Next-Gen World Hobby Fair opens this weekend in Japan

TOKYO - The 16th Next Generation World Hobby Fair was held today at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Japan. Some of the software companies showcased its upcoming titles at the show floor.

Nintendo
The Nintendo booth featured a playable version of Super Mario Sunshine for the GameCube scheduled for release next week in Japan. Kids were eager to try out the game and long lines were seen throughout the day with a waiting time of 75 minutes at one point. Game Boy Advance titles Super Mario Advance 3, Legend of Starfy, and Custom Robo GX were also playable at the booth.

Sega
Sonic Mega Collection for the GameCube and Sonic Advance 2 for the Game Boy Advance were shown for the first time at the company's booth. Sonic Mega Collection includes seven classic Sonic titles--Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic and Knuckles, Sonic 3D Blast, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, and Sonic Spinball. Among the playable at the show were Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic and Knuckles, and Sonic 3D Blast. The games are direct ports of their original counterparts.

As for Sonic Advance 2, only the Leaf Forest stage with Sonic as the character was playable at the show. Other characters such as Knuckles and Tails will also available as playable characters in the final version. Based on what we've seen so far, the game seems to follow the tradition of previous installments and it is not yet known what new features will be in the game. Both titles are slated for a release sometime this year in Japan.

Other games featured at the booth were Phantasy Star Online Episode 1 & 2 (GC), Virtua Fighter 4 (PS2), Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (GC) and Super Monkey Ball 2 (GC).

Capcom
Capcom commemorated its 15th year anniversary of the Rockman/Megaman series featuring a dedicated section showcasing its history with memorabilia on display and playable games of past Rockman games. The booth also had the GBA version of Rockman & Forte playable for the first time. Upcoming titles such as Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for the Xbox and PlayStation 2, and Auto Modellista for the PlayStation 2 were also playable at the booth.

Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony's booth focused on the upcoming Ape Escape 2 for the PS2, which is also scheduled for release the same week as Super Mario Sunshine. Another PlayStation 2 title, My Summer Vacation 2 was also playable. This is the sequel to the PlayStation game which has only been released in Japan.

Namco
Namco's booth featured Game Boy Advance titles Klonoa G2, Mr. Driller Ace, Famista Advance (baseball), and Family Tennis Advance.