Tokyo Game Show 2024: Day Two Round-up


You can find all of my Tokyo Game Show 2024 coverage here

Tokyo Game Show is over for another year and I have already returned to reality. Instead of playing Metal Gear Solid Delta or Monster Hunter Wilds, I spent yesterday catching up on two-days of chores and even visited a home improvement centre, to talk to a lady about a garden fence. She nodded politely when I told her about Sonic x Shadow Generations, but I don't think she really cared.

The Show

I may be exhausted, but I'm still buzzing from two days spent immersed in games. The show was as exciting as ever, with Capcom and Sega dominating as per usual, and Sony back in a supporting role, mostly highlighting titles from their partners. We were treated to a second year of the Konami resurgence-of-sorts, there was a lot of buzz around Level 5, and Bandai Namco and Koei Tecmo both had a significant presence. Your opinion on Square Enix's show will likely depend on how much you're into Dragon Quest.

Based on how quickly the demo was shut down on the business days, due to it being over-subscribed, it's fair to say that Monster Hunter Wilds was the most popular game of the show. Konami generated a lot of buzz with the Snake Eater remake, and the Sega Atlus booth was non-stop heaving, drawing in the punters with a mix of high-profile demos, stage shows and giveaways. 

The Games

On Friday, I played Monster Hunter Wilds first, before trying out a bunch of more easily-accessed games, including Double Dragon Revive, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road, Earthion, Fantasy Life: The Girl Who Steals Time, and Lollipop Chainsaw Repop.

My second attempt at the Professor Layton and the New World of Steam demo has convinced me to buy the full game next year. It didn't do anything particularly innovative, but it confirmed what I suspected: I do quite fancy returning to that world. I'm stupidly considering buying the limited edition set for Like a Dragon: Yakuza Pirates in Hawaii - I'm already thoroughly sick of typing out that ludicrous title - which includes an eye patch and Majima-skinned Pop-Up Pirate. It was on display at the Sega booth and looked brilliant. I've also decided to purchase Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, which is already out. Despite owning and enjoying most of the featured titles on original hardware, I hadn't considered how convenient it would be to have them all in one place, and easily accessed on modern hardware.


The Stickers

Speaking of Marvel vs. Capcom, I returned for a second demo on Friday to claim another sheet of stickers! I was under strict instructions from my daughter to pick up a set for her, and who am I to argue, especially when the Switch version had a zero-minute wait early in the day on Friday. Marvel vs. Capcom stickers aside, my favourite TGS handouts this year include a smart-looking Layton key fob and a MGS Delta t-shirt. The Calorie Mates being handed out at Konami ranked as the most useful freebie, as I was bloody starving by 4 p.m. both days! "Delicious" - said in a David Hayter voice.

The Tanuki

It was nice to see a friend's game finally named and featured during the Xbox TGS stream. You can wishlist TANUKI: Pon's Summer on Steam now. Being that it looks adorable, I'd highly recommend doing so!

The Revenge

I was outed as a gaming fraud and dimwit on Thursday when I failed to solve the first puzzle in the Professor Layton and the New World of Steam demo, and was too embarrassed to ask for help. However, it seems I wasn't alone. I spoke to several other people that evening who had similarly struggled, and that gave me the confidence to try again the next day. I'm not ashamed to admit that I had a YouTube screenshot of the puzzle's solution at the ready, and was covertly looking at my phone during the demo to make sure I didn't embarrass myself two days in a row! Pathetic, I know, but it enabled me to progress through the demo and I even breezed through the next few puzzles without resorting to cheating. The booth attendees must have thought I was very bright and big-brained!


The Merchandise

TGS isn't just about free things - sometimes I even pay for stuff! This year's pick-ups included a snazzy Zangief bag-for-life, an Alex Kidd t-shirt that drew rave reviews from friends and strangers alike when I wore it on Day Two, and a Mega Drive t-shirt from the discount section! And of course, I didn't return to my family empty-handed. I grabbed a car-shaped Kirby toy, some Pikmin erasers, and a Chun-Li badge for my daughter, as I am a good dad and a discerning gamer.

And that was my second day at Tokyo Game Show! Next week, I'll be writing up in-depth impressions of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Like a Dragon: Yakuza Pirate in Hawaii and Monster Hunter Wilds, among others. I'll hopefully see you then.

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