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...






  

The 6 Definitive Superhero Videogames

Transitioning superhero characters to the videogame realm has always been a "hit or miss" affair. From the days of 8-bit gaming the developers have tried their hands on making a game about the majestic mythologies and powers of the comicbook superhero. They advertised "You are (Insert name of well-know superhero here)" and mostly, unfortunately,  failed horribly. And let's face it guys, those were days of hugely limited graphics so what did you expect? These characters are larger than life and you really can't contain them in a game where their only options were to go from left to right. Well, now we're in the real "next-gen" era of videogames and the developers finally have the processing power to give us the definintive superhero experience and they're finally getting some traction in bringing us just that. 

6. The Punisher (2005)

Based on the movie yet deviates from the film's storyline and is actually a "sequel" of sorts, the game captures the essence of what The Punisher is all about, mainly killing every criminal you find in the most sadistic way possible. Thomas Jane's voice work added a whole lot to the atmosphere of the game. His brooding and unsympathetic delivery pretty much sums up Frank Castle's sociopathic mind. The action in the game itself is flawed and average but it's brutal and violent interrogation and execution segments surprisingly made for that which is either a good or bad depending on your personal view. Funny how a few gallons of blood can make everything seem better in a game. This game is perfect to feed your inner vigilante sociopath's urges, hell, the game even has tips on how to remove blood stains on your shirt!

Frank is not a very nice person.

  
5. Spiderman: Web of Shadows (2008)

After the abysmal cash cow that was the Spiderman 3 videogame, it seems as if Spiderman has finally ran out of nifty little tricks with his virtual web. Fortunately for Spidey, Web of Shadows gave it the much needed boost for it's already declining quality. The game wasn't hindered with being tied to a movie and so the developers have complete freedom on taking memorable stuff from the original source which is the comicbooks. With an amped up fighting engine and a branching storyline Spiderman has smoothly rebounded from it's slow fall from grace and is now swinging on the number 5 spot.

Who's gonna clean all that web? Spidey, you douche.

4. The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (2005)

Another superhero videogame that was able to learn from it's movie-based redheaded sibling. It sticked to what the Hulk is , basically a giant green muscled behemoth with the brain of a 4 year old throwing massive tantrums and of course, tanks to the heavens. The game was also a free roaming action adventure slugfest. Heck, Ultimate Destruction perfectly described this game on it's own. Unfortunately, the 2008 game adaptation of the movie castrated Ultimate Destructions gameplay and mechanics and was just a hollow green shell of it's former self.

Another day in New York City.

3. X Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Yeah I know, the movie was a god-awful butchering of Wolverine's real origin story from the comics but thankfully we found a gold in the heap of trash. In what is a pretty rare instance in movie based videogames, this one was actually good. The game was a violent and gory beat 'em up that finally gave everyone's favorite Canadian mutant his videogame due. With real time damage seen on Wolverine's body, this game was very graphic indeed. A far cry from it's PG-13 bloodless movie counter-part. The game was a God of War rip-off, yes, but if you're gonna rip-off something better take from the best, right? And in this game, you as Wolverine can gleefully rip-off (sorry, can't resist) the spine of anyone stupid enough to stand in your way. A fantastic combination of gore and action.

Like slicing warm butter.

2. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006)

Basically a fan boy's wet dream, this action RPG of epic proportions has you controlling the "who's who" of the Marvel Universe against it's most well know villains. With lots of downloadble content going for it right now, this is one of the must have games if you call yourself a true comicbook fan. And now with Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 on the horizon which has double the playable characters, Activision has figuratively speaking, given you a geekgasm.

GEEKGASM

1. Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)

 
Now the reason I even made this blog, let me say this up front, THIS IS THE DEFINITIVE SUPERHERO VIDEOGAME. This game is a shoe in for game of the year with it's beautiful graphics, grimy and edgy atmosphere, top notch voice acting and tight gameplay. I can't even emphasise the sheer amazement I had when I popped this game in my Xbox 360 and played for 3 hours. Man, those 3 hours flew by, I tell ya. While it didn't have all the iconic villains from Batman's rogue's gallery in there, it left a lot of clues for a definite sequel in the future. You really have to search every nook and cranny of the games huge environment to appreciate the developers work. And trust me, they gave you lots of easter eggs in there for the fans and, of course, warrant the eventual sequel in the future. There are only few occasions that I get excited this much for a videogame sequel and Batman: Arkham Asylum earns every drop of that hype with what it showed me in this game. A true classic. The Dark Knight has dominated both the movie and videogame industry, not even Superman has done that and he's DC's flagship character.

Batman 101: How to wipe the smile off someone's face.