Interesting new augmented reality arcade game on location test in Japan

Shaggy October 28, 2008 4

Are you up for another unique game? I would be too but like usual this is only in Japan for now although it is a Sega title so perhaps there is a tiny possibility of it being seen elsewhere. The name of the game isn’t clear – the translator says it’s “Metallic-bath-and-low-preservation” which is Japanese for who-knows-what, but despite that the game involves using Lego-like blocks that the player takes and stacks together in front of the monitor and I think that some orange characters on the monitor will then climb up the stack you create to probably reach the top, while avoiding demons. If that is the case then the concept is sort of like the Atari 2600 title Save Mary but with the unique twist in how it is controlled.The only thing I’d be concerned about as an operator are people stealing the blocks so they’d need to be cheap and easy to replace.

This is the sort of thing I have talked about in the past – why limit games to the standard fare of racers and light-gun games when so much more can be done using arcades? Even when it’s gimmicky, it’s still refreshing to see them try new ideas of interactive entertainment.

[Via AM.Net Blog] [Discuss on the Forum]

4 Comments »

  1. neil brimelow October 31, 2008 at 3:10 am - Reply

    man, those blocks would be gone almost instantly, even in arcades in the USA.

    I doubt that the Japanese would have problems with bored teens stealing the blocks.

  2. editor October 31, 2008 at 9:26 pm - Reply

    Different world neil – the Japanese players would complain if someone tried to take them and shame them into putting them back before the arcade operator even knew it.

    I have played a lot and reviewed Japanese arcades and its a different world. Like trying to steel the chairs or pool balls in your favorite bar (best analogy I can think of).

    That compared to the stories I now hear of players going around purposely breaking ‘Street Fighter IV’ machines in America, just because they are so flimsy and so hard to replace!!!

  3. neil brimelow November 1, 2008 at 4:08 am - Reply

    One time my best friend punched a SFII machine so hard that it reset itself! 🙂 That was back in the day though. 🙂

    I do remember dumb ass kids pulling on the controllers that they would break them, not on purpose, just out of stupidity. Usually they pulled down REAL HARD, which screwed up the diagonals as well 🙁

  4. Blaine November 2, 2008 at 8:33 pm - Reply

    Seems like Japanese game developers are really starting to embrace the augmented reality games.

    There’s even a AR maid figures:

    http://blog.gamersweb.it/post/1207019526/Tokyo+Game+Show+2008%3A+3D+Figure+Alice+-+Augmented+reality++maid#more

    which I was considering buying until I noticed it was almost $100.

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