This should finally put to rest those crazy rumors that the Tokyo Game Show has been cancelled. Not only is TGS 2007 alive and well, it's bigger than ever! This year's show will be increased from the usual three days to four days. And since last year was apparently the most crowded one ever, we can look forward to an extra day of sweating people pushing up close. Oh goodie! So this go round, TGS07 will run from Thursday, September 20th to Sunday, September 23rd with Thursday and Friday being business days. Since E3 no longer what it once was, TGS is making its move to take center stage internationally. We'll be there come September to bring you up-to-the-second coverage. Should be utter hell. Brian Ashcraft

TGS Dates For This Year [Press Release]

But this is CES. This is where PlayStation doesn't dominate, it simply has a presence. It's the event where you ask for David Karakker at the Sony press conference and they go "Who, again?"

The PlayStation booth at CES, while not what you'd call emaciated, is definitely not overbearing. The entire area consists of first party titles, including Lair, MotorStorm, Gran Turismo HD and Resistance: Fall of Man. A handful of PSP titles get floor space, but location free playing capabilities get an equal share.

Hit the jump for a couple photos of the space, which one can almost fully explore by rotating in one spot. Michael McWhertor

Well, I'm shocked. After the American arm of the D3 Publishing group poo-pooed releasing games from the Simple 2000 series of titles that put D3 on the map, it seems at least one of the breakout hits from that line, giant bug and robot shooter Earth Defense Forces X, will make its way across the Pacific.

While EDFX may sport sharper graphics and better production values, it still features the same run and gun gameplay that made EDF 2 a cheapass hit on the PlayStation 2.

Fence sitters who doubt D3's ability to publish anything but T&A-heavy mahjongg games or folks new to the mindless fun that is EDF may want to check out my quick impressions from the Tokyo Game Show. The rest of you celebrate! Michael McWhertor

Earth Defense Force X US-bound [Gamespot]
TGS06: Earth Defense Forces 3 Hands-On Get! [Kotaku]

First E3, now this? Game site Jeux France is rumoring that the Tokyo Game Show could very well be canned next year. Blame the usual suspects: Too many people, huge budgets, blah, blah, blah. Nintendo traditionally sits the event out, with Sony and Microsoft left to go head-to-head. I've heard this rumor before, and I'm not holding my breath until there are any official announcements. Brian Ashcraft

No TGS? [Jeux France, Thanks Marc!]

It's a work-in-progress, really. The PLAYSTATION 3 Operating System used at the Tokyo Game Show was not the final product, which some are using to explain the glitchy machines on the show floor. Sony Computer Entertainment of America has confirmed the unfinished OS, which can be "flashed" (oooh, sexy) into the console even after the hardware has been assembled. That means the unit's Operating System will be akin to the Wii's and the Xbox 360's, which can be updated after the fact. Moreover, SCEA said that the unfinished OS had little to do with the glitchy machines, but rather it was things like leaving consoles on all day in little dark boxes with cheap, shitty plastic fans. Brian Ashcraft

PS3 OS Upgradable [Game Daily, Thanks Charlton!]

The PLAYSTATION 3 does not overheat. Those burnt-out consoles at TGS? Illusions! These hot rumors have been tied to those lithium ion batteries Sony manufactured and supplied to Dell, Toshiba and Apple, causing computers to melt. In an official statement made by Sony Computer Entertainment, the company states:

SCE can categorically deny that there's any problems with PS3 units overheating. As could be seen on the TGS floor by the tens of thousands of media and public attendees, both the hardware and software worked flawlessly.

Not sure about "flawlessly" as we did see a few systems overheat at TGS. And that's expected for a machine running for hours six hours plus. The PLAYSTATION 3 did hold up fairly well, all things considered. Though, those plastic fans in the demo kiosks should send off some sort of warning—as in don't leave your console on all day in a box. Brian Ashcraft

Sony Says No Overheating [Games Industry]

(Well, not those. Those are actually okay. It's the other ones we're talking about.)

At TGS, when Microsoft showed the Dead or Alive Xtreme 2, there was actually a collective groan. Not at how silly the trailer was (it was pretty silly), but just at how long it was. Regardless, Tecmo's Team Ninja didn't disappoint fans. They've pretty much made the game people who owned the first one would want. While most of the official screens show somewhat conservative outfits, costume crazy site Costume GET! has a smattering of upcoming skimpy NSFW in-game bikinis, including one made of a string of pearls! Silly, indeed. Brian Ashcraft

NSFW Bikini Pics Here [Costume GET!]

Onechanbara, The Stage Show
Justify Your Game: Motorstorm
PS3 vs. Xbox 360
Justify Your Game Console, Kaz Hirai
89 Seconds of Sony Partying
Kutaragi's Keynote (Real Quick)
Justify Your Game: Genji
Wii or PS3? Japanese Gamer Poll
Wii or PS3? The Cosplayers This Time
Even Walking Is A Bitch
Bring On The Creepy Camermen
Justify Your Game: Formula 1
Sony Built It and They Came

Rather static for a stage show, sure, but we are still excited. It's not the bikini or the swords that makes us so jazzed about publisher D3's Onechanbara: vorteX. Oh, no. It's that killer cowboy hat. Brian Ashcraft

One of TGS's let downs was non-playable Super Monkey Ball. Well, it was playable, but you had to be wearing a grass skirt and covered with plastic fruit. Booth companions on stage demonstrated the title's fun factor. Everyone else kinda stood around.

Next-Gen's Tim Rogers heard from Toshihiro Nagoshi that the title wasn't playable because of lighting conditions at the show. Meaning, weird lighting and flash photography totally screws up the Wii-mote. Nagoshi adds, "At home, people aren't likely to be using flash photography on their own televisions, so it won't matter, in the long run."

That being said, he thinks the Wii is "great," but when asked what system he plans on making his next game for, he replied, "Definitely not the Wii." Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Next-Gen]

Cars, carnage, ragdolls. This game's got it all. Our own free loadin' Scott talked up a storm about just how fun Motorstorm is. And the title's producer seems to agree. Go figure. Brian Ashcraft

Courtesy of the lovely Alice, we have this, the best game of TGS06, and the best title of a game since The Varginha Experiment.

Notice the two exclamation points. One exclamation point just wouldn't have gotten across just what a goddamn fucking bastard this guy is. Florian Eckhardt

Bastard!! Online [Official Site]

With Nintendo sitting the Tokyo Game Show out, the focus was the next-gen fist fight between Sony and Microsoft. But, who had a better TGS? Brian Ashcraft

Hit the jump for a list of our coverage. It was a great show, even if our hotel was a dump. Brian Ashcraft

TGS: Here We Come
Live Blogging Xbox 360 Media Briefing
All the Nintendo Games We'll Play In Tokyo
LocoRoco DS?
LocoRoco Dev On Game Design, Racism, Snowboarding
A Guide to LocoRoco
Requisite Booth Babes Photo
Live Blogging Kutaragi's Keynote
The TGS Show Coverage List
Sony: PS3 20GB Gets Price Drop in Japan
Live Blogging Sakaguchi
LocoRoco Soundtrack Is For Loopy Sadists
DoA Creator Snooping About Sega
Japanese Schoolgirls *Heart* Xbox 360
No Cosplaying In The Toilet
Kutaragi Cold Chills, Chats
Super Monkey Ball Creator Really Likes His Cell Phone
Phil Harrison Touts PS3 Web Browser, Shoves 1080p In Microsoft's Face
Wicked Old Microsoft Promotion Trick (With Trains and Bags)
Justify Your Game Console, Kaz Hirai
Booth Babe Twister
89 Seconds Of Sony Partying
Kutaragi's Keynote (Real Quick)
The Capcom Collar
Ridge Racer 7 = Too Hot For TGS
Revenge Of Tokyo Game Show: Day 2: Public Day
Koei Having Issues With PS3 Middleware, Fatal Inertia To Miss Launch
It's Packed As Hell
Pity The Maid Man
Liveblogging The Gran Turismo HD Press Event
Blue Dragon Loot
Gears of War Hands-Off
The Acne of the Tokyo Game Show
I Don't Think Viva Pinata Will Suck
Lunar Knights, Not Just For Scandinavian Kids
Bust a Move in Forza 2
Flight Simulator X Simulated
Xbox Live Arcade, Too Nerdy Even for Game Nerds
Virtua Fighter PS3 Stick Hands On
Justify Your Game: Genji
J, Please Stop Blocking Our Phone Calls
The Venus Williams of Game Producing
Wii or PS3? Japanese Gamer Video Poll
I Hope This Okami Plush Isn't For Humping
We Vist Polyphony Digital, Touch Their Stuff
Wii or PS3? Just The Cosplayers This Time
God Hand Producer Finds Next Gen "Annoying"
Armored Core 4 Is A Real System Crasher
Even Walking Is A Bitch
We Did It For You, J Allard. For You.
Sega Wii Games Close Proximity Impressions
Resistance (the Game) Is Futile
Lair Hands On Giddiness
Koji Igarashi's Business Card - Serious Business
Dead Or Alive Xtreme Jiggle Impressions
Genji Real-Time Impression Switching
Hands On, Behind the Wheel, Gran Turismo HD
Justify Your Game: Lair
So, How'd It Go, Microsoft?
Bring On the Creepy Cameramen
The Other Side Of The Lens
Sony Built It and They Came
Justify Your Game: Formula 1

Josh writes that while club-hopping in Tokyo over the weekend, between TGS stints natch, he and his friends ran into some hardcore Swedish gamers. How hardcore? So hardcore that one of the guys had DDR symbols tattooed into his leg.

If I were to ever get another tattoo, and that isn't happening without a swift heave-ho from my wife, it would probably be some sort of gamer symbol. Though, I think I'd lean more toward Invader aliens than a bunch of arrows. Brian Crecente

The producer of F1 gets so carried away that he forgets the most basic JYG rule of all: Finish on time. Brian Ashcraft

Our very spunky part-time British bird Alice spotted an intriguing observation made by Rod over at Gaming Edge about Ken Kutaragi's TGS 06 keynote: it's almost point-for-point the same damn speech he delivered 6 years ago.

"We need an open system. Like an internet. People can have a first hand experience: the network world of the game has to be open to everyone."

"Sony has Sony's agenda. But (I) want a very open platform, equal for every person."

"For instance: for movies. You looked at the [..] you can jack in and watch the new world. We are very lucky to live in this era. We try to open the door for the future."

"You can communicate to a new cybercity. This will be the ideal home server. Did you see the movie 'The Matrix'? Same interface. Same concept. Starting from next year, you can jack into 'The Matrix'!"

The first in each set of quotes is from TGS this year. The other is from a press piece from 2000, prior to the PS2's launch

As good old Alice notes, "Naughty man. If only he could break out prices from 6 years ago too." Florian Eckhardt

Wait, it's 2006 - right? [Gaming Edge]

Footage from Saturday, the first day open to the public. A lot of people came to TGS. A lot. And know what? Most of them were Japanese. Shocking. Brian Ashcraft

We decided to hit up Cosplay Alley at the Makuhari Messe on the last day of Tokyo Game Show to see how the city's homely kids with sewing skills were faring.

We saw tons of Clouds and Dantes and "men" in schoolgirl outfits, but the lamest thing on display were the cyclopian virginal photographers loading up their 4 gig SD cards with enough wank material to last them through to the next Comiket. The TGS otaku take this whole thing very seriously—do NOT cut in line or they'll have your head.

I really have begun to worry for the welfare of these young ladies, but it's almost like they're asking to be stalked. Michael McWhertor

At Kotaku, we know creepy. While E3 was known for dorky guys posing with booth babes, TGS is more famous for creepy guys with huge creepy cameras taking creepy pictures of booth babes. Good thing the showroom floor is dark, sparing us from seeing their creepy faces. Brian Ashcraft

At last year's TGS, Microsoft rolled out the Xbox 360. The company staked out a huge booth, filled with with companions and new hardware. The 360 was the first next-gen console the Japanese would see. The country look a look and collectively went "meh."

A lack of titles saw a disastrous and embarrassing launch. No matter which way you sugar coated it, the 360 was a failure in Japan. 2006 saw a reshuffling of Xbox Japan leadership, a new ad campaign fronted by a J-pop boy band and a handful of Japan-friendly titles. The perception was that the machine was picking up steam. Very slowly.

Last Wednesday, Microsoft held its Media Briefing in Shibuya. The company's Peter Moore and its Japan leader Takashi Sensui took the stage. Upcoming games where highlighted. The likes of Trusty Bell, Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon are set to give the console a huge boast. We didn't see price drops, but bundles rather, because Microsoft loves the bundles. One includes packaging Project Gotham Racing 3 and Ninety-Nine Nights with the Core System for 29,800 yen (US $265). Sensui added that this makes the 360 the most affordable next-gen console and even cheaper than the Wii.

Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi took the stage and showed both Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. Both titles are getting the maximum Microsoft marketing push, with an hour-long playable Lost Odyssey demo appearing in an upcoming issue of Famitsu. A limited-edition Xbox 360 Core System Blue Dragon Premium Pack to kick off the game's launch and include the game software. This pack will retail 28,381 yen (US $244).

Microsoft has been going after Japan full on, bringing in the best game creators imaginable. Still, so far, that hasn't been enough. Sitting in the Media Briefing and listening to Sakaguchi give a Blue Dragon run through, I couldn't help but think: If Blue Dragon, a game made by the Final Fantasy creator with characters designed by the Dragon Quest creator, does not help the 360 in Japan, nothing will. A ninety-minute wait to play the game at the Microsoft booth gives hope that it just might. Brian Ashcraft

We just posted what we thought of Factor 5's dragon game Lair, but what do the actual developers think of their own title? Surprisingly, they really like it! Good job, Mr. Engelbrecht. Michael McWhertor

After Sony's dizzying E3 presser, we were given a chance to play Gran Turismo HD for the PS3. I quite enjoyed Gran Turismo 3 and was looking forward to some one-on-one with the game. I pushed my way through the crowd and tried out a GT motorcycle for the first time. I started the bike up, turned a corner and was dumped off. Another corner and was dumped off the bike. Wash, rinse, repeat.

After a minute of this, I actually gave the controller the person waiting behind me. I couldn't take it. That was my first hands on with a PS3 game.

On Saturday, when Mike, Scott, Jean and I hit Polyphony Digital, I got another crack at the game. There were PS3's laying around the office with controllers for us to pick up and play the GT HD demo. So, after stuffing my face with three hamburgers, I did just that: Stuffed my face with another hamburger and played GT HD.

The track was narrow. The controls felt way too sensitive. I thought I was cruising along, slowly, but would plow into a way. I felt like an idiot, and I couldn't get into it.

Pulling aside Kotaku's freeloading photographer Scott (the dude in the Poll clip), I picked his brain about why the game was so off-putting. Note: Scott not only owns all GT games and insisted on sitting next to Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi at the press event, but he actually clapped every time Kaz changed the slides at the presentation.

Scott said, "I know what they're trying to do. The details on the car are incredible. The physics are perfect. It's just, the game isn't fun." He told me at the Sony party, a French TV crew were trying to get game footage, but could not control the vehicle. Scott offered his services, only to make an ass of himself, repeatedly hitting the wall.

Amazing detail and incredible physics may not mean fun. But then again, fun doesn't seem to be the point here. Yamauchi has set out to make the most realistic driving simulator and has. When he showed Ferrari the models of the car, Ferrari said that it was the most realistic representation of the car a third party had every made. Talk about true praise.

Worth picking up? If you like Gran Turismo, no doubt. But, play with a wheel, tweak the settings and work at it. This is more than a driving game, it's a driving simulator. Brian Ashcraft

We didn't exactly go nuts for Genji at E3 2005, but came away a bit more positive after spending more time with the title at the Sony press reception party. The graphical and lighting upgrades are starting to make the game much more visually appealing. The backgrounds and environments glow with high dynamic range lighting, illuminating the cherry blossoms, making the ass-kicking much more serene.

We didn't actually get to fight any giant crabs, but the variety of the character swithching kept us interested long enough to walk away happy.

While Genji: Days of the Blade may not stand out amongst some of the other PlayStation 3 titles on display, it still looks like a solid hack and slash action title. We'll keep a close eye on it, as we're on the fence about how it will ultimately turn out.

If you're looking for the company line, check out what one of the devs had to say. It's funny ha-ha.Michael McWhertor

Being a guy is awesome, but when your penis starts thinking for you, it can lead to disaster. Such is the case with Dead or Alive Xtreme 2, as yesterday my manhood told me "Hey, this booth girl is pointing you to DOAX2. We should play it." The gelatinous jiggle fest of bikini filled mini-games from Team Ninja was given plenty of room at TGS and the lines were short, if not nonexistant.

After suffering through the same volleyball game I paid $50 for in 2004 (and losing), we decided to give the other aspects a shot. I was already creeped out by the sloppy boob physics but decided to dig deeper.

The jet skiing portion was passable, but the controls were difficult to get a hang of. My brain was starting to tell my crotch "We really need to get out of here and play something worthwhile." Penis responded "Wait, there's a game where you stand on a raft and bump your bottom against the other girl." We compromised to stay for a few more rounds of playtesting.

The butt bumping mini-game was next. Jerk the analog stick back and forth and knock the other bikini clad fighter into the water. Yeah. But we soldiered on to the tug of war bits. Also mildly entertaining for about 2 minutes. Then, the running game. Lay down in the sand, get a good cleavage shot, then whack on the A button to run faster.

Starting to sound like Track & Field for the NES? You might be on to something.

The game seems as shallow as the first, but with better character models, more to do and one new girl to ogle. Maybe there's more depth here than 10 minutes of play can glean, but I hope my brain wins the purchasing war with this one. Michael McWhertor

Check out Castlevania series composer (and constant Iga companion) Michiru Yamane's equally gorgeous card after the jump.

Anyone else experiencing a Patrick Bateman level of murderous business card envy? Or am I the only one polishing my axe? Michael McWhertor

Visually one of the most impressive games at the show. Kotaku import photog Scott said "This is the game that makes me think that Sony will be fine. If they can pull this off, they're fine."

Flight control using the tilty SIXAXIS controls was tight—using your wings to brake and accelerate were done with the shoulder and face buttons—and felt instinctually correct. Even though the game's dragons are massive, they responded well and felt very lithe.

The dragon to dragon combat was also done with rapid sweeps of the controller to engage, then using your teeth, claws and dragon breath with the buttons to do massive damage to your opponent. It's going to be a work out, but the devs on hand told us this was intentional. They want you to feel the violence.

But the game seems to come together when you start to take out enemy infantry, firebombing dozens of helpless dragon-less chumps, dismounting your reptilian steed and taking out other dragon riders with your sword. I'm starting to gush a little bit, but for good reason: this game kicks ass. Michael McWhertor

Let me start off by saying that I'm one of the rare breed who prefers their first-person shooters on console — I'm allergic to PC gaming — and was quite looking forward to having a go at Resistance on the show floor. Since it's one of the games that Sony deems worthy to keep hidden from public view — to see anything you needed to queue before entering a closed-off play area made to look like one of the bombed-out bunkers in the game — I did the 20-30 minute wait to get some hands-on action.

The verdict? Although graphically it was fine (but nothing we haven't seen before), I had a horrible time with it, and even stopped playing before the end of my alloted time. Targeting didn't feel right at all and was just too loose, making it too difficult to get a bead on anything. It could have something to do with the fact that the cramped space ensured that we had to stand way too close to the giant HDTV sets, but still, unless controls get smoother, I think I'll look elsewhere for my next FPS. Jean Snow

As Sega didn't actually let any of the Kotaku editors touch their Wii titles, we instead decided that we'd just watch the six extremely attractive booth girls play for an hour. Decked out in outfits that matched the games they were playing, they'd clearly been playing Wii games all day since they had a thin layer of sweat and a solid grasp of the gameplay—both rare for booth girls.

Bleach, the fighting game based on the popular manga, has a very interesting cel shaded style, with a sketch-like cross hatching effect thrown on for good measure. Watching the Sega cutie frantically stab at the screen made me cautious than ever about using the Wii wand to control a traditional fighter. This really requires some personal play.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz looked like a bunch of minigame fun. The girls played the party game version of frisbee golf, which looked fair but still enticing, and a running/hurdling bit that looked exhausting. Check the video at the end of the post to see the... err, gameplay.

Sonic The Hedgehog was my favorite Sega Wii title on display. Looking surprisingly good for the underpowered Wii, it finally got me interested in playing a Sonic game again. Essentially a Sonic driving game with jumping and occasional platforming action, it had a great sense of speed and a fun control scheme. Far better looking in motion than simple screenshots.

Even though it's too bad we didn't actually get to touch the damn games at TGS, watching girls in ninja outfits and grass skirts was a fairly good replacement. Michael McWhertor

Ubisoft sent out these three screens from the Playstation 3 version of Rainbow Six Vegas. What do you think? Pretty impressive visuals, but I'd love to see it in action. Brian Crecente

It's Sunday, the last day of the Tokyo Game Show. But, just because our TGS coverage is winding down, doesn't mean our coverage of J "Too Cool for Punctuation" Allard is. I spent the entire day looking for the shiny headed Microsoft bigwig, but came up empty handed and horribly depressed. But, that doesn't mean we won't stop looking for the eXtreme one and taking pics. Oh no, we just won't be posting them, J. Brian Ashcraft

J, Please Stop Blocking Our Phone Calls [Kotaku]

I love Japan. They have great snacks, the people are exceedingly polite, and companies like D3 make unpretentious (mostly low quality) games like Earth Defense Forces 3. The sequel to the under-the-radar fan favorite is focused on one thing: blowing shit up.

You're a lone agent in the Earth Defense Forces armed with a machine gun and a rocket launcher. With infinite ammo and a giant ant problem, you should know what to do. Whether you're taking down giant robots or alien spaceships, its all about the destruction. There's something very satisfying about firing a tank turret into a sea of colossal fire ants. This is old school gameplay, with a required strong ability to suspend disbelief. I mean, 12 foot tall spiders drop armor and health, people. Take off those thinking caps, k?

Graphically, it's good and bad. Character designs are cheesy, but in a great way. The frame rate is all over the place, which should come as no surprise to EDF2 players, but enemy models and environments are suprisingly detailed for a D3 game.

Hopefully, someone will bring EDF3 outside of Japan, but North American gamers ought not hold their breath. Michael McWhertor

It's been a packed house here all weekend. Going from one end of the hall to the other has been difficult. And the worst thing about it isn't the crowds, but the smell. Brian Ashcraft

I got some hands on time with Sega and From Software's Armored Core 4 which made two things very clear: playtesting games without having any idea what the controls are makes for a frustrating experience and that the game likes to lock up the PlayStation 3 a lot.

While waiting for booth girl to wipe off the otaku palm grease from my controller, I saw the demo units go down over a dozen times. You can see one of the dudes from From Software rebooting the thing. That's right—the PS3 units at the top of the case are for display only. They're running the game off of Tool kits right now. Yes, that's totally normal, but I found it amusing. (I'm sure I'm the only one)

The game actually looks amazing. The few moments that Sony showcased during their press event were a very good representation of the demo level. Featuring a very gloomy, hazy and heat-rippled desert city, the mech run and gun action was solid Armored Core stuff. The lighting was very unique, the only light sources being a setting sun clouded by smoke and dust or the bright light of your mech's afterburners and energy shield. And that gritty filmgrain look? Very cool.

I'm hoping the rest of the game looks this good, as it's fighting for my PlayStation 3 launch window dollars. Michael McWhertor

The Kotaku team is irrationally excited about God Hand. And that's not some ass-kissy thing I'm throwing out there because the Clover localization dude threatened to read the site after our interview—it's the truth.

I wanted to find out how the hell a game like God Hand is pitched. Producer and Clover Studios prez told me "Shinji Mikami [Resident Evil 4 and God Hand director] came to me with a poster. It was an image with two fists and had a very cool style. He said, I want to make a game like this. We wanted to make an original, fun game."

While God Hand kicks major ass in the action department, it's not the most unique game graphically. Especially so when compared to other Clover titles like Okami and Viewtiful Joe. Inaba explained that "We've become known for cel shaded games, but we thought a more realistic approach would be better. We wanted the focus to be on the gameplay more so than the graphics." He also mentioned that when one is presented with the goodness that is God Hand, "You get a different impression of the game when you play with the controller than when you look at it."

So what's so great about the gameplay then?

"My favorite part of God Hand is the ability to use the right stick to evade enemy attacks," he said. "Once you learn how to use that it becomes a cool fun game to play. Some say its very hard but you have to learn how to use this."

When asked about next-gen, he said he's "interested in the hardware and I'd really like to make a game on the PlayStation 3" but that "When you consider how much detail you have to put into next-gen games, it's an annoying time to be a developer. With all of that detail, costs will rise. People who see your games pick on things we never thought of." To remedy this, he suggested that other developers use graphical approaches like Okami.

We didn't have much time to go into much else, as we were primarily focusing on God Hand, but hopefully we'll speak again soon. Keep watching this space for more God Hand love hyperbole until its release next month. Michael McWhertor

Not satisfied with yesterday's small sample, we decided we'd be better off not playing games and instead asking what soon to be launched console the TGS cosplay crowd would be picking up. In the process, we pissed off the otaku photographing tonight's wank material and talked to a cosplayer whose security guard costume was startlingly accurate. He even got the earpiece right! Michael McWhertor

Make the jump for pics of the tour.

That's Kazunori Yamauchi's office and it's a freaking mess. No one would accuse the rest of the staff of being tidy, but Kaz is clearly the worst.

Here's the design review space. Can you find the Xbox 360 in this photo?

After passing the server room (where the wine was stored)...

...we were shown to the "relaxation room" where staff can unchain themselves from their desks to read from the library of thousands of car magazines and books, or go lower brow with the collection of hundreds of PlayStation 2 and PSP titles. The room also features "Japan's best massage chair", an electric drum set, electric guitar and a massive keyboard for office jamming, as well as...

...tons of lighters. The staff likes to smoke. A LOT. There are ashtrays everywhere.

We were also shown the "hotel rooms", where those pulling a literal all-nighter can catch a few winks. We were there on a Saturday and at least a dozen members of the staff were working that afternoon. Working on what? Modeling cars of course.

Kaz later explained that the modeling process can take up to three months to perfect a car. Despite the long hours and bouts tedium, the staff actually was still capable of smiling.

Then we continued on to the staff area. Normally cubicles aren't that interesting, but this is the home of Gran Turismo.

Where they really really really REALLY like cars.

And they have a lot of PlayStation 3 reference tools. The office was littered with what seemed like hundreds of machines from PS2's to high end Dell computers to Vaio laptops to PS2 TOOLs.

Of course, they need monitors to see all this stuff in action.

After the tour, we were invited to play Gran Turismo HD on the PS3 Test boxes and try out the Subaru developed Gran Turismo cockpit.

So we did.

After all the buttering up—the gorging on snacks, the game playing—we were led into the conference room to hear what Kaz had to say about what the future held for Gran Turismo. You can check out our wrap up below. Michael McWhertor

Liveblogging The Gran Turismo HD Press Event

Unlike E3, rest its soul, you can actually buy cool stuff from video game publishers at Tokyo Game Show. One of the halls is dedicated to selling t-shirts, mouse pads (with breasts to rest your weary wrist upon, of course), love pillows, statues, towels, and toys.

I'm not sure if they're actually selling this Okami plush or not yet, but if they are I pray to the gods above that this is intended for display only and not for lonely times. Michael McWhertor

A little know fact: Virtua Tennis creator Mie Kumagai does not in fact play tennis. "I watch the Grand Slam on TV. When I started Virtua Tennis, I practiced. Since then, I got busy."

Busy, indeed. Her business card, it's pointed out, has a silver Sega "S." She's management, working on multiple titles and leading an army of 200. But, in a traditionally male dominated field, things must be difficult?

"I love games. That feeling isn't different. Because of that, it isn't hard to communicate at work."

So what is the difference then?

"Traditionally in Japan, the feeling is that career fields for women are different. But that is changing." And that it is. Brian Ashcraft

It's too bad that Genji is actually pretty good, because this is the worst pitch we've ever heard and hope that this clip does not do massive damage to the game's sales. Brian Ashcraft