a perfect Halloween 2007 release. But hey, that's random speculation and suggestion (take the suggestion, oh game designers!). This'll probably be the last TGS video we put up and as such, we must ask you, the readers: what game shown at TGS are you most looking forward to? We'd like it if you kept it to PS3 titles and if none interested you, don't worry, then you can relax and see what everyone else is excited about. What's this blogger psyched about? White Knight Story sounds fantastic... as far as launch titles go? Nothing exactly jumps out, but it doesn't matter, because with the backwards compatibility, I've got PS2 games being released well into next year. Still, Resistance and Riiiiiiidge Racer 7 are enticing... it's a tough call!
TGS 2006: Elebits wins best in show
When we conducted our internal poll and found only one of our staff (see: me) was absolutely dying to get their hands on Elebits at launch, a division was created. On one side exists the rational, incredibly handsome individual who is willing to partake in the unique, refreshing experience Elebits is sure to provide, while the other, more sinister, puppy-kicking side will supposedly "enjoy" the Wii's launch without the game. Internal conflict aside, more people are sure to notice the quirky title now, given its recent award for Best in Show at the now-concluded Tokyo Game Show. Forget the exciting trucks and secret rings, those little Elebits are the biggest show on the Wii. And we, definitely, will be purchasing a ticket for admission.Other Elebits stories: Elebits TGS booth pics and trailer Elebits Japanese site launch and new trailer Elebits Q & A Elebits developer diary Elebits to have online bits? Konami: Here's our Rev game
TGS: A passenger's seat view of Forza Motorsport 2
Following our showing of the slightly macabre Viva Piñata, we were shown the far more sedate racing-sim, Forza Motorspot II. The sequel promises more of what made Forza a success, with some notable additions. Chris Lee, the Group Product Manager at Microsoft, walked us through an early build of the game, making sure to point out that it's in an early stage and may exhibit some characteristic wonkiness. Of course, that's why it's being shown behind closed doors instead of being trotted out on the show floor (see: Coded Arms Assault). While I didn't see any glitches or other anomolies that would have revealed the game's incomplete state, I did note a general lack of grittiness in the cars and environments. Lee said the art design for the series is intentionally clean and crisp but, somehow, it makes the vehicles look plasticine .... at least as long as the car is all in one piece. As in the first game, your car can and will take damage when you hit a wall or another car. In the example he showed us, the bumper fell off and remained on the track, interacting with the world and other cars, exhibiting its own physics.
TGS 06: Every PSP game previewed
There are way too many PSP games at this year's Tokyo Game Show. Because not all of us have time to read all the impressions and previews of all the games coming out, PSP Fanboy has created this nifty guide for all the games that were previewed. You'll get a thumbs up or a thumbs down from the major video game news sites. If a game looks like it might be a real winner, we'll award it "The Official PSP Fanboy Entranced Korean Award." These are the games that'll end up in Korea on giant PSPs, luring people to their eventual doom. And, that's pretty cool. Read on to see all the previews!
TGS 06: Monster Hunter 2 features long lines
Unlike the now-defunct E3, Tokyo Game Show has always been an event for the masses. The public could wait on enormous lines to get their hands on upcoming video games (something I'd love to have here in the States!). The general success of an upcoming product can usually be seen by the approximate wait for the product.Enter Monster Hunter Portable 2nd, the sequel to Japan's top-selling PSP game so far. The Japanese absolutely love this game, and according to Gamespot, were willing to wait for two hours to get their hands on it. Wow. (And they say the PSP is dead in Japan. Wrong!) Although the sequel will not feature any online gameplay, it does appear that the beautiful graphics will be enough to make the game an instant bestseller in Japan.
TGS Marketplace content weekend wrap-up
If you're like us, you may have been too busy actually playing games this weekend to notice that the TGS content is still rolling in. So, a quick summary of what's been released yesterday and today is in order. Here you go: TGS Showfloor video 1 TGS Showfloor video Day 2 (Japan) Game Creator Interview (Japan) Xbox Live The Party #5 (Japan) Xbox Live The Party #6 (Japan) Xbox Live The Party #7 (Japan) TGS Showfloor video 2 TGS Showfloor video Day 3 (Japan) Gamers' Interview (Japan) Xbox Live The Party #8 (Japan) Xbox Live The Party #9 (Japan) Xbox Live The Party #10 (Japan) Vampire's Rain Trailer (Japan -- AKA Rain in the west) Forza 2 Customization Trailer Forza 2 Theme (not free) Virtua Tennis 3 Trailer NBA Live 07 Trailer NHL 2K7 Trailer As we said, we've been too busy rocking DOA4 online with our blogging buddies (or Championship Poker in Ken's case) to check out most of this content. Has anybody out there checked out the Vampire's Rain trailer? Is it different from the one released during E3? Leave us some comments and tell us what's hot and what's not. [Via Major Nelson] 360 at the Tokyo Game Show: Eternal Sonata gameplay/combat video Metal Slug blasts its way onto XBLA Lost Planet and Viva Piñata video Microsoft TGS briefing video now available DOAX2 video makes us feel naughty
Dad and son game together -- now that's parenting!
These photos (snapped on the train to the Tokyo Game Show on Saturday morning) demonstrate the rare skill known as "parenting." (Judging from the antiquated hardware, this also demonstrates another rare life skill known as "frugality.") In six years of riding the New York City subway to work (and around town), I never saw a scene like this. Add these shots to the stack of evidence that demonstrates that gaming in Japan is both a family and a public affair, free from the stigma that plague the hobby in the United States. Then again, we never did get a good look at the screen. They could have been paging through super ecchi manga on the thing, for all we know.
TGS undermonetized, but so what?
Advertising's omnipresence in Tokyo is so complete and thorough that we only take notice when it's missing. Like air, you only notice it when it's gone. It's therefore notable that most prime Makuhari convention center facades lack advertising of any sort, even though they were clearly designed to support large-format ads. There are a few possibilities that might help explain what's going on: Advertising's inneffective: Given limited budget, game companies appear to prefer to pour Yen into their booths, the babes that staff them, the bags the babes hand out, and other tangible improvements to enhance their show presences. Game promoters have other means of driving traffic to (and interest in) their booths and their games. Bad placement: Advertising plastered on lofty facades might be worthless if everyone's got his nose buried in a portable game device Operational challenges: Perhaps show organizers aren't too skilled at wringing money from companies in attendance (if there's one thing the E3 organizers did well, it's help companies shell out lots of dough). Small potatoes: in the grand scheme of things, this show isn't that important. It's just three days out of a 24-7, 365-day effort to woo gamers. That might explain why Nintendo's nowhere to be seen.
Dragon spotted in Tokyo subway system
The 20? Near the exits of Chiba's Kaihin Makuhari train station, where a crack team of Microsoft marketeers established an outpost during morning rush hour each day of the Tokyo Game Show. Their mission? Grab virgin mindshare before attendees could be dazzled by competitors' booths full of bleeps, bloops, babes and strobes. Their weapon? A bag emblazoned with the Blue Dragon name and logo. As far as TGS schwag goes, these bags are like the thing. Attendees just gobble them up. Check my impersonation of a TGS attendee: "Hey! Free bag!" It's clear that Microsoft's working hard to promote developer Mistwalker's Blue Dragon, but it's hard to believe that any single title will be the silver bullet that the company so badly needs in this market. They're working it, but to what end? We look forward to next week's Xbox 360 sales numbers for the Japan territory.
Forget the Wii line, behold the TGS line
Sure, the Wii line consumed entire days of weary E3 visitor's schedules, as Nintendo bottlenecked the fawning throngs into a single drip feed. But the open-to-the-public TGS line is on a scale all its own, extending from the entrance of the Makuhari Messe convention cener in Chiba, all the way to the trains from Tokyo that appeared to be delivering eager pilgrims to the event quicker than the event could absorb them into its fold.This video clocks in at a foot-anchingly long twelve minutes. We don't recommend watching the entire thing ... maybe just jump from part to part. Or use a stopwatch to count down twelve minutes and then check in at the end. If we can assume that our walking speed was about 4mph (the average is three, but we were walking pretty fast), and it took us twelve minutes, the line was roughly 0.8 miles. And growing.
TGS 06: Best in Show, according to CESA
The mighty Computer Entertainment Software Association of Japan revealed the eleven titles they thought were the "best in show." Of those titles, two were exclusives for the PSP. Here are the winners, in no particular order: Elebits (Konami) for the Wii Gyakuten Saiban 4 [Phoenix Wright] (Capcom) for the DS Gran Turismo HD (Sony) for the PS3 The Eye of Judgment (Sony) for the PS3 Seiken Densetsu 4 [Dawn of Mana] (Square Enix) for the PS2 Tales of Destiny (Namco Bandai) for the PS2 Blue Dragon (Microsoft) for the Xbox 360 Heavenly Sword (Sony) for the PS3 Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops (Konami) for the PSP Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (Capcom) for the PSP Lost Planet (Capcom) for the Xbox 360 This should come as no surprise. There are so many excellent games at TGS this year, that it must've been nigh impossible to even narrow the list down. But, for those of you that are battling a fanboy war, you might want to note that PSP got two titles, and the DS only got one.[Via Joystiq]
Joystiq hands-on: PaRappa the Rapper (PSP)
When we heard PaRappa the Rapper was coming to the PSP, we were elated. When we discovered it would simply be a remake of the original title, we were conflicted. While we adore the original PaRappa, we also wouldn't mind a new installment to the franchise, with lessons learned from the underwhelming PaRappa 2. The PSP demo shown on the floor is the exact same demo Sony used for the PS One PaRappa the Rapper demo, which is also the first level in the game. For those who don't remember, PaRappa the Rapper is a rhythm game in the vein of Simon Says. Your opponent will bust a few grooves, and by pressing the displayed button combinations in sync with the tempo you can spit your foe's words back in his or her face. The demo has PaRappa up against Chop Chop Master Onion, a karate teacher with an onion for a head. The graphics have been cleaned up and the audio is a bit crisper than the original, but our lovable rhymester still stutters his words even when we hit the buttons perfectly. None of the new features have been revealed, including the promised multiplayer mode. We recommend dusting off the original game for now, and wait to see if the extra features / multiplayer warrant a new purchase.Check out the awesome PaRappa sticker they had on the PSP demo units after the break.
TGS best-in-show award: Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo all win
After tallying votes from attendees, a committee chaired by Tokyo University Professor Emeritus Takeshi Yoro awarded 11 games from a field of 650 titles not yet in Japanese stores for best in show status. In the words of the committee, these are the "best games showing particular promise" (in no particular order): Elebits (Konami) for the Wii Gyakuten Saiban 4 [Phoenix Wright] (Capcom) for the DS Gran Turismo HD (Sony) for the PS3 The Eye of Judgment (Sony) for the PS3 Seiken Densetsu 4 [Dawn of Mana] (Square Enix) for the PS2 Tales of Destiny (Namco Bandai) for the PS2 Blue Dragon (Microsoft) for the Xbox 360 Heavenly Sword (Sony) for the PS3 Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops (Konami) for the PSP Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (Capcom) for the PSP Lost Planet (Capcom) for the Xbox 360 Any surprises here? We certainly wouldn't have guessed that Elebits would be on this list after our experience with it E3 and at the Nintendo event earlier this month.
TGS 06: Lost Regnum impresses
One game that we haven't heard a lot about is Goshow's Lost Regnum, but the game, which is a dungeon-crawling hack 'n slasher, found its way to the Tokyo Game Show.While currently it doesn't seem likely the game will make its way across the pond, IGN says the gameplay is straightforward enough that it should make for a great import.In Lost Regnum, you control one of four characters and can team up with a pal to play two-player co-op throughout the game. Graphically, the game seems to be pretty impressive with nice textures and detailed characters that move very well. And to make it even better, loading was nearly non-existent. However, all good things come at a price, right? It seems Goshow had to cut some corners by limiting the draw distance by the ever-dreaded fog.The biggest hurdle Goshow has, like any developer has in making a game of this ilk, is keeping the combat fresh and unrepetitive. If they can deliver, they may have a great game on their hands and one worthy of an import.(Via IGN)
TGS: Viewing Viva Piata
Viva Piñata was our first in a series of Microsoft press events being held yesterday during the first day of the open-to-the-public portion of the Tokyo Game Show. Safely huddled away from the unwashed gaming masses filling the Makuhari Messe convention center to within an inch of its legal limitations, I pulled up a chair to be walked through Rare's holiday hopeful by Michael Johnson, a Global Product Manager at MicrosoftThough we're inclined to process their insistence that Viva Piñata offers a depth of play that makes the kiddie-happy "life simulator" appealing to older audiences as self serving (of course they think it will be), there are several elements of the game that strike me as a bit twisted, in a wry, British sort of way. In addition to being able to crack open your piñatas and watch their sugary entrails pour out, the sensitive issue of procreation is handled quite literally through a "romance dance." No Hot Coffee minigame here, just the right tunes and the right moves, and somehow a stork gets the message that he should whip up some offspring to be delivered in egg format -- no icky birthing process necessary!
Joystiq hands-on: Fuzion Frenzy 2 (Xbox 360)
Most of us know Fuzion Frenzy as that demo Xbox junkies play when they are sick of Halo but are too lazy to change discs. The full game was a fun but ultimately forgettable collection of minigames. Microsoft is giving the IP another go, and we got to check out one of the minigames from Fuzion Frenzy 2; it turns out, from what we played, the sequel is on track to becoming as forgettable as its predecessor. The demo, also available on Xbox Live, is a 4-on-4 battle for coins. With flame thrower in tow, you move around a frozen arena while melting ice towers and torching your opponents. The potential in the concept far exceeds its execution here. Aiming proved tricky: you must stop before igniting the air and once the flames start your ability to turn diminishes greatly.Is this demo -- a minigame that Microsoft deemed worthy to represent the rest of the gang -- indicative of another unimpressive collection? It's hard to say right now, as this is only one part of the final product. Based on this demo, however, we wouldn't expect anything great.
Joystiq hands-on: Lost Planet multiplayer (Xbox 360)
The following is a compilation of the best scenes we either experienced or watched during our time with Lost Planet's multiplayer game. Other than a few minor drops in framerate, we were very impressed with the 8-player battle. As our experience was only system link, it'll be interesting to see how the game fares over Xbox Live.We start as the blue team in the bottom of an icy valley. As we move uphill, the red team ambushes, lobbing a half dozen grenades toward our group. We disband, and I climb left up a small hill behind the remains of a brick building. As one foe pursue me, I throw a gum grenade onto an adjacent wall. I run away and they pass the remains just as the bomb goes off, knocked down both the brick wall and my assailant.Practicing with my grappling hook, I scale to the top of a nearby building and jump across the rooftops. Eventually I come upon a sniper rifle. Climbing up an adjacent lookout tower, I sight a lonely gunner from across the map. Locking him in my sights, I fire one shot into his stomach. He dashes left behind a wall, but I can still make out his cowering, tranlucent figure. I fire two shots that don't hurt him but knock down his cover, he continues left and jumps down into a hole. As his head finds its way into my cross hairs, an ill-timed framerate hiccup saved his life. I quickly realize the lag was caused by the giant mech who swiftly blows me away.
TGS: DOAX2 passes the "one hand" test
Let's be honest: there is no reason to play Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 other than to gawk at the pixelated softcore porn. The gameplay is Xtremely simplistic to the point of boredom. With that perspective in mind, we can safely say that DOAX2 is easily playable using only one hand (we'll let you make the next logical step about what your idle hand can do).We first tried our hand (har har) at the main game. With our middle and index finger we moved around our bubbly player, and our thumb moved between A and B buttons. To our knowledge, the shoulder buttons serve no purpose -- that, or they weren't needed to return the serves.After that we moved on to water sports. The Jet Ski minigame (image after the break) is a simplified Wave Race. You move between yellow and red buoys trying to stay in between in order to earn boosts, which is not hard to do as the buoys are widely spread apart. Again, our fingers used the joystick to turn. This time, A is accelerate and B moves the camera in front of you so you can stare at the player's other assets to make sure no one is tailing you. Because of the buttons' respective placement, we could simply lay our thumb down on both A and B at same time, saving us the effort of having to win the race in order to gaze longingly into the racer's exaggerated cleavage.Controlling your character takes about as much effort as fast forwarding through dialogue on a Skinemax film, which is only appropriate. DOAX2 fails as a game, but passes admirably as an interactive wet dream.
TGS: Gears of War, WRU?!
Killzone 2 isn't the only highly anticipated shooter not rocking the TGS show floor this year. Epic Games' upcoming 360 would-be killer-app Gears of War isn't playable on the show floor, though it is represented in video and pamphlet form at Microsoft's booth.So why is it that a surefire hit, just a couple months from shipping, isn't playable? Microsoft is doing everything they can to woo the heretofore elusive Japanese gamer, so why not trot out their prize-winning pony? Sure, they want to focus all eyes on Hironobu Sakaguchi's 360-exclusive JRPGs Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, but there's plenty of room for all three at TGS. And we know Japanese gamers tend to shy away from the hardcore shooters, but every little bit helps, right?In reality, the real reason Gears of War isn't at TGS isn't as shady as the complete disappearance of Killzone 2 from all Sony communications, it's a problem with Japan's censors. You see, the extremely graphic nature of the game is currently giving Microsoft a little bit of trouble getting it approved. During a press screening of Gears, a Microsoft rep did note that while a TGS showing just wasn't to be, the game will be playable at next week's X06 event in Barcelona. Unfortunately, the European Xbox 360 market doesn't need all the help it can get. Japan does.[Grotesque headshot image, courtesy carbonscoring.]
TGS: Killzone 2, WRU?!
When Sony showed the now-infamous Killzone 2 trailer at E3 2005 I got goosebumps all over. Though we're all aware now that the trailer was merely CGI flimflammery, the memory still haunts those of us lucky enough to experience it in that darkened theater with sound so rich and deep it gave us a heart massage. Therefore, it's with no small disappointment that we report that Killzone 2 remains AWOL. After mysteriously disappearing from the E3 2006 lineup, Killzone 2 failed to show up at TGS. Some would suggest that this isn't a big deal as the Japanese gamer doesn't dig FPS games all that much. That excuse doesn't explain the huge presence of Resistance: Fall of Man in Sony's TGS booth. What gives?
