Business, Casual Games, Console, Game Design, Gamer Culture
Gaming the Gimmick: Why It’s (Mostly) All Good
During a recent trip to Japan, I encountered an arcade cabinet that many would call a gimmick: a rail-shooter with sliding doors, named Elevator Action Death Parade. Having read about the game earlier this year, and with it right there in front of me, I couldn’t resist but pop in a coin to try it out.
A pair of physical doors slide open and shut like an elevator, which blocks and exposes the play screen. The doors get “stuck” and even shake at times in cue with the on-screen action behind it. Read More »
Some see him as the Walt Disney of Japan. To others, he is a god of animation. Just saying the name “Miyazaki” evokes a sense of awe and wonder in some people that can’t really be put into words. Hayao Miyazaki has shown the world how animation can be used for more than just Saturday morning entertainment and proved that incredible films can also be animated. Having him create a video game would be a truly amazing visual experience.
One of Japan’s most popular genres is the dating simulation, nicknamed the “galge” (short for “gal game”). Strangely, it’s never quite caught on in the West. In the past, this has exclusively been the guilty pleasure for genetically and socially impaired virgin males who never stood the chance otherwise of contacting the fairer sex. But what’s this we see on the horizon? A dating sim…for girls??
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney did two things I thought were impossible: it made lawyers look like decent human beings, and it made legal matters fun. While Hollywood would take a series that’s achieved fan-made-flash levels of love and make it a movie, a group of Japanese actresses plan to make a musical. That’s right, actresses. The cast of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (the musical) will be all female.
He is a being of many names: The Brown Rectangular Thing, The Giant Poop Monster, but perhaps none so great as The “Every Time You Masturbate, God Kills a Kitten” Guy. His friends simply call him Domo-kun. Whatever manner you choose to observe him, he’s still equally loveable. And weird-looking, for that matter.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a heated battle for second place close to anything like what we’re seeing between the PS3 and the Xbox 360. While the PS3 isn’t receiving too much love in America, there’s a whole other story in Japan: it’s actually catching up to the weekly sales numbers of the Wii. Meanwhile, the 360 flops around like pre-sushi. The PS3 enjoying a lead over the 360 in Japan isn’t exactly new news, but the contrasting sales figures between Japan and the USA make you wonder why this is.