Hotel Dusk and Trace Memory developer CING is teaming up with Tecmo to deliver another atmospheric adventure on the Nintendo DS, this time in the form of a supernatural murder mystery. Again: Eye of Providence follows FBI special agent Jonathan Weaver as he investigates his family's death and its connection with a series of murders that occurred 18 years earlier. Again's title is derived from Jonathan's ability to see into the past and experience crimes -- you know, again.

Producer Koichi Yamaguchi walked us through a very early build of the game, demonstrating how this helpful hindsight would help us piece together the events that occurred in a given crime scene. In what is essentially a game of spot-the-difference, you'll view the environment in a first-person perspective on both DS screens (in book orientation). The touch screen allows you to interact with the scene, while the screen to your left displays the same area, but as it was in the past. As Yamaguchi noted, it makes sense to confine history to the non-interactive screen. You can't change the past, you can only learn from it.

After several months of unplanned silence ("This was the project we originally were intending to announce at E3," they say), Bungie finally revealed Halo 3: Recon at TGS. We had an opportunity to talk with Luke Smith and Brian Jerrard during a group meeting in Tokyo this morning and Jerrard briefly addressed some of the more obvious questions we were bound to have:

• "It will be a standalone disc sold in stores in boxes next Fall. It's also going to include some multiplayer maps."
• "It is a first-person shooter still ... It's not a squad-based shooter."
• "As an ODST, compared to playing as in invulnerable Spartan, you are going to have to sort of pick and choose your encounters a little bit differently."
• "It is going to very much feel like Halo. Full feature parity."

That out of the way, Jerrard explained that Recon isn't the only thing Bungie's been up to since jumping off the Microsoft Express this time last year: "This is one of a few projects that we're currently working on. This is the first time at Bungie we've actually had multiple things happening at once and not just, every three years, doing the massive game release." In order to develop Recon, Bungie used a "small agile team" made up of a "bunch of elders" who started the Halo: Combat Evolved franchise some seven years ago (that doesn't sound like ex-GRAWer Christian Allen to us). Who better than to deliver a "bit of a departure" from the last three titles?

Were you worried your procrastination would be irrevocable when you learned that Rocky & Bullwinkle – an Xbox Live Arcade title you'd flirted with for months – could have been summarily "delisted" from the 360's Marketplace for no reason other than a horrible review average and a notable lack of enthusiasm from the console's constituents?

Fret no more! Microsoft's John Schappert told us yesterday that the company has "no immediate plans to act on delisting" and, in fact, that little brouhaha earlier this year was simply the company setting "parameters by which [they] can delist" content. With the New Xbox Experience promising an easier-to-use Marketplace, the existing retail mess will (ostensibly) be cleaned up and the XBLA shovelware shouldn't get in the way of what you're really there for: Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Following his TGS keynote, Microsoft's John Schappert crammed himself into a stuffy hotel room with about a dozen representatives from various gaming outlets, including yours truly. Tasked with peppering Schappert with questions, we asked about the sales figures he cited in the keynote (were those worldwide figures?), the decision to delay the Halo 3: Recon announcement from E3 to TGS (do the Japanese even play Halo?), the spring / fall update schedule, and Microsoft's plans to delist XBLA content (don't hold your breath). Instead of reading our condensed version, we've embedded the audio below for your listening pleasure.

[MP3 download]

If you're reading this you're in the minority of Joystiq readers who haven't skipped down the page at the sight of the words: Monster Hunter. Clearly you're either a Westerner, curious about what the big deal is, or you're standing in line to play the third installment of the series right now. Within ten minutes of the TGS show floor opening, the line for this game was four and a half hours long. On a press day, no less. Thankfully, we had a considerably shorter wait inside Capcom's base (a hotel room), where we tried out the latest console version of one of Japan's favorite franchises.

While the series move from PlayStation 3 to Wii can be attributed to cutting development costs, no expense has been spared on the game's visuals. Monster Hunter 3 (or "Monster Hunter Tri~" ... ?) is one of the sharpest Wii games we've seen. It's also immediately recognizable as a Monster Hunter game. There's been no style change at all from other versions, just an upscaling of models and textures. The game's water looks impressive for a Wii title, which is important because Monster Hunter 3 is the first game in the series where you'll be going swimming.

As much as we hate how Sonic's roots have been clawed out by some furry, fanged and stretchy-limbed abomination, we must grudgingly admit that the Werehog is -- at least on the Tokyo Game Show floor -- almost bordering on sort of cool. As is the case with most obnoxious, product-peddling mascots, we ultimately have to go with the one we'd prefer to hug. And just look at that guy's huge arms!

(Our next TGS goal: to capture an image of both Sonics together.)

It's been over two months since we last saw InFamous, but developer Sucker Punch took some time at TGS to show us how it's progressing. So how's it look? Pretty much the same as last time. The demonstration was set in a different part of the in-game city, but very little new gameplay was actually revealed.

Sucker Punch's Ken Schramm guided us through a mission, titled "Blood Trail," while senior producer Grady Hunt talked us through what was going on. The level is fairly early in the game -- about five missions in -- and has protagonist Cole discovering a new power. "Post-Cognition" allows you to read people's memories; in this case, giving you a new objective. A dead woman's mind (do dead people still have minds?) reveals an "echo" of her running through the streets towards a Reaper hideout.

Though clearly visible in the corner of the Halo 3: Recon announcement yesterday, Microsoft has made sure to clarify that the "Hell Jumpers" campaign will be released as a standalone product next year (no confirmation of a downloadable version just yet). Halo 3: Recon will not require the Halo 3 game disc and, in fact, seems to include all of the multiplayer components of the original Halo 3, in addition to new maps and Forge options. Recon will also support Saved Films, screenshots, Campaign Scoring, and 4-player co-op. The game is scheduled for release in fall 2009.

Update: Bungie's Luke Smith clarifies that Recon is a "Bungie-made Halo game." In other words, no, it will not be third-person or feature gameplay uncharacteristic of past entries in the series.

Out of all the possible answers relating to platform exclusivity inquiries, a simple "yes" is easily the most difficult one to extract. This did not prove to be the case with Tecmo's Makoto Shibata, however, who calmly assured us that Tecmo's upcoming third-person shooter, the cryptically named Quantum Theory, is indeed exclusive to the PlayStation 3.

The Team Tachyon director, who candidly described the game as Japan's answer to titles like Gears of War, is sticking to the predominantly Western genre's "basics," while making sure that his country's "skills and talent are incorporated." You'll note that the game's art employs a more expanded color palette, though not at the expense of unfeasibly enormous biceps. The traditional, post-apocalyptic environment is augmented here by a striking "living tower," a labyrinthine structure that the game's protagonist and his occasional female foil must traverse and ultimately defeat.

Taking a page corner from Fracture, Shibata noted that the "shape-shifting" environments within the tower would constantly change in real time, either providing new cover or creating unexpected dangers. With the game not being due until late 2009, however, we were unable to see this feature in practice. But at least that leaves plenty of time to tweak the game's name. In response to our suggestion to incorporate the word "tower" to better highlight the game's oblong villain, Shibata joked that it would ultimately be inappropriate for the tower-less sequel.

... He was joking, right?

Sony has announced that all future first-party PSP games will be available through download in Japan, beginning later this year via the Wi-Fi Store. The store is scheduled to open in Japan on October 15th with the firmware v5.00 update. Games to be sold by direct download include Secret Agent Clank (11/20), Patapon 2 (11/27), and LocoRoco 2 (12/4) (these titles will also be available on UMD).

There is currently no date for the release of the store in North America or Europe. We're also wondering how downloadable games' pricing will compare to standard UMD retail prices (considering that direct downloads save on packaging, shipping and a slew of other costs). We'll update as soon as we hear anything.

Konami is showing off a teaser for an upcoming Castlevania title on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 at its TGS booth, reports ITmedia (translation). The 10-second clip features your typical creep wielding a glowing-red sword and includes some text about a father, his family and a curse -- and, predictably, no hints about actual gameplay.

Series producer Koji Igarashi was apparently as surprised as we all are, claiming he didn't expect Konami to make the game announcement this soon. IGA didn't elaborate further, leaving the door open for just about any imaginable outcome (we're gonna go ahead and rule out beach volleyball). At least it can't get any worse for the series ... right?

[Via IGN; image credit: ITmedia]

Whether it's the game's addictive MMORPG-like qualities or simply its startlingly apt title -- you hunt monsters! -- it's clear that Japan's love for slaying beasts is as intense as ever. Monster Hunter 3 has already garnered quite a buzz at this year's Tokyo Game Show, most of it originating from the chatty folks waiting in line to play it.

Trust us, they're the lucky ones -- come Saturday (when the floor opens to the public), we'll show you just how far this thing can go. While we assemble our hands-on impressions of the game, take a peek at the trailer after the break. And yes, that is a Wii game.

Surprising almost no one, Tekken 6 has been officially announced for a fall 2009 release on the PS3/Xbox 360. The new English language trailer takes us to the magical world of Tekken, where kangaroos and pandas can hold grudge matches against fat people. Who says games aren't art?

Sony has announced that two new LittleBigPlanet costumes will be made available for download in the future. Metal Gear Solid's Old Snake and Final Fantasy VII's Sephiroth have been stripped and their clothes donated to the LittleBigPlanet thrift store.

Unfortunately, there's no word on when they will be made available, or whether they'll be paid-for content. There's also no definite answer to whether they'll be available outside of Japan but, considering both games have large fanbases in the US and Europe, we'd be surprised if they didn't. Check out Sephiroth's Tokyo Game Show unveiling above and Old Snake's after the break.

Aren't they cute?