Tokyo Game Show 2024: Day One Round-up
I played the Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater demo, of course, as well as Dragon Age Veilguard, Sonic Generations X Shadow, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, and Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection (already out, but the demo came with some lovely stickers).
The Sega booth was a madhouse, so I played Yakuza and Sonic at the slightly more chill PlayStation demo stations. Monster Hunter Wilds was perhaps the most popular game today, with every demo slot at Capcom claimed within an hour. I'll make a beeline for Capcom tomorrow and catch it then.
Also on the agenda for tomorrow: figure out whether the Yakuza demo at Sega is different to the one at Sony, and play it if it is, check out the SNK booth, play some indies, try something at Square Enix, and have a proper look at what Bandai Namco has to offer.
It's far too late, and I'm far too tired, for in-depth previews, so I'll save that for another day. Instead, here are a few moments from today that are still on my mind as I try to string sentences together at 1 a.m. in my pyjamas.
Moment 1: Hearing the Codec Chime Ring Out Across the Show Floor
That's now two years in a row that Metal Gear Solid has taken centre stage at TGS, and it's great to have it back in the spotlight. Konami once again went all out with an impressive booth full of familiar flourishes like hornet nests hanging over demo booths, cosplayers, and gifts for attendees. Within twenty seconds of arriving, I'd already been handed an Eva clear file and a Calorie Mate; within twenty minutes I was the proud owner of a MGS Delta t-shirt. I am reassured that Konami is not half-arsing this series revival. Its importance is clearly understood, and it's being given the respect it deserves.
Moment 2: Is That a 0 or a 90?
At the front of most demo spaces, you'll find a small whiteboard where the current wait time is recorded. Booth attendees keep these updated and it's the first thing you look for before deciding whether you will, or won't, join the line. Around mid-morning, I and several other visitors were checking out the board for Like a Dragon: Yakuza Pirate in Hawaii. It said 80 minutes, but a Sega employee was approaching with an eraser in hand. Good news? He wiped away the 80 and rewrote a 0 and then pissed off to talk to someone. That can't be right, I thought to myself. Several other punters stopped to gawk at this rare zero. I was already moving toward the line, which to be fair did not look like a zero-minute queue, when the Sega employee returned to the whiteboard to add a 9. Ninety minutes! Groans were heard in several different languages. I went and played something else.
Moment 3: Alex Kidd and a Long-Delayed Purchase
I've been umming and ahing about that yellow Alex Kidd t-shirt for at least the last three Tokyo Game Shows, but probably a lot longer. It's beautifully hideous, but it is a tad expensive, and I've walked away from a near-purchase several times before. This year was different. I figure you only live once, it's a good t-shirt, and frankly Alex Kidd could do with the exposure. My wallet may be 4000 yen lighter, but I'm richer for it.
I mean, technically I'm not, I'm actually poorer, but I do have a yellow Alex Kidd t-shirt.
Shit.
Moment 4: Professor, What on Earth do you Want me to do With These Wires?
The Professor Layton and the New Steam World booth attendee was very clear. If I got stuck on a puzzle, she said, I could call her over and she'd give me a clue. She was more than happy to lend a hand.
Well, I was having none of that. I'm not sure if it was stubbornness or just plain embarrassment that caused me to spend the vast majority of my 12-minute demo failing to solve a wire-based puzzle that had me connecting nodes with L-shaped wires. It looked simple, but it wasn't. I was tired, I could not think logically, and being watched by a booth attendee was stressing me out. She wanted to help, but I wouldn't allow it. This was my puzzle to solve and I would bend those bastard wires to my will.
A true gentleman leaves no puzzle unsolved? Well I fucking did, but I did get a nice key fob with the Layton logo on it to attach to my house keys, and forever remind me of my incompetence.
Right, time for bed. Be sure to follow me on Bluesky for Day Two updates, and check back here in the coming days for hands-on impressions.
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