Japan Gaming Guide

Want to know what toys Japanese kinds are going to be playing with this year? Then the World Hobby Fair is your place to go. Put on by toy and game businesses, the show gives kids the chance to play with all the newest stuff and gives the companies lots of feedback about what’s hot or not.

This year was dominated by Pokemon, Gundam, and Inazuma Eleven, with all three licenses being spread over a wide variety of merchandise and crossovers. Nintendo and Sony both had a substantial presence, setting up large booths and lots of demos and tournaments. Battling toys were getting a lot of attention, it seems kids want anything that lets them pit one toy against another in a brawl. Professional Yo-yo…ers?..ists? were drawing crowds teaching tricks and hosting shows. Girl-focused games like Pretty Rhythm, Tamagotchi, and Cooking Mama were bringing in lots of players too.

Our picks for the best of the show? The Taiko no Tatsujin game being demoed inside a giant snow globe, the very unusual pairing of feudal Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga with Pokemon, and the Sony shrine featuring Playstation characters and selling good-luck charms.

Here are the pictures, scroll over for a description.

Let’s take a look at some of the add-ons available for the Nintendo 3DS.

First up is the Rakuoki, a simple stand to allow for easy writing. It’s not too expensive at ¥940.

Next, we have the Handle, a steering wheel for racers. It might not be the best with the 3D on though, since moving the console tends to distort the 3D effect. At ¥1150, it too is also rather inexpensive.

Finally, the one that’s making big news, the Slidepad. This add-on was released in conjunction with Monster Hunter Tri-G and adds a second analog slider pad, 2 shoulder buttons, and ergonomic grips. It’s also an official Nintendo product, hinting that a possible 3DS redesign and upgrade is coming. It’s the most expensive of the add-ons available at ¥1500, but still not too much considering it may soon become a necessity. Here are some more pictures of the device:

Fighting back hard against less-than-stellar 3DS sales, Nintendo is getting ready to release the next installment in the hugely popular Mario Kart series. Set to go on sale December first in Japan and December fourth in North America, Mario Kart 7 is sticking to what made the series such a success.

The Japanese website has recently been updated with preview videos for 18 race courses, and the game should have at least 38 courses when it arrives in stores. About half the tracks are updates and remakes from previous games, going all the way back to the Super Nintendo original. Featuring at least 16 characters, with the ability to add your own Mii avatar to the line-up, the roster has all the bases covered. The karts are fully customizable this time around, with the ability to purchase upgrades, like hang-glider wings and monster-truck tires, by collecting coins on the race course. All the classic items are available, and a nod goes to Super Mario 3D Land with the inclusion of the tanooki tail. And, of course, local and online multiplayer are ready for the true test of Mario Kart skill.

If past entries in the series are anything to go by, expect Mario Kart 7 to be a strong purchase for any 3DS owner.

We don’t cook much here at Japan Gaming Guide. We rely mostly on pizza and ramen for sustenance. Cooking games however are a whole different kettle of fish. We’re big fans of Cooking Mama and are looking forward to the 4th game in the series, which comes out December 1st. This time around we’ll get to cook steak, slice fish and prepare the only dish we can manage in real life – toast.

Capcom has released the first picture from the upcoming movie based on the Ace Attorney series of games. The Japanese title is Gyakuten Saiban, and it is scheduled to be released in February of 2012. Hiroki Narumiya will be playing the part of Ryuichi Naruhodo (Phoenix Wright), and he’s definitely got the character’s look down. There’s no news on whether or not the story will involve a case from the games, but expect the series’s main characters to be included. Takashi Miike is directing, so the film will definitely carry the game’s strong visuals. Miike is probably most famous in the west for his movie adaptation of the manga, Ichi the Killer. Pornograffitti has also been attached to create an original theme song.

For more information, the movie’s website can be viewed here (Japanese).

The Pokemon Center Osaka is located on the 13th floor the Daimaru Building in Umeda, just next to the newly renovated JR Osaka station. It’s packed full of stuffed animals, Pokemon character school supplies, and even a few boxes of cookies. Conspicuously absent? The video games. Only a few DSiLLs are on display, and they offer the latest Pokemon DS games and movies. There is a wide selection of DS cases, however.

On August 4th, the Pokemon Center Osaka played host to a card game workshop. Players brought in their decks and battled it out with each other and the staff. Attendees were also given the opportunity to sit down for a beginner’s guide to the game. Although the majority of the players were in the under-twelve crowd, there were a few older gamers present to take in the competition and drop their cash on the plethora of merchandise available. Of course, the older players came with DSes in hand, and spent most of their time in the virtual world.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is finally here. With stunning review scores across the board this looks like being the best Wii game in a long time. Tighter and tougher than it’s predecessor, gameplay has been made a little harder this time around. Don’t fret though, Yoshi will be along to help out, with extra abilities to complement Mario’s already impressive range of moves. Yoshi’s tongue will of course be aimed by the Wiimote. As well as eating fruits and power-ups you’ll be able to swing from the scenery like a hungry Tarzan to get over those tricky gaps.

The game is out this Thursday, May 27 and can be yours for 5800 yen.

He’s back. New Super Mario Bros Wii takes the updated 2D platforming formula that was such as success when it debuted on the DS and puts it back on the living room TV. There’s a new four player mode, with everyone playing on the one console. This is a riot and really feels like it belongs in the game rather than a tacked on gimmick – in fact Shigeru Miyamoto claimed he wanted to add the feature back in the sixteen-bit days but was held back by the limits of the technology.

By all accounts Mario has toughened up a little since his previous outings; The game is tougher than the DS version, something that will surely please Mario’s more dedicated fans. For the less committed gamer though Nintendo have included a new autoplay feature that allows the game to play itself after failing a level eight times. Though purists will balk at this, it is optional and means younger or occasional players can see the whole game without getting frustrated.

The Japanese are getting the game a couple of weeks late on December 3rd, Europeans get it on November 20th and the rest of you should have it already. If not, what are you waiting for?

The guys remaking Zelda Link’s Awakening have moved their 3D dream a bit closer to reality with the release of a debug demo. It all looks very impressive, given that many had doubts the project would ever see the light of day. If they’ve got to this stage, surely they can finish it off. We’re very much looking forward to playing the finished game.

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A surprise from Nintendo today. Like a bolt from the blue, they’ve launched an official site for a game we’ve never heard of. Takt of Magic is coming out on May 21st for Y5,800. It looks like standard RPG fare, but for the cool looking magic system – spells are cast using Wiimote gestures. It reminds us ever so slightly of Black & White, but a bit more family friendly and, you know, Nintendo.

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