(also known by the abbreviated name ''Momotetsu'') is a long-running
board game
Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
Many board games feature a co ...
-style video game series in Japan; in which players travel by
rail
Rail or rails may refer to:
Rail transport
*Rail transport and related matters
*Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway
Arts and media Film
* ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini
* ''Rail'' ( ...
, ship, and airplane; attempting to acquire wealth through business transactions buying properties; and dealing with rival entrepreneurs and nemeses such as the . The game mechanics are often compared to the board games
sugoroku and
Monopoly
A monopoly (from Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a speci ...
.
Started in 1988, the series was initially produced by
Hudson Soft. The rights to the series are now owned by
Konami Corporation
, is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
, who absorbed Hudson in 2012. This series is spin-off from another video game series by
Hudson Soft, ''
Momotaro Densetsu''. The project supervisor for the series is
Akira Sakuma, with illustration by and main music production by
Kazuyuki Sekiguchi of
Southern All Stars
, also known by the abbreviations and SAS, are a Japanese rock band that first formed in 1974.
The band is composed of Keisuke Kuwata (lead vocals and guitars), Yuko Hara (vocals and keyboards), Kazuyuki Sekiguchi (bass), Hiroshi Matsuda (dr ...
. In some works, and (composer of "
Makafushigi Adventure!", opening theme song of the
Dragon Ball anime) also participate in music production.
From 2004, for many years promotional marketing for the series featured the pairing of comedian
Tomonori Jinnai and
gravure idol
A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thou ...
/
tarento
Television personalities in Japan, known as in Japanese, are celebrities who regularly appear in mass media in Japan, especially as panelists on variety shows. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, bankable stars in America were described as " ...
Chinatsu Wakatsuki
is a Japanese variety ''tarento'' and former gravure idol. Her real name was before she got married. She is represented with Platinum Production
is a Japanese talent agency headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. It was founded in 2000 and focuses ...
.
In June 2015, creator Akira Sakuma stated "I'm announcing here that Momotaro Dentetsu is officially done. Ishikawa at Konami squelched everything." However, in July 2015, Konami lends the license to
Nintendo for an unspecified amount of yen.
After 7 years of no release, a new version of the game was released, exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS. Momotaro Dentetsu II released in the US on the TurboGrafx-16 Mini.
Titles
Console games
Its console games are as follows:
# (
Famicom
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redes ...
: 1988-12-02)
# (
PC Engine
The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, thoug ...
: 1989-09-15,
Game Boy
The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same t ...
: 1991-03-08, Famicom: 1992-03-20)
# (PC Engine: 1991-12-20,
Super Famicom
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South ...
: 1992-08-07, Game Boy: 1994-02-18)
# (Super Famicom: 1994-12-09)
#* (
Sega Game Gear
The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, ...
: 1995-12-15
[ハドソンゲームナビ](_blank)
/ref>)
# (Super Famicom: 1995-12-08)
# (Super Famicom: 1996-12-06)
# ( PlayStation: 1997-12-23)
# (Game Boy: 1998-07-31)
# (PlayStation: 1999-12-16)
# ( PlayStation 2: 2001-12-13)
#'' Momotaro Dentetsu 11: Black Bombee Arrives'' (PlayStation 2 & GameCube: 2002-12-05)
#'' Momotaro Dentetsu 12: All Aboard for Western Japan!'' (PlayStation 2 & GameCube: 2003-12-11)
# - (PlayStation 2: 2004-11-18)
# (Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...
: 2005-06-30)
# (PlayStation 2: 2005-12-08)
# (PlayStation 2: 2006-12-07, Wii: 2007-07-19)
#* (Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...
: 2007-12-06)
Feature phone games
[Hudson](_blank)
* (i-mode
NTT DoCoMo's i-mode is a mobile internet (distinct from wireless internet) service popular in Japan. Unlike Wireless Application Protocols, i-mode encompasses a wider variety of internet standards, including web access, e-mail, and the pa ...
: 2005-02-07, EZweb
au, or au by KDDI, is a Japanese mobile phone operator. au is a brand marketed by KDDI in the main islands of Japan and by Okinawa Cellular in Okinawa for their mobile cellular services. au is the second-largest wireless carrier in Japan, wit ...
: 2006-01-26, : 2007-04-02)
* (i-mode: 2005-11-01, EZweb: 2006-08-10, Yahoo! Keitai: 2007-04-02)
** (i-mode: 2007-01-04, EZweb: 2008-04-03)
* (i-mode: 2006-04-01, EZweb: 2007-02-01, Yahoo! Keitai: 2007-09-03)
** (i-mode: 2007-07-01)
** (i-mode: 2009-08-03)
* (i-mode: 2006-11-01, Yahoo! Keitai: 2007-09-03, EZweb: 2007-09-06)
* (i-mode: 2007-05-01, EZweb: 2008-01-31, Yahoo! Keitai: 2008-02-01)
* (i-mode: 2007-11-01, Yahoo! Keitai: 2008-09-01, EZweb: 2008-09-04)
** (i-mode: 2008-01-04)
* (i-mode: 2008-06-01, Yahoo! Keitai: 2009-02-02, EZweb: 2009-02-12)
* (i-mode: 2009-02-01)
* (i-mode: 2009-09-01)
* (i-mode: 2010-03-01)
* (i-mode:2010-11-01)
* (i-mode:2011-05-01)
* (i-mode:2012-02-01)
iOS games
* (iPhone/iPod touch: 2011-02-17)
Sales and popularity
The series is popular in Japan.Momotaro Dentetsu 7 sold over 500,000 copies in Japan. Total shipments exceeded 12 million units by 2011.Haijima Station
is an interchange passenger railway station located in the city of Akishima, Tokyo, Japan, jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the private railway operator Seibu Railway. The station is also a freight depot for the Japa ...
, and another at Kaminagaya Station.
References
External links
Official website
{{Konami franchises
Digital board games
Hudson Soft games
Konami franchises
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection games
Video games based on Japanese mythology
Video game franchises
Video game franchises introduced in 1988
Wii Wi-Fi games