Japan Gaming Guide

Anyone on the fence about getting a Wii U might want to take a look at the new packages recently announced by Nintendo.

The cheapest package includes a 32GB premium Wii U, a Wiimote plus, sensor bar, New Super Mario Bros U, Wii Party U and 30 days of Karaoke access. This will cost 32,800 yen.

The second package includes everything in the first package plus Wii Fit U and a Wii Fit Meter. This one will retail for 34,800 yen.

Both of these look like great value and will hopefully give the Wii U a bit of a boost in the run up to Christmas.

An HD remake of Wii Sports is heading to the Wii U. As well as using the greater accuracy of MotionPlus Wii Sports Club will feature online multiplayer for the first time. There will also be training modes so you can practice your skills.

Fans of particular sports may be pleased to know they can be purchased separately. How good a deal that is will depend on the pricing and how well the multiplayer works in practice. We’re working on our tennis swings already here at JGG.

Wii Sports Club launches October 30th in Japan. Bowling and tennis will be the only sports available at launch, with others to follow.

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.

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.

Developer Dimps must have mislaid their speed boots. Sonic isn’t usually slow to arrive, but the forthcoming continuation of his 2D adventures has been pushed back to late 2010.

We can’t wait to get our hands on the new game, which will concentrate on Sonic alone and get back to the classic gameplay we know and love. The extra playable characters, that some regard as responsible for the decline of the series, have been dropped for this new episode.

Here’s the Japanese trailer for Winning Eleven 2010:

[Read, via GoNintendo]

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?

No More Heroes 2 is sure to be one of next year’s hottest Wii games. Famitsu have posted an intriguing video which shows of some of the crazy characters and the balletic anime combat.

[Read]

Inside Games has published a few screenshots that it claims are from Tales of VS, the new PSP game, but one of the shots is clearly the logo from Tales of Graces, the forthcoming Wii game. Whatever their origin, they should be of interest to tales fans.

[Read]

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.

[Read]