Sony's Happiness Controller Game Elevates The Joy

Thanks to GamePro for its preview of Sony's forthcoming Japanese PlayStation 2 game, Happiness Controller. The preview explains: "The goal of Happiness Controller is to make 100 people that you control happy", and details: "Some of the types of people you need to make happy include... Happily married businessman, whose company is about to go bankrupt... A child whose father is a slob, and whose mother comes home late at night drunk... Bar club hostess, who gets paid to listen to rich Japanese businessmen talk." However, the preview ends: "Given the very Japanese nature of the 100 characters, if a North American release is planned it would likely have different characters."

Comments

I don't think I'd enjoy this

[DarkkOne]

But I'm sure alot of the sims players probably would... And dammit, we need to support strange japanese games when/if the make it to the US. Because there's some damn good ones that have come out and NOT made it to the US on the assumption "we wouldn't get it."

What the hell is wrong with those people?

[fmaxwell]

Why is it that Asian products and companies have such idiotic names? "Happiness Controller"? DFI = Diamond Flower Incorporated. Lucky Goldstar? KiKi Joy USB Game Controller?

They seem to just plop the words "joy", "happy", "golden" randomly next to other words (what the hell is a "data flower" anyway?) and assume that they have a company or product name.

Re:What the hell is wrong with those people?

[Anonymous Coward]

not all japanese products have the words "joy" "happy" and "golden" in them....
I mean, come on now, lets take for example my favorite japanese toy..

http://www.engrish.com/detail.php?imagename=god- je sus.jpg&category=Toys&date=2002-10-16

Re:What the hell is wrong with those people?

[fatgraham]

Yeah, I prefer "e-company" "i-company" "company-corp" "companysoft" "company dot com"

them crazy asians!

Re:What the hell is wrong with those people?

[bugbread]

Way to RTA. The game is called "Koufuku Sousakan". Unless one of those words is some hyperadvanced English that I've never heard of, I have no idea what your comment is in reference to.

As to why the game is called "Happiness Controller" in English: once again, RTA. It's a game about controlling happiness. I don't see a whole lot of randomness in the naming.

Bad Translation?

[fmaxwell]

Is "Happiness Controller" is what you get when you translate "joystick" into Japanese and then back into English?

If I know my japanese videogames

[Lord Bitman]

and, I think I do...
No matter what you try, the only way to make anyone happy is going to involve lots of dominating sex.

Re:official american jobs thread

[AKnightCowboy]

what would the 100 americans be doing that needed to have their 'happiness controlled'?

Happy Golden Joy Fun Election Day 2004!! Vote for Bush san to beat evil Democrats to reveal the secret power!! What is sekret power? Use happiness controller find out!