Friday was the TGS Industry day, so it mostly consisted of running to and from press conferences. Our day did not begin in a promising way, as our train was delayed for some unknown reason, and a paperwork snafu meant that we would enter the trade show about an hour later than we had anticipated.

Regardless of the obstacles, we still made it to the Microsoft press conference (albeit too late to see the Halo 2 demo). We did, however, manage to see Microsoft showcase their new toy in Video Chat for Xbox Live. Up to four Xbox Live users can simultaneously use this very innovative chat feature that will be on sale to the Japanese public on November 25th of this year. The price will be set at 6800 yen, and would be available for a twelve month service.

Soon after, Peter Moore, Microsoft's Vice President of Corporate Marketing, appeared on stage in a soccer jersey before happily announcing that the Xbox would be the official console for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. To close out the press conference, Moore stated that, despite the uphill battle, Japan still remains as a major part of Microsoft's global strategy. "We are committed to Japan," Moore concluded in his address.

Within the space between appointments, I spent a bit of time researching the ins and outs of Sony's new PSP handheld. On display in Sony's PSP booth was a ring of games made from several third party developers, including Konami's Metal Gear Acid, Koei's Dynasty Warriors title, Sony's Ape Escape title, and Bandai's experimental title Lumines, which is being developed by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the mastermind behind the cult favorite Rez. I was able to speak with Mr. Mizuguchi directly, who informed me that the title is still in such a highly experimental stage that a release date, as well as a lot of other vital statistics for the game, are still undetermined. Mizuguchi, who hails from the Hokkaido city of Sapporo, noticed from my business card that I currently live in Hokkaido as well, and immediately asked me, "Why?"

"I wonder the same thing myself," I responded back.

Moving on, I was pleased to finally be able to get my hands on a playable version of Tekken 5. My first attempt at using Paul Phoenix led to me being trounced in the 3rd round thanks to my inability to execute a back sway. My second attempt with T5 newcomer Asuka Kazama (who uses the same style as the deceased Jun Kazama) was a little better. I won the first match thanks to some tried and true Jun tricks, but I messed up on the second match because I clumsily ate up the full blast of a Law unblockable. Yeah, I'm an idiot.

The next event was the Gran Turismo 4 press conference held in the nearby Manhattan Hotel. On hand for the presentation was Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital, who relayed all of the up-to-date information regarding this highly anticipated title. Comparing GT4 to a stage production, Mr. Yamauchi presented the cars, or "actors," as he put it. Available in GT4 will be the absolute latest in automobile models, including the Mazada 5 MPS (unveiled only two days ago in the Paris auto show) and the BMW 120i and BMW M5, which are yet to be released. Other notable additions to the GT4 lineup will be a handful of concept cars, a bevy of classic cars for the purpose of nostalgia, historic cars (including the 1886 Chrysler Tri-Wheel - the first car ever manufactured), and street racers, which are all based on the latest in current tuning trends.

Continuing with the metaphor, Mr. Yamauchi described the numerous additions to the "stage." GT4 now boasts 50 courses - some of which are brand new, while others, such as Laguna Seca Raceway, have been revamped or completely rebuilt from scratch for a more accurate representation of the actual track.

In terms of play modes, two very important additions have been made to the core of Gran Turismo's gameplay. The first is Photo Mode, which allows you to take photos of your car from several different vantage points. The other mode is the long-awaited "B-Spec" mode, which is a completely different approach to GT4 gameplay in an effort to appeal to the casual gamer. In B-Spec, the gamer does not take actual control of the vehicle, but will instead direct the car with a series of available commands. So in essence, GT4 now gives you the option of playing a passive driving simulator instead of just an active driving simulator.

The only bad news that was relayed was the fact that GT4 will not be an online title. The possibility of a supplemental online pack remains, although that has yet to be fully determined. The current release date for the Japanese market is Dec. 3rd (which shares the date of the 10th anniversary of the PlayStation console), while the North American release is set for Dec. 14th, and will not be very far behind.

The last event on our itinerary was the Koei Autumn Press Party, where honored guests, such as Kou Shibusawa, were on hand to offer the foreign media an inside glimpse into the ins and outs of Kessen III. In this game, you play as Nobunaga Oda on his quest to unify Japan during the Warring States period. To assist you will be other notorious figures from Japanese history, such as Mitsuhide Akechi and Ieyasu Tokugawa.

The game's engine will be completely different from any of the previous games. As Mr. Shibusawa stated, 70% of Kessen 1 and 2 consisted of strategy while the remainder was action. To accommodate the growing desire for action, 70% of Kessen 3 will be action while the remainder will be strategy. As a result, movement in this game is much more fast-paced and fluid, resulting in a more dynamic atmosphere. At your disposal will be techniques specific to each unit type (for instance, horse units have a charge ability), but techniques particular to each different officer will be made available to you as well.

Despite being unveiled only a matter of weeks ago, Kessen III has a Japanese release date set for winter of 2004. The North American release date is scheduled for the first quarter of 2005.

Tune in tomorrow for even more hands-on impressions of some of your favorite titles!