Tweet
TGS 2007 is almost upon us!
As usual, here's my official thread compiling all the big news announced at TGS from Sony, Microsoft, and third party studios.
NOTE: FINAL FANTASY XI: Wings of the Goddess will be present at TGS. WotG content will be covered in a separate thread contained in the main page forums. There will also be a main page thread headlining Square Enix's major announcements, which potentially include a new Compilation of FINAL FANTASY VII title, new Kingdom Hearts titles, and Square Enix's next-generation MMORPG.
For starters: Microsoft held a pre-TGS conference last week to make a few announcements. While most of it was targeted for Japan, but announcements included:
Ninja Gaiden II - Published by Microsoft itself to ensure exclusivity, Team Ninja's ultra-violent exploda-ninja-fest is coming to Xbox 360 in 2008. It's not directed by Tomonobu Itagaki and a few changes have been made to make the game more accessible, but it looks even more fast-paced and challenging than the original. Visually, the game stands a bit ahead of the PS3 port of the original, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, with much more dynamic camera work, much more fluid and detailed animation, and much more blood and gore. Exploding Ninjas. 'nuff said.
Infinite Undiscovery -- Square Enix published and Tri-Ace directed, this 360 RPG was lost in the darkness after its original announcement years ago. SE reminded us that it is coming, but it looks like it's still very much in development. Looks like it plays similar to STAR OCEAN series.
Lost Odyssey -- Hironobu Sakaguchi's fantasy opus is coming to 360 in Japan this December...with a North American and European release trailing in Early 2008. Sakaguchi-san played the game live at the press event for 15 minutes...and it looks astounding.
Next up: It's likely Microsoft still has a few new announcements up their sleeve. Hell, they could be saving their big guns for the actual show. Despite that, it's pretty obvious that TGS this year, like last year, is largely Sony territory. With Nintendo absent from the show, Sony's got the biggest presence. They haven't made any official announcements yet, but these are the biggest rumours and predictions that have merit:
PS3 "Price Adjustment" - A new model of the PS3 console just recently popped up on the FCC's website. Of note is that it consumes less power than the current model. Is a new model of the PS3 coming? Or is Sony merely shifting production to the 65nm CELL Process they've been planning on moving to? Either way, something is happening. Many speculate that a lower-tech, 40GB model of the console is coming at a price point between $399 and $449 USD. However, the new model shown by the FCC still contains WiFi technology, so if its a low-end model, it's a different beast than the 20GB PS3 of old. If anything, Sony will probably announce their price re-alignment of the 80GB model to $499 and a new bundle at $599. However, don't expect those announcements to come on the days of the show. Sony will target their Japanese audience first and foremost, and western announcements will be secondary.
PS3 "SixSense" Controller - A new PS3 controller is coming, that's for sure. Sony and Immersion Technology have stated multiple times that they've been working on something since their lawsuit settled last year. Of importance is Immersion's outline of their new "TouchSense" technology, allowing more realistic force-feedback in multiple parts of a controller, such as the body, the face buttons, triggers and analog sticks. With Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on the horizon and force-feedback a major part of the GT series, now's a better time than any to announce a new TouchSense-enabled controller, which is largely expected to happen.
New Square Enix Titles - A poster on 2ch stuck up a list of "rumoured leaked" titles to appear at Square Enix's CLOSED MEGA THEATRE at TGS this week. Included were new footage of FINAL FANTASY XIII and FINAL FANTASY VERSUS XIII. However, included as well were a title called Endless Crisis: FINAL FANTASY VII for PLAYSTATION 3, a new Kingdom Hearts title for PLAYSTATION 3, Kingdom Hearts: CHAIN OF MEMORIES 2 for DS, and Kingdom Hearts 0 for PSP. Also included was STAR OCEAN 4 for PS3, which is expected to be the platform for the Tri-Ace exclusive. 2ch is usually pretty solid when it comes to these pre-event rumours, and Dengeki Magazine released today screenshots from an unannounced Kingdom Hearts title which looks very similar to the first two games, and appears to be a prequel of sorts. No platform is mentioned, but it does lend credit to the rumour.
Capcom's 3 Major Announcements - Capcom mentioned last week that they have 3 major announcements for TGS, regarding their biggest franchises. New Resident Evil? New MegaMan? Street Fighter IV??? We'll find out tomorrow.
There's a lot more to come, so stay tuned. TGS kicks off Wednesday night with Kaz Hirai keynoting the event for Sony. It's expected to be a much lighter event than Ken Kutaragi's cold, boring keynotes of old, as Hirai's proved himself already to be a more charismatic and software-focused leader of SCE. We'll see what Sony has up their sleeve then, with more announcements from Microsoft and third-parties after.
THE UPDATE INDEX
KONAMI Press Event - Wednesday Morning, September 19th, and Famitsu Weekly Pre-TGS Issue Details
PS3 Rumble Confirmed, Secret Agent Clank, MGS4 + MGO Famitsu Scans
SCE/Kaz Hirai TGS 2007 Keynote Address and Nikkei News Q&A Session
As usual, here's my official thread compiling all the big news announced at TGS from Sony, Microsoft, and third party studios.
NOTE: FINAL FANTASY XI: Wings of the Goddess will be present at TGS. WotG content will be covered in a separate thread contained in the main page forums. There will also be a main page thread headlining Square Enix's major announcements, which potentially include a new Compilation of FINAL FANTASY VII title, new Kingdom Hearts titles, and Square Enix's next-generation MMORPG.
For starters: Microsoft held a pre-TGS conference last week to make a few announcements. While most of it was targeted for Japan, but announcements included:
Ninja Gaiden II - Published by Microsoft itself to ensure exclusivity, Team Ninja's ultra-violent exploda-ninja-fest is coming to Xbox 360 in 2008. It's not directed by Tomonobu Itagaki and a few changes have been made to make the game more accessible, but it looks even more fast-paced and challenging than the original. Visually, the game stands a bit ahead of the PS3 port of the original, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, with much more dynamic camera work, much more fluid and detailed animation, and much more blood and gore. Exploding Ninjas. 'nuff said.
Infinite Undiscovery -- Square Enix published and Tri-Ace directed, this 360 RPG was lost in the darkness after its original announcement years ago. SE reminded us that it is coming, but it looks like it's still very much in development. Looks like it plays similar to STAR OCEAN series.
Lost Odyssey -- Hironobu Sakaguchi's fantasy opus is coming to 360 in Japan this December...with a North American and European release trailing in Early 2008. Sakaguchi-san played the game live at the press event for 15 minutes...and it looks astounding.
Next up: It's likely Microsoft still has a few new announcements up their sleeve. Hell, they could be saving their big guns for the actual show. Despite that, it's pretty obvious that TGS this year, like last year, is largely Sony territory. With Nintendo absent from the show, Sony's got the biggest presence. They haven't made any official announcements yet, but these are the biggest rumours and predictions that have merit:
PS3 "Price Adjustment" - A new model of the PS3 console just recently popped up on the FCC's website. Of note is that it consumes less power than the current model. Is a new model of the PS3 coming? Or is Sony merely shifting production to the 65nm CELL Process they've been planning on moving to? Either way, something is happening. Many speculate that a lower-tech, 40GB model of the console is coming at a price point between $399 and $449 USD. However, the new model shown by the FCC still contains WiFi technology, so if its a low-end model, it's a different beast than the 20GB PS3 of old. If anything, Sony will probably announce their price re-alignment of the 80GB model to $499 and a new bundle at $599. However, don't expect those announcements to come on the days of the show. Sony will target their Japanese audience first and foremost, and western announcements will be secondary.
PS3 "SixSense" Controller - A new PS3 controller is coming, that's for sure. Sony and Immersion Technology have stated multiple times that they've been working on something since their lawsuit settled last year. Of importance is Immersion's outline of their new "TouchSense" technology, allowing more realistic force-feedback in multiple parts of a controller, such as the body, the face buttons, triggers and analog sticks. With Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on the horizon and force-feedback a major part of the GT series, now's a better time than any to announce a new TouchSense-enabled controller, which is largely expected to happen.
New Square Enix Titles - A poster on 2ch stuck up a list of "rumoured leaked" titles to appear at Square Enix's CLOSED MEGA THEATRE at TGS this week. Included were new footage of FINAL FANTASY XIII and FINAL FANTASY VERSUS XIII. However, included as well were a title called Endless Crisis: FINAL FANTASY VII for PLAYSTATION 3, a new Kingdom Hearts title for PLAYSTATION 3, Kingdom Hearts: CHAIN OF MEMORIES 2 for DS, and Kingdom Hearts 0 for PSP. Also included was STAR OCEAN 4 for PS3, which is expected to be the platform for the Tri-Ace exclusive. 2ch is usually pretty solid when it comes to these pre-event rumours, and Dengeki Magazine released today screenshots from an unannounced Kingdom Hearts title which looks very similar to the first two games, and appears to be a prequel of sorts. No platform is mentioned, but it does lend credit to the rumour.
Capcom's 3 Major Announcements - Capcom mentioned last week that they have 3 major announcements for TGS, regarding their biggest franchises. New Resident Evil? New MegaMan? Street Fighter IV??? We'll find out tomorrow.
There's a lot more to come, so stay tuned. TGS kicks off Wednesday night with Kaz Hirai keynoting the event for Sony. It's expected to be a much lighter event than Ken Kutaragi's cold, boring keynotes of old, as Hirai's proved himself already to be a more charismatic and software-focused leader of SCE. We'll see what Sony has up their sleeve then, with more announcements from Microsoft and third-parties after.
THE UPDATE INDEX
KONAMI Press Event - Wednesday Morning, September 19th, and Famitsu Weekly Pre-TGS Issue Details
PS3 Rumble Confirmed, Secret Agent Clank, MGS4 + MGO Famitsu Scans
SCE/Kaz Hirai TGS 2007 Keynote Address and Nikkei News Q&A Session
Comment