Simulation Games Archives

	A player on the Taiko no Tatsujin game beats an object shaped just like a real Japanese drum.

Here a person swings a baseball bat, over there another shoots a soccer ball, and still others beat Japanese drums or dance to music. They're all soaking with sweat, and they're all in the same space. Where is this?

The answer is a video arcade. These people are playing video games, but their bats, soccer balls, and drums are all life-size. Action simulation games like these, in which the player moves around in time with the images on the screen or with music, are getting popular in Japan.

About three years ago, music video games became the rage at arcades across Japan. In these games, players follow the indicators on the screen, such as by dancing or by playing on the keyboard, while keeping rhythm to music. Arcades became crowded with people wanting to play music games. Not just the usual arcade goers but also women and families with young children - who in the past tended to stay away from arcades - could be seen playing these games.

Following the boom in music video games, action simulation games have become quite diversified. In many larger arcades nowadays, action simulation games take up a considerable amount of floor space, overshadowing conventional games in which players just sit and press the control buttons. Sports-type games include everything from baseball, table tennis, and soccer to boxing and snowboarding. There are many other unique offerings: a sword-fighting game in which the player combats enemies in the screen using a sword-shaped controller; a martial arts action game that is good for keeping fit and for slimming down; a shooting game in which the player pursues gangsters as a police officer, at times crouching for cover; a fishing game; a dog walking game; a photographer game; and so forth. In addition, one of the games that are scheduled to appear in arcades in the near future is a voice-acting game using footage from famous animated cartoons.

Action simulation games have made their way into the home as well, mainly as software for video game consoles like PlayStation 2. Among the first action simulation games for personal use was Excite Stadium, released by the toymaker Epoch Co. (site is Japanese only) in 2000. Excite Stadium is a preprogrammed game machine that is hooked up to the television. It comes with a bat-shaped controller, which the player swings to "hit" the balls thrown by the pitcher on the screen. The controller is covered with sponge, inside of which there is a sensor that detects the movement of the bat and sends infrared signals containing this data to the main unit. In this way, the player's action is reflected in the movement of the ball inside the screen. There are several game modes, including a regular baseball match and a home run derby.

Excite Stadium became a big hit, particularly because it only requires users to hook up the machine directly to the TV, with no need for expensive game consoles. Triggered by this success, many other action simulation games for the home have come out since then. For instance, a PlayStation 2 version of the Japanese drumming game mentioned in the introduction, called Taiko no Tatsujin ("Drum Master"), came out in October 2002 and is in high demand. The game package consists of software and a controller set in the shape of a drum and drumsticks.

Action simulation games are popular not only among children but among adults as well. "It's good exercise, and my mom says it's a great stress reliever, so we play the dance game together," says one girl. A boy who likes playing sports games comments, "I always play against my dad, but I'm much better than him." The fact that everyone in the family can enjoy these games together appears to be a key factor in their popularity.

SimRefinery, an all-but-forgotten oil refinery simulator from the studio behind SimCity, has been rediscovered and uploaded to the web as a playable game, ArsTechnica reports. The existence of the game came to light last month after it appeared in a wide-ranging report about Maxis’ little-known business simulations division. Now, however, an anonymous user has uploaded the game to the Internet Archive, where it’s actually playable in a browser thanks to a built-in DOSBox emulator.

The game’s discovery came about after Ars covereda lengthy report about Maxis Business Simulations, the SimCity studio’s attempt at making business-focused simulators. Soon, one anonymous Ars commentor reported that they actually had a copy of SimRefinery, obtained viaa chimerical engineering friend of theirs. Now they’ve uploaded the game to the Internet Archive, so it’s free for everyone to explore.

SimRefinery is clearly unfinished, and I was quickly faced with numerous graphical glitches when I tried to play it for myself. Instructions or documentation of any kind are also pretty limited, making it hard to get a handle on what’s going on.

The copy of SimRefinery was found on an old 3.5 inch disk with a simple white sticker printed with the game’s name and the logo of Maxis, SimCity’s developer. Reportedly, the game was never meant to teach people how to run an oil refinery. Instead, Chevron, the energy corporation who commissioned Maxis to make the prototype, wanted a game that could show off how an oil refinery works at a high level.

Although the game is pretty difficult to play in its current state, it’s a satisfying conclusion to a great story. You can find more screenshots from the game over at ArsTechnica, or try playing the game for yourself on the Internet Archive.

'Job Simulator: the 2050 archives (2016)' is, essentially, a series of sandboxes meant to showcase the unique gameplay possibilities of virtual reality. There are four different jobs: mechanic, office worker, chef and store clerk. Each of these are presented as museum exhibits in the far future, when the world is run by robots, which allows for a decidedly tongue-in-cheek tone. It also allows these rather mundane jobs to become entertaining, as you discover that the museum hasn't done quite as much research as it perhaps could have. It's a great way of framing things. The gameplay consists primarily of simple, physics-based tasks. It isn't difficult, but it is comprehensive. You can interact with pretty much everything in the scene and there is a lot of opportunity for experimentation. For example, you're presented with a fax machine that makes exact 3D copies of whatever you place on it, which includes your hand and your headset. This attention to detail is seldom seen in any non VR experience, with NPCs repeating lines and standing by while you burn their houses, and it demonstrates an excellent 'player awareness' from the developer. The experience is essentially built on the surprising repercussions of your nonsensical actions, which can spiral into a sort of competition between you and the game to see which one cracks first. It's a really good time. It may be rather simple in the grand scheme of things but that's part of what makes it so successful. It's an enjoyable VR playground. 7/10