Fez
19-09-2007, 07:15 PM
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Daily updates on the Tokyo Game Show, each with source, links and quotes.
TGS 07 is September 18 - 21
Sony
Unreal Tournament III PS3 Pre-Show Update (http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/unrealtournament2007/news.html?page=1)
Another reason why I purchased a PS3, Unreal Tournament III will be a timed exclusive, with a 360 version out next year.
TOKYO--Epic veep and all-around spokesman Mark Rein was on hand tonight at Sony's pre-Tokyo Game Show preview event at the company's headquarters to show off a recent build of Unreal Tournament III for the PlayStation 3, and also to talk about the future of the game's development on the platform. Production is indeed proceeding apace, and the game is still roughly on track to be released on the PS3 in November, in accordance with Epic's previous statements--although those guys can always fall back on their favored-developer status and play the "when it's done" card if they need more time.
However, the build we tried seemed quite solid, so we don't anticipate any major delays (in our own infinite game-development wisdom, naturally). Aside from a few texture-loading bugs and other prerelease quibbles, the game was running at a smooth frame rate and was quite playable in standard deathmatch against bots on a couple of the game's rather attractive maps. Rein reiterated the game's minor Sixaxis motion controls, which let you steer the default hoverboard vehicle by tilting the controller. The same controls also let you steer the redeemer supermissile after you launch it. Luckily, you won't be shoehorned into using the Sixaxis for anything you don't want to do.
In all truth, reams have already been written about Unreal Tournament III's enormous amount of gameplay modes, vehicles, weapons, and so on. You know that Epic likes to cram these games full, and Rein told us he's more interested in espousing how similar the PS3 game is to its PC big brother than spending time talking about unique PS3 features (of which there are few). But the most interesting thing to us was the confirmation that mod makers will be able to distribute the mods they make for the PC version to PS3 users as well. (You have to fill up that hard drive somehow.) There won't be any arbitrary limit on what modders can do on the PS3; as long as the mod or level or what-have-you can fit into the PS3's memory, it's pretty much fair game. How you'll actually access and play that sort of user-created content hasn't been announced yet, so look for details to surface soon on that, the release date, and anything else Epic has up its sleeve.
PAIN Pre-Show Update (http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/pain/news.html?page=1)
Pain looks brilliant, stretching ragdoll physics to the edge and with a release of Q1 2008, it's not a long way off...
Back at Sony's San Diego Gamers' Day in May, we saw a new game called Pain that really lived up to its name. The game is all about hurling unfortunate individuals into bustling urban environments, with your score coming from the amount of destruction and pain you cause. The same quaint downtown city level that we saw in May was on display at Sony's pre-TGS preview event tonight, with modes like mime toss (throw a loathsome mime into traffic) and spank the monkey (try to hit every monkey in the level in one go) again available for play.
The biggest changes we noted in this build were the addition of a more fleshed-out character roster and an achievement-like trophy system accessible from the main menu. It looks as if there will be eight characters on offer in the final game, and seven of them had been added to this demo. The character design indicates Pain's unapologetically crass, lowbrow attitude. Since the San Diego build, new characters have been added, such as a squat ninja named Hung Lo. Then there's Ed "T-Bone" Haulstein, who wears a full-body cow suit with a giant, floppy udder. Expect a number of scantily clad and absurdly proportioned young ladies as well, such as the blonde cheerleader bimbo Muffy, as well as Ginger, the nurse with the too-tight uniform. We didn't note any major difference in gameplay between the handful of characters we tried, but there will probably be some differentiation before development wraps up.
As for the trophies, you'll be able to see the ones you've earned from a little gallery linked on the main menu. These seem very reminiscent of the sorts of goals tied to achievements on the Xbox 360, given that they task you with things like racking up 100 "head hits"--presumably getting a character to impact a surface directly on his or her poor noggin--as well as getting a character to fly 5,000 feet in one toss. How your acquisition of trophies may affect the core gameplay is unclear, though they may contribute to unlocking subsequent gameplay content. Then again, they may just be there for bragging rights.
Pain doesn't have a concrete release date, and considering that Sony hasn't elected to show any new levels since the San Diego event, it may be a ways off. We'll let you know when we get firmer details on an expected release date.
Loco Roco Cocoreccho! Hands-On (http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/oiedeyolocorocobooboococoreccho/news.html?page=1)
Loco Roco seems like a brilliant game, I've never played any of the series. But I may download this when it's released on the 20th.
TOKYO--Even a year after release, Loco Roco remains one of the quirkiest, most original games on the PlayStation Portable. Its strength was that it took advantage of the console itself, particularly with the pitch-perfect shoulder button control system. So when it was announced that a PlayStation 3 version was in the works, many assumed that the world-tilting mechanism would transfer to the motion-sensitive Sixaxis controller. However, despite building such a system at the alpha stage, it turns out that the designers have opted for something else entirely. We spent time finding out what when we got a hands-on with Loco Roco Cocoreccho! at a special preview on the eve of the Tokyo Game Show.
As we mentioned, the big change for PS3 Loco Roco is the control system, which has received a complete overhaul. Instead of tilting the world to move the Loco Roco characters around the level, you now control a butterfly (the Cocoreccho of the title). Loco Roco are attracted to the butterfly, so you use your influence to guide them around the levels, solving puzzles and finding secrets along the way. That's not to say that the Cocoreccho is a static guide, though, as you can interact with the Loco Roco and the world, too. Press circle and the Loco Roco will move faster and jump higher, meaning that they can access hidden or difficult to reach areas. The butterfly can also interact with some objects in the world, such as gates, branches, and puzzles, if you physically shake the Sixaxis controller while hovering over them.
As PSP Loco Roco players should have figured out, this interface means that the game is massively different from the previous game. However, those same people should be pleased to hear that the rest of Loco Roco Cocoreccho! is immediately recognisable. The characteristic theme tune has made it over to the PS3 game completely untouched, and while that's no bad thing given the quality of the original soundtrack, it would have been nice to hear some new music. Visually, the game shares the same style as before, although the one level that's being released over PlayStation Network is rather plain. We hope that there will be some of the icy levels from the PSP released in future, although nothing has been announced as yet.
Speaking of levels, another big change for the PS3 version is in the sheer size of each world. They're now so big that they feature a map, which can be accessed by holding down the square button at any time. Levels are segmented by gates that can be opened by getting a certain number of Loco Roco to them, at which point the gate opens and another part of the level is opened. This large open design means that levels take longer to complete, up to an hour for novices, but it also means that you can play the game in short bursts and come back for frequent visits.
The size of the levels also means that you'll have to control more Loco Roco than before, and you could be juggling up to 200 by the end of the level we saw. You also collect Loco Roco in a new way, and instead of eating radishlike vegetables you have to awaken dormant Loco Roco by sending others to their location. They also appear on branches, and you'll need to use the butterfly and the Sixaxis controller to shake them free. Also, instead of having different-coloured Loco Roco on each level, Cocoreccho! now mixes different groups of Loco Roco in the same level.
The demo that we played of Loco Roco Cocoreccho! was the finished version, as it is being released in two days from the date of writing, on September 20. The final release will include the level that we played, but it's clear that more will be released at a later date over the PlayStation Network. The new control system certainly takes some getting used to, but we're optimistic that it will prove to be just as addictive as the PSP original. The game's release coincides with the Tokyo Game Show, so keep an eye on the PlayStation Network later in the week to find out more.
flOw Expansion Pack Pre-Show (http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/puzzle/flow/news.html?page=1)
TOKYO--flOw remains one of the trippiest games released on the PlayStation 3 so far, with the PS Network game's organic-looking design and simple yet appealing gameplay adding up to an almost hypnotic experience. The game's upcoming expansion pack adds a brand-new creature, a new enemy, and some new foods--in other words, more of the same for fans of the game.
The new creature being introduced into the mix shares the same stripped-back look of previous controllable flOw creatures, and looks like a small circle surrounded by hooked barbs. Pressing down any button on the PS3 controller will cause the barbs to close, momentarily protecting the new creature from any enemies. Releasing the button sends the creature into a spin, which also serves as an attack for any nasties that may be around. The new enemy type being introduced into this expansion acts somewhat like a puffer fish--get too close, and this spherical enemy will puff up spikes all over its body.
Introducing a new character essentially adds a new "campaign" to the game--and considering the original game had six creatures in all, that's about 15 percent more flOw for fans out there. Another important addition that comes with the expansion pack is the ability to now play as two different creatures in multiplayer.
A release date for the flOw expansion pack is yet to be announced. Check back with GameSpot soon for more details.
Let's Get Ready To Rumble! (http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/821/821010p1.html)
Shockaxis is coming, and bigger than ever
Big shocker at today's Electronic Arts pre Tokyo Game Show press event. While playing a demo of Burnout Paradise, we felt something that we never thought we'd feel from a PS3 controller -- shake!
That's right, Burnout Paradise is the first rumble-equipped PS3 game we've ever played. Which made us think at the time, if the game is making the controller shake, the controller must be a new version of the Sixaxis!
In fact, the controller we were using to play the demo looked exactly like a standard Sixaxis, except that it had a sticker on the bottom that said "RUMBLE." It also felt notably heavier than the standard Sixaxis.
We presume this is a prototype of the PlayStation 3's new rumble controller, whatever it's going to be called.
The rumble itself felt around the level of PlayStation 2 rumble. We're not sure just yet if Sony is using any of that next generation technology Immersion has been talking about for the past few months.
A formal announcement is expected tomorrow at Kaz Hirai's keynote address.
As for the rest of the EA event, as well as details from today's Sony and Konami events, check back at IGNPS3 through the night.LittleBigPlanet Hands On (http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/821/821036p1.html)
LittleBigPlanet looks genius, it's creativity has been admired and has already gathered a fanbase. Even a few of Nintendo have said that it's a brilliant idea to let the people get 'Little but Big'
As TGS gets underway for wayfaring businessmen and women of the wider world, tonight Sony graciously held a pre-event hands-on with all the titles to be displayed on the show floor here in Tokyo - and IGN stayed up late to bring you the sweet, sweet candy. Although Killzone 2 was mysteriously absent, LittleBigPlanet (http://uk.ps3.ign.com/objects/856/856680.html) was being shown in all its inoffensive glory. After being one of the few titles to demonstrate the processing and gameplay capabilities of the PS3, this year's Tokyo Game Show has already brought with it a couple of revelations ahead of Sony's press conference.
The first and most game-structure-significant is the Pod. This is the handle being applied to your personal space ship - basically a glorified starting menu screen from which you can access several different modes; Play - pre-designed maps, Friends - your friends list and their creations; Messages - a basic messaging service integrated with your friends list; Creations - the do-it-yourself design mode; and Me - your personal character customisation menu.
'Fluff' is the key to unlocking all sorts of new items and customisation options. Looking a lot like faintly glowing marshmallows, Fluff is scattered in strings of five or more, sometimes hidden behind hard-to-reach areas. Collecting Fluff becomes an essential gameplay mechanic from the get-go. Without some sort of unlocking process, how could new items be unlocked, after all? It's a bit of a worn concept, but by scattering Fluff in strange places around the level, it creates a compelling reason to experiment with the physics.
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Racing! Woo! Just wait until the beta kicks off.
We also played a new level, 'The English Garden'. This was, according to Technical Director Alex Evans, assembled neatly inside of a couple of hours by one of the designers especially for the show. Whether or not it makes it into the final game (and we wager it will, since Evans also mentioned that they're aiming for "a whole bunch" of levels in the final release, The English Garden is a whole lot of fun.
Designed for two players, which is how we played, the level introduces cooperative skateboard racing - a case of both players standing on the starting grid in front of the skateboard deck - and then one player hopping onto it with X while the other player pulls the deck with R1 until it is over the starting ****. In a nut, any player can create a race in their course, creating conditions, jumps, hazards and whatever kinds of twisted opportunities for sick air they want, wrapping it up in a time limit that they think is fair. Then, this race can be competed on with your friends or anyone who downloads your course, competing for points and score-table glory.
The other big revelation is that LittleBigPlanet will feature VoIP and all the characters are actually lip-synched; when you talk, their adorable oversized gobs will babble away, which is always entertaining. This feature wasn't demonstrated, but will apparently feature in the press conference. Beyond this, although Evans was non-commital on a release date, he did mention that there were plans for a slow roll-out of a public beta this year starting, jokingly, with his mother and expanding bit by bit from there. Sign us up, please.
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The customisation continues to expand with the introduction of Fluff and accessories.
Also newly revealed to us was the ability to, in addition to using your own photos as background textures, being able to place 2D objects in the fore-, middle- and background. We were shown all manner of simple accessories, as they've been dubbed, that add just a smidge more to the gameplay, but go a long way towards making your creation look distinct. Flags, posts, bolts of fabric, rolls of cusions, stickers, decals, metal grates and numerous other simple accessories were shown.
It was also revealed that the game's custom levels can be simply and automatically themed to suit your tastes. We saw two different themes, adjusting the basic background texture and object sets to suit - the Japanese Garden looked much as you'd imagine it - pagoda-style stonework, mossy paths, cloudy sky and so on. The Pier theme was all about worn wood plank floors, rusty bolts and old stonework. We're guessing there are another six or so themes built in at least.
On the subject of downloadable content, the team at Media Molecule have already got big plans for all sorts of items, themes and more. They wouldn't go into specifics as yet, but this is clearly the sort of game that would greatly benefit from as much fresh content as possible, as often as feasible.
Apart from all of this, the game is looking and playing as well as it did at E3. We're confident that this is going to be one of the key releases of early 2008, when we expect it to finally ship. Stay tuned for more coverage from the Tokyo Game Show floor in the coming hours and days.Konami Press Conference (http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/820/820995p1.html)
MGS4 looks amazing, without a doubt a defining end to the series. THE VIDEO WILL BE UPLOADED TO IGN OR GAMESPOT WITHEN 24 HOURS
...Beginning the trailer, a woman talks to the camera in a panicked manner. This woman turns out to be Dr. Naomi Hunter. Soldiers are breaking into her office. She is trying to get a message to Snake or Meryl seconds before she is captured.
Meryl and her lieutenant are about to break into another area, a bombed out section of town, in 2x2 cover formation. Shortly after they get in, a mohawked soldier companion gets shot in the arm by odd robotic soldiers enhanced by a suit, attacking with a wild, rolling jump that allows them to descend from the ceiling and move about. The mohawk soldier empties an entire clip into one, and looks to kill it. The others, they disappear.
Meryl pops up, shouting at Snake.
Snake finds a monkey on the floor. The monkey opens a can of beer and drinks it. Odd. Snake has the monkey in his sights, but doesn't shoot, as the monkey goes over to a bearded black man with shock-white hair. He pulls a magic trick, exposing a grenade behind the white hankerchief he was waving. But he doesn't pull the pin. Snake trusts him, and cleans and checks his weapon while in discussion with the guy.
Then, there's a huge battle sequence. Dialog from Meryl describes the PMC soldiers, while an APC busts through walls and smashes through an area. Soldiers stream out of the APC, and Snake leads them while a helicopter flies overhead.
More montage of characters, including many familiar characters from the Metal Gear saga in quick flashes. There's Raiden in his cyber-ninja gear, with the large legged Gekko One walkers behind him ... in one quick shot, it looks like he is throwing up, but why? There's Otacon with his Snatcher-type bot. There's a shot then of an older woman who calls herself "Big Mama" but looks quite familiar to us as somebody who used to be a hell of a lot hotter (hint: it's Eve). And then, there is Liquid (again in Ocelot's body form), and Snake is fighting him ... only this time, Liquid is piloting a Metal Gear Ray! And Snake, he is piloting a Metal Gear Rex! It's MGS1 vs MGS2!
Cut to a title screen: Metal Gear Solid 4.
The first stinger: A strange, quiet scene. Naomi is attending to a curious-looking little girl with a blue flower in her hair. She says that her mama was named Olga.
Another title screen and credits screen.
The next stinger: Snake enters a room and is held up by a nameless soldier. He attacks and disarms the soldier with a masterful display of CQC, taking him out on the ground and pointing the gun at him.
Another title screen.
One last stinger: A soldier goes up to a barrel that's making noise. He checks out the barrel and kicks it, assuming somebody is in it. The barrel rolls away. Instead, behind it, there's a soldier who has his pants down, mid-thigh, cowering and shaking. The scared soldier farts. Yes, farts. The armed soldier now chases the pantsless soldier around the corner.
And finally, the black fellow with white hair (who looks like Benson) and his little monkey pal drink a beer.
The End.
4:46 PM: Kojima is all done. And so is the media conference.
4:44 PM: The new version of MGS Bande Dessine will have voices. The original version didn't. Release TBA.
Next, Metal Gear Solid Mobile, starting with a trailer.
4:43 PM: Metal Gear Solid 1 Bande Dessine is included!
4:41 PM: Next, MGS 2 Bande Dessine (aka Metal Gear Solid digital comic for PSP). Another trailer.
4:39 PM: MGO will be released as the Metal Gear Online Starter Pack, bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4. Next, Portable Ops Plus, which comes out tomorrow. They're showing a new trailer for the game.
4:37 PM: They show Solid Snake do the little rolling barrel attack thing. TGS will have 6 versus 6 multiplayer.
4:36 PM: They show a bunch of combatants in a huge city environment. They connect using the SOP system. Then, switch to a war-torn city environment again. They're illustrating the SOP system, and how you can use it to find enemy positions and keep track of your friends. One scene has a character help another character up a ledge that's two high to get up to on his own. All this is shown cinematically, by the way. But it's all real time.
4:34 PM: Now he's going on to Metal Gear Online. Showing a new trailer.
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/820/820995/KonamiTGS2007Conf_JP4_1190187104-000.jpg (http://uk.media.ps3.ign.com/articles/820/820995/img_4895638.html)
4:26 PM: He's recapping the series and some of the 20th anniversary festivites they've had so far, including the party. First, MGS 4. They're going to show the latest trailer
4:26 PM: The game is going to be in the kids corner at TGS because they want families to play.
Next, Hideo Kojima!
They reminded us not to take pictures or video of the screens.
4:23 PM: Now they're showing a video of a random Japanese family having fun with the game. First, a little boy is playing. Then his sister decides to join. Mom is motioned in. Then, dad decides to join! Somehow, they have four dance pads even though mom and dad are clearly new to the game.
4:21 PM: The game will have a new group circuit mode. Eight dancers. Music from the 80's and on. They're showing a trailer. 10/25/2007 release in Japan.
4:19 PM: This game was already playable at E3.
4:17 PM: First: Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party for the Wii. This is meant to be a Dance Dance game that the whole family can play. "Wii Love Dance" is the catch phrase. Game concepts: 1.) New enjoyment by full body dance through the Wii. 2.) Enjoyment with multiplayer. 3.) Enjoyable fitness.
4:16 PM: New keywords for the bemani series: worldwide, new consoles with new interesting things, network connectivity, and the development of new content. He's saying that the series will be pushed worldwide and come to new systems.
4:14 PM: Next, Bemain Productions Executive Producer Yoshihiko Ota. They're going to introduce one game today. He's explaining the bemani series -- Dance Dance, Guitar Freaks, DrumMania, Pop Music, Beatmania, in case you've lost track.
4:12 PM: Retsu Pure! This is kinda funny -- he's saying that this is the 10th anniversary of the Power Pro series, so this year they're really placing a focus on the baseball part of the game.
4:10 PM: Next, Pawapuro Kun Pocket 10. This is for the DS. Full 3D, with voice commentary. Also supports Wi-Fi for nation-wide competitive play. And supports download play from a single cartrdige for two players.
4:09 PM: Next, MLB Power Pros for the PS2 and Wii. Wait... I think this is just the American version of the last game. It's hitting America on 10/1/2007.
4:07 PM: They've got lots of different spinoffs of the franchises. Now, actual games. 1.) Jikkyou Powerful Major League 21. They're showing the opening trailer for the game. This, of course, is the big headed major league baseball game. For the PS2 and Wii. Both will hit Japan on 10/4.
4:05 PM: Next, Power Pro Productions Kazuhiko Uehara. He will introduce the latest Power Pro lineup. First: Power Pro Productions franchises.
4:04 PM: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 -- that's the name of the mobile game. Mr. Shinji left the stage.
4:02 PM: Next, mobile. Winning Eleven Mobile 2. They talked about this earlier. (I THINK I SAW HIDEO KOJIMA!!!!!!!!!) This game will support horizontal screen, and 3D. Set for release on 11/22.
4:00 PM: Next, World Soccer Winning Eleven Wii (temporary name). A different team is making the game -- not Shingo. First screenshots shown. It looks like Winning Eleven. The game will be released worldwide in Spring 2008.
3:58 PM: He says they're trying to do expressions with soccer that could not be done on past systems. You can take a picture now (a picture with a USB camera) and map it to your player. Coming out in Europe on 10/25/2007, Japan on 11/22/2007, and America in Spring, 2008
3:55 PM: He's talking about sales of the Winning Eleven series, and how they've risen. Wii and PS3 will join the winning eleven family this year. Now he's showing the new logo for the series. First, he'll talk about Wining Eleven 2008 for PS3 and 360. First, a video.
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3:53 PM: Mr. Takahashi leaves the stage. Next, Winning Eleven Productions Executive Producer Shinji Enomoto. Today, they'll explain Winning Eleven for the PS3, 360, Wii and mobile.
3:51 PM: The pachinko game service will start on 10/1/2007, on DoCoMo.
3:48 PM: He suggests that we downlaod some of these games for the long trip to the Tokyo Game Show. Two people laugh. The next direction (remember, there were two) is: simultaneous release/development. He's introducing a mobile pachinko game site. Pachinko Twinbee! HOLY S*** PACHINKO OUENDAN!!! (Actually, this doesn't have anything to do with the Nintendo DS game. Ouendan is just Japanese for cheering squad).
3:46 PM: Next, Quiz Magic Academy Mobile 2. Has eight-player simultaneous, online, competitive quiz battles.
3:45 PM: Next, Tokimeki Memorial 2, which saw release today. This game is 50 megabytes! It's based off the PlayStation original.
3:42 PM: First rich content game: Metal Gear Solid Mobile. This will be released worldwide. Mr. Kojima will be explaining the game shortly. Next, World Soccer Winning Eleven Mobile 2. The first one was 2D, without camera control. This new one has 3D visuals, but still uses just a single button for control.
Next, Mobile Powerful Pro Baseball 5. It will support holding the cell phone horizontally, which he says is spreading due to the release of 1seg. The game will have 3D visuals. Next, Silent Hill The Escape. The game uses the motion technology that uses the camera to detect gestures. It was previously released with the 904i series phones, I believe.
3:38 PM: Katsunori leaves the stage. Next, Online Content Production Executive Producer Kazuya Takahashi comes out to talk about new online games. He's explaining why we should care about cell phone games. Two approaches to cell phone content: 1.) Super Rich Content Development - this involves the release of large scale games for mobile phones. Until now, casual games have been the norm. He's going through the history of how mobile games have advanced through more space. Docomo games back in 2001 had 20KB limit. In 2006, with the 903i series, that was up to 1 megabyte.
3:36 PM: They're showing a video that helps us understand all this stuff about health-based games.
3:35 PM: By the way, all this stuff is for Konami's health-based games.
3:33 PM: Also, one more area -- networking all the time, everywhere.
3:31 PM: They describe the three pillars of Konami's health games: entertainment series, exercise series, and self management series. 1.) Entertainment series: the fun of moving your body -- exercise with a sense of gaming. 2.) Exercise series -- studio programs that Konami uses at its gyms in Japan (Konami runs gyms in Japan) -- this series invovles converting those programs into games. 3.) Self-management series: monitor your body by observing changes -- this seems to refer to measuring calories and body changes and what not.
3:29 PM:Next, Dream Skincare, Dokodemo Yoga and Dokodemo Pilates. These are all non-games for the DS. Pilates is the only new one.
Like the yoga game, Pilates trains you in... whatever Pilates is. 100 pilates lessons just for you! Set for release on 12/20! I will finally be able to pilate!
3:28 PM: He mentioned Silent Hill 5. They're developing the game for the latest hardware, and the game will be released in 2008. They won't be able to give any actual details today. They're going to have a lot of Silent Hill content before the release of Silent Hill 5, though.
3:22 PM: Next, Silent Hill Zero (aka Silent Hill Origins). The game is coming out on PSP in Japan on 12/6, and they're showing a trailer for it.
3:21 PM: When you get the power to change the past, what will you see, what will you select? There's a future to the past.
It doesn't seem like they showed any actual gameplay in the trailer (except for a few still shots), but the game will be playable at TGS.
3:19 PM: The trailer shows the main character getting his pen. The trailer is mostly animated cut-scenes, with high-quality animation. I presume some of this will be used in the actual game...
3:17 PM: The gameplay system works like this: someone changes the past, causing an incident to occur. You speak to people and find out what changed and what needs to be fixed. Then, you use your super magic time pen to fix it.
Now they're going to show us a trailer.
3:13 PM: Now, they're going to introduce the games that are in production. The producers for all the titles are going to speak one at a time. Tanaka has left the stage. Next, Game Contents Production Executive Producer Katsunori Okita is going to introduce the new titles. He's introducing two games. He discusses the game mentioned earlier. He asks: "Have you ever thought 'Oh, I wish I'd done that when I was 17.' "
Time Hollow is set for a 2008 winter release in Japan.
3:11 PM: The keywords for the contents of Konami's games: communication (community, networking), health, and "compatibility:" ensuring that Konami products appeal to people throughout the world.
3:05 PM: The conference is starting now. They're showing fooage recapping the last two presentations -- E3 and the German Games Convetion. And now, Konami Media Conference 2007. Mr. Fumiaki Tanaka, President of Konami, takes the stage. He's providing a general introduction to the event. Originally, Konami's developers were split up all over the place, but in July, they moved everyone into this new building.
3:01 PM: They'll start in a few minutes.
2:56 PM: By the way, there's no filming of gameplay footage today, so don't expect any actual footage. However, we are allowed to film the presentation.
2:48 PM: The conference hasn't started yet, but we've found out about a new DS game called Time Hollow; it's an adventure game directed by Junko Kawano. His previous titles include Rhapsodia, Genso Suikoden IV, and Shadow of Memories. Scenario is by Takehiko Hata, a famous author.
You play as a high school student. The day before your 17th birthday, your dad mentions that he has something important to tell you on the following day. That night, you experience a dream. In that dream, you're a child, you're surrounded by fire, and your parents disappear. You wake up and the world has actually changed so that your parents disappered 12 years ago. You come into posession of a mysterious item called the Hollow Pen. This allows you to open holes into the past and change past events. This is the key to figuring out what happened to make the world suddenly change. The main character's name is Horo Tokio.
Gameplay involves gathering information, fixing problems that happened in the past, and "digging" holes into the past to mend the strange events that have surrounded you.
2:41 PM: A downloadable version of the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer will be available on the 20th at 10:00 am Tokyo time, about 6:00 pm US time.
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2:40 PM: They're playing Metal Gear Solid music in the background -- Snake Eater.
2:38 PM: We're going in now. The event is taking place at Konami's new Tokyo Midtown office. They recently moved over from the nearby Roppongi Hills office, and now they have a full building which houses all their divisions, game and non-game related.
The press is being let in now.
Ratchet and Clank : Tools Of Destruction (http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/821/821041p1.html)
Ratchet and Clank are getting old, but a demo is arriving soon, of their next brilliant adventure.
One of the most anticipated titles for the PS3 this year is the upcoming action title, Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. The latest installment of the Lombax and his diminutive sidekick appears to be one of the best showpieces of what the system can do. The worlds that Ratchet and Clank fight across have never looked so spectacular, with gigantic stages packed with dozens of opponents, tons of destructible objects and lots of explosions. We managed to check out a new build of the game at Sony's Pre-TGS press reception, which appeared to be very close to complete.
One of the first things that we managed to check out was a brand new planet, the swampy world of Cebolia. Unlike the metropolitan stages that we'd seen at previous demos, Cebolia was packed with a ton of dangerous flora and fauna that all wanted to make our two heroes into a mid-day snack. Odd crawling centipede-like aliens spat green goo as the duo approached, while strange blob shaped creatures played possum until Ratchet's back was turned, at which point they jumped from the ground and attacked. Even sections of the stages were hostile, with gigantic swaths of toxic water and steam vents that would fry Ratchet when they went off.
The largest threat on this planet was a different kind of alien: a flying fish that shot what appeared to be electric bolts towards the pair and could only be downed by targeting and weakening sections of its body before the head could be assaulted. Once the fish was destroyed, however, it exploded into a mass of special items such as Rareitanium and Leviathan Souls. Raritanium is a special metal that can be collected and used to upgrade a weapon in a couple of ways, such as increasing the firing rate, the range or its damage upon impact. Leviathan Souls, on the other hand, can be redeemed for a ton of bonus bolts through special traders.
In fact, collecting bolts appears to be a bit easier with the inclusion of these souls and other power-ups, such as the Jackpot Power-Up. Contained in a mystery box (which suggests that there are other kinds of special conditions we weren't able to pin down during the demo), the Jackpot Power-Up increased the number of bolts collected from any activity. This meant whether Ratchet was breaking a box, destroying a lamp post or defeating an opponent, he'd get at least twice the number of bolts for that action. This feature lasted for at least fifteen seconds, and definitely helped push Ratchet towards being able to afford special devices such as the Groove-A-Tron disco ball grenade.
Apparently, Cebolia is also where Ratchet gains his first of many new accessory items. In the middle of the stage, he acquires what's known as the Gelinator, which allows him to project a viscous cube of a Jello-like substance that he can bounce on to reach previously inaccessible areas. By continually shooting the cube with additional gel, Ratchet can grow the cube, allowing it to gain size to help him leap to extremely high ledges and platforms. This item can also be placed in some toxic pools to help him traverse seemingly uncrossable rivers or locations. We'll have more on Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction soon.Secret Agent Clank? (http://uk.psp.ign.com/articles/821/821037p1.html)
Remember Ratchet + Clank : Gladiator, the R without the C? How about the otherway around? PSP Exclusive.
For a long time, much of the attention for Ratchet and Clank has been placed upon their upcoming PS3 title, Tools of Destruction. However, unbeknownst to just about everyone in the press, a secret title featuring the popular duo was in the works. High Impact Games, the makers of Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, started a follow-up project to their popular PSP title soon after the game was released. Using the same engine, the developers started working on a brand new title. But instead of focusing on the Lombax, the title would feature the adventures of Clank in his most beloved alter ego, Secret Agent Clank (http://uk.psp.ign.com/objects/964/964763.html). At Sony's Pre-TGS Press Reception, we managed to get our hands on the debonair little robot.
Set after Size Matters, but before the events of Tools of Destruction, the premise behind Secret Agent Clank surrounds Ratchet as he's framed for a crime that he didn't commit. Unfortunately for the hero, the trial is skewed against him, and all indications point to him being found guilty. To save his friend, Clank dons the tuxedo and equipment of his favorite alter ego, Secret Agent Clank, and investigates who's behind the accusations. Along the way, he learns and acquires new abilities, such as Clank-Fu, which he'll use against his opponents. He'll also gain access to new weapons, such as bow tie boomerangs, cuff link bombs and jet boots.
We noticed how Clank would use these weapons on a stage known as Neon Metropolis, where he had to navigate his way across a rooftop. Of course, the roofs were teeming with ninjas (what other enemy would a secret agent need?), forcing Clank to batter these opponents into submission with his kicks, punches and jumping dive bomb attacks. While he could use his boomerangs to strike these enemies, he'd also need to use these weapons to trigger far away switches that would open up new pathways across the level. Depending on how sneaky Clank could navigate the levels, he could even perform stealth attacks and take out ninjas. Then again, if he needed to make a big splash and take out multiple enemies at once, he could throw down a carnation tangle rose that eats up everything in close proximity.
Not all of the gameplay will be martial action. We noticed that one level, the Artificial History Museum, required Clank to sneak past laser beams and guards to acquire a mysterious gem. However, this was handled in a surprising way: players inputted buttons that scrolled at the bottom of the screen, hitting them as they hit a special marker. As long as a player managed to get the majority of presses right, Clank passed that section and continued along his way. If, on the other hand, he wasn't able to pass these elements in time, he'd get discovered and damaged, forcing him to restart that particular section over again. It was a creative twist to the standard sneaking sections that you'd expect in most action titles.
Clank won't be the only character found within Secret Agent Clank. The Jack of all Trades level featured the hapless Captain Quark as he battled his way against a dangerous gangster known as Jack. Not only did Jack propel bomblets from a backpack, he hurled playing cards with deadly accuracy at the galactic superhero. Fortunately for Quark, he had access to incredibly strong punches as well as his laser pistol. After inflicting enough damage upon Jack, his pistol turned into a vacuum cleaner which could be used to suck up the explosives and thrown cards at Quark. This allowed the hero to turn Jack's weapons against him, saving the galaxy once again.
Secret Agent Clank is scheduled to be released sometime in 2008. We'll have more on the title as soon as it's released.========================================= ================
Xbox 360/ Microsoft
Upcoming XBLA Games (http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6178596.html?tag=result;title;3)
Some new games for Xbox Live, including my 2nd appreciated game of all time - Rez
TOKYO--The Xbox 360 has a reputation within Japan as a console generally favored only by hardcore gamers. Microsoft is apparently embracing this characterization, and is bringing a lineup of new downloadable titles that caters to hardcore tastes.
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/254/rez1775_embed.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/rez1775_screen.jpg%27%29;)
All the trippy fun of Rez, now in HD. (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/rez1775_screen.jpg%27%29;)
At the Xbox 360 Briefing 2007 (http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6178587.html) held today in Tokyo, Takashi Sensui, general manager of Microsoft's Japanese Xbox operation, unveiled six new titles that will be released for Xbox Live Arcade:
Rez HD (Q Entertainment, Winter)
Every Extend Extra Extreme (Q Entertainment, release TBA)
Ikaruga (Treasure, release TBA)
Trigger Heart Exelica (Warashi, release TBA)
Exit (Taito, release TBA)
Omega Five (Hudson, November)
Rez HD is a revamped version of the cult hit shooting game with musical elements that debuted on the Sega Dreamcast in 2001. Aside from graphical enhancements to high-definition, Rez HD also features 5.1 channel surround sound.
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/254/rez3701_embed.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/rez3701_screen.jpg%27%29;)
Rez makes more sense when you're actually playing it. (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/rez3701_screen.jpg%27%29;)
Although Every Extend Extra Extreme is typically classified as a shooter, the player doesn't actually shoot anything. Based on the 2004 Japanese homebrew game Every Extend, the game has players maneuvering a ship around a playfield swarming with enemies before blowing it up in an attempt to trigger the most spectacular chain reactions possible. This is the second time that Q Entertainment has adapted the original PC game; the company also released Every Extend Extra for the PlayStation Portable in 2006.
Treasure's notoriously difficult shoot-'em-up Ikaruga debuted in Japanese arcades in 2001 before appearing on the Dreamcast in that country and finally making it overseas with a GameCube version. Continuing Treasure's experiments with color-based gameplay (see Silhouette Mirage), the player's ship could flip like an Othello piece and change its color to black or white, allowing it to absorb enemy beams of the same color.
Taito's 2005 PlayStation Portable puzzle action game Exit is also headed to Xbox Live Arcade. In the game, the player takes the role of Mr. ESC, whose objective is to help out trapped people and escape from burning buildings within the given time limit.
Not all of the games announced will be familiar to Western audiences. Trigger Heart Exelica is an arcade shooter originally released in 2006 and then ported to the Japanese Dreamcast earlier this year by Warashi. The game features a system where the player can shoot an anchor at enemies, capturing them and using them as a weapon. Finally, Omega Five is a 3D side-scrolling shooter game, and a collaborative project between Hudson Soft and Natsume for release on the Xbox Live Arcade.
Microsoft's Japan Plan (http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6178595.html?tag=result;title;2)
Microsoft has a few tricks up it's sleeve....
TOKYO--At the Xbox 360 Briefing 2007 in Japan today, Takashi Sensui, general manager of Xbox Japan, disclosed Microsoft's upcoming holiday strategy for the retailers and game dealers in attendance.
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/254/xbmeeting1040_embed.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/xbmeeting1040_screen.jpg%27%29;)
Takashi Sensui proudly displays the Xbox Messenger chatpad. (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/xbmeeting1040_screen.jpg%27%29;)
Addressing the current statistics of the Xbox 360, Sensui noted that there are 170 titles available for the console in Japan, including those on Xbox Live Arcade. The library will grow to 250 titles by the end of the year. Sensui emphasized that Microsoft won't be pulling its punches for this shopping season in Japan and is readying a significant lineup of games as well as new hardware.
The major titles for this shopping season are similar to those anticipated elsewhere in the world, including Project Gotham Racing 4, Halo 3, Beautiful Katamari, Ace Combat 6, Viva Pinata: Party Animals, and Lost Odyssey. Microsoft will also be adding new best-selling Xbox 360 games to its discounted Platinum Collection beginning November 1. Tecmo's Dead or Alive 4 and Dead or Alive Xtreme 2, Microsoft Game Studios' Blue Dragon and Gears of War, D3 Publisher's Chikyu Bouei-gun 3 and Onei-chanbara, and Square Enix's Project Sylpheed will be released at 2,940 Yen ($26), while Capcom's Lost Planet: Extreme Condition will be offered at 3,990 Yen ($35). A special bundle featuring Dead Rising and Gears of War will also be available for 5,240 Yen ($46).
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/254/LightBluecopy659_embed.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/LightBluecopy659_screen.jpg%27%29;)
Japan is seeing blue. (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/LightBluecopy659_screen.jpg%27%29;)
Microsoft also plans to release in Japan the same lineup of hardware that's offered in North America. As previously reported (http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6173588.html), Japan will be getting the Xbox 360 Elite bundle and black wireless controller on October 11, with the light blue and pink wireless controllers following on November 1. The Xbox Messenger Kit (http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6175451/index.html), which includes an attachable chatpad and a headset, will also be released in Japan, although no date was announced at today's briefing.
Sensui also revealed the latest figures for the worldwide use of Xbox Live. Microsoft's online service currently has more than 7 million users, and the publisher is aiming to boost that number to 10 million worldwide by the end of June 2008. He also said Xbox Live users have spent a total of 2.9 billion hours online so far, and the approximately 9,000 bits of content have been downloaded more than 220 million times.
The Playable Games At TGS
Get a plane to Tokyo, this is a huge list!
Microsoft has finally announced the official lineup for Xbox 360 at the Tokyo Game Show.
The Microsoft booth will house over 100 playable kiosks. In all, Microsoft states that 82 titles will be shown in either playable or video form.
Here's the full list of 360 games that are planned for the show.
Guilty Gear 2 Overture (playable)
Shikigami no Shiro III (playable)
Apocalypse Desire Next (video-only)
Medal of Honor Airborne (playable)
NBA Live 08 (playable)
Devil May Cry 4 (playable)
Dynasty Warriors 6 (playable)
Bladestorm (playable)
Winning Eleven (playable)
Operation Darkness (playable)
Last Remnant (video-only)
Final Fantasy XI (video-only)
Infinite Undiscovery (video-only)
Phantasy Star Universe Illuminous no Yabou (playable)
Sega Rally (playable)
Zoid Alternative (playable)
Dark Sector (playable)
Ninja Gaiden 2 (live play demonstration)
Ace Combat 6 (playable)
Beautiful Katamari (playable)
Gundam Operation Troy (playable)
Gundam Musou International (video-only)
Smash Court Tennis 3 (playable)
Rainy Woods (video-only)
Soul Calibur IV (video-only)
Lost Odyssey (live play demonstration)
Halo 3 (playable)
Project Gotham Racing 4 (playable)
Kingdom Under Fire (playable)
Viva Pinata Let's Party (playable)
Assassin's Creed (playable)
That's not quite the 82 that Microsoft was promising. It turns out that Microsoft decided to include Xbox Live Arcade games, new and old, in coming up with that figure. While Uno won't make the cut for our precious TGS time, we'll be sure and deliver impressions from Every Extend Extra Extreme, Exit and Ikaruga. Rez HD wasn't listed by Microsoft, so we presume it won't be there.
We'll be on hand at the show starting Thursday morning Japan time. Be sure and check back periodically for updates.The Microsoft TGS has just started, so there will be still daily updates at 8pm
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Nintendo
Nintendo's conferences start on the 21st I believe...
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PC
PC Games are showcased tommorow on the 20th
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Multi-Format
Konami Conference (http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/820/820995p1.html)
Yes I know it was mensioned in PS3, but it also highlighted some multi-platform stuff
4:46 PM: Kojima is all done. And so is the media conference.
4:44 PM: The new version of MGS Bande Dessine will have voices. The original version didn't. Release TBA.
Next, Metal Gear Solid Mobile, starting with a trailer.
4:43 PM: Metal Gear Solid 1 Bande Dessine is included!
4:41 PM: Next, MGS 2 Bande Dessine (aka Metal Gear Solid digital comic for PSP). Another trailer.
4:39 PM: MGO will be released as the Metal Gear Online Starter Pack, bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4. Next, Portable Ops Plus, which comes out tomorrow. They're showing a new trailer for the game.
4:37 PM: They show Solid Snake do the little rolling barrel attack thing. TGS will have 6 versus 6 multiplayer.
4:36 PM: They show a bunch of combatants in a huge city environment. They connect using the SOP system. Then, switch to a war-torn city environment again. They're illustrating the SOP system, and how you can use it to find enemy positions and keep track of your friends. One scene has a character help another character up a ledge that's two high to get up to on his own. All this is shown cinematically, by the way. But it's all real time.
4:34 PM: Now he's going on to Metal Gear Online. Showing a new trailer.
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/820/820995/KonamiTGS2007Conf_JP4_1190187104-000.jpg (http://uk.media.ps3.ign.com/articles/820/820995/img_4895638.html)
4:26 PM: He's recapping the series and some of the 20th anniversary festivites they've had so far, including the party. First, MGS 4. They're going to show the latest trailer
4:26 PM: The game is going to be in the kids corner at TGS because they want families to play.
Next, Hideo Kojima!
They reminded us not to take pictures or video of the screens.
4:23 PM: Now they're showing a video of a random Japanese family having fun with the game. First, a little boy is playing. Then his sister decides to join. Mom is motioned in. Then, dad decides to join! Somehow, they have four dance pads even though mom and dad are clearly new to the game.
4:21 PM: The game will have a new group circuit mode. Eight dancers. Music from the 80's and on. They're showing a trailer. 10/25/2007 release in Japan.
4:19 PM: This game was already playable at E3.
4:17 PM: First: Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party for the Wii. This is meant to be a Dance Dance game that the whole family can play. "Wii Love Dance" is the catch phrase. Game concepts: 1.) New enjoyment by full body dance through the Wii. 2.) Enjoyment with multiplayer. 3.) Enjoyable fitness.
4:16 PM: New keywords for the bemani series: worldwide, new consoles with new interesting things, network connectivity, and the development of new content. He's saying that the series will be pushed worldwide and come to new systems.
4:14 PM: Next, Bemain Productions Executive Producer Yoshihiko Ota. They're going to introduce one game today. He's explaining the bemani series -- Dance Dance, Guitar Freaks, DrumMania, Pop Music, Beatmania, in case you've lost track.
4:12 PM: Retsu Pure! This is kinda funny -- he's saying that this is the 10th anniversary of the Power Pro series, so this year they're really placing a focus on the baseball part of the game.
4:10 PM: Next, Pawapuro Kun Pocket 10. This is for the DS. Full 3D, with voice commentary. Also supports Wi-Fi for nation-wide competitive play. And supports download play from a single cartrdige for two players.
4:09 PM: Next, MLB Power Pros for the PS2 and Wii. Wait... I think this is just the American version of the last game. It's hitting America on 10/1/2007.
4:07 PM: They've got lots of different spinoffs of the franchises. Now, actual games. 1.) Jikkyou Powerful Major League 21. They're showing the opening trailer for the game. This, of course, is the big headed major league baseball game. For the PS2 and Wii. Both will hit Japan on 10/4.
4:05 PM: Next, Power Pro Productions Kazuhiko Uehara. He will introduce the latest Power Pro lineup. First: Power Pro Productions franchises.
4:04 PM: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 -- that's the name of the mobile game. Mr. Shinji left the stage.
4:02 PM: Next, mobile. Winning Eleven Mobile 2. They talked about this earlier. (I THINK I SAW HIDEO KOJIMA!!!!!!!!!) This game will support horizontal screen, and 3D. Set for release on 11/22.
4:00 PM: Next, World Soccer Winning Eleven Wii (temporary name). A different team is making the game -- not Shingo. First screenshots shown. It looks like Winning Eleven. The game will be released worldwide in Spring 2008.
3:58 PM: He says they're trying to do expressions with soccer that could not be done on past systems. You can take a picture now (a picture with a USB camera) and map it to your player. Coming out in Europe on 10/25/2007, Japan on 11/22/2007, and America in Spring, 2008
3:55 PM: He's talking about sales of the Winning Eleven series, and how they've risen. Wii and PS3 will join the winning eleven family this year. Now he's showing the new logo for the series. First, he'll talk about Wining Eleven 2008 for PS3 and 360. First, a video.
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/820/820995/KonamiTGS2007Conf_JP3_1190185159.jpg
3:53 PM: Mr. Takahashi leaves the stage. Next, Winning Eleven Productions Executive Producer Shinji Enomoto. Today, they'll explain Winning Eleven for the PS3, 360, Wii and mobile.
3:51 PM: The pachinko game service will start on 10/1/2007, on DoCoMo.
3:48 PM: He suggests that we downlaod some of these games for the long trip to the Tokyo Game Show. Two people laugh. The next direction (remember, there were two) is: simultaneous release/development. He's introducing a mobile pachinko game site. Pachinko Twinbee! HOLY S*** PACHINKO OUENDAN!!! (Actually, this doesn't have anything to do with the Nintendo DS game. Ouendan is just Japanese for cheering squad).
3:46 PM: Next, Quiz Magic Academy Mobile 2. Has eight-player simultaneous, online, competitive quiz battles.
3:45 PM: Next, Tokimeki Memorial 2, which saw release today. This game is 50 megabytes! It's based off the PlayStation original.
3:42 PM: First rich content game: Metal Gear Solid Mobile. This will be released worldwide. Mr. Kojima will be explaining the game shortly. Next, World Soccer Winning Eleven Mobile 2. The first one was 2D, without camera control. This new one has 3D visuals, but still uses just a single button for control.
Next, Mobile Powerful Pro Baseball 5. It will support holding the cell phone horizontally, which he says is spreading due to the release of 1seg. The game will have 3D visuals. Next, Silent Hill The Escape. The game uses the motion technology that uses the camera to detect gestures. It was previously released with the 904i series phones, I believe.
3:38 PM: Katsunori leaves the stage. Next, Online Content Production Executive Producer Kazuya Takahashi comes out to talk about new online games. He's explaining why we should care about cell phone games. Two approaches to cell phone content: 1.) Super Rich Content Development - this involves the release of large scale games for mobile phones. Until now, casual games have been the norm. He's going through the history of how mobile games have advanced through more space. Docomo games back in 2001 had 20KB limit. In 2006, with the 903i series, that was up to 1 megabyte.
3:36 PM: They're showing a video that helps us understand all this stuff about health-based games.
3:35 PM: By the way, all this stuff is for Konami's health-based games.
3:33 PM: Also, one more area -- networking all the time, everywhere.
3:31 PM: They describe the three pillars of Konami's health games: entertainment series, exercise series, and self management series. 1.) Entertainment series: the fun of moving your body -- exercise with a sense of gaming. 2.) Exercise series -- studio programs that Konami uses at its gyms in Japan (Konami runs gyms in Japan) -- this series invovles converting those programs into games. 3.) Self-management series: monitor your body by observing changes -- this seems to refer to measuring calories and body changes and what not.
3:29 PM:Next, Dream Skincare, Dokodemo Yoga and Dokodemo Pilates. These are all non-games for the DS. Pilates is the only new one.
Like the yoga game, Pilates trains you in... whatever Pilates is. 100 pilates lessons just for you! Set for release on 12/20! I will finally be able to pilate!
3:28 PM: He mentioned Silent Hill 5. They're developing the game for the latest hardware, and the game will be released in 2008. They won't be able to give any actual details today. They're going to have a lot of Silent Hill content before the release of Silent Hill 5, though.
3:22 PM: Next, Silent Hill Zero (aka Silent Hill Origins). The game is coming out on PSP in Japan on 12/6, and they're showing a trailer for it.
3:21 PM: When you get the power to change the past, what will you see, what will you select? There's a future to the past.
It doesn't seem like they showed any actual gameplay in the trailer (except for a few still shots), but the game will be playable at TGS.
3:19 PM: The trailer shows the main character getting his pen. The trailer is mostly animated cut-scenes, with high-quality animation. I presume some of this will be used in the actual game...
3:17 PM: The gameplay system works like this: someone changes the past, causing an incident to occur. You speak to people and find out what changed and what needs to be fixed. Then, you use your super magic time pen to fix it.
Now they're going to show us a trailer.
3:13 PM: Now, they're going to introduce the games that are in production. The producers for all the titles are going to speak one at a time. Tanaka has left the stage. Next, Game Contents Production Executive Producer Katsunori Okita is going to introduce the new titles. He's introducing two games. He discusses the game mentioned earlier. He asks: "Have you ever thought 'Oh, I wish I'd done that when I was 17.' "
Time Hollow is set for a 2008 winter release in Japan.
3:11 PM: The keywords for the contents of Konami's games: communication (community, networking), health, and "compatibility:" ensuring that Konami products appeal to people throughout the world.
3:05 PM: The conference is starting now. They're showing fooage recapping the last two presentations -- E3 and the German Games Convetion. And now, Konami Media Conference 2007. Mr. Fumiaki Tanaka, President of Konami, takes the stage. He's providing a general introduction to the event. Originally, Konami's developers were split up all over the place, but in July, they moved everyone into this new building.
3:01 PM: They'll start in a few minutes.
2:56 PM: By the way, there's no filming of gameplay footage today, so don't expect any actual footage. However, we are allowed to film the presentation.
2:48 PM: The conference hasn't started yet, but we've found out about a new DS game called Time Hollow; it's an adventure game directed by Junko Kawano. His previous titles include Rhapsodia, Genso Suikoden IV, and Shadow of Memories. Scenario is by Takehiko Hata, a famous author.
You play as a high school student. The day before your 17th birthday, your dad mentions that he has something important to tell you on the following day. That night, you experience a dream. In that dream, you're a child, you're surrounded by fire, and your parents disappear. You wake up and the world has actually changed so that your parents disappered 12 years ago. You come into posession of a mysterious item called the Hollow Pen. This allows you to open holes into the past and change past events. This is the key to figuring out what happened to make the world suddenly change. The main character's name is Horo Tokio.
Gameplay involves gathering information, fixing problems that happened in the past, and "digging" holes into the past to mend the strange events that have surrounded you.
2:41 PM: A downloadable version of the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer will be available on the 20th at 10:00 am Tokyo time, about 6:00 pm US time.
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/820/820995/KonamiTGS2007Conf_JP2_1190182405.jpg
2:40 PM: They're playing Metal Gear Solid music in the background -- Snake Eater.
2:38 PM: We're going in now. The event is taking place at Konami's new Tokyo Midtown office. They recently moved over from the nearby Roppongi Hills office, and now they have a full building which houses all their divisions, game and non-game related.
The press is being let in now.
Daily updates on the Tokyo Game Show, each with source, links and quotes.
TGS 07 is September 18 - 21
Sony
Unreal Tournament III PS3 Pre-Show Update (http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/unrealtournament2007/news.html?page=1)
Another reason why I purchased a PS3, Unreal Tournament III will be a timed exclusive, with a 360 version out next year.
TOKYO--Epic veep and all-around spokesman Mark Rein was on hand tonight at Sony's pre-Tokyo Game Show preview event at the company's headquarters to show off a recent build of Unreal Tournament III for the PlayStation 3, and also to talk about the future of the game's development on the platform. Production is indeed proceeding apace, and the game is still roughly on track to be released on the PS3 in November, in accordance with Epic's previous statements--although those guys can always fall back on their favored-developer status and play the "when it's done" card if they need more time.
However, the build we tried seemed quite solid, so we don't anticipate any major delays (in our own infinite game-development wisdom, naturally). Aside from a few texture-loading bugs and other prerelease quibbles, the game was running at a smooth frame rate and was quite playable in standard deathmatch against bots on a couple of the game's rather attractive maps. Rein reiterated the game's minor Sixaxis motion controls, which let you steer the default hoverboard vehicle by tilting the controller. The same controls also let you steer the redeemer supermissile after you launch it. Luckily, you won't be shoehorned into using the Sixaxis for anything you don't want to do.
In all truth, reams have already been written about Unreal Tournament III's enormous amount of gameplay modes, vehicles, weapons, and so on. You know that Epic likes to cram these games full, and Rein told us he's more interested in espousing how similar the PS3 game is to its PC big brother than spending time talking about unique PS3 features (of which there are few). But the most interesting thing to us was the confirmation that mod makers will be able to distribute the mods they make for the PC version to PS3 users as well. (You have to fill up that hard drive somehow.) There won't be any arbitrary limit on what modders can do on the PS3; as long as the mod or level or what-have-you can fit into the PS3's memory, it's pretty much fair game. How you'll actually access and play that sort of user-created content hasn't been announced yet, so look for details to surface soon on that, the release date, and anything else Epic has up its sleeve.
PAIN Pre-Show Update (http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/pain/news.html?page=1)
Pain looks brilliant, stretching ragdoll physics to the edge and with a release of Q1 2008, it's not a long way off...
Back at Sony's San Diego Gamers' Day in May, we saw a new game called Pain that really lived up to its name. The game is all about hurling unfortunate individuals into bustling urban environments, with your score coming from the amount of destruction and pain you cause. The same quaint downtown city level that we saw in May was on display at Sony's pre-TGS preview event tonight, with modes like mime toss (throw a loathsome mime into traffic) and spank the monkey (try to hit every monkey in the level in one go) again available for play.
The biggest changes we noted in this build were the addition of a more fleshed-out character roster and an achievement-like trophy system accessible from the main menu. It looks as if there will be eight characters on offer in the final game, and seven of them had been added to this demo. The character design indicates Pain's unapologetically crass, lowbrow attitude. Since the San Diego build, new characters have been added, such as a squat ninja named Hung Lo. Then there's Ed "T-Bone" Haulstein, who wears a full-body cow suit with a giant, floppy udder. Expect a number of scantily clad and absurdly proportioned young ladies as well, such as the blonde cheerleader bimbo Muffy, as well as Ginger, the nurse with the too-tight uniform. We didn't note any major difference in gameplay between the handful of characters we tried, but there will probably be some differentiation before development wraps up.
As for the trophies, you'll be able to see the ones you've earned from a little gallery linked on the main menu. These seem very reminiscent of the sorts of goals tied to achievements on the Xbox 360, given that they task you with things like racking up 100 "head hits"--presumably getting a character to impact a surface directly on his or her poor noggin--as well as getting a character to fly 5,000 feet in one toss. How your acquisition of trophies may affect the core gameplay is unclear, though they may contribute to unlocking subsequent gameplay content. Then again, they may just be there for bragging rights.
Pain doesn't have a concrete release date, and considering that Sony hasn't elected to show any new levels since the San Diego event, it may be a ways off. We'll let you know when we get firmer details on an expected release date.
Loco Roco Cocoreccho! Hands-On (http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/oiedeyolocorocobooboococoreccho/news.html?page=1)
Loco Roco seems like a brilliant game, I've never played any of the series. But I may download this when it's released on the 20th.
TOKYO--Even a year after release, Loco Roco remains one of the quirkiest, most original games on the PlayStation Portable. Its strength was that it took advantage of the console itself, particularly with the pitch-perfect shoulder button control system. So when it was announced that a PlayStation 3 version was in the works, many assumed that the world-tilting mechanism would transfer to the motion-sensitive Sixaxis controller. However, despite building such a system at the alpha stage, it turns out that the designers have opted for something else entirely. We spent time finding out what when we got a hands-on with Loco Roco Cocoreccho! at a special preview on the eve of the Tokyo Game Show.
As we mentioned, the big change for PS3 Loco Roco is the control system, which has received a complete overhaul. Instead of tilting the world to move the Loco Roco characters around the level, you now control a butterfly (the Cocoreccho of the title). Loco Roco are attracted to the butterfly, so you use your influence to guide them around the levels, solving puzzles and finding secrets along the way. That's not to say that the Cocoreccho is a static guide, though, as you can interact with the Loco Roco and the world, too. Press circle and the Loco Roco will move faster and jump higher, meaning that they can access hidden or difficult to reach areas. The butterfly can also interact with some objects in the world, such as gates, branches, and puzzles, if you physically shake the Sixaxis controller while hovering over them.
As PSP Loco Roco players should have figured out, this interface means that the game is massively different from the previous game. However, those same people should be pleased to hear that the rest of Loco Roco Cocoreccho! is immediately recognisable. The characteristic theme tune has made it over to the PS3 game completely untouched, and while that's no bad thing given the quality of the original soundtrack, it would have been nice to hear some new music. Visually, the game shares the same style as before, although the one level that's being released over PlayStation Network is rather plain. We hope that there will be some of the icy levels from the PSP released in future, although nothing has been announced as yet.
Speaking of levels, another big change for the PS3 version is in the sheer size of each world. They're now so big that they feature a map, which can be accessed by holding down the square button at any time. Levels are segmented by gates that can be opened by getting a certain number of Loco Roco to them, at which point the gate opens and another part of the level is opened. This large open design means that levels take longer to complete, up to an hour for novices, but it also means that you can play the game in short bursts and come back for frequent visits.
The size of the levels also means that you'll have to control more Loco Roco than before, and you could be juggling up to 200 by the end of the level we saw. You also collect Loco Roco in a new way, and instead of eating radishlike vegetables you have to awaken dormant Loco Roco by sending others to their location. They also appear on branches, and you'll need to use the butterfly and the Sixaxis controller to shake them free. Also, instead of having different-coloured Loco Roco on each level, Cocoreccho! now mixes different groups of Loco Roco in the same level.
The demo that we played of Loco Roco Cocoreccho! was the finished version, as it is being released in two days from the date of writing, on September 20. The final release will include the level that we played, but it's clear that more will be released at a later date over the PlayStation Network. The new control system certainly takes some getting used to, but we're optimistic that it will prove to be just as addictive as the PSP original. The game's release coincides with the Tokyo Game Show, so keep an eye on the PlayStation Network later in the week to find out more.
flOw Expansion Pack Pre-Show (http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/puzzle/flow/news.html?page=1)
TOKYO--flOw remains one of the trippiest games released on the PlayStation 3 so far, with the PS Network game's organic-looking design and simple yet appealing gameplay adding up to an almost hypnotic experience. The game's upcoming expansion pack adds a brand-new creature, a new enemy, and some new foods--in other words, more of the same for fans of the game.
The new creature being introduced into the mix shares the same stripped-back look of previous controllable flOw creatures, and looks like a small circle surrounded by hooked barbs. Pressing down any button on the PS3 controller will cause the barbs to close, momentarily protecting the new creature from any enemies. Releasing the button sends the creature into a spin, which also serves as an attack for any nasties that may be around. The new enemy type being introduced into this expansion acts somewhat like a puffer fish--get too close, and this spherical enemy will puff up spikes all over its body.
Introducing a new character essentially adds a new "campaign" to the game--and considering the original game had six creatures in all, that's about 15 percent more flOw for fans out there. Another important addition that comes with the expansion pack is the ability to now play as two different creatures in multiplayer.
A release date for the flOw expansion pack is yet to be announced. Check back with GameSpot soon for more details.
Let's Get Ready To Rumble! (http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/821/821010p1.html)
Shockaxis is coming, and bigger than ever
Big shocker at today's Electronic Arts pre Tokyo Game Show press event. While playing a demo of Burnout Paradise, we felt something that we never thought we'd feel from a PS3 controller -- shake!
That's right, Burnout Paradise is the first rumble-equipped PS3 game we've ever played. Which made us think at the time, if the game is making the controller shake, the controller must be a new version of the Sixaxis!
In fact, the controller we were using to play the demo looked exactly like a standard Sixaxis, except that it had a sticker on the bottom that said "RUMBLE." It also felt notably heavier than the standard Sixaxis.
We presume this is a prototype of the PlayStation 3's new rumble controller, whatever it's going to be called.
The rumble itself felt around the level of PlayStation 2 rumble. We're not sure just yet if Sony is using any of that next generation technology Immersion has been talking about for the past few months.
A formal announcement is expected tomorrow at Kaz Hirai's keynote address.
As for the rest of the EA event, as well as details from today's Sony and Konami events, check back at IGNPS3 through the night.LittleBigPlanet Hands On (http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/821/821036p1.html)
LittleBigPlanet looks genius, it's creativity has been admired and has already gathered a fanbase. Even a few of Nintendo have said that it's a brilliant idea to let the people get 'Little but Big'
As TGS gets underway for wayfaring businessmen and women of the wider world, tonight Sony graciously held a pre-event hands-on with all the titles to be displayed on the show floor here in Tokyo - and IGN stayed up late to bring you the sweet, sweet candy. Although Killzone 2 was mysteriously absent, LittleBigPlanet (http://uk.ps3.ign.com/objects/856/856680.html) was being shown in all its inoffensive glory. After being one of the few titles to demonstrate the processing and gameplay capabilities of the PS3, this year's Tokyo Game Show has already brought with it a couple of revelations ahead of Sony's press conference.
The first and most game-structure-significant is the Pod. This is the handle being applied to your personal space ship - basically a glorified starting menu screen from which you can access several different modes; Play - pre-designed maps, Friends - your friends list and their creations; Messages - a basic messaging service integrated with your friends list; Creations - the do-it-yourself design mode; and Me - your personal character customisation menu.
'Fluff' is the key to unlocking all sorts of new items and customisation options. Looking a lot like faintly glowing marshmallows, Fluff is scattered in strings of five or more, sometimes hidden behind hard-to-reach areas. Collecting Fluff becomes an essential gameplay mechanic from the get-go. Without some sort of unlocking process, how could new items be unlocked, after all? It's a bit of a worn concept, but by scattering Fluff in strange places around the level, it creates a compelling reason to experiment with the physics.
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Racing! Woo! Just wait until the beta kicks off.
We also played a new level, 'The English Garden'. This was, according to Technical Director Alex Evans, assembled neatly inside of a couple of hours by one of the designers especially for the show. Whether or not it makes it into the final game (and we wager it will, since Evans also mentioned that they're aiming for "a whole bunch" of levels in the final release, The English Garden is a whole lot of fun.
Designed for two players, which is how we played, the level introduces cooperative skateboard racing - a case of both players standing on the starting grid in front of the skateboard deck - and then one player hopping onto it with X while the other player pulls the deck with R1 until it is over the starting ****. In a nut, any player can create a race in their course, creating conditions, jumps, hazards and whatever kinds of twisted opportunities for sick air they want, wrapping it up in a time limit that they think is fair. Then, this race can be competed on with your friends or anyone who downloads your course, competing for points and score-table glory.
The other big revelation is that LittleBigPlanet will feature VoIP and all the characters are actually lip-synched; when you talk, their adorable oversized gobs will babble away, which is always entertaining. This feature wasn't demonstrated, but will apparently feature in the press conference. Beyond this, although Evans was non-commital on a release date, he did mention that there were plans for a slow roll-out of a public beta this year starting, jokingly, with his mother and expanding bit by bit from there. Sign us up, please.
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The customisation continues to expand with the introduction of Fluff and accessories.
Also newly revealed to us was the ability to, in addition to using your own photos as background textures, being able to place 2D objects in the fore-, middle- and background. We were shown all manner of simple accessories, as they've been dubbed, that add just a smidge more to the gameplay, but go a long way towards making your creation look distinct. Flags, posts, bolts of fabric, rolls of cusions, stickers, decals, metal grates and numerous other simple accessories were shown.
It was also revealed that the game's custom levels can be simply and automatically themed to suit your tastes. We saw two different themes, adjusting the basic background texture and object sets to suit - the Japanese Garden looked much as you'd imagine it - pagoda-style stonework, mossy paths, cloudy sky and so on. The Pier theme was all about worn wood plank floors, rusty bolts and old stonework. We're guessing there are another six or so themes built in at least.
On the subject of downloadable content, the team at Media Molecule have already got big plans for all sorts of items, themes and more. They wouldn't go into specifics as yet, but this is clearly the sort of game that would greatly benefit from as much fresh content as possible, as often as feasible.
Apart from all of this, the game is looking and playing as well as it did at E3. We're confident that this is going to be one of the key releases of early 2008, when we expect it to finally ship. Stay tuned for more coverage from the Tokyo Game Show floor in the coming hours and days.Konami Press Conference (http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/820/820995p1.html)
MGS4 looks amazing, without a doubt a defining end to the series. THE VIDEO WILL BE UPLOADED TO IGN OR GAMESPOT WITHEN 24 HOURS
...Beginning the trailer, a woman talks to the camera in a panicked manner. This woman turns out to be Dr. Naomi Hunter. Soldiers are breaking into her office. She is trying to get a message to Snake or Meryl seconds before she is captured.
Meryl and her lieutenant are about to break into another area, a bombed out section of town, in 2x2 cover formation. Shortly after they get in, a mohawked soldier companion gets shot in the arm by odd robotic soldiers enhanced by a suit, attacking with a wild, rolling jump that allows them to descend from the ceiling and move about. The mohawk soldier empties an entire clip into one, and looks to kill it. The others, they disappear.
Meryl pops up, shouting at Snake.
Snake finds a monkey on the floor. The monkey opens a can of beer and drinks it. Odd. Snake has the monkey in his sights, but doesn't shoot, as the monkey goes over to a bearded black man with shock-white hair. He pulls a magic trick, exposing a grenade behind the white hankerchief he was waving. But he doesn't pull the pin. Snake trusts him, and cleans and checks his weapon while in discussion with the guy.
Then, there's a huge battle sequence. Dialog from Meryl describes the PMC soldiers, while an APC busts through walls and smashes through an area. Soldiers stream out of the APC, and Snake leads them while a helicopter flies overhead.
More montage of characters, including many familiar characters from the Metal Gear saga in quick flashes. There's Raiden in his cyber-ninja gear, with the large legged Gekko One walkers behind him ... in one quick shot, it looks like he is throwing up, but why? There's Otacon with his Snatcher-type bot. There's a shot then of an older woman who calls herself "Big Mama" but looks quite familiar to us as somebody who used to be a hell of a lot hotter (hint: it's Eve). And then, there is Liquid (again in Ocelot's body form), and Snake is fighting him ... only this time, Liquid is piloting a Metal Gear Ray! And Snake, he is piloting a Metal Gear Rex! It's MGS1 vs MGS2!
Cut to a title screen: Metal Gear Solid 4.
The first stinger: A strange, quiet scene. Naomi is attending to a curious-looking little girl with a blue flower in her hair. She says that her mama was named Olga.
Another title screen and credits screen.
The next stinger: Snake enters a room and is held up by a nameless soldier. He attacks and disarms the soldier with a masterful display of CQC, taking him out on the ground and pointing the gun at him.
Another title screen.
One last stinger: A soldier goes up to a barrel that's making noise. He checks out the barrel and kicks it, assuming somebody is in it. The barrel rolls away. Instead, behind it, there's a soldier who has his pants down, mid-thigh, cowering and shaking. The scared soldier farts. Yes, farts. The armed soldier now chases the pantsless soldier around the corner.
And finally, the black fellow with white hair (who looks like Benson) and his little monkey pal drink a beer.
The End.
4:46 PM: Kojima is all done. And so is the media conference.
4:44 PM: The new version of MGS Bande Dessine will have voices. The original version didn't. Release TBA.
Next, Metal Gear Solid Mobile, starting with a trailer.
4:43 PM: Metal Gear Solid 1 Bande Dessine is included!
4:41 PM: Next, MGS 2 Bande Dessine (aka Metal Gear Solid digital comic for PSP). Another trailer.
4:39 PM: MGO will be released as the Metal Gear Online Starter Pack, bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4. Next, Portable Ops Plus, which comes out tomorrow. They're showing a new trailer for the game.
4:37 PM: They show Solid Snake do the little rolling barrel attack thing. TGS will have 6 versus 6 multiplayer.
4:36 PM: They show a bunch of combatants in a huge city environment. They connect using the SOP system. Then, switch to a war-torn city environment again. They're illustrating the SOP system, and how you can use it to find enemy positions and keep track of your friends. One scene has a character help another character up a ledge that's two high to get up to on his own. All this is shown cinematically, by the way. But it's all real time.
4:34 PM: Now he's going on to Metal Gear Online. Showing a new trailer.
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/820/820995/KonamiTGS2007Conf_JP4_1190187104-000.jpg (http://uk.media.ps3.ign.com/articles/820/820995/img_4895638.html)
4:26 PM: He's recapping the series and some of the 20th anniversary festivites they've had so far, including the party. First, MGS 4. They're going to show the latest trailer
4:26 PM: The game is going to be in the kids corner at TGS because they want families to play.
Next, Hideo Kojima!
They reminded us not to take pictures or video of the screens.
4:23 PM: Now they're showing a video of a random Japanese family having fun with the game. First, a little boy is playing. Then his sister decides to join. Mom is motioned in. Then, dad decides to join! Somehow, they have four dance pads even though mom and dad are clearly new to the game.
4:21 PM: The game will have a new group circuit mode. Eight dancers. Music from the 80's and on. They're showing a trailer. 10/25/2007 release in Japan.
4:19 PM: This game was already playable at E3.
4:17 PM: First: Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party for the Wii. This is meant to be a Dance Dance game that the whole family can play. "Wii Love Dance" is the catch phrase. Game concepts: 1.) New enjoyment by full body dance through the Wii. 2.) Enjoyment with multiplayer. 3.) Enjoyable fitness.
4:16 PM: New keywords for the bemani series: worldwide, new consoles with new interesting things, network connectivity, and the development of new content. He's saying that the series will be pushed worldwide and come to new systems.
4:14 PM: Next, Bemain Productions Executive Producer Yoshihiko Ota. They're going to introduce one game today. He's explaining the bemani series -- Dance Dance, Guitar Freaks, DrumMania, Pop Music, Beatmania, in case you've lost track.
4:12 PM: Retsu Pure! This is kinda funny -- he's saying that this is the 10th anniversary of the Power Pro series, so this year they're really placing a focus on the baseball part of the game.
4:10 PM: Next, Pawapuro Kun Pocket 10. This is for the DS. Full 3D, with voice commentary. Also supports Wi-Fi for nation-wide competitive play. And supports download play from a single cartrdige for two players.
4:09 PM: Next, MLB Power Pros for the PS2 and Wii. Wait... I think this is just the American version of the last game. It's hitting America on 10/1/2007.
4:07 PM: They've got lots of different spinoffs of the franchises. Now, actual games. 1.) Jikkyou Powerful Major League 21. They're showing the opening trailer for the game. This, of course, is the big headed major league baseball game. For the PS2 and Wii. Both will hit Japan on 10/4.
4:05 PM: Next, Power Pro Productions Kazuhiko Uehara. He will introduce the latest Power Pro lineup. First: Power Pro Productions franchises.
4:04 PM: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 -- that's the name of the mobile game. Mr. Shinji left the stage.
4:02 PM: Next, mobile. Winning Eleven Mobile 2. They talked about this earlier. (I THINK I SAW HIDEO KOJIMA!!!!!!!!!) This game will support horizontal screen, and 3D. Set for release on 11/22.
4:00 PM: Next, World Soccer Winning Eleven Wii (temporary name). A different team is making the game -- not Shingo. First screenshots shown. It looks like Winning Eleven. The game will be released worldwide in Spring 2008.
3:58 PM: He says they're trying to do expressions with soccer that could not be done on past systems. You can take a picture now (a picture with a USB camera) and map it to your player. Coming out in Europe on 10/25/2007, Japan on 11/22/2007, and America in Spring, 2008
3:55 PM: He's talking about sales of the Winning Eleven series, and how they've risen. Wii and PS3 will join the winning eleven family this year. Now he's showing the new logo for the series. First, he'll talk about Wining Eleven 2008 for PS3 and 360. First, a video.
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3:53 PM: Mr. Takahashi leaves the stage. Next, Winning Eleven Productions Executive Producer Shinji Enomoto. Today, they'll explain Winning Eleven for the PS3, 360, Wii and mobile.
3:51 PM: The pachinko game service will start on 10/1/2007, on DoCoMo.
3:48 PM: He suggests that we downlaod some of these games for the long trip to the Tokyo Game Show. Two people laugh. The next direction (remember, there were two) is: simultaneous release/development. He's introducing a mobile pachinko game site. Pachinko Twinbee! HOLY S*** PACHINKO OUENDAN!!! (Actually, this doesn't have anything to do with the Nintendo DS game. Ouendan is just Japanese for cheering squad).
3:46 PM: Next, Quiz Magic Academy Mobile 2. Has eight-player simultaneous, online, competitive quiz battles.
3:45 PM: Next, Tokimeki Memorial 2, which saw release today. This game is 50 megabytes! It's based off the PlayStation original.
3:42 PM: First rich content game: Metal Gear Solid Mobile. This will be released worldwide. Mr. Kojima will be explaining the game shortly. Next, World Soccer Winning Eleven Mobile 2. The first one was 2D, without camera control. This new one has 3D visuals, but still uses just a single button for control.
Next, Mobile Powerful Pro Baseball 5. It will support holding the cell phone horizontally, which he says is spreading due to the release of 1seg. The game will have 3D visuals. Next, Silent Hill The Escape. The game uses the motion technology that uses the camera to detect gestures. It was previously released with the 904i series phones, I believe.
3:38 PM: Katsunori leaves the stage. Next, Online Content Production Executive Producer Kazuya Takahashi comes out to talk about new online games. He's explaining why we should care about cell phone games. Two approaches to cell phone content: 1.) Super Rich Content Development - this involves the release of large scale games for mobile phones. Until now, casual games have been the norm. He's going through the history of how mobile games have advanced through more space. Docomo games back in 2001 had 20KB limit. In 2006, with the 903i series, that was up to 1 megabyte.
3:36 PM: They're showing a video that helps us understand all this stuff about health-based games.
3:35 PM: By the way, all this stuff is for Konami's health-based games.
3:33 PM: Also, one more area -- networking all the time, everywhere.
3:31 PM: They describe the three pillars of Konami's health games: entertainment series, exercise series, and self management series. 1.) Entertainment series: the fun of moving your body -- exercise with a sense of gaming. 2.) Exercise series -- studio programs that Konami uses at its gyms in Japan (Konami runs gyms in Japan) -- this series invovles converting those programs into games. 3.) Self-management series: monitor your body by observing changes -- this seems to refer to measuring calories and body changes and what not.
3:29 PM:Next, Dream Skincare, Dokodemo Yoga and Dokodemo Pilates. These are all non-games for the DS. Pilates is the only new one.
Like the yoga game, Pilates trains you in... whatever Pilates is. 100 pilates lessons just for you! Set for release on 12/20! I will finally be able to pilate!
3:28 PM: He mentioned Silent Hill 5. They're developing the game for the latest hardware, and the game will be released in 2008. They won't be able to give any actual details today. They're going to have a lot of Silent Hill content before the release of Silent Hill 5, though.
3:22 PM: Next, Silent Hill Zero (aka Silent Hill Origins). The game is coming out on PSP in Japan on 12/6, and they're showing a trailer for it.
3:21 PM: When you get the power to change the past, what will you see, what will you select? There's a future to the past.
It doesn't seem like they showed any actual gameplay in the trailer (except for a few still shots), but the game will be playable at TGS.
3:19 PM: The trailer shows the main character getting his pen. The trailer is mostly animated cut-scenes, with high-quality animation. I presume some of this will be used in the actual game...
3:17 PM: The gameplay system works like this: someone changes the past, causing an incident to occur. You speak to people and find out what changed and what needs to be fixed. Then, you use your super magic time pen to fix it.
Now they're going to show us a trailer.
3:13 PM: Now, they're going to introduce the games that are in production. The producers for all the titles are going to speak one at a time. Tanaka has left the stage. Next, Game Contents Production Executive Producer Katsunori Okita is going to introduce the new titles. He's introducing two games. He discusses the game mentioned earlier. He asks: "Have you ever thought 'Oh, I wish I'd done that when I was 17.' "
Time Hollow is set for a 2008 winter release in Japan.
3:11 PM: The keywords for the contents of Konami's games: communication (community, networking), health, and "compatibility:" ensuring that Konami products appeal to people throughout the world.
3:05 PM: The conference is starting now. They're showing fooage recapping the last two presentations -- E3 and the German Games Convetion. And now, Konami Media Conference 2007. Mr. Fumiaki Tanaka, President of Konami, takes the stage. He's providing a general introduction to the event. Originally, Konami's developers were split up all over the place, but in July, they moved everyone into this new building.
3:01 PM: They'll start in a few minutes.
2:56 PM: By the way, there's no filming of gameplay footage today, so don't expect any actual footage. However, we are allowed to film the presentation.
2:48 PM: The conference hasn't started yet, but we've found out about a new DS game called Time Hollow; it's an adventure game directed by Junko Kawano. His previous titles include Rhapsodia, Genso Suikoden IV, and Shadow of Memories. Scenario is by Takehiko Hata, a famous author.
You play as a high school student. The day before your 17th birthday, your dad mentions that he has something important to tell you on the following day. That night, you experience a dream. In that dream, you're a child, you're surrounded by fire, and your parents disappear. You wake up and the world has actually changed so that your parents disappered 12 years ago. You come into posession of a mysterious item called the Hollow Pen. This allows you to open holes into the past and change past events. This is the key to figuring out what happened to make the world suddenly change. The main character's name is Horo Tokio.
Gameplay involves gathering information, fixing problems that happened in the past, and "digging" holes into the past to mend the strange events that have surrounded you.
2:41 PM: A downloadable version of the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer will be available on the 20th at 10:00 am Tokyo time, about 6:00 pm US time.
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2:40 PM: They're playing Metal Gear Solid music in the background -- Snake Eater.
2:38 PM: We're going in now. The event is taking place at Konami's new Tokyo Midtown office. They recently moved over from the nearby Roppongi Hills office, and now they have a full building which houses all their divisions, game and non-game related.
The press is being let in now.
Ratchet and Clank : Tools Of Destruction (http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/821/821041p1.html)
Ratchet and Clank are getting old, but a demo is arriving soon, of their next brilliant adventure.
One of the most anticipated titles for the PS3 this year is the upcoming action title, Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. The latest installment of the Lombax and his diminutive sidekick appears to be one of the best showpieces of what the system can do. The worlds that Ratchet and Clank fight across have never looked so spectacular, with gigantic stages packed with dozens of opponents, tons of destructible objects and lots of explosions. We managed to check out a new build of the game at Sony's Pre-TGS press reception, which appeared to be very close to complete.
One of the first things that we managed to check out was a brand new planet, the swampy world of Cebolia. Unlike the metropolitan stages that we'd seen at previous demos, Cebolia was packed with a ton of dangerous flora and fauna that all wanted to make our two heroes into a mid-day snack. Odd crawling centipede-like aliens spat green goo as the duo approached, while strange blob shaped creatures played possum until Ratchet's back was turned, at which point they jumped from the ground and attacked. Even sections of the stages were hostile, with gigantic swaths of toxic water and steam vents that would fry Ratchet when they went off.
The largest threat on this planet was a different kind of alien: a flying fish that shot what appeared to be electric bolts towards the pair and could only be downed by targeting and weakening sections of its body before the head could be assaulted. Once the fish was destroyed, however, it exploded into a mass of special items such as Rareitanium and Leviathan Souls. Raritanium is a special metal that can be collected and used to upgrade a weapon in a couple of ways, such as increasing the firing rate, the range or its damage upon impact. Leviathan Souls, on the other hand, can be redeemed for a ton of bonus bolts through special traders.
In fact, collecting bolts appears to be a bit easier with the inclusion of these souls and other power-ups, such as the Jackpot Power-Up. Contained in a mystery box (which suggests that there are other kinds of special conditions we weren't able to pin down during the demo), the Jackpot Power-Up increased the number of bolts collected from any activity. This meant whether Ratchet was breaking a box, destroying a lamp post or defeating an opponent, he'd get at least twice the number of bolts for that action. This feature lasted for at least fifteen seconds, and definitely helped push Ratchet towards being able to afford special devices such as the Groove-A-Tron disco ball grenade.
Apparently, Cebolia is also where Ratchet gains his first of many new accessory items. In the middle of the stage, he acquires what's known as the Gelinator, which allows him to project a viscous cube of a Jello-like substance that he can bounce on to reach previously inaccessible areas. By continually shooting the cube with additional gel, Ratchet can grow the cube, allowing it to gain size to help him leap to extremely high ledges and platforms. This item can also be placed in some toxic pools to help him traverse seemingly uncrossable rivers or locations. We'll have more on Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction soon.Secret Agent Clank? (http://uk.psp.ign.com/articles/821/821037p1.html)
Remember Ratchet + Clank : Gladiator, the R without the C? How about the otherway around? PSP Exclusive.
For a long time, much of the attention for Ratchet and Clank has been placed upon their upcoming PS3 title, Tools of Destruction. However, unbeknownst to just about everyone in the press, a secret title featuring the popular duo was in the works. High Impact Games, the makers of Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, started a follow-up project to their popular PSP title soon after the game was released. Using the same engine, the developers started working on a brand new title. But instead of focusing on the Lombax, the title would feature the adventures of Clank in his most beloved alter ego, Secret Agent Clank (http://uk.psp.ign.com/objects/964/964763.html). At Sony's Pre-TGS Press Reception, we managed to get our hands on the debonair little robot.
Set after Size Matters, but before the events of Tools of Destruction, the premise behind Secret Agent Clank surrounds Ratchet as he's framed for a crime that he didn't commit. Unfortunately for the hero, the trial is skewed against him, and all indications point to him being found guilty. To save his friend, Clank dons the tuxedo and equipment of his favorite alter ego, Secret Agent Clank, and investigates who's behind the accusations. Along the way, he learns and acquires new abilities, such as Clank-Fu, which he'll use against his opponents. He'll also gain access to new weapons, such as bow tie boomerangs, cuff link bombs and jet boots.
We noticed how Clank would use these weapons on a stage known as Neon Metropolis, where he had to navigate his way across a rooftop. Of course, the roofs were teeming with ninjas (what other enemy would a secret agent need?), forcing Clank to batter these opponents into submission with his kicks, punches and jumping dive bomb attacks. While he could use his boomerangs to strike these enemies, he'd also need to use these weapons to trigger far away switches that would open up new pathways across the level. Depending on how sneaky Clank could navigate the levels, he could even perform stealth attacks and take out ninjas. Then again, if he needed to make a big splash and take out multiple enemies at once, he could throw down a carnation tangle rose that eats up everything in close proximity.
Not all of the gameplay will be martial action. We noticed that one level, the Artificial History Museum, required Clank to sneak past laser beams and guards to acquire a mysterious gem. However, this was handled in a surprising way: players inputted buttons that scrolled at the bottom of the screen, hitting them as they hit a special marker. As long as a player managed to get the majority of presses right, Clank passed that section and continued along his way. If, on the other hand, he wasn't able to pass these elements in time, he'd get discovered and damaged, forcing him to restart that particular section over again. It was a creative twist to the standard sneaking sections that you'd expect in most action titles.
Clank won't be the only character found within Secret Agent Clank. The Jack of all Trades level featured the hapless Captain Quark as he battled his way against a dangerous gangster known as Jack. Not only did Jack propel bomblets from a backpack, he hurled playing cards with deadly accuracy at the galactic superhero. Fortunately for Quark, he had access to incredibly strong punches as well as his laser pistol. After inflicting enough damage upon Jack, his pistol turned into a vacuum cleaner which could be used to suck up the explosives and thrown cards at Quark. This allowed the hero to turn Jack's weapons against him, saving the galaxy once again.
Secret Agent Clank is scheduled to be released sometime in 2008. We'll have more on the title as soon as it's released.========================================= ================
Xbox 360/ Microsoft
Upcoming XBLA Games (http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6178596.html?tag=result;title;3)
Some new games for Xbox Live, including my 2nd appreciated game of all time - Rez
TOKYO--The Xbox 360 has a reputation within Japan as a console generally favored only by hardcore gamers. Microsoft is apparently embracing this characterization, and is bringing a lineup of new downloadable titles that caters to hardcore tastes.
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/254/rez1775_embed.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/rez1775_screen.jpg%27%29;)
All the trippy fun of Rez, now in HD. (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/rez1775_screen.jpg%27%29;)
At the Xbox 360 Briefing 2007 (http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6178587.html) held today in Tokyo, Takashi Sensui, general manager of Microsoft's Japanese Xbox operation, unveiled six new titles that will be released for Xbox Live Arcade:
Rez HD (Q Entertainment, Winter)
Every Extend Extra Extreme (Q Entertainment, release TBA)
Ikaruga (Treasure, release TBA)
Trigger Heart Exelica (Warashi, release TBA)
Exit (Taito, release TBA)
Omega Five (Hudson, November)
Rez HD is a revamped version of the cult hit shooting game with musical elements that debuted on the Sega Dreamcast in 2001. Aside from graphical enhancements to high-definition, Rez HD also features 5.1 channel surround sound.
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/254/rez3701_embed.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/rez3701_screen.jpg%27%29;)
Rez makes more sense when you're actually playing it. (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/rez3701_screen.jpg%27%29;)
Although Every Extend Extra Extreme is typically classified as a shooter, the player doesn't actually shoot anything. Based on the 2004 Japanese homebrew game Every Extend, the game has players maneuvering a ship around a playfield swarming with enemies before blowing it up in an attempt to trigger the most spectacular chain reactions possible. This is the second time that Q Entertainment has adapted the original PC game; the company also released Every Extend Extra for the PlayStation Portable in 2006.
Treasure's notoriously difficult shoot-'em-up Ikaruga debuted in Japanese arcades in 2001 before appearing on the Dreamcast in that country and finally making it overseas with a GameCube version. Continuing Treasure's experiments with color-based gameplay (see Silhouette Mirage), the player's ship could flip like an Othello piece and change its color to black or white, allowing it to absorb enemy beams of the same color.
Taito's 2005 PlayStation Portable puzzle action game Exit is also headed to Xbox Live Arcade. In the game, the player takes the role of Mr. ESC, whose objective is to help out trapped people and escape from burning buildings within the given time limit.
Not all of the games announced will be familiar to Western audiences. Trigger Heart Exelica is an arcade shooter originally released in 2006 and then ported to the Japanese Dreamcast earlier this year by Warashi. The game features a system where the player can shoot an anchor at enemies, capturing them and using them as a weapon. Finally, Omega Five is a 3D side-scrolling shooter game, and a collaborative project between Hudson Soft and Natsume for release on the Xbox Live Arcade.
Microsoft's Japan Plan (http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6178595.html?tag=result;title;2)
Microsoft has a few tricks up it's sleeve....
TOKYO--At the Xbox 360 Briefing 2007 in Japan today, Takashi Sensui, general manager of Xbox Japan, disclosed Microsoft's upcoming holiday strategy for the retailers and game dealers in attendance.
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/254/xbmeeting1040_embed.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/xbmeeting1040_screen.jpg%27%29;)
Takashi Sensui proudly displays the Xbox Messenger chatpad. (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/xbmeeting1040_screen.jpg%27%29;)
Addressing the current statistics of the Xbox 360, Sensui noted that there are 170 titles available for the console in Japan, including those on Xbox Live Arcade. The library will grow to 250 titles by the end of the year. Sensui emphasized that Microsoft won't be pulling its punches for this shopping season in Japan and is readying a significant lineup of games as well as new hardware.
The major titles for this shopping season are similar to those anticipated elsewhere in the world, including Project Gotham Racing 4, Halo 3, Beautiful Katamari, Ace Combat 6, Viva Pinata: Party Animals, and Lost Odyssey. Microsoft will also be adding new best-selling Xbox 360 games to its discounted Platinum Collection beginning November 1. Tecmo's Dead or Alive 4 and Dead or Alive Xtreme 2, Microsoft Game Studios' Blue Dragon and Gears of War, D3 Publisher's Chikyu Bouei-gun 3 and Onei-chanbara, and Square Enix's Project Sylpheed will be released at 2,940 Yen ($26), while Capcom's Lost Planet: Extreme Condition will be offered at 3,990 Yen ($35). A special bundle featuring Dead Rising and Gears of War will also be available for 5,240 Yen ($46).
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/254/LightBluecopy659_embed.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/LightBluecopy659_screen.jpg%27%29;)
Japan is seeing blue. (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_blog_image_viewer%28%272007/254/LightBluecopy659_screen.jpg%27%29;)
Microsoft also plans to release in Japan the same lineup of hardware that's offered in North America. As previously reported (http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6173588.html), Japan will be getting the Xbox 360 Elite bundle and black wireless controller on October 11, with the light blue and pink wireless controllers following on November 1. The Xbox Messenger Kit (http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6175451/index.html), which includes an attachable chatpad and a headset, will also be released in Japan, although no date was announced at today's briefing.
Sensui also revealed the latest figures for the worldwide use of Xbox Live. Microsoft's online service currently has more than 7 million users, and the publisher is aiming to boost that number to 10 million worldwide by the end of June 2008. He also said Xbox Live users have spent a total of 2.9 billion hours online so far, and the approximately 9,000 bits of content have been downloaded more than 220 million times.
The Playable Games At TGS
Get a plane to Tokyo, this is a huge list!
Microsoft has finally announced the official lineup for Xbox 360 at the Tokyo Game Show.
The Microsoft booth will house over 100 playable kiosks. In all, Microsoft states that 82 titles will be shown in either playable or video form.
Here's the full list of 360 games that are planned for the show.
Guilty Gear 2 Overture (playable)
Shikigami no Shiro III (playable)
Apocalypse Desire Next (video-only)
Medal of Honor Airborne (playable)
NBA Live 08 (playable)
Devil May Cry 4 (playable)
Dynasty Warriors 6 (playable)
Bladestorm (playable)
Winning Eleven (playable)
Operation Darkness (playable)
Last Remnant (video-only)
Final Fantasy XI (video-only)
Infinite Undiscovery (video-only)
Phantasy Star Universe Illuminous no Yabou (playable)
Sega Rally (playable)
Zoid Alternative (playable)
Dark Sector (playable)
Ninja Gaiden 2 (live play demonstration)
Ace Combat 6 (playable)
Beautiful Katamari (playable)
Gundam Operation Troy (playable)
Gundam Musou International (video-only)
Smash Court Tennis 3 (playable)
Rainy Woods (video-only)
Soul Calibur IV (video-only)
Lost Odyssey (live play demonstration)
Halo 3 (playable)
Project Gotham Racing 4 (playable)
Kingdom Under Fire (playable)
Viva Pinata Let's Party (playable)
Assassin's Creed (playable)
That's not quite the 82 that Microsoft was promising. It turns out that Microsoft decided to include Xbox Live Arcade games, new and old, in coming up with that figure. While Uno won't make the cut for our precious TGS time, we'll be sure and deliver impressions from Every Extend Extra Extreme, Exit and Ikaruga. Rez HD wasn't listed by Microsoft, so we presume it won't be there.
We'll be on hand at the show starting Thursday morning Japan time. Be sure and check back periodically for updates.The Microsoft TGS has just started, so there will be still daily updates at 8pm
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Nintendo
Nintendo's conferences start on the 21st I believe...
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PC
PC Games are showcased tommorow on the 20th
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Multi-Format
Konami Conference (http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/820/820995p1.html)
Yes I know it was mensioned in PS3, but it also highlighted some multi-platform stuff
4:46 PM: Kojima is all done. And so is the media conference.
4:44 PM: The new version of MGS Bande Dessine will have voices. The original version didn't. Release TBA.
Next, Metal Gear Solid Mobile, starting with a trailer.
4:43 PM: Metal Gear Solid 1 Bande Dessine is included!
4:41 PM: Next, MGS 2 Bande Dessine (aka Metal Gear Solid digital comic for PSP). Another trailer.
4:39 PM: MGO will be released as the Metal Gear Online Starter Pack, bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4. Next, Portable Ops Plus, which comes out tomorrow. They're showing a new trailer for the game.
4:37 PM: They show Solid Snake do the little rolling barrel attack thing. TGS will have 6 versus 6 multiplayer.
4:36 PM: They show a bunch of combatants in a huge city environment. They connect using the SOP system. Then, switch to a war-torn city environment again. They're illustrating the SOP system, and how you can use it to find enemy positions and keep track of your friends. One scene has a character help another character up a ledge that's two high to get up to on his own. All this is shown cinematically, by the way. But it's all real time.
4:34 PM: Now he's going on to Metal Gear Online. Showing a new trailer.
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/820/820995/KonamiTGS2007Conf_JP4_1190187104-000.jpg (http://uk.media.ps3.ign.com/articles/820/820995/img_4895638.html)
4:26 PM: He's recapping the series and some of the 20th anniversary festivites they've had so far, including the party. First, MGS 4. They're going to show the latest trailer
4:26 PM: The game is going to be in the kids corner at TGS because they want families to play.
Next, Hideo Kojima!
They reminded us not to take pictures or video of the screens.
4:23 PM: Now they're showing a video of a random Japanese family having fun with the game. First, a little boy is playing. Then his sister decides to join. Mom is motioned in. Then, dad decides to join! Somehow, they have four dance pads even though mom and dad are clearly new to the game.
4:21 PM: The game will have a new group circuit mode. Eight dancers. Music from the 80's and on. They're showing a trailer. 10/25/2007 release in Japan.
4:19 PM: This game was already playable at E3.
4:17 PM: First: Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party for the Wii. This is meant to be a Dance Dance game that the whole family can play. "Wii Love Dance" is the catch phrase. Game concepts: 1.) New enjoyment by full body dance through the Wii. 2.) Enjoyment with multiplayer. 3.) Enjoyable fitness.
4:16 PM: New keywords for the bemani series: worldwide, new consoles with new interesting things, network connectivity, and the development of new content. He's saying that the series will be pushed worldwide and come to new systems.
4:14 PM: Next, Bemain Productions Executive Producer Yoshihiko Ota. They're going to introduce one game today. He's explaining the bemani series -- Dance Dance, Guitar Freaks, DrumMania, Pop Music, Beatmania, in case you've lost track.
4:12 PM: Retsu Pure! This is kinda funny -- he's saying that this is the 10th anniversary of the Power Pro series, so this year they're really placing a focus on the baseball part of the game.
4:10 PM: Next, Pawapuro Kun Pocket 10. This is for the DS. Full 3D, with voice commentary. Also supports Wi-Fi for nation-wide competitive play. And supports download play from a single cartrdige for two players.
4:09 PM: Next, MLB Power Pros for the PS2 and Wii. Wait... I think this is just the American version of the last game. It's hitting America on 10/1/2007.
4:07 PM: They've got lots of different spinoffs of the franchises. Now, actual games. 1.) Jikkyou Powerful Major League 21. They're showing the opening trailer for the game. This, of course, is the big headed major league baseball game. For the PS2 and Wii. Both will hit Japan on 10/4.
4:05 PM: Next, Power Pro Productions Kazuhiko Uehara. He will introduce the latest Power Pro lineup. First: Power Pro Productions franchises.
4:04 PM: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 -- that's the name of the mobile game. Mr. Shinji left the stage.
4:02 PM: Next, mobile. Winning Eleven Mobile 2. They talked about this earlier. (I THINK I SAW HIDEO KOJIMA!!!!!!!!!) This game will support horizontal screen, and 3D. Set for release on 11/22.
4:00 PM: Next, World Soccer Winning Eleven Wii (temporary name). A different team is making the game -- not Shingo. First screenshots shown. It looks like Winning Eleven. The game will be released worldwide in Spring 2008.
3:58 PM: He says they're trying to do expressions with soccer that could not be done on past systems. You can take a picture now (a picture with a USB camera) and map it to your player. Coming out in Europe on 10/25/2007, Japan on 11/22/2007, and America in Spring, 2008
3:55 PM: He's talking about sales of the Winning Eleven series, and how they've risen. Wii and PS3 will join the winning eleven family this year. Now he's showing the new logo for the series. First, he'll talk about Wining Eleven 2008 for PS3 and 360. First, a video.
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/820/820995/KonamiTGS2007Conf_JP3_1190185159.jpg
3:53 PM: Mr. Takahashi leaves the stage. Next, Winning Eleven Productions Executive Producer Shinji Enomoto. Today, they'll explain Winning Eleven for the PS3, 360, Wii and mobile.
3:51 PM: The pachinko game service will start on 10/1/2007, on DoCoMo.
3:48 PM: He suggests that we downlaod some of these games for the long trip to the Tokyo Game Show. Two people laugh. The next direction (remember, there were two) is: simultaneous release/development. He's introducing a mobile pachinko game site. Pachinko Twinbee! HOLY S*** PACHINKO OUENDAN!!! (Actually, this doesn't have anything to do with the Nintendo DS game. Ouendan is just Japanese for cheering squad).
3:46 PM: Next, Quiz Magic Academy Mobile 2. Has eight-player simultaneous, online, competitive quiz battles.
3:45 PM: Next, Tokimeki Memorial 2, which saw release today. This game is 50 megabytes! It's based off the PlayStation original.
3:42 PM: First rich content game: Metal Gear Solid Mobile. This will be released worldwide. Mr. Kojima will be explaining the game shortly. Next, World Soccer Winning Eleven Mobile 2. The first one was 2D, without camera control. This new one has 3D visuals, but still uses just a single button for control.
Next, Mobile Powerful Pro Baseball 5. It will support holding the cell phone horizontally, which he says is spreading due to the release of 1seg. The game will have 3D visuals. Next, Silent Hill The Escape. The game uses the motion technology that uses the camera to detect gestures. It was previously released with the 904i series phones, I believe.
3:38 PM: Katsunori leaves the stage. Next, Online Content Production Executive Producer Kazuya Takahashi comes out to talk about new online games. He's explaining why we should care about cell phone games. Two approaches to cell phone content: 1.) Super Rich Content Development - this involves the release of large scale games for mobile phones. Until now, casual games have been the norm. He's going through the history of how mobile games have advanced through more space. Docomo games back in 2001 had 20KB limit. In 2006, with the 903i series, that was up to 1 megabyte.
3:36 PM: They're showing a video that helps us understand all this stuff about health-based games.
3:35 PM: By the way, all this stuff is for Konami's health-based games.
3:33 PM: Also, one more area -- networking all the time, everywhere.
3:31 PM: They describe the three pillars of Konami's health games: entertainment series, exercise series, and self management series. 1.) Entertainment series: the fun of moving your body -- exercise with a sense of gaming. 2.) Exercise series -- studio programs that Konami uses at its gyms in Japan (Konami runs gyms in Japan) -- this series invovles converting those programs into games. 3.) Self-management series: monitor your body by observing changes -- this seems to refer to measuring calories and body changes and what not.
3:29 PM:Next, Dream Skincare, Dokodemo Yoga and Dokodemo Pilates. These are all non-games for the DS. Pilates is the only new one.
Like the yoga game, Pilates trains you in... whatever Pilates is. 100 pilates lessons just for you! Set for release on 12/20! I will finally be able to pilate!
3:28 PM: He mentioned Silent Hill 5. They're developing the game for the latest hardware, and the game will be released in 2008. They won't be able to give any actual details today. They're going to have a lot of Silent Hill content before the release of Silent Hill 5, though.
3:22 PM: Next, Silent Hill Zero (aka Silent Hill Origins). The game is coming out on PSP in Japan on 12/6, and they're showing a trailer for it.
3:21 PM: When you get the power to change the past, what will you see, what will you select? There's a future to the past.
It doesn't seem like they showed any actual gameplay in the trailer (except for a few still shots), but the game will be playable at TGS.
3:19 PM: The trailer shows the main character getting his pen. The trailer is mostly animated cut-scenes, with high-quality animation. I presume some of this will be used in the actual game...
3:17 PM: The gameplay system works like this: someone changes the past, causing an incident to occur. You speak to people and find out what changed and what needs to be fixed. Then, you use your super magic time pen to fix it.
Now they're going to show us a trailer.
3:13 PM: Now, they're going to introduce the games that are in production. The producers for all the titles are going to speak one at a time. Tanaka has left the stage. Next, Game Contents Production Executive Producer Katsunori Okita is going to introduce the new titles. He's introducing two games. He discusses the game mentioned earlier. He asks: "Have you ever thought 'Oh, I wish I'd done that when I was 17.' "
Time Hollow is set for a 2008 winter release in Japan.
3:11 PM: The keywords for the contents of Konami's games: communication (community, networking), health, and "compatibility:" ensuring that Konami products appeal to people throughout the world.
3:05 PM: The conference is starting now. They're showing fooage recapping the last two presentations -- E3 and the German Games Convetion. And now, Konami Media Conference 2007. Mr. Fumiaki Tanaka, President of Konami, takes the stage. He's providing a general introduction to the event. Originally, Konami's developers were split up all over the place, but in July, they moved everyone into this new building.
3:01 PM: They'll start in a few minutes.
2:56 PM: By the way, there's no filming of gameplay footage today, so don't expect any actual footage. However, we are allowed to film the presentation.
2:48 PM: The conference hasn't started yet, but we've found out about a new DS game called Time Hollow; it's an adventure game directed by Junko Kawano. His previous titles include Rhapsodia, Genso Suikoden IV, and Shadow of Memories. Scenario is by Takehiko Hata, a famous author.
You play as a high school student. The day before your 17th birthday, your dad mentions that he has something important to tell you on the following day. That night, you experience a dream. In that dream, you're a child, you're surrounded by fire, and your parents disappear. You wake up and the world has actually changed so that your parents disappered 12 years ago. You come into posession of a mysterious item called the Hollow Pen. This allows you to open holes into the past and change past events. This is the key to figuring out what happened to make the world suddenly change. The main character's name is Horo Tokio.
Gameplay involves gathering information, fixing problems that happened in the past, and "digging" holes into the past to mend the strange events that have surrounded you.
2:41 PM: A downloadable version of the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer will be available on the 20th at 10:00 am Tokyo time, about 6:00 pm US time.
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/820/820995/KonamiTGS2007Conf_JP2_1190182405.jpg
2:40 PM: They're playing Metal Gear Solid music in the background -- Snake Eater.
2:38 PM: We're going in now. The event is taking place at Konami's new Tokyo Midtown office. They recently moved over from the nearby Roppongi Hills office, and now they have a full building which houses all their divisions, game and non-game related.
The press is being let in now.