Mahjong video game

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, Microsoft Windows, OS/2, and Amiga OS.

Game types

Japanese computer mahjong games typically 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.

Many computer mahjong games 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 example of this genre is the 1992 Sega arcade game Tokoro San no MahMahjan.

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.

Notable examples

Title Game Type(s) Developer Publisher Country Platform Release Date
Aki[1] Single Player Ambrosia Software Apple Macintosh
Dynasty Warriors Mahjong[2] Taisen Mahjong Omega Force Koei Japan Nintendo DS, PSP, PS2
Hong Kong Mahjong Pro[3] Single Player Electronic Arts Nine Dragons Software USA MS-DOS 1992
Jangō Simulation Mahjong-dō 64 Taisen Mahjong Video System Video System Japan Nintendo 64 July 25, 1997
Kiwame Mahjong DX2 4-Player Classic Mahjong Athena Athena Japan GameCube August 9, 2002
Mahjong 64 Taisen Mahjong Chat Noir Koei Japan Nintendo 64 April 4, 1997
Mahjong Fight Club 4-Player Japanese Mahjong Konami Konami Japan PS3, PSP, DS, Wii, arcade 2002-2010
Mahjong Hōrōki Classic Taisen Mahjong Imagineer Imagineer Japan Nintendo 64 August 1, 1997
Mahjong Master Taisen Mahjong Konami Konami Japan Nintendo 64 December 20, 1996
Mahjong Taikai 4-Player Classic Mahjong Koei Koei Japan NES, PSP, Wii, DS, PS3 1989–2006
Prawdziwy Mahjong [Genuine Mahjong][4] 4-Player Classic Mahjong B.I.S. Format B.I.S. Format Poland Microsoft Windows November 16, 2009
Pro Mahjong Kiwame 64 Taisen Mahjong Athena Athena Japan Nintendo 64 November 21, 1997
Pro Shinan Mahjong Tsuwamono 64: Jansō Battle ni Chōsen 4-player Classic Mahjong Culture Brain Culture Brain Japan Nintendo 64 November 5, 1999
Yōsuke Ide's Mahjong Juku Taisen Mahjong Seta Seta Japan Nintendo 64 April 21, 2000

The player also has the option to play Japanese mahjong (with English text) as one of the various mini-games in Sega's gangster games, Yakuza 2 (PS2) and Yakuza 4 (PS3). Your character plays against three computer-controlled opponents, at various skill levels, gambling with their own in-game money.

References

  1. ↑ Hiner, Kirk (Jul 15, 2010). "Appletell reviews Aki Mahjong for iPad". Appletell. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
  2. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop (February 10, 2006). "Wildest Fantasies Fulfilled: Dynasty Warriors Mahjong". IGN. Retrieved 2010-09-15.
  3. ↑ Giovetti, Alfred C. (May 1993). "Hong Kong Mahjong Pro". Compute! (152): 110.
  4. ↑ Maj, Marcin (Nov 13, 2009). "Mahjong dzięki komputerom wkracza do Polski". Money.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2010-10-05.