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Remedy: Alan Wake NOT confirmed for TGS
Last week, news surfaced surrounding a MSN Games sponsored promotion from 2007 that promised one lucky winner their digital likeness in an Alan Wake demo that was set to premier during the 2008 Tokyo Game Show. This of course nearly confirmed that a new Alan Wake trailer or demo would be shown at this year's TGS ... or so we thought.The Remedy development team just confirmed via the official Alan Wake forums that the "promotion referring to TGS took place in 2007, and is old news" meaning that the MSN Games promotion "was not an announcement that Wake would be shown at TGS 2008." A statement that isn't a flat out denial that the game will make an appearance at TGS, but it's far from confirmation that we'll see anything Alan Wake later this year. And we were starting to actually buy into the idea that Alan Wake wasn't total vaporware. Humph.[Via CVG]
Alan Wake to show his face at Tokyo Game Show
Although missing in action from this week's E3, Alan Wake will roll out of bed and board a plane to Japan for this year's Tokyo Game Show. According to an MSN Games "'WOW' Be a face in the game" contest, the winner will be given a trip to Finland to be scanned into the computer, then "jet off to Tokyo to [TGS] to be on the scene and on the screen!"
Tokyo Game Show 2008 is 'Ready for Game Time' on Oct. 9 to 12
In the midst of GDC comes word from Japan that this year's Tokyo Game Show has been dated. Get ready for October 9 to 12 at the usual home of Makuhari Messe in Chiba City. Organizers have already announced this year's theme: "Ready for GAME Time!" (sic). As opposed to every other year when they were just practicing for game time. Seriously, we're having a hard time grasping at this one. Previous themes include "Link up, Reach out, To the World" (2007) and "New Excitement. New Sensations. A New Generation" (2006).
TGS 2008 dated Oct. 9-12
Tokyo Game Show organizer CESA has announced that the annual trade show will be held October 9-12 this year, several weeks later than its typical September arrival. TGS 2008 will be hosted in the show's usual spot, the Makuhari Messe convention center, and, like last year, the first two days will be closed to the public. With E3 retaining an invite-only policy, expect TGS to continue to be the world's largest games event, with Leipzig Game Convention a close second.[Via Gamasutra]
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%
EA leaks SIXAXIS with rumble at Tokyo Game Show?
If you're a publisher trying to keep mum about a "brand new" controller functionality from Sony, it might be best not to put those controllers into the hands of members of the press and set 'em a rumblin'. The big sticker on the back that says "RUMBLE" doesn't exactly help either. IGN spotted the new, much rumored version of the SIXAXIS while at a pre-Tokyo Game Show event, playing a demo of Burnout Paradise. IGN says the controller is notably heavier than the SIXAXIS, but otherwise looks identical, and the rumble was comparative to a PS2 controller. An announcement is expected tomorrow at Kaz Hirai's keynote.[Via Joystiq]
Rumor: Square to announce FF Melody XIII at TGS
With Tokyo Game Show only a few days away, the rumors have been flying at us faster than people running from the theaters after watching Dragon Wars. The latest rumor making its rounds is the possibility of Square announcing Final Fantasy Melody XIII for the PS3 at TGS.A forum member at Ruliweb posted the above image with little-to-no information other than Square would be unveiling the title at the event. While we'd love to blindly accept this rumor, we remain skeptical since this is the same site that made fooled people last month with the fake Sega TGS lineup.With Final Fantasy XIII still in development, would Square be developing a spin-off title concurrently? If the image is legit, it could be for the FF XIII soundtrack.[Via PS3 Informer]
Kaz Hirai headlining Tokyo Game Show
The successor to Ken Kutaragi, the man behind the curtain, the Phantom of the Opera, Sony Computer Entertainment Kaz Hirai will be leading the keynote speech at Tokyo Game Show this September. His topic of choice? Flavorful dessert dishes for every season and occasion. Just kidding -- the future of PlayStation, naturally. To be more specific, Hirai has titled the speech "The expanding PlayStation world, business strategy for new growth." We think that's a comma splice, but it's a title so conventional rules don't exactly apply. What do you guys think he'll discuss? Will he reveal any important bits of PS3 news, or will he lull the audience into a nap with statistics and a business market analysis?
Tokyo Game Show 2007 extended to a four-day run
Our usual Tokyo Game Show procedure involves a quick sprint from any interesting conference on the morning of Day One (which has always been a day reserved for industry people) to the main show floor, where we then spend the next six hours scurrying from booth to booth like game-loving rabbits in springtime. Day Two is when we photograph all the pretty girls at the show, because there's no way we're waiting with the public to play the same games again, while Day Three is spent in a passing state of moral turmoil -- all those innocent girls just loved being photographed by us, really, didn't they?Anyway, today Japan's Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (aka CESA, whom all should hail) has announced the addition of an extra Business Day. The extra press day is going to make our job a whole lot easier this September: it means we'll have Thursday 20 and Friday 21 allotted for playing games, and we can still spend Saturday and Sunday in pursuit of mannequin smiles. Perfect. (Well, almost perfect -- now we just need Nintendo to turn up.)
PlayStation Network: ready for launch? [update 2]
Eurogamer's Rob Fahey provides a couple new details on some of the online features of the PlayStation 3. Fahey asks a key question, but unfortunately never gets around to answering it: "Can a company whose online strategy in the last generation was so patchy, and their actual service so weak, really turn things around on the online front in time for the PS3's launch?" Here's a summary of the write-up, lorry-loads of fluff removed:
