Tokyo Game Show 2013 – The show, the games, and the babes

This article is part of our coverage of TGS 2013.

After three full days of the Tokyo Game Show (TGS), the Games in Asia team headed back to consolidate all our loot, swag, photos, and findings to bring to you a final overview of the event.

TGS is the Japan’s biggest game show, held annually in Tokyo. It showcases most of what the Japanese gaming industry has to offer. This year saw a wide variety of games on display. Playstation had one of the largest booths during the exhibitions, showcasing their next-gen PS4 console along with its lineup of games to look forward to. Hideo Kojima presented the fans with more gameplay footage of the upcoming MGS V: The Phantom Pain (Metal Gear Solid V).

Playstation revealed their new line of PS VITA and VITA TV remote play features that will soon play a part in Playstation’s grand plan of gaming on the go using cloud services. As explained in their Keynote presentation, they visualize a movement into the cloud.

Rival competitor in the console arena Microsoft also followed suit with a huge showcase of their latest releases for the Xbox One. Titanfall was especially well-received in Japan, given the people of Japan are usually picky when it comes to games of the mecha genre. Mobile games also had a bigger presence, with companies like GREE, GungHo, and Namco Bandai all making strong showings.

Sega came out with games like Ryugagotoku Ishin, the latest entry for the “Ryu-ga-Gotoku” series. The new spin-off is set in the Edo period. Yakuza is one of most popular game series in Japan and one of the closest games that Japan has to Grand Theft Auto. Ryugagotoku Ishin will be released for the PS4.

I was expecting to at least see some new updates for the upcoming Yakuza 5, however, there was no news on the game during TGS.

I did manage to get a hands on for Sonic Lost World, though I must admit the game does need a little getting used to. Once you’ve got the hang of moving through the environment, the game is a challenging and fresh perspective compared to previous Sonic games.

Indies in Asia

We were especially impressed by the indie game booths and the business solutions areas, where we saw a lot of potential, creativity and innovation. Games from indie studios ranged from games like World of Finger by EliDEA to action-packed tactical shooters like Breaking Point from Gamesquare.

TGS on a public day

Conventions like TGS are never be complete without booth babes strategically placed to capture attention. (My goodness, where do they find all these women?) If the swag and freebies weren’t enough, I’m sure the booth babes of TGS make up for it. During the public days, when doors were open to everyone, it was a madhouse. People came in by the thousands. Infinite lines that seemed to last forever adorned every single booth. A tip for visitors who are going to TGS on public days: pick something you wanna focus on and stick to it. If you were to line up for everything that catches your eye, chances are you won’t have time.

The ongoing gaming matches and the cosplayers on public days just add to the atmosphere. The excitement and support from the people of Japan is just amazing. Cosplayers in Japan put in a ton of effort on their costumes.

Take a look at the collection of TGS convention photos we snapped during the event.

And of course we didn’t forget the jewels of every TGS event: the Booth Babes!

Lastly, the cosplayers of TGS:

(Edited by Paul Bischoff)