6.01.2014

Toeicl Hero---J-RPG which trains English listening ability


The Japanese English ability is still hopeless. Though we study English for six years in school days, it does not improve at all. This iOS apps may improve this situation to some extent.


Toeicl Hero is English listening e-learning apps of the nostalgic J-RPG style. It reminds of J-RPG of NES era such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. We operate a businessman ordered improvement of the English ability from the company and, fight against monsters by listening various English words and English example sentences.






When we happen to meet monsters, the battle mode such as these unfolds, and the sound of words or example sentences by the native speaker is played. When we answer it correctly, we can attack monsters.




The superior point of this game is very fun as J-RPG. We can listen many English words and example sentences by playing a game naturally. This is right gamification of the English learning.



However, we happen to meet strong boss monsters and may be murdered by them simply because this is a game. This feeling of strain is fun, too. When I play this, I remember the time of the primary schoolchild. I think that this is suitable for not only business people but also children.

5.31.2014

Local super hero of Akita Prefecture cooperates with Acer's tablet

Do you remember Local super hero of Akita Prefecture  "Chōjin Neiger(超神ネイガー: Super-God Neiger)" who plant rice, and became the topic in Twitter last year?

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Local super hero plants rice and scatters popularity on the Internet

He cooperated with companies and groups only in Akita until now, but began the advertising of Acer's tablet "Iconia A1-830"  suddenly. This is the first time that he cooperates with a company except Akita Prefecture. In the first place Acer is a Taiwanese company! :)


Iconia A1-830 is a tablet optimized by e-book service, and most suitable to read e-comics in particular. This cooperates with Japanese e-book service eBookJapan and is called by a nickname called "Mangaroid" in Japan. Comics version of Chōjin Neiger are sold in eBookJapan.

Chōjin Neiger advertises A1-830 and eBookJapan on a funny action video. You may not understand this video. It's natural. Because he speaks a dialect of Akita, even Japanese people except citizens of Akita cannot understand :D



[From Finland to Japan] Supercell starts advertising Clash of Clans on Japanese TV

Supercell advertised Clash of Clans in Shibuya,Tokyo in April.

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Supercell attacks in Shibuya

They attack Japanese TV, too. They produced an original TV commercials in Japan and broadcast them from June 1.


In Japan, TV commercials are still important ad tools and many Japanese mobile games utilize it. When they get about 1~5 million users, they broadcast  TV commercials, and they get more users triggered by it. King is the first foreign mobile game company in Japan that is launching a TV commercials.


The new version that is broadcasted now

Gouta Watanabe of the actor appears for tClash of Clans' first two TV commercials. He plays with characters reproduced in full 3DCG.




Supercell performs further advertisements in Japan from now on. They develop a large-scale advertisements at Yamanote Line, Seibu Railway and around Osaka Umeda Station from June ~ July.


[From Finland to Japan] Rovio uses the unique technique for the Japanese in Angry Birds Epic

Unfortunately Angry Birds has not yet become popular in Japan. It gradually spreads among Japanese players, but has not yet led to a big hit. Therefore Rovio Japan started original development only in Japan for the Japanese players acquisition in Angry Birds Epic.





At first they opened an official site of Angry Birds Epic of the Japanese version. The summaries of Angry Birds Epic are explained in Japanese in detail here. Japanese is natural, and there are not mistakes and the unnaturalness that overseas games have.


Furthermore, they appeal to Japanese players to pre-registration here. Special item "Ronin" is presented to players who pre-registered. This is general technique in the Japanese mobile/social game industry. Now, it is not unusual for tens of thousands of players to gather at a stage of the pre-registration.


According to the email from Rovio Japan staff, they carry out a pre-registration event only for Japan to have more players play Angry Birds Epic in Japan which is the main market of the RPG. Special item "Ronin" is the upgrading item which is available for the main character Red, and The designer of head office in Finland imagined samurai and designed it. It is Kabuto(兜: helmet of Japanese armor) definitely.


By the way, "Ronin"(浪人) means a samurai with no lord or master in Japanese. And, it means the people who fails the exam now :D
I think Kabuto for simple is better.

5.29.2014

The Japanese personifies everything, even samurai's castles

Fighters, tanks, battleships, weapons... etc, The Japanese personifies everything. DeNA prepares for the mobile game that personified Japanese swords.

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The Japanese personifies everything, even samurai swords

Naturally GREE, a rival of DeNA is opposed to them. What does GREE personify? It's castles of the Middle Ages. Yesterday, they announced that they released new mobile game "Shirohime Quest(城姫クエスト: Castle Princess Quest)" in this summer.


Shirohime Quest is a casual RPG. Players become the lord of a castles, collect castles personified as cute girls, bring them up, and fight against castles of enemies.




It resembles sea fight simulation game Kan-Colle(艦これ) closely. It is not accidental(and not rip off). KADOKAWA, the operator of Kan-Colle participates in the development of this.

Well, the design of characters is the most important in this game. Some of these have been already introduced in official site and they are very interesting. For example...


She is Aizuwakamatsu Castle(会津若松城) located in Aizuwakamatsu-shi, Fukushima. This is a restored castle, but is one of the famous tourist attractions of Fukushima.

via Google Street View


She is Kururi Castle(久留里城) located in Kimitsu-shi, Chiba. It was destroyed in Meiji period, It was maintained as a park, and a part was restored afterwards.


Other characters are here (Japanese)

In fact, the most of Japanese castles were lost in wars. Some were restored, but many sites of castle became parks and the schools. There are a lot of sites of castle which are not left even stone wall. This game has potential unlike other personification contents. These are tourism and "invigorating local communities". If this makes a big hit, fans will go to watch real castles and sites of castles. It leads to activation of the local economy. GREE will expect it, this game has geolocation function such as foursquare and users can get limited virtual goods by check-in.

By the way, its Twitter account introduces comics version of this and the serialization of the novel version is begun with release, too. The cross media development is already active.