E3 may be dead… but we still have the Tokyo Game Show! Yes, in lieu of E3 being the biggest video gaming event of the year, Tokyo Game Show has pretty much stepped up and taken over. As such, this is now the time period when game developers put together video packages to plug their upcoming stuff. Despite being an outsider, Microsoft has been diligently putting up a yearly presentation showcase for the Xbox brand during Tokyo Game Show and this year was no different.

Like with every other year, Microsoft and Xbox did manage to show off some intriguing upcoming games. While it would be so easy to just name the best reveals during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show program, I think it would be more fun to mention the most notable things I noticed during it and give them some faux awards! Hey, I do that for The Game Awards and Summer Game Fest. Why not do the same for Xbox’s Tokyo Game Show?

Best Gaijin Trying to Speak Japanese

Leave it to Microsoft and Xbox to get their top brass of gaijins and then spout of the most generic Japanese greeting they can give. In a way, it’s kind of endearing that they think the Japanese gaming world just loves seeing foreigners speaking their language. In another way, it’s kind of sad because they’re not exactly putting a lot of effort into it. I mean, it is one of the first things they teach you when you try to learn Japanese. Still, we had a total of three gaijins spouting off the same cut-and-paste greeting. So, who delivered it the best?

And the winner for the Best Gaijin Trying to Speak Japanese Award goes to… Matt Booty!

While definitely not as high profile as either Phil Spencer or Sarah Bond, Matt Booty does have a high level job as he’s the President of Game Content & Studios (whatever that means). While Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond and Matt Booty technically gave the same “Mina-san, konnichiwa! Xbox no [insert name here] desu!”, I have to give the edge to Matt as he actually did something he didn’t need to do. He added a “-toh” to his name.

If you’re not familiar with the Japanese language, they just can’t pronounce an English word that ends with a “t”. That’s mainly because they don’t have a phonetic sound of a hard “t” in their language. Because of this, English words that end with a “t” is modified to end with a “-toh” instead. Well, Matt, you’re already a fluent English speaker! You didn’t need to add the “toh” because you’re already used to saying it. Still, we appreciate the extra effort!

Weirdest Crossover DLC Character

Collaboration between video game companies and other media has become commonplace in this day of age. The Weirdest Crossover DLC Character Award recognizes that, sometimes, you can have a really bonkers crossover idea and see it actually get greenlit can be both a good thing and a great thing.

And the Award for the Weirdest Crossover DLC Character goes to… Bruce Lee in Hitman: World of Assassination!

While we have seen Bruce Lee and homages to the man himself in a lot of video games, him appearing in Hitman: World of Assassination is pretty crazy. For one thing, he’s now a secret agent working alongside Agent 47. I guess that’s fair as this is a video game. Besides, maybe he was a secret agent all along!

However, what makes this crossover even stranger is you don’t get to control Bruce Lee. Instead, you play as Agent 47 throughout the entire campaign and your mission is to protect Bruce Lee so that the legendary martial artist can join a fighting tournament and make it to the finals so that he (not you) can defeat the leader of the shadowy organization.

Best “We Don’t Actually Have Anything To Show You” Award

The “We Don’t Actually Have Anything To Show You” Award is given to the game that got booked time to get shown during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show program… and then didn’t really show anything, making it a colossal waste of time.

And the winner of the Best “We Don’t Actually Have Anything To Show You” Award goes to… Forza Horizon 6!

Look, I understand the Forza racing game franchise is huge for Microsoft and Xbox. As Matt explained, it’s one of the consoles top selling series. Also, as this new game will be set in Japan, it does make a whole lot of sense to announce Forza Horizon 6 during their Tokyo Game Show program.

However, couldn’t they have shown more? All they did was show a garage filled with license plates before the camera pans to a view of Mount Fuji before showing us the game’s title. That’s it! No quick look at the race tracks. No showcase of how Japan’s weather will affect the environment. No slick shot of a certain panda color Toyota Trueno drifting through a mountain pass. Nothing! All they could offer us was a one minute video of nothing! Boo!

The Simplest Game To Play Award

The Simplest Game To Play Award is given to the game that recognizes that, sometimes, games can overcomplicate themselves with unnecessarily convoluted control schemes and trying to find ways to use every button on your standard controller when an more simplified control layout can work just as well as long as you design your game with that exact thing in mind.

And The Simplest Game To Play Award goes to… Rhythm Doctor!

Rhythm Doctor’s control scheme cannot get any more basic as it only utilizes one button. All you have to do it push that single button in time with the 7th beat of the rhythm. That’s it! While that may sound simple, it’s not! Maybe early on, it seems easy as, even if you don’t have any sense of rhythm, you just have to look at when to push the button when prompted.

However, things can get really hectic once they start adding silent beats and then start adding multiple beat tracks in the same song. So, not only do you have to keep the beat on one track but simultaneously do the same for a couple of others! It can get insane from what I’ve seen. So, while it may be a very simple game to play as you only have to press one button, the gameplay is definitely not simplistic.

Best Game Of The Night

When it’s all said and done, the reason why Microsoft put together this entire Xbox Tokyo Game Show program is to show off the best the Xbox has to offer. So, although this list is mostly for fun, I do have to mention what was the best game they did have on the show.

And the Award for Best Game Of The Night goes to… Ninja Gaiden 4!

Although I will admit I’m much more excited for the upcoming Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake, which is also from Koei Tecmo as well, I will have to say their presentation for Ninja Gaiden 4 was just spectacular. I know a lot of gamers may be intimidated by the franchise’s legacy for being extremely difficult. But they actually went out of their way to mention that you can adjust the difficulty to how you like it, making it probably one of the most beginner friendly Ninja Gaiden games out there.

It certainly helps that they also showed some really kickass gameplay! They made it a point to make your hero, newcomer Yakumo, flipping, dipping, slicing, dicing and Izuna dropping enemies left and right in quick succession! The action looks fast and furious and definitely insane. I was kind of on the fence regarding if I was going to get Ninja Gaiden 4 but this presentation actually sold it to me. That’s why I have to give this the Best Game Of The Night Award.

BONUS: Biggest Distraction Of The Show

Simply put, the Award for the Biggest Distraction Of The Show is given to the thing that drew my attention away from the actual show. They didn’t need to put it there and perhaps they shouldn’t but it’s there… and I can’t help but look at it.

And the Award for Biggest Distraction Of The Show goes to… that black cat in the background!

I’m sorry but the animation for that background cat was just awe-inspiring! I mean, it looked and moved just like an actual cat and I couldn’t help but keep my eyes glued on it while Phil Spencer was… saying something. I just didn’t pay attention to him because look at the widdle kitty-cat!

What other “Awards” would you want to give to the Xbox Tokyo Game Show showcase? Let me know in the comments section below!