Kotaku

Microsoft Has Over 140 Demo Kioks, Buddies With Square Enix

Tokyo time tomorrow, this year's TGS kicks off. Microsoft is already hyping its close proximity to the Square Enix booth as a "cooperative" effort for both companies. Xbox Japan marketing exec Jyoji Sakaguchi explains the game plan:

We're going to take advantage of our booths being side-by-side, because both the Square Enix and Microsoft booths are working in tandem. This time around, we're putting the greatest importance in getting the largest number of visitors to play our games. At the Microsoft and the Square Enix booths, we're holding a lottery. The winner gets to go to the Square Enix booth and play... You'll have to wait to that day to see what happens. (laughs)

He's not kidding about getting a large number of visitors to play Xbox 360 games. Microsoft is rolling out over 140 demo kiosks at TGS.

【TGS2008特報！】ゲームを遊びまくり！ 140台以上の試遊台を用意するマイクロソフトブース [Trendy.net Thanks, Mike!]

Naruto? Not really our "thing." Chalk it up to ignorance, the daunting back story and the unwillingness to do the work involved to become interested. But the games tend to look spectacular, with Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm for the PlayStation 3 no exception. We can only imagine how intensely 10-year old version of us would have been blown away by seeing a cartoon so accurately portrayed in video game form.

Molyneux Begs For Non-Gamer Game Review

Variety's Ben Fritz points out that his review copy of Fable II just landed at his office and along with the usual fare of review guide, tips and details came a personal plea from developer Peter Molyneux about how to review the game:

I have a favour to ask you — we build this game not only to appeal to gamers like yourself, but to appeal to anybody. So please, please, please, please, please find somebody who doesn't play games, watch them play it and see how their world turns out, because I think it's only when you see those differences that the unique experiences comes through.

While on some level I can understand where he's coming from, it seems to me that the underlying message of that request is that Molyneux thinks game reviewers are too jaded to do their jobs. It's just the latest in an increasingly long list of excuses developers use for low game reviews, including not "getting" casual and not "getting" the Wii. I can't speak for everyone, but personally I get all of those things. I sometimes just don't like them.

Peter Molyneux's Request [Variety]

PowerUp Forever Gameplay Vid

We caught a glimpse of the potential machine-exploder that had Fahey so enamored at E3 earlier this year. PowerUp Forever looks to be flOw's take on the never ending , bullet-hell shoot-em ups that do so well in Japanese arcades and on PSN and Xbox Live Arcade.

In PowerUp Forever you play your way through procedurally generated environments trying to take on bosses bigger than you to evolve. As you grow, so do the enemies you face. The game will include four modes:

• Survival Mode - Survive relentless waves of non-stop enemies
• Guardian Rush Mode - Defeat a series of guardians in the shortest length of time
• Defender - How long can you survive only using a shield?
• Overkill Mode - Unlimited weapons!

The space shooter is do out this fall on the PSN and XBLA.

Namco Bandai's Tokyo Game Show Schwag

Namco Bandai's pre Tokyo Game Show press conference may have been a little light on the news, but at least they handed out some classy goodies to departing journalists, if only to wake them back up before their trip back to assorted hotels.

Live action samurai versus ninja fights aside, the Afro Samurai presentation at yesterday's Namco Bandai presser was surprisingly brief. They showed a trailer which featured Afro cutting lots of people in half, both horizontally AND vertically. It didn't demonstrate, however, how effective the game play mechanic will be in emphasizing what the developers call the game's "elegant violence", a style of fighting that is meant to balance acrobatic platforming with stylistic slicing and dicing. Still, the art style is striking and shading and texturing different enough to make me want at least a better look. Check out the game's latest screens on the jump.

Hey! Teruaki Konishi! You're working on Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, right? You got 15 seconds. Justify that Tales.

NPD's PC Sales Charts September 21-27

The latest bricks-and-mortar PC sales charts are in. They cover the week of September 21-27. As you expect, the words EA, Maxis and Blizzard feature prominently. But then so do the words Crytek, Firaxis and Traveller's Tales, so please, enjoy the variety.

1. Spore
2. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
3. Civilization IV: Colonization
4. Crysis Warhead
5. The Sims 2 Apartment Life
6. WoW: Battle Chest
7. World Of Warcraft
8. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
9. LEGO Batman
10. WoW: Burning Crusade

[via Shacknews]

Mod Lets You Use Your PSP As A Second Computer Monitor

Tetsuya Mizuguchi Is Making New IP

Tetsuya Mizuguchi is best known for Rez, Space Channel 5 and Lumines. He's made lots of Lumines spin-offs like Lumines Live! and Lumines II. Key words: Lumines. We haven't seen a new game from Mizuguchi for a while, but he confirmed to Kotaku that, yes, he's working on a new IP. Says Mizuguchi:

Yes, I'm working on a new IP.

We've heard from sources that it may be an Xbox 360 title. Wonder what it is...