Week in Japan: 8-Bit Homages, Afterburners And Car Declines

Japan. What a wonderful place, full of wacky wonders and wacky games. And this week, we have another roundup of wackiness for your discerning tastes, ladies and gentlemen. Here comes the JR Train!

3D Dot Game Heroes Is Awesome
You might have heard of From Software, who have been behind such titles as Otogi and Chromehounds to name a couple of games. Now the Japanese studio is releasing a new title called 3D Dot Game Heroes, an adventure game that is essentially a parody of classic 8-bit games – only in 3D. Familiar characters are rendered using little coloured blocks that create a 3D version of an 8-bit character.

The game is to be released on 5th November, and the marketing campaign looks to play on gamers' memories just as much as the game itself. The trailer below, recently released, makes no bones about shamelessly paying 'homage' to games as Legend of Zelda and others. Watch it for the awesome.



Andriasang has gone to various Tokyo stores and taking snaps of the promotional material within as well, while another site has discovered that even the game's loading screens pay tribute to some classic NES games. Take a looksee, and let's all hope for a European release of this quirky, vaguely plagiaristic title.

Toyota Exec: Driving Games Make Card Unnecessary
Huh? A recent Osaka Mainichi Newspaper editorial discusses the value of the 'date car' – where guys would work real hard to buy a nice ride to pick up chicks, like. Apparently, that's on the way out, and car sales in Japan (just like anywhere else, really) are in decline. The reason? Computer games, of course! People are buying racing sims instead of a real car.

“Guys used to work hard at their job so they could get a stylish, cool car for girls to ride in”, says journo Masahiro Kawaguchi, but more bizarrely is a quote from a Toyota executive that says “Home game machines are no good. Playing something that realistic makes the need for cars disappear”.

Well, okay we can see what the Toyota chap's getting at, but the primary function of a car is to get from point A to point B. Having a cool racing game doesn't necessarily void the necessity of a car. It maybe voids the factor of getting a totally awesome car to pick up chicks, but still. Toyota has a lot of ties in driving games, not least Gran Turismo, which makes the statement all the more odd.

Tip of the hat to Kotaku for the story.

In Other News...

The creator of Bayonetta, Hideki Kamiya, has spoken on Platinum Games' blog about SEGA, and which console game he would personally like to see from the house of Sonic. Shenmue III? Jet Set Radio '3'? Nope – Afterburner Climax. The awesome aero shooter has been a bit hit in arcades, and Kamiya would love to see a home console version. Perhaps Sumo Digital could be up to the job...

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep on the PSP is coming out in Japan on the 9th January, priced at 6090 Yen. That's £40. Don't be shocked at the price – Japan doesn't really have much of an RRP per se, going by the 'perceived value' concept. Hence, games that are likely to sell a ton will likely go for a higher price at retail. The game in question is a prequel of sorts, set years before the first Kingdom Hearts game.

Finally, a new Xbox 360 bundle is on its way, courtesy of Microsoft Japan. Titled the 'Value Pack', you'll get an Elite console, Ace Combat 6 (which performed shockingly well when it was released) and Lost Planet: Colonies for 29,800 Yen (or £198). In Japan, the price of the Xbox 360 Elite on its own is the same price, so essentially buyers are getting two free games. Nice. The console will be sold from the 29th October.