Catching Up

Hey, what's up?

First of all, sorry for going so long without an update. While I don't imagine that anyone's been waiting on pins and needles for a new post, I did promise to put something new up much earlier.

What's worse is, most of my time lately has been spent playing Jump Superstars on the Nintendo DS. I know, I've got no excuses! :)

Catching up with current events, some big, big things are about to go down at next week's Tokyo Game Show:

- Playable Xbox 360s (according to Microsoft)
- Playable PS3s (according to Sony's Ken Kutaragi)
- The full unveiling of Nintendo's Revolution, complete with the next Mario (according to a report at Spong.com, which fits well with hints Nintendo have dropped)

Basically, TGS will be what last E3 was supposed to be. (Better late than never, I guess.)

Microsoft will probably announce some new partnerships with Japanese developers, and is sure to show off as many Japanese-friendly games it can muster (a retooled True Fantasy Live Online, anyone?). PS3 isn't likely to put as many games in the hands of show goers as the 360, if Kutaragi does indeed follow through with his promise to "let consumers experience the PS3." But Sony's system could still come out on top thanks to one game: Metal Gear Solid 4.

The buzz is -- and statements made by Konami's Hideo Kojima seem to support -- that the series' next installment will make its first true appearance via a trailer running on real PS3 hardware. Folks, unlike a lot of other developers who like to bait-and-switch pre-rendered footage with honest gameplay, Kojima always shoots straight with his Metal Gear trailers. The PS2 hype machine didn't really kick off until he debuted the trailer for MGS2, which just blew people's minds at the time. This MGS4 trailer will show us what the PS3 will truly be able to do in the hands of a top developer, and I get all tingly just thinking about it. And what did Kojima mean by saying that the theme of MGS4 is "no place to hide?" Just imagine the power of the PS3 being pushed to create environments and enemy AI so realistic that you can't predict what happens on the battlefield any more than a real soldier could in combat. If you can't always count on a guard to walk the same path over and over, or on a truck to stay parked long enough to provide cover, then how will you hide? You heard it here first, folks! :)

No matter what you guys might be up to late next week, be sure to keep a close eye on the gaming sites -- it's gonna be wild!

--Chris