Overview of current mahjong video-games

Discussion on on-line and off-line mahjong softwares.

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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by Barticle » Mon Aug 12, 2019 9:45 pm

I've given my iOS and Android app lists at the top of this thread (link) an overdue overhaul.

I've removed old iTunes and AndroidZoom links, cleared out several early random additions and defunct titles (including Janryumon) and added some popular recommendations, but only apps with official download links (App Store, Google Play or Amazon only).

Rather than being complete lists of everything available, I'd rather these two were just selected summaries of the good stuff, so - since I use neither platform myself - let me know if I've excluded something awesome... or included something awful! (Please include a current download link for any recommendations.)

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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by Barticle » Tue Aug 13, 2019 8:52 pm

While I was reviewing this thread I saw some familiar faces in one of Steve's posts from 2016.

Unbalance reused the characters/levels/colours from their Minna no Mahjong app in the Free Play mode of the PS4 version of Saikyou no Mahjong!
faces.jpg
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In related news, today I finally got the trophy for winning with San Shoku Doukou in the PS4 game. :D

Somehow I managed to call two fives. Ended up with a red five in each of the three sets for a Haneman.
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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by or2az » Wed Aug 14, 2019 1:39 am

The main reason Ignatius and I didn't give the Android version of the UNBALANCE game a better recommendation was that it could only be played in vertical mode. I see they corrected that in the PS4 version.

Ignatius has also provided an English translation.
http://reachmahjong.com/en/forum/viewto ... nce#p59909

Another really good Android app which we really enjoyed is ONSEN mahjong, which is also described in this thread, and in others.

http://reachmahjong.com/en/forum/viewto ... sen#p59911
The developer is FORTUNE, Inc, who also have ...Gods of the Mahjong Table 2 - Mahjong Grand Prix, which you included in your overhaul.
Although I still have it, it is not available in the USA anymore so I can't provide a link, as you requested.

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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by Ignatius » Wed Aug 14, 2019 2:13 am

Aw, that's a shame. It's sad to see 雀卓の神2 out of the USA store. At least you still have the ようこそ温泉麻雀リターン/Welcome to the Onsen Mahjong Return on the shop, right?
That's a really good game.

I hope Mahjong Table's Gods 2 or Gods of the Mahjong Table 2 to be in your shop again someday.
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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by Barticle » Wed Aug 14, 2019 3:49 am

Yeah, I did look for Onsen Mahjong but couldn't find it on the major sites. I see the Android version of the Return game is on Amazon US and Google Play.

Has anyone downloaded apps from Japan or other foreign territories for either iOS or Android? I have no concept of how easy/hard it is. According to this guide you need to create a new Google or Apple account, Android also needs a VPN connection and iOS needs an email account to verify the new Apple ID.

https://github.com/MagiCircles/Circles/wiki/Install-Japanese-apps

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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by Ignatius » Wed Aug 14, 2019 10:44 am

Both 雀卓の神2∼麻雀グランプリ/Mahjong Table's Gods 2 - Mahjong Grandprix and ようこそ温泉麻雀リターン/Welcome to the Onsen Mahjong Return are in the european Google store.

That's all I know. Never tried to create another region's account. Seems to be a hassle... And I'm pretty much lazy.

For example I couldn't find, in the european store, games as:
Professional Mahjong Kiwame by Athena
Mahjong Tensei by e-folder (I played this one and remember that game to be pretty good considering it was free.)
Mahjong Free by Cross Field inc.
Last edited by Ignatius on Wed Aug 14, 2019 2:40 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by Barticle » Wed Aug 14, 2019 1:41 pm

It's good that you can get some Japanese games direct from the Euro store at least.

The regional content is more clear to me on iOS since the web addresses have those two-letter country codes: US, JP, GB, CN, etc.

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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by or2az » Wed Aug 14, 2019 2:20 pm

For example I couldn't find, in the european store, games as:
Professional Mahjong Kiwame by Athena
Mahjong Tensei by e-folder (I played this one and remberber that game to be pretty good considering it was free.)
Mahjong Free by Cross Field inc.
Professional Mahjong Kiwame by Athena Is also not available in the US anymore.
(and neither is Mahjong Nagomi)

The very good Mahjong Tensei by e-folder is also not available in the US anymore as an APP, but it is as a website.
The link and other info is here:
http://reachmahjong.com/en/forum/viewto ... ash#p58804

Mahjong Free by Cross Field inc. thankfully is still available in the US on Android (both versions)

The good thing is that once you install these apps, they remain available for use even when the developer removes them from the app stores, but if you delete them, you can't get them back!
(so I make sure I never accidentally delete them)

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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by Ozball » Thu Aug 15, 2019 4:53 am

So in regards to installing Google Play apps from across regions, there might be a relatively simple way. Although MAJOR caveat here: I used the same google account I now have in Aus, while I was in Japan, and it still apparently has a Google Play Balance in JPY (about 81 yen) which is listed as "Unavaliable" (as is my NZD balance of $0.00 NZD). This might allow me regional access to the store I wouldn't normally have? or it might not...

Also apologies in advance for the image sizes. I cut them down as much as I could before linking, but the forum doesn't seem to support resizing images inside the img tags.

So for this test, I used 雀卓の神2-麻雀グランプリ as the test case. On my phone I can't seem to find it in Google Play:
Image

And searching for it on a PC web browser, also doesn't work:
Image


However! If we grab the url from the search above (https://play.google.com/store/search?q= ... %AA&c=apps) and add &hl=ja on to the end (which gives us this: https://play.google.com/store/search?q= ... apps&hl=ja)
Image

We seem to be able to get the Japanese App store, and assuming you're logged into the same Google Play account as your phone, it will usually let you install it from the webpage (as long as your device is compatible).

Image

I'm curious to know if this works for others or not?
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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by Barticle » Thu Aug 15, 2019 11:29 pm

Thanks, that's interesting. Your pics aren't displaying for me, but the notes are clear enough.

My phone still has buttons (retro chic?! 8)) so I can't try this properly, but at least on my laptop adding the language parameter in the query doesn't just change the interface language but also gives completely different search results - so that's useful for me.

I had trimmed those parameters off the links to the games I listed and they still work, so having found a game in Japanese (like 雀卓の神2) you can also view it with the store menus in English, even though you couldn't find the app by searching from the English store menu!

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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by Barticle » Tue Aug 20, 2019 9:58 pm

After months without any news, The Yakuza Remastered Collection was announced and released today for PS4.

This is a compendium of remasters of Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5 (which had already been released individually in Japan).

Yakuza 3 is available to download today and features content that was cut for the PS3 Western release such as substories, shogi and... mahjong.

Yakuza 4 will follow in October 2019, then Yakuza 5 in February 2020.

In February there will also be a physical release with all three games across two discs. This will be packaged in a red gatefold Digipak case but the bundle will also include a standard PS3 case for Yakuza 5 since the PS3 version was never released on disc in the West and presumably some fans really need to fill that collection gap.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmPqclKqWW4

Also available now is The Yakuza Origins Digital Bundle which is a digital collection of Yakuza Zero, Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2.

(I can only see it on the US store so far though, not the Euro store.)

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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by Barticle » Thu Aug 29, 2019 11:19 am

Sega have announced that the next game in their Yakuza series will be numbered (in Japan) as Ryuu ga Gotoku 7, even though it has a different protagonist. It's scheduled to release on PS4 in January for Japan and later in the year in the West under the name Yakuza: Like A Dragon (the subtitle is a direct translation of 'Ryuu ga Gotoku').

Two other major changes are that it will be set in Yokohama - on a map three times larger than the previous main Tokyo location - and the combat will use a turn-based "live command RPG battle" system typical of JRPGs (Japanese role-playing games) instead of the usual real-time brawler mechanics which have always been a major part of the franchise.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9_L2TA0IEY

Details of side-content are still TBA but I would expect several recent minigames from the series to feature again.

EDIT: One of the new trailers released 11 Sept 2019 shows mahjong briefly.

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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by Barticle » Thu Nov 14, 2019 10:15 pm

The free demo for RGG7 was released for PS4 yesterday and has several playable minigames including mahjong at the new parlour in the new city. As well as the Japanese PSN store, the demo is also available from the Hong Kong store which has an English interface, although the demo itself only supports Japanese, Chinese and Korean text.

In surprise news, Sega and Microsoft announced today that Yakuza Zero (prequel), Kiwami and Kiwami 2 (remakes of the first two games) will be coming to Xbox One in early 2020 and are among the 50+ titles confirmed for the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. Assuming no content cuts, these three games will bring Japanese mahjong with an English interface to the XB1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMMHqwl2Rac

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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by Tobiaux » Thu Jan 23, 2020 9:55 pm

Hello, do you know if any of the Japan E-Shop exclusive Switch titles prohibit kuikae/swap-calling, or offer option of enabling/disabling? I purchased "Japanese Mah-Jongg" on the NA E-Shop to play during my lunch hour at work, but I noticed it permits kuikae with no option of prohibiting it which bothers me. I suppose I can enforce the rule in my head, but knowing that the CPU could kuikae is troublesome.

Unless it is an option and I'm missing it somewhere?

Thanks for the comprehensive database of titles by the by!

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Re: Overview of current mahjong video-games

Post by Barticle » Thu Jan 23, 2020 11:08 pm

Hi and welcome! I'm glad the list is still proving useful. I continue to update it, although all the action lately has been in the Switch section.

I periodically toy with the idea of getting one but I haven't got a Switch (yet). I have played the PS4 versions of two of the Switch titles though and I think the games are the same on both platforms. Ginsei Mahjong is a very basic game and Kuikae is always fixed Ari so that's no good. Saikyou no Mahjong however is much better and it also has a Kuikae Ari/Nashi rule setting. You can apply custom rule options in Free Play mode and Kuikae is fixed Nashi in the grueling Survival mode too. It's been a while but I think some of the rules might change between rounds in Tournament mode; the next match on my save has Kuikae Nashi again though.You can read more about the game in my guide:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/26303 ... faqs/77372

As for the other Switch games, I'd suggest clicking through on the links to look for screenshots that might show the rule options or searching on the Japanese titles for gameplay footage that shows them. (Watch out for all those two-player strip mahjong games they keep releasing too! :oops: These are indicated in my listing.)

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