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What a strange world we live in when the next words I'm going to write are not sarcasm: playing Sega's Let's Tap, a game which utilizes the Wii Remote and a cardboard box to "control" a series of mini-games, was the most fun I had a Tokyo Game Show this year. 

Let's Tap is the mystery Prope-developed title teased a few weeks back, which they described as "the game that even penguins can play." The title will include 10 different games, but all share a similar and unique control scheme -- you place the Wii Remote face down on a cardboard box, and you simply tap the box to play the game. The Wii Remote and game will react to the vibration of the box, and won't require you to use the controller (outside of menu selection). 

Hands-on with Sega's new "box" peripheral after the jump.

Sega was showing off one of the ten Let's Tap mini-games at Tokyo Game Show, a Track and Field-esque mode called "Tap Runner." Tapping the box lightly (but quickly) with your fingers causes your on-screen runner to sprint; tapping harder would make it jump. The different levels we played had hurdles and other obstacles, and competing head-to-head was a blast. The box/Wii Remote combination was surprisingly sensitive; only a light touch was required to make your runner go.

Let's Tap will be released in Japan this December, and will support up to four players, but will only ship with two "Tap Boxes." We suspect other cardboard box surfaces could be used, so we suggest saving your empty Boo Berry and Count Chocula boxes. Although the "Tap Runner" game was extremely basic, the curious interface felt fresh and fun; all of a sudden, a "game that even penguins can play" has become one of my most wanted titles.

Bonus: Check out out these awesome broken-English descriptions of four revealed Let's Tap mini-games, direct from Sega Japan.

  • 【Tap Runner】: Adjusting the strength of the tap to “Run”, “Walk” and “Jump”. A side scroll action needs to pass the obstacles and head to the goal.
  • 【Silent Blocks】: In the game, the blocks are stacked in a tower formation and the player take 1 block one by one by tapping. The strength of the tap converted to the power to pull the block. The player needs to tap sometimes gently and sometimes fearlessly.
  • 【Bubble Voyager】: A side scroll action the player needs to guide the characters by tapping strong and week in the mysterious space. Avoid the danger looming continuously to go as farther as possible.
  • 【Visualizer】: In the water surface screen, gentle tap produce riffle and hard tap produce the big wave. The mode allows the player to enjoy making movement to the variety of the background with the strength of the tap. The tiny vibration from the box may produce the unexpected graphic world.

LAUNCH GALLERY (11 IMAGES)
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17 comments | showing # 1 to 17

Nubc4kes's Avatar
Nubc4kes at 10/13/2008 10:51
While this is a crazy idea, I really like the experimentation that Sega is doing here, yet I can't see how this will stay entertaining for much more than an hour or two. We'll see if this turns out to be a compelling game or a gimmick, but I must give them props for trying something like this.
The-Excel's Avatar
The-Excel at 10/13/2008 10:59
I wonder if they're going to include that one game with the paper sumo wrestlers which are controlled by tapping the corner of the ring.
pendelton21's Avatar
pendelton21 at 10/13/2008 11:07
Finally, hobos have a reason to game again; they can just play with their house!
NihonTiger90's Avatar
NihonTiger90 at 10/13/2008 11:09
@Excel: If they did, I'd buy it in a heart beat.

As is stands this is just stupidly crazy enough to possibly be fun.
superflossy's Avatar
superflossy at 10/13/2008 11:12
they need to make a mini-game called "tap dat ass" then i'd buy that game. jk, this looks really fun! i'm all for more crazy ways to use the wiimote.
Prince Ghidorah's Avatar
Prince Ghidorah at 10/13/2008 11:14
And when you're bored of the game, you can put a bunch of boxes together and make a fort! Ever do that?
CarlCastello's Avatar
CarlCastello at 10/13/2008 11:32
Not a blue hedgehog in sight. This was a smart move on multiple levels. Way to go, Sega.
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 10/13/2008 11:45
Wow, so it's really what it sounded like. I actually seems like it could be fun for a bit.
tkyy's Avatar
tkyy at 10/13/2008 12:13
So do I have to buy a new cardboard box every week to ensure I have the best experience?
Xhumation's Avatar
Xhumation at 10/13/2008 14:17
I'd tap that!
nintendoll's Avatar
nintendoll at 10/13/2008 15:15
FUTURE TAPPING GAME!
hood_954's Avatar
hood_954 at 10/13/2008 17:17
@Xhumation

you beat me to it!
Cube's Avatar
Cube at 10/14/2008 01:18
this is the coolest game I have ever seen.
cjpkiller's Avatar
cjpkiller at 10/14/2008 06:17
interesting, id like to try this
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 10/15/2008 13:12
Sounds really cool.
exodus1925's Avatar
exodus1925 at 10/18/2008 03:27
I don't want to get beaten at a game by a fucking penguin.
GohanGVO's Avatar
GohanGVO at 10/21/2008 23:20
Using the Wiimote in a novel way intrigues and fascinates me, and I hope more third-parties try it out and tune the hell out of it. I hope this package delivers, too.
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