Out West Sega might be better known on a facility level through Gameworks which they used to own but in the Eastern Hemisphere, their Joypolis facilities are where its at. If you are in Tokyo and have both time and money to spend then it looks like the redesigned Joypolis there is worth checking out. Japanese news site 4Gamer has a full look at the place
The facility is an indoor theme park and the redesign gives it a much more futuristic flavor. Roller coaster rides are more than just rides – they are full-fledged arcade games too. As an example their new Veil of Dark ride has some sort of shooting element to it and players can strive to get an S grade. That’s always a neat idea to incentivize repeat play.
They also have a cool Half-Pipe ride where two players stand on a platform with a safety harness keeping them in place. They can control the board using foot pedals which also lets them perform tricks and gain a high score.
Beyond that they have haunted house like attractions, live action stage shows also featuring a holographic CG singer (not Hatsune Mika from Project DIVA Arcade, but “LOPIT Fantastico”), interactive displays that using motion recognition or projected surfaces, food and somewhere in there, an arcade featuring at least their new MaiMai music game.
Overall, it’s certainly a cutting-edge facility that is at the forefront of what Sega could do elsewhere. Whether they will is probably a matter of time and money.
Very cool – I’ve always wanted to go to the Joypolis!