rhythm-tengoku
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Nintendo (mostly) owned Japan in 2008
While Nintendo couldn't boast the biggest-selling game in Japan in 2008 -- that honor went to Monster Hunter Portable -- but the company dominated ASCII Media Works' list of the top 30 games of the year. In fact, the entire rest of the top ten is split between DS and Wii titles, as does most of the rest of the list. A few PSP, PS3, and PS2 games pepper the top thirty, but they're the sparse, skinny trees in the grand forest of Nintendo. Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii took the top spots for Nintendo (2 and 3, respectively), while the DS game Rhythm Tengoku Gold snagged the sixth slot, tops for the handheld. Perhaps the best news is that many of the non-Nintendo games have Nintendo versions coming out soon, so next year, the Wii and DS may be even more dominant.At #30? New Super Mario Bros. Yes, still. For the full list, check after the break.
Rumor: Wii Fit 2, Wii Rhythm Heaven on the way
Japanese game magazine Game Labo is sometimes hilariously off base with their wild rumors (like when they had Dragon Quest IX heading to PSP or when they teased a redesigned Wiimote with a rechargeable battery), but sometimes they hit the nail on the head (in the very same issue as the Dragon Quest thing, they scooped everyone on the imminent release of the DS TV Tuner). 1up shared the latest rumors from the magazine, which include a couple of rather half-heartedly masked Nintendo rumors. One, about "Game Company 'N'" and a sequel to "its fitness game 'W'" is pretty clearly about Wii Fit. According to the magazine, a sequel to the megahit exercise game is on the way, adding stretching and massage to the directed activities, and potentially featuring endorsement from a "certain former U.S. Army instructor." Considering that Wii Fit is, like, a cultural institution, we are not surprised at all to hear about a sequel.Also unsurprising, but about five million times more awesome if true, is the rumor that the same Game Company N is working on a Wii version of the DS "Rhythm game 'R'," or Rhythm Tengoku. Since the DS rhythm minigame collection turned out to be a big hit in Japan (and had better be a hit in the US, people), this makes total sense.Also rumored is that Bandai Namco is going to make a ton of Tales games for every platform. Wow, such insider information. We also heard somewhere that EA is working on some games about playing sports. Don't go preordering just yet -- these rumors are just that, rumors, and may just be junk some guy made up. But it's plausible junk!%Gallery-4745%
Items of Import: Rhythm Tengoku Gold
No one should have to burden themselves with waiting for Rhythm Tengoku Gold to arrive Stateside. Aside from the fact that Nintendo of America still hasn't announced a specific release schedule for the game (we're looking at you also, Jam With The Band), any title with rhythm as the main focus of the gameplay lends itself perfectly for importing.Of course, any game you import from Japan has its fair share of unreadable text. From roleplaying games to intense puzzlers, the fear exists that the Japanese language will overwhelm you and make you feel like you wasted precious dollars on an unplayable game. Fear not! For Items of Import is here for you once again -- to guide you through trouble, and to encourage you to start importing. Rhythm Tengoku Gold was just released last week in Japan. With its catchy Tsunku-produced tunes and zany visuals, the game could be your perfect import choice of the month. Show it to all your FPS-loving gamer friends; show them what those crazy Japanese call games these days. With merely a handful of Japanese to conquer compared to those icky RPGs, you'll be enjoying Rhythm Tengoku in no time. And who's going to help you through it all? Why, look what we have here? -- another edition of Items of Import to share, educate, and encourage you to take that step!%Gallery-26615%
Items of Import: Rhythm Tengoku Gold part 2
The final gameplay keyword is the one you see above. Possibly the most important mechanic in the game, flicking the stylus across the touchscreen is used so often in most minigames that it must be mentioned here. As I've written in the Japanese, you'll often find different versions of the "flick" verb, depending on the circumstance at hand. Put simply, "hajiku" is "to flick" literally; and "hajiite" is more like a request to flick -- like, "Please flick the stylus" -- and you will often come across this in the genial tutorial. Here's a handy graphic detailing the three techniques. Number 1 shows "touch," 2 shows "let go" and 3 shows "flick." As can be seen from the flicking image, it's like writing a tick mark quickly. The note for number 3 states: "Flick with a good sense of force. If the flicking distance is short, or there's no momentum, it will not work."A quick explanation of the other modes present in the game is in order! Apart from the 50-odd minigame challenges, there are two areas where more rhythmic fun can be had. First up is the Medal Corner. Each time you gain a "High Level Medal" in a minigame -- by being a Rhythm God, of course -- you are awarded a medal which can then be used to buy little extras: "endless games" where the goal is to get a high score (or die trying) in simple one-notion minigames; "rhythm toys," and so on.The second mode is the Coffee House. This is where you can talk to the barista to gain tips, as well as listen to music and read books you've unlocked through accomplishing perfects. This is meant more to be a time to relax and while away the minutes, just as a nice cafe would. Explore these modes at your own leisure, and you'll surely come across hidden gems.Closing OffContaining only a handful of Japanese words to learn and navigate, and being one of the most inventive rhythm games on the DS, Rhythm Tengoku Gold is a title any keen importer should consider to be on top of his or her list. Don't let those unusual scribbles scare you away -- dare I say it, but you might as well use this little humble column once in awhile to help you on your way! #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } << BACK COMMENT Items of Import is a weekly column dedicated to titles only out in Japan. With in-depth impressions of games long before localization and knowledgeable language how-tos, it attempts to bridge the gap between the import savvy and import fearing. Come on, now! You, too, can make that giant leap! Yokoso!
Rhythm Heaven looks heavenly
Those of you interested in Rhythm Heaven have probably already read JC's impressions jealously -- though if you're neither interested in the game nor spent the time to read about it, shame on you.All you sane-minded folks don't have to be too jealous of "Lucky Dog Fletcher" anymore, though. The video above shows the exact demo that he got to try during E3, only it's in Japanese. Sure, that's not quite the equivalent of playing the game, but it's enough to make us squeal all the same. (We rhymed, so it must be true.)Go on now and watch the video above to see extended play of the Assembly Line, Robot Gallery, and Chorus musical microgames. Gallery: Rhythm Tengoku Gold [Via NeoGAF]
E308: Rhythm Heaven is the best musical microgame collection at the show
Nintendo's E3 offerings included a three-minigame demo of the stealthily-announced U.S. version of Rhythm Tengoku Gold. The games featured are the ones seen in the trailer: Assembly Line, in which two metal squares roll toward the middle of the screen in rhythm as scales play, and you flick upward on the screen to launch a rod through them when the holes in the middle of the squares meet Robot Gallery, in which a newly-assembled robot moves from right to left on a conveyer belt and you have to hold the stylus down at just the right moment to drop the fuel pump and fuel the robot, then release before you overfill it. Chorus involves holding the stylus down until you want the player-controlled singer to join in the chorus with two other singers. You release the stylus to fit with the pattern of the two singers before. Frequently, the chorus leader will instruct everyone to sing out in unison, which I missed every time! These three games were (as far as I know) new to the DS version. Though two out of the three could just as easily have been controlled by buttons, the stylus worked great. Also, even though the game offered a tutorial for the "flicking" motion, it was easy to jump in. I consider the tutorial, then, a freeform minigame about knocking trucks over. %Gallery-26615%
E308: Rhythm Heaven bumped by Cammie Dunaway's wrist
I just came out of an interview with NOA's senior director of corporate communications, Charlie Scibetta. I asked about the noted absence of big games like Kirby Super Star Ultra and Rhythm Heaven, which hadn't even been announced previously, at their big press conference yesterday. From what he told me, the omissions weren't really some kind of strategy, but just part of an effort to keep the show short. "We're showing them here on the show floor. We're pushing those games hard. The short answer to your question as to why they weren't in the press conference is that you only have so much time in a press conference. If we included every single title and did demos of every single the reaction from the people at the press conference would be 'you went a little long.'At least there's no anti-Rhythm Heaven agenda, as speculated by ... probably somebody. Scibetta also said that Nintendo is still committed to the current DS for the foreseeable future:"The DS is also very successful, and in the June NPD data we think that the DS might overtake the Wii as the number one console for the month. It's selling great; we've sold 70 million units of that worldwide. As Reggie said in the press conference, we'll be close to 100 million by the end of the year. You're seeing the creative opportunity for developers. You see Spore, Guitar Hero, and now Grand Theft Auto were just announced for the DS. You see a lot of publishers excited about developing for that platform. And so, to think about cutting that short and moving onto the next console right away, we just don't see a lot of logic in doing that."%Gallery-26615%
Rhythm Heaven (aka Rhythm Tengoku Gold) announced for North America
While apparently not worthy of mention among juggernauts like Cooking Nanny Navi and Chinatown Wars during Nintendo's E3 2008 keynote, Rhythm Heaven was quietly announced on Nintendo's E3 press site today. Rhythm Heaven is, of course, the localized version of Rhythm Tengoku Gold, itself a sequel to one of Nintendo's last and greatest efforts on GBA, which was sadly never released outside of Japan. Today's confirmation (need not import!) included a fact sheet with these few tidbits: Players hold the Nintendo DS system sideways like a book and tap their stylus on the touch screen to the rhythm of the music. Players tap, slide or flick the stylus to hit the right beat. Rhythm Heaven features catchy tunes, charming characters and a wide variety of rhythm games. Well-known Japanese music producer TSUNKU? (pretentious, ain't he?) helped direct Rhythm Heaven and composed the music for it. Rhythm Heaven's release date is currently TBA. %Gallery-27707%
E308: Rhythm Tengoku brings heaven to the U.S.
Forget the keynote! (Well, maybe not Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars). Nintendo just announced on its press site that Rhythm Tengoku is coming to North America! Only, here it will be called Rhythm Heaven instead. As cheesy as the title is, it's only fitting.We suggest now that you hold on those imports. Even though Nintendo didn't give us the satisfaction of a release date, we can't imagine the game taking all that long to head to our shores. To play, you hold the DS sideways and use the stylus to tap, flick, or slide. You can expect Rhythm Heaven to include quirky and charming characters, as well as music from the Japanese composer TSUNKU. Also, make sure to check out new screenshots in our gallery.%Gallery-26615%[Via press kit]
We just noticed: Rhythm Tengoku Gold coming to Japan July 31
So between following things like massive survey leaks and price drop rumors and generally preparing for next week's big trade show, we've been a little preoccupied here at Joystiq's massive, 50-story headquarters. So preoccupied, in fact, that we haven't really been keeping up with the recently-announced sequel to one of our favorite crazy Japanese imports, Rhythm Tengoku.Luckily, our friends over in the DS Fanboy shack have been keeping up with Rhythm Tengoku Gold, which hits Japan in just a few short weeks on July 31. Like the Game Boy Advance original, Gold takes WarioWare style minimalist graphics and simple mini-game-fueled play and adds a much needed sense of rhythm to the proceedings. 1UP has some more details on the new title's 50 toe-tapping tasks, which include "keep[ing] a ping-pong rally going, taking pictures as a cameraman, running a choir by opening and closing your mouth at the right time, dancing with birds, attracting a lizard mate by using your maracas-like tail to shake to the beat," and more. Really, how can you not love a game that includes lizard mating?The chances for a domestic release for this quirky title are probably somewhere between slim and none, so if you're looking for some more rhythm-infused craziness, hit up your favorite importer. You do that while we go back to our reguarly-scheduled pre-E3 madness. Gallery: Rhythm Tengoku Gold
Rhythm Tengoku screenshots, boxart are Gold
It won't be long before you'll have to break open your piggy bank -- Rhythm Tengoku Gold will be out in Japan as soon as July 31st! If you never had a chance to play the original critically-acclaimed rhythm game for the GBA, consider it your mission to import this DS remake later this month.Hit our gallery below for a handful of screenshots from Rhythm Tengoku Gold! They're mostly larger versions of the images shown on Nintendo's fact sheet, but they're still a good preview of how the touchscreen-enabled title will play on the system, book-style. Besides, as this upcoming release shows, the world needs more Rhythm Tengoku.%Gallery-26615%[Thanks, Peter!]
First tiny Rhythm Tengoku media
Yesterday, Nintendo's updated Japanese release schedule revealed that Rhythm Tengoku would be bringing its daft-as-a-brush brand of barmy exuberance to the DS, under the guise of Rhythm Tengoku Gold. Consequently, our dreams last night were filled with dancing monkeys, robotic samurai, and onions with hairy faces in dire need of a good plucking.Today, we awoke to this: a Rhythm Tengoku Gold fact sheet, featuring the same WarioWare-esque art that characterized the GBA game, and the first screens from the DS edition -- you can rhythmically tap your way past the jump for a fuller, bigger version.Incidentally, if you're wondering what all the fuss is about, it's not too late to catch up (though it is rather pricey).
Rhythm Tengoku Gold, Stafy announced, Fire Emblem dated
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Fire_Emblem_Rhythm_Tengoku_Stafy_new_DS_games_for_July'; Nintendo of Japan's July release schedule has some pretty high-profile DS games on it that are total surprises to us. First, on July 10th, Nintendo plans to release a new game in Tose's Densetsu no Stafy platforming series, called Densetsu no Stafy: Taiketsu! Daiiru Kaizoku-dan (Legend of Stafy: Confrontation! Daiiru Pirate Squad). On July 31st, there is a listing for Rhythm Tengoku Gold, which is a sequel to the WarioWare team's amazing GBA rhythm minigame collection, Rhythm Tengoku. According to the announcement posted on the Rhythm Tengoku site, the new game uses the stylus (of course) and features many new rhythm games. Finally, though it doesn't appear on Nintendo's schedule (the August calendar isn't up yet), their page for the Fire Emblem remake now shows a date: August 7. There goes any fear that Nintendo didn't have anything planned for the second half of the year! [Via NeoGAF]
UFO Catcher Tengoku
We still haven't heard word on whether or not Nintendo will ever bring Rhythm Tengoku to the states (Highly unlikely), but Sega has been keeping the rhythm-action title going in Japan with its GBA-to-arcade port and, according to this new find, UFO catchers filled with Rhythm-Tengoku-themed prizes!Provided that you're proficient with maneuvering a claw to pick up crap, you'll be able to win a number of brightly-colored, long-sleeved shirts with the minigame collection's characters screen-printed on them, as well as pillows shaped like Rhythm Tengoku's iconic, hairy onions. Click the link below to the beat, and check out more photos of the vending machine goodies past the post break.
Rhythm Tengoku taunts us even more
Rhythm Tengoku, the Game Boy Advance rhythm-minigame collection from the Wario Ware team, is headed to the arcade as a collaboration between Nintendo and Sega. And as an arcade game, it's even less likely to come to the US.Rhythm Tengoku is a collection of weird minigames in the same style as Wario Ware, but all involving performing exceedingly random tasks in time with music. It appears to contain the same minigames as the original, with some new stages, as well as the welcome addition of simultaneous 2-player.If this arcade game comes out somewhere we can play it, we'll take back every bad thing we ever said about minigames and recent Sega games. We'd also take a localized version of the GBA game. We're simple folks.
