Let’s Train Our Fingernails To Grow!
Publisher: Various (but blame Nintendo)

Alright, so the above game doesn’t actually exist – yet. But it’s an easy mistake to make. Big in Japan since before Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training - even before keyboard-based hits like The Typing of the Dead - the training genre has gone nova thanks to Nintendo DS. A year ago, it was DS Ganriki Training (vision training) and Otona No DS Kao Training (face training). The 16th biggest selling game in Japan this year: DS Bimoji Training (handwriting training). And, thanks to Sega hopping on the bandwagon, before Christmas you’ll have Project Beauty, a camera-assisted virtual makeover. Ugh la la.

Above: DS Bimoji Training. The Japanese are mad for it

Kinnikuman Muscle Grand Prix
Publisher: Various (mostly Bandai)

Kinnikuman was a pro wrestling manga whose characters, among them The Toilet Paper Mummy, could be based on anything from slot machines to telephone boxes. You can probably see where this is going. Discovering that he’s heir to the throne of Kinniku, a planet known for its gallant superheroes, the bumbling Kinnikuman must prove himself worthy - by entering wrestling competitions. Remember those buckets of bendy M.U.S.C.L.E. toys you had as a kid? Same thing.

Above: In Japan the wearing of Kinnikuman masks is required by law

First released in 2006, Muscle Grand Prix is a sprawling versus fighter that’s already on its fourth instalment. With stages like Demon Womb and Fist of Heracles, and characters like Big the Budou and Neptuneman (from England), it’s no wonder it’s such a hit.

One Piece
Publisher: Various

Having sold over 140million copies via Japanese manga franchise Weekly Shōnen Jump, One Piece follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a kid who gains supernatural powers by eating magic fruit, and his pirate gang, the Straw Hats. Its videogame debut came in 2000, with the release of One Piece: Mezase Kaizoku Ou! (Become The Pirate King!) for the WonderSwan handheld. Eight years later, 29 One Piece games have been released, five of them in the US, most of which are either RPGs or fighting games.

Oshare Majo: Love and Berry
Publisher: Sega

At one time hailed as the saviour of the Japanese arcade industry, Love and Berry was first released in 2004. Its title characters are magical princesses who can change their clothes in an instant – almost as fast, then, as Sega could release the collectible cards that bought them their outfits.

Above: Some kind of Love and Berry promotional thing. Absolutely everything about this game terrifies us

Aimed at 6-12 year old girls, the game awards fashion cards that can be scanned to dress the characters on screen, the action itself being a simple button-tap dance game. Evidently, if there’s one thing little girls like more than witches and dressing up, it’s grotesquely transparent marketing ploys: over 100million cards were printed in the two years after launch, all of which can be used in the inevitable DS version, Love and Berry DS Collection.

Densha de Go!
Publisher: Taito

It’s reached the end of the line, sadly, but the law declares that any Japanese game list contain one reference to this godlike train sim. First, bear in mind that the Japanese find honour in jobs that westerners might find, well, a bit naff. So while riding the Shit’ole Express is anything but pleasurable for us, going back-and-forth on Tokyo’s super-reliable JR Line (almost) does make an interactive version an attractive prospect.

Above: That's what we call a controller

Famed for its giant levers-and-pedals controllers, Densha evolved over several instalments to cover increasing amounts of authentic Japanese track, culminating in the rather arcadey Densha de Go! Final for PS2 and PC. That closing chapter introduced Conductor mode, in which player’s role expanded brilliantly to include 'door opener' and 'platform announcer'.

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