Feature: Tokyo Game Show: The Calm Before The Storm Subscribe to this RSS feed
The Tokyo Game Show is just around the corner and one Games.net editor is making his way to Japan to experience all the craziness and video game madness that one editor can handle.
Wednesday September 14th - 4:30 AMMy trip to Japan begins early. I'm flying out of Oakland International Airport at 7:30, headed down to Los Angeles, and then catching a Korean Airlines flight to Tokyo. It's a long trip, totaling about 13 or so hours in the air.
The Oakland airport is surprisingly quick, with security only taking about five minutes. I'm flying Southwest Airlines down to LA for the first time and it's weird that they don't have seating assignments on their flights. I guess it makes things easier once you get on, but I'm thinking that most people will make a jump for the aisle seats, leaving me to flounder in a middle seat between the two fattest people on the plane. This trip could start off with a bang...or a squeeze.
Japan this time of year is traditionally hot and humid, which is either a blessing or a curse. The Japanese themselves seem to have no problem with the incessant and overwhelming heat, making it easy to pick out the gaijin as they sweat like it's going out of style. I tried to bring a mix of different clothes - shorts, slacks, t-shirts, but hopefully I don't end up swimming in my own sweat.
My first night in Japan should be an eventful one. My good friend John Inada from Tecmo has a wild night planned and his wild nights are the things of legend. My other good friend Jeremy Zoss, from Game Informer, is going to hang out with me, too, which is great since I haven't seen him in about three months. It's his first trip to Japan and he's had a hard time getting used to the Japanese preference for cash over credit cards. Just to be safe, I'll load up before I leave the airport.
The first day of the show is going to be packed, not only with the press but also with the many appointments I have set up. I'll be sitting down with Keiji Inafune to talk about his upcoming game Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, playing some online Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, racing through Need For Speed: Most Wanted for the Xbox 360, getting some hands-on time with Project Gotham Racing 3, and then heading off to a special Dead or Alive 4 hands-on event hosted by Tomonobu Itagaki. Frankly, my first day of TGS is my most relaxed, with Saturday weighing in with about 7 total appointments. But, there should still be plenty of time for fun.
Stay tuned for more!
