Nintendo has made it clear that they are seeking to do some things differently in 2016 and part of that strategy is working with their partners like Capcom to bring more Nintendo content to the arcade space. Capcom and Nintendo came together on efforts like Super Mario Bros. Wii World Coins, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom (at least on a hardware level), Luigi Mansion Arcade and now they are testing out Mario Party Fushigi Challenge World in Japan.
The Mario Party Location Test Teaser
Aside from this image above, little else is known about the game at this point. From the cabinet design, it supports up to 6 players and we can assume that it uses a variation of Mario Party 10 that was released for the WiiU. It is setup as what they call a “medal game” in Japan, i.e. their odd variation of redemption which is sort of gambling but only for more medals(tokens) and not prizes.
The aforementioned Super Mario Bros Wii World Coins was a medal game; such games have been converted into ticket redemption titles when they come over to the West, such as with Harpoon Lagoon and the new Ace Angler. Given that these types multiplayer games have been gaining popularity in the West, that does not disqualify the new Mario Party from coming over here at some point. However, that depends on whether or not an interested party like Sega or Bandai Namco would see it as a profitable move. Sega is presently doing that with Nintendo & Capcom’s Luigi Mansion Arcade so it I will not be surprised if this new title at least gets some US location testing done for it at some point.
What are your thoughts on this new game? Would you like to see it outside of Japan?
I believe this game would do well in the arcade sector in the west with it being a super mario game. They could easily convert the game to pay out tickets instead of medals and it be very good for people like myself that haven’t played a mario party game before.
I knew that Nintendo was wanting to expand their business with partners like capcom such as with the smartphone devices but didn’t know the arcade was part of that plan which is great to hear. Something like a splatoon arcade game would be great or other titles like smash bros or star fox for the arcade, especially when a star fox arcade game was going to be made by namco but fell through.
I have not seen any Nintendo fan site mention the arcade part of Nintendo’s plans but it doesn’t seem to be something that they themselves are touting. That is a little odd since they need to show investors how they are making the company profitable but maybe its a part of their grand strategy, somehow.
I have tried to find out who exactly was involved with the Star Fox Arcade project but have had zero luck in getting info on it. There were frame rate issues with the game but that is all that was known about it apart from the flyer. Seems like a good use of the dome screen if Namco continues to pursue that tech.