Toomanywires

I'm drawn to colour. I love fighting games with big, bright colours and characters that fill the screen. I played Street Fighter II and then 2D Saturn brawlers in my formative years, and I've never grown out of the aesthetic preferences those experiences fostered. If I'm playing a fighting game in 2025, it's probably Street Fighter VI, IV Ultra, one of those recent-ish Capcom collections, or something on my Saturn or Dreamcast.  Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls wasn't initially on my TGS radar, but that changed when I walked by the Arc System Works' booth. I was drawn in by the vibrant colours, big character sprites, and fast-moving line. I decided to join the queue and was immediately handed a collection of laminated documents detailing the gameplay basics and info for all eight characters: Storm, Star Lord, Ms. Marvel, Iron Man, Doctor Doom, Captain America, Ghost Rider and Spider-man. I felt like I was prepping for an exam, and as with most exams I take, I commit...

"Are you OK with scary games?" asked the booth attendant. I puffed out my chest and nodded my head. One of the bravest gamers out there; Top Ten at least. The Capcom staff didn't want to spoil anything, but they also wanted to make sure that those of us who were waiting for the PS5 Resident Evil Requiem demo knew exactly what we were getting into. To be fair, I think we all knew. Our familiarity with the series was a given - it was a press/industry day, after all - and we'd spent the last ten minutes lining up alongside a thirty-foot-long digital display playing footage of Grace, Requiem's protagonist, strapped to a gurney and screaming bloody murder. My ears were still ringing from the screams, and I understood that this would be a significant change of pace from my previous demo, Once Upon a Katamari, where the staff did not ask me if I was OK with scary games. I wouldn't say the demo was scary - I'm one of the bravest gamers out there - but it was certa...

Death, taxes and a Yakuza at Tokyo Game Show. It's a comfort knowing that there's always a Yakuza, or a Like a Dragon, waiting for me at TGS. Yakuza 4 was probably my first, back in 2009. They had a throne photo-spot at the booth, where you could pose for pictures with hosts and hostesses and, if you were lucky, some of the dev staff. A year or two later, zombies were running amok on the show floor for the Dead Souls spin off. For the Yakuza 4-6 era, there was usually a theatre presentation pre-demo, where you'd sit in a dark room and watch a 10-15 minute video that highlighted the talent and brands that would feature in the latest entry, before getting your hands-on time. The Yakuza 6 demo came with a branded box of tissues (!) and the giant Last Supper panorama for Infinite Wealth, stretching across a gigantic screen, was a highlight of more recent shows. Nagoshi-san was a staple in the past, and now it's Yokoyama-san you'll spot in and around the booth. Death, t...

Chatting with friends in line for TGS day one, waiting for the doors to open, I was surprised to hear that I wasn't the only one planning to head straight for Capcom and Pragmata. Resident Evil Requiem may have the bigger profile, and I figured it'd be a greater draw, but Pragmata had already caught the imagination of like-minded attendees. On the surface, Pragmata may not seem all that original. A third-person shooter set on a space station, starring a hulking astronaut, Hugh, who shoots robots and hunts for electrical thingamabobs so he can open the next door and then shoot more robots, in space. So far, so 2012. However, he is joined by Diana, an android who appears as a little girl. She may be small, and makes for an interesting visual contrast to Hugh, but she's invaluable and, for all his heft, Hugh is useless without her.  Hugh is the muscle, and Diana is the brains. At the start of the demo, she rescues her new partner and brings his space suit back to life. The pai...

Tokyo Game Show continues into the weekend, but for me it's been over since Friday evening. On the industry days, I walked and I played until my feet hurt and my brain turned to mush. By Friday afternoon, if a demo required me to do more than move and attack, I was going to struggle! I started Friday off with Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties, and then spent the rest of the day moving between demos with far less urgency. I'll be writing up several previews next week, so be sure to check back then. For now, here are some random thoughts on day two and the show in general. You can find my day one round-up here .  Out of the Loop My grasp of what is or isn't popular in the world of video games lessens with each passing year, and TGS always hammers this home. Each year, I'm confused by vast booths and huge lines for games that I've never heard of, brought to you by developers and publishers I'm learning about for the first time. The number of mystery games and publisher...

Today was very productive, as I moved from demo to demo with very little downtime. I was an absolute pro at cramming everything in.  I'm home now, and my head is swimming with thoughts on new video games. Pragmata, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Once Upon a Katamari, Lumines Arise, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Resident Evil Requiem, Demi and the Fractured Dream, Ninja Gaiden 4 - I got through plenty! I'll be sharing in-depth impressions for some of those in the coming days, but for now, here's a brief round-up of my TGS day one. They Let The Bloggers in Again! Was there ever any doubt? To be honest, I was a little concerned this year, as the application process was different and it was very delayed, but I was relieved that it all went smoothly and the only hold-up at reception was the one caused by my Famicom business card case, which the staff thought was delightful and insisted on inspecting! I think 2025 is my fourteenth TGS, ...

People keep asking me what I'm most looking forward to playing at Tokyo Game Show.  Upward of three people have asked. And until today, I didn't have an answer. Everything about this year's show, running 9/25-9/28, has felt last-minute. Press-day registration was significantly delayed and I received confirmation that my application had been accepted just a few days ago. Due to the uncertainty, I hadn't looked into game lineups in any real detail, that is until I started prepping this post. But don't worry, as I am now exceedingly well informed on all things TGS. When I'm next asked what I'm most looking forward to, I'll have an answer ready. And that answer is Once Upon a Katamari. I must've missed the initial announcement; I had no idea that we're a month away from getting the first new Katamari in over a decade. The premise is irresistible: "the Prince must roll their katamari through time itself, collecting objects through stages in the J...

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is done , and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is still a week away. I am enamoured with Tactics. Big love for it, and I'll be dropping everything to play it at launch. I even pre-ordered the new art book that should arrive at my door a few days later. It's a book that's got art in it; Tactics art. October will be all Tactics, all the time. But it's not October yet, it is September, and I've got a little time to play other things. Nothing too significant, as I don't want to commit to anything I can't finish, or at least get my fill of, by 9/30. This is an ideal opportunity to get through some of my backlog, and I've already started to take advantage of this brief window. Last week, I got the Wii U out, so that I could make use of its Wii backward compatibility. I  picked up a handful of Wii games when I was back in the UK in August and fancied putting a dent in them. However, I didn't get very far, a...

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Subsistence. The HD and Master Collections. Snake Eater 3D. And now, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Multiple ways to enjoy the greatest game ever made! I spent the last two weeks playing through Delta and, as expected, I had a wonderful time. Snake Eater remains sublime, and I only have good things to say about the remake. But not everyone shares in my enthusiasm. There has been some hand-wringing about the stylistic choices made in Delta - some touch-ups here and there, minor elements added and removed, and the effects of graphical enhancements that have rubbed people the wrong way. There has also been concern about whether Konami should be fucking with MGS, given its visionary and driving force, Hideo Kojima, is no longer involved. Ultimately, some have questioned the need to remake Snake Eater at all, especially considering a perfectly good HD remaster is widely available on modern platforms. Fair enough. Valid points, mostly. But I, the Snake ...

In twelve hours of Mafia: The Old Country, I rarely wandered off the main path. I didn't want to stray from the linear and tightly-paced narrative drive, and was content to gawk at early 1900's Sicily from my car or horse as I moved from A to B, rather than explore it properly. I adore "short", linear, narrative-driven adventures. Especially cover shooters that are written with care. Throw in a few action set pieces and a couple of turret sections and I'm in heaven! I couldn't love the Uncharted series more and I'm one of perhaps four people globally who have recently mulled a replay of The Order: 1886. These predilections explain why I decided to pick up The Old Country around launch, and why I enjoyed it so much. There's nothing groundbreaking about The Old Country's story, nor the gameplay for that matter. Local lad Enzo escapes poverty and gradually works his way up the ranks of the Torrisi Family. As his station in life improves, and he's ...

Guess who'd never heard of Guy Savage until last week? It is me, the Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater-liker. I had no clue who or what Guy Savage was until I saw a very confusing repost on Bluesky last Friday. "Guy Savage nightmare game confirmed for MGS Delta Snake Eater, developed by Platinum Games". I read that post multiple times in an attempt to untangle the meaning, and could not make head nor tail of it. Who or what is Guy Savage? Is the mention of Snake Eater a copy/paste error? Platinum Games, what? My head hurt, so I decided to treat the message as nonsense. None of my business. I resumed scrolling. But he kept appearing on my feed. Guy Savage this, Guy Savage that. I eventually found a link to a  news story  and all was revealed. I was confused, a tad embarrassed, but mostly fascinated by this bonus mini game that had somehow eluded me for twenty years. For those who are unaware (embarrassing!), Guy Savage is a hack-and-slash mini game hidden in MGS3, which only...

I've been on holiday. A trip back to the UK for two weeks. Sun? Yes, there was a bit. Pretty decent for an English summer. Sea? Only seen from the plane as we crossed over from mainland Europe. CEX? Yes, several times. It's lovely seeing family of course, but I also get excited about the little things when I go back to the UK. Popping in to Tesco, buying socks that fit properly, Marmite on toast for breakfast, takeout from the curry house, jogging an old route, and a trip or two to CEX to buy games. I'm not sure whether I ever stepped foot in a CEX, a leading retailer of second-hand media, when I lived in the UK. Maybe there were less of them? I certainly didn't buy many used games back then, and I'd save most of my retro purchases for trips to Japan. But now that I live outside the UK, I consider CEX a little treat and will visit a couple of times whenever I'm back. Inside CEX, the UK residents are looking for a few quid off PS5 games, and the collectors are co...

I have decided that there are too many games. Or at least there's not enough time to play them. BitSummit 2025 was, by design, full of games. Games you've heard of, and games you definitely haven't. Games that one day you'll play, and plenty you won't. Games supported by big publishers, small-team efforts, and game-jam experiments; games from here, there and everywhere. Wall to wall indie games. So many games that I didn't know where to start. Utter choice paralysis. For the third consecutive year, I jumped on the Shinkansen and spent a sweltering July-weekend in Kyoto so that I could attend BitSummit , Japan's premier indie game shindig. I played games, chatted until my voice was hoarse, had drinks down by the river, did a bit of tourism, and failed to eat a vegetable.  When I arrived at the show on Saturday, I was thoroughly overwhelmed. Part of the considerable charm of BitSummit is not knowing what to expect. It's not like Tokyo Game Show, where yo...