JAEPO 2014 update
For those -like myself- who have difficulties reading in Japanese, the link above has an answer sheet. The top two are Sega and NAMCOBANDAI. Yes it really is that big. Sega has a long history of being arcade champions. In fact, even though their console sales have dropped, they have continued to do well with arcade.
Another thing that is really surprising is the Gundam Arcade games. Using similar controls to Virtual On, the Gundam games are getting a new version this year. They will be stand up arcade games, and not the incredibly expensive pod games. This is both a win and a loss since the game is about immersion, but it costs a lot to play. Not only that, Konami is bringing in a new Mech Game based on similar controls.
Ultra Street Figher IV was announced in a big event at the show. Unlike events like E3, the shows are done at the show itself, and not at a private event. So attendees are milling around as the event for each big game is made. The people making the announcement know this, so they try to go as over the top as possible. Hence the guy with the wig, and the cute girl. If they can get people to stop and watch, they win. The link goes to a recording of the event itself.
Another interesting thing is how many games being displayed will end up on consoles. Dead or Alive 5, Ultra Street Figther IV, and others are all heading to a console soon enough, but first they will be displayed on an arcade. Not only that, games for ipods, and ipads will be going arcade first. Think about the giant touch screen, with cool controls. One of the odd parts is that the game may have completely different controls for the arcade, than if it was for the iPad.
Many of the games seem to be using older technology. This doesn’t mean that they are, it means that there is an apparent stylistic choice in the graphics, and it is older. Let’s take Super Alpine Racer, It has updated graphics, but everything has an older more PS2 era feel to it. One of the reasons why is that the load times for these games will be lower with the graphics like this. Another is that the game feels more like an arcade game. The companies charge a lot for their arcade units, and improving the graphics would be nice, but may take away from the gameplay itself.
Along with arcade games, there was also arcade equipment for sale.
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| Slightly better than the LS-58 |
For more sources on the info, check out Arcade Heroes Part 1 and Part 2. They are part of the DNA arcade organization. The show was only two days long, and showed many games. This has been the best update I can give for the event. I hope that the next big event, I can find more sources, and pictures sooner.
