No, of course we can't afford to actually GO to Tokyo to check out Japan's biggest gaming conference (and where there's invariably some seriously awesome stuff on display), but luckily more than a few trusted internet sources do have the resources to report on the big announcements made. Today got started off with some very interesting unveils, and almost assuredly more than what I'm going to report here: this stuff is just what caught my eye. And for all of TGS's trailers and images, be sure to head over to our News affiliate's website at www.playstation54.com.
The biggest announcement of the day, and likely of TGS (at least for a big Grasshopper Manufacture nerd like myself) was the first details on the long-awaited Suda51/Shinji Mikami (of Resident Evil fame)/Akira Yamaoka (composer for Silent Hill) collaboration: Shadows of the Damned. Here's the announcement trailer:
I have to say that as a fan of Suda51's unremitting weirdness, this game seems almost… normal. Maybe a little too badituded, even, something I didn't think he'd ever fall victim too. I think what's more likely, though, is that this game (like Vanquish, the Hideki Kamiya game that on first glance looks like a Halo rip-off until you realize that it's HIDEKI KAMIYA and that dude don't make regular-folk games) has had its trailer perhaps a little bit altered by EA, who want to show off its badassedness rather than its weirdness. Also, who knows… maybe Shinji Mikami reined him in a little bit? I'm going to stay cautiously optimistic about this one.
Other than this announcement, there was some big news from Team Ninja. First, that they're working on Ninja Gaiden 3 (although all they had to show was this concept art, as its really, really early in development), and second, that they're finishing the long-dormant Ni-Oh, which is supposedly based on a "lost script" by Kurosawa, and was going to be developed alongside a movie version of that script. This idea has been in circulation for almost a decade now; the movie's been scrapped, but the game's getting made. I don't have much good to say about Team Ninja's fetishization of breasts, but I can't deny that they make some really, really fucking great action games, so I'm pretty excited for these games.
Another Yakuza game got announced. This one's called Yakuza: Of The End (which I'm guessing will change if it gets localized). Who thought you could iterize open-world games? Apparently it's possible. Has anyone played Yakuza 3 for the PS3? Is it any good? There's just so many of these games that I can't keep track of them, and also I'm not particularly interested in playing them. Good on Sega for finding something that can actually make them some money, though.
Finally, Devil May Cry is coming back, but this time it's not being developed by the aforementioned Kamiya – rather, it's been outsourced to Ninja Theory, the studio behind the upcoming (and utterly fantastic-looking) Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. If that game turns out as good as I think it will, then maybe Devil May Cry (that's all it's called, by the way, as it appears to be a reboot) will be one to watch as well.
Tomorrow will bring more TGS goodness, so check back for more updates!