Hello again, Organization of Anti-Social Geniuses! I’m Geoffrey Barnes, from Damage Control, who you’ll (hopefully) remember from the first The Directional Pad entry in July, an ongoing video game-related feature with new entries coming every month. Angela handled last month’s post, where she provided a summation of the biggest gaming news that occurred around that time. In a way, I did the same thing in July, but I’m shaking things up a little this time.
Gaming’s enthusiast press is currently within Tokyo Game Show reporting mode, covering news from this annual gaming-centric convention held in Tokyo. Concerns abounded for this year’s show, understandably from those ambivalent towards the direction the Japanese gaming market has been heading towards in the last half-decade. Anyone as old as me (spoiler: that’s 32) is perhaps aware of the show’s halcyon days, one dominated by heavy-hitting title announcements and showcases during the PS2 era. Heck, you may even remember when Japan had so many big games to show that they needed two TGS conventions (this ended in 2002). Though previously focused mostly on core gaming, mobile and browser titles are covering more and more floor space every year.
The kickoff happened two days before the convention’s official start, when Sony held their annual TGS conference. Hopefully no one expected the spectacle that came with their E3 2015 conference, where numerous dream games were announced (some of which covered in the OASG entry above), because TGS isn’t the place for them. They did, however, feature many projects for those who enjoy Japanese games.
The Gravity Rush 2 tease a couple of years ago left everyone in suspense, especially when it no-showed last year’s TGS. Speculation abounded concerning which system it would land on, especially in light of Sony’s comments suggesting Vita is a legacy system. Gravity Rush Remastered is making its way to PS4 in December in Japan (and February for western markets), which they wouldn’t have produced if the sequel wasn’t also headed to the same platform. That’s precisely what’s happening here. There’s some disappointment, sure, but most are glad a solid mid-tier hit is receiving a sequel at all. This made for the biggest first-party announcement in their conference.
Sony’s conference also hosted plenty of other new announcements, including the return of Ni-Oh, a game once announced as a PS3-exclusive a decade ago, but now made a PS4-exclusive. Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue was also confirmed, a collection including Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance remastered in HD, cutscenes from mobile title Kingdom Hearts ? [chi] Back Cover, and a new quest called 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Package- starring Birth by Sleep’s Aqua. (Man, who the heck comes up with these names!?) Atlus and Vanillaware also teased a brand new title when they announced a remastered version of Odin Sphere in Odin Sphere Leifthrasir, called 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. A pity they’re holding gameplay footage back until some undetermined point in the future, but the teaser assured us it will have a great art style and soundtrack. Also, two new Yakuza games were announced: a remake of the first one with Kiwami for the series’ 10th Anniversary, and the sixth installment. Who knows if we’ll get them, but you’ll want to get Yakuza 5 when it hits PSN to help ensure that happens, if you’re interested.
The conference made for a good start, establishing the promise that this would be one of the better TGS’ in recent memory. Thankfully, it’s delivered on them.
Good things waited outside the conference, like the announcement of Project City Shrouded in Shadow by Bandai Namco and developer Granzella, a house staffed by ex-Irem talent. It’s also directed by Kazuma Kujo, previously responsible for handling the Disaster Report installments and Steambot Chronicles. Interestingly, this game’s concept sounds like it would fit right in with a Disaster Report game, considering the fourth installment resumed development under Granzella (though it’s definitely not releasing in fall 2015). It should resurface in the near future, assuming the developer has an ample amount of resources at their disposal.
Additionally, the previously MIA Karin Kanzuki is making her glorious return in Street Fighter V, and given her character archetype, an event in Japan was the perfect place to reveal her. Since we’re on an anime blog, it should be noted that with the playable showcases of Ace Attorney 6 and Monster Hunter Stories came the announcements of anime adaptations for both. Video game adaptations can sometimes go horribly awry, but cross your fingers and hope both are at least enjoyable.
We also received news of third-party Japanese titles for western markets, a way for some companies to spread the wealth, so to speak. Koei Tecmo is bringing both Yoru no Nai Kuni and Samurai Warriors 4: Empires westward early next year, though the PS3 and Vita versions of the former are being left behind (though you can request them on Twitter or Facebook). Bandai Namco also provided a new trailer for the western version of Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, and confirmed a western release date for Project X Zone 2: Brave New World (February 16th and 19th for America and Europe, respectively). The latter of which will also include Chrom and Lucina from Fire Emblem Awakening, and Fiora from Xenoblade Chronicles. Not much, but hey, it’s something.
The most unfortunate news out of TGS is Persona 5 taking a significant delay from the end of this year to summer 2016, despite promises from Atlus USA’s PR to the contrary. Though the writing was on the wall, it’s a big disappointment for anyone who’s been looking forward to a new mainline title since Persona 4 released over seven years ago; and by the time this releases, it will have been eight. On the positive side, the TGS trailer is so good that it almost makes up for it. A special anime was also announced, since this is apparently the TGS for anime adaptations being announced. Don’t expect a TV series in this case.
TGS has reduced in influence too far to hold announcements of AAA games, but it also doesn’t need them. Development costs for big video games have climbed to such heights that many developers can’t reach them, especially in Japan. But games don’t need big budgets to be good, and oftentimes lower budget offerings can offer better experiences than their (sometimes) flash-over-substance big brothers. If you enjoy Japanese games, chances are something was shown you’re looking forward to. The Japanese gaming industry on dedicated platforms isn’t dead yet.
Not to deny the shift from those platforms to mobile that’s occurred, but there’s little to complain about when options for the core gaming market are still being provided. Let’s hope things remain this way, if not better, for a good while longer.
Until the next entry, then! Angela will return to handle next month’s The Directional Pad (schedule permitting), while I’ll be back in November.
