Krystal Jade
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listen everyone,
open this link, https://nds.gamezone.com/news/12_16_05_04_31PM.htm
Okay, so you see that this Laura is one of the people who work at Bandai right, now read the statement (or read below). It's long, but worth it
If the link doesn't work, here is the article: (I'll bold the importants)
The Return of the One That Started it All: “Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop” Coming to the Nintendo DS
by Louis Bedigian
“It's really a very quirky game in the same way that Parappa the Rapper was quirky and took everyone by surprise.”
"The first Tamagotchi was introduced in 1997 and they sold about 14 million units worldwide,” said Laura Yoshioka, Product Manager at Bandai Games. “It launched the whole virtual pet genre in the toy industry. Bandai was obviously the leading company with that.”
How could anyone possibly forget the enormous popularity of the world’s first virtual pet? They were small enough to stick in your pocket but demanding to the point where some never stowed. “I can’t go out now, I’ve got to attend to my pet!” was the reaction a few obsessed fans gave. Crazy as it seems, Tamagotchi was a phenomenon that left a lasting mark.
Laura continued: “In 2004 we decided to re-launch the franchise. This time it was called Tamagotchi Connection. The Connection denotes that the Tamagotchi were able to communicate between your virtual pets. And that was through an infrared connection.
“In 2004 Version One was shipped. We've actually shipped about four million pieces of the Tamagotchi Connections toys. Version Two shipped in [the summer of 2005], June or July. Version Three will be shipping in February.The franchise is going great, it's on numerous Hot Toys lists for the Holidays, and there's all kinds of things happening in the Spring of 2006. There's Version Three of the toy, there's cell phone content (the original Tamagotchi is going to be available on various mobile carriers), and obviously the reason we're talking today is to talk about the video game.
********If you wanna, scroll down alot for the next and last bold sentence
************************
“We're very excited about it. It's getting a ton of interest from retailers and it's also been doing pretty well with the press. It's for the Nintendo DS. It's scheduled for a January 31st release."
Playing Shop
Enrica Maria, Co-Producer, had a few things to say about the game. "It's a little different from the traditional Tamagotchi in which you raise your character. For this game you'll be partnering up with one of three characters and you'll be running a shop. Basically the shops are a collection of mini-games and you will try to meet the requests of the customers that come in. For example you'll have a florist or a bakery and they'll ask you to create certain cakes and certain flower arrangements. One of the features you'll notice is that this was created by the developers of Parappa the Rapper. Some of the mini-games follow that characteristic."
Laura Yoshioka: “One of the mini-games is like a theatre or a club. Using the stylus and the touch screen on the DS you have to hit the instruments at the same time as they appear on the touch screen. It has a very similar feel to the quirky nature of Parappa the Rapper. The art style is similar too, which suits the theme of Tamagotchi. It's very cute, very addictive gameplay. I think there are nine total and two additional ways you can combine them. Some of the other different types of shops there include a dentist, which is very cute, you have to drill cavities and remove bacteria and decorate the Tamagotchi's teeth. You can color them in pink. It's very interesting.
“Another one is laundry: you'll have to clean your customer's clothes and do ironing and get all the wrinkles out. You have to keep your customer happy while they're in the hot tub. One of my favorites is kind of a salon. The Tamagotchi comes in and their face is all messed up – their eyes are out of place, they're missing eyebrows, and they may have blemishes on their face. So you have to put their face in the right order and make them look normal again. You can accessories, things like that. It's really a very quirky game in the same way that Parappa the Rapper was quirky and took everyone by surprise. This game has a lot of the same kind of elements that Parappa did.
“And to bring it back in to the Tamagotchi franchise, when you meet your customers' needs successfully, you earn Gotchi coins, which is the currency in the world of Tamagotchi. With Gotchi coins you can customize your Tamagotchi. You can buy wallpaper, and get the snacks, things like that -- same as you would in your Tamagotchi toy.”
Demo Time
Enrica Maria: “Another unique feature is that you can distribute a demo of the game to other DS systems. Four people at once. Your friends will have the option to play the game as much as they want until they turn off their DS."
Laura Yoshioka: "The other thing is, as you collect items and different things, you can send them as gifts to your friends who also have the game.
“We’ve sold about 830,000 units in Japan. I don’t know how familiar with sell-through in Japan, but that’s a huge number for this year. We should hit about a million units by the end of the year.
“I think a lot of the reason for that is the amount of software on the DS, and also the market for the DS with Nintendogs they really tapped into a whole other market with girls. I think this game will appeal to gamers that are interested in games that have a more quirky element to them. This game uses the touch screen really well. Also it will appeal to the fans of Nintendogs.
"The game is very, very cute. You know how Parappa has that very unique art style with the 2D, colorful characters. The Tamagotchi style has very cute music, a very...I guess I don't know what you'd call the art style, but it has that same Parappa feel to it. The music and the voice-overs, this game is voiced but not in human voices."
“We’ve been calling it a simulation but it really doesn’t do it justice. The touch screen creates this whole other genre that it’s really difficult to put it into a category of its own right. I guess it’s the Nintendogs category [laughs]. It’s a simulation but you don’t have to spend hours and hours on it. It’s really a game you can pick up for 10 minutes and have a load of fun. You don’t necessarily lose anything by spending only 10 minutes with it. But you could spend a longer time with it and have a lot of fun.
“I mentioned the Gotchi points that you earn if you keep the customers happy. What happens is you have four levels of stores. You start out with the lowest level of the dentist store which equates to the smallest. As you’re successful you start to expand. And as you expand that level you have the option to expand two stores. You can have a dentist and a salon in the same store.”
"Another thing that's happening next year is there's a new Web site launching called TamaTown.com. We're looking at the company to create an interactive world where Tamagotchi fans can go and interact with their own Tamagotchi. That should be launching in the middle of January.” (Note from me, KJSB, for v3s)
Exchange Rate: Qs for As
You keep mentioning Parappa. Is there a story behind why these guys jumped from a music/rap game to Tamagotchi?
Laura Yoshioka: Bandai I guess probably asked them. I don’t have an official answer for you, but we will get back to you on that one.
[Look for an interview with Parappa and Tamagotchi developer NaNaOnSha on GameZone Online in the near future]
Is there an end to this game? Some games along these lines you can play forever. Is there an actual end goal that you can reach?
LY: Not really. It’s not that kind of game.
How do you apply makeup and treat cavities? Do you draw on the touch screen?
LY: What happens is there are little menus you can pull out using the stylus. And then you select options using your stylus. You use them to go into the main image and treat the cavities, for example. On the dentist mini-game you select the drill and then use the stylus to touch the tooth that’s infected and drill the area. Then you go back and select the toothbrush to clean it off.
How will that compare with cake decorating? Do you draw the frosting on the screen?
LY: I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily drawing because there are certain things you have to do to accomplish the task. It’s not like you have complete free reign as to where you treat the cavity. The tooth has a cross on it that indicates where you’re supposed to drill.
In the salon what happens is that on the top screen there’s a picture of how the Tamagotchi is supposed to look. On the bottom screen the face is all jumbled up. His nose will be on top of his head and his eyes will be on his chin, things like that. You use the stylus to drag the items into the correct place. Then you pull out the menus to select the accessories that you need. There will be different types of eyelashes that you have to match, or a different hat, things like that. You select them and then it’s sort of like a drag-and-drop.
Thanks to everyone at Bandai and Kohnke Communications for having a wonderful conference call.
V3s ARE COMING! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KJSB
open this link, https://nds.gamezone.com/news/12_16_05_04_31PM.htm
Okay, so you see that this Laura is one of the people who work at Bandai right, now read the statement (or read below). It's long, but worth it
If the link doesn't work, here is the article: (I'll bold the importants)
The Return of the One That Started it All: “Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop” Coming to the Nintendo DS
by Louis Bedigian
“It's really a very quirky game in the same way that Parappa the Rapper was quirky and took everyone by surprise.”
"The first Tamagotchi was introduced in 1997 and they sold about 14 million units worldwide,” said Laura Yoshioka, Product Manager at Bandai Games. “It launched the whole virtual pet genre in the toy industry. Bandai was obviously the leading company with that.”
How could anyone possibly forget the enormous popularity of the world’s first virtual pet? They were small enough to stick in your pocket but demanding to the point where some never stowed. “I can’t go out now, I’ve got to attend to my pet!” was the reaction a few obsessed fans gave. Crazy as it seems, Tamagotchi was a phenomenon that left a lasting mark.
Laura continued: “In 2004 we decided to re-launch the franchise. This time it was called Tamagotchi Connection. The Connection denotes that the Tamagotchi were able to communicate between your virtual pets. And that was through an infrared connection.
“In 2004 Version One was shipped. We've actually shipped about four million pieces of the Tamagotchi Connections toys. Version Two shipped in [the summer of 2005], June or July. Version Three will be shipping in February.The franchise is going great, it's on numerous Hot Toys lists for the Holidays, and there's all kinds of things happening in the Spring of 2006. There's Version Three of the toy, there's cell phone content (the original Tamagotchi is going to be available on various mobile carriers), and obviously the reason we're talking today is to talk about the video game.
********If you wanna, scroll down alot for the next and last bold sentence
************************“We're very excited about it. It's getting a ton of interest from retailers and it's also been doing pretty well with the press. It's for the Nintendo DS. It's scheduled for a January 31st release."
Playing Shop
Enrica Maria, Co-Producer, had a few things to say about the game. "It's a little different from the traditional Tamagotchi in which you raise your character. For this game you'll be partnering up with one of three characters and you'll be running a shop. Basically the shops are a collection of mini-games and you will try to meet the requests of the customers that come in. For example you'll have a florist or a bakery and they'll ask you to create certain cakes and certain flower arrangements. One of the features you'll notice is that this was created by the developers of Parappa the Rapper. Some of the mini-games follow that characteristic."
Laura Yoshioka: “One of the mini-games is like a theatre or a club. Using the stylus and the touch screen on the DS you have to hit the instruments at the same time as they appear on the touch screen. It has a very similar feel to the quirky nature of Parappa the Rapper. The art style is similar too, which suits the theme of Tamagotchi. It's very cute, very addictive gameplay. I think there are nine total and two additional ways you can combine them. Some of the other different types of shops there include a dentist, which is very cute, you have to drill cavities and remove bacteria and decorate the Tamagotchi's teeth. You can color them in pink. It's very interesting.
“Another one is laundry: you'll have to clean your customer's clothes and do ironing and get all the wrinkles out. You have to keep your customer happy while they're in the hot tub. One of my favorites is kind of a salon. The Tamagotchi comes in and their face is all messed up – their eyes are out of place, they're missing eyebrows, and they may have blemishes on their face. So you have to put their face in the right order and make them look normal again. You can accessories, things like that. It's really a very quirky game in the same way that Parappa the Rapper was quirky and took everyone by surprise. This game has a lot of the same kind of elements that Parappa did.
“And to bring it back in to the Tamagotchi franchise, when you meet your customers' needs successfully, you earn Gotchi coins, which is the currency in the world of Tamagotchi. With Gotchi coins you can customize your Tamagotchi. You can buy wallpaper, and get the snacks, things like that -- same as you would in your Tamagotchi toy.”
Demo Time
Enrica Maria: “Another unique feature is that you can distribute a demo of the game to other DS systems. Four people at once. Your friends will have the option to play the game as much as they want until they turn off their DS."
Laura Yoshioka: "The other thing is, as you collect items and different things, you can send them as gifts to your friends who also have the game.
“We’ve sold about 830,000 units in Japan. I don’t know how familiar with sell-through in Japan, but that’s a huge number for this year. We should hit about a million units by the end of the year.
“I think a lot of the reason for that is the amount of software on the DS, and also the market for the DS with Nintendogs they really tapped into a whole other market with girls. I think this game will appeal to gamers that are interested in games that have a more quirky element to them. This game uses the touch screen really well. Also it will appeal to the fans of Nintendogs.
"The game is very, very cute. You know how Parappa has that very unique art style with the 2D, colorful characters. The Tamagotchi style has very cute music, a very...I guess I don't know what you'd call the art style, but it has that same Parappa feel to it. The music and the voice-overs, this game is voiced but not in human voices."
“We’ve been calling it a simulation but it really doesn’t do it justice. The touch screen creates this whole other genre that it’s really difficult to put it into a category of its own right. I guess it’s the Nintendogs category [laughs]. It’s a simulation but you don’t have to spend hours and hours on it. It’s really a game you can pick up for 10 minutes and have a load of fun. You don’t necessarily lose anything by spending only 10 minutes with it. But you could spend a longer time with it and have a lot of fun.
“I mentioned the Gotchi points that you earn if you keep the customers happy. What happens is you have four levels of stores. You start out with the lowest level of the dentist store which equates to the smallest. As you’re successful you start to expand. And as you expand that level you have the option to expand two stores. You can have a dentist and a salon in the same store.”
"Another thing that's happening next year is there's a new Web site launching called TamaTown.com. We're looking at the company to create an interactive world where Tamagotchi fans can go and interact with their own Tamagotchi. That should be launching in the middle of January.” (Note from me, KJSB, for v3s)
Exchange Rate: Qs for As
You keep mentioning Parappa. Is there a story behind why these guys jumped from a music/rap game to Tamagotchi?
Laura Yoshioka: Bandai I guess probably asked them. I don’t have an official answer for you, but we will get back to you on that one.
[Look for an interview with Parappa and Tamagotchi developer NaNaOnSha on GameZone Online in the near future]
Is there an end to this game? Some games along these lines you can play forever. Is there an actual end goal that you can reach?
LY: Not really. It’s not that kind of game.
How do you apply makeup and treat cavities? Do you draw on the touch screen?
LY: What happens is there are little menus you can pull out using the stylus. And then you select options using your stylus. You use them to go into the main image and treat the cavities, for example. On the dentist mini-game you select the drill and then use the stylus to touch the tooth that’s infected and drill the area. Then you go back and select the toothbrush to clean it off.
How will that compare with cake decorating? Do you draw the frosting on the screen?
LY: I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily drawing because there are certain things you have to do to accomplish the task. It’s not like you have complete free reign as to where you treat the cavity. The tooth has a cross on it that indicates where you’re supposed to drill.
In the salon what happens is that on the top screen there’s a picture of how the Tamagotchi is supposed to look. On the bottom screen the face is all jumbled up. His nose will be on top of his head and his eyes will be on his chin, things like that. You use the stylus to drag the items into the correct place. Then you pull out the menus to select the accessories that you need. There will be different types of eyelashes that you have to match, or a different hat, things like that. You select them and then it’s sort of like a drag-and-drop.
Thanks to everyone at Bandai and Kohnke Communications for having a wonderful conference call.
V3s ARE COMING! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KJSB
