Japan Gaming Guide

Rainbow Islands is one of our favorite classic games. One of the greatest ‘cutesie’ platformers, the cartoon like graphics mask a brutally difficult game with several layers of depth. Your character must ascend a number of themed islands battling with various creatures and escaping the ever rising water. But that’s not the whole story. Killing bad guys in particular ways makes them drop a diamond. Collecting all the diamonds gives you an extra life, but figure out the correct way to get them and more secrets will emerge.

Rainbow Islands was released in the arcades by Taito in 1987 and was subsequently converted to most home systems. The Spectrum and Amiga versions were among the best games on those systems, capturing most of the arcade original’s nuances.

Recently one of the developers for the home conversions of the game wrote an interesting post giving details of the inner workings of the game. If you ever wondered why the various items appear when they do it is well worth a read.

[Read]

Online Blackjack is here to double the excitement in the hearts of all the Blackjack lovers! Blackjack has always been popular and one of the most sought out card games in the gambling arena. Punters need not go all decked up with bet money to the land casinos anymore. All the card splendour is right here available online with so many online casinos.

This popular card game was launched in early 1960s and the intent is to ‘Beat the Dealer’. Since then, it has always been the most popular card game which actually brought a boost to the industry by the launch of its online version.

Play Online Blackjack and beat the house:

Is your day getting dull? Need to get out of the rain! Don’t go anywhere; sitting with a hot coffee in your cosy bed will be enough to hopefully win you a fortune. Yes, you can win heaps and will be safely paid out. Play with the attractive & ultra realistic live dealer. Playing online Blackjack is not a robotic science. It simply requires you to login with your credentials and the  action is just a click away.  Blackjack sites such as Internetcasinosites.com/ will help you in find the most reputable sites to play at.

All the safety and security measures are looked after carefully, protecting player’s identity and financial details. The graphics are superb with real life-like gambling ambience. They offer quality and fair play with card faces clearly displayed on the perfectly set screen. You have total control over your bet money.

It is a simple game of counting numbers on your card and trying to get as close to 21 as you can to beat the house. Most versions of online blackjack are played with one deck but some versions are played with more. The number cards (from 2 to 10) stand for their face value. But an Ace is the game changer and  can be considered as an eleven or a one depending on the type of hand it would make. Rest all the picture cards (Kings, queens and jacks) are all 10 points. The main play is between you and the dealer. Both of you cannot go beyond 21 in your deal, otherwise you lose.

A player needs to be smart to fore think the move, whether it needs a HIT or a STAND. You need to have patience, perseverance and attentiveness for counting the cards and strategise your moves. You can even DOUBLE your bet, to win more. A HIT declares to have one more card and a STAND says to hold on here.

Come and join the fun with 21 and you are really going to be spoiled with the large jackpots and a massive variation available in a single game of online blackjack. Players who play with a live dealer get really close to the feeling of a real casino.

Platinum know how to keep their fans smiling in the face of defeat and this 404 page certainly adds a silver lining to those dreaded 404 errors the web has a habit of throwing up from time to time:

Check it out here

Those of you that have always wanted to try Mario Kart in real life (I presume that’s pretty much everyone), need wait no longer.

Real life Mario Kart racing is now available around Akihabara. Drivers are able to discuss their choice of character with organizers who then try and allocate everyone someone they like. Training is given, although since they are driving on the road a proper driving license is required. The racing itself lasts over two hours though racers can always pick up a drive-through if they find themselves flagging.

Items, such as bananas and shells are provided although the precise details of their use remains a mystery. Racers go from Akihabara to Shinjuku before finishing in Shibuya. If you manage to book a place at this event expect a lot of interest from tourists.

[source: yahoo Japan]

UPDATE:
It is now possible to book tickets to this event in English and we’d appreciate it very much if you did so via our affiliate link: here

You can also book a range of other activities in Tokyo, (some of which are mildly NSFW), here.

Fighting games are great, but many of us find ourselves wondering how they can go from regular play to true mastery. Fighting game expert Patrick Miller has published a free guide to playing better and winning more. The guide is available now at shoryuken.com.

Here’s another great video from El Gamer Cosplayer. This is a pilot for a longer series, so let’s hope its a hit!

Here’s another fantastic video from Mexican cosplay producer El Gamer Cosplayer. This time Super Street Fighter II is given the live action treatment. This video is a real treat for Street Fighter fans. We loved it and are looking forward to seeing what these guys come up with next!

A communications student is looking into the attitudes of Japanese gamers. Anyone interested in sharing their opinions and helping out, please follow the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1zN8bIcLiJo_7fVSnmyJJxWI7fB7wRs5FhubyZNgRWJ0/viewform

The World Hobby Fair comes back to Osaka this Sunday. There are usually a few unreleased games on show so it is well worth a look if you are in the area. As well as video games there are also toys and card games on show.

Check out the official site here (Japanese)

If you love Japanese games then the chances are you’re not a huge fan of region locking. This anti-consumer practice has been going on for decades. It is a real hassle for gamers who are prevented from buying games they are perfectly willing to pay good money for.

With all the fuss software companies make about piracy you would think they would be doing everything in their power to enable customers to buy their games. Some console manufactures have made an effort to accommodate international gamers – Sony deserve recognition for making the PS3 almost entirely region free. Microsoft allow publishers to lock or not, and many choose not to. Nintendo however have their products totally locked down.

If you want to express your opposition to region locking, there is now a petition on the White House website. If the petition reaches 100,000 users by February 15th then there will be an official response.

Though we’re not sure exactly what the White House can do to fix the issue, we think it is great to raise awareness of this problem, and let publishers know that it is an issue that matters to their customers.

View the petition here.