RE: Question about sumo games

["Joshua A. Reyer" <jreyer@grn.mmtr.or.jp>]

> No, not the ones run by people on the list.  I'm talking about sumo VIDEO
> games.  Are there any good ones out there?  I saw one for the Super
> Famicom that looked kind of nice, but I have no idea what kind of
> playability it has, what the objectives are (build a stable?  train your
> wrestler?  or actually fight it out arcade style?)
>
> Anyone have any suggestions?

I have and play 64 Ozumo for the Nintendo 64.  I think it's the reason I got
a Nintendo 64 instead of a Playstation.  The game has a number of modes:
Yokozuna Success, Battle Tournament, 1 match play, plus a training mode.
Yokozuna Success follows your rikishi over the course of two years (12
basho) from when he starts at Maegashira 16 to wherever he ends up at the
end of the two years.  Interspersed between torikumi over the two years
there are various events that happen and games that you play.  You play the
games to build up your rikishi; for example, if you play the chanko game,
you get points in Tai (body) and Gi (technique).  You also get points
depending on what kind of technique you use to defeat an opponent; push him
out and you get points in Body, throw him with uwate-nage or shitate-nage
and you get points in technique, hataki-komi or utchari him and you points
in Shin (Spirit, Heart).  The number of points you have also determine which
of the five girls you eventually get to marry (if you want to.)  Have lots
of points in Body and you do well with the female newscaster.  Technique
gets you going with the daughter of a rival stable's Oyakata.  Points in
Heart give you the opportunity to marry the somewhat frail Office Lady.  All
three in abudant equal amounts and you can try for the half-Japanese sumo
gift shop owner.  And if your ninki (popularity) meter is high, you can try
and get together with the popular idol.  There are also three rivals for
you; Yamaarashi, a buddy from a different stable; Unkai, a foul-mouthed
veteran rikishi, and Kibakaze, a stuck-up popular rikishi.

The game is interesting and the torikumi are pretty fun once you master the
game play (not easy at first.)  But, there are some screw-ups.  Until you
make Yokozuna, you generally fight the equal of your rank on shonichi.  So,
you can be an Ozeki and face another Ozeki on Day 1!  Also, the promotion
system doesn't exactly follow real life.  If you get a zensho yusho and
sweep the sansho in your first tournament, the highest you get is maegashira
7.  Do it again and you get to to Maegashira 1.  Do it again and you go to
Komusubi, do it again and you get to Sekiwake, do it again and you get to
Ozeki, and then of course you need back to back yusho to get to Yokozuna.
So the fastest you can do it, even with consecutive zensho yusho and all the
possible sansho, is 7 basho.

Battle tournament mode lets you play a kind of "Hanazumo" type of tournament
with no extra events and a random order of opponents.  1 match play lets you
take on the computer or another player for one match.  One of the cool
things about the game is that the opposing rikishi all have varying styles.
If a particular opponent was giving me trouble, I'd play a bunch of one
match games against that opponent until I learned his style.  Electronic
degeiko. :-)

The graphics are a bit cartoony.  Actually they're a lot cartoony.  But it's
pretty fun.  You choose which type of rikishi you want; big body, fast
attack, all around balance, technician, or small bodied popular type.  You
can keep the name they give you or pick a new one (although this disables
the play-by-play option).  Hananotaka was my first rikishi, who I was able
to take all the way up to Ozeki before the two year limit was up.
Hananotaka II I was able to make Yokozuna.

I heard they were coming out with 64 Ozumo 2, but I've never seen it.  Of
course, by the hype it's supposed to be even better than the first one.

Josh Reyer