Tokyo Game Show '09 Game Line-up

The videogame spectacle known as the Tokyo Game Show is almost upon us. The videogame convention is held annually in Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan and will open on September 24 to September 27, with the usual first 2 days of the expo mostly centred on business of the different companies and the last 2 days will be open for the general public with playable demos on the show floor.

Some companies have already announced their line-up for the TGS convention and here the list of games and headliners that you should be looking out for in the headlines a couple days from now.

UBISOFT

Assassin's Creed II (PS3/360)

One of the most highly anticipated games this year, Assassin’s Creed II continues where the last, hugely successful, first instalment abruptly left off. Now with a new protagonist, move sets and overhauled graphics. The game will also now be set in the beautiful city of Venice so expect to be in awe with the amazingly detailed building structures that you can climb to your hearts content. And what’s this about a certain famous painter appearing in the game?


Other line-ups:


-Avatar The Game (PS3/360/NDS)
-Rabbids Go Home (Wii)
-Red Steel 2 (Wii)
-Splinter Cell Conviction (360)

NAMCO BANDAI

Tekken 6 (PS3/360)

One of the most recognized fighting game of all time, along with Virtua Fighter, the Tekken series put 3D fighting games on the map. Question right would be, could more characters and prettier graphics give this old champ the much needed boost?


Other line-ups:


-Gundam vs Gundam Next Plus (PSP)
-Super Robot Taisen Neo (Wii)
-Macross Ultimate Frontier (PSP)
-Tales of Vesperia (PS3)
-Tales of Graces (Wii)
-Summon Night X: Tears Crown (DS)
-Blue Dragon (DS)
-.hack//Link (PSP)
-God Eater (PSP)
-Dragon Ball Raging Blast (PS3/360)
-Naruto Shippuuden Narutimate Accel 3 (PSP)
-Idol Master Dearly Stars (DS)
-Queen's Blade Spiral Chaos (PSP)
-Kimi ni Todoke: Sodateru Omoi (DS)
-Fullmetal Alchemist: Senaka wo Takuseshi Mono (PSP)
-Element Hunter (DS)
-Battle Spirits Kiseki no Hasha (PSP)
-Kaiju Busters (DS)

SQUARE-ENIX

Final Fantasy XIII (PS3/360)

Is it even a surprise that this will be headlining Square-Enix’s line-up of games? The most well known JRPG/RPG among videogame fans have been Squaresoft’s flagship game since it saved the company from bankruptcy. Now with FFXIII’s arrival nearing you can only bet that the anticipation will be at an all time high fever pitch as the days go by.


Other line-ups:


-The Four Light Warriors: Final Fantasy Gaiden (DS)
-Dissidia: Final Fantasy Universal Tuning (PSP)
-Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii)
-Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (PSP)
-Front Mission Evolved (PS3 / Xbox 360)
-Dragon Quest IX (DS)
-Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (WiiWare)
-Final Fantasy XIV (PS3 / PC)
-Final Fantasy XI: Vandiel Collection 2 (PS2 / Xbox 360 / PC)
-Lord of Vermillion II (Arcade)
-Dragon Quest Monster Battle Road II (Mobile)
-Dragon Quest More Mysterious Dungeon (Mobile)
-Secret of Mana (Mobile)
-Kingdom Hearts Coded (Mobile)
 

SEGA

Bayonetta (360/PS3)

Bayonetta has slowly but surely gaining attention now for its Devil May Cry-like fast action and superbly stylish gameplay. Which is not surprise since this game is the brainchild of Hideki Kamiya, the man who gave us Devil May Cry in the first place. What seperates Bayonetta from DMC? How about the equally cool female protagonist with insane set of moves that revolves around four guns strapped to her wrists and ankles, oh, and her magic hair can turn into a giant demon chomping dragon.


Other line-ups:


-Chin Sports (Wii)
-House of the Dead Overkill, The (Wii)
-J-League Pro Soccer Club o Tsukurou! 6: Pride of J (PSP)
-Phantasy Star Portable 2 (PSP)
-Puyo Puyo 7 (DS/Wii/PSP)
-Resonance of Fate (PS3/360)
-Valkyria Chronicles 2 (PSP)
-Yakuza 4 (PS3)

CAPCOM

Lost Planet 2 (PS3/360)

The sequel to the hit 360 game, Lost Planet is an action-shooter set in the distant future when humans are starting to colonize different parts of the galaxy. The game has lots of guns, huge explosions, big bad aliens and mech battles, what more could a sci-fi geek ask for? As you can see, Capcom has revealed a few line-ups for TGS but they stated that they will be announcing more on the day of their presentation. So keep posted.


Other line-ups:


-Ghost Trick (DS)
-Okamiden (DS)
-Mega Man Battle Network: Operate Shooting Star (DS)
-Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (Wii)
 

SONY

God of War III

Finally, it’s here. The last chapter of Kratos’ epic revenge tale is almost at hand. Its PS2 brethren have always been able to push the consoles graphics to the limit so it’s almost given that GoW3 maybe the prettiest game in the PS3 when it’s released. And pretty is relative since there really is nothing pretty about how Kratos do things. One thing is for sure, it is gonna be one action-packed and violent ride with everybody’s favourite Spartan besides King Leonidas.


Other line-ups:


-FIFA 10
-Winning Eleven 10
-Gran Turismo 5
-Golden Sword And The Vanished Fleet: Drakes Fortune
-inFAMOUS
-Ratchet & Clank
-Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
-Quantum Theory


PSP line-ups:


-LittleBigPlanet
-Motorstorm: Raging Ice
-Gran Turismo
-Valkyria Chronicles 2
-Persona 3
-Metal Gear Solid
-Dynasty Warriors 5

 

MICROSOFT

Halo 3 ODST

 

What’s this? Halo without Master Chief? Hmm, well now that’s interesting. The game might appear like just another cash cow milking the name of “Halo” for what it’s worth. But fortunately it’s shaping up to be a pretty decent FPS on its own. Here’s hoping that it won’t just settle for being a “decent” game.


Other line-ups:


-Alan Wake
-Fable 3
-Halo Legends
-Halo Reach
-Crackdown 2
-Borderlands
-NieR Gestalt
-End of Eternity
-Dragon Ball Raging Blast
-Steins; Gate
-Forza Motorsport 3 Infernal: Hell's Vengeance
-Castlevania Lords of Shadow
-Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
-Samurai Spirits Sen
-Mushihime-sama Futari Ver1.5
-Dynasty Warriors Strike Force Special
-Ninety Nine Nights 2
-World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010
-Front Mission Evolved


Will there be any surprise announcements? Chances are high that the "Big 3" might try to upstage each other again this time. Stay tuned...






  

Final Fantasy XIII Theme Song

Square Enix announced the main theme song for Final Fantasy XIII entitled "Kimi ga iru kara" (Because You're with Me) performed by Sayuri Sugawara. A CD will be released this December in Japan, a couple of weeks before FFXIII is released there.

Videogame: Then and Now - Resident Evil

Ah, videogames, a medium where we can play make believe in one of the most enjoyable ways ever. Safely nestled in the protection of our own room. Where else would you have an oppurtinity to become a one man army space marine battling legions of alien invaders on a distant planet? Maybe as a legendary soldier who was just really a clone of the REAL legendary soldier who was thought to be the superior one but then it turns out that he's the inferior one and... wait, do you have all day? Or maybe a short fat plumber who jumps around mushrooms and turtles in colorful kingdoms to save a princess who's only purpose in life seems to be kidnapped over and over... and over again? Only in the virtual world ladies and gents.

So let's take a look at how some of our most beloved videogame series evolved throughout the years. Did they age gracefully like a fine wine that only gets better as the years pass by? Or did they licked the lollipop of mediocrity and are now nothing more than a former hollow shell of theirselves?

Resident Evil 1 (1996)


While not exactly the one that invented the "survival horror" genre, the Resident Evil franchise certainly put it on the map. So yeah, you could say this is the game that started it all. Resident Evil 1 was an atmospheric game that puts you in the shoes of one of two playable characters, Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine. It relied heavily on it's "GOTCHA!" scares, deafening silence of the mansion and the lurking undead and hideous mutated creatures that are hiding in it's dark corridors that stalk your every move. It's also know for it's cheesy and horrendous dialogue, most in part by everybody's favorite fat guy, Barry Burton. "Jill Sandwich" anyone?

The very first zombie: a. you kill or b. to give you a wicked hickey.

Memorable Moment: Besides the dialogue? I kid, I kid. Ok, it would be a toss between meeting the very first zombie of the whole series or the zombie dogs jumping out of the window scare. (Sorry, I couldn't find the "zombie dog moment")



Resident Evil 5 (2009)


A complete opposite of it's ancestor, like Resident Evil 4 which looked at another completely different direction, Resident Evil 5 has completely turned it's back from it's original roots. Now instead of thinking, "Should I shoot this zombie in the face or just run away like a little girl to conserve ammo?", we now think this, "Should I feed this zombie a mouthful of bullets from my shotgun, my machine gun or maybe stick a rocket up it's ass OR MAYBE use this sattellite cannon to smyte thee?". How times change. It's definitely a very intense game and definitely one of the best of the series if only it added something more than pretty graphics. Resident Evil 5 is basically Resident Evil 4 on steriods. And no, I'm not talking about Chris Redfield.

Hmm, I feel I've been in this situation, like, 4 years ago.

Memorable Moment: It would definitely be the final (?) stand off agains Albert Wesker. That fight is like 13 years in the making for fans of Resident Evil. Now you'll finally have your shot at bashing one of the best videogame villain's face in. A friendly warning though, it won't be easy. Trust me.

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!

Series Lowlights: The god awful RE: Survivor series. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

BAD!

Series Highlights: Resident Evil 4. One of the best "survival horror" games of all time.

GOOD!

Series Status: Future of Hall of Famer