Very JapaNICE: Tokyo Game Show 2019 Highlight Titles

Other than anime, robots, and cutting-edge tech, Japan is also known for video games. Since it’s the country with the biggest video game industry, other than the United States, so should come as no surprise that the Tokyo Game Show, the country’s version of E3, is always a highly-anticipated event. And for Tokyo Game Show 2019, lots of hype-generating previews and trailers have been shown. Here are some of the event’s biggest and most anticipated titles that were shown.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Unsurprisingly, the Final Fantasy VII Remake is at the top of the list. Its Ifrit and Shiva Trailer shows more of Square Enix’s remake of the iconic and genre-defining installment of the long-running JRPG franchise.

Finally, we see the Turks, Shinra Company’s private intelligence agency. There’s hot-headed and bare-chested redhead Reno, bald man of a few words Rude, and Tseng, the long-haired mysterious man of even fewer words. We also see the lecherous Don Corneo, more AVALANCHE vs Shinra action, Cloud and company riding bikes, and the re-envisioning of the famous staircase scene as well.

As bonus sweet treats, we also see Aerith being all stunning in a red dress, and a romantic comedy-like beat where Tifa and Aerith compete for Cloud’s attention, with both of them locking arms with our Ex-SOLDIER hero.

Project Resistance

Another huge project that was shown in TGS was Project Resistance, a Resident Evil PVP 4-versus-1 co-op shooter spinoff. Four players team up against 1 enemy player known as The Mastermind; we see Mr. X releasing a Licker in the trailer, so it’s safe to assume that a Mastermind will be played that way.

Some fans, especially those itching for a new co-op zombie shooter since Left4Dead 2, are ecstatic.  Others are wary, as they’ve seen the Resident Evil franchise’s clunky experimental spinoff flops. With the financial and critical successes of Resident Evil 7 and the Resident Evil 2 remake, maybe we should give Capcom a chance.

Death Stranding

The latest trailer for Death Stranding, a game from visionary auteur Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear Solid fame, has also been dropped. The most coherent of the many trailers that have been released, it shows Sam (Norman Reedus) briefed by Die Hardman (Tommie Earl Jenkins) and Amelie (Lindsay Wagner), explaining his mission and its goals.

Unlike other past trailers, this one is the first to have more answers than questions. Nevertheless, the game’s plot mostly remains a mystery.

Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon

The next installment to the urban JRPG-action game about Japan’s criminal underground is breaking away from its mainstay cast, the city of Tokyo, and even familiar gameplay aspects. Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon gives players a new lead named Ichiban Kasuga. Betrayed by the Yakuza family that took him in, he found himself in Yokohama, where he must take on the city’s organized crime groups to make a name for himself.

While the first Yakuza games were action-oriented, this one will feature turn-based combat and something akin to a job class system. And in true traditional JRPG fashion, you get outrageous moves and over-the-top boss fights (a bulldozer for a dragon, anyone?). It might seem out of place, but with our main man being a huge Dragon Quest fan, it’s kind of fitting.

Shenmue III: Spirit of the Land

Shenmue III has come a long way from being stuck in what was thought to be a never-ending development hell. Now, the crowd-funded follow-up to Dreamcast’s dramatic action-adventure released its latest trailer, and it shows the beauty of natural landscapes and towns he’ll be visiting.

Ryo Hamazaki’s journey for revenge in 1980s China will be out on PS4 and the Epic Store on November 19.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, the action-RPG that follows the original anime’s storyline up to the Cell Saga, made its way to Tokyo Game Show as well. The trailer shows more Gohan than Goku, memorable scenes in the anime remade in the game’s engine, as well as the father and son duo eating together.

Nioh 2

Nioh 2, the successor to the same-named Koei-Tecmo’s answer to Dark Souls, also showed up on TGS. Unlike its predecessor, players will now make their own character that will fight his or her way through (and die over and over again) the game’s supernatural take on the infamously bloody Tokugawa Era.

So there you have it–this year’s biggest game event in the land of the rising sun. From what went down in Tokyo, it looks like we’re going to have an awesome season of games in the coming months!