Tech2's TGS 09 Experience

Summing up my experience in Japan for the Tokyo game Show in one word would be tough. But if I really had to choose one, it would be surreal. The land of the Rising Sun is a country of vast disparity. On one hand the locals don’t speak a word of English but on the other hand they’re so friendly they actually go out of their way to help you, leaving you feeling a bit guilty. They have remote controlled seats for their commodes but Wi-Fi isn’t free. They have tons of food options for us carnivores but vegetarians have to make do with bread, butter and water.

And then there are places that actually offer you (paid) services where women clean your ear (that isn’t an analogy for anything dirty) exchange gifts with you or just sit and game just like your girl friend would. It’s a bit creepy at times but that’s Japan for you, sealed off from the rest of the world, content with what they have not giving a rat’s ass about tourists or any outsiders.

However when it comes to games, it’s a different story altogether. The Tokyo Game Show that takes place every year at the Makuhari Messe is one of the biggest video game expos out there. The Makuhari Messe is a gigantic convention center nestled in an area called Chiba (around 40 minutes from Tokyo) where hardware manufacturers and game developers the world over congregate to display their products. The expo lasts for a period of four days out of which two are strictly for press while for the last 2 you have nearly all of Japan descending on the venue proudly displaying their cosplay skills.

Since this is the Tokyo game Show and not E3, I was expecting local games to dominate the event but to my surprise they had an equal amount of Western games as well. Sure there were JRPGs you’ve never heard of in your life but there were booths where people could sample highly anticipated upcoming titles like Assassin’s Creed 2, God of War III, Splinter Cell Conviction and so on.

Unfortunately we missed the first day of the event since that time was spent traveling in a cramped plane for a period of 10 hours. Thankfully the next day we got to check out some pretty cool stuff like Lost Planet 2, Crackdown 2 and some of UTV’s games. In case you didn’t know UTV has ventured into the world of video games after acquiring Ignition Entertainment, a UK based developer. Thankfully these games aren’t crappy casual games shamelessly cashing in on some Indian custom or sport; these are full-fledged 3D games for current consoles like the Xbox360 and the PS3. You can read more about their games here and here .

Once we hit the show floor it was like any other game expo; only we were physically present there so it was totally awesome. We spent nearly an hour running around with silly smiles plastered across our faces not knowing which booth to visit first. All the major players like Sony, Microsoft, Capcom, Square Enix etc had huge booths showcasing their current and upcoming games. Journalists were waiting in lines for nearly an hour or two just to sample a God of War III or a Final Fantasy XIII. It was all very energetic, just like the tag of the show – Game, it’s so energetic.

Even though there were no mind blowing announcements at this year’s TGS, it was still a pretty awesome experience. We got to try out some cool games and interact with a few developers who were pretty kicked about the way gaming’s taking off in India. But the highlight of this entire trip would have to be meeting up with Hideo Kojima who took some time out from his hectic schedule to pose for a picture with us. We love you Kojima San and even though you won’t remember us, we will see you next year.