Toomanywires

I originally posted this at  Critical Gamer Project Resistance was a surprise. Announced just a few days in advance of Tokyo Game Show, it was a welcome addition to what was shaping up to be a very limited selection of demos at Capcom. The initial announcement offered only the basic details. I understood the premise, but everything else was a mystery to me. It made for a nice change, going into a demo unsure of what to expect. As we waited for our turn at the kiosk, we were given tablets that ran instructional videos. Only then did I start to understand what exactly Project Resistance is. Project Resistance is a 1 vs. 4 asymmetric online survival horror. The group of four are the survivors, trying desperately to escape a trap-laden and zombie infested series of rooms. The team consists of one each of the following: a healer, a hacker, a tank, and a guy who's tasty with his fists. His name is Samuel. At the start of each stage, players race to pick their favourite; durin...

I've already posted impressions from Day One and Day Two , as well as previews for Final Fantasy VII Remake , PC Engine Mini and Yakuza 7 , with Project Resistance to follow in the next day or two. I've used up nearly all my words, but there's still a handful of games left to discuss. Nioh 2 was the main draw at Koei Tecmo. I haven't played the first game, so I was at somewhat of a disadvantage here. However, by the end of the demo I had definitely gotten the hang of it. Death came early and often, but each failure revealed a little more about how to approach each enemy and progress further. Death is not overly punitive, thankfully, and the restarts are quick and painless. Our protagonist's repertoire of moves includes heavy and light sword attacks, which you can alter by switching stance, and a comparatively weak bow. You can also unleash the beast, transforming momentarily into a Yokai to deal heavy damage. This came in handy during the end of stage boss...

I originally posted this at Critical Gamer Yakuza 7 is a departure from what came before. Series lead Kazuma Kiryu is out, to be replaced by another hard-man with a big heart, Ichiban Kasuga, and the main location has switched from the familiar Tokyo setting to Yokohama. However, the biggest change is to be found in the combat. The series has long been known for it's free-wheeling action, but Yakuza 7 will feature turn-based encounters. While Yakuza has never hidden its RPG elements, it has been known first and foremost as an action series. However, that's about to change. The TGS demo focused on Kasuga and two of his associates, an ex-cop by the name of Adachi and a drifter called Nanba. Following some lively discussion the trio decide to head out for the day and make their way to Hello-Work, an employment agency. As you'd expect, their journey is quickly derailed and that's when the fun begins. They stumble upon a golden baseball bat half submerged in co...

"Push run button" Run button? Does it mean press forward? That must be what it means. Hang on, no there is a Run button - how weird. I'd best press that then. I had never played a PC Engine until three days ago, when I spent some time messing about with the Japanese Mini at Konami's booth at Tokyo Game Show. I am assured that the emulation is excellent, being that it comes from developer M2. I can confirm that the games run smoothly, but I have no frame of reference for comparing them to the originals. The system looks tidy, the controller is solid, and the audio, experienced through headphones, is crisp. Despite there being 57 games available, the interface is uncluttered and the option menus are easy to navigate. Now we've got all that out the way, let's get back to my never having played a PC Engine, TurboGrafx-16 or whatever you prefer to call it. The original console has long been a mystery to me. I have no history with it, and don't recall...

I went into the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo with a certain amount of apprehension. The original is one of my all-time favourite games, but I was quite content with it remaining in the past. I certainly wasn't clamouring for a remake. Re-imagining such an iconic game sounded like a thankless task. If you keep it faithful to the original, then what's the point of remaking it? However, if you make wholesale changes you risk infuriating the fan base. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Updates were scant following the initial announcement and we all assumed, perhaps correctly, that Square Enix were struggling with their golden goose. However, SE broke its silence earlier this year, and we've since been treated to new footage and demos which have, for the most part, been warmly received. Still, I was reserving judgement until I'd tried it for myself. So I headed straight for Square Enix at the start of TGS Day One, and I was very happy with what I found...

You can find my Day One Round-up here . That was a surprisingly productive second day of Tokyo Game Show. I got there early, I played plenty of games, I wrote, I met good people, and I stuck around until the end. Day Two usually consists of me wandering around the halls aimlessly, despairing at the length of the lines, wanting to play more games but secretly not really wanting to play more games. This year was a huge improvement. That being said, I'm tired. I'm nodding off as I write this, barely able to keep my eyesopkdnbichecnercr3oooe3hunf4iejiasjdioweid99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999opppppppppppppppppppppppppp-----pp Did I say that I played a lot of video games today? 'Cause I did. The Games I started the day off by pegging it straight to SEGA and the Yakuza 7 demo. This was my second go, but this time I focused on the mini games. I think I may be in love with Y7. Go-karting, cycling, getting men with spiked maces for hands to punch other...

Crayfish! Buster swords! Mr X! Kojima! Socks! Perverts! Exclamation marks! Day One of Tokyo Game Show 2019 is over, which means it’s time for me to write a brief round-up blog before I collapse from exhaustion and beers. Games I went straight for Square Enix and the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo as soon as the doors opened, and I was rewarded for my forward planning. I didn’t have to wait at all and was treated to an outstanding demo. It’s early days, but it’s great to see all the positive vibes surrounding this game – a game that could so easily disappoint its fans. I’ll post a full preview in the next day or so. I came out of the Yakuza 7 demo bouncing. It was daft, the turn-based combat was a breath of fresh air, and I’m considering playing it again tomorrow. I also played Nioh 2 (not ideal as a demo-game), the PC Engine Mini (I am bad at video games) and Project Resistance (didn’t enjoy it, but not sure if that’s a fair reflection of the game or not). Previews for most of, if n...

Tokyo Game Show starts tomorrow and I am very ready for video game Christmas. I'll be covering both press days here and also over at Critical Gamer . I'll be making a beeline for the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo as soon as the doors open on Thursday. I expect to be bitterly disappointed, upon finding that the line has already been closed. Newly announced Resi game Project Resistance sounds promising and I will definitely be trying out Yakuza: Like a Dragon . Iron Man VR has piqued my interest, and I'm keen to spend some time in the indie area. With this gen wrapping up and the next not yet revealed, it's likely to be a subdued show for new, high-profile games. Therefore, I'll need to spend some time with experiences outside of my comfort zone. A rhythm game, for example, or some abysmal hentai shit. Those are the games. What follows is something else. You need to plan ahead for TGS. It's a long day spent on your feet, suffering through Japanese humidit...

Tokyo Game Show is almost here. It'll be my tenth. My first was back in 2006, when I went on one of the abysmal public days. I did the same in 2007 and 2008 before deciding that I needed a press pass, as the public are unbearable. I made some arrangements, flogged some words, and got myself in on the industry days. I've retained my pass ever since, covering the show 2009-2011, and 2016~ present. You might say I'm somewhat of a big deal. In fact, I would encourage you to do this. I love Tokyo Game Show, even when it's bad. I also really like reminiscing. So this is me reminiscing about TGS. The show has changed a lot in thirteen years. It takes up more space than it used to, but the main floor is more sparsely populated. Microsoft abandoned TGS several years ago; Level-5 disappeared and reappeared, and Square Enix doesn't party like it used to. Capcom, Sega, Koei Tecmo, Namco Bandai and Konami have all hung around, to varying degrees, and Sony is still...