Tokyo Game Show '98 Autumn was held since 10/09/1998 till 10/11/98 by Computer Entertainment Software Association (CESA) at Makuhari Messe, Chiba. As you know, Makuhari Messe (Japan Convension Center) is an extra-local-governmental organization of Chiba City.
Formerly Comike was also held there. However Makuhari Messe is rather public. Therefore doing masker was inhibited there by Chiba municipal board of education. Comic Market Executive Committee decided to stop holding Comike there. Thereafter Comike is held at Tokyo Big Sight.
In fact, the number of events held at Makuhari Messe decreased year by year.
For example, people who come to see Comike at Tokyo Big Sight must wait at Tokyo Big Sight parking area. On the other hand, people who come to see Tokyo Game Show at Makuhari Messe must WALK from the northernmost point of Makuhari Messe to the southernmost point via "Chiba Marine Stadium." Chiba Marine Stadium is also sponsored by Chiba city. It is a franchise stadium of Chiba Lotte Marines. As you know, formerly Hideki Irabu, a Yankees pitcher, played baseball there. I saw him at the stadium. Then he signed his autograph for me.
Walk or Wait?
Tokyo Game Show is held twice a year at present. It is the largest event on video game promotion. It is usually held for three days. On the first day, it is held for entertainment business. On the second and third days, it is held for users. Its admission fee was 1,200 yen.
Of course the webmaster had to go on the second and third days.
CESA and MITI, which hold it, expected that its entry reached more than 150 thousand. In fact, 156 thousand people went to see it.
By the way, its feature was Square's "Final Fantasy VIII." Perhaps more than 1 million Japanese will play the video game title. Of course, the Game Show presented a lot of other titles. Most of them will be forgotten soon.
Depression in Japan also hit the video game entertainment business seriously.
On the other hand, SEGA promoted its new video game client "Dreamcast" (29,800 yen).
It has a 128-bit RISC CPU. (Ah! SEGA Saturn had a 32-bit RISC CPU. The tip was developed and made by Hitachi. Of course, the Saturn tip is still excellent. Thereafter Saturn got less popular as you know.) This time SEGA decided to use Microsoft Windows CE system.
Therefore the third parties can connect their clients with SEGA Dreamcast. In fact, SNK, which is famous for "King Of Fighters" and "Nakoruru," developed its new portable game client "NeoGeo Pocket." Its data are available at SEGA Dreamcast.
In SEGA's commercial films, Executive Director Hidekazu Yukawa appeared actively. He formerly appeared at SEGA's commercial films.
In one of the films, a boy says, "Let's go home to play the Playstation!" In hearing it, he gets into panic.
The film made Hidekazu Yukawa very much popular.
In the Game Show, SEGA sold towels with his autograph. They are sold out, of course. Those who bought one could get his namecard.
But children in fact laughed at him.
Then Ms Masumi Hayashi was very famous as a fraud suspect. She was under arrest at Wakayama city. Children rank Yukawa among Masumi Hayashi and her comrades.
In Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) dominates the video game market. Its ancient client "Playstation" is still very popular in Japan. Sega Dreamcast has its portable client. So "Playstation" had to have its portable client. SCE developed a portable game client for Playstation. It is called "Pocket Station" (3,000 yen).
SCE promoted it. Players must load a game software from Playstation.
As you know, SEGA Saturn and SCE Playstation brought a new age of video games. They could express natural voice at video games. Voice actors could get their new job. In fact, many events of voice actors were held in the Game Show.
I wrote most of them would be forgotten soon. However entertainment industries made various novelties for the Game Show.
I got there several novelties.
| Entertainment Software Companies | Novelties | Information |
|---|---|---|
| Yuke's | Seals | A Martial Art Action Game, Eretzvaju |
| Yuke's | Pins | A Martial Art Action Game, Eretzvaju |
| SEGA | Fans | Portrait of Executive Director Hidekazu Yukawa of SEGA are printed there. Executive Director Yukawa is as popular as Ms Masumi Hayashi in Japan. Ms Masumi Hayashi is famous as a fraud suspect. However children rank Yukawa among Hayashi's. Executive Yukawa appeared at commercial films for SEGA's new videogame cliant "Dreamcast." It costs 29,800 yen. |
| Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) | Seals | They promote SCE's Pocket Station (3,000 yen). It is a small-sized terminal of Playstation. |
| JALECO | Fluorescent Seals (Purple and Green) | Purple: Dragonseeds Green: Battle Insect Graph |
| TAITO | Fans | They promote "Densha De Go 2!" A popular simulation game. |
| Victor Entertainment Software | A Poster | Keio Yugekitai |
| ATLUS | A Poster | Thousand Arms |
| A Keyholder | Meremanoid | |
| imagineer | A Wet Tissue Box | Wetrix |
| Tokuma Shoten | Adhesive Plasters | Incredible Crisis |
| CAPCOM | Adhesive Plasters |
