Bandango
06-06-2011, 07:53 AM
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=6985
I’ve never been to the races before. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I do. There’s something about it I can’t quite put my finger on -- something in the din of the crowd, in the thrill of standing shoulder to shoulder with strangers under the hot sun, something in the way the horses and the elephant and the panda shake their necks and pad their feet behind the gates. The crowd is electric. They’re up on their toes. It seems like every second face has a pair of dark sunglasses on, and the ones that don’t squint towards the eight beasts and the wildly dressed jockeys on top of them. People clutch their tickets. I can feel their anticipation. I clutch my own.
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=6983
I put most of my money on the French racer with the large breasts and the harlequin mask. Odds are good that she’ll place, but it’s the harlequin mask her horse is wearing that made me pick her. I bet with my gut. I don’t pretend to be an expert on this horse racing thing. I put some on the tandem horse too. I figure two jockeys are better than one, right?
And they’re off. The tandem horse is out in front, its Jockeys standing on their two saddles, doing a Russian kick dance thing. Impressive. That makes the horse run faster right? And just behind them is the favorite of the race. I should've bet on him. He’s already up on his hind legs showing off. And the French woman is just behind -- oh wow, is that a whip instead of a riding crop? Nice. Whips are good. The elephant’s keeping pace too. The low-rider horse is coming up pretty fast though, past the elephant and -- oh shit -- past the Frenchwoman. The Panda's still in the back with the Australian donkey. Now the hind-leg horse is out in front doing pirouettes. God damnit. I heard if he starts doing pirouettes it’s all over. Yup. That’s the finish line. Pirouetting right over it. Shit.
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=6981
Much of the crowd goes wild -- everyone else tears up their losing tickets. I tear up mine and say, “that’s it,” but before I know it I'm headed to the atm/click refresh on my browser.
The previous self-indulgent exhortation is an account of the experience that Japan World Cup 2 attempts to recreate, though recreate might not be the best word. Subvert maybe? It recreates the experience of betting on a horse race, but the races themselves play out like fever dreams.
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=6979
Japan World Cup 2 is modeled to look like a television program, and basically all you do is bet and watch -- watching is where the fun is. Each horse (or elephant or donkey or panda or two guys wearing a horse outfit and running) is a true character, and each of the Jockeys on top of them is too. Only thing is, it’s all in Japanese. Which isn’t too big of a problem -- all the important buttons are displayed clearly in the lower left hand corner of the screen. For the most part it’s all pretty self explanatory. Everyone who’s ever played a game before should be able to navigate the menus. You will likely click a couple wrong buttons, but the races are worth it. It’s quite a show.
Japan World Cup 2 is:
funny as hell.
weird as hell.
exceptionally Japanese.
Play it here: http://www.jra-jwc.jp/vol2/
Done with this one? Want more? Check out the complete archive of Free and Worth Every Penny (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/tags.php?tag=worth+every+penny).
I’ve never been to the races before. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I do. There’s something about it I can’t quite put my finger on -- something in the din of the crowd, in the thrill of standing shoulder to shoulder with strangers under the hot sun, something in the way the horses and the elephant and the panda shake their necks and pad their feet behind the gates. The crowd is electric. They’re up on their toes. It seems like every second face has a pair of dark sunglasses on, and the ones that don’t squint towards the eight beasts and the wildly dressed jockeys on top of them. People clutch their tickets. I can feel their anticipation. I clutch my own.
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=6983
I put most of my money on the French racer with the large breasts and the harlequin mask. Odds are good that she’ll place, but it’s the harlequin mask her horse is wearing that made me pick her. I bet with my gut. I don’t pretend to be an expert on this horse racing thing. I put some on the tandem horse too. I figure two jockeys are better than one, right?
And they’re off. The tandem horse is out in front, its Jockeys standing on their two saddles, doing a Russian kick dance thing. Impressive. That makes the horse run faster right? And just behind them is the favorite of the race. I should've bet on him. He’s already up on his hind legs showing off. And the French woman is just behind -- oh wow, is that a whip instead of a riding crop? Nice. Whips are good. The elephant’s keeping pace too. The low-rider horse is coming up pretty fast though, past the elephant and -- oh shit -- past the Frenchwoman. The Panda's still in the back with the Australian donkey. Now the hind-leg horse is out in front doing pirouettes. God damnit. I heard if he starts doing pirouettes it’s all over. Yup. That’s the finish line. Pirouetting right over it. Shit.
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=6981
Much of the crowd goes wild -- everyone else tears up their losing tickets. I tear up mine and say, “that’s it,” but before I know it I'm headed to the atm/click refresh on my browser.
The previous self-indulgent exhortation is an account of the experience that Japan World Cup 2 attempts to recreate, though recreate might not be the best word. Subvert maybe? It recreates the experience of betting on a horse race, but the races themselves play out like fever dreams.
http://flexapic.com/g.ashx?id=6979
Japan World Cup 2 is modeled to look like a television program, and basically all you do is bet and watch -- watching is where the fun is. Each horse (or elephant or donkey or panda or two guys wearing a horse outfit and running) is a true character, and each of the Jockeys on top of them is too. Only thing is, it’s all in Japanese. Which isn’t too big of a problem -- all the important buttons are displayed clearly in the lower left hand corner of the screen. For the most part it’s all pretty self explanatory. Everyone who’s ever played a game before should be able to navigate the menus. You will likely click a couple wrong buttons, but the races are worth it. It’s quite a show.
Japan World Cup 2 is:
funny as hell.
weird as hell.
exceptionally Japanese.
Play it here: http://www.jra-jwc.jp/vol2/
Done with this one? Want more? Check out the complete archive of Free and Worth Every Penny (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/tags.php?tag=worth+every+penny).