Well, Tokyo Game Show for 2023 is now history and there were some really hyped presentations. Sony’s pre-Tokyo Game Show State of Play was saved by a new Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth trailer. Nintendo’s latest Nintendo Direct showed off some exciting upcoming games with new Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG news. Even Sega, Koei Tecmo, 505 Studios, Level 5 Studios, Capcom, Bandai Namco and Square Enix put in the time and effort to put together a show for the event. Some, like Square Enix, Capcom and Bandai Namco, were more successful than the rest.

This does lead me to Microsoft and the Xbox Tokyo Game Show presentation. I know Microsoft has been trying to break through the Japanese market for a while so it understandable as to why they tried to make their own presentation here. However, I do have to ask if they really, you know, tried. I have to ask because, after watching the entire thing, I walked away thinking if they showed anything that would make me want to get an Xbox Series X or the Xbox Game Pass.

Let me start off with probably the only real good thing they announced during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show and, strangely enough, it doesn’t deal with the console and is something only people in Japan can take advantage of. During the middle of the show, they revealed that new subscribers to the Xbox and PC Game Pass service will only have to pay one hundred yen for the first month. Honestly, that sounds like a really good deal and really enticing.

My only real concern would be how much would be the monthly price afterwards. There’s most probably a lockdown period so you better really want more than just a couple of games available on the Game pass as you’re going to be saddled with the service for around a year. Still, considering you’re getting the first month virtually free, this might be enough to get some Japanese gamers who are on the fence regarding subscribing to the Game Pass service to take the plunge.

Other than that, however, I really didn’t see anything from the Xbox Tokyo Game Show presentation that would make me want to get an Xbox Series X or the PC Game Pass. There wasn’t anything they showed that was an actual exclusive, save for the upcoming Palworld. I do think the concept of “Pokemon but with guns” is pretty hilarious, which is pretty much the vibe I’m getting from Palworld. However, I don’t think Pokemon fans, the game that still sells millions of copies, think Pikachu needs an assault rifle. Oh, and I don’t really care for Pokemon so Palworld was going to be a pass anyways.

The rest of the new games Microsoft showed off during their Xbox Tokyo Game Show presentation were all multiplatform titles. They did tout what a success Microsoft Flight Simulator is in Japan and how good Hi-Fi Rush and Starfield are. They even mentioned how good the next Forza is going to be. But those are games that have either been released or revealed already. Where was the killer game that would make Japanese players or gamers such as myself shell out the cash to get an Xbox Series X, especially when the upcoming Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth will be a Sony PlayStation 5 exclusive and when Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG can only be played on the Nintendo Switch?

Now, nothing against the idea of the Game Pass as getting access to play a ton of games right off the bat just by paying a monthly fee instead of buying individual games sounds good. But I’m more of a collector rather than just a consumer. So I really like to own the games that I want to play, not just have them on demand. I love the security just in case, you know, it gets removed from the Game Pass library or something like that. Yes, I’m one of the old fuddy-duddys who still mostly buys games on discs whenever I can. Call me an old fool but, whenever I look at my stacks and stacks of game discs, all in their original cases, mind you, I can’t help but feel some sense of pride that I can play them any time I want as long as my consoles still work.

I also have to say the entire show looked really… bland. It was just just a bunch of talking heads and they acted all prim and proper. It just lacked a lot of passion but, in a way, that’s kind of what was to be expected. Despite Tokyo Game Show being a gaming event where a lot of passionate gamers gather to look at the latest games they’re going to have a lot of fun with in the future, a lot of the panels at each and every Tokyo Game Show is like this. However, this issue was only exacerbated with the lack of any exciting announcements.

This is why I do have to ask why Microsoft even bothered with putting together an Xbox Tokyo Game Show this year. I understand the sentiment as Microsoft is trying to promote the Xbox and the Game Pass in the Asia and Japan territory, something they’ve been trying to do ever since they entered the gaming market. But I don’t think this is the kind of show that will actually garner an audience and a loyal fanbase. The sad thing is I can’t really think of anything Microsoft could’ve done this year for Tokyo Game Show as they don’t really have anything coming up the pipeline that actually feels hype worthy. It does feel like a lose-lose situation for them, at least for this year.

Hopefully, when 2024 rolls around, Microsoft can actually roll out something incredible. Next year, I wish they could shock the world with some killer game that gets not just the entire Tokyo Game Show talking, but the entire world as well. Still, for 2023, I just didn’t care.

What did you think of Microsoft’s showing during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show event? Let me know in the comments section below!