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Tokyo Game Show 2013 News Roundup

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Tokyo Game Show has officially begun!  I’m not in attendance this year, but that won’t stop me from throwing my two cents around like a hobo at a strip club.

Before I get into TGS stuff, I feel obligated to talk about some news that just recently went from the rumor mill to the… mill where things really happen: Sega Sammy Holdings has indeed acquired Atlus.

Jeez, I gotta be honest, this is some troubling news.  Index wasn’t the most stable company, but Sega’s financial history is none too bright either:sega

It IS important to note however, that a holdings company is the one who made the acquisition, not Sega alone (a lot of sites are reporting this incorrectly).  The slight up-spike in profits that begins in 2003 on that graph is attributed to Sega being acquired by the same parent company.

Sega was made more profitable by shifting the company’s focus to their “profit-making arcade business rather than its loss-making home software development.”  This has made the company somewhat less relevant in my eyes (and probably in the eyes of anyone else in the West, where arcades are basically nonexistent).

The only console game that Sega seems to be able to sell with any consistency is Hatsune Miku: Project Diva, a rhythm game that practically sells itself in Japan.  This begs the question: does Sega Sammy Holdings know how to manage a company that relies on console software sales?  Hopefully they’ll be relatively hands-off and allow Atlus to keep on keepin’ on, but only time will tell.  I’m cautiously optimistic and recklessly pessimistic.

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Now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way, let’s talk TGS.

I forgot that there was a Sony event (Asia only) last night and went out with some friends for beers.  I came back a little tipsy and loaded up a livestream of the event.  Other than a hilariously bad translator, there wasn’t much worth repeating.

It is worth noting, however, that the Vita TV can access the Playstation Network, meaning my initial praise for the device was well placed.

Now let’s talk games.

Here is 12 minutes of Metal Gear Solid V gameplay:

I was pretty impressed with the lighting effects (spotlights, truck headlights, pitch blackness) , which I suppose is a feature of that darn Fox Engine Kojima is always going on about.  I’m also a big fan of the little icons that pop up to show what options you have when engaged in CQC (or by simply approaching an item that can be interacted with).  This style is very clean and simple to understand:

Moving right along, it seems like a Gravity Rush sequel is in the works:

I never completed the first one, but I sure do enjoy the game’s concept art and general aesthetics.  It’s clear a lot of love and attention went into Gravity Rush so a new project, whatever it may be, is something that deserves to happen.  But will it be playable on the Vita TV? Hmmm…

A bunch of Deep Down stuff has surfaced, beginning with this new trailer:

I had a hard time wrapping my mind around just what kinda game Deep Down is.  This gameplay video just about confirms that the game combines elements of Dark Souls and Resident Evil:  

Gotta be honest: combat looks somewhat repetitive and a little sloppy.  I wish more than one weapon (lance) was shown.  Watching all that poking got old fast.  It also seemed tough to aim and things got quite chaotic when facing more than one enemy.  I’ll keep watching this game, but still on the fence about it.

Next up — and just because I’m super excited — a new Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster trailer:

Man, I really miss Dresspheres!  This will be my favorite Final Fantasy for the PS3, at least until Final Fantasy XV.

Not quite TGS news, but news all the same: a new Dark Souls II trailer:

This video does a great job showing the glory that comes with trying and failing and trying again until you pass a great difficulty — an important life lesson and one that the Souls series perfectly encapsulates.

While on the subject of insanely popular, yet challenging games:

Monster Hunter Frontier G is coming to Vita in the East. The Frontier series is the MMO-esque version of Monster Hunter, separate from the numbered console releases.  I feel indifferent about this news for a few reasons — mainly because I have no interest in the Frontier series but I also doubt this title will be released in the West.  Still, it’s nice to see the Vita being given a chance when it comes to Monster Hunter.  I hope this will increases the system’s console sales, at least in Japan.

Next, I was happy to see Animal Crossing: New Leaf win best game of 2013 at the Japan Game Awards.  A well deserved honor for a game I still can’t put down.

Honorable mentions go to some great titles, including Soul Sacrifice, Fantasy Life, Dragon’s Quest X and Braverly Default — yea, a lot of portable (mainly 3DS) love from Japan this year.

Boy, that was a lot of stuff to cover.  There may be more posts like this leading up to the end of TGS, so look forward to even more coverage!

I leave you with a video taken at a Grand Theft Auto 5 midnight launch event.  Best grab some popcorn and enjoy:


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