Gaming Japan
Before the Mega Drive came along, I thought of Japan as merely the
home of Walkmen, chopsticks and Godzilla. The Far East fell well
outside of my childhood interests, and it wasn't until I received my second
SEGA console that I learnt a little bit more about Japan, and more
specifically Tokyo. There were two Mega Drive games in particular that challenged my preconceptions, helping
me to build a more complete picture of what was quintessentially Japanese
(kabuki sumo and road-kill cows).
The first of my 16-bit eye openers was Street Fighter 2:
Championship Edition. It was 24 Megs of cultural enlightenment, teaching me all
about the lives and customs of people from all over the world: Americans enjoy
hanging out on airstrips, Spaniards are adept at climbing chain link fences,
Brazilians emit electricity etc. Japan contributed two very different
characters, featuring equally contrasting stages. Ryu's was the minimalistic,
peaceful and traditional backdrop of a Japanese castle, while E Honda's stage
was part tradition, part modernity - a clash that has come to define post-war
Japan. Our sumo in kabuki face paint brawled in a Japanese bathhouse, complete
with images of Mt Fuji, the rising sun and decorative lanterns, all of which
came to life in flashing lights at the end of each bout. No other level dared
to include so many cultural references, with the bath house being only a ninja,
wide-eyed school girl and Mothra short of being all things 日本.
The second part of my Japanese education, or Japa-cation
if you will, was Road Rash 3. The Japan stage of EA's bike-brawler was a
mish-mash of themes and iconography that was as memorable as it was comic. Mt
Fuji and Tokyo loomed in the background, punctuating a cherry red sky, but no
matter how fast you raced you never got any closer to the big city. Temples and
Buddhist statutes littered the roadside, awaiting a head on crash as you swerved
to avoid cows, a common sight in the largest metropolitan centre in the world.
I have come across plenty of other Japan-based games
since my elementary course in sumos and anti-social bikers. While Road Rash 3
may have been a bit off in its depiction of Japan, Shenmue absolutely nailed
the backstreets of Greater Tokyo. I can only speak to the first few hours of
Ryo's quest for vengeance, but in its recreation of suburban Yokosuka, a port
city in Kanagawa prefecture, I caught glimpses of places I have lived and
visited during my time in Japan. There is a surprising amount of character in
it's no frills, non-descript backstreets, with every shop facade, arcade, seedy
bar and concrete park coming together to capture the feel of a Japanese, run-of-the-mill
town.
Another Sega franchise, Yakuza, has continued this
tradition of realism, albeit in a slightly more colourful fashion. Yakuza's
lively depiction of Shinjuku's red-light and entertainment district, Kabukicho,
is not a carbon copy, but anyone who has spent time in that part of Tokyo will
instantly make the connection. Kamurocho is the star of the series, and is as
vibrant and alive a mini sandbox as you could ever hope to find. The streets are
full of real life stores and brands, and are populated by people who look like
they belong. School girls gather outside coffee shops, engrossed in the latest
mobile game; ginger mullets swagger around in their offensive turtle necks,
paying no mind to police walking the beat, who are keeping an eye on a drunken salary
man staggering with tie strapped to head. With the exception of the non-stop
violence and a zombie apocalypse, Kamurocho is the most true to life, digital
Tokyo that I have experienced.
I was initially drawn to Yakuza by its setting, perhaps
hoping for the opportunity to re-live past nights out on the piss in Shinjuku:
arcade-izakaya-karaoke, with added sideburns and a hideous suit. Though they may
not have been quite as memorable, the Okinawan scenes in Yakuza 3 and 4 offered
respite from the hustle and bustle of Kamurocho and a glimpse of a very
different slice of Japanese life. The Yakuza studio has since explored Japan of
the future with Binary Domain, but unfortunately the setting was perhaps the
least memorable part of what was an enjoyable romp. Hopefully, Yakuza 5 will
provide a more engaging view of street level Japan, taking in a number of
different locales, including Osaka and Sapporo.
Shibuya has long been a major tourist attraction in
Tokyo, thanks to its popular night life, iconic pedestrian crossing, youth and
fashion culture, and it should come as no surprise that it has been the focus
of a number of video games. Square-Enix built a whole RPG around this part of
town, The World Ends with You, taking a great deal of artistic influence from
the sub-cultures it nurtures. In a cell-shaded Shibuya, Jet Set Radio found the
perfect setting for its bladed rudies and even managed to make the bus station
seem cool. Games like these owe part of their success to their setting, but
have also contributed in kind to Shibuya's reputation as a vibrant and hip city. I'm not sure what exactly Tokyo
Jungle adds to Shibuya's image, though I have seen far stranger things than
a fully clothed Pomeranian walking those streets at night.
Tokyo remains a favourite of racing games. It is one of
the few genres where western developers have not been shy in appropriating the
city, putting it to good use in games such as Blur, Burnout, Need for Speed and
Project Gotham Racing. In real life, central Tokyo would be a bloody awful
place for a street race, with a huge amount of pedestrian traffic, police boxes
on every corner and a never ending supply of traffic lights, but in a virtual
world it has proved irresistible. You can also avoid the streets and hit the
railroads instead, with any number of Japanese train sims. Most of them have not
seen the light of day outside their home territory, but as the proud owner of
more than one copy of Densha de Go, I can tell you that you aren't missing too
much.
Japan is often portrayed as a near-future destination, but
it also makes for an excellent historical setting. Call of Duty: World at War
gave us Okinawa, a peaceful and beautiful collection of islands, as one of the
most brutal theatres of the Second World War. It didn't give the most balanced
of views - USA, USA, USA etc - but it did a pretty good job of depicting the
staggering loss of life and sheer desperation of that campaign. Onimusha made
feudal Japan oh-so Resident Evil, blending real places and historical figures
with beautiful, Capcom nonsense; I'm always on the look-out for demons and/or
Jean Reno when I visit Japanese castles. With Kenzan!, SEGA took Yakuza back in
time to early seventeenth century Kyoto - a charming city that has been
criminally underutilised in video games - and the Way of the Samurai series has
been telling the story of nineteenth century samurai for the best part of a
decade.
I always considered Midgar to be a twisted, dilapidated
Neo Tokyo. The biggest city in Final Fantasy VII made no such claims; I simply
forced a blinkered view of Tokyo onto the opening setting of one of my
favourite Japanese games. When I first visited the city in 2004 (Tokyo, not
Midgar), I wasted my first three days searching for a Mako Reactor and was
bitterly disappointed when not a single local would squat-battle me. For better
or worse, Tokyo is not quite the city that you find in countless video games,
nor the bat-shit crazy, home of the future that so many TV shows, movies and
books would have you believe. However, every now and again you might come across
something that feels like it's straight out of a work of fiction, that will catch
you off guard.
I'll never forget the first time a sumo wrestler sat next
to me on the train. Living just down the road from the traditional sumo centre of
Ryogoku, I saw plenty of E Honda's milling around, minus the face paint. One
particular giant stood out, riding a bicycle in his London Calling, Clash
t-shirt - a wonderful mix of East and West. It was one of those moments where I
wish I’d reverted to shameless tourist mode, shoved a camera in his face and asked
him to do the hundred hand slap, but unfortunately I’m just far too polite.
My most game-like experience living in Japan occurred one
evening spent in an izakaya (bar/restaurant) in Shibuya, drinking with friends.
We were just starting to get merry when a gaggle of angry chinpira (rubbish Yakuza) stormed the building and began fighting with the kitchen staff who,
from what we could gather, owed the gentleman some money. The fisticuffs
spilled into our part of the room as the senior member of the angry thugs,
topless and bearing his tattoos for all to see, decided to sit at our table,
have a drink and practice his English! The violence eventually came to a halt, no thanks to the police who waited patiently by the front door, unwilling to get
involved. Yakuza 4, eat your heart out!
Digital Japan comes in all shapes and sizes. Over the
years, it has been everything from the home of demon fighting high-schoolers to
a playground for skater vandals, and has played host to a diverse collection of iconic characters, including a flying sumo and a lovable, karaoke-going
gangster. Whether you are looking for realism, or wish to explore the more
fanciful side of an unfamiliar culture, you can always rely on Japan and its
capital to host something unique and entertaining.
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