The X Button

Fight Test

I'm not going to say that the recent Tokyo Game Show itself was disappointing, because, unlike our own Keiji Inafune is right in saying that the Japanese gaming industry is doomed.

Of course, he can't be right, because Fumito Ueda are still making The Last Guardian. A trailer of the game's giant baby griffin scratching itself was the highlight of the show, as far as I'm concerned.

NEWS

CAPCOM HATES ITSELF, UNVEILS SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV
Capcom inadvertently overshadowed its other Tokyo Game Show news when producer Keiji Inafune (Mega Man, Dead Rising) described his opinion of the expo with “When I looked around at all the different games…I said 'Man, Japan is over. We're doomed.'” Perhaps someone's just a little jaded about not being allowed to make Mega Man Legends 3, but this year's Tokyo Game Show was indeed a little light on shocking announcements. Still, Capcom had trailers of its most promising games, including Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars sample showed off Dead Rising's Frank West, though he doesn't say “I've covered wars, you know.” at every opportunity. Which he should.

Capcom's biggest news emerged shortly after the show. Super Street Fighter IV, an enhanced version of the recent Street Fighter IV, was mentioned before, but Capcom finally unveiled the game and its roster additions.

One of the two officially confirmed new characters is Super Street Fighter II's T. Hawk, who I don't anyone actually liking back in the day.

The other is a completely original taekwondo fighter named Juri, and she sports Hot Topic attire and a glinting eye. Dee Jay, also of Super Street Fighter II, can be seen in footage from Super Street Fighter IV, and rumors suggest that seven other fighters will : Makoto, Dudley, Cody, Adon, Ibuki, Guy, and a new character named Hakan. Then again, Capcom's official announcement mentions only eight new cast in total, so perhaps two of those names will be bumped. Please don't drop Ibuki or Dudley.

Naturally, Capcom isn't going to give these fighters away as a . You'll have to buy Super Street Fighter IV as a separate game, and it won't be compatible with the original Street Fighter IV in its online versus mode. At least it won't cost $60, according to producer Yoshinori Ono.

SQUARE HAS A NEW FFXIII TRAILER, NEW FINAL FANTASY SPIN-OFFS, AND KINGDOM HEARTS
Square will surely pelt the Japanese public with more Final Fantasy XIII trailers before the game's December 17 release, but the Tokyo Game Show was probably the last time the company could roll out new footage at a major industry event. And so the TGS trailer showed several new sides of the game, starting with Serah, the younger sister of heroine Lightning. Several scenes show her being romanced by rebel leader Snow and, it's clear that she will live a long, full life free of any and all tragedy. Yes, sir. Another new character featured: a middle-aged man who's the yet-to-be-named father of the game's youngest playable character, Hope. Also nameless and briefly shown is a striking woman (left) from the same cursed l'Cie social caste as many of the heroes. Too bad she'll probably be a villain or a throwaway ing player. Final Fantasy XIII is still on track for a December 17 release in Japan, where you can get a special-edition 250GB PS3 Slim to go with your copy.

Square's other Final Fantasy titles earned space at the show, with the recently announced Final Fantasy Gaiden: 4 Warriors of Light strutting its modern take on the simpler mechanics of the first few Final Fantasies. The online RPG Final Fantasy XIV is also Stitch!, which is still a terribly underrated Disney film.

MUSHIHIME-SAMA FUTARI IS REGION FREE
Shooter fans were no doubt delighted when Cave announced Xbox 360 versions of the previously arcade-only Mushihime-sama Futari and ESPgaluda II, though some griped that the games were unlikely to leave Japan. Well, they're still not leaving Japan, and that's not so bad, because Mushihime-sama Futari will be region-free. As long as you're willing to pay import prices, you can buy the Japanese version of the game (available in regular and soon-to-be-rare, soundtrack-equipped limited editions) and run it on your North American Xbox 360, all without having to buy a Japanese system or a Japanese Xbox Live tag. Thank you, Cave.

Of course, this puts me in a bind, as I really like ESPgaluda II and didn't care for the first Mushihime-sama. Should I pay $75 for Futari, a game I'm not likely to enjoy much, just so Cave's made happy and more inclined to release ESPgaluda II the same way?

BLAZBLUE UPGRADES WITH TWO NEW FIGHTERS, NEITHER IS PART SQUIRREL
BlazBlue saw its first arcade release almost a year ago, which makes it about due for an upgrade with gameplay tweaks and a few new characters. BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, already on location test in Japan, adjusts some of the original roster's attacks and, more importantly, adds two new combatants. Well, they're “new” in the sense that they're playable now, but both were prominently featured in the game's story mode. The first, Tsubaki, was a classmate of Noel and Jin, and she spent most of her story-mode appearances tracking both of them. For Continuum Shift, she's wearing a suit of impressive valkyrie-like armor.

The other story-mode heavy bumped up to playable status is Hazama, the duplicitous agent who directed Noel on her mission and, well, screwed around with some other characters. He doesn't look too different compared to his previous appearances, though the idea of a government suit who swings around on mid-air chains is almost sedate by BlazBlue's standards.

IMPORT ROUNDUP: SEPTEMBER

DREAM C CLUB Developer: Dream X Create/Sega's Yakuza, though there are signs of Dream C Club's vague contempt for its players, especially when the game ends at least one subplot with a hostess turning you down. This may shatter those playing Dream C Club to assuage some crippling loneliness, though there'll be far less heartbreak among the fans who just want to see their chosen hostesses feign interest, sing, and wiggle around a lot. There's a lesson here somewhere. Import Barrier: Most Japanese Xbox 360 titles are region-locked, and those interested will need a Japanese system and a Japanese Xbox Live to fully play Dream C Club. Perhaps they should take on a bunch of part-time jobs to pay for all of that. Chances for a Domestic Release: Don't even think about it.

Ryō Akizuki. Through static conversations, they train for stardom, go to auditions, and interact with the cast of previous Idolm@sters. Most of the attention surrounding Dearly Stars deals with the fact that Ryo, the chipper young woman on the far right, is actually a boy. I'd say that the developers are deliberately mocking their fan base, but the revelation about Ryo actually tripled the game's preorders in some channels. Perhaps it's like Bridget in Guilty Gear: a joke that turned out to be precisely what many fans wanted. Import Barrier: Unlike just about every Japanese DS game, Dearly Stars is region-locked. Sort of. It won't play on North American DSi systems, but it'll run on regular DSes over here. So importers will miss out on the DSi-exclusive features, which involve the system's camera and those QR-code things that show up in Japanese advertising. Chances for a Domestic Release: Slim to none.

LOVE PLUS Developer: Tokimeki Memorial, but this new DS game has the unique habit of tracking a relationship between player and virtual woman in real time. Using an internal clock, the game schedules dates and meet-ups with its cast of non-real female characters, who react unfavorably if the player ignores them. This in itself wouldn't be a groundbreaking idea, but Love Plus caught on among the most hilarious segment of Japan's game-playing public: the people who take their dating simulators on actual dates. What's more, some Japanese news stories mention women (real ones) who are upset over their husbands and boyfriends setting aside time for Love Plus flirting. Even if those stories come from Japan's tabloids, it's still enough to make Love Plus a talked-about game. Import Barrier: Love Plus should work on a North American DS, but these here dating sims are heavy on the text. And that's all in Japanese. Chances for a Domestic Release: As amusing as it would be to watch American men ignore wives and girlfriends for the sake of DS dates, that won't happen.

NANASHI NO GAME ME Developer: Ringu-like surprises popping up. Import Barrier: It'll run on an North American DS, but you'll miss out on a lot of the subtle, text-driven suspense if you don't know Japanese. Chances for a Domestic Release: Despite rumors of the first game getting a U.S. version, there's no official word on it or its sequel coming over.

SUPER ROBOT GAKUEN Developer: Namco Bandai Publisher: Namco Bandai Platform: DS Players: 1 Super Robot Gakuen is technically a spin-off of the Super Robot Wars series, but unlike Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier (or any of the Original Generation games), it's still stocked with familiar anime robots. The actual gameplay is reminiscent of an RPG, as the never-before-seen kid heroes wander a school and take on enemies with the help of virtual-reality GaoGaiGar Final. Import Barrier: Playable on a domestic DS, provided you know the rudimentary Japanese needed to work the battle system. Chances for a Domestic Release: The same as the rest of the Super Robot Wars games that have scads of anime robots. In other words, not good.

RELEASES FOR THE WEEK OF 10-4

A BOY AND HIS BLOB Developer: Wayforward Publisher: Majesco Platform: Wii Players: 1 MSRP: $39.99 A Boy and His Blob may well be the first game with a dedicated “hug” button, used when its scrawny kid hero needs to calm his amorphous friend's insecurities. That's one new touch in this remake of the 1989 NES game that hinged on a novel mechanic: feeding a blob various colored jellybeans causes him to change shape, becoming a ladder, a hole in the ground, an umbrella, and other implements. Only by using his various forms can the boy solve puzzles, defeat enemies, and otherwise progress to victory. The original was a crude-playing challenge from the creator of Pitfall, but the Wii remake is a smoother game from Wayforward (developer of Shantae and a bunch of other games that were not Shantae). There's a standard quest with 40 extra levels, plus a bunch of blob-altering jelly beans that weren't in the original. And good, wholesome blob-hugging. Get Excited If: You spent many frustrated nights playing the original.

DEMON'S SOULS Developer: From Software Publisher: PlayStation 3 Players: 1-Many (online) MSRP: $59.99 Demon's Souls may have a drab cover and a deliberately awkward title (wait, does one demon have multiple souls?), but From Software's grim dungeon hack might be the biggest sleeper hit of the year. It's already a raging cult success in Japan, and a lot of Western fans have plunged into the import. Set in the ruins of a kingdom destroyed by hell-sent creatures, Demon's Souls sends players on grueling runs through castles and labyrinths teeming with monsters. Death is quick and graphic, thanks to huge enemies, and the multiplayer mode allows adventurers to leave each other hints or view previous players' deaths by examining bloodstains on the ground. Teams of three to four players can explore the ruins of Boletaria together, though others can enter the game as rivals, and all of them can share details and advice through in-game profile pages. Harshly complicated and quite extensive, Demon's Souls is a far cry from player-friendly RPGs. And that's how some dungeon hackers like it. Get Excited If: You can't respect a game unless it kills you in the first ten minutes.

Itachi, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Neji, Deidara, Tenten, Kisame, and two forms of Sasori. Oh, and Naruto. Whoever he is. Get Excited If: You are not amused by attempts at mocking Naruto's popularity.

A WITCH'S TALE Developer: Hit Maker Publisher: Disgaea's style.