Mahjong video game
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A Mahjong video game is a video game that is based on the classical Chinese game mahjong. However, many mahjong video games, especially among those released in Western territories, do not depict the actual game of mahjong but rather mahjong solitaire.
Most commercial games released in this genre are created by Japanese developers for domestic release. Game makers have created dozens of mahjong titles for arcades and home consoles, but none have ever been officially released outside Asia. Some operating systems included a Mahjong game, such as Sun Solaris, OS/2, and Amiga OS.
[edit] Game types
Japanese computer mahjong games fall into roughly two categories. One is intended to challenge serious players, such as Athena's Pro Mahjong Kiwame series. For example, many Japanese video arcades feature games like Konami's Mahjong Fight Club that feature online play, allowing people across the country to play against one another. The other type is datsui-mahjong, also known as adult strip-mahjong, which shows victorious players graphics featuring women in varying stages of undress.
Many computer mahjong games, particularly the pornographic ones, play a variant of the Japanese game known as "taisen mahjong" or "battle mahjong." Here, a single player goes head-to-head against a cartoon character controlled by the software. The game is shortened for faster play, so that each player is only allowed eighteen discards. Scoring is counted as usual. The contest typically ends when one of the opponents' score reaches zero. A good non-sexual example of this genre is the 1992 Sega arcade game Tokoro San no MahMahjan, which is emulated in MAME.
Mahjong solitaire is a puzzle game based on the same tiles. The goal is to match open pairs of identical tiles and remove them from the board, exposing the tiles under them for play. The game is finished when all pairs of tiles have been removed from the board or when there are no exposed pairs remaining.
[edit] Notable mahjong video games
| Title | Game Type(s) | Developer | Publisher | Country | Platform | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aki | Single Player | Ambrosia Software | Apple Macintosh | |||
| Dynasty Warriors Mahjong | Taisen Mahjong | Omega Force | Koei |  |
Nintendo DS, PSP, PS2 | |
| Hong Kong Mahjong | 4-Player Classic Mahjong | Nine Dragons Software | Nine Dragons Software |  |
Windows | |
| Jangō Simulation Mahjong-dō 64 | Taisen Mahjong | Video System | Video System | |
Nintendo 64 | July 25, 1997 |
| Kiwame Mahjong DX2 | 4-Player Classic Mahjong | Athena | Athena | |
GameCube | August 9, 2002 |
| Mahjong 64 | Taisen Mahjong | Chat Noir | Koei | |
Nintendo 64 | April 4, 1997 |
| Mahjong Hōrōki Classic | Taisen Mahjong | Imagineer | Imagineer | |
Nintendo 64 | August 1, 1997 |
| Mahjong Master | Taisen Mahjong | Konami | Konami | |
Nintendo 64 | December 20, 1996 |
| Mahjong Taikai | 4-Player Classic Mahjong | Koei | Koei | |
NES, PSP, Wii | 1989-2006 |
| Maqiupai | Single Player | JMD | The GOAT Store | Dreamcast | January 19, 2005 | |
| Pro Mahjong Kiwame 64 | Taisen Mahjong | Athena | Athena | |
Nintendo 64 | November 21, 1997 |
| Pro Shinan Mahjong Tsuwamono 64: Jansō Battle ni Chōsen | 4-player Classic Mahjong | Culture Brain | Culture Brain | |
Nintendo 64 | November 5, 1999 |
| Yosuke Ide's Mahjong Juku | Taisen Mahjong | SETA | SETA | |
Nintendo 64 | April 21, 2000 |
