For years, the Tokyo Game Show has been the one show on the calendar you can bet Sony is going to put on a performance.
Okay, they may have had a few issues in the past (overheating PS3s) but in general, TGS is their best show of the year. They nearly always headline the keynote and usually announce something or other.
This year, however, I can't help but feel that Sony isn't trying. Firstly, conceding the keynote to Microsoft is bad news, especially on home soil. With no major announcements from Sony, it was up to the publishers to deliver. At Square Enix, they had a closed cinema screening showing a trailer of their upcoming titles.
Problem was, the queue took forever and the film was too long (around 20 minutes). They showed all their development projects, of which half I'm sure most were uninterested in. There were no playable next-gen titles outside of the 360 area and the Square Enix booth was right next to Microsoft's.
The Xbox 360 has once again beaten out the PlayStation 3 in Japan. This has been a continuing trend in the Japanese markets, ever since the 360’s price cut a few weeks ago.
Though the Wii and Nintendo DS have more than double Microsoft’s sales, the fact that the 360 is moving forward looks promising. But what does it mean for Microsoft and gamers?
Let’s consider the facts:
1. The Xbox 360 price cut has already bolstered sales in Japan, and rumors have it that Microsoft may cut the price of the 360 Elites even further, as well. We saw what two weeks of sales did for Microsoft. Of course, those sales were not only helped by the price cut, but also by the release of Tales of Vesperia and Infinite Undiscovery, two exclusives for the 360.
Now that the immediate surge is over, the 360 has once again fallen to fourth place in Japanese sales (behind the DS, Wii and PSP). Yet hopefully, this next round of price cuts should once again r... More »
Bet you never thought you'd hear the day that Sony said they'd like the XBox 360 to succeed in Japan, but they recently have said so.
Shuhei Yoshida, Sony's President of Worldwide Studios, expressed the respective thought as if the XBox 360 sells well, then this will further push the concepts of High Definition gaming to local consumers which can only be a good thing for all companies involved in the gaming market.
To quote: Sony's president of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, has said that he wants Microsoft's XBox 360 to succeed in Japan in order to help push the concepts of high-definition gaming to local consumers.
With Nintendo's Wii the most popular console in the Japanese market, Yoshida would like both the PlayStation 3 and XBox 360 to sell well in order to convince punters of a more sophisticated take on next-generation gaming.
"I like to see people here in Japan showing interest in high-definition gaming and more ... More »
Atari has announced that Alone in the Dark has been reworked for the PlayStation 3 and will debut this November under the name Alone in the Dark: Inferno.
Gameplay elements including camera, inventory system, and hero control have all been retooled for maximum immersion and fun. In addition, Alone in the Dark: Inferno will include an all-new action sequence revealing a previously unseen enemy of epic proportions. A demo is planned for early November.
Press Release: Atari Sets PLAYSTATION®3 Ablaze This November With Alone in the Dark: Inferno
Atari Responds to Media and Consumer Feedback with Red Hot Gameplay Enhancements and Scorching New Action Sequence for PLAYSTATION®3 Computer Entertainment System
NEW YORK, Oct. 10: One of this year's most innovative video games will get a blazing rework for its PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system debut this November as Atari ignites Alone in the Dark: Inferno. Development studio Eden ... More »
As the name implies, the crystal wireless controller shell comes with the new D-Pad and LED kit set to light up all the controller buttons.
The XCM D-Pad has been redesigned and optimized as illustrated HERE. The new XCM wireless controller shell uses a much larger D-Pad with more room to allow movement when using it.
This helps ensure you don't accidentally hit another direction on the D-Pad while trying to access something else... for example, when switching weapons on most first-person shooters.
They have also made available some related guides as follows:
How to Install the Wireless Control Pad Shell... More »
Media Molecule co-founder Mark Healey has admitted that controlling LittleBigPlanet "annoys" him, but insisted the studio can "refine" this after the game releases.
With thousands of gamers currently getting an early experience of the much-hyped title via the beta, some have complained about the basic controls of Sackboy, specifically moving the character between planes in the "2.5D" perspective.
Speaking to Eurogamer TV last week, Healey acknowledged the issue, stating: "The Z [axis] movement is an incredibly hard thing for us to get right. There's times when it annoys me actually, but we can work on that if we want, and refine it. But on the whole, we got to a good place with it I think, because we wanted to cater for my mother and someone that's a hardcore player, so it was hard to get the balance there."
Healey added that the game had been designed so that changes could be made post-release, via a downloadable update.
MTV's Stephen Totilo was once not a huge fan of PlayStation Home, however with more interaction and information with the service his opinions have now changed.
While Totilo has all sorts of of ways to talk to others about Games, for those who haven't found a way to connect with like-minded folk then Home should suit them just fine.
To quote: My impression has been changed. What I hadn’t seen or had explained to me when I entered “Home” on my own those few months ago, was the function and helpfulness of the community. “Home” will be pointless if no one’s in it, if its central plazas are empty. Buser said they won’t even launch “Home” — an event scheduled for this fall — until they meet their goal to “have a kind of community to show people around.” The idea is it’s all social.
You go to an area of “Uncharted” to find out what people there think of the game or to ask for a hint. Yes, some of us would go to N... More »
Square-Enix dropped a bomb at E3 this year when they announced Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360, but can we expect any blockbuster unveilings at the Tokyo Game Show this week?
Well, before the hype and anticipation starts, we'd like to say: nah.
Final Fantasy Union recently ran an article about what to expect, and as far as we can see, we'll have to look elsewhere for any super big announcements. While Square-Enix is bringing 25 titles to the show, only 6 of them have anything to do with the revered Final Fantasy franchise, and only 9 of the total 25 games on display will be playable.
One bit of good news is that this includes the upcoming Dissidia: Final Fantasy for the PSP, so handheld fans should be anticipating some new gameplay footage.
But beyond that, we likely won't see much in the way of new details or information concerning either Final Fantasy XIII or the still-PS3-exclusive, Final Fantasy Versus XIII. We also don't e... More »
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