September 29, 2023|

Filed under: Announcement, Event Report, Featured, Impressions

Tokyo Game Show 2023 Previews #1 – Final Fantasy, Yakuza, and more!

We attended Tokyo Game Show 2023 and got to play many upcoming and exciting titles of all sizes! In this article, Brando shares his impressions on the AAA game demos he tried out on the show floor. This article is focused on the heavy hitters – the latest titles from Konami, Capcom, Bandai Namco, Sega, and Square Enix. For indie titles, we’ll have a follow-up article posted soon.

All release dates and platforms listed are current as of September 24, 2023.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1

Introducing the first in a new collection of games from the legendary stealth action series.

Releases October 24, 2023 on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows.
Official site: https://www.konami.com/mg/mc/us/en/

In 2008 there was the Essential Collection, then the HD Collection in 2011, and now Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 1 brings these classic games to all modern platforms.

There’s not much to say about the games themselves that hasn’t been said at this point, but I was surprised to find a noticeable amount of input lag on the demo setup I first tried, which was running Metal Gear Solid 3 using an Xbox controller into a PC. Not sure if it’s just an issue with the builds used for TGS. This collection uses the remasters done by Bluepoint Games, same as the HD Collection.

I later demoed the same games on Switch (original model), which felt much more responsive. As a longtime fan, it was wild to see the iconic opening sequence of the original PS1 game unfold on the Switch 25 years after initial release, in all its polygonal glory. A variety of options and gameplay modes are available as well — you get the original MGS1, but also the later Integral, VR Missions, and Special Missions content.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Dragon’s Dogma is a single player, narrative driven action-RPG series that challenges the players to choose their own experience – from the appearance of their Arisen, their vocation, their party, how to approach different situations and more. Now, in this long-awaited sequel, the deep, explorable fantasy world of Dragon’s Dogma 2 awaits.

Currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Official site: https://www.dragonsdogma.com/2/en-asia/

The follow-up to the 2012 cult classic fantasy action-RPG is finally here! If you enjoyed the original game, you’ll probably enjoy 2 as well. Dragon’s Dogma had some janky charm to it, but this demo had some real technical issues. Frame drops when swinging the camera around, and even audio stutters were common. Hopefully they can optimize the performance for the final release, since the gameplay systems for a fun sequel are all there: pawns (AI companions), a variety of class skills, and grabbing things.

I picked the knight class, who had some fancy sword slash and shield bash abilities. I wandered through the wilderness, loyal AI companions in tow, then came across some low level goblins. I then jumped onto a buffalo-looking thing that ran by, hitching a ride to god knows where, leaving my pawns to fend for themselves. Later on I returned to find that at least one of my pawns had stumbled off a cliff and fell victim to the lake monster below.

Needless to say, I’m excited for the full release.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy

First released in 2001, the Ace Attorney series gave birth to the Courtroom Battle genre of text adventure games. Phoenix Wright passes the torch on to Apollo Justice in this collection of 3 games, which traces Apollo’s growth as a lawyer as he navigates the Dark Age of the Law. Beautiful HD graphics and special bonuses galore makes this the definitive version to play!

Releases for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam on January 25, 2024.
Official site: https://www.ace-attorney.com/aj-trilogy/en-us/

Like the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection, there’s not a lot to say about this one. This is the natural successor to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, the collection of remasters of the first three games in the Ace Attorney series. You can pick from games Apollo Justice, Dual Destinies, and Spirit of Justice, and specific chapters are selectable from the collection menu. There are also options to see characters in different costumes, as well as changing the menu background music and wallpaper images.

Everything looks really good in HD! There’s also a “Museum” mode, but I was told not to show it since it’s still a work in progress.

Sand Land

Dive into a desert world where both humans and demon suffer from an extreme water shortage. Play as and watch the Fiend Prince, Beelzebub, Sheriff Rao and demon Thief set off on an adventure in search of a Legendary Spring hidden in the desert.

Currently in development for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S.
Official site: https://en.bandainamcoent.eu/sand-land/sand-land

I never read the original manga, and I haven’t seen the new movie, but this seems like a basic charming video game tie-in for fans. In the demo, you play as Beelzebub, and go around beating up monsters and bad guys to deliver water and supplies to the struggling people of the land of sand. Standard attack, charge attack, special skill attack, dodge roll — it’s all very straightforward action-adventure fare.
I drove around in a little vehicle for a while, then beat up some bad guys and drove around in their little tank for a while (super fun!), blowing things up until a cutscene put me back in the vehicle for a scripted fight with some more bad guys.

The graphics are an interesting mix of Akira Toriyama’s iconic artstyle (in 3D), and some smooth lighting effects courtesy of the Unreal Engine.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Two larger-than-life heroes, Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu are brought together by the hand of fate, or perhaps something more sinister… Live it up in Japan and explore all that Hawaii has to offer in an RPG adventure so big it spans the Pacific.

Releases on Jan. 26, 2024 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Official site: https://infinitewealth.sega.com/?lang=en

I had some goofy fun messing around on a beach in Hawaii in the demo for this, the 8th mainline entry in the Like a Dragon (Yakuza) series. You play as Kasuga Ichiban, the new protagonist from 7, but Kiryu (longtime series protagonist) is just too iconic to drop, it seems, so he’s in your party as well. He even gets to keep his old real-time brawling style!

Combat is the same turn based-ish system that 7 had, and I had a laugh at the party members’ special combination attacks such as “Ultimate Tag Team: Essence of Friendship”. Segway around town looking for bullies to beat up, or speed away from them at your leisure.

This is a Like a Dragon game through and through, so there are ample mini-games and side distractions. In the Crazy Taxi inspired “Crazy Eats”, bike like mad around town delivering food, doing tricks, and biking off buildings to do Super Crazy Jumps!

The series keeps getting more and more bonkers, but I’m all for it.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead.

Releases for PlayStation 5 on February 29, 2024.
Official site: https://ffvii.square-enix-games.com/en-us/games/rebirth/

This was a good demo and I hope they make it downloadable for everyone soon. The demo has two selectable parts, one focusing on Cloud and Sephiroth’s story, and one with a larger party exploring the Junon area. I only had time for the Junon area, but if you’ve played Final Fantasy VII Remake, you know largely what to expect, and those expectations are cleared. There are a few new additions to the combat, like the addition of Chain Abilities, combination attacks performed between 2 party members that consume ATB and feel stylish, like Limit Breaks.

The demo ended with a boss battle against a water monster in a pier area, showcasing the game’s combat and strategic options. The monster had one gimmick attack that encased an ally in a water sphere, leaving them unable to move until other party members damaged the sphere enough to remove it, but it wasn’t too much trouble. Spoiler alert: Cloud teamed up with a dolphin to finish the monster off. Happy ending, rainbow in the distance. Performance was super smooth, even in Graphics mode, and everything looked beautiful on PS5.