The Tokyo Game Show is a big event in the calendar for anyone in the gaming industry and for Hirokazu Hamamura, president of Enterbrain, the company that publishes Japan's leading game magazine 'Famitsu', it represents a chance to gauge development at each company and gather clues to future market developments.

Speaking at a Tokyo news conference on Tuesday, Hamamura disclosed what he would be looking for when he arrives at Makuhari Messe, site of the Tokyo Game Show, on Thursday.

"If I think about hardware the news is already out so looking at software, on the Square Enix booth I'm interested in seeing how much of Final Fantasy XIII is finished and presented," he said. The level to which the game is presented will give a clue as to when it might be ready and that will have a direct impact on sales of the PlayStation 3 console.

"I'll also be looking to see if Dragon Quest IX is playable," said Hamamura. The latest installment in the long-running and hugely popular Dragon Quest series from Square Enix is due out on the Nintendo DS in March 2009.

"In regards to the Wii I'm interested to see how far 'Monster Hunter 3' has gotten along because that's one of the keys Nintendo must unlock before the Wii will appeal to core gamers," he said of the upcoming Capcom title. "On the Sony booth I'll be looking at 'White Knight Chronicles' and I think that will gather a lot of attention."

The Tokyo Game Show begins on Thursday and runs until Sunday at Makuhari Messe outside of Tokyo. Public admission days are Saturday and Sunday.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.