TokyoGameShow
Latest
Rumor: Ninja Gaiden 2 on the 360 at the TGS
An interesting turn of rumored events have surfaced regarding Team Ninja's sequel to the beloved Ninja Gaiden franchise and its console future. According to Gamespot Korea (which is in Korean, so have fun reading that), they've "confirmed" with a Japanese gaming insider that Ninja Gaiden 2 will be released on the Xbox 360 and will be shown on the 360 at the Tokyo Game Show. They supposedly will be demoing the game on a 360 due to their strong relationship with Microsoft and because they probably love having fists full of cash. Also interesting to note is that the Japanese tipster said that a PS3 release wasn't detailed yet, hinting at a possible timed exclusive for the 360. Juicy stuff.But remember kids, we're nearly required to file this Ninja Gaiden 2 news in the rumor / spec folder, because of all the vagueness. Heck, we can't even read the Korean Gamespot story to confirm its text. But we have to admit the thought of Ninja Gaiden 2 on the 360, at the TGS and being a timed exclusive just makes us giddy.[Thanks, Jim]
Project O still rolling slowly along
It's been so long since we heard anything about the fantastic Project O that as soon as new information popped up on IGN, we gobbled it like a tasty bar of chocolate. The best part? There's more information to come at this year's Tokyo Game Show. We are now officially counting down the days. For those who need a refresher, Project O is a large-scale simulation game with elements reminiscent of Harvest Moon, but from the sound of this latest interview from Famitsu, it seems this title will have some significantly darker themes, despite the cheerful anime-inspired look. Each individual NPC in Project O is set to have their own unique attitudes and memories, of both good and bad events in their lives. In fact, one of the examples given in the interview is of the darker sort, but definitely intriguing -- an NPC will be affected while traveling a route he once walked often with a girlfriend who died. How sad! And yet, that tiny, humane detail makes us rabid for this game. How will all of this affect your actions as the main character in the game? Will you even be a main character? So much remains shrouded in mystery, but we'll be watching this one anxiously for new developments.
Doki Doki Majo Shinpan marketing continues to be out of control
Phone cards and manga were only the beginning -- soon, gamers will be able to touch witches in their beds. SNK Playmore is said to be planning on marketing Doki Doki Majo Shinpan pillow covers at this year's Tokyo Game Show. Considering the game did so well in preorders, we can't say we're too suprised at all the tie-ins ... and we can't help but wonder if there's going to be an entire witch-hunting franchise in the future. After all, witches are insidious. They could be anywhere -- even on your pillow -- so you gotta touch 'em all. There are also keychains, for those who like the character art, but maybe want something a little less gratuitous.
Nintendo steers clear of TGS yet again
Despite rumors that Nintendo would make themselves present for the upcoming Tokyo Game Show, the harsh reality is that the company is not going to have a presence there. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that we won't get our fill of Wii-related goodies from the show, just none of said goodies will be official Nintendo treats. Sadly, that's the thing most of us want, as we'd love to see updated looks at Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy.
No surprise: Nintendo skips TGS again
It may not be a surprise (despite rumors), but that doesn't make us any less disappointed about a lack of Nintendo as an exhibitor at this year's Tokyo Game Show. We can only hope, when looking ahead to the September show, that lots of DS developers will be on hand to show off their wares. German site GameFront has a full list of exhibitors, and we certainly see a few that get us excited about the coming news. Square Enix has a lot to tell us about remakes, after all, and we hope for new game announcements -- or at least lots of juicy footage -- from several companies. So even without Nintendo (again), we hope TGS will be filled with all sorts of DS win.
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?
Nintendo at Tokyo Game Show 2007?
The talk around town is that Nintendo might have a significant presence this year at the traditionally Sony-dominated Tokyo Game Show, going so far as to secure a booth. The video game trade show hasn't made much of an effort to include Nintendo in the past, as the company stuck to the Space World expo and its own events to make announcements. But with the Wii's current momentum and Dragon Quest IX: Defenders of the Sky set to appear on the Nintendo DS, leaving Nintendo out of TGS just doesn't make sense. Wired's Chris Kohler has an interesting post on how Nintendo's attendance at the September event will affect the console market in Japan and what the company might present at the convention. Playable DQIX demos of seem given, but we're sure that Nintendo has a lot more planned for the biggest dedicated video game show in Japan. What games and announcements are you looking forward to hearing about?
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.)
Stickers make your system fun!
Tokyo Game Show had special stickers on all the PSPs on display. Joystiq showed you the awesome PaRappa system (which would look great with your PaRappa pouch), and now we're here to show you the rest. Read on to see the rest...
Developers say "PSP has already failed" [Update 1]
The people of Games Radar speak about Tokyo Game Show in their latest podcast. They speak a little bit about PSP, and talk about the impressive Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, and lament about how the PSP might've been more successful if such beautiful, fully developed games were released, or announced, earlier in the PSP's life cycle. They seem to have come to a conclusion that Japanese developers believe that the PSP isn't in the process of failing... it's already failed. They quote a Clover Studios producer (guys behind the awesome Viewtiful Joe and Okami) as saying "Sony's lost this generation. I'll be real interested to see what they'll do with PSP2. I think that's where they have a chance to come off a failure and really succeed." Download Audio
TGS: Cranking the Gears of War
Though it wasn't playable on the Tokyo Game Show floor -- not even in the booth with other mature-rated games like Riot Act (Crackdown) and Dead Rising -- Microsoft was giving press a tease of Gears of War, their fall lineup's killer app. Alan Willard, a technical designer at Epic Games and a giant scruff of a man with a penchant for terse answers, walked us through a demo level gleefully pointing out areas of interest. For example, the gratuitous splattering of blood and gore that spits onto the screen after the equally gratuitous chainsaw-bayoneting was his handiwork. "I did that," he said proudly. And, if you're curious, it's a particle effect.
Former EGM editor speaks on state of PSP in Japan
It's been no secret that the PSP has struggled to keep up with the DS Lite in Japan, although one Sony exec says otherwise. Former EGM editor turned part owner of the Japan-based localization firm 8-4, John Ricciardi, was recently interviewed by Gamasutra on the state of gaming in Japan, and he shed some light on why the PSP is losing the portable gaming war."I think there's some kind of disconnect between the people who create the hardware and the people who sell it." He said the PSP started off strong, but have been hindered by some fundamental hardware issues. "I felt like I was holding the future," but the game-based ramifications of the hardware are not well thought through. Another problem with the PSP is it "costs almost as much to make a [PSP] game as to make a PS2 game," he said. Well, Ricciardi didn't really say anything we didn't already know about the PSP, but it's interesting to hear industry insiders express the same complaints most of us gamers have. However, Sony made a pretty damn good showing at the Tokyo Game Show, so let's hope things are on the up and up.[Via Gamasutra]
FFIII creators talk other remakes on DS
During the pandemonium that was the Tokyo Game Show, Games Radar managed to get an interview with two head honchos on the Final Fantasy III project. In speaking with Hiromichi Tanaka, Senior Vice President of Software Development and Tomoya Asano, Producer, it's revealed that due to the already insane success from the game's launch in Japan, Square-Enix is looking to adopt a strategy of just outright remaking classic Final Fantasy titles, as opposed to just porting them as they did with Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI. So with ports to the GBA, remakes hitting the DS, as well as brand-new spin-off games, Square-Enix is staking a mighty large claim on the DS. We couldn't be happier, to tell the truth.
TGS 06: Everything that happened
Tokyo Game Show 2006 has come and gone, and left a whole slew of game news and previews in its tracks. If you were unfortunate as to have been gone this weekend, here's a recap of everything that happened on the site. Don't forget that you only have one more day to enter our TGS contest, where you can win a free bag from SFBags.KeynoteKen Kutaragi launched the Tokyo Game Show by wasting an hour of our lives spewing absolute BS about the internet and Afrika. By failing to reveal any significant information on either the PS3 or the PSP, the gaming media walked away disappointed, and incredibly pessimistic about Sony's future. Thankfully, through the weekend, Sony has impressed us by showcasing solid PlayStation 3 and PSP support. Here's a look at the TGS weekend we had:NewsApe Escape Downloadable Demo! New system colors spotted More than 3000 songs for new karaoke game Camera & GPS details revealed Metal Gear Solid PSP bundle Which games support wireless? PS3 XMB gets very sexy Hilarious PSP-PS3 (lack of) connectivity demo Best in Show, according to CESA Monster Hunter 2 features long lines Previews Every PSP game previewed Games Showcase Video Every Extend Extra Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core Gunpey Jeanne d'Arc Lost Regnum Metal Slug Anthology PaRappa the RapperRead on to see our choice for PSP's Game of the Show.
TGS 2006 wrap-up: the Wii, videos, and you [update 1]
Now that the Tokyo Game Show has come to a close and you've been assaulted with numerous videos, we can all finally take a deep breath and carefully scrutinize all of this new data following the event. For Nintendo having no presence of their own at the show, the Wii was out in full-force. Before we get into what we liked and didn't like from the show, let's recap on what the show brought us, for both the DS and Wii: Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker in-game footage A new Bleach trailer A pretty sweet Elebits booth Kingdom Hearts creators unveil new DS game FFXII: Revenant Wings trailer and art Heroes of Mana animated trailer New Sonic and the Secret Rings trailer Best in Show: Elebits The TGS booth to rule them all New footage for Q? Entertainment's Gunpey It's a Wonderful World gets the preview treatment Lost in Blue 2 trailer More Final Fantasy remakes coming to the DS? So how did Nintendo do? The DS certainly rocked the house! Even though the DS was literally bombarded with nothing but RPGs, it still had a great show. A slew of new content will keep the already incredible platform from going stale. Those with an insatiable appetite for turn-based battles and potions will get their fix with Square-Enix's incredible lineup of RPG games to come. As for the Wii, it had a smaller presence through third-party publishers this year. Konami had the award-winning Elebits on-hand for eager attendees, as well as Sega tossing down the red carpet for their mascot with Sonic and the Secret Rings. Nintendo failing to make a unified presence themselves could've hurt their momentum going into launch, but we aren't worried. If we should be, then why?For all of Joystiq's Tokyo Game Show 2006 coverage, click here.[Update 1: Added in the interview with the Final Fantasy III developers.]
TGS 2006 wrap-up: the DS, videos, and you [update 1]
Now that the Tokyo Game Show has come to a close and you've been assaulted with numerous videos, we can all finally take a deep breath and carefully scrutinize all of this new data following the event. For Nintendo having no presence of their own at the show, the Wii was out in full-force. Before we get into what we liked and didn't like from the show, let's recap on what the show brought us, for both the DS and Wii: Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker in-game footage A new Bleach trailer A pretty sweet Elebits booth Kingdom Hearts creators unveil new DS game FFXII: Revenant Wings trailer and art Heroes of Mana animated trailer New Sonic and the Secret Rings trailer Best in Show: Elebits The TGS booth to rule them all New footage for Q? Entertainment's Gunpey It's a Wonderful World gets the preview treatment Lost in Blue 2 trailer More Final Fantasy remakes on the DS? So how did Nintendo do? As for the Wii, it had a smaller presence through third-party publishers this year. Konami had the award-winning Elebits on-hand for eager attendees, as well as Sega tossing down the red carpet for their mascot with Sonic and the Secret Rings. Nintendo failing to make a unified presence themselves could've hurt their momentum going into launch, but we aren't worried. If we should be, then why? We can't forget about the DS, either! Even though the DS was literally bombarded with nothing but RPGs, it still had a great show. A slew of new content will keep the already incredible platform from going stale. Those with an insatiable appetite for turn-based battles and potions will get their fix with Square-Enix's incredible lineup of RPG games to come. For all of Joystiq's Tokyo Game Show 2006 coverage, click here.[Update 1: Added in the interview with the Final Fantasy III developers.]
Bringing It Home content, 9/25
Well folks, TGS is over, finished, kaput. As such, it seem only fitting that today's content is more oriented towards western audiences -- note also that there is no Japan exclusive content today. Here's the sweet sweet candy: Battlestations Midway trailer Eragon trailer Import Tuner Challenge trailer Need for Speed Carbon trailer The Darkness trailer Mass Effect Picture Pack (free!) Battlestar Galactica (United States) TGS Showfloor video 3 video F.E.A.R. demo We discussed the F.E.A.R. demo earlier: if you played the OXM demo, there's nothing new. With all this content, it may be time to start clearing out some of that old E3 stuff. Meanwhile, X06 inches ever closer. So, everybody make some room, download each and every one of these trailers, watch them, and then come back here and discuss them. Discuss them, I say!
The three heads of Sony speak -- region free PS3!
Phil Harrison... Kaz Hirai... Ken Kutaragi... no, they do not comprise the three heads of the mythical Cerberus, but they do comprise the three heads of a real-life corporation that rivals such mythical beasts: Sony. Game|Life got to interview them all in one night and a couple of interesting tidbits came out. Here they are: Phil Harrison believes there's no North American price drop because the $599 is a "magic price point". Basically, it's the price people will buy at that gives Sony the greatest marginal profit (or if manufacturing costs are still more than the price, the lowest marginal loss). The Playstation 3 is region free for games, but not movies. So you can grab a PS3 from Japan if you really, really want, but you'll have trouble playing local movies. This is also good news for import junkies, especially among fighting game fanatics (less translation to deal with). Oh, this also includes downloadable games. Kaz Hirai and Ken Kutaragi both leaned towards "no" as to the inclusion of component cables in the box. Alone, each point is kind of "meh", but add them together and you've got a bevy of PS3 common knowledge. It's surprising how these more common points are overlooked, so while many may have heard these, there will be some who were wondering about these and, well, now they know.[FYI: if the link to Game|Life doesn't work, just hit refresh. That worked for me!]
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!
It's almost official -- PS3 controller dubbed SIXAXIS
If you were there, this ain't groundbreaking, folks. It's stamped on every single PS3 controller your grubby hands touched. We're talking, of course, about the PS3 seemingly being dubbed SIXAXIS, as was generally agreed upon a while back. Not that we'll say to our friends, "Yo, toss me my SIXAXIS," but it's good to know if you weren't able to make it to Tokyo for a couple of days. Why? Because it's a decent name and we should nod slightly to the, er, controller naming division of Sony. Good call, guys. Now we just have to wait until November to get our SIXAXIS action satisfaction reaction.[thanks, Karsten Fouquaet and Shizzle Games!]
