By Steven Rondina
Well, the Tokyo Game Show has ended and gamers the world over have been graced with loads of information and trailers on hundreds of games. All that is left is for the information to be sorted and the predictions to be made. So, here we go:
PS3 Will Rule: Lots of people were quick to dismiss the PS3 for various reasons after the lackluster showing at E3 earlier this year. But the PS3 has really shown that it is definitely going to be an excellent console. Between Metal Gear Solid 4, Devil May Cry 4, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Resistance and Gran Turismo HD, it is quite clear that off the bat the PS3 is going to simply slaughter the Wii when it comes to who will have great games fast. The long list of high-profile exclusives shows that publishers are still willing to invest loads of effort cash into the PS3’s lineup. Really, this ends any debate over whether or not publishers are willing to “roll the dice” on the PS3.
PSP Is Making a Comeback: The PSP has been catching some flack lately from gamers and publishers (EA, that is) alike about how the PSP has been getting minimal support from the industry, and Sony themselves. Well, the TGS has confirmed that the PSP is going to make a huge comeback through the holiday season and into 2007. With Square-Enix coming out strongly for the PSP with Valkyrie Profile and Final Fantasy VII: Before Crisis, Konami putting out Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops, a new MGS digital comic centering around Metal Gear Solid 2, and Namco is already starting to show its support with Me and My Katamari and Tekken 5: Dark Ressurection, and with a new installation in the Tales series coming. Add to that some games like Guilty Gear Judgment, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, The Elder Scrolls Travels: Oblivion and many others, and it’s apparent that the DS won’t be coasting through as the top handheld as easily from here on out.
Mixed Bag for Microsoft: Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon both made a notable splash at the TGS, and a strong supporting cast which included Dead or Alive X2, Trusty Bell and Metal Slug complimented them nicely. While this is all nice…Team Ninja, the branch of Tecmo behind the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden series has officially moved on to the PS3. For anybody who has read interviews of Tomonobu Itagaki, head of Team Ninja, this turn of events may have seemed somewhat foreseeable; as the developers who consistently put out some of the most technically impressive games for their consoles almost immediately, Itagaki insists upon developing only for the most powerful console available. Add to that his difficulties developing DOAX2, where he ended up peaking the capacity of the 360’s disks to the point where things had to be removed from the game to fit into the eight gigabyte disk. Needless to say, this is a harsh loss for the Xbox 360.
Nintendo Got Stung for Missing TGS: What was Nintendo thinking when they decided not to attend the TGS? Really, the PS3 showed that it’s a console worth its hefty price tag and the back-to-back TGS-X06 conventions for Microsoft produced massive hype, most importantly, right before the holiday season. It would’ve cost Nintendo a few million to set up a booth at the show, but they almost definitely would’ve made it back because of the simple fact that the Wii would be fresh in gamers’ minds right when it counts. Now, the Wii is on hype’s backburner, which could be a precursor to a disappointing launch for Nintendo.
Metal Gear Solid 4 is Going to be the Best Game Ever: Well…maybe not but it’s definitely going to be simply incredible. If you haven’t seen the six minute trailer yet, you seriously need to simply to see just how incredible next-gen gaming can get. Not to mention the huge cliffhanger at the end.