Mahjong

Twistin'Ghost · 03 February 2002, 06:35

Can anybody explain to me what is the fascination the Japanese have with Mahjong games? I have played a couple of them and they are okay, I suppose. But there is a ridiculous number of arcade machines from Japan (to say nothing of computer and console variations) devoted to this game and for the life of me, I can't see what separates one from the other. Even the tilesets looks remarkably similar.

I can accept that there may be something unique in all those Jap RPG games or even the neverending presence of cute Anime-style characters, but the Mahjong thing completely baffles me.

Drake1009 · 03 February 2002, 08:53

I never learned to play Mah-jong. The only way I learned it was the solitair way which is present in games like Shanghai.

You mention the arcade machines, I'd think that they'd have different other graphics which would seperate them. Maybe the AI had been improved a bit or maybe newer animations showed up. I don't really know.

Drake1009 · 03 February 2002, 13:05

I think we only have 3 pacman's and a host of bootlegs.

Twistin'Ghost · 04 February 2002, 12:20

Nowhere near as many as their mahjong games, I assure you. And the Pacman games are usually just a remake with a graphic facelift; the Tetris games usually offer some new twist on the theme (except for a lot of generic PD games, which hardly could be compared to a coin-op arcade machine). Go to a MAME gallery sometime and look at the screenshots for the myriad mahjong games - a bottomless pit of them with precious little difference in any of them.

Big-Byte · 04 February 2002, 13:46

Completely agree with you there. I reckon they should have a completely seperate Majong Mame to save the rest of us the hassle of d/l the majhong roms just to get a complete romset.

04 February 2002, 18:58

Uh! I never did understand Mahjong. Best it did for me was induced sleep...

I think my first experience of it was on the Gameboy and i know as much about it now as i did then! (aside from the fact a few years after i first discovered it i also found out it was a REAL game! scary!)

Paul · 04 February 2002, 19:06

I have been playing a PC version from

http://www.kyodai.com/

And think I understand the rules

I hope

Twistin'Ghost · 04 February 2002, 20:54

Quote:

Originally posted by Big-Byte
Completely agree with you there. I reckon they should have a completely seperate Majong Mame to save the rest of us the hassle of d/l the majhong roms just to get a complete romset.

LOL!!!

I understand, s4murai, I just wish they would do something a little more visual to differentiate them (like flashy tileset, cutesy Anime-style backgrounds, etc.)

03 February 2002, 06:35	#1
Twistin'Ghost Give up the ghost Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: U$A Age: 33 Posts: 4,662	Mahjong Can anybody explain to me what is the fascination the Japanese have with Mahjong games? I have played a couple of them and they are okay, I suppose. But there is a ridiculous number of arcade machines from Japan (to say nothing of computer and console variations) devoted to this game and for the life of me, I can't see what separates one from the other. Even the tilesets looks remarkably similar. I can accept that there may be something unique in all those Jap RPG games or even the neverending presence of cute Anime-style characters, but the Mahjong thing completely baffles me.

03 February 2002, 08:53	#2
Drake1009 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Denmark Posts: 2,284	I never learned to play Mah-jong. The only way I learned it was the solitair way which is present in games like Shanghai. You mention the arcade machines, I'd think that they'd have different other graphics which would seperate them. Maybe the AI had been improved a bit or maybe newer animations showed up. I don't really know.

03 February 2002, 13:05	#3
Drake1009 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Denmark Posts: 2,284	I think we only have 3 pacman's and a host of bootlegs.

04 February 2002, 12:20	#4
Twistin'Ghost Give up the ghost Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: U$A Age: 33 Posts: 4,662	Nowhere near as many as their mahjong games, I assure you. And the Pacman games are usually just a remake with a graphic facelift; the Tetris games usually offer some new twist on the theme (except for a lot of generic PD games, which hardly could be compared to a coin-op arcade machine). Go to a MAME gallery sometime and look at the screenshots for the myriad mahjong games - a bottomless pit of them with precious little difference in any of them.

04 February 2002, 13:46	#5
Big-Byte Long time member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: UK Posts: 754	Completely agree with you there. I reckon they should have a completely seperate Majong Mame to save the rest of us the hassle of d/l the majhong roms just to get a complete romset.

04 February 2002, 18:58	#6
Pulsecode Posts: n/a	Uh! I never did understand Mahjong. Best it did for me was induced sleep... I think my first experience of it was on the Gameboy and i know as much about it now as i did then! (aside from the fact a few years after i first discovered it i also found out it was a REAL game! scary!)

04 February 2002, 19:06	#7
Paul RIP Friends Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: UK Posts: 2,157	I have been playing a PC version from http://www.kyodai.com/ And think I understand the rules I hope

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