Tokyo Game Show 2009 Video Game Highlights
This Year's Annual TGS has Come and Gone, Here are Some Highlights
Oct 10, 2009
Tokyo Game Show is one of the most anticipated events for video game enthusiasts around the globe where Japanese game publishers showcase and announce all their upcoming titles. Japan's TGS is the equivalent of America's Electronic Entertainment Expo, and is naturally catered towards the Japanese audience as opposed to that of the West.
As an event mostly open to the public, fans congregated to Minato-Ku, Tokyo to get a taste of things to come in the video game industry. The convention took place from September 24th through the 27th.
Popular Exhibitors
Literally dozens of publishers come to the event every year. Here are some of the heavy-hitters in the industry as well as some of their most anticipated titles.
Capcom
Capcom showcased two sequels to previously the previously established franchises -- Dead Rising 2 and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles.
- The spirit of Dead Rising 2 very much encompasses that of the original. The player is set in a massive environment (this time in Las Vegas) with a plethora of deadly and sometimes unconventional weapons to slaughter hordes of zombies. The first game was developed in Japan and was released to mixed reviews -- mainly due to a broken, cumbersome save system -- but the game has changed hands and now rests with the Western developer Blue Castle Games.
- Darkside Chronicles is Capcom's second attempt at the on-rails shooter genre. With the first being relatively successful, its successor is sure to please. The first game took players through some of the best scenes from previous Resident Evil games and provided a concise overview of the entire history of the franchise. Darkside does the same thing, but rather than focusing on Resident Evil, Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil: Nemesis, the game focuses on fan favorites Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft's lineup included Red Steel 2, Assassin's Creed 2, Avatar The Game, Rabbids Go Home, and Splinter Cell Conviction.
- Set in Renaissance Italy, Assassins Creed 2 looks to be shaping up rather well. Just like the original, Creed 2 is an open world action/adventure/stealth title with an emphasis on agile maneuvering around the environment.
Sega
Its likely that Sega had one of the best lineups from this year's TGS. Games showcased were Bayonetta, Yakuza 4, Resonance of Fate, House of the Dead: Overkill, and Valkyria Chronicles 2.
- Coming from Hideki Kamiya, the man behind the Devil May Cry series, it is no surprise that the game retains that unmistakable DMC ambiance. Bayonetta casts the player as a quadruple gun toting female who attacks enemies with her hair, which also wraps her body in a kind of suit when she's not fighting. Over the top characters with fast paced action and shiny gorgeous visuals.
- The sequel to the highly regarded PS3 game, Valkyria Chronicles 2 is being released on the PSP later this year. The game is a little bit strategy and a little bit shooter with some incredibly stylized hand drawn visuals. The game's transition over to the PSP is an odd decision, but control-wise, the game seems to remain intact, with the exception of the graphics.
- The increasingly popular underdog series, originating with Yakuza for the Playstation 2, is getting a fourth addition to the franchise. While the game is currently set for a Japan only release, Yakuza 3 is currently being localized and is slated for a U.S. release in the near future.
In Conclusion
Tokyo Game Show 2009 has come and gone. While the show is undeniably a crowd pleasing event, there weren't too many big surprises or announcements from Japanese publishers this year. Gamers should have plenty of great titles to dig into over the next couple months.
 |
 |
 |
