Tokyo Game Show 2009 took place at the Makuhari Messe convention center from 24-27 September 2009. First two days were business days and I was lucky enough to get in on the second day as press so I won't have to fight the crowds and wait for over an hour in line to play 10 minutes of a demo on public days. This brief post will cover some of the major booths at the event and other interesting things that caught my attention. Won't get into detail about the games there as those are covered well on gaming sites like Destructoid, Gametrailers, IGN etc.
This year's TGS was noticeably smaller than last year's with less exhibitors, smaller booths and a whole lot more space to walk around in the convention halls. I felt that there weren't as many new announcements compared to past TGS in the previous years. Still, there were some pretty impressive booths and a handful of interesting new games to try out.
Sony always has one of the biggest booths at TGS but not the most visually stunning one though.
Tekken 6 hardly got any love from the press in the morning on the second day. No lines at all, which was why it was the first game I tried out at the show! Got the crap beaten outta me by Mokujin. ^^;
FFXIII demo was playable at both Sony's and Square Enix's booths. I had to wait about 25 minutes in line to play about 10 minutes of the demo. Not that long of a wait considering that one would have to wait for four times longer on public days.
Snow Villiers, a.k.a. Mr. 33cm
PS3 Lite FFXIII Lightning Edition due out on 17 December with a retail price of 41,600 yen. I'd get it if it was black. But then again, I already have a PS3.
Gorgeous car that I can only enjoy looking at.
Some of the games that were playable at Sony's booth. I was quite disappointed that they didn't have a playable demo of The Last Guardian there.
Konami's booth with lots of red cloth.
As an avid Silent Hill fan, I was excited to try out the Silent Hill: Shattered Memories demo on the Wii, but it fell short of my expectations. I already knew that there won't be any combat involved. However, the whole running-around-like-a-headless-chicken thing from the childlike monsters while trying to find a door leading to an exit or a safety point, without the ability to access the map while running, is not an enjoyable gaming experience for me. Sure, it adds to the fear factor and realism but it is still a game and I doubt I'd be able to finish it as I find it quite frustrating. Nice that they're trying something new, but it's not the Silent Hill game for me. 
I tried the Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker demo but wasn't able to get a grasp of the confusing controls. Kept getting knocked out way too many times and had to be revived by others. Was thinking about getting the game but now that I played the demo, I'll have to give it a pass.
No new Sonic games from Sega announced. They finally made a good decision as the previous Sonic titles were just plain awful!
Ryuu ga Gotoku 4, a.k.a. Yakuza 4. I only played the first game but haven't had the time to play the sequels. I love the story but find the gameplay to be very repetitive and simple. I play the game just for its story, but I'm hoping they'll improve the gameplay for the fourth installment.
Two hot babes playing hostesses. Attendees were invited to sit on the chair and get their pictures taken with the hostesses.
Asuka and Rei tagged along with me at the event. ^^
This is Square Enix's open theater that ran game trailers. No closed mega theater this time. Instead of that, people who lined up to play the Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep or Final Fantasy XIII demo got to watch the 15-minute trailers at a closed section at their booth. They finally showed gameplay for Final Fantasy Versus XIII but it was still in its early development stage and no combat system was shown. Just the lead character Noctis running around the city and field with large dinosaur-like creatures.
Four of the main characters from Final Fantasy XIII. Definitely looking forward to playing the game this December! Got a taste of the demo and I want more!
Oerba is such a hottie!
FFXIII Elixirs. Not sure when these will be out but I'm definitely getting Lightning, Oerba, and Chocobo! Not gonna drink them of course. I tried the previous elixirs and they taste like slightly flavored water.
Xbox 360 booth. Not a lot of games that interest me on the system aside from the Halo and Gears of War games. I'm still afraid of the red rings of death, so I have no plans on getting an Xbox 360 anytime soon. Perhaps when Project Natal is released I might consider getting one.
Some decent games at Bandai Namco booth but what caught my attention was the large Gundam head!
Here's a closer look at the awesomeness that is First Gundam!
Capcom had a merchandise booth at TGS as usual, but the only thing I wanna get was the Okamiden t-shirt and that was sold out quick. >__< 
Okamiden t-shirt is the one with the red dot on the right next to the zombie.
They offer skins for PS2 Lite as well.
Xbox 360 skins.
Skin your Wii! That doesn't sound right ... ^^;
Video game character plushies galore!
I got a set of these Link plushies for sale. Email me if you want 'em!
Capcom had their own theater as well. The 6-minute long Lost Planet 2 cinematic and gameplay trailer they showed was mind-blowingly spectacular! Can't wait to play the game!
I finally got to see the legendary video game designer Hideo Kojima in person! That's one strike off my list of things to do before I die. Next on the list is to get to talk to him in person!More pics in the flickr gallery linked below:
Tokyo Game Show 2009 gallery
7 comments:
Thanks for the coverage! I'm looking forward to the God of War. To visit such convention in tokyo is one of my bucket list too. I have to say they really do a good job in the lighting in the convention. Is something that here in SG did not put that into a consideration due to cost.
Oerba dia Vanille! <3
Doubt I will get her drink though, but they should come up with a figure of her. Now if only they found a far better seiyuu than Fukui Yukari...
Great coverage. Thx for bring these to us. I luv it!
Wow lucky you to see Hideo in person. I would love to have him sign an autograph on my MGS disc.
Wow! it really looks like you had a good time! what did you get for yourself?
Glad you guys enjoyed the coverage!
Mickolas,
The only items I bought were the Link plushies and the Cloud Strife perfume. Not for myself though.
Nice coverage!
Why are FF characters named with such stupid names?
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