This past weekend at the JAEPO arcade game expo in Tokyo, Konami showed off Dance Dance Revolution, the latest arcade iteration in the Dance Dance Revolution franchise. The return to the core name makes sense because Dance Dance Revolution will have nearly every song from all 13 major arcade releases in one machine.
When you think of Japanese arcades, you probably think of fighting games, music games, and racing games. You might, however, completely forget about one of the most popular staples of arcades in Japan: crane games.
Groove Coaster was originally a fantastic rhythm iOS game made by the creators of Space Invaders Infinity Gene. This year, however, it moves from its humble touch screen roots directly into Japanese arcades. And at the JAEPO 2013 arcade expo this last weekend, Kotaku East got some hands-on time with the game.
Perhaps the most creative game at this year's JAEPO arcade game expo was e Sports Ground. Utilizing a series of motion tracking cameras and projectors, the game transforms the floor into the game screen and your body into the controller.
Monster Hunter is everywhere in Japan—including the JAEPO arcade game expo. However, this Monster Hunter arcade is not, as you might expect, a co-op boss hunting game. Rather it is an arcade style racing game titled Monster Hunter Diary: Oink Oink Pig Race.
Later this year, Nintendo and Bandai-Namco will release a new Mario Kart game, Mario Kart Arcade GP GX, in arcades across Japan. Today at the JAEPO arcade game expo, Kotaku East was able to get some hands-on time with the game.
