Does the GREE's social race game beat Nintendo?

Do you get tired of Japanese style card battle social games? Then, let's play this.

This is race game application for smartphones/tablets of GREE "Wacky Motors".


GREE released some of "2D" J-stlye social games for a global market. However, this is clearly different from them. This is full 3D and design is not J-style.

Users operates one's character and car, and can do a race in various cities of all parts of the world.
The excellent point of this game is an operation method. This uses the gyro-sensor of the gadget. We can curve a car rightward by leaning a gadget to the right. This operation method resembles an arcade game than a console game.

However, there is the element of J-style social game, too. It is "Gacha". We can get the clothes of a character, and the part of a car by Gacha using the virtual currency earned in the race. The decoration using them is very fun! There are various functions to the parts of the car and can improve the performance of the car by putting them together.

Furthermore, we can make other users and races.

We can earn more virtual currencies when we win the race with other users.

I played this and remembered Nintendo's Mario cart.



Probably, it became such a game if the Mario cart was carrying out smart phone correspondence. However, Nintendo does not do smartphone correspondence to date. Probably GREE aims at next of Nintendo.

SCEJ opened contents platform for smartphones "PlayStation Mobile"

I wrote that only SCEJ had not exhibit the social game for mobile at Tokyo Game Show 2012.

See also:
[Report of Tokyo Game Show 2012] The conqueror of the game market of Japan is a mobile social game

However, they cannot ignore the mobile. Today, they opened contents platform for smartphones "PlayStation Mobile" in Japan.

PlayStation Mobile is contents platform providing the contents such as various application for Android gadget and PlayStation Vita smartphone. Users can use the contents that they purchased from plural correspondence gadgets. SCEJ released 27 game application as an initial offer. Prices are 50yen - 1000yen(about 0.6USD - 13USD).

Big game company which omits the mobile measure at all now became only Nintendo. What do they do?

When Japanese people draws the illustrations of SlipKnoT, they will become like this

I wrote that SlipKnoT held a fan art contest in Japanese illustration social network "pixiv" in July.

See Also:
SlipKnoT holds a UGC contest in a Japanese illustration social network "pixiv"

pixiv announced the winning prize works in the end of last month. They are really cool! The people who drew these are not professional illustrators. However, the works are splendid!

1st prize


2nd prize








prize of Maggots

[Report of Tokyo Game Show 2012] The conqueror of the game market of Japan is a mobile social game

Tokyo game show 2012 was held on September 20 - 23. 220,000 or more people visited there. This is the record-high number of Tokyo Game Show.

There is big characteristic in this Tokyo Game Show. It is a "mobile social game". It became the topic last year that GREE exhibited in Tokyo Game Show. There were very little exhibition of a mobile game and the social game last year. However, the situation changed suddenly in only one year. Every game company releases the mobile social games now. It was only SCE not to have exhibited a mobile social game in Tokyo Game Show2012.

In addition, GREE CEO Tanaka gave keynote speech this year. 

And the GREE booth was huge as ever and was showy. A lot of booth babes, a lot of objects, a lot of stage event etc ... However, the most important thing is that their new mobile social game is full 3DCG. Of course they support a smartphone and are free to play style. They evolve from conventional J-card game.

Furthermore, the booth of gloops was gorgeous, too. The booth of their Tokyo Game Show2011 was.......

But, this year …

They grew rapidly in one year. They run many mobile social games in GREE and Mobage. The net income of Q1 of their this year is 3,097 million yen. Incidentally, the online game company Nexon acquire them for 36,500 million yen today.
See Also: Online Games Giant Nexon Acquires Japanese Mobile Games Developer gloops For $468.4M Cash

The booth was small, but colopl fought hard, too.

They have been considered to be a company of geolocation game for future phone until now. Of course still they achieve big achievements. However, they release the high quality 3D game for smartphones now. They are going to shift to a smartphone.


The existing game company is also obliged to change.

Bushiroad starts social game platform "Bushimo" for smartphones from this winter. One-third of their booths were exhibit space of Bushimo.

SEGA established the subsidiary of the mobile social game speciality.  Quarter of their booth was exhibit space of the game for smartphones.

When Tokyo Game Show2012 is summarized, it is mobile & social. And in Japan, Social game = "play on mobile". For a Japanese, it is a matter of course to play a social game in mobile. Furthermore, it shifts from future phone to a smartphone rapidly. 

I think that the time changed. It is the turning point of the big times now. Tokyo Game Show2012 expressed it.

See Also:

Graphics: How Mobile Games Are Taking Over Tokyo Game Show [Social Games]

If you want to see many photos of Tokyo Game Show2012, please check albums of vsmedia's Facebook page.

Tokyo Station overflows with Namekos

I wrote about popular game application "Nameko Saibai Kit" for smartphones in Japan several times.
See also:
The game application which is the most popular in Japan is a "nameko mushroom"
Japanese popular game apps "Nameko" goes music!
Nameko everywhere

Tokyo Station is filled with them now. I watched them last week while I reported Tokyo game show 2012.

Now, "Nameko Fair" is held now at Tokyo Station. Every official goods of Nameko are sold here.

Nameko transcends a category of the smartphone application, and it is loved by people.

Many people shooted a souvenir photos in the circumference of the Nameko statue.

The commemorative stamp was popular, too. Even if we did not do shopping, we are able to enjoy these.

We can encounter Nameko if lucky.