Welcome to the second day of JAEPO 2017. Today is heavy on the video so take that as a warning in the event that your connection is running slow (like mine has been today, making the creation of this post time consuming).
Attack on Titan Team Battle (Capcom)
Unveiled last year, Capcom has built upon that anticipation for the Attack On Titan arcade game with a pretty impressive booth display. Details on this one were released a short time ago, showing unique analog controllers and cel-shaded graphics that try and mimic the look of the anime. Official site for the game is here; and here is a video showing it in action:
JAEPO初日が終了しました！いよいよ明日から一般デーです！
皆様ご来場してください！！
この後19時よりニコ生です。
【カプコンAC公式】JAEPO2017一般日直前！カプコンブースの見どころ紹介！https://t.co/O7kUGLeWiE#進撃AC #JAEPO pic.twitter.com/mtWID4BKhB— 進撃の巨人 TEAM BATTLE 公式 (@Shingeki_CAPCOM) February 10, 2017
Bombergirl (Konami)
This was the big news yesterday and now here it is in motion. The graphics are colorful (Blue, Blue skies bright) and I like the dual screen setup although the top does seem to be more for people watching than for the player. The levels are larger than what I normally think of when I think Bomberman although I have not played any of the recent BM releases.
More From Konami
Konami has had a strong presence at the show, in part thanks to their 6th KAC competition. Bemanistyle is there to check out the various music games that they brought; 4Gamer has a video showing the latest build of their piano playing game Nostalgia, which also had appeared at JAEPO 2016 but in a somewhat different cabinet.
VR Zone Project iCan (Namco)
As our JAEPO preview had mentioned, this JAEPO was going to be heavy on VR. That was certainly true at the Namco booth, given their VR Zone features multiple VR games instead of limiting it to one.
VR Skiing with a motion feedback platform (that would work without the HMD to create a neat effect too)
Namco’s plank concept, with appropriate safety harness and benefitting from not raising the platform off the ground
Namco has additional plans for this VR Zone concept, as shown by this video release just before posting:
VR Sense (Koei Tecmo)
Mentioned before the show started was Koei Tecmo’s VR arcade pod, the VR Sense. This is a “5D” style experience that blends several effects together to build on the VR experience but in a way that public amusement can benefit from (i.e., the user doesn’t have to buy each effect separately to play a particular game). I’m sure operators will pay out the nose to get one of these PS4Pro/PSVR powered units while users will be able to enjoy the games for a small fee. Game Watch has some details on this one as seen at JAEPO.
Omni Arena (Unis)
I wondered if Universal Space might bring this to Japanese shores and here we see that they did. If you missed this, it was on display with 5 stations at IAAPA 2016 where I got a chance to give it a spin. It uses an omni-directional treadmill plus a harness, allowing you to walk or run in place as opposed to using a controller or limited space to move yourself around in a first-person VR environment:
NESiCAxLIVe 2 Games
Taito is re-launching their digital arcade distribution system and with that we get new games – just fighters have been announced so far. This platform looks to improve on the first NESiCA, offering all titles in “Full HD” (usually means 1080p, unless the devs pull a fast one). If I were an operator in Japan I would like some variety for something like this but they are probably focusing on the kind of games that were played the most the first time around. Since we’re still seeing some remakes and classic revivals, I would personally go for a new Elevator Action but more like Returns than Death Parade. I wouldn’t be sad with Volified either, if we were picking.
The King of Fighters XIV Arcade Version – It’s nice that KOF is coming to the arcade as opposed to being ignored – like some other fighting franchises out there still churning out new arcadeless releases. #bitterpill
Million Arthur Arcana Blood – An awkward translation for that title I’m sure but this looks smooth.
Soul Reverse (Sega)
This was mentioned yesterday but now there is video of this arcade RPG in action from the show:
Magician’s Dead (ByKing)
The wizarding battle game Magician’s Dead has been grabbing plenty of headlines in Japan as of late. As you can see from this tweet, the Byking booth featured some live stage entertainment.
対戦相手抽選中！！ pic.twitter.com/287NiUp3fR
— 安田 満 (@mitsuruyasuda) February 11, 2017
Jurassic Park Japanese Edition & The Walking Dead
Jurassic Park Arcade has dominated the US charts since it was released and now the game is making its debut in Japan. Raw Thrills sent us this 3D render of the Japanese version of the game. It sports a 42″ HD monitor and plays exactly the same as the Western version. Raw Thrills does not intend on launching this cabinet in the West.
The recently released The Walking Dead also made a Japanese debut and by this article at 4Gamer.net, it appears to have made a strong impression. There do not appear to be any changes made to the cabinet for this release (as it was with EAG 2017 and the removal of the zombie art in the back). World’s Largest Pac-Man (w/ Galaga upgrade) was also on display
That’s all for now. We’ll keep our eyes open for anything else but I think most everything has been covered at this point. What are your thoughts on what the Japanese side of the business has shown off this weekend?
