Tokyo Game Show 2007: Thursday Report

Journalists and developers flooded Makuhari Messe halls 1 through 8 today as the Tokyo Game Show kicked off in style. Unlike the last three years which saw new hardware being released (the PS3 and Wii in 2006, 360 in 2005, and the PSP in 2004), this TGS was different in that all three console developers had played their hands; now it was up to the studios to deliver the software. Although Nintendo was (once again) not present at the show, the spectre of the Wii and DS’s runaway popularity loomed as many publishers hawked new games for both systems.

Sony lead the way with one of the largest booths in the convention center, highlighting all of their upcoming PS3 titles (with special stations for Warhawk and Eye of Judgement) as well as the latest PSP games. On the developer side, Square Enix had an impressive booth complete with two movie theaters (one open, one closed, both with lines). Oddly enough, SE failed at all to mention their recent DS release Subarashiki Kono Sekai, which disappointed me greatly and makes me wonder how much Square actually cares about expanding their original IP.

Below are my first-hand thoughts on every game I touched (or witnessed to a significant extent) over the course of the day:

Metal Gear Online (PS3) - Konami had a 6 vs. 6 stage set up, with each team receiving specialized briefings in a soundproofed room (or at least, sound-proofed enough to reduce the noise outside to a dull roar). Groups of two players were each given specialized tasks and instructed to take certain paths. I drew a sniper, which I normally prefer in PC-based FPS games, but found quite awkward using the SixAxis controller which felt at times stiff and unresponsive. Players can choose from a variety of weapons as well as enhancements that improve their stealth, aim, or ability to take damage. I personally found the game hit or miss - the sniper rifle certainly didn’t do me much good when the fighting opened up and I found myself in close-quarters combat. While I’ll be giving it a pass when it comes out, I imagine leagues of Solid Snake-wannabes are looking forward to being called “cardboard-box whores” in the future.

DecaSporta (Wii) - This Wii game from Hudson features 10 unique sports, including kart racing, soccer, curling, and figure skating, of all things. My opponent (a Sony rep) and I dueled at badminton and archery, with me as the victor both times. Badminton was mediocre compared to the tennis in Wii Sports (although swinging when the birdie glowed red would produce a power shot, which I appreciated), but archery was solid enough. Personally I would have liked to try out curling, but beggars can’t be choosers. Anyone who didn’t buy any games at launch because Wii Sports came bundled will want to pick up DecaSporta when it’s eventually released in the US.

Guitar Hero 3 (PS3) - As a rep from Activision Australia told me, this is GH’s premiere in Japan, and so the fan reaction over the weekend will be a big indicator of whether the series can hold its own outside of its large Western fan-base, especially when Japanese gamers already have a homegrown hero in Konami’s Guitar Freaks. Other than that… c’mon, it’s Guitar Hero. For next-gen. It’s shiny. I suck at it. Let’s move on.

Nishimura Kyotaro Suspense Shin Tantei Series (DS) - This title proves that Tecmo isn’t all about people’s football nostalgia - a solid-looking detective game that looks to be devoid of the campy humour found in the Phoenix Wright series. Great graphics and sound from the short bit I played through. It might only reach cult status in the US but in Japan it has the look of a solid hit.

Zach & Wiki: Quest for Barbado’s Treasure (Wii) - Yet another Capcom title I was impressed with (the fact that they were giving out giant bars of gold foil-wrapped chocolate outside the booth didn’t hurt!). Your object in the game is to maneuver the titular characters to the treasure chest. However, a number of obstacles are in the way, and so to reach them you have to use various tools (which are utilized by manipulating the Wii-mote in various ways). This was a fun title that I was surprised at how much I enjoyed playing, and although it took some time to get used to using a few of the tools I can see myself picking this one up when it gets released in November.

Cooking Mama 2 (DS) - Apparently I cannot make a pizza right, but fans of the original will certainly enjoy the new recipes and cooking methods.

Final Fantasy IV (DS) - Remember Final Fantasy III for the DS? It’s that, but with two less I’s and one more V. After about 10 minutes of waiting in line, it took me about five minutes to become frustrated enough with the endless stream of random battles to get up and leave, but hardcore RPG fans certainly won’t share my sentiments.

Lost Odyssey (360) - If you think the upcoming RPG from Mistwalker studios bears a passing resemblance in style and sound to the Final Fantasy series, you’d be right - Mistwalker was founded by FF creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and includes famed FF composer Nobuo Uematsu. Sakaguchi showed up in a “surprise” appearance at Microsoft’s staging area to promote the game and walk the assembled masses through a few fights and cut scenes, all of which were rendered in-console and looked damned impressive. It certainly felt like an FF game, which is certainly something Microsoft hopes will resonate with Japanese gamers. Let’s be honest here - if the creator of Final Fantasy being at the helm isn’t enough to get fans here interested, then Microsoft should just give up on Japan now. Then again, that’s what they said about Trusty Bell… and Blue Dragon, now that I think of it. We’ll see one way or another this winter.

We Love Golf! (Wii) - As Wil wrote a couple days ago, this was one of Capcom’s big announcements for TGS, and was one of the largest real-estate takers in Capcom’s booth with about a dozen stations set up. Despite some swing issues I eventually got into the groove of things and managed to hit a few decent shots (with the ever-persistent encouragement of the attractive Capcom rep) and play through two holes. The demo had playful graphics that hinted at the sort of fanservice we’ve seen from videos of Minna no Golf 5, but certainly not as detailed. This could end up being the killer golf app for the Wii.

Stuff I Didn’t See: I am only human (and I nursed a bad ankle through half of the afternoon), so I was not able to check out Capcom’s Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, SEGA’s NiGHTS, Microsoft’s Assassin’s Creed, Konami’s Time Hollow and Metal Gear Solid 4, Square-Enix’s closed theater, or the Level Five booth. Now that I’ve finished writing this up, I’m going to go ice up my ankle and hopefully cover all of those (and more!) tomorrow.