Japan Gaming Guide

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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Raucous game show Tokyo Friend Park 2 is coming to the Wii this month. The range of crazy events make it perfect mini-game fare and sure enough we’ll be able to enjoy such classics as Wall Crash and Hyper Hockey. Coins earned in the games can be traded for darts to throw at the grand finale prize board.

Like most Japanese game shows, Tokyo Friend Park 2 has celebrity contestants rather than ordinary people, so for fans of the show this is their only chance to hurl themselves onto Velcro walls and play hockey against comedians dressed as fish.

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Videogame legend Shigeru Miyamoto will be immortalised as a 250 foot copper-bronze statue. The statue will be constructed next to the runway at Tokyo’s Narita Airport at a cost of 14 billion yen.

Nintendo are in a strong financial position after the runaway success of the Wii and DS. With construction prices at rock bottom due to the global recession and runaway inflation threatening to devalue cash assets, it seems the perfect time for a large scale mega-project such as this one.

Over 35 million passengers use Narita Airport every year, and the statue of Miyamoto will be there to welcome them to Japan. If just half of them are inspired to buy a Nintendo console the statue will pay for itself over time. Nintendo are reportedly also keen to address some of the negative publicity arising from their alleged failure to reward Miyamoto financially for his achievements.

Early plans to have aircraft fly through Miyamoto’s legs were rejected on safety grounds, however the back of Miyamoto’s left palm will include a helipad, and the right will feature a platform for bungee jumpers. Pilots are reportedly very happy with the plans, which will make the airport easy to spot from a distance. The outstretched arms of the statue will line up with the ideal approach to the main runway, assisting pilots further.

The 2nd stage of the Pokemon World Championships took place a couple of days ago, Famitsu have a load of pics.

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A great month for RPG fans, with several big titles and a couple of novelties. No question about game of the month: the intoxication Zelda:Majora’s Mask is an astonishing game, and worth checking out whether you’re a retro fan or not. If you’ve ever wondered why people are disappointed with games as good as Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, this is one of the reasons.

Elsewhere there’s an early version of Ninja Gaiden and a very overpriced looking Space Invaders.

Famicom (500 points)

Akumajou Densetsu/Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse

Super Famicom (800 points)

Der Langrisser
Hoshi no Kabi 3/Kirby’s Dream Land 3

Nintendo 64 (1200 points)

Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Master System (600 points)

Phantasy Star

PC Engine (600 points)

Ninja Ryukenden/Ninja Gaiden

Arcade

Genpei Toma Den/The Genji and the Heike Clans (800 points)
Space Invaders (500 points)

Nintendo are giving us another chance to dust off our balance boards with Rock N Roll Climber. The WiiWare title has you climbing mountains, rewarding you with bursts of Rock N Roll when you reach the top.

The news was revealed at the Game Developers Conference by Satoru Iwata, who also claimed sales figures of 20 million for the balance board – making it almost as popular as the PS3.

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A fan is building a 3D version of Zelda – Link’s Awakening. Check the links for details:

[Read, via GameSpark]

It had to happen – a German entrepreneur has invented a water based jet pack, just like Fludd from Super Mario Sunshine. A prize to the first person to send a (real) picture of someone dressed as Mario using the device.

[Read, via the Telegraph]

The blue hedgehog and plumber extraordinaire will team up once again for a new Olympic game. Mario & Sonic at the Vancouver Olympics will be launched to co-incide with the 2010 event. Excitingly, Nintendo are promising balance board compatibility which could be very interesting indeed.

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Mario Tennis GC is a Wii remake of the Gamecube title and is coming out on January 15th at 3800 yen. It will be largely identical to the original, but will be controlled with the Wiimote and Nunchuck which could add a lot to the game.

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