Tokyo Game Show to Showcase 573 Games

Next week’s Tokyo Game Show will see 573 games showcased over its three-day run, according to show organizers.

Of those games, those generating the biggest buzz will likely be the 43 software titles scheduled to be on show for next-generation consoles, including Sony Computer Entertainment’s PlayStation 3, Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

This year’s show will give consumers an opportunity to get their hands on both the PlayStation 3 and Wii for the first time.

The PlayStation 3 is due to launch in Japan on Nov. 11, and the Wii is due on sale sometime between October and December. Nintendo is expected to announce a launch date at a news conference scheduled for Thursday.

The next-generation games break out to 20 for the Xbox 360, 18 for the PlayStation 3 and five for the Nintendo Wii, according to the Computer Entertainment Suppliers’ Association. The data was released on Tuesday based on information collected up to Sept. 1.

Hot as the next-generation titles are likely to be, they will be dwarfed in terms of numbers by games for personal computers and cell phones, at 127 titles and 125 titles, respectively.

The rising popularity of cell phone games has attracted Japan’s biggest cell phone network operators to the show, with market-leader NTT DoCoMo signed on as a sponsor of the event.

PlayStation 2 games are expected to number 100. There will be 52 Nintendo DS games and 33 PlayStation Portable games.

The largest single genre represented will be action games, of which 129 titles will be on show. That’s followed by role-playing games (76 titles), simulation games (49), puzzle games (35) and adventure games (33).

The Tokyo Game Show will take place from Sept. 22 to 24 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba near Tokyo.

-Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)

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