Japanese Mobile phone gaming (Original title - 5 reasons why I don't need PSP)

As you all know Japanese mobile phones are years ahead of the west but do you know how much ahead? Well, lets just say that they are good enough for games that I don't need to look like an otaku playing a DS or PSP on the train. Yep, mobile phones can produce graphics just as good if not sometimes better than the Saturn and PSX. Just take a look at some of my current fave games that only cost 535 yen each. The pictures shown below are taken direct from the phone using the TV out. The images are stretched to make them bigger which results in the crappy quality. These images don't do any of the games justice.


E - RACER

This futuristic racer is probably best described as a cross between F-Zero on the N64 and wipeout. There are many modes of play and options galore which isn't common for a mobile phone game. The game even has 3D quality levels being low, normal and high. there determine how far the draw distance is. On my phone all 3 run at a very smooth 30fps but I guess older phones need to use the low draw distance option which to be honest still looks shit hot and better than anything seen on the Nintendo DS so far.

Playability wise this is a great title ! So easy to get in to with all buttons laid out pretty well on the number pad. The D-Pad is for movement while back on the D-Pad or the number 8 button controls the brake (acceleration is automatic) Push up on the D-Pad to fire your weapons. The 0 button is the camera view.

E- Racer is a very sleek and challenging racer that EVERY racing fan should own !










BURNING FORTRESS - Will be shown on Retro Core 14

Ever wondered what it would be like to play a full on 2.5D shooter on a hand held? Well here's your chance. The images really don't do this game any justice at all. The whole game runs pretty smooth unless it's packed full of bullets and I'm talking maze type formations here !! But at that time you'll be thankful for the slowdown. Tones of graphical effects such as transparencies and so on as well as EVERY ship in the game being really 3D polygon generated. Just take a look at the intro boss ship ! The detail on that is amazing yet runs super smooth. With 6 levels you'd expect Burning Fortress to last a while but sadly those unlimited continues will have you finishing it in a day. Still some great tunes and sound effect there.








KASHIRA MOJI D - INITIAL D - Shown on Retro Core 9

One of the first 3D games I got for my phone in February 2005. Back then I thought it was the best thing ever but these days it does look a bit sad. The screen size is pretty small and textures are a bit limited but still it moves at a nice 25fps. The controls are too sensitive at times though making cornering quite a task at first. Modes of play include battle mode, training and replay modes.






GUNDAM 3D BATTLE IN SPACE Shown on Retro Core 12

Made by the same company that made Burning Fortress, Gundam Battle in Space is a very nice addition to the mobile phone games catalogue. Basically you get in to your Mobile Suit and head off in to space to kick arse ! Graphics are very nice with some very impressive shading and lighting. At times when there are a few battle cursers on the screen blowing up the action will slowdown with the frame rate dropping pretty low but for the most part everything runs along very smoothly. Some great presentation here too with nice cut scenes between each level. My only grumble is that some of the levels go on for too long. Still, its going to keep you going for quite some time. Once you complete the game you can then choose between 4 different robots










VALIS Shown on Retro Core 10

I always thought that there would never be a solid action platformer for my phone but was I sure proven wrong when this game along. The game is full of scaling, rotation, sprite distortion and transparencies but of course they don't make the game fun to play. Thankfully this game is a dream. Very smooth and fast. Controls are easy to use surprisingly with either the D-Pad or number key buttons used for swinging your sword or magic.

Throughout the levels you can pick up power ups and new costumes. There are 5 in total that I've found (4 shown below) plus you can buy more on line such as a nurses outfit. A total of 8 levels (form what I remember) with enough variety to keep you coming back for more. Far more impressive than the early 16 bit Valis games !









Yakumo

 

I didn't buy my cell phone to play videogames, I bought it to call people. If I want to play videogames while I'm traveling, I'll use my Gameboy. Simple as that.

 

Very nice. Stunning in fact. Valis looks yummy.

How was HotD by the way, I remember you getting excited over it?

If anything I've gone completely the other way though..Game and Watch for me on the trains (on the GBA though). Gotta love em.

 

Alien Workshop, why are you always such a downer? You better watch your sarcasm Mister. I've been watching you ! hahaha.

Yes, of course I use my phone for calling people but why take a shit load of items with you on your travels to work or where ever when 1 will do all? I'm talking, phone, internet, email, TV, video, MP4, Digital Camera, Video Camera, impressive game hardware, TV remote (never use that), navigation GPS and God knows what else. I sense a bit of jealousy there. The point of this thread is to show how fast mobile phone gaming is progressing NOT to say, hey, look at my phone.

Yakumo

 

Boy, I wish cellphones were like that over here. If it were so, I'd be a happy camper.

Awesome looking games. Not too sure on the control comfort, but other than that, awesome.

 

House Of The Dead was great ! The motion sensor mode was a bit hard to use though so I just played with the D-Pad. Sadly Sega games need the license renewed every month which means another 300 yen to them. BLOODY RIP OFF !! So now I don't down load any Sega stuff.

Surprisingly it's quite comfortable to play all the games I have apart from Initial D. That's far too sensitive meaning you wreck your thumb on the D-pad.

Yakumo

 

Oh my ...

That shooter and Valis look awesome on that phone the graphic on E-racer reminds me of the N64 with its blurry 3D graphics, maybe it is just the screen.

Man, I envy you, I would love to have a phone like that and the games... In europe we have N-Gage which is in all fairness... CRAP!!! One of my mate bought one I tried it and it's CRAP...

But then I got my PSP so I'm not that jealous, only for Valis!!!

But we're getting Ys 6 in english so...

Sabre

 

:smt023

It is amazing how technology has/is progressing so quickly

Who know`s what will happen in another 20 years!

 

The reason I am not going to buy them is because of money and time. I don't have any of them to spend on any of these things.

 

I've got issues.

Yes, yes, it's awesome and neat and cool. But seriously, for minimalists like myself, I don't want to pay tons of money for all those features, so I got the simplest phone I could get. I don't customize it with special ring tones and backgrounds. I don't chat on it. I don't listen to music with it. I don take pictures with it, and I don't play games on it. I just don't see the need for all that stuff. A good phone and PDA will suit me just fine.

I don't travel a lot either, so that might be a reason too.

 

When I was in japan, I whacked my phone with as many cave shooters and rpgs as humanly possible. I was on the Docomo deal and even picked up the FFVIIAC phone before I left - so I can pretend to be cloud/gackt. I loved my phone - battery kicks the ds and psp firmly, text scan feature was kinda cool and it made the appearence that I was quite cool. I only ever saw early teens and younger playing their ds/psp in public in Japan. So keitai is the answer, I'm not seeing the future of a device that only does portable gaming in the future. Look as the psp - its not really about the games any more.

 

Dammit, Yakumo, and here I was all excited to just have gotten a cameraphone that takes 640x480 pictures and can play Pac-Man and Magical Drop II. :smt043

It's still amazing how far ahead of western phones the Japanese models are, although the gap is nowhere near as huge as it once was. I remember drooling when Castlevania and Gradius were out in Japan, and just a few years later, they're available here! (not on my model, though :angry). And with some of the new handsets offered by Verizon Wireless, the nifty 3d games aren't that far off, either.

Now what you need to get for that phone are some of the Cave shooters - get ESPGaluda, Mushihimesama DX, and Guwange. You know, just so I can live vicariously through you.

 

Quite a few of those games are (now) Symbian 60 (Gundam I have seen before) so you can play most of those on a Nokia 6600/N-GAGE if you can find them.

Then get an N-GAGE/6600 you get games far above that as has already been stated. It's only the TV/motion tracking they don't have.

I have seen adverts for i.Mode phones on 02, so we might be in for a mini-revolution here.

 

that's quite impressive, but you're not buying (well, imo) a DS because of it's power, but because of the original gameplay it can offer, and because of the compagnies developing on it. And, i may be the only one that still think like that, but great and original game play pwn everything else. And i'm pretty sure that gameplay on cell phones isn't great, nor innovative.

You won't see ''children of mana'' or Castlevania on it anytime soon.

btw, what does ''otaku'' means?

 

Otaku means "Anime Fanboy" doesnt, it?

Speaking of Cell phone games, I want an N-Gage QD instead of a GP2X, now. I have been doing some thinking, and thought WHY I wanted the GP2X, to be more comfortable in playing ROMs, but my computer setup is more comfortable si I am not uncomfortable sitting in a chair than on the floor. They are dirt cheap now, too, and I have wanted Pocket Kingdom for a while.

I have played the Snake game on my old phone. Its fun on the fastest setting if you are absolutely bored to death and have nothing better to do.

 

Damn, those games look sweet. My stupid ass phone has Galaga on it. Sucks as we'll never get to see those games over here.

 

cahaz: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku

 

Does your cellphone have:

Castlevania: Dawn of Souls
Feel the Magic 1/2
Phoenix Wright
Trauma Center
Meteos

etc?


And the PSP! Can your cellphone play dvd quality movies? and...and.... :-(

I kid, I kid

 

I think DS rules for sit at home gameplay. PSP for holidays, flights and long periods without a tv. But for just whip out of your pocket for 5-10 minutes gaming I still carry my Jap phone with me. Great camera, final fantasy (tons of RPGS) and shooters!

As for Otaku thing, I prefer the term Maniac if you're talking about gaming, bit more specific. Otaku is just a little too negative and cliche these days.

 

The only thing I don't like about the cellphones is that the control on the awfully-placed thumbpad = suck

The DS is for me. I got a dictionary, can play GBA games when I want to. When anybody makes a backhanded comment that I may be an otaku, I just say "don't use labels on me."

Seriously, I have had my DS tried out by my co-workers, female students, older ladies, so words like "otaku" are conceptual prisons.