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TGS 2008: Yakuza 3 Presentation

Mr Toffee — Saturday, 11th October 2008 @ 10:06:29 AM

So what was behind the red curtains and neatly-arranged champagne glasses of the Yakuza 3 booth in Sega? This. Yakuza 3 is happening, folks, and those who really loved the first two crime-drama sandbox games will find a LOT to like and love here.

It's pretty far, but you can feel how classy it is

TGS 2008: Sony Booth's Setup Filled With Adult & Kid Goodness

Mr Toffee — Saturday, 11th October 2008 @ 09:53:09 AM

Yep, they really mean business

Being a big influence in Japan, one would assume that the Tokyo Game Show showing of Sony's key games like Resistance 2 and Killzone 2 would be well laid-out in a big manner. Well, you'd be assuming right on the mark. While the front has a big monitor in the centre for exclusive stuff on display, a front portion of the place dedicated to the Japanese preview of LittleBigPlanet (coming in October to our shores), and a row of PS3 and PSP stuff like Loco Roco 2, and Patapon 2 (both looking good by the by), I wasn't expecting a booth that permitted those above 17 to enter. In it was the preview build for Killzone 2, Resident Evil 5 (already covered by yours truly), Way Of The Samurai 3, the latest SOCOM for the PS3 popping by next week or so, and Demon Soul (which I have no idea what it's about). Just in front of the 17 And Above Booth lies the closed-doors preview of White Knight Chronicles, which ended being a MMO-style game of sorts (christ). Truly, it was a mecca for the many PS3 and PSP fans who fester in the bastions of Malaysia and Singapore.

LittleBigPlanet: Still Charming Many

TGS 2008: Resident Evil 5's Other Trailer

Mr Toffee — Saturday, 11th October 2008 @ 09:50:04 AM

This footage was displayed in Capcom's Resident Evil 5 booth that just happens to have one of the largest queues, one for single-player mode and one for two-player co-op. No, we're not sick of this game and wish we had more play-time with it. Yes, there are huge monsters still in the series. And yes, that last bit will raise a lot of questions.

TGS 2008: Star Ocean 4 Hands-On

Mr Toffee — Saturday, 11th October 2008 @ 09:36:01 AM

Microsoft's booth and Square-Enix's booth inches away from each other? Perish the thought! Anyway, there were quite a few RPGs on tap on Microsoft's side, courtesy of Square-Enix's partnership. One of them happens to be a fan-favorite: Tri Ace's Star Ocean series, now in its fourth game subtitled "The Last Hope".

The demo did not supply playtesters with enough context about what was going on; only that I was thrusted into a fortress filled with Lizardmen and Wolfmen. You control one lone blonde hero on the overworld where he runs, does a dash, and open up switches and doors that will lead you to the demo's boss. Enemies are displayed on-screen, so you can either avoid them or attack them head-on to initiate the typical RPG battle with them. Approaching them from the back will give you the option to attack first (humorously subtitled "Advantaged Attack"), and encountering one enemy with another one standing next to it will open up a sequence of battle sequences called "Raided Attacks".

The battle sequences is like past Star Ocean games: everything is in real-time and you control one person roaming the area, slashing and performing special attacks via the Left & Right trigger on targeted enemies. The auto-targeting of the game is decent enough; there were no moments so far where I got hit by some random lizardman from afar. The rest of your party is driven by the game's A.I, which seems competent so far. Nonetheless, I feel a big sense of deja vu with this game, considering that I recently played the first Star Ocean on the Super Famicom recently (Skills still play a huge role, and battles can be won with a swift combination of the A and Trigger buttons). Only in part 4's case, it's just tacked on with spiffy graphics and glass-eyed characters as Asy mentioned. Bonus points to Tri Ace for creeping me out with the Lolita Spell Caster of the group who looks like she popped out of a version of the Precious Moments figurine line.

Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope is suppose to take place before the first game, which brings up parallels of George Lucas creating Episode 1, 2, and 3 which did not help the original trilogy at all. I'll hold my reservations as the full version will come out on February of next year, so those with a penchant for the Star Ocean series will be pleased that it's just like its last few predecessors.

TGS 2008: Noby Noby Boy Is From Keita Takahashi's Demented Mind

Mr Toffee — Saturday, 11th October 2008 @ 12:11:45 AM

Noby Noby Boy 'TGS 2008' trailer

Just in case you are clueless with the name Keita Takahashi, just remember that he's the guy in charge of the psychedelic hit "Katamari Damacy". Now take a good long look at the trailer for his latest project above and ask yourself, "What The Hell Is Going On?" Because I saw it once, I saw it twice, and I STILL don't know. Whether Takahashi is still taking the same medication he used on his previous works or whether this is all just one big joke remains to be seen.

TGS 2008: Gyakuten Kenji (A.K.A Miles Edgeworth's Adventure)

Mr Toffee — Friday, 10th October 2008 @ 11:53:45 PM

Knowing Capcom, they're dead set on coming up with another iteration of the Gyakuten Saiban (Ace Attorney) series. Only in this case, the upcoming court case game now stars Phoenix Wright's very own nemesis, Miles Edgeworth. Dubbed Gyakuten Kenji (since Mitsurugi Kenji is his real name), fans now get to see what it's like at the prosecutor's side in the Ace Attorney Universe.

As I waited 25 minutes for my turn (you WILL believe that the line for this game is absurdly long), I was directed to my designated black couch in one of Capcom's themed rooms for showing off game demos. In Gyakuten Kenji's case (hah!), it was a huge desk at the end filled with Steel Samurai memorabilia (the game's iconic T.V show) and our prosecutor's coat on display. I tuned into the game, and as my lack of understanding the kanji and katakanas used in the game, I was lost in the story. From the cutscenes, I gather that there's a murder that happened and Miles Edgeworth and his prosecutor team is up to the task of finding out who's behind it. Next to you is the memorably-bumbling Dick Gumshoe, who used to pester and assist Phoenix Wright; now he's your source of wisdom(?) and game hints. True to character, Miles Edgeworth does not need the use of spiritual gimmicks. He uses the method of Logic Connection (the option's located at the top left screen), where he takes one element of a crime and combines it with another to come up with a solution that advances the case/ plot point of the game forward. Getting the connection wrong, however, penalizes you by subtracting a bit from your "life bar". For instance, after searching the vicinity of the area where the crime happened, connecting both the evidence of the pistol to the bloodshot wound of the victim will result in Miles Edgeworth figuring out what to do next through his clockwork brain.

One thing to note is that the game is now presented in a style of a LucasArt adventure game. Miles Edgeworth's character can now be seen on-screen in digital format from head to toe, moving where you want him to move, with Dick Gumshoe bumblingly following your every move. The game introduces new characters, ranging from the murdered victim's best friend sporting spiky effeminate hair and a girl with a huge scarf that might be the Maya Fey of Miles' side, given the continuous trailer that's been playing outside. I didn't get too far as I only had 15 minutes before the Capcom attendants chased us playtesters out, but one thing's for sure: this will be coming out in its native format next year in Spring. Americans and English speakers will get their dose of the other side of the law following its next-year release.

Fallout 3: Halloween Launch Set

jimmy wartooth — Friday, 10th October 2008 @ 04:26:59 PM

Fallout 3 has officially been giving a 31st October launch date in Singapore. A limited edition PS3 Premium Pack will also be available. The Premium Pack will include an 80GB PS3, Fallout 3, Fallout 3 Vault-Tec Lunchbox, Fallout 3 Soundtrack, Vault Boy Bobblehead, 'Making of' Blu-ray disc, and an art book. Pre-orders for the Premium Pack will begin on 15th October. Not too sure on the Premium Pack pricing at the moment, so stay tuned for updates.

Fallout 3 is set 20 years after the events of Fallout 2. The game will see you playing as the survivor of a global nuclear war 200 years ago. Life is normal until your father mysteriously disappears without any word, forcing you to leave the only home you have ever known to go in search of him.

Red Alert 3 SG Launch Event - 27 Oct 08

asy — Friday, 10th October 2008 @ 04:09:33 PM

So we had a morning of fun and games at Lido 3 today to witness the dawn of a new era -- where the Soviets reign supreme and the Empire of the Rising Sun stamps their authority in the world arena with King Onis and psychic schoolgirls...

Boasting a stellar cast of instant recognizables such as Autumn Reeser, Jenny McCarthy, Kelly Hu, George Takei (the list goes on forever), Red Alert 3 looks set to be a huge outing later this month. Launching on 27 October 2008, fans and RTS veterans alike shall prepare themselves for the long line at Lido with popcorn and cola in hand.

Except that RA3 isn't a movie. But going by the impressive cinematics and all-star line-up it could very well have been one. The next installment of the RTS of all-time would see a new faction -- the Empire of the Rising Sun -- rise up against the Soviets and the Allied Forces in the eternal struggle for world domination. The 7-year wait is finally over, as prospective Commanders and Officers will have 2 special RA3 bundles to choose from. And should you choose to pre-order now, the first 2000 enlistees will also stand to receive limited edition C&C RA3 T-Shirts and posters when you stand in line for your pre-enlistment routines at Lido later this month.

Launch Event Details:
Date: 27 October 2008 (Tuesday)
Time: 10am to 3pm
Venue: Shaw Lido 5th Floor Atrium

More details & pricing after the jump

TGS 2008: KOFXII and KOF2002: Ultimate Match impressions

FatCatLim — Friday, 10th October 2008 @ 04:09:29 PM

KOFXII Impressions

The 3 new characters revealed for KOFXII at TGS are Iori, Andy, and Raiden. I only tried a bit of Raiden and mostly Iori. Andy not yet. I'll play him more tomorrow.

- Raiden has an alternate costume color that makes him look like he's shirtless. It's almost like an entirely new costume!

- Iori has a new costume. Looks less 80s and more like a trendy Akiba dude, lol.

- Since the ending of KOFXI showed that Iori lost his Orochi powers, this means he can't do his standard uppercut and fireball. Although most of his normals are the same, his specials now consist of slashes similar to Mature. He really plays and feels like a different character.

- Iori's DP is now an upward diagonal slash. Reminds me of another fighting character's move, but I can't remember. Hmm...

- No QCB P X3. It's an entirely new motion. QCB P does a different backward slash. Same goes with QCB K. I can't tell whether he still has his old HCB,F P grab. Dammit, I really need to play more of him tomorrow!

- Iori's super is still the same motion, and attacks look the same. But he ends it with an X-style slash.

- The booth says that the game is 65% complete. It's really a work in progress - Athena's uppercut hitbox is not accurate.

KOF2002: Ultimate Match impressions

SNK Playmore also had KOF2002: Ultimate Match up for free play at the TGS 2008. It's basically the ultimate dream match game that featured all KOF characters from KOF99 to KOF2K2. There's a 'new' character called Nameless, but he's actually not new. Nameless is basically K9999...but with a different sprite. I was thinking who the hell he was and when I played him, I realized that he had all of K9999 moves, lol. But some moves have been given different properties and animation. Just some early quick impressions:

- Nameless standing animation is rather lame. Makes him look quite stiff.

- His uppercuts (DP P) have longer range and different animation.

- QCF P have improved range and different animation.

- QCB K have improved range and...uh, yeah. you get the idea.

- His 1632143 P super now appears as a pillar of reddish fire. Looks and feel like it has shorter range.

- Dwn K is a sweep, while DF K is his slide. His Dwn C is still the same, but I don't think it sweeps anymore.

I will try out more of him tomorrow just to see if he retained his tentacle and shooting supers. SNK says the game is currently 65% complete, but all of the characters were available for play. Maybe they still need to test for bugs - some background music was interrupted when changing rounds. Oh yeah, the monitors they used to demonstrate the game were really horrible - the game colors looked horribly washed out and appeared even more pixelated.
Both titles are expected to be released next year, with KOFXII slated for April 2009.

TGS 2008: White Knight game trailer impressions

FatCatLim — Friday, 10th October 2008 @ 04:09:25 PM

One of the bigger announcements that Sony had for the Tokyo Game Show 2008 was the unveiling of the gameplay trailer for White Knight, which is due to be released this 25th December 2008. Developed by studio Level 5, I don't think many people expected the game to look and play very much like an MMORPG. Later on, Level 5 held a mini demonstration at the Sony booth on how you can customize your character and join a party to take on a quest in the game with an online friend.

The trailer CG looked great though honestly, the in-game graphics didn't impressed me too much. It's possible the graphics were slightly scaled down to accommodate the huge MMORPG-like expansive world. While I understand not many people enjoy MMORPGs and may seem appalled at the gameplay decision that Level 5 took with White Knight, it does highlight the growing trend of online communities among high-def consoles.