With all of the strange happenings on the show floor, it can be easy to forget that video games are still the stars of TGS. During our time at the show, we saw a lot of cool stuff from talented developers, but these are the titles that got us most excited for the future.
Several games you might expect to see on the list, like Bloodborne or Sunset Overdrive, didn’t have any new content on display at the show. Instead of rehashing the demos from Gamescom, PAX, or E3, this round-up focuses on titles with new information, demos, and hands-on opportunities at TGS 2014.
Final Fantasy XV
After years of uncertain progress, Final Fantasy XV used TGS as a stage to demonstrate development is heading in the right direction. Part of this comes from the announcement that Hajime Tabata has replaced Tetsuya Nomura in the role of director, but the biggest confidence-inspiring move is the announcement of a playable demo coming in 2015. We also had a chance to see some of the game in action during a stage presentation, giving us a better look at the impressive graphics and some other systems, like weather and lighting.
The biggest thrill came from watching combat (which is still an action-focused affair), as Noctis and his companions slashed away at a rampaging behemoth with flashy attacks and magic spells. We may not know exactly when Final Fantasy XV releases in full, but after this appearance, we have renewed hope that the end is in sight.
Resident Evil Revelations 2
Claire Redfield has seen her fair share of horrors in the Resident Evil series, but Revelations 2 introduces Moira Burton (Barry’s daughter) as a playable character alongside Claire. The two women have a great dynamic, with Moira’s inexperience contrasting against Claire’s confidence. They each bring unique skills to the fight, and players are able to swap between them (or play co-op with a friend). Like its predecessor, the story is structured like an episodic TV show; the difference is that Revelations 2 actually is episodic, scheduled to release in parts to really drive home the impact of the cliffhanger endings.
Final Fantasy Explorers
This 3DS action/RPG gives players a vast class system to explore, plenty of iconic Final Fantasy monsters to fight, and the ability to team up with friends for cooperative dungeon-diving. Explorers seems to be more along the lines of the Final Fantasy’s Crystal Chronicles offshoot series than the main entries. Players accept quests (our demo tasked us with defeating Ifrit), get outfitted with the appropriate gear and skills, and then head into action. If you’re playing solo, the monsters you defeat can join up and fight beside you, but the real way to get the full-party experience is teaming up with friends for cooperative multiplayer. The action in Explorers feels accessible, but our hands-on time was fun even though it wasn’t complicated. Explorers hasn't been officially announced for North America, but we're keeping our fingers crossed.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Considering the big moment of the last showing of The Phantom Pain featured a cardboard box, things were bound to be more exciting for TGS. Metal Gear mastermind Hideo Kojima showed an impressive new trailer for the game, then guided us through a gameplay demo illustrating a major new feature: the buddy system. The news didn’t stop there; at the end of the presentation, Kojima confirmed that The Phantom Pain will be releasing in 2015, putting to bed speculation that the title may yet come out this year (or even slip into 2016). All in all, this was a satisfying and substantial showing for The Phantom Pain, since it was light on the vague story teases and heavy on actual gameplay.
Disgaea 5
Revenge! That’s the main theme behind the latest entry in the Disgaea series. NIS says all of the characters in Disgaea 5 have full arcs that revolve around revenge in some way; the battle system even has a “revenge mode,” which increases all your stats for a period. All of this gloomy revenge stuff doesn’t mean the writing is losing its signature charm. Funny dialogue and strange characters are still key elements of the game, but you might be seeing more of them now. The move to PS4 means 100 units can be potentially crammed into a single battle, up from the 30 units the team was locked to during previous installments. We don’t want Disgaea to totally lose its retro style, but the series could definitely use a little bit of technical upgrade – and we’re glad to see it happening. We only know a little about the game so far, but we're excited to learn more.
Tales of Zestiria
The Tales games deliver consistently, and we’re already excited about the newest installment. It has a familiar action-based battle system, but this time your main character (Sorey) is able to borrow
elemental powers from different seraphs, which gives you access to different artes to add variety to battles. You can also talk to other characters during combat, and they might do something useful like find items for you. These additions help refine the Tale formula, and the game’s return to a more medieval setting (which producer Hideo Baba says the series hasn’t done since Vesperia) should provide an interesting world to explore.
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Monster Hunter has a dedicated audience, and that audience doesn’t want drastic changes to the formula they have grown to love. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (scheduled to release in North America in early 2015) strikes a balance between keeping the core gameplay intact while adding new features to keep combat interesting. Two new weapon classes (insect glaive and charge blade) join your arsenal, as does the ability to perform jump attacks from elevated terrain. Most importantly, a new online mode means that you no longer need your Wii U in order to hook up with friends. If you haven’t become addicted to Monster Hunter yet, this installment is looking like a good place to start.
Zodiac
On a list full of big names like Final Fantasy and Metal Gear, a little 2D RPG might not immediately grab your attention. However, Zodiac is worth keeping an eye on. It features strategic turn-based combat with an emphasis on versatility. You earn and power up different classes as you progress, and you can swap these classes on the fly (even in battle) to take full advantage of your abilities. Drawing visual inspiration from Vanillaware’s titles (like Dragon’s Crown and Odin Sphere) and taking gameplay cues from titles like Valkyrie Profile and Child of Light, RPG fans of all sorts might find something to love here. In case that doesn’t convince you, developer Kobojo is collaborating with some legendary names in the genre: composer Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy XII) and scenario writer Kazushige Nojima (multiple Final Fantasy titles). Zodiac was only being shown on Vita and iPad on the show floor, but Kobojo is hoping to get it on even more platforms for the game’s release in 2015.
Those are our picks, but you can read more about the games of TGS and see pictures from the show by checking out our TGS round-up.