Microsoft reiterated its plan to dominate the video game console market as the Tokyo Game Show kicked off Thursday.
The largest gaming show in Asia, the 13th Tokyo Game Show - showcasing a record 879 titles, including the first generation of thought-controlled games - is being held over four days in the halls of the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, north of Tokyo.
Some major Xbox 360 titles were unveiled at Microsoft's media conference including Halo 3: Recon, Resident Evil 5, Star Ocean: The Last Hope and The Last Remnant.
Halo 3: Recon headlined the Microsoft line-up and is being developed by the Bungie Studios, the highly acclaimed team behind the original Halo and award-winning Halo 3. It will be an exclusive Xbox 360 release and a new chapter in the Halo universe. It is a standalone expansion due to be released in late 2009 which promises to give Halo 3 lovers hours of new campaign excursions and multiplayer gameplay.
Resident Evil 5 has been years in the making and the latest trailer was also premiered at Microsoft's media conference. The game is said to revolutionise the legendary franchise with next-level detail, realism and control. Microsoft says new technology has been developed specifically for the game and it will "unleash an exceptional level of fear for the next generation".
Japanese developers Square Enix are delivering role-playing titles Star Ocean: The Last Hope, and The Last Remnant on the Xbox 360, marking Microsoft's efforts to improve their standings in the lucrative Japanese market. Square Enix is the team behind Final Fantasy XIII, which is to be the first in the wildly successful series to be released for the Xbox 360 as well as for the PS3.
"By the end of the year, we will have sold $1 billion worth of games by Japanese creators for our consoles," said John Schappert, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of LIVE, Software and Studios.
“Xbox 360 continues to be the destination of choice for the best and broadest games from the world’s biggest and best developers. With the latest incarnations of the Halo universe, as well as global hits like Star Ocean: The Last Hope, we continue to deliver on our commitment to provide the calibre of entertainment and games that capture the imagination of people across the globe.”
TV3's David Farrier is at the Tokyo Game Show and will be will be posting videos and blog entries from the show to 3news.co.nz/game3 over the next few days.
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