If Day 1 was all about big developers flexing their already bulging biceps, Day 2 is all about the up and comers. Housed in two massive halls is where you’ll find official game merchandise, indie developers, VR games, and E-sports. It is, I should say the more experiential side of TGS. And immersion was the name of the game.
We played competitive head to head kendama tethered to an Ipad, battled with other players battleships in World of Warships, and almost got married with Prince Charming (Gian backed out the last minute).
Kendama, the classic Japanese cup and ball game, goes hi-tech. This version can be connected via bluetooth to a tablet, making timed head-to-head battles more intense.
131 indie developers got a lot of love in TGS. Their spaces were small, roughly the width of an office cubicle with no seats, which works to their advantage to encourage short but sweet discussions about the game to the press or to potential partners. Some of them only have one person looking out for their cube and that person may be the developer himself. The games were mostly mobile games in nature. The coolest application we saw was an apparatus that let’s you put your mobile device on the edge of the gun. Indie developers will definitely get more space as they shape the gaming landscape with fresh ideas.
One of the coolest and simplest peripherals we’ve seen from the Indie section. Just attach your mobile phone on top of a toy gun and pull the trigger like your used to.
Of course, VR, after becoming mainstream last year due to the launch of the Playstation VR, was bound to be given more space. With VR adoption rates getting faster in consoles and in PCs, developing applications for VR is the next logical step in the gaming world. The VRs on display ranged from next level VR rides like Gyro VR to those that simulate what it’s like taking care of a baby (like Real Baby Real Family). Showcased also are untethered VR applications, where the participants actually wear the processors on a backpack – free from the long and heavy power and data cables while gunning down dinosaurs in a rundown street park freedom of movement in untethered VR looks promising and will become the standard for VR in the years to come..
VR untethered. It’s how VR is meant to be played.
VR + R. We all know that VR simulates the action. But adding the real prop takes immersion to another level.
Have phone but no space to build a roller coaster? Gyro VR is your solution.
The merchandise in TGS was also a welcome treat. Not only will one be able to buy official TGS 2017 merchandise, one can also purchase official licensed merchandise from the game developers. Amongst the best merchandise that we saw were old school brands like Sega Mega Drive shirts, deep-blue colored Playstation mugs, Persona 5 calling card holders and Square Enix wall poster of Cloudstrife. As expected, the hottest items, especially in the Square Enix booth were sold out. But there’s always the next best thing that you’ll like so you’ll end up buying anyway.
Official game merchandise that you won’t see anywhere else. Yes, that shirt costs Y6,000 (roughly P3,000).
The last attraction featured E-sports gaming – a phenomenon that’s just about to go mainstream in Japan. Japan is beginning to have its own e-sports celebrities but not in the same level as that of Korea, China or even the US. The popularity E-sports in the Philippines can even rival that of Japan. Some of the games where the pros battled for virtual supremacy are Phantasy Star Online, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, PES (Pro Evolution Soccer) 2018 and Street Fighter V and Overwatch. The list itself features games that are playable in mobile, consoles and PC.
Day 2 definitely completes the buffet serving on what a games convention should be all about. It’s a second serving of the awesomeness of Day 1 albeit smaller and more varied. The TGS whet’s any gamer’s appetite. And just when you thought you can no longer take in more games…no, no gamer thinks that way.
Allan Abaca is an avid gamer through and through. Virtually, he is locked-in with his PS4 almost daily and has just introduced the awesomeness of gaming to his two sons.
Next in his sights is PC gaming. The platform which he nows considering going back to after a two decade hiatus.
Oh, and let's not forget the Nintendo Switch...
His psn id is hip2b2
