11.29.05
Posted in Japanese, Links, News at 4:03 am by yuka
Another translation coming up for the above game in a min. Just checked the Nintendo periphery site, and Mario Kart and Animal Crossing Scratch-guards are out for approx. £2.50 for each set, from 1st Dec. No doubt some online stores will soon stock these… or alternatively ask a mate in Japan :D
Right, translation time for SuperMonkeyBall site. Will be out from 1st Dec. in Japan, for roughly £25, and is playable by up to 4 people. As you can see, four buttons (from left): Game Intro, Characters, Movie and Download. Currently, the download page isn’t working though, so I’ll stick to the three.
Game Intro: Two modes – Main game and Party game. The stages are partly from the previous GC version, but some has been added for DS exclusivity (and playability). Oh, and you get exclusive stickers when you buy the cartridge. Main game is divided into Challenge mode (clear through stage by stage), Practice mode (play the stages already cleared in Challenge), and Replay (replay saved games or delete saved games). Party games so far to be seen on site are: Race, Air Hockey, Fight, Mini-golf, Bowling and Monkey Wars.
Characters: the good ol’ same characters – Aiai, Meemee, Baby and Gongon. The movie should be self-explanatory (plus, it’s taking forever!).
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11.28.05
Posted in Japanese, Online gaming at 4:30 am by yuka
Haven’t yet heard of a release date for WoW in Japan, so I’ve decided to type in ‘Warcraft’ in Japanese and click ’search’. It’s amazing how well Warcraft III did over there, but no mention of the current game that’s got me and many others hopelessly addicted. Thanks to Wikipedia Japan – Online games – , I now have a bigger list of what’s out there. There’s more out seemingly every month, so there’s always a beta or two in action. Whether you get to play it is another matter however when most of these game sites aren’t exactly the most user-friendly.
I blame the lack of living space, and the almost national desire to make everything smaller. They do it with words too. So the disturbing word I came across today – ネットゲーム (netgame, aka online game) becomes ネトゲ (netoge). Ugh! My delicate asthetics concerning words has now been wrecked again, as regards Japanese.
As much of a social disturbance online games may be, I did have a problem reading that MMORPGs can lead to the ひきこもり (hikikomori) phenomenon… especially considering that wiki entry didn’t even bother explaining the social benefits of such games. (Don’t look at me – I don’t like typing in Japanese thank you very much – it’s RS material.)
As long as I was on the topic of games in general, I did take a good look around several games news sites. Seriously, gamers outside Japan shouldn’t complain too much about the lack of games making it over here. For example, we wouldn’t really find a ‘teach yourself English’ type of DS game for adults inspiring would we? And I wouldn’t have thought a game (not exactly the most context sensitive of mediums) could teach anyone a language that way… but there it is. For some unknown reason, golf is one of the most popular games amongst the middle-aged (and generally middle-classed), so there’s a multitude of golfing games available too – and that’s not just Mario and Monkey Ball versions! Various quiz-based games from TV shows to cute little Hamtaro versions… I just can’t see us understanding the cultural divides with them.
Yep, looks as if Japan’s already swamped by games in every aspect of daily life. Especially when you add 通勤ヒトフデ (puzzle based game for commuters), you just can’t get away from them. Maybe game-makers will soon devise a way for you to play a game or two on the bog too.
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11.27.05
Posted in Japanese, News at 7:33 am by yuka
First things first. Thursday, got my hands on the monthly Famitsu Cube + Advance mag (January ‘06 issue). Yeah, so much ravings on Animal Crossing DS, to the point that aside from a little booklet on ‘how to play the game’, there’s another little notebook specifically for your convenience in playing it… Aside from your profile, and what your village is like, you also get several pages in which to add your friends’ profiles, write down what ‘rare’ items you’ve got and what types of bugs etc. you’ve sighted on your daily rounds… and not only that, you are given a sheet of stickers specifically within the main mag to be used in conjunction with the said notebook.
By the way, the sticker sheet also includes exclusive stickers of Nintendo characters from upcoming titles: Mario Party 7, Pokemon Dungeon Blue/Red, Pokemon Ranger and Mario Kart DS.
Before we get to our beloved ‘fairy’ man, thought I’d bring your attention first to a new product that’s availalbe in Japan. For approx. £2.20, you can be the proud owner of a cute set of stickers (available in Pokemon or Nintendogs) that will, like post-it notes, stick well and also can be used to clean your DS screens. You can easily store it by sticking those stickers onto the machine itself, while because of its stick-a-bility, it can be re-used. Sooner or late some online shops are going to be stocking these, methinks.
OK, Tingle now. He’s known, seemingly, as Tinkle… kind of reminds me of that nasty white cat from Cats and Dogs. However he’s known as, he’s been that weird little man in a green one-piece suit, pretending to be a fairy. He is pretty harmless really (whether dragging a non-family member to help pretend being a ‘fairy’ in Minish Cap was harmless or not, you decide). Now the thing is, apparently there’s going to be an all-new Tingle game out sometime in the future, or so it has been announced. A Tingle RPG. Think about it. That’s all we know for now though, so we’ll just have to wait and see if Zelda or Link’s going to be making their appearances in this game.
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11.24.05
Posted in Japanese, Links at 1:25 pm by yuka
Official site translation again, but with damn good reason – this is genius! You will need Flash though, to enter the site and view its contents.
In this watery world within your DS, 10 unique ’species’ of plankton reacts in their own various ways to your touch, voice and other noise…. so says the introduction. At the top of the window, there are six little bubbles (categories) – left to right: What kind of software?; Plankton; When played; Who made it?; Exhibition; and Extras. Trust me, this is one site that is worthy of much exploration.
In the sub-category Plankton, it introduces us to the ten types (left to right again): Tracy, Hanenbow, Luminaria, Sun Larva (ok, the site says Sun-Animalcule, but that’s what it can be translated into), Rec-Rec, Nanocarp, Light-Ring (site calls it Lumiloop), MarineSnow, Wirebug (acc. to site Beatnes), and Volvoice. Click on the bottom right hand box that has セツメイ written over it, to receive an illustrated description of what it does (it’s fairly self-explanatory). The different sounds/reactions of these plankton can be heard from the next section where people have tried it out.
The guy who made this is called Toshio Iwai, a media artist in his mid-30s. Seems as if he’s done a few collaborations with Miyazaki (of Spirited Away fame) too. In the movie at the bottom of the page, he says that although this ‘game’ doesn’t have a goal as such, it’s one way of getting people familiarised with creativity, in a fun way. His inspiration it seems was the joy he initially felt at playing the old Mario games.
In the Extras section, you are treated to four types of wallpaper you can have (click to download), and TV adverts of each of the planktons. The site also gives you tips: a) you can jam by linking 2 DS’s together and b) use rulers and other implements to draw better lines/curves.
As Iwai says, enjoy it. You don’t have to be an expert in the Japanese language to understand.
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11.23.05
Posted in Japanese, UK at 5:03 am by yuka
Being an avid fan of Nintendo, I had to check out what goodies are on offer from their site. I’m trying hard, by the end of this search, not to diss Nintendo Europe for their paltry offers. Sure, US/Canadian citizens will have to travel to NY for exclusive merchandise, but there’s a whole list of online shops from which one can browse and choose from. No wonder whatever gets put on eBay sells for shit loads to fans over here. (And I bet that’s not just the gaming merchandise, though Forbidden Planet does a fairly good selection. Some Ghibli Studio stuff I had the fortune of selling a few years back went for a nice tidy sum – far more than I imagined.)
Obviously, we’ll just have to sit and drool at what’s on offer from the Japanese official site, starting from the top:
1) Original Faceplate (Famicon II Conversion) for GBmicro … at time of writing, this has been cancelled ‘for the time being’.
2) Original 年賀 (nenga: New Year’s Greetings) postcard(s) (~10th Nov.)
3) Nintendo Sound Collection Vol. 3 Luigi*
4) Mario Kart DS pen
5) Wavebird with Club Nintendo motif
6) Original DS pouch “Mario hat version”
7) A4 Clearfile: Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Pokemon
8) DS touchpen in 7 colours
9) DS Card(trans. cartridge) case with Club motif: carry up to 8 cartridges and one pen, made of alminium
10) Wario Controller
11) Animal Crossing Tabletop Calendar (23rd Nov. ~ 31st Jan. ‘06): allows exchange for registering the DS game on site, or ‘pay’ with 200 points
* 3) List of Tracks includes some of the all time favourites from the Mario games and Zelda games.
My, aren’t they all spoilt? And to think that we can only drool… oh, and wait for eBay listings. But seriously, shouldn’t these Japanese companies understand that there are enough fans here too, for it to be worth their money selling merchandise?
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11.22.05
Posted in Japanese, Links, News at 4:21 am by yuka
Found the updated site so you get treated to my translation attempt yet again. Main page starts off with the topics: What kind of game?; New stuff; ‘Fifty’ ways in which you can enjoy the game; using connections; and game introduction film (75secs, 8.2MB). Let’s start with the first topic…
1) What kind of game? – you can fish, or make money to get a better bigger house… it’s up to you. And you can talk to those cute weird animals, and decorate your very own room. It’s in real-time, and the seasons change accordingly bringing new events in which you can participate in.
2) New stuff – a) Up to a max. of 4players can communicate in one village (with one cartridge that is, as before). And with the connection, you don’t have to be in close proximity; b) With a certain button on, you can even exchange info with random passersby; c) New goodies available via those cute weird animals mentioned earlier; d) New events, including haircut, naming constellations and drinking coffee at the museum; e) and don’t forget to look up into the starlit night sky when out walking (top screen) – unexpected things may happen.
3) ‘Fifty’ ways – the site needs to be updated I’d imagine, as not all data’s there. You can apparently click each one to be shown each way, but the loading time’s kind of annoying, so excuse me if I skip that part of the translations.
4) Connections – a) If you’re in the same place, wireless connection will automatically work; b) Using the wi-fi connection, you can play with anyone (within Japan at the moment); c) And it doesn’t matter what connection you use – the content is pretty much the same.
There you go, site translation done. I’d imagine that this’ll be a great hit with the kids back in Japan. Unlike most kids over here, due to the lack of living space (esp. in Tokyo), kids aren’t allowed to have pets or have their own rooms, and so to have such a luxury within the game would make them want to play all the more. Remember the success of the Tamagotchi? Plus, all generations seem keen on things that are brand new and pristine (in case you haven’t noticed already, I’m an anomaly), so this game should do well over there.
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11.19.05
Posted in Japanese, Links, News at 5:48 pm by yuka
First on the menu is Shin Onimusha Dawn of Dreams at roughly £31 on the PS2, and Kingdom Hearts II at roughly £33, also on the PS2. Both are now available on the Japanese Amazon site – which would mean sooner or later, if not now, other import outlets would stock them, although seeing they both use the Japanese language to some extent, foreign players would be well advised to wait until the English versions comes out (god knows when!).
Second, the multitude of DS games that are out in the next couple of weeks include: Animal Crossing (with its Wi-fi compatibility) on the 23rd of this month; Super Monkey Ball DS (approx. £25) and Zoid Saga – Legend of Arcadia on the 1st Dec.; and Mario Kart DS on the 8th. On the GBA/sp/micro: Super Donkey Kong 3 on the 1st; and on the 15th, Final Fantasy IV Advance (approx. £25) and FF IV Advance + GBmicro special design FF model (approx. £86). If you are lucky enough to have a kind mate in Japan, get them to send you this as a gift – no customs tax… after all, Christmas is nearly here.
As for Mario Party 7, they’ve made some updates on their official site, so here goes translation exercise:
Features: 1-8 players, uses 6block of memory card, use of GC microphone, approx. £29
1) 12 characters, 88 brand new mini-games
2) The yellow blob indicates the World: Story, how it can be played (pink square), the types of game available (yellow) and intro of 12 characters (blue).
3) The next blob down indicates Game modes: Party Tour, Duel Tour, 8-person Tour and Mini-game Tour.
4) The green blob show the new mini-games.
5) The yellow button at bottom right will show you a TV advert.
If you’re looking for Xbox (and 360) items, please look elsewhere as I’m in no way interested in that console. (Rareware, why did you take Conker with you to Microsoft?!)
Good news everyone! Well, Legend of Mana fans that is… Remember the familiar ‘ring’ command from the last game? The new game, it has been revealed, has that, making it easier for us all to fight those monsters and make our way through obstacles. All you have to do is touch it, and it shall be selected. Just make sure you’re not on a packed commuter train, and you won’t be responsible for the death of your darling character.
OK, spoilers ahead for FF IV, so avert your eyes now if you insist on not knowing these secrets…
1) In one of the stages, given you and your party are there at a certain time, a unique event will take place. (The place name is 試練の山 which roughly means the Mountains of Trial, though you never know how their translators will work that one out.)
2) Due to the above event, you have unlocked a ‘member change’ command – ie. you will now be able to change your members from amongst all the characters just before the final boss.
3) 試練の洞窟 (the Cave of Trials) is a new level added specifically to this game where you may get a legendary weapon.
4)The extras include the ability to listen to all music available in-game, and of course, have a bestiary of all monsters encountered… oh, and the rather good ability of being able to check up on certain bosses.
5) 4 new sub-characters: Gilbert (bard), Yan (monk), Tera (wizard) and Sid (the main character’s dad). Want to see their pics? Go here, scroll to the bottom (in order of top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right).
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11.17.05
Posted in Japanese, News at 5:01 am by yuka
According to this article, Revolution will come with an age limit…. well, that’s what Nintendo America said. Each game disc will come with an ESRB rating (in the US at least), and the parents will be able to password the console itself. Because the age limit in each country differs (with Jap kids being entitled to play quite a bit more than their contemporaries due to lax regulations, the number of games available notwithstanding), their statement that every Revolution console will have this ability draws considerable interest.
Perhaps Jack Thompson can update his ‘reasoning’ behind that diatribe.
Obviously though, sneaky clever kids will just find out those passwords and play on regardless. Surely the simple fact that such an age limit function exists (or will exist) is enough to put to rest those hideous accusation made against Japanese governments and gaming communities alike.
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11.16.05
Posted in Japanese, News, Online gaming at 5:42 am by yuka
Nintendo has now officially confirmed 1st December would be the start of the DS downloading service (official site has a list of participating stores around Japan, according to region). The first two downloadable games (as a kind of try out) will be Mario Kart DS and a Dragon Quest related game involving Slimes (something that, unlike Puyo Puyo might never make it outside Japan) which will be slightly different from the shop-bought version.
Meanwhile Square Enix has denied that the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series will be distributed by Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Revolution… as in, they’re currently undecided, and they further promised that any updates will be made as an official statement rather than a rumour.
For a screenshot of the forthcoming Mario and Luigi RPG 2, try here. According to this Famitsu site, the Baby versions of both brothers will feature as an integrable part of the game, though in some instances, grown-ups and babies can move independently of each other.
For those of us still without a DS, Super Donkey Kong 3 is due out also on 1st Dec. on the GBA/sp, playable by up to two people, and costing around £19. Seems like the others – pretty much platform style, ‘get the bananas/coins’, but introduces a new character amongst the familiar ones – Dinky Kong (a baby Kong). For screenshots, moves, and the main character line up, check out the official site.
Guild Wars is set to open on 27th Jan. (’06) in Japan. Although the Famitsu site states that this announcement was made on 24th Dec. ‘05, since that date has yet to reach on any calendar I can get hold of, I’ll be assuming it was made on 24th Oct. Here’s the official site, and NC Japan’s always on the look-out for recruits (be it GMs or marketing), so if anyone fancies a chance whilst living in the Tokyo area and can speak English fairly well, send your info in to this address. If only the GM jobs could be done from home, eh? (I’m not prepared to move for the sake of being able to play a game and get paid for it… how many of us are?)
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11.11.05
Posted in Online gaming, UK at 10:21 am by yuka
…can be had within the Online gaming communities. Just now, I was playing WoW and happened to be in Wetlands, where the Arathor server community had come to a heated discussion on ’spamming’. The meaning of which is ambiguous at best in such communities, it also includes advertisements for recruitment to one’s own guild. A good point raised was that everyone who advertises emphasises that their guild are friendly, and will always be there to help with certain difficult quests for lower levels. The discussion raged upon the very statement of these.
I added that once I did belong to one guild which promised all these things, and yes, with my higher level alt., I was constantly helping some lower level players achieve certain quests. Problem being that sadly, due to this, my own quests were suffering – I didn’t even have time for them due to other players needing help all the time. But then, says another player, what can I do to recruit other players? Valid point. Guild Wars, I believe, has a similar problem. In general chat in cities, players are constantly looking for new members for their guild. And so, we come back to the problem of ’spamming’.
One suggestion that another player and I came up with, was to have a different channel for such recruitment notices. After all, WoW has four channels so far (General, Trade, Local Defense and Looking For Group). This suggestion has already been made to a GM, so now we can hope that some semblance of organisation regarding channel usage can be made.
Players are also fickle. ‘Down-time’ (when the servers are for some unaccountable reason ‘down’) causes much frustration, especially on a weekend. If no message as to updates has been posted, woe betide the company who runs the game. So far Blizzard has come a long way in their treatment of customers (despite the on-going argument of French/US servers getting preferential treatment), and so when there was a spectacular amount of ‘down-time’, European players were treated to two days free online gaming.
As nice as that was, I can’t help thinking the rewards could’ve been better. For example, a free epic item mailed direct to you, which you can choose to auction, disenchant or use (of course, not universally, but enough that word gets round); a free pet (be it cat, parrot, whelping or a murloc baby)… after all these things do not cost much at all to Blizzard (in real terms).
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