Editor’s Forward: While Ripten did report on news coming out of TGS 08, we were not able to attend the event in person. Therefore, we thought it may be interesting to our readers to get insight from a fellow journalist in the area who attended the event as non-press. Big thanks to Sean for the write up.

This past weekend I went to the Tokyo Game Show. I didn’t have a press pass, and I wasn’t able to enter earlier than anyone else, so this will be a story that describes what a normal person has to put up with when going to the game show. Since most people have already released all the information on the new games and stuff soon to come I feel as though talking a bit more about the experience than the event would be more interesting, but don’t worry there are a few games I feel I should discuss.

My trip started in Yamanashi prefecture, the place I live. It takes me a little while to get to Tokyo by train so I decided to spend the extra money and ride the fast train into Shinjuku station. This was my first mistake. The train I decided to take was also one that most every businessman took home on Friday afternoon so I got to stand in the doorway between trains for about an hour and a half. I decided to spend the time thinking about what games I might get to see at the event, and what I really want to try out (Monster Hunter 3[tri]) before they are released. I arrived in Shinjuku at around 8pm and decided to do a little shopping since the event wasn’t until tomorrow. I visited a couple of the larger game centers to check out the newest card games, and hit up the local ドンキホウテ(DonkiHoute), just to see what kind of Halloween goods were for sale.

Fast forward to Saturday morning. I awoke at around 7:30 in the morning from my hotel capsule(I dig small spaces), and decided to venture out to the event. It didn’t start until 10AM so I assumed that I would be fine to catch a train and get in line a little early that way maybe I wouldn’t have to deal with the crowds. From Shinjuku station you have to change trains once or twice depending on how you wanted to get to the event, one change onto the Keiyo line is the worst platform change ever. Did I mention that the Keiyo line is also the same train line people take to goto Tokyo Disney Land?

This weekend the train is packed both with people interested in video games, and mickey mouse. I’m sure some are interested in both but today they had to make a big decision on what to see. I digress, thinking that getting to the station early I could maybe get a seat, and somewhat enjoy the near hour train ride to the event, oh how wrong I was yet again. Standing for another hour, we pull into the event area at a wonderful 9:30 (I stopped for breakfast). Now the Messe Hall is a short walk from the station, and you can also go see the local baseball team of the area the Marines play near the same station (yay more people!). I met up with a guy that was just visiting Japan and actually planned his trip to end at the same time as the show, which I thouht was a pretty good way to end a trip.

The first time I went to this event I got there a little after 10 and had to stand in line for almost 20 minutes before I got to enter. This year I got there 15 minutes before it started, and still had to stand in line over twenty minutes before I got in. I’ve read that attendence is going down each year for this event, but being in the thick of it you really can’t tell. It was a rainy Saturday morning so all you could see was a sea of umbrella’s coming toward the Messe Hall. Anyway in we go, out of the rain. Excitement is running rampid in my head as to what I am gonna see and play, etc.

The first game adverts I saw were from Koei plugging their Dynasty Warriors game for both PSP and the online MMO adaptation that is coming out. I’m looking forward to both but decided I didn’t feel like giving them a try. I was on the hunt for a capcom beast called Monster Hunter 3, along with all other 11,000 people that were there. The line filled up to play and to sign up to line up to play within minutes. My heart sunk, but I did enjoy seeing the wonderful town stage they had setup for MH3, and those lucky enough to have played the game usually got a really nice bag to carr the rest of your paper junk with you.

For the regular people the only way to get (read: earn) your swag from TGS is to stand in line for hours and play the games, or stand in line for hours at the stores in the back and buy really expensive but sometimes very exclusive goods. I ended up with a fan, a cap, a towel, and a file folder.

Now, the part that rarely gets discussed from what I can tell, is the horror that revolves around just being at the event and trying your hardest to get around. Some areas or more boring game companies usually have no traffic what so ever, but the more popular companies like Microsoft, EA, Capcom, Konami, Square Enix, all draw massive numbers. This is where the planning comitee should work out a new system for placement of booths at the venue.

There was a massive traffic jam in multiple parts of the venue from people wanting to see a certain game on both sides of the walkway causing a bottleneck. Japan does not like a bottle neck, I mean this is the country that mashes people into trains to fit as many as possible, so yeah we got mashed around the event. At one point I was stuck between somewhere between Metal Gear Solid Online, and the latest installment of Resident Evil, only to begin moving without my brain telling my legs to do so. I was part of a wave of people that wanted to move on or were being forced to move on to a less crowded area, the only problem with this was not everyone wanted to move in the same direction. Luckily I got stuck in the direction I wanted to go, some smaller people ended up moving in the opposite direction they had been planning on and got swept away possibly never to be found again. Much of this issue of people comes from wanting to be the first there. Had I waited until noon it may not have been as bad, but I didn’t want to stay at the event all day so I decided to finish up what I was looking for and get out of there as soon as possible.

I told you earlier I wouldn’t leave you completely game talkless, so here we go. The games that I think will be big at least in Japan are going to be of course Monster Hunter 3 with local 2 player and online 4 player. Theres swimming now which is a new and very interesting game mechanic. From what I could see I think there was a breathing meter, which goes along with your health and stamina. You can use the Wii mote or the classic controller depending on what kind of hunting you line to do. Gundam Online for your docomo cell phone is going to be huge according to the numbers I saw. It does suck that you can only play it on your phone, but it is a really cool idea. Street Fighter 4 on the console of course looks wonderful, but has had what I have seen as a very lackluster release in Japan, maybe it will do better in the states. Metal Gear Online, Resident Evil, and Need for Speed Undercover were drawing large numbers as well. One of my favorite anime Hajime no Ippo is getting a new series run this Janurary and a little before that a game for the DS is coming out, so you might wanna look for it. The only other thing I am somewhat looking forward two is the Dynasty Warriors MMO. Of course it will be a grind fest considering all the games up to this point have been grindfests, but hey its a very gratifying one to say the least.

Well, thats all from the land of the rising sun. Hope you enjoyed my take on the Tokyo Game Show, and I hope the games you want to play come out stateside, or wherever you live, as for me. I know I’m getting them.

Sony Computer Entertainment’s Shuhei Yoshida made an appearance at this year’s Tokyo Game Show as one would expect he would. He was there generally representing Sony, but checking out the competition as well.

What’s interesting about Yoshida is instead of bashing on his company’s competitors, he prefers to compliment them instead.

When asked about his feelings on the Xbox 360’s upcoming dashboard revamp, labeled as the New Xbox Experience (NXE), Yoshida responded:

“Yes, I’ve seen the videos, some screenshots and write-ups. I think it’s quite nice. I like the Avatar designs they’re working on.”

He said that the Avatar’s are a “little bit older-looking” than Mii’s when asked if he had noticed a similarity. However, Microsoft’s Avatars are “closer to [Yoshida's] personal preference”.

Hey, at least he’s a nice guy.

Konami revealed a next-gen Castlevania teaser trailer at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show. We reported on it yesterday, and now have video footage of it, so you can view it yourself.

The video features an ominous Dracula Slayer complete with glowing red eyes and a flame laden sword. It also clearly states that the game is slated for release on both the Xbox 360 and the PS3. No other information is known about the game or its format at this time, but if I had to guess, my money would be on a 3D format of some sort.

Watch it quickly, before the scary figure with the red eyes slays you.

TGS 08 brings us a new Prince of Persia trailer featuring artist “Sia” performing her song “Breathe Me”. The Prince and Elika acrobatically make their way through the world and close with a battle against The Warrior .

At the risk of my sounding like a broken record, I simply have to say that no matter how many times I see footage of this game I inhale a little each time.

Have at it after the epic Prince like leap.

At the Tokyo Game show today, Konami held a press event for the Castlevania franchise, announcing a new entry to the hit series for both the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Outside of a brief ten second clip showing a man wielding a lit red sword, not much else is known about the game, so it comes as no surprise that an actual release date is far from set.

Could this finally be a worthy 3-D Castlevania game? Let’s hope so, because the last one wasn’t all that.

Source: ps3.ign.com

The LittleBigPlanet game you may have heard a thing or two about lately is getting some more costumes for their dashing lead man. Sony’s Official PlayStation Blog announced that Solid Snake (Old Snake) and Sephiroth (from Final Fantasy VII) digs were confirmed for LBP moments ago on the Tokyo Game Show floor.

While the PlayStation blog itself makes no mention of pricing or planned method of distribution, a translated announcement made on the SCEI website points to the costumes being sold worldwide as downloadable content via the PSN.

Get a closer look at the two new sacks after the jump.

An over the shoulder video showcasing some gameplay footage from Sega’s highly stylized action game, Bayonetta, is now available for your viewing pleasure. If you read the site regularly know that I am very excited about the potential of this game — so much so that I drew some loose sketches for you after seeing initial footage of it at E3.

Those sketches will not be needed anymore, as you can now get a look for yourself after the jump. Keep in mind this is off-screen, and that the quality and color in this video does not do the game justice at all — but it’s better than my sketching.

Bayonetta is the sexy (borderline slutty) gun packing librarian of our dreams. Some may say that the sex aspect is a bit much, but I would quickly direct them to another female heroine who has done quite well for herself.

More news from Tokyo Game Show: Microsoft announced the recently teased new Halo 3 expansion, now titled Halo 3: Recon.  The game’s campaign will be a prequel to the story of Halo 3 and will not feature the Master Chief.  Instead, you play as an ODST grunt (well, slightly better than the cannon-fodder “allies” that got in the way in Halo 3, but not quite a Spartan either) and will apparently “require you to employ more elements of stealth and cunning than ever before.” Read on for full details.

Official game description from Xbox.com:

• All-new campaign content: The Halo 3: Recon campaign is an intriguing side story that takes place during the terrifying events leading up to the Master Chief’s return to New Mombasa in Halo 3. Experience the fate of Earth from the brand-new perspective of a special forces ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper), adding a unique outlook and new gameplay elements to the events that unfold in the trilogy’s finale. While the feel of this new chapter greatly resembles that of previous Halo experiences, Halo 3: Recon will require you to employ more elements of stealth and cunning than ever before.
• Prepare to drop: Known for their courage, valor and, at times, insanity, ODSTs are among the fiercest UNSC soldiers, priding themselves on being the first unit deployed into hostile situations. While not as large or supernaturally gifted as their Spartan comrades, these “Hell Jumpers” more than compensate with their ferocious attitudes and unwavering nerve.
• Expanded multiplayer collection: No Halo experience would be complete without groundbreaking multiplayer content, and Halo 3: Recon gives fans more of what they love. With exclusive new maps and expanded Forge options, Xbox LIVE® Gold members will find more multiplayer content than ever before with Halo 3: Recon.
• Ever-growing community options: Enjoy all the great Halo 3 technological innovations, including Saved Films, screenshots, Campaign Scoring, and four-player co-op. All of the new multiplayer maps fully support the Forge editor, offering endless gameplay customization possibilities.

I was never a big fan of the overhyped monster that is the Halo franchise, but I am oddly pretty interested in seeing how Recon plays. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get overhyped by the time it releases next year and ends up on my list of games to hate on principle. My magic 8-ball says “Fat chance”.

When speaking to Kotaku’s Brian Ashcraft, Ben Judd, Capcom’s Producer of all things Bionic Commando, claimed that:

“We still have a fucking ace up our sleeve. It’s an ace, a fucking ace… At TGS (Tokyo Game Show), the Capcom booth stage is going to make people’s balls pucker up. It’s going to be big. ”

When pressed further, Judd refused to reveal any additional info, but on the subject of more prudent matters, Judd added that Bionic Commando: Rearmed is doing well and expects Bionic Commando 3D to do exponentially better:

“Store retail games always do better than downloadable games,”

Ultimately, I’m not quite sure whether or not I should be excited about any of this. I mean, as far as I’m aware, my testicles have not  puckered. In addition, it doesn’t sound like the most pleasant of experiences. On the other hand, it must be awesome to cause bodily malfunction in the manner Judd implies.

Freudian slip? Maybe. He did say “ace” a few times. Could this have something to do with the Ace Attorney series? In all honesty, the only titles Capcom could announce that have any chance of puckering my balls would be Marvel vs Capcom 3 or Capcom vs SNK 3 in the style of Street Fighter IV.

So while I fear for my balls, I’m issuing a challenge to Capcom — bring it!!

Source: Kotaku

Alan Wake, the upcoming action-thriller from Remedy Entertainment (developers behind Max Payne), was mysteriously missing at this year’s E3 convention. Now, however, it looks like the game will show up at this year’s Tokyo Games Show.

According to MSN games, Microsoft is holding a contest in which the winner will have their likeness appear in the game. They’ll be flown to Finland to Remedy HQ, where they’ll get their digital make-over. Then they’ll be flown to Tokyo to TGS 08 to be “one the scene and on the screen.”

After doing a little digging, I found out via the TGS Wikipedia article that Alan Wake has indeed been confirmed to show.

Alan Wake will be released for PC and Xbox 360 on an unannounced date and the Tokyo Game Show will run October 9th to 12th.