POSTED BY

Brandon Boyer

AT 8:47 AM
Friday May 15, 2009

Wii

The glistening ecstacy of Namco's WiiWare Muscle March

Videogames are brilliant, aren't they? Namco brings a port of its original arcade game Muscle March to WiiWare in Japan on May 26th. The premise? If it's not abundantly clear above: after a pro football player steals the all-important protein powder, it's up to March's rippled stars to strike the pose of the wall-smasher in front of you to keep the march moving and bring the thief to justice.

The downside: there but for the grace of Namco do we ever see this leave Japan, and the various regions' WiiWare channels are hard-locked to each piece of hardware. Namco, if anyone's reading: of course we do want this. It worked for Katamari, right? And even partners-in-fitness Cho Aniki earned itself a Virtual Console release. Let's see what we can do.

Muscle March [Namco, thanks to Kotaku for the original video]

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7 Comments

malex

#1 – 9:22 AM May 16, 2009

"No - no words. No words to describe it. Poetry! They should've sent a poet. So beautiful. So beautiful... I had no idea."

- Dr. Ellie Arroway

DefMech

#2 – 5:36 PM May 17, 2009

I can say pretty confidently that I would only play this once. Maybe a few more times just to show guests and friends. Don't take that as a negative comment, though. I want to buy this game. Do you hear me Namco? I want to buy this game even though I'll only play it a couple of times.

Anonymous Anonymous

#3 – 12:32 PM May 18, 2009

Apparently you have to imitate the movements of a computerplayer, and thus exxercise without noticing it. Aerobics goes Wii.

Anonymous Anonymous

#4 – 5:08 PM May 18, 2009

There is a Japanese gameshow where the jumpsuit-clad contestant has to quickly pull similar shapes before a rapidly moving wall swipes them into a pool. I think that's where the idea for this might be coming from.

Ocker3

#5 – 2:51 AM May 19, 2009

it was also a short-live show in Australia, called Wipeout. they dressed the contestants up in embarrasing uniforms and most of them ended up in the pool because they couldn't fit through the too-small holes in the moving wall. they tried to have the contestants crack jokes between sessions, but the show died Real fast.

Anonymous Anonymous

#6 – 6:41 AM May 19, 2009

This...this is so beautiful. We need this here in America. If anything can get us out of this economic depression-induced sadness, it's musclebound jocks and dancing bears.

Anyone going to E3 wanna hit up the Namco reps?

Emily (koenji calling)

#7 – 9:15 PM May 19, 2009

This really just seems like they're trying too hard to be WTF and tap into that Nico Nico otaku style. Since this stuff really hasn't been oversaturated in the states the way it has in Japan it would probably be welcome, but I'm kind of sick of this stuff at this point, and I don't see it as being in any way in the realm of Katamari.

But, you know, game play is everything and it won't be until someone gives a play review of it that anything other than image can be squawked about.

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