McDonald's + Monster Hunter

At 100 yen per soda, McDonald's is the most inexpensive way to lurk around hoping to meet other players

It's January 2011.  I'm sitting in a solo partition underneath an unnecessarily hot light, my bald pate glistening.  In the air is an uncensored Akon song with lewd lyrics slipping through patrons' ears under the armor of being lost in translation."  Suddenly, a hunt begins.

I had just purchased Monster Hunter Portable 3rd and, with no one to play with, set my designs upon a popular "Macudo" ("McDonald's" in Osaka dialect) in hopes of joining in on a game.  To my delight, when I started up the game I noticed there were two other players in the vicinity.  Wordlessly, I joined their hot spring - the games main meeting place for WiFi play - and followed them off on a quest.  I died three times, forcing us to forfeit the mission.  Sorry, guys, wherever you are.

Find passionate gamers for the price of a small coke.

Granted, this is a high-traffic 24-hour McDonald's in the heart of Osaka's "party" district.  However, similar sights can be found across Japan, even in the hearts of rural communities.  As long as you buy something on the menu, you can be given (almost) indefinite access to a seat and exposure to similar cheapskate WiFi gamers.  McDonald's further beckons handheld gamers with a joint venture with Nintendo: offering Internet connection to DS and 3DS users.

Many groups plan gaming meet ups called "off-kai."  These offline meetings, scheduled on forums and websites, usually involve an application and screening process.  When applying to a Monster Hunter Tri(G) group, I was grilled on my tenacity for the serious by what I found out to be a 12 year old.

Though there may be a rigorous process to get in with a group, it's a tacit understanding that anyone can join as long as they show up to the correct McDonald's.  One thing I noticed was it's a slight faux pas to engage in conversation with your allies at any time.  Perhaps it's a stereotype, but Japanese gamers of oftentimes timid and reluctant to speak to strangers, even if they're playing a game with them.  Despite this, I like engaging them, even if it's just a "Gold Ratholos is tough, eh?"

If you ever want to find players for handheld games in Japan, I fully recommend the economical option of Macudo.

Fire Emblem: Awakening

Though not recommended, fighting while sliding downhill is the preferred method by Irizians.

The latest installation of military strategist fantasy series "Fire Emblem" made it's debut on the 3DS in Japan last month.  It was an instant hit with the action/RPG crowd as interest in Monster Hunter Tri(3G) began to dwindle - it sold a quarter million in it's first week.(Vgchartz)  U.S. fans of the series emitted simultaneous squeals of joy and moans of death as Dear Leader Reggie Fils-Aime, at last month's E3, gingerly announced it would be released stateside in 2013 but failed to give a specific date.

While not the first jaunt into 3D (Gamecube's Path of Radiance takes that honor), it does herald the beginning of a myriad of new features to the franchise.

• The new Dual System allows a chance for units to attack together given a certain amount of affection has been reached between them.  In addition, they will be given stat boosts that stack as more allied units surround them.  
• A landmark to the series is the addition of a commandable personal unit.  In the past, the "player" has assumed the role of a speechless tactician who, through interacting with the main lord, plays their own part in the story.  Imagine if every main character was Timmy's father and you played as Lassie "What's that?  Timmy fell down the well?  And he's surrounded by dragon-riders?"  The new customizable unit actually has scripts and interacts with almost every character in a way dependent on how you created them (a tough guy, a young girl, etc.)
• CHANGE CLASS ORBS!  I can't stress how awesome these are.  In the past you only had one track that your character could be on.  Advancing to the master class would require a master orb.  Now you can change any character to (almost) any class using the change class orbs.  After certain requirements are met, you can purchase an indefinite amount from the shops.

At Game Bunka, we'll keep you updated on the status of the release date.  Until then, you can check out my other blog as I slowly translate pieces from the game.