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Tokyo Game Show Is a Go! Well, the big news since the last report, obviously, was the Autumn Tokyo Game Show. Held at Makuhari Messe in the Chiba prefecture from September 17th-19th, 164,000 people attended, a record, with 300 games companies showing product. There's probably far too much information to report in this column alone, but we'll take a stab at it, handily arranging information by platform. We'll lead off with the newest platform of them all… Playstation 2: Go Go Sony! I would imagine most of you have by now heard about the PSX2. Its launch is scheduled for March 4th, 2000 in Japan, it can play DVD movies, and one million units are expected to ship at launch (importers such as NCS are not predicting astronomical prices for PSX2, and there should be enough to go round). The processor is the 128-bit Emotion Engine, the I/O processor is the Playstation CPU, and the unit is backwards compatible with the PSX. Perhaps more interesting, however, is some of the news that has accompanied this announcement.
Indeed, not only has the backwards compatibility with the PSX been confirmed (even to the extent of the peripherals working), but two new peripherals have been announced. One is the Dual Shock 2, a completely analog version of the Dual Shock, with all of its buttons except for the Start and Select having analog inputs, and the other is an 8 meg memory card. Both of these will be available at launch. This will help saves and controls up to the next level that PS2 games will naturally demand. Hidden behind the PS2 announcement is another extremely interesting bit of information. Sony has been saying that they will release a cable TV network interface in 2001, which will allow the user to download movies, games, and music direct from the Internet. This is what prompted Microsoft's scramble for their X-Box development kits, and has most other electronics manufacturers in the world running scared. With Sony also confirming they plan to develop a PS2 hard disc to store this material (50 gig storage capacity has been rumored), you can buy and download almost anything you want direct to your console. With all this, the Playstation 2 begins to become so much more than just a games console. Any additional speculation about the PS2 being more than just a games machine will have to wait, because for now the Tokyo Game Show showed the pure gaming side of PS2, and mighty impressive it was too. Highlights were as follows.. Tekken Tag Tournament from Namco showed the PS2 hardware off to greatest effect, and it's emerged after the show that all the enhancements were allegedly done in just 3 weeks. So, yikes, imagine what else can be done in the months up to launch? Little to say about this title except there will be 34 (!) playable characters when it comes out and the graphics are enhanced massively from the arcade version (which of course runs on System 12, basically a Playstation).
Gran Turismo 2000 from Polyphony/Sony, although clearly nowhere near finished, and relying on enhanced Playstation courses for now, looked absolutely stunning, with heat haze and an amazing lens flare that lit up the whole road standing-out especially in the demo. Bouncer from Square/Dream Factory wasn't playable, although you could alter the camera angle and speed of the action, which demonstrated its running in realtime. But it, more than any title, showed the movie-like possibilities of the console. Once you've seen this demo running, in which characters first duke it out on a speeding train, which in turn crashes spectacularly, followed by more fighting by the characters, well… suffice to say, your socks will be well and truly knocked off. As this is coming from the developers of Ehrgeiz, who clearly know decent gameplay when they see it, coupled with Square's legendary quality control, the game may take a while to come out, but rest assured, it'll be worth the wait. Sony's launch RPG is titled Dark Cloud and also shows some spectacular graphics. You can create your own villages within the game, a construction angle titles such as Legend Of Mana are popularizing within Japanese RPGs currently. And you play a boy on a flying carpet - bonus! Other stand-outs or impressive rumors are as follows: Software's Eternal Ring looks like another great launch RPG, opting for the dragon-type fantasy option but doing so with style. Capcom's Onimusha, cancelled on PSX to be resurrected on PS2, looks just amazing, with a lot of sword fighting action. Street Fighter Ex 3 from Capcom/Arika, to be released on a PS2 arcade board, also looks dementedly good. Finally, there have been reports of Final Fantasy on PS2 for March 2001 in Japan with some network capabilities. Likely? Unlikely? Who knows? Dreamcast: Impressive But Overshadowed?
Space Channel 5 was a new title and a dancing game a little like Enix's Bust A Groove/Move. In this particular game you need to dance to repel invading aliens. Extremely impressive graphics, nice and intuitive gameplay, and another twist on the music genre mean this could quite possibly be a big hit for Sega in Japan. However, it's not really a title that will strengthen Dreamcast's position elsewhere in the world, simply because the Japanese have such a different impression of what's cool, and offerings like Space Channel 5 just isn't as mainstream in the West. Phantasy Star Online is looking very, very interesting, with beautiful future/past real-time 3D, and of course the pedigree of the Sonic Team (Sonic, Nights, Burning Rangers). But some of the goals it's reaching for seem immensely ambitious. Recent announcements have suggested you will be able to play alongside other people online, participating in adventures and exchanging items together, but when you go offline these characters will become NPCs and behave like a human-controller character. This sounds like a fascinating idea but could prove to be horribly difficult to balance or deal with, and it'll be interesting to see if this design will be how Phantasy Star Online turns out.
Chu Chu Rocket is the other Sonic Team title confirmed for Dreamcast release, for only 2800 yen (14UKP, 21USD) on November 11th. It's a bizarre yet strangely addictive puzzle game, and involves herding rats into rockets. Yes, you heard right. Yes, really. There's also a special (more expensive) edition with a cool clear-green DC controller, as Sega are encouraging multi-player use with this title. Virtua On: Oratorio Tangram gets a confirmed release date of December 18th, and the ability to battle over the Net. This simply brilliant robot fighter also includes a dual-stick custom controller (the Saturn version of which for the original Virtua On has become a bit of a collector's item!). Higher polygon counts throughout will make it a Soul Calibur-style enhanced conversion, too. Other titles include Capcom/Sega's Biohazard: Code Veronica, which is looking better and better graphically, as well as in terms of strength and depth of content. Tecmo's Dead Or Alive 2 isn't coming out on DC until next March, an almost interminable wait. Sega's flagship RPG, Eternal Arcadia has the ability to be the best ever 3D RPG, possibly excepting Zelda, although it's quite a ways from release. Jet Set Radio isn't playable yet but also looks amazing in a cartoony, rollerblading/dancing type of way. Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact has much nicer graphics, but it's still the same dodgy game, by the look of it. Zombie's Revenge and Crazy Taxi both look like top-notch Naomi conversions, and Crazy Taxi is going to have extra stages not in the arcade version, especially exciting. Densha De Go! 2 looked very competent, and Super Runabout appears to be a good conversion/sequel to a fine (but far too short) mission-based driving game from Climax.
Playstation I: Aging Gracefully? Even with the predominance of PSX2 at the Tokyo Game Show, there were still a number of very good PSX games hanging around on various stands at TGS. Before we dazzle you with too many acronyms, here's a run-down of the best...
Square's Parasite Eve 2, the sequel to the book-adapted title that hasn't done very well in the West, despite some extensive Japanese success, is looking customarily classy, with plenty of Resident Evil-influenced exploring, shocks, and action. And the combat system, as mentioned in a previous MGT Report, has been sharpened up considerably. It's due out December 9th in Japan. As for others, Namco's Rescue Shot is another cutesy gun-game and looks mighty fun, Point Blank style, although it isn't out until January 2000 in Japan. Enix had 50 demo units of their Dragon Quest VII title on their stand, with full 3D in battle sequences, including zooming and rotating, as well as a massive RPG to work through on a higher level. This will literally sell millions in Japan. SNK's Koudelka, developed by the former Square staffers at Sacnoth, is looking like a world-class Square-styled RPG, and will hopefully be translated for Western release with all haste. About 9 million new Konami Bemani titles due for release soon, too. And finally - Victor is putting out a Playstation version of Harvest Moon. Farming is go! The Japanese Top Ten (week ending September 12th)
A quick run-through of the top games in the chart this week. Another append-disc for the Beatmania behemoth sells 6 figures in one week to make it to top spot (indeed, I contributed to the sale figures by one copy, since a friend was in town for the Tokyo Game Show and he managed to pick me up a copy of the disc!). Konami also scores big in the Top Ten with their regularly high-selling baseball and soccer Playstation titles. And with the Winning Eleven soccer series already announced for Playstation 2 and looking spectacularly kick ass in screenshots, that particular franchise looks to run on almost indefinitely. RPGs by Square, Koei and Sony (and yes, that's another cooking RPG there) round out the Top Ten, making this another typically varied but fairly predictable chart. See you next time… Simon Carless is a game designer/project director at a UK games developer. His game credits include design on PC and Playstation titles for (amongst others) Eidos and GT Interactive. He can be contacted at h0l@mono211.com. Simon would like to thank Magic Box, Re:Tokyo, Gamespot, FGNOnline, Core Magazine, and his other Japanese sources for the information that helps to write this column. |
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News
Analysis 
It's
difficult to suggest that anyone was unimpressed by Sega's showing at
the Tokyo Game Show. In particular, their network plans impressed, knowing
they'll be the first console to maintain Ultima Online-style virtual
worlds with Sonic Team's amazing-looking Phantasy Star Online (Sony
aren't really pushing online issues, at least not yet). But then, the
superior graphics power of Playstation 2 was easily apparent. In any case,
let's run through the Dreamcast highlights... 
Square's
Chocobo Stallion is another example of their oh-so-clever borrowing
of other developers' work to make Square-themed versions of hit titles.
This time it's Ascii's Derby Stallion, massive in Japan but unknown
elsewhere. So you breed and race Chocobos instead of horses - wicked!
It should be out December 22nd in Japan.
Dance
Dance Revolution in sequel form also hangs around semi-permanently
in the Top Ten, despite what a lot of people are saying; indeed, even
without the dance mat, the title is still very playable, and with the
dance mat it's out of this world! Oh, and by using real tunes that are
even recognizable in the West (disco classics such as KC and the Sunshine
Band's "That's The Way I Like It" or even Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting")
this title may cross over more effectively to Western audiences.