Video Game News Digest -Tokyo Game Show Edition-

Another Tokyo Game Show has come and gone! A ton of information has been revealed from the gaming companies. Here are some of the gaming news that been revealed at the convention:



At their pre-TGS press conference, Nintendo revealed some more updates for their handheld. First, a new color has been announced. The company hopes that the Misty Pink version will appeal to women. It will be out on October 20th in Japan but no word on when it will be out overseas.



Nintendo has also confirmed that their 3DS system will get an attachment. The 3DS Expansion Slide Pad will give the handheld R1 and R2 buttons and a L2 button. A circle pad is also added, which is useful for players playing Monster Hunter 3G, Resident Evil: Revelations, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, Ace Combat 3D, Dynasty Warriors Vs. and Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance.

Finally, the 3DS will get a firmware update, which allows users to record 3D videos, in November. The handheld's StreetPass Mii Plaza will also get more content but no details were posted at this time.

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During that press conference, Nintendo also revealed that the newest Fire Embelm game will be out on the 3DS. The game will have cooperative play, which is a first for this series, and will have 3D models. It will be out in 2012.



More info has been posted about The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition. First it will have a single-player mode. In this mode, there will be two Links and you can switch between them as you play. Second, there will be unlockable stages and abilities which you receive after you beat the game. The two new areas will have three levels and once you complete them, you will receive a skill. "Hero's Trail", which is a mix of elements from earlier stages in the game, will give you Hurricane Spin while "Realm of Memories", which is made up of famous locations from other Zelda games, will give you the Master Sword. You can download the game for free on September 28th on DSiWare.



Next Super Mario 3D Land will incorporate the 3DS's tilt functionality to allow players to scout the levels and see secret treasures before you start playing. The game will be a homage to the original 2D games; for example, there will be a flag pole at the end of each level. However, Nintendo has added special moves from the 3D Mario games (e.g. Super Mario Galaxy), which will help you discover secrets and hidden areas but not necessary to complete the game. 3D effects are not necessary to play the game, but it will make some levels easier. Finally, it will have StreetPass functionality, which hasn't been detailed yet. The game will be out on Nov. 13th.



Super Mario 3D Land is not the only game which will use the StreetPass functionality. Mario Kart 7 will also allow you to register StreetPass contacts in your Friends List using that function. Here is how it works: Ghost data will be send through the 3DS's Wi-Fi and will be automatically downloaded. You can then race against the players' ghosts on the tracks. One new track is Wii Sports Resorts’ Wuhu Island, which will be one long track instead of three laps. Metal Mario and Lakitu will be playable as well. The game will arrive on Dec. 4th in the US.

Last and not least, Kid Icarus: Uprising has unfortunately been delayed to early next year.

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Here is a list of some upcoming 3DS games (click on the last link for the rest):



Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is an original traditional RPG from Square Enix which is made exclusively for the 3DS. The game producer is Tomoya Asano and the character designer is Akihiko Yoshida.



Monster Hunter 3G is a remake of the Wii version. It will have new control options, companions, locations, and monsters to slay. That's not all though...



The sequel, Monster Hunter 4, will also be coming to the 3DS! No more information has been revealed yet though.



Beyond the Labyrinth is tri-Ace and Konami's dungeon RPG for the 3DS. You, a white-haired girl, and two other companions are trying to reach the exit, which is located on the top floor of the Labyrinth. Enemies are visible on screen and you can fight them by running into them.



More Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney information has been posted. In this game, Phoenix Wright is defending a girl who is accused of witchcraft in the Medieval-based town called Labyrinth City. Unlike the court system in the Ace Attorney games, he and his client will have to face against a mob of witnesses, who are free to confer with each other. The reason for this is that the game wants to have a medieval age feeling. The game will also be voiced; the voice actors from Professor Layton will reprise their roles while the actors from the live-action Ace Attorney movie will voice their respective characters.



Kingdom Hearts 3D revealed another new character to join the game. This time it's Neku Sakuraba from The World Ends with You! Sora will bump into Neku in Traverse Town and like the DS game, Neku is trapped in a game and has a timer on his hand. He mentioned to Sora that he needs to find a partner so the latter offered to help. However, Neku rejected him but a determined Sora went after him. During the demo, Sora can summon monsters called Dream Creatures as partners to help him fight against his enemies though no information has been revealed on how you can get those monsters to be your allies. Sora and his partners have a special attack called a Dual Link, which differs on what Dream Creatures you have.



Square Enix also announced that the original 1998 Dragon Quest Monsters game will have a 3DS remake. Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D will have new monsters, new stories, and more. Monsters from Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional will be included too.

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During TGS keynote, Sony provided more information about Vita. First, its battery life is 3-5 hours of gaming, around 5 hours of video playback, and 9 hours of music playback if in sleep mode. It will also take around 2 hours 40 minutes for an empty battery to charge completely. However, Sony said that external battery pack can extend it a little bit longer (Sony didn't reveal how much longer though). The best news is that Vita will be region-free unlike the 3DS.



Vita's welcome screen was also displayed. The home screen, which is called "Live Area", has a cluster of bubbles: Welcome Pack, Party, the PS Store, Group Messaging, Photos, Near, Trophies, Music, Friends and Browser. The Welcome Pack browser allows players to be acquainted with the system and includes mini games. For example, players has to match bubbles with the right numbers in one game. Sony also claims that you can multi-task as well; players can go online while they playing games or they can listen to music while browsing through pictures. You can also take screenshots with Vita.

At the Vita display, Sony showed off Vita handhelds of different colors which include gold, blue, light blue, pink, purple, and green. No words if or when these color versions will be available. Click on the eighth link to view the gallery. Sony also listed Vita accessories such as an AC adapter, memory cards, and case.

Vita will be out in Japan on Dec. 17th and it will be released overseas next year.

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When Vita is out on Dec. 17th in Japan, it will have 26 launch titles which includes Disgaea 3 Return, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, and Katamari Damacy. Sony also released a list of upcoming games from third-party publishers. The list included a Shin Megami Tensei from Atlus and unnamed games from Marvelous and Level-5.

Here are some of the newest games announced:



The King, The Demon King and the Seven Princesses: New King Story is a follow-up to the Wii game, Little King's Story. It will have a new story but it is not known if it will be a remake or a sequel per se. The game will also have new graphics. Konami will be publishing this game instead of Marvelous though the latter is still involved.



Namco Bandai has announced that they will remake Tales of Innocence for Vita. Tales of Innocence R (R stands for "Reimagination") will have new scenario, opening, battle, a new character, etc. Voice acting will begin from scratch as well.



Square Enix is going to launch Lord of Apocalypse for the PSP and Vita. No other information has been revealed. In the company's launch title for Vita, Army Corps of Hell, you play as a demon king who commands an army of 100 goblins in Hell.



Disgaea 3 Returns is a remake of the PS3 game. It will have new characters, story, system, and four new scenarios; each of which will have a different lead character. It will be brought over to NA and Europe next spring, but the title has been changed to Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention.



Vita's first original game, Gravity Daze, is set in a floating island called Heksville, and the protagonist is a girl named Gravity "Kat" Kitten who has amnesia. The game has a Gravity Change feature, which causes the game to go into zero gravity mode, and you can adjust the camera by tilting the Vita. The gravity will changed based on the camera angle. This feature will allow you to fly or walk across walls. Another feature, Gravity Kick, will be useful in battle.



Famicon is planning to remake Ys IV for Vita. Ys Celceta: Sea of Trees will be a re-imagining of the game, which explain how Adol, who has lost his memories, became an adventurer. The game will be out in 2012.

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Sony's other handheld has not been neglected though. It will be offered in a new color: red/black, which will have a red front and a black back with red font. It will come out in Japan on Nov. 17th.



That's not all. There will be three new games for this system. First, Namco Bandi announced that the sequel to Gods Eater Burst will be coming to the PSP. It will have new graphics, new weapons, a new Aragami named Marudouku, an image board for your base of operation, and new male/female MCs.



The next Suikoden game titled Genso Suikoden Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki has also been announced and it is currently in development.



Another game that was announced is Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave. Unlike the other Tales series, this is not a RPG but it's a Dynasty Warriors-style action game. It will have 15 characters, who will have their own stories/scenarios, from each Tales series; the bosses from the games will appear as well. You can pick one of the characters as your main while the another will be your support.

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The producers of the Berserk film, Berserk Ōgon Jidai-Hen I: Haō no Tamago, announced that they will be working with Capcom's Dragon's Dogma. Weapons and armor from the film will be available in the game. Dragon's Dogma is an open world fantasy RPG in which your character and three other characters called "Pawns" are after a dragon who stole their hearts... literally.

The game will be available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 next spring.

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Level-5 president Akihiro Hino announced that the PS3 game, Ni no Kuni: Queen of the Holy White Ash, will have an English release. The game, which cut scenes are animated by Studio Ghibli, is about a boy named Oliver whose mother has died recently. While grieving over his mother's sudden death, he awaken a fairy named Shizuku, who was a doll, with his tears. The fairy gives him a magic book which allows Oliver to travel to "Ninokuni", which is a parallel world, and tells him that he could save his mother. During his travels, Oliver will meet alternate versions of people he knows.

Even though the PS3 version will be heading overseas, it looks like the DS one, No no Kuni: The Jet-Black Mage, will stay in Japan.

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According to Shigeru Miyamoto, Zelda: Skyward Sword will have 50 hours of gameplay. After you complete the game, a Boss Rush mode will be unlocked. To make things easier for beginners, a hint system will be available. The game will also have a new item upgrade system in which you can boost up your weapons or armor capabilities through artifacts and treasures.



The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be available worldwide in November.

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