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Friday Video: Celebrating remakes
Lately, we've had remakes on the brain, and foremost among them seems to be Final Fantasy IV. Maybe it's just because we're crazy about the franchise, but we also like the love and care that Square Enix puts into their remake efforts. Due to that, the trailer from this year's TGS just doesn't get old, which is why we've decided it deserves a place in this week's video spotlight.
Tales of Shakonia
This trailer for next year's Tales of Symphonia sequel is looking pretty good, but we'll warn you that it's a little on the shaky side. Yep, just when you thought we were done with TGS, a few last minute items keep popping up, like this little gem. We know a lot of people have mixed feelings about Tales of Symphonia -- some people are just rabid for it, while others found it disappointing -- but how's Knights of Ratatoskr striking you?%Gallery-5354%
Joystiq interviews Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki
It's not too long into our interview with Tomonobu Itagaki before he issues us with an impromptu challenge. "If there's a game out there that is more beautiful, more interactive, faster and has better action than this game, please let me know." The Team Ninja boss has a train of thought that truly exemplifies the bluntest characteristics of that phrase. It's an unstoppable machine barreling down a track without diversion and without apologies -- because it's a train. We conducted (oh dear) an interview with the outspoken developer at the Team Ninja offices shortly after the Tokyo Game Show, focusing on the aforementioned title, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. After the break, you'll find Itagaki's concise thoughts on Dragon Sequels, dual-screen slashing, how the competition stacks up and why multiplayer Ninja Gaiden might just piss you off.
TGS07: Joystiq chronicles some crystals
Even though the game is already out in Japan, Square Enix was happy to show off Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates at this year's TGS. Joystiq's TGS contingent happened upon the game and engaged in a multiplayer session with Square Enix booth staff, for our edification, and found the experience "very shallow".The game hews closely to the Gamecube original, without the restrictive hardware requirements, of course, Your team picks character classes and explores a dungeon together, finding magic in the form of powerup items along the way. The magic is equippable from a menu on the touchscreen. Players have the ability to "boost" each other in order to make difficult jumps, which sounds fun, but could lead to split parties very easily (how does the last guy get up?) What the Joystiq team saw as "shallow," we see as "intriguing." They decry the lack of anything to do other than defeat wave after wave of enemies, but that sounds quite like bliss to us, especially when the movement is "quite free" as described. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles sounds like it might be unexpectedly action-oriented.
TGS07: Interview with Loco Roco's Tsutomu Kouno
We had the opportunity to catch up with the father of Loco Roco, Tsutomu Kouno, and ask him a few questions about his newly released sequel, Loco Roco Cocoreccho. The interview was conducted along with Spencer Yip from Siliconera. We ask him what his inspirations were, why he decided to develop an "interactive screensaver" and whether there will be any downloadable content in the future. Find the full interview after the break.What was your inspiration for the Loco Roco franchise?I carry a PDA around with me wherever I go and I draw out any ideas that I have. Several years ago I found myself drawing Loco Rocos on the train in various forms. Around that time the PSP had first been announced so I started to think how I could turn my little characters into a game. I thought to myself: "there must be a way to have the shoulder buttons of the PSP control the movement."
Joystiq vs. the Square Enix store
One of the greatest pieces of advice ever imparted by a space-faring amphibian comes directly from the Rebel Alliance's lovable but frequently surprised Admiral Ackbar. Whenever questioned about what exactly Japan's official Square Enix store is and what it represents, we feel compelled to swivel dramatically in our chairs, face the camera and blurt out, "It's a trap!"And it's a sneaky one too. Don't march into the modest Shinjuku building expecting alarms to sound and a metal trellis to drop behind you, as the incredibly polite and professional cashiers aren't the least bit interested in capturing your body (that happens in another part of Tokyo, we hear). No, these people are silently clawing at the contents of your wallet -- and you'll find that very often the "people" are nothing more than androgynous CG citizens. If the life-sized Sephiroth trapped beneath the glass floor is pondering anything, it's the unusual business of selling real things from a fake place.Here you'll find merchandise mined from a plethora of planets in the Square Enix universe, with every cellphone strap, shirt, figurine, lighter and necklace accounted for. If your favorite Squalls and Clouds and Soras have worn or wielded it, it's probably in a display case here with an exorbitant price tag to keep it company. Oh, and there are spoons -- yet another item meant to stir up your strange emotional attachment to places and characters that are, in reality, nothing more than reams of code and purveyors of profit.You'll never catch us falling for it.%Gallery-7994%
TGS Video Games Museum highlights Japan's taste
Hidden away at the very end of the second hall at Tokyo Game Show was a booth dedicated to, supposedly, showcasing top of the class video games from generations past. Several stations were set up, around 12 or so, which allowed gamers to step back in time and play those great games that perhaps they hadn't had the chance to play before. All well and good you might think, until you notice that the majority of the games are RPGs and a large proportion of those are from the Final Fantasy series. This particular "museum" (which failed to showcase anything older than the PlayStation 1) was clearly tailored to the very specific tastes found in Japan. Still, why not just cut out the middle man and call it the "Final Fantasy Museum"? We were a bit snap-happy and took a few photos of the booth - the gallery for which can be found below. Our favourite image shows two old rivals sitting side by side in perfect harmony. Seeing Final Fantasy VII and Zelda: Ocarina of Time together like that really tugged at our heartstrings. Other games shown at the booth included: Phantasy Star Online Dragon Quest VIII Brain Training Final Fantasy XII Final Fantasy XI Taiko Drum Master %Gallery-7992%
TGS hands-on: Final Fantasy Ring of Fates multiplayer
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles for the Gamecube was a bit of a hit-and-miss title. Touted as a multiplayer roleplaying experience, the game required you to have access to four Gameboy Advances (and three friends) to fully enjoy. The lackluster single player mode meant many were put off before they even started calling through their little black books looking for GBA owning friends.The franchise has survived, however, and has moved onto the Nintendo DS in the form of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates. We took advantage of the strangely short line (the game being out in Japan might have something to do with it) and played a 4-player multiplayer game with the Square Enix booth attendants. Multiplayer seems to consist of co-operative dungeon crawler, with no sign of story or non-battle gameplay. Players can choose their character class, which affects their base attack style. Magic can be used by all players by picking up giant materia orbs, just like in the original. The action all takes place on the top screen while the bottom screen contains your stats. The bottom screen also shows how many of each materia you have and allows you to change between the different magics by tapping the desired orb on the screen.
TGS hands-on: No More Heroes
Given the over-the-top action and exuberant style found in Grasshopper Manufacture's No More Heroes, it came as a great relief to learn that the game's control scheme wasn't similarly vigorous. There's nothing worse than an action game that translates fairly familiar tasks into manic swatting for the simple sake of justifying its existence on the Wii. That isn't to say the motion controls are so reserved as to become worthless, but No More Heroes does seem to share our support of No More Flailing -- sometimes it makes more sense to smack someone with a sword simply by pressing a button.Here, the button in question is the one obviously marked "A" and the sword is a lightsaber. It's really more like a battery-powered katana, but we're confident that the Star Wars weapon is culturally ingrained enough to make the explanation that much simpler. Rather than get into electric sword specifics, know that protagonist and assassin Travis Touchdown uses one to hit and slice things repeatedly. Said things are targeted by holding the Z-button on the nunchuk, evaded by pressing on the directional pad and ultimately sent into a stunned state with enough battery. (A cheeky double reference there, as you also have to recharge your sword occasionally by giving it -- and the Wii remote -- a few jolts, just like you would an uncooperative flashlight.)
TGS hands-on: Cooking Mama 2
Scouring the show floor at TGS is hungry work, but when all the eateries are full of the Dreaded Public where can you get the sustenance you require? We tried our luck at the Cooking Mama 2 booth, just in case they had some tasty swag to give away. Sadly, there was none. While we were there, however, we did get embroiled (which kind of sounds like boiled) in the game. The first thing we noticed about the game, once we'd finally worked our way through the main menu to some actual gameplay, was that the touch controls are much more responsive than in Cooking Mama 1. Whereas previously success in the game relied as much on the DS being your friend as it did on your skill, now the game plays with much less frustration. The game itself is more of the same. More of an upgrade than a sequel, Cooking Mama 2 has extra recipes to produce as well as more diverse methods of cooking. During our play session we were challenged to scale a fish, open a sea urchin and empty an oyster. All without getting our hands covered in sea ming (that is, ming from the sea).
Friday Video: Love is a sweaty field
With the flow of media from TGS finally slowing, we thought we'd dedicate one last video spotlight to the awesome games we've seen lately, and all the footage from the show. While that left us with many options for today's featured video, one clearly slid to the head of the pack: Duel Love.Because, you know, we're all about touching around here.
Sayonara Tokyo: The TGS aftermath
As our fearless leader Christopher Grant flies out of Narita Airport and returns to his vile trans-dimensional lair, the last remaining blemishes of Joystiq are being scrubbed from the silky sheet of Japan. A sigh of relief now washes over Tokyo, a city content to be rid of the obnoxious bloggers who devoured cheeseburgers on its trains, hurled paper into the "plastics" recycling bin and remained insultingly ignorant of the current Haruhi Suzimiya craze.Though this year's Tokyo Game Show wasn't quite filled with earth-shaking revelations, it did allow us to gain further insight into anticipated titles such as Metal Gear Solid 4, echochrome, Ninja Gaiden 2, Nights: Journey of Dreams and, err... Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon. But that's not all! This weekend will see our last batch of impressions materialize, along with a sordid account of Joystiq's run-in with the official Square Enix store. Following that, we'll share some interviews involving Gran Turismo 5, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, Loco Roco and Assassin's Creed.As they say in Japan, "Please look forward to it!"
TGS07: Gabu Gabu Planet: multiplayer NOM NOM NOM
Now that the major TGS stuff has been posted, the really interesting stuff starts. Spencer from Siliconera has begun writing up impressions of the lesser-known games he played at the show, like this under-the-radar title from Koei. Gabu Gabu Planet is a competitive eating game, but more in the vein of a Pac-Man/Katamari Damacy mashup than the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. The game stars four "alien dogs" whose goal is to eat everything in sight. You can try to eat as much as possible, or go for bonuses by eating multiples of the same item consecutively. As you eat, you get bigger, and can eat more.The game is slated for release in Europe in January as Prey the Stars, and in the US in March (or a month in the past). Check out the video at Siliconera to see if it's worth waiting for. We like the way the simplistic gameplay looks, ourselves.
TGS07 leftovers: Devil May Cry 4 screenshots
Click for high-res image. One of the games that drew in the largest crowds at Tokyo Game Show was Devil May Cry 4, running on both PS3 and Xbox 360. There's a good reason for its popularity -- it simply reeks of cool. The gameplay doesn't stray far from its predecessors, which is a good thing in our eye. The cheesy characters and Spike TV-esque productions return for this next-gen sequel, which focuses on the continuing battle between Nero and Dante. Level design was clearly the biggest flaw of Devil May Cry 3, and it seems like the upcoming sequel does much to resolve it, offering less claustrophobic levels to battle in. Although some may criticize the game for lacking the challenge of games like Ninja Gaiden, it's clear that the game encourages style over survival. Considering the over-the-top nature of the franchise, that's part of its allure. %Gallery-3194%
TGS07 leftovers: Soulcalibur IV screenshots
Click for high-res image. We still have a few leftover goodies from Tokyo Game Show. Like these screenshots of Soulcalibur IV. As a wise roommate once said, "these are pretty." Indeed, they are pretty.There should be more to say about the game, aside from gawking at its pretty looks (what game these days doesn't look good?). But, we've already focused on the outlandish character designs -- and the ridiculous story. It looks like we have no choice but to drool just a little bit longer.%Gallery-4984%
TGS07: Power Pro Baseball swings for the fences
This latest clip from Power Pro Baseball (MLB Power Pros for us here in the states) has us all kinds of excited for some super-deformed baseball on our Wii. In showing us how a game is set up and played, we're dying to get in on the action. We just wish the game was Wi-Fi compatible ...
TGS hands-on: Patapon
Patapon, a PSP title which we've seen very little of so far, is proving a great hit at the Tokyo Game Show. With a line that was sometimes longer than Metal Gear Online we were curious to see what all the fuss was about. Finally we braved the Dreaded Public and got our hands on the goods.Stepping into the Patapon enclosure a Sony booth attendee talked us through the gist of the game. We couldn't understand some of the Japanese, though we did enjoy it whenever she sang instructions to us. "Pon pon pata pon ... pata pata pata pon." Lovely.Your tribe of one-eyed worshippers are required to go from one end of the level to the other (with two levels in the demo on the show floor). The only method of getting them there is to command them to act by performing different beats with the circle and square buttons, which correspond to the sounds "pata" and "pon", respectively. By stringing combinations of these two sounds together your minions will perform different actions.
TGS07: Time Crisis 4 impressions
Click for high-res image. The light gun genre may be a dying breed, but Time Crisis 4 ignores all warnings. In spite of some sloppy graphical and presentation issues, it's clear that Time Crisis 4 is the best, if not only, option for fans of the genre.Right now, the game doesn't have that "next-gen polish" we've become so accustomed to on the PS3. Textures and character models don't really pop out. However, the framerate seems pretty solid, and the action flows at a brisk pace. At the very least, it looks better than the other light gun port, Ghost Squad on Wii.The new FPS mode is where the game features the most potential, adding some depth to the arcade experience. Right now, the AI is fairly unintelligent, and the level design feels similar to the original on-rails mode. What may come as jarring for some is the lack of a gun model on-screen. FPS players have long been used to the gun being on screen, but because this game requires players to aim with the Guncon 3 (G-Con in the PAL territories), the indicator is unnecessary.Right now, Time Crisis 4 looks like it needs some polish. However, Guncon 3 is an excellent peripheral that has us keeping high hopes for future light gun titles.%Gallery-4065%
TGS07: The story of Soulcalibur IV
Click to see high-res image. Namco Bandai has managed to sneak a little bit of story into all of its Soulcalibur fighting games. Ultimately, they provide little reason as to why these characters seem to enjoy beating the c**p out of each other -- but it's good fun for us, nonetheless. The story of the upcoming Soulcalibur IV ties in the fate of the Soul Edge and the Soul Calibur and is presented in its now-trademark melodramatic style.A fun drinking game to play while reading the Prologue is to take a shot every time the word "soul" is used. Let's see if you can survive!%Gallery-7829%
TGS07: GameCube gets some CPR
It feels good to see that someone out there still likes the GameCube. At the recently concluded TGS, some students whipped up the game you see above. Titled Blowind, it's a platformer where the protagonists are armed with gigantic fans. These can be used in an offensive manner, using gusts of wind to attack your enemies and also as an aid in jumping.We'll probably never get to play it, but it's still nice to see the dead platform getting some love.
