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From Death Stranding to Olympic Mario at Tokyo Game Show
MAKUHARI, Japan, Sept 12, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Gamers got a sneak peek on
Thursday at everything from the hyper-realistic, much anticipated Death
Stranding to an Olympic-themed Mario edition at this year’s Tokyo Game Show.
The annual event for game enthusiasts is showcasing the diversity of the
field, though Kojima Production’s long-awaited Death Stranding for the
PlayStation is expected to be among the biggest draws.
It is a “totally new” type of game, according to creator Hideo Kojima, a
towering figure in the industry who struck out on his own after years honing
his talent at Konami with landmark titles like Metal Gear.
“Kojima is always on the cutting edge,” said Yasuyuki Yamaji, secretary
general of the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association that organises
the show.
Kojima himself presented the game to hundreds of journalists and industry
insiders on Thursday afternoon, hours after releasing a seven-minute trailer.
“It’s really a new kind of game and playing it is very complicated,” he
said.
“I’m only going to show you the basics here, so you can understand a bit
of the concept.”
The game, which is scheduled to be released November 8 on PlayStation 4,
is based around the idea of reconnecting and bridging divides — overcoming
the “strand” referred to in its title.
“Kojima has a massive fan base and it’s the first time that he’s
explaining how the game is played,” said Sony spokeswoman Natsumi Atarashi.
Back in more familiar territory was the mustachioed face of Super Mario
who makes an appearance in a joint Olympic-themed venture with Sonic the
Hedgehog, in a release timed ahead of next year’s Summer Games hosted in
Tokyo.
And while esports won’t be on the schedule at the 2020 Olympic Games, they
are well-represented at the trade show this year, even though Japan is
regarded as a relative latecomer to the field compared to other parts of Asia
and the West.
“Esports are less popular in Japan than elsewhere before the Japanese tend
to play on their mobile devices rather than on computers, and most esports
are based on computer games,” explained Yamaji.
“But we think that will change with 5G,” he told AFP.
Nintendo, which will next week release a stripped down version of its
popular Switch console — the Switch Lite — is not presenting at the show,
but studios whose games are playable on the console were showcasing their
offerings.
The PlayStation 4 and 157 games are also on show, though enthusiasts are
already waiting eagerly for the next generation of the Sony console,
currently in development.
Plus there are a few treats for old-school fans, including a Taito stand
offering full-scale arcade game terminals that will “soon be on sale in
Japan” for PacMan, Space Invaders and other hits.
The Tokyo Game Show runs over four days and attracts more than 260,000
people each year.
BSS/AFP/RY/1530 hrs