Hey there!
Bet you didn't think you'd hear from me again, did ya?
Well, here I am! Again.
I seriously need to get my butt in line and start doing this more regularly. The main problem is that my boss wants me to write these from the office, which I don't spend much time at unless I have an adult class there at night. And there's no way I want to stay at the office after a 9-10pm class for another 2 hours writing a review. I want to go home and eat!
But luckily, I got permission to write this one from home.
Why?
Because I'm reviewing my first game!
What game? Well, a Japanese-based game, of course!
A few weeks ago the creator/developer of the game NihongoUp e-mailed me and requested a review. Well, after a while of trying it out, I think I'm ready to write what I think.
Now, keep in mind that this is my first game review. I'm not sure how to go about this, but I'm going to try my best.
First things first: what is NihongoUp?
Answer: It's a downloadable "Japanese educational game and reviewing tool" that costs US$4.99. There is a free 15-day free trial if you're up to it as well. If you buy it, you get updates as they fix bugs and add new features!
The game lets you pic from four modes: katakana, hiragana, kanji and particles.
In the game settings you can adjust music/sound volumes, how long one round of the game lasts, and if you want the kanji presented just as words or as sentences.
Okay, let's go over each of the different modes in more detail.
Katakana and Hiragana:
Game Play: These two modes play the same, so I'm going to review them together.
Basically, characters from whichever chart you chose starts falling as balloons from the sky, slowly at first but start increasing in speed and in frequency as you get more correct. The faster you type correctly, the higher your score. If a balloon carrying a character reaches the bottom of the screen, you lose your combo and things slow down so you can catch up again. If you make a mistake, the balloon just keeps falling until it hits bottom and ruins your point multiplier combo.
Pros: These modes really keep you on your toes. Depending on how long you have your rounds to last (up to 15 minutes), your typing skills will definitely increase with this as it is impossible to look at the keyboard to type and keep up with what's on the screen as the game gets faster. Because of the speed, you really have to know your characters well. If you're just starting out, start with a short game time and gradually increase it as you get better.
Cons: The speed. It just gets too fast sometimes and will have more than 5 different characters falling at once, making it impossible to type them all unless you can type 300 words a minute. Also, if you make a mistake, it doesn't tell you what the missed character is. This discouraged my husband, who I had try out the game as he is still just starting to learn the language. Once rarely-used characters like づ (dzu) and ぢ (ji) came out, he wasn't sure how to input them and got frustrated. There's nothing to tell you what's being missed, which makes it harder for you to learn what you did wrong before the character you missed comes out again.
Kanji:
Game Play: This mode currently only offers review for the two lowest levels of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), levels 3 and 4. They are working on getting levels 1 and 2 up and running, so hopefully they get those up soon.
Either level gives you two options which both work the same way. You choose either "words" or "sentences" from the game options on the main screen, then choose which of the falling four kanji matches up to the pink hiragana on the bottom. Just press the number that correlates to the kanji you think is correct.
In the "words" mode you are presented with either a single kanji reading or a compound. If it's a compound, only the hiragana reading one of the kanji will be highlighted in pink, so that's the one you have to find.
Example:
にほん Nihon
The pink hiragana correspond to one of the four falling kanji. You don't have to worry about the first one in the compound. And just like with the hiragana and katakana modes, the more you get correct, the faster the balloons start falling each word.
The "sentence" mode works just about the same. You're given a sentence that is mainly in hiragana, but if you're doing JLPT level 3 kanji from level 4 are mixed in. Either way, you still have to correctly pick which of the four falling kanji is the correct one for the pink hiragana in the sentence.
Pros: Gives you a choice on what level of kanji you want to study.
Is in an easy-to-use multiple choice style.
Does get faster like hiragana/katakana modes, but not nearly as fast (from what I've played).
Gives you the option to just go from memory on readings, or see the kanji in a contextual sentence.
Cons: This mode actually does show what the correct kanji is when you make a mistake, but you're more than likely to miss it as it shows up at the bottom in the same pink as the hiragana was. Took me several times playing it before I noticed.
In the "sentence" mode, some of the sentences are too long to read before the kanji all fall off the screen. This will most likely not be the case one they have game modes for JLPT levels 1 and 2, as I assume most of the words would be in kanji.
Sometimes two of the same (correct) kanji show up in the four choices. Both work as correct answers, but it isn't very professional from a game stand-point if you ask me.
Particles:
Game Play: Particle mode makes me hum They Might Be Giants' "Particle Man" as I play. I actually turn my speakers off and hum it.
Anyway, particle mode gives you a sentence missing on crucial particle: a "wa", "ga", "wo", "ni", etc. It's once again your job to pick which of the falling four particles is correct in the context of the sentence!
Pros: I'm just happy there is a mode for particles. They can be some of the most difficult parts of Japanese grammar to explain, let alone make into a game. Props to the developer for coming up with this!
Just like with the kanji modes, particle mode does show what the correct answer is if you make a mistake. It's down at the bottom in the sentence in pink.
Once again, yay multiple choice!
Cons: While this mode is also awesome enough to show you what the correct answer is when you make a mistake, if you aren't careful enough to check down at the bottom right away it's going to disappear before you can make a mental note of it.
"Particle Man" should so be the background music for this level. I am saddened that it isn't, but understand that getting the rights to it would be hard and pricey. Still, I think it should be looked into int he future.
Okay, that's all four modes in detail. Overall, I must say this isn't a bad game at all.
However, I would not suggest it for real beginners of the language; this is definitely a game for people who are currently studying the language at school and need a review tool more than something that will teach them the basics from scratch. I would also suggest this for people who need the vocab and kanji help when studying for the JLPT.
There are a few things, like the speed and lack of correction in the hiragana/katakana modes, that could use some fine tuning, but it's still a good resource.
But seriously, if you are a beginner trying to teach yourself hiragana/katakana/kanji/particles, this is not for you.
Overall, I'd give this game a 6/10, with hopes that future updates will raise the score closer to a 8 or 9. It's got the potential, and it's a decent price.
Why not give the 15-day trial a run and see what you think?
Bet you didn't think you'd hear from me again, did ya?
Well, here I am! Again.
I seriously need to get my butt in line and start doing this more regularly. The main problem is that my boss wants me to write these from the office, which I don't spend much time at unless I have an adult class there at night. And there's no way I want to stay at the office after a 9-10pm class for another 2 hours writing a review. I want to go home and eat!
But luckily, I got permission to write this one from home.
Why?
Because I'm reviewing my first game!
What game? Well, a Japanese-based game, of course!
A few weeks ago the creator/developer of the game NihongoUp e-mailed me and requested a review. Well, after a while of trying it out, I think I'm ready to write what I think.
Now, keep in mind that this is my first game review. I'm not sure how to go about this, but I'm going to try my best.
First things first: what is NihongoUp?
Answer: It's a downloadable "Japanese educational game and reviewing tool" that costs US$4.99. There is a free 15-day free trial if you're up to it as well. If you buy it, you get updates as they fix bugs and add new features!
The game lets you pic from four modes: katakana, hiragana, kanji and particles.
In the game settings you can adjust music/sound volumes, how long one round of the game lasts, and if you want the kanji presented just as words or as sentences.
Okay, let's go over each of the different modes in more detail.
Katakana and Hiragana:
Game Play: These two modes play the same, so I'm going to review them together.
Basically, characters from whichever chart you chose starts falling as balloons from the sky, slowly at first but start increasing in speed and in frequency as you get more correct. The faster you type correctly, the higher your score. If a balloon carrying a character reaches the bottom of the screen, you lose your combo and things slow down so you can catch up again. If you make a mistake, the balloon just keeps falling until it hits bottom and ruins your point multiplier combo.
Pros: These modes really keep you on your toes. Depending on how long you have your rounds to last (up to 15 minutes), your typing skills will definitely increase with this as it is impossible to look at the keyboard to type and keep up with what's on the screen as the game gets faster. Because of the speed, you really have to know your characters well. If you're just starting out, start with a short game time and gradually increase it as you get better.
Cons: The speed. It just gets too fast sometimes and will have more than 5 different characters falling at once, making it impossible to type them all unless you can type 300 words a minute. Also, if you make a mistake, it doesn't tell you what the missed character is. This discouraged my husband, who I had try out the game as he is still just starting to learn the language. Once rarely-used characters like づ (dzu) and ぢ (ji) came out, he wasn't sure how to input them and got frustrated. There's nothing to tell you what's being missed, which makes it harder for you to learn what you did wrong before the character you missed comes out again.
Kanji:
Game Play: This mode currently only offers review for the two lowest levels of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), levels 3 and 4. They are working on getting levels 1 and 2 up and running, so hopefully they get those up soon.
Either level gives you two options which both work the same way. You choose either "words" or "sentences" from the game options on the main screen, then choose which of the falling four kanji matches up to the pink hiragana on the bottom. Just press the number that correlates to the kanji you think is correct.
In the "words" mode you are presented with either a single kanji reading or a compound. If it's a compound, only the hiragana reading one of the kanji will be highlighted in pink, so that's the one you have to find.
Example:
にほん Nihon
The pink hiragana correspond to one of the four falling kanji. You don't have to worry about the first one in the compound. And just like with the hiragana and katakana modes, the more you get correct, the faster the balloons start falling each word.
The "sentence" mode works just about the same. You're given a sentence that is mainly in hiragana, but if you're doing JLPT level 3 kanji from level 4 are mixed in. Either way, you still have to correctly pick which of the four falling kanji is the correct one for the pink hiragana in the sentence.
Pros: Gives you a choice on what level of kanji you want to study.
Is in an easy-to-use multiple choice style.
Does get faster like hiragana/katakana modes, but not nearly as fast (from what I've played).
Gives you the option to just go from memory on readings, or see the kanji in a contextual sentence.
Cons: This mode actually does show what the correct kanji is when you make a mistake, but you're more than likely to miss it as it shows up at the bottom in the same pink as the hiragana was. Took me several times playing it before I noticed.
In the "sentence" mode, some of the sentences are too long to read before the kanji all fall off the screen. This will most likely not be the case one they have game modes for JLPT levels 1 and 2, as I assume most of the words would be in kanji.
Sometimes two of the same (correct) kanji show up in the four choices. Both work as correct answers, but it isn't very professional from a game stand-point if you ask me.
Particles:
Game Play: Particle mode makes me hum They Might Be Giants' "Particle Man" as I play. I actually turn my speakers off and hum it.
Anyway, particle mode gives you a sentence missing on crucial particle: a "wa", "ga", "wo", "ni", etc. It's once again your job to pick which of the falling four particles is correct in the context of the sentence!
Pros: I'm just happy there is a mode for particles. They can be some of the most difficult parts of Japanese grammar to explain, let alone make into a game. Props to the developer for coming up with this!
Just like with the kanji modes, particle mode does show what the correct answer is if you make a mistake. It's down at the bottom in the sentence in pink.
Once again, yay multiple choice!
Cons: While this mode is also awesome enough to show you what the correct answer is when you make a mistake, if you aren't careful enough to check down at the bottom right away it's going to disappear before you can make a mental note of it.
"Particle Man" should so be the background music for this level. I am saddened that it isn't, but understand that getting the rights to it would be hard and pricey. Still, I think it should be looked into int he future.
Okay, that's all four modes in detail. Overall, I must say this isn't a bad game at all.
However, I would not suggest it for real beginners of the language; this is definitely a game for people who are currently studying the language at school and need a review tool more than something that will teach them the basics from scratch. I would also suggest this for people who need the vocab and kanji help when studying for the JLPT.
There are a few things, like the speed and lack of correction in the hiragana/katakana modes, that could use some fine tuning, but it's still a good resource.
But seriously, if you are a beginner trying to teach yourself hiragana/katakana/kanji/particles, this is not for you.
Overall, I'd give this game a 6/10, with hopes that future updates will raise the score closer to a 8 or 9. It's got the potential, and it's a decent price.
Why not give the 15-day trial a run and see what you think?
