Best 360 Game.
Alan Wake
Alan Wake continues to impress. It sure sat in hiding long enough, but after its E3 re-unveiling it shot to the top of our most wanted charts. Though the demo at TGS was slightly less polished than what we've previously seen, it showed off the depth of Alan Wake's thrilling sequences and helped solidify the game as one that everybody should be looking forward to. Alan Wake has it all; a thrilling atmosphere, a chilling storyline, and a fantastic set of visuals with some spectacular lighting. Start getting excited now.
Nominees:
- Splinter Cell Conviction
- Assassin's Creed 2
- Crackdown 2
- Natal
Best PS3 Game
Yakuza 4
With games such as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Gran Turismo 5, and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time on the TGS floor, you'd think Sony would run away with the PS3 Game of TGS award, but with its biggest titles showing previously seen stuff, SEGA was able to know the socks off the assembled IGN staff with a 15-minute presentation of Yakuza 4. Featuring movie-quality cutscenes, people getting blown away in a Ramen shop, over the top brawling, and so much more, Yakuza 4 rocketed to the top of our OMG-Bring-This-Game-To-America List. Toss in the fact that there are fully realized stores and restaurants along with min-games such as ping pong, pachinko, and a homerun derby as well as a dating scene that has you dressing your ladies on top of the four guys you get to play as, and it looks like you've got enough content to burry Grand Theft Auto IV. Please, please, please -- release this in the United States in our lifetimes.
Nominees:
- Gran Turismo
- Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
- Assassin's Creed 2
- Bayonetta
Best WII Game.
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars
With no official showing from Nintendo this year at TGS, the third party publishers were left to duke it out mano y mano. Typical, then, that the award for best Wii game of the show goes to a fighter. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom had a killer showing at E3, winning our best fighting game award overall, and it returns to TGS to again claim more Nintendo gold. Debuting Frank West as a playable character, Capcom showed new content and pushed the sheer playability and fun of its latest fighter against a lot of stale competition. Couple that with the fact that Frank West feels right at home in this over-the-top fighter– Dead Rising and TVC both revel in Capcom fan service, so the two mesh very well – and you've got a game that was big on fun, and felt fresh with the mere addition of one new brawler. While Ubisoft and Konami brought strong efforts with Silent Hill and Red Steel 2, there was very little new content to see, and Capcom used TGS as a chance to steal the show with a very impressive Tatsunoko vs. Capcom.
Nominees:
- Final Fantasy Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
- Silent Hill: Shatter Memories
- Monster Hunter Tri
- Red Steel 2
- Puyo Puyo 7
Best DS Game.
Okamiden: Chisaki Taiyou
With the recent announcement of Okamiden for Nintendo DS everyone was looking to get their hands on the game, and that first playable opportunity came at this year's TGS. With the obvious advantages of the DS's touch screen taking center stage, Okami's second Nintendo offering in just two years is looking very strong, and full of innovation to boot. Stylus play works great, d-pad control within the 2D world is surprisingly strong, and the visual style carries over well. Those looking for another take on Capcom's amazing series are going to find it on DS, as Capcom delivers the first true contender to Nintendo's Zelda series on DS. And hey… with Okami you don't need to use stylus control for 12 hours straight. Whether you're a returning franchise fan or a DS-only gamer, Okamiden is poising itself to be a true contender on Nintendo's handheld.
Nominees:
Best PSP Game.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Over at Sony's booth, there was a sea of PSPs you had to make appointments to get to, but even with all those portable titles, it seemed like all anyone could talk about on the TGS PSP front was Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The buzz was with good reason -- the game seems awesome. Behind closed doors, the press got to play four of the game's missions, and the tank fight and co-op moves only served to drive home that Kojima Studios knew what it was doing with this portable follow-up. Gone were the clunky controls of MGS: Portable Ops, and in their place was a streamlined system and new moves for Bog Boss. He can throw opponents into bad guys, use a stun rod on them, and even have you play a few games during those sometimes loved/hated cutscenes.
Nominees:
- PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe
- Hot Shots Mini-Games
- Valkyria Chronicles 2
- Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
Biggest Surprise.
Western Games Dominate Show
Alan Wake, Assassin's Creed II, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Dead Rising 2, Crackdown 2, Red Steel 2… These were most of the big games from TGS this year. What do they all have in common? They're being made by Western developers. It's called the Tokyo Game Show, and yet all the buzz is being made by gaijin. When did that happen? The line to see Assassin's Creed II was over five hours long at one point. Kojima was having a great time with Project Natal. Keiji Inafune, creator of Mega Man and Dead Rising, even had harsh words to say about the Japanese game industry during a Capcom event. What a different landscape this is from just a few years ago when Japan ruled the game industry.
Nominees:
- PSPgo says "screw you" to UMD
- Wii Price Drop
- Frank West is awesome in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom
- Dead Rising Multiplayer is not at all what we expected
- TGS sucked
Best Devolper.
Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Montreal came across the Pacific and stole the show. In what was a largely Western show, Ubisoft Montreal delivered no less than three games worth keeping an eye on -- if not worthy of a pre-order right now. Splinter Cell: Conviction has Fisher returning to form. Assassin's Creed II is downright beautiful. Avatar, based on James Cameron's upcoming flick has some flashy 3D graphics and good old-school shooting. When you've got the Japanese public willing to wait over five hours to see just one of your games(as Ubisoft claimed to IGN regarding Assassin's Creed II), you know you've got something special.
Nominees:
- Q Games (PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe and PixelJunk Shooter)
- Remedy (Alan Wake)
- Kojima Productions (MGS)
Best Publisher.
Capcom
There were some truly impressive showings at this year's TGS, and while Square came big with Final Fantasy XIII, and Ubisoft pushed the pedigree of Assassin's Creed II and Splinter Cell, no publisher hit the show as hard as Capcom. Showing off sequels to both Dead Rising and Lost Planet, Super Street Fighter IV, as well as a killer Nintendo line-up of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, first English playable of Monster Hunter Tri, an improved level in Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, and DS game of the show Okamiden, the publisher hit not just on one system or one genre, but various angles across the entire show. TGS may have been smaller overall this year, but when it comes to showing off a list of titles with both versatility and depth across all game types, Capcom edged out the competition for 2009.
Nominees:
- Sony
- Ubisoft
- SquareEnix
- SEGA
- Microsoft
GAME OF SHOW!!!!!!
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
OK, remember how we said a little bit ago that MGS had all the buzz at the show and gave the press four levels to play through? Konami took it a step further and gave three of those levels to the whole world. That's right, you could play the game yourself and see how flippin' great it is. Miller's back, we've got some girl who has been tortured, and Snake has an army of grunts ready to follow him into battle. Toss in how great this thing looks on the PSP screen, and you have a game that's not even out yet but has just about everyone's attention.
Nominees:
- Yakuza 4
- Alan Wake
- Splinter Cell
- Assassin's Creed 2
Gintama is the funniest show EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
Proud owner of all currnet gen consoles.
I not a big wii fan
Okita the sadist.
