Are Pachinko video games generally import-friendly?

[CecilMcW00t]

I've been kind of wanting to try one for a while but was worried about possibly over-complicated menus/options. There is a new one for PS3 that came out recently called パチパラ15 ～スーパー海IN沖縄2～ (haven't looked up a translation for the name yet). Maybe I will start with that one.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I'd have to say that they are import friendly. Nothing too complex and very simple and straight forward type of gameplay. That PS3 pachinko game d/l is known as "Pachi Para15" on the JPN region PSN site. Think of playing pinball on a 90 degree vertical plane except without any flippers to control with whatsoever. Famous Japanese 3rd-party console peripheral manufacturer Hori has been known to make/sell PSX pachinko control panels for use with the many pachinko games available for the PSX/PS2 platforms. Gives it that extra realism that you can't get playing pachinko with a medicore console D-pad setup.

Or you could try out Sammy's 1998 Sexy Reaction Pachinko or Sammy's 1999 Sexy Reaction Pachinko 2 sequel on Mame/Mame32 and see how it plays. On the real SRP/SRP2 PCB that runs on the SSV Jamma motherboard setup, you can play it either with standard 8-way digital joystick or optional Sammy produced pachinko analog knob control panel (even has built-in force-feedback via rumble enabled motors) via dip switch setting. The more you twist the knob further back, the more faster the automatic ball launcher shoots the balls out on to the playfield.

Generally, one would spend a 100 yen per credit and get a 100 silver balls to start off with. There are professional pachinko players who do compete for trips & prizes. Pachinko parlors in Japan are quite noisy and smoky from all the cigarettes being smoked from the patrons. The electro-mechanical pachinko games (from pachinko makers like Sangyo and others) that came out back in the 1970s had those mechanical ball shooter levers that you could manually launch a ball either soft, medium or hard.

At the 2009 California Extreme show, someone brought in a Sankyo produced pachinko machine named "Julie" which had a cool pinball theme to it. It even had a minature pinball table with working flippers (that you could play if you did really good)! The built-in high-res LCD screen placed in the middle of the machine was impressive and very colorful. All you had to do was fill up the ball slot tray and press start to begin a serious session of pachinko. Lots of fun indeed. There are some cool licensed Star Wars themed pachinko machines up for sale from time to time on eBay.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[CecilMcW00t]

Awesome! Man thanks a lot for your reply, you really helped me a lot!