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Staff
Username:
cvxfreak
Site Involvement:
2007
Click above to view the exclusive TGS2008 "Making
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Biohaze @ TGS
Written by: cvxfreak
I flew into Tokyo in October 2008 for the purpose
of playing a demo of Biohazard 5 (among other things). The Tokyo Game
Show (TGS) allows the gaming press and the Japanese public to demo
various work-in-progress games. For a low price of ¥1000 or ¥1200 (press
and public respectively), you have from 10:00AM until 5:00PM on October
9, 10, 11 and 12 to demo any game you line up for. Often, major figures
in the game industry show up and make presentations, such as Nintendo's
Satoru Iwata's unveiling of the Wii Remote back in TGS 2005, which had a
dramatic effect on people's perceptions of how to properly play
Biohazard 4.
The Biohazard 5 booth was Capcom's biggest at the
show, surpassing the likes of Street Fighter IV and even Monster Hunter
3 (tri). In fact, Biohazard 5 was also playable at Microsoft's separate
booth. On Sunday, which is open to the public, to play Biohazard 5 for
Capcom's allotted 15 minutes, you were subjected to a wait of at least
90 minutes.
The Capcom booth itself was gigantic, with banners
showing Chris, Sheva and the Biohazard 5 logo marking the top of the
booth. Widescreen, HD monitors were spread at a few points across the
walls showing videos of the first, shorter TGS trailer, as well as a 10
minute video on the game's development and the use of live actors for
animation purposes.
The playable systems were out of view from
the outside of the booth, so one had to line up on one side of the
booth, away from the entrance. There were four possible lines: the 360
version in single player or co-op, and the PS3 version in single player
or co-op. This meant that 90 people could play Biohazard 5 at once (not
counting the Microsoft booth), 60 of them working together in co-op. The
lines formed an L shape around the booth towards the entrance, and
Capcom employees periodically closed the line off when no more people
could enter the queue, making a wait beyond the quoted 90 minutes
longer.
Once you were the first 15 in line, Capcom provided a
necklace tag with a number on it to designate your position in line.
There were 4 versions, depending on the console and play set up. I opted
to go into the single player PlayStation 3 line because it was the first
to open up when I arrived. The 360 lines were usually shorter otherwise.
Once you were able to enter the booth, you were first brought to
a small standing theater, which showed the second, longer TGS trailer
that contained the revelation regarding Jill. Then, an actress playing
Sheva arrived, explaining players how to play the game in English, which
the monitor screen translating it for Japanese patrons. Then a video
explaining the two control schemes played, narrated by Josh, a BSAA
member. Afterwards, people were finally shown to the appropriate booth,
with a graphic display of the controls placed below the monitor for easy
reference. I opted for classic Biohazard-style controls as a diehard
Biohazard fan who will accept no substitutes.
The demo was
bilingual in English and Japanese, unlike last year's Japanese-only
Umbrella Chronicles demo; I opted for English, although Japanese would
have been no problem for me. And then I chose the first of the two
available areas, Shanty Town.
Once the demo began, I was playing
as Chris, with Sheva close by. It took me about 30 seconds to feel right
at home with the controls. The characters are moved with the traditional
Biohazard scheme, with extra functionality thrown in with the partner
dynamic. The circle button communicates to Sheva, for example.
The menu screen is a very interesting change from previous main
Biohazard games. It seems evolved from the grid system and lack of
action pausing from the Outbreak games, with the different buttons
allowing you to manage items (like equipping weapons or using herbs) and
move them around. It took some getting used to.
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