The main Wii game is being broken up into five apps, with the first - Tap Runner - available now. You can play the games the same way you did on the Wii, by putting your iPhone on top of a box and tapping it, or you can simply tap any part of the phone.

Can't imagine too many people carrying tissue boxes with them on the morning bus...

Sega's trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office doesn't tell us much, other than Let's Party is being protected against "video game software; computer game programs" and "providing on-line games; providing information on on-line games." Yes, this is a video game and it may have some online component.

Since Let's Catch was a WiiWare title, that "on-line games" mention may simply refer to its distribution method.

The only thing that leads us to believe this isn't an entry in the already existing "Let's" series is the logo. It's out of line with the established design, for whatever that's worth.

To the best of our knowledge, Prope—a small studio headed by former Sonic Team lead Yuji Naka—hasn't gone on record about its follow up to Let's Tap. If this is it, Sega and Prope look to have found a groove.

Let's Party [USPTO]

Mini-games? Original?! Yes, because Sega's Let's Tap plays unlike anything else on the Wii, as gamers will almost never touch the controller while playing. Instead, Let's Tap requires simple tapping near the Wii Remote, using the built-in accelerometer and the vibrations sent through a flat surface—box, coffee table, floor—to control on-screen characters. Let's Tap is comprised of five parts, Tap Runner, Rhythm Tap, Silent Blocks, Bubble Voyager and Visualizer, some of which feature gameplay sub-variations, some of which are arguably not even "games" at all.

But each aspect of Let's Tap is unique, utilizing the tapping mechanic in different ways, offering an original experience on the Wii that doesn't feel at all like it belongs in the already flooded mini-game market. Does Let's Tap offer enough to wrangle in gamers looking for software to party with?

Loved
Wonderfully Clever: Let's Tap's gimmick is what makes it great. A total lack of waggle and wild Wii Remote swinging is a refreshing change and, despite a few control quirks and a bit of a learning curve involved in understanding tap strength levels, the mechanic works quite well. While Prope doesn't mine the simplicity of its tap mechanic as smartly as a game like Nintendo's similarly tappy Rhythm Heaven, Let's Tap's individual parts show real creativity.

Tap Runner: The game's most straightforward experience is also its best, offering fun, frantic multiplayer and satisfying singleplayer experiences. Four-players race across glowing orange platforms, jumping over hurdles, traversing tightropes, avoiding electric spheres and teleporting through warp holes in a classic track and field-style competition sent into outer space. Great track design and variety across 16 levels make Tap Runner the game's most replayable draw.

United Game Artistry: Let's Tap looks sharp. Anyone with a visual preference for Sega games like the brightly dynamic Rez and Cosmic Smash will enjoy Let's Tap's array of visual styles. Whether the game is striving for something brilliantly sci-fi in Tap Runner or more realistic in Visualizer mode, it offers something easy on the senses.

Party Time Excellent: For better or worse, but in this case better, Let's Tap shines brightest when played with friends. The tension of Silent Blocks, a Jenga-like puzzle game that requires sharp, but delicate tapping is as enjoyable as the more dramatically competitive Tap Runner. The downside of this is that lonely Wii owners will have few reasons to come back to Let's Tap after they've collected each of Tap Runner's gold medals and become bored with Bubble Voyager.

Hated
Rhythm Tap: Let's Tap's rhythm game, an imitation of Namco Bandai's Taiko Drum Master, is just plain dull, too simplistic to offer much fun beyond the initial playthrough. Only a handful of the mode's musical tracks are memorable, most seemingly gushing forth from some automatic J-pop generating machine.

Shallow: As previously mentioned, Wii owners with an aversion to local multiplayer throwdowns won't find much to keep them occupied in Let's Tap. The game's five modes eventually feel scant, particularly when one brushes off Rhythm Tap and experiments fully with the semi-playable Visualizer mode. A trio of unlockables that you likely won't care about require excessive play to acquire.

Let's Tap, with its unique visual style and brilliant hands-off approach to the Wii Remote's capabilities is a great entry in the Wii library that feels bound to be under-appreciated. Prope's first stab at the Wii would have likely been lauded as a genius addition to the Dreamcast library because of its bizarre play style, but may simply be written off as just another Wii mini-game collection. Granted, Let's Tap has its shortcomings, its share of filler—and it's cheaply lacking dedicated, packed-in cardboard boxes on which to lay the Wii Remote—but it's also ultimately a fun little package, priced right for the amount of content it offers.

Had Let's Tap been released as a Wii launch title, it may have gotten a little more attention for its abilities to showcase what Nintendo's motion controller is capable of. Don't let Let's Tap get lost in the mini-game crowd if you're looking for something unique, something clearly not phoned-in on the Wii. Just don't expect a well of depth.

Let's Tap was developed by Prope and published by Sega for the Wii on June 16. Retails for $29.99 USD. Played all game types in both single and multiplayer modes.

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They're still on the cover, mind you, taunting us with their gorgeously orange hexahedral shapes, a perfect platform on which to lay one's Wii Remote and tap, tap, tap away. They got 'em in Japan and they're getting 'em in Europe, but North American customers will have to make do with a DIY solution. Mine will be a gutted box of Kellogg's Raisin Bran.

Sega is offering, via Best Buy, an exclusive "tapping pad" for Let's Tap, one that the Giant Bomb boys went tips-on with today. They also have a few creative solutions for official cardboard box replacements, should you not yet be ready to repurpose a box of Boo Berry or Frosted Flakes to get your mini-game fix.

Expect our Let's Tap review later this week.

Beautiful, professionally modeled hands clearly explain to the potential Wii owner "You will play this game by tapping a box with a Wii Remote (in safety jacket, natch) resting on top. No, seriously." The box art is also careful to mention the "party experience." Clearly, third party publishers are learning the value of putting the word "party" on the box, even if no actual parties result from playing.

Finally, in order to stand out on store shelves, Sega has used every color in the rainbow on the Let's Tap cover. It also included an actual rainbow, just to be on the safe side. Clearly, PhotoShop has been put to its paces to make sure the Wii game can be seen from space. Overall, I'd call it a great, psychedelic freak out of a success.

Thanks to Ryan for the heads up!

The Sega America blog writes today that all Japanese music tracks from Let's Tap! will be included in the North American version, no matter how shrill or bouncy they may be. Great news for penguins with a taste for J-pop beats.

Even better news for anyone with a penchant for rapping lightly on cardboard box controllers.

Let's Tap!: US Version to include Japanese Music Tracks [Sega America Blog - thanks, Castor!]

...not that Yuji Naka is Harrison Ford or Sonic is Han Solo.

Let's Tap is the first title Naka has created since leaving SEGA and setting up his own studio, Prope. During a press junket for the game, Naka was bombarded with Sonic questions. Does that bug him? Nope!

"When I created Sonic people always asked me about how I came up with the idea a thousand times so I'm past caring about being asked the same questions these days," Naka told game site CVG. "It's fine."

Straight from the horse's mouth! Go ahead, ask Yuji Naka all your incessant Sonic questions. He's more than happy to answer or serve you tea. Yuji Naka? Aims to please.

Interview: Done talking about Sonic [CVG] [Pic]

Naka, now at Sega funded start up Prope, tells Kikizo "until the very final moments, I was really against Sega leaving the hardware business." Partially because Sonic Team was on the cusp of releasing the original Phantasy Star Online, but also because he felt the Dreamcast's networking capabilities was something Sega should further exploit.

"In a way I feel that, had that decision not been made, Sega would have gone bankrupt - so maybe it was a good business decision," Naka explains "But at the same time, I also feel like, what the hell - we should have given it a go, and we should have taken that risk."

Sadly, many of recall what went down. Sega dumped the Dreamcast. Yuji Naka dumped Sega to form Prope and develop titles like Let's Tap. And we get a little teary every time we turn on the best console Sega ever produced.

Naka also tells Kikizo that Prope's corporate color scheme — as well as the founder's tie and socks — was directly lifted from the Dreamcast's palette. Fanboy!

He's Back: Yuji Naka Prope Interview [Kikizo]

According to game blog 61 Frames Per Second, the game is going to get an American release — something SEGA hasn't officially confirmed. We are following up with SEGA. Stay tuned.

Let’s Tap Comes to America, Brings Amazing Theme Song With It [Nerve via GoNintendo]

In a nutshell, Naka wanted to get back to real game development, away from that high level managerial nonsense. He tells Gamasutra that he felt a need to "keep creating."

"Before I left Sega, I was high enough up that I was looking at every game the company was developing," Naka said. "Once I was in that position, though, I found that I wanted to get into the nitty-gritty details instead with the games, including Sonic — the whole 'it'd be better if this bit were like this instead of that' type of thing."

At his new studio Prope, Naka says the concept for Let's Tap was borne of Wii Remote experimentation and inspired by idle tapping. Clearly, Naka's a high concept kind of guy.

As for the future? "We're actually planning on making a game like Sonic right now," the developer says. We hope he means "like Sonic the Hedgehog 3" and less "like Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)."

Yuji Naka On New Beginnings At His Studio, Prope [Gamasutra]

To be fair, the sales period started on December 15 and ended on December 21. Let's Tap went on sale December 18 — didn't get a full week in retail. Maybe next week, it'll move 5,000 more copies. Who knows, the sky's the limit.

(To be even more fair, new title DISSIDIA: Final Fantasy sold over 500,000 during the same period. It, like Let's Tap, also went on sale December 18. Penguins, however, probably can't play it.)

Read our Let's Tap impressions here.

Famitsu Sales: 12/15 - 12/21 [NeoGAF via Sega Nerds]

Former Sega man Yuji Naka's first proper game for the Wii is Let's Tap. It's really not that bad; it's actually kind of interesting, at least visually—and "Tap Runner" is damn fun. And the variety!

The latest trailer for the Prope-developed game shows off just how much stuff is packed into this thing. It may be a sensory assault on our eyes and ears, but we might be convinced to overcome our lack of coffee table upon which to lay our cardboard box controller. We'll see.

There are far too many throwaway "visualizers" in Let's Tap, but I happen to like the concept, despite how impractical it seems. No word from Sega yet when we can expect a North American release, the Westernized renaming of which we're so looking forward to.

Could Yuji Naka's casual game make Sakurai crack a smile? Hit the jump for the shocking answer!

Nope.

No, really.

While there are at least five mini-game types in Let's Tap!, only one was on hand for the TGS rank and file, a game called "Tap Runner." All that's required is to light tap one's fingers on the cardboard box to make your avatar run. To make it jump, smack the box a bit harder.

Turns out the Wii remote is surprisingly sensitive at picking up these little taps. Get a bit too excited and you may accidentally jump. But you can also control the height of your jump by smacking the box with varying degrees of intensity.

"Tap Runner" isn't much more than a track and field style event, full of pits, hurdles, jump pads and electrified orbs. It's disarmingly fun and up to four players can compete head to head in a series of races (GameSpot's Brian Ekberg and I ran a quick trio of minute-long sprints.)

The game has a nice graphical style, with "Tap Runner" having a bit of Tron aesthetic.

There are a handful of other things to do in Let's Tap!, but we only saw one other, a simple sidescrolling shmup called "Bubble Voyager." It was actually played by Nintendo's Bill Trinen, who tapped his way across a slowly scrolling field of spiked obstacles and cute spaceships. It looked, from a distance, like less fun than "Tap Runner" due to the more difficult controls.

Let's Tap! looks like a decent dose of fun, surprisingly so. Whether we'll actually have an interest in whipping out the orange cardboard box at home to play it, remains to be seen.

Let's Tap [SEGA]