Japan Update: WMMT4 news, Japanese Arcade Operator Interview, Western Games in Japan

News for the West has been pretty slow lately although soon I expect the announcement on Big Buck HD so there will be that. But in the meantime here are some other items sent via The Stinger Report our way.

Newsfeeds 1203 & 1204

For fans of Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 4, there is a software update on its way. Update 1.5 adds two courses that were popular on WMMT3DX+, Nagoya and Hakone, for those interested in the details, visit this page. Still nothing about a Western release though so fans will have to continue to keep tabs on imports most likely.

Next up is an interview with a Japanese arcade operator of a venue that in the 90s gained notoriety as they were located close to an office of a game magazine that was around at the time. The place looks like it could use a little work in regards to the building, although I know that the expense on that is something that is not always available to operators on tight budgets. Looks like a place that has created memories for many a gamer over the years. We have to read through the lens of a translator but you still can get the general idea, here @ Nifty.com.

AM-Net has posted some news about some game releases there – Sega Card Gen MLB 2012 is coming out in mid-June and they also have noted that a couple of games from here in the West are showing up in Japan, in particular LAI’s Speed of Light and Raw Thrills’ Terminator Salvation Super Deluxe. There also has been news of ReRave landing in the Phillipines, South Korea, and Singapore recently. According to that page it might be in Brazil as well, perhaps I will see one there on my next trip down. I just find this interesting as it is the flipside of what we generally go through here, seeing many Eastern games that we never get a chance to play. Of course there are still plenty of games us Westerners would love to get our hands on at one point (I keep getting emails or messages about Sega’s Border Break, no joke) but patience is certainly something we have to practice in this regard.