I’ve been gone for four weeks! No time for this blog. Well, I did that Hitchhiker’s pixel art. Anyway now I’m back and if you’re interested I’ll tell you what video game-related stuff I got up to over there. Then I can get working on more “hashtag content”.
The last few games I played in Japan that I haven’t already mentioned are related to Mario, so I’ll put them in one last post here. I already talked about the SMB3 pinball and the two medal games, but there were more. Most of the Nintendo merchandise available from gachapons and cranes was also Mario, regrettably, although Splatoon had its fair share of tat.
Mario Kart Arcade was fairly common, one of the three released versions anyway. Even though we have a unit of the second game here at home, we ended up playing that in Japan anyway. It’s not great, but DX (the third one) was more fun; the controls felt better and the track designs more interesting, not to mention looking nicer. But despite this and its bizarrely large selection of items (although you are randomly assigned only 3 per race), it feels lesser than the home versions. Of course, the full-body experience with the wheel and pedals is a novelty, but on the other hand the running commentary I could do without.
Luigi’s Mansion Arcade feels like a pretty standard arcade co-op light-gun shooter, but with a charming layer of Luigi’s Mansion theming over it. You get to hold a vacuum cleaner and try sucking everything in sight, but it skewed quite difficult so we didn’t play long. I guess it turns out we sucked at it. That was a vacuum cleaner joke.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio Olympic Games has an arcade version that’s already out apparently. It has a selection of events that use its unique input system which involves you running on the spot and two movable joysticks with buttons. It’s all a bit unwieldy; I tried the hurdles and did pretty poorly. I didn’t get anywhere near the full grasp of the game though, since your credit only lets you into one event and there were around six or more.
And that’s it for my experiences in Japanese arcades. Stay tuned for another post on my game-related purchases, and then finally I can get around to 2015 look-back stuff.
Another difference between Japan and Australia is gambling laws. In the arcade close to us in Kyoto, there was a bank of slot machines right next to the kid’s section. However, my understanding is that any form of gambling cannot deal directly in money; rather there’s a system where you exchange money for medals and win or lose them. The medals can then be exchanged for prizes which in a loophole can be exchanged for money. Don’t quote me on that.
Anyway, it’s also a common sight to see pachinko halls in big fancy buildings. They certainly look striking but you can’t forget how sleazy they are, or how they’re filled with smokers (indoor smoking is another thing that’s tolerated more in Japan). I was tempted to check one out to see the new Castlevania pachinko slot machine thing but the thought of going in felt a bit gross. But it’s not limited to these establishments; medal games or straight up slot machines can be found in most arcades.
As you can see from the Castlevania machine, these can be quite flashy and involved, or tied into other video game or anime IPs. So it’s not like they have no value as a video game machine. I didn’t play any myself but I wanted to highlight a couple of Mario-related ones I saw. Capcom has since 2004 been making large Mario Party medal games. I spotted in our local arcade a 4th one that I hadn’t known about, Mario Party Kurukuru Carnival. As part of researching Donkey Kong games I’d learned about the previous 3 and how they’d grown larger and more elaborate; the Carnival one is actually a little smaller with less stations but it sure has Donkey Kong.
You can see what I mean by elaborate in the picture; Korokoro Catcher (the 3rd one which was in the same arcade as well) has UFO grabbers, a medal shelf, prize balls, and other contraptions in addition to a small screen showing a simplified Mario Party-like experience. Carnival loses the grabbers but has these movable coin insertion dealies. To me it seemed a confusing and contrived way to squeeze money out of you, but then isn’t that what all arcade games can be summed up as? In fact I regret not giving it a go, but you have to admit it’s a little intimidating.
Another interesting thing I saw in another arcade was a setup with multiple stations with individual screens, all facing a large wall-mounted screen that was showing a virtual horse race. Punters sit at these stations and place bets or what have you, then watch a simulated video horse race. Bizarre. The actual horse betting shops I passed were also bustling. My point is that the Japanese culture seems fascinated by luck-based games and events; gachapon machines, pachinko, even getting your fortune slip at the shrine. And knowing these things and seeing them first-hand helps my understanding of certain design choices I observe in Japanese-developed games; think about the trophy dispenser in Smash Bros. Melee as an example, or the giant pachinkp machine in Mario Sunshine. These sort of things are prominent in their culture which can cause some dissonance unless you view them with some perspective. Anyway I’ll stop pretending to be insightful now.
At the time I went, there are certain games that I could expect to see everywhere. The most popular ones, you’re almost guaranteed to see them in any reasonably-sized arcade. There’s a few rhythm games of this kind, with a big ring of lights or a row of buttons, but I generally walked past them. One rhythm game we did try was Taiko no Tatsujin. Of course we were familiar with the giant drums, they really stand out. But they’re updating this game all the time, and it’s just so fun; but it can get tiring and the timed song selection always cuts you off while you’re searching. So we decided to bring it home with us in the form of one of the DS conversions; drumming the touch screen, genius!
The hot big-name games at the moment are Pokken Tournament and Dissidia Final Fantasy (not to be confused with the PSP game). Pokken seems kinda like Tekken I guess but with more freedom of movement maybe? I’m pretty fighting game blind so even though I played it I can’t be relied upon to make an assessment. I will say that it needs a few more characters but they are planning that before the home release. It sure looks nice though. Dissidia is a very cool concept, it’s a 3-on-3 3D action game where you get matched up with other human players and um, try to beat them. The character roster is a step down from the PSP games but will be expanded, I hear. It’s a weird new world of updatable arcade games; even in that setting they’re releasing unfinished games and patching them, as is the style at the time. Well, even though I had no idea what I was doing it was good fun, and I hope it sees some kind of release outside Japanese arcades.
Towards the more kiddy end of the spectrum, games that use a physical component are popular. Well, lots of other ones including the two I just mentioned have a system where a player can scan a card and have individual progress, but I’m talking about ones where you have a collection of cards or discs that you can’t play the game without. Pokemon Tretta is one, or Dragonball Discross and Dragonball Heroes. Even tiny game corners will probably have Dragonball Heroes. They’re usually accompanied by gachapon machines where you can get a random disc or card, and many hobby shops also deal in these items. I didn’t play any but I like the look of the Heroes cards and bought one I liked, and also got one as a prize from a bag of snacks.
In the Decks mall in Tokyo’s Odaiba area, I knew that there was a retro-style arcade with lots of vintage machines. What I discovered there was that the whole floor (the second floor I think, on the left side; not the side with the Lego place and Madame Tussaud’s) was filled with shops and candy stores of the same type. But the arcade alone is worth visiting. You will likely find a few ageing machines in various places, but this place really goes all out with it, it collects them, it’s got vintage posters on the wall. I don’t know its name; you can see it on the sign in this photo but I think it’s more useful to know where it is: Decks Odaiba.
First of all, it had lots of pinball machines. Some dated back to the 50s, while others were clearly 80s classics like Star Wars pinball, and this Gottlieb one based on Super Mario Bros 3. They also had my old favourite Lord of the Rings pinball, which I’d played many times. You just can’t beat a good pinball table, that tactile sensation. It’s too bad they’re more and more rare these days.
There were some old video machines too: a Pac-man cocktail cabinet, some Nintendo Vs. Systems, Outrun. I had a go on Super Hang On; is the bike supposed to be that loose? I almost fell off! Maybe I’m too big for it… They also had plenty of mechanical games filling up the space. Whack-a-mole, the same whack-a-crocodile game that I’d played in my hometown days, a couple of kiddy rides, prize games. I won a cheap little car from a ChoroQ/Penny Racers machine which vibrated a table surface to move a car through gates in a maze, a little thrill and something to take home. There was also one of those coin-flicking games that Arino is always playing on Game Center CX’s Tamage segments: even with ten goes we couldn’t get the hang of it.
There are other arcades that are simple, with a variety of old-to-oldish video games in rows of cabinets (Super Potato’s Akihabara branch has a floor of them). But the fun theming and the variety of kitschy machines here make this one really stand out. There’s lots of other things to do in Odaiba too so it’s worth checking out.
There are some game corners/game centers/arcades that are nothing but tightly packed rows of crane games, but every arcade will have some. You’ll see those pincer-like ones and also three-clawed grabby ones, with prizes ranging from snacks and small toys, to expensive gadgets, premium figurines, or giant stuffed cats. I generally see these as a bit of a scam, but was tempted to try every now and then. When my wife noticed ones based on the hit iPhone game Neko Atsume which she has become enamoured with, I had a go and managed to win a pouch with a big adorable cat face on it. But it’s all too easy to come away from one feeling cheated.
Gachapon on the other hand guarantee you to get something. You might run into the commoner ones again and again but it’s worth checking whenever you see a big bank of them to see if there’s something that grabs your fancy. And you will see them; in department stores, outside many kinds of shops, in arcades, even at the supermarket. Not as ubiquitous as vending machines but close. Japan loves gachapon. They cost generally between ¥100 and ¥300, and you’ll get a plastic ball containing… well, as an example we found: an Animal Crossing stylus, a fake cactus, Hyrule Warriors figures, a replica casette tape, an LED candle, trading cards, etc. Some even have food!
The most common thing to get is themed phone or bag charms, but they will always show you on the front what you can receive, and it can be fun just to see what’s available—and you just might find yourself blowing a few notes on trying to complete a set (Ganondorf!). On that note, I found several shops in Akihabara (in the building opposite Super Potato) selling specific prizes or sets of them, mostly character figures, which is how I eventually got Ganondorf. Similar shops may also exist elsewhere.
