So, we finally come to the moment we've all been waiting for... it's time to cross something off of my goals list!

In years past, I'd always read about such events as 'E3' or 'TGS'. To me, they sounded like an exotic gamer's paradise where one could experience the cutting edge of gaming. I never would have thought that I would someday attend one of these hallowed events.

Going to the Tokyo game show was not something that I had really planned all that far in advance, unlike my trip to the Ghibli Museum. I was just sitting at home one day, browsing the net (something I'm trying to do less of) when it occurred to me that I would be in Japan at the time of the show. So, shortly after arriving in Japan, I set about asking people whether they wanted to come as well!

Fortunately, there were several others in the dorm who liked games or just wanted to go to see what was what, so a group of us went on the Sunday just past (the 27th).
Getting there was quite a journey - half an hour on the Yamanote line to Tokyo station, then another half-hour or so out to Chiba (near Narita Airport). We were initially unsure as to whether we were on the right train, but became reassured by the amount of fellow passengers we saw brandishing DSs or PSPs (mostly DSs - they seem to be more popular here. As such, I think I shall be getting one too...to learn Japanese more (yep, you keep telling yourself that Dan!)).

Once we got to our destination, it wasn't all that hard to figure out where to go. We just had to follow the long crowd of attendees/signs/advertising people/directing people.

There was quite a long queue to get in, but we actually didn't have to wait all that long.


Once inside we were free to do as we wished - almost. Due to the sheer amount of people crammed inside this (admittedly large) hall, taking photos was supposedly not allowed in most areas. However, most people managed a quick snap or two (or more - depending on the amount of dressed up women around - but more on that later).
Basically, the setup was such that each game production company (or publisher, eg Sony Computer Entertainment or Microsoft) had their own booth. If you wanted to play a game, you had to line up. Many of the more popular games, namely Final Fantasy XIII, also only had a limited amount of tickets available, so if you weren't there within minutes of opening time, you had no hope of playing the game.



I waited in line to play Gran Turismo 5. When I entered, the ETA to play time was supposedly 2 hours, but in the end it wasn't that long at all. Besides, there were many things to occupy my time with, such as watching the HUGE Sony screen showing trailers of various games (I want to play the sequel to ICO and Shadow of the Colossus... looks so cool!) and watching the people play Uncharted 2. Now THAT is an amazing looking game - the graphics are breathtaking!
Oh, that and the SLS AMG Gullwing which just happened to be situated near the end of the line:



Here's what I thought about the various games I saw at the show...:

• Gran Turismo 5 - awesome. I've played GT5 Prologue many times before so it wasn't *all* that new, but the finished package is going to be amazing. So much detail and love has gone into that game.
• GT PSP - Very cool. It's pretty much GT4 portable, sans a career mode and with added Italian exotica! However, I don't think I'll be getting a PSP anymore, and that's partly to do with the lack of career mode. If it was GT4, but mobile.....
• Final Fantasy XIII - what can I say? From the little I saw... *want*.
• Assasin's Creed 2: Watched the trailer but did not get to play it unfortunately. However, if the first game is any indication, it's going to be amazing. The fact that it's set in Venice helps too.
• Ni no Kuni -  a DS RPG with the art done by Studio Ghibli. This, then, is perhaps the main reason why I will be getting a DS instead of a PSP.
• Left 4 Dead 2 - sadly I did not realise this was showing until the very end of the show (possibly because it was located in the Microsoft area), and by then the line had closed :(

Before I finish this (admittedly long) post, I think I should mention the one thing that (I think) sets TGS apart from other, western game events: the cosplayers.
As we were walking to the show, my friends and I kept noticing people carrying what appeared to be small suitcases. Whatever could they be for? And why were most of these people female?
It didn't take us long to figure out why... and I'll let the photos do the talking!




PS: Sorry for the long post - I think I'll try to have shorter/more regular posts in the future~