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Last week at an event in San Francisco we had a chance to play a near-final build of ARMS, Nintendo’s next major foray into the fighting game genre. During the preview we had a chance to go hands-on with several new modes, new stages and the final roster, including three previously unannounced characters.

New Challengers Come to Fight

We were intrigued by ARMS when it was initially shown off by Nintendo in January, and the game has only improved since then. The most obvious additions are the characters. We got our first look at the final three characters: Byte and Barq, a robot cop K-9 duo, Twintelle, a French movie star who fights with her hair instead of ruining her manicure, and Kid Cobra, a snake-like chap who moves quickly and has snaking arms that move unpredictably.

Byte and Barq enter combat as a team, with Barq being AI-controlled, randomly attacking your enemies with its tongue. Byte’s default arms are Seekie, a homing missile-type arm, Cracker, an arm that resembles, well, a party cracker, shooting confetti at your opponent, and a regular boxing glove-style arm called Bubb. Twintelle’s gimmick is one that shows incredible potential for both offensive and defensive options. With Twintelle, when you dash in any direction and hold down the button she will begin to wave her arms, which creates a time-slowing effect around her; this makes incoming punches and throws slow to a crawl, allowing you to take your time formulating a counter strategy. Twintelle’s arms include Chilla, a boxing glove that freezes the opponent on contact, Parasol, which is, as its name implies, a parasol that open as it moves, thus make it bigger and harder for the opponent to manoeuvre around, and finally Thunderbird, which launches a bird-shaped projectile. Kid Cobra is quick and sneaky. His snakelike movements are hard to track for opponents, especially when combined with his speed. He has the Slamamander, an arm which whips out like a snake and cracks at his opponents, the Hydra, which fires three projectiles that are connected on a string, and the Coolerang, a boomerang-like projectile with a freezing effect. Each of these three new characters had a stage all their own as well. Kid Cobra’s stage, Snake Park, stood out, as it contains hover platforms that you can jump on and take control of rather than moving. On the edges of the stage there are sections where you can perform tricks, though we had a difficult time getting away from our opponents long enough to try them out. Twintelle’s stage, Cinema Deux, is in her home country of France and outside of one of her film premieres. The road outside is lined with limousines which serve as an unbreakable barrier. Finally, Byte and Barq reside in Buster Beach, a fairly standard arena which has some small platforms in it to ensure you’ll have to jump at times throughout your match.

Hoops, Skillshot and 2v2 Battles in ARMS

Stages and characters weren’t all though. Nintendo also unveiled a trio of new modes, each of which is unique. The first of these modes is the quirkiest of the bunch, called Hoops. In hoops, you and an opponent square off on a basketball court. The point of the match is for you to grab your opponent and dunk them. There are no life bars, but otherwise normal ARMS rules apply. You can throw punches at your opponent to build your energy, and if you fill your special meter and unleash a combo on your foe you’ll smack them into the wall, causing them to rebound and fly into the hoop. The first player to 10 points wins. You can shoot the opponent from inside the paint for two points or from outside for a three-pointer. There isn’t any guaranteed success, so you might accidentally bounce a shot off the rim. It’s a fun diversion from the main offering, and an unexpected addition. We enjoyed the variety it added, as you’re no longer focusing on taking someone out, but instead on fending off throws, which you can do by punching one of your opponent’s hands. It’s hard to believe, but it’s a massive shift in how the game plays and feels a lot more lighthearted than the tense battles you’ll experience in the game’s regular versus mode. The next mode was again a bit silly, but completely different. It’s a shooting gallery style minigame called Skillshot. The object of Skillshot is to take out as many targets as you can. The other player will be on the other side of the arena from you, trying to take out the same targets before you get to them. Targets appear grouped together, and the more you take out with a single punch, the more points you’ll get. Skillshot isn’t just limited to hitting targets, however; you can also throw punches across the stage to hit or throw your opponent. If you manage to land enough hits you can disable an arm or knock them over, thus giving you some precious seconds to smash up targets free of meddlesome adversaries. Skillshot is a score attack game. There’s no score limit, so just rack up more points than your opponent before time runs out to claim victory.

The final mode is undoubtedly the most exciting of the bunch: 2v2. As its name implies it is a two-on-two match, which can be played with up to four local players, or two players versus two CPU opponents. 2v2 is strictly team based instead of being a battle royale, and it goes a step beyond that by tying you to your teammate. There’s a coloured spring keeping you from straying too far from your partner, and it’s something that you’ll constantly need to take into account. To say teamwork is key in 2v2 is a massive understatement. In our experience we were able to find some pretty cool ways to work together, such as using Twintelle’s time slowing ability to hide behind our partner and let them take advantage of all incoming attacks being slowed down. With four live players the game’s resolution and framerate take a hit, seemingly dropping down to a 720p, 30fps target, though we’re unable to confirm that at this time. Regardless of the seeming drop in visual fidelity, ARMS still looks and, more importantly, feels great.

Items and Their Impact

New characters and modes aren’t the only new things since we last had a chance to play Nintendo’s extendable arm fighter. Items have also been introduced, and while they’re limited they have the potential to make a huge impact on the metagame. In the build of ARMS we played there were two types of bombs, as well as two types of area-of-effect recovery items.

The bombs are flown in on a drone and hang in the air until you punch them out of the sky and hopefully toward your opponent. The first bomb is a run-of-the-mill incendiary explosive, causing damage to and sending its victim flying back. The second bomb is a bit more devious, and appears to be something like an EMP device. When struck with it you will be shocked and both your ARMS will be temporarily disabled. On top of that the person who’s struck has their movement speed drastically reduced, making them essentially a sitting duck for a couple of precious seconds. Recovery items are different in that they drop in random locations around the map, opening up a ring in which you can stand to regain either health or special move energy as long as you remain inside. These are major game-changers, as they’ll give both you and your opponent something to fight over. In ARMS getting in close is a very risky proposition as it severely limits your defensive options. Punching a throw out of the air is far more difficult in close quarters; similarly, getting your guard up in time to block oncoming punches becomes that much harder as well.

Is ARMS Nintendo's 'Next Big Thing'?

We played several matches in every mode and took a few turns with every character; while they were each unique, one thing was the same: each battle fought was genuinely exciting. The thrill of facing down an opponent isn’t in any way diminished by using motion controls. Having to tilt the Joy-Con to walk or cross them to block didn’t diminish the excitement of trading blows with your opponent.

It’s impossible for us to say if this will change when using traditional controls. Nintendo confirmed their inclusion in ARMS at launch, citing control schemes for single Joy-Con play as well as the Pro Controller, but it’s clear from how they have chosen to show the game up to this point that motion control is the method of choice. Speaking of things we didn’t have the opportunity to try, single-player was off the table at last week’s event. When asked about it, representatives for Nintendo confirmed we would see the modes in today’s Nintendo Direct presentation, but wouldn’t speak more on the issue. Another major feature we haven’t yet had the chance to see is ARMS’ online mode. For any fighting game online play is a critical component. Few fighting games released in this day and age can survive without it, and ARMS is no exception. We know Nintendo will have revealed information on this by the time of this article’s publication, and we’ll have more for you as we know it, but at the event we attended no online features were being spoken about yet.

When we played ARMS for the first time in January we were apprehensive. At the time the game showed potential, but there were too many questions yet to be answered for us to be truly excited. Now that Nintendo has lifted the veil on what the full roster looks like, additional multiplayer modes and stages, that apprehension has been replaced by cautious optimism. ARMS plays well, offering a new take on fighting games that could please both newcomers and hardened veterans alike, but there are still some  big questions Nintendo will need to answer before we can recommend  you pick it up on launch day.

Nevertheless, if the rest of the game is as fun as the core gameplay, ARMS truly could be Nintendo’s next big thing.
 Can't wait for this. I'm getting vibes from this similar to the ones that I got from Splatoon a few years back. This could be Nintendo's next big thing, and it's totally refreshing to see them put such care and effort into a brand-new IP. I just need Spring Man to be included in Smash Bros now and I can die happy. I want that robo dog so bad. Hoops looks absolutely hilarious. I love the details in this game. Anyone else notice that Minmin's backclasp is a dragon? I would be lying if I said I was sold on this game. However, it's looking considerably better than when they first showed it off, and that counts for something. This game looks like great fun & surprisingly hilarious - the right combination for a potential classic. We just need all of this to work well in practice.

As Spawnwave mention, a story mode is really needed with all these great characters. They look great, but knowing more about them would up the appeal.

@Kalmaro Sorry.. whu.. having trouble looking up that high. The other thing I would like is paint jobs and skins, just cosmetic stuff.
But oh god, I'm so excited Cautious optimism still is holding back a bit, especially from a site that (like me) has rose tinted spectacles regarding all things Nintendo. A bit disappointed with the Direct, to be honest. I'll definitely try out the game during the testpunch, though. Maybe it'll be fun enough to override my initial skepticism. After the Direct I can say I'm sold. Mini games, free updates, robust both single and multiplayer. Definitely it's the next big thing. And Mario in the fall will make an earthquake.
2017 is simply too cool to believe.
Looking forward to Splatoon 2 too.
Best Nintendo year ever. @JoeDiddley I'm not sure if you were here long before the Switch was launched, but there is plenty of negativity to go around when something looks even slightly questionable. Tempted to link in about a dozen members to this post. @Nik-Davies There has been some skins shown off, but i don't think there are paint jobs sadly The motion controls are make-or-break for me. Are they just as responsive and accurate as traditional controls? Do they suffer at all when playing online? I've been waiting on something like this since Wii Sports boxing let me down. @JoeDiddley One of the reasons for the cautious optimism was not knowing about online features but the Direct shows there will be plenty to do. Very excited for this. Dying for the Testpunch sessions, even more than Splatoon 2´s since this is totally new. How do I add a photo on here? Did you guys play Grand Prix? Any info on what is in that mode, what happens between fights, if there's any story or bonus stages, etc in that mode? @DanteSolablood I just meant it's not often I see the writers being slightly more skeptical than some of the members. I'm wanting to get hyped and jump in with both feet first. But I remain cautiously optimistic as I was before the direct, going by this preview. Nintendolife still aren't fully sold on it after a few chances at playing hands on now.

@OorWullie yeah it seems deeper in so many ways than people feared back in January. Nintendo did a very good job with this direct. I think in comparison to the Splatoon 1 direct, this did a FAR better job of introducing the game's modes and content. I do however feel like both games are a bit underbaked at launch (Arms less so than splatoon. It mainly comes down to the number of characters for me. I think that 10 is too small especially for a $60 fighting game. I mean smash bros had 12 back in 1999 and that was 18 years ago, but I digress.). I am very happy that the coming updates will all be free and will be adding additional characters, arms, and stages. Definitely won me over Nintendo. GG

@Kalmaro That's not the only thing I noticed ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) @Ekko Click your profile in the top right corner I have been in every comment section berating this game because it deserves it. I cannot stand motion controls in 2017. Why? Just...why? Twintelle aka Looks like a day one purchase if I can get my oldest son, who lives across the country from me, to pick up one of his own. Dad's gonna lay down the law! @LiberatedAnimal Because what you enjoy isn't the measure of what other people enjoy. Awesome. I'll pick this up day one then. I'm happy with what I saw, and excited for the demo. It just so happens me and some friends are going to a Smash tournament in our area that weekend, so we'll all try it together. @Nik-Davies There's definitely skins, although it seems as though they failed to showcase them this time around. You can check them out in those Japanese tournaments they held. Some of them are pretty cool. @LiberatedAnimal what's wrong with motion controls? I've heard that they are very responsive in ARMS. They're another way to play games for those that want to play like that. What's wrong with options? Also, you can play ARMS with a normal controller. @Ekko Upload image to imgur.com and choose "get links" then copy the BB code and paste it here. Did anyone else notice this guy at the end? EDIT: Thank you, @OorWullie This might be worth it if it was $30. Not enough content for $60. @BensonUii More like Read my mind. I'm not sold either but the needle was moved from not interested to not interested at full price. It looks ok to me but I hope there is more like 20 peopleand a deep single player mode. Twintelle: Putting oversized anime hair to good use. 10 characters is plenty, especially for a game with so many strategic combinations. This alone ups the ante. I was only expecting the 7 that they'd shown before today, and even that would have been enough due to those ARMS combinations. Be realistic, people. This is a new IP and it'll be great fun. @Rumncoke25 Great minds think alike. Single player looked cooler than I expected, and the hoops mini game does look pretty insane (in a good way). Either way, I'm still very cautious about this, even if it looks considerably better than in the initial reveal. @BraveSonic agree!!! people aren't RESTRICTED to it, it's just an option....so what's the issue?? For me, i'm not gonna lie, I like the gimmicky approach (if it works).....and in some cases, people play better with gimmicky motions....my sister, for example, plays Mario Kart WAY BETTER with motion control than conventional controls. @Dr_Corndog The vibes and modes look so good- I sure hope the motion controls are equally impressive. Or, that the non motion alternative is tight. The core gameplay looks very enjoyable, but I'm not a big fan of beat'em'ups or arena fighters in general, so I doubt this will really end up being for me.

Also, is there any word yet on what kind of social features we can expect? Because the lack of such really completely killed Splatoon for me. Being a mute playing with random strangers, does not compare to playing with people you've met before and you can talk to - it simply does not, and - to me - playing online this way becomes a boring slog in a matter of hourse, no matter how quirky the design or how unique the mechanics.

I wouldn't say Overwatch (certainly not Destiny) is mechanically or design-wise superior to Splatoon (though Overwatch certainly is brilliant in it's own right), but the social experience on PSN - and I guess Xbox as well, though I played both on PS4 - is just worlds and beyond better than anything the WiiU/ Splatoon managed to do. Hence, I ended up 'wasting' hundreds of hours in either one of the former, while I barely managed to stick with Splatoon online for more than like two dozen.

As long as I don't have a reason to believe, that Arms (and obviously Splatoon 2) and by extension the Switch in general, will fare much, much, much better in that regard, I will steer clear of these types of multiplayer-focused games by Nintendo.

Nintendo might pride itself on being mulitplayer-friendly, but that really only extends to local multiplayer and the general accessibility of their games, it certainly does not extend to the ease-of-use and social depth of their online experience.

I understand that this might be what they consider family-friendly, meaning safe for kids even if their parents have less than zero interest in what they are doing by not even bothering to check for the barest minimum of parental controls, but if that is in fact the case, then I have to say: I don't care for it, just as I don't care to watch a family-friendly version of John Wick - aka the 5 minute cut. I've been trying to avoid this game so badly. I wanted to hate it. BUT...... that new girl with the hair makes me... so..... weak....... I must play as her... Well done, Nintendo...well done. Honestly, sometimes I think that's because they're too concerned with being PC.

Just read this excerpt

Questions. That's their reason for being "apprehensive" before, and it's the same excuse they're using now despite saying things like "each match was genuinely exciting" and using words like "thrilled" and "excitement". Seems to me they love Arms, but they don't want to admit they love it because it's not politically correct to be hyped for Nintendo games anymore without 100% surety it's going to be accepted by the masses.

Questions... I'm not buying it. We now know Ams is a robust game with multiple online modes and single player, truly unique characters, and we know people who have played it had a blast... and despite having not played online we can judge from other games (like Splatoon or Mario Kart) and we can safely infer what the online is going to be like. We've seen all the modes and we know how many players are allowed, so the only question left is whether the online will work... and based on their other big multiplayer games it will likely work just fine. Seems to me we're way past the point of caution. Pre-ordered it last week. Taking a chance - I think it's going to be really great. A successful launch of a new IP? Definitely. The next big thing, though? Nope. Doesn't have that star power element to it. But still, a good effort. Ultimately, it's staying power will ride on how the meta turns out. That will decide whether interest remains into the coming years, or fades after the first few months. @BensonUii Extra points for Twintelle being refined, and not a loli... Not to mention being presumably of Francophone African origin, an unusual but interesting choice. I can't even imagine the difficulty it must have taken for a Japanese company to restrain themselves from abusing a popular character trope like that, and instead made the kawaii character use a heavy bot. The game keeps getting more interesting, the promise for free updates convinced me to get this around launch. It would be a stretch to say I'm completely convinced that ARMS is for me. But thanks to this video my interest has sprung up a few notches. I guess I'm wARMing up to it....

Just please, by all that is good in the world, don't let that damn announcer be in the actual game. I want to punch him more than any of the fighters. @PlywoodStick Calling it now, Twintelle is the breakout character here and Twintelle/Mechanica ships are going to break Tumblr. Don't forget the volleyball mode! That looks crazy fun! i'm game. next big thing, time will tell. definitely their next thing. online multiplayer being a big push with mario kart, the king of it; followed by the breakout star of online multiplayer in splatoon; then arms for that third pillar, just not in that release order. What questions? They seem to have laid bare almost all of the content and shown a lot of game play. I am sooooooooooo hyped... and I don't even have a Switch yet. November can't come soon enough. @BraveSonic I know but, I've heard the button press gameplay is limited. This is coming from an avid Wii player who has argued the relevance of the likes of Dewy's Adventure and Kororinpa to many. I get the good aspects of motion gaming completey. I just don't understand why Nintendo would launch a full-fledged title in 2017 based on controls that so many will indefinitely find underwhelming and will constantly deny this game as "real" for years. I hope it does well but, I deep down just feel it won't. I'm def more interested in this game now. It still all comes down to how it plays with and without the motion controls though: If the motion controls aren't basically perfect then that part just becomes another pointless Wii-like waggle fest imo. And, playing without the motion controls needs to have everything the game has with the motion controls--I mean it needs to be a proper and complete fighter than people can take seriously with normal controls (with no obvious gimpage or negatives for going the normal control route)--or else it ultimately becomes totally meaningless to me. So, that's basically the last remaining sticking point to me: If the controls properly deliver, one version of them at the very least, then I'm on board. This will end up being very niche and die quickly. Looks like a perfect game combining old fighting games with the new Twintelle looks really cool and all and I get she is a star and a debutante but who fights in heels? That is just asking for a twisted ankle. @JasmineDragon See, I wasn't gonna ship anybody but this has merit. @PlywoodStick I think that's probably the biggest thing for me, honestly - I just don't like any of the characters. I'm not a huge fighting game fan, but Smash Bros is one of my all time favorites, and I love the Marvel vs. Capcom games, and a large part of that is due to the fun characters. There's nothing terribly wrong with these characters, I just don't find them overly interesting. @IceClimbers Is one of my favorite modes, that and Battle Royal. This game is awesome!!! I like Byte & Barq.
Looks like Copper & Booker from Animal Crossing. The Direct made me genuinely excited for the game. I'd been looking forward to it before because it was Nintendo and it looked like an unique take on arena fighters, just like Splatoon was for shooters. But looking at all these gloves, characters, arenas, modes and even the demo next week - ohhhh, I could burst in excitement! And that on the day of Injustice 2's release! Great job, Nintendo ... Still one of those games that I am on the fence on because while I enjoy fighters, I don't enjoy them for very long. I am super excited for the testpunch so I can try it out. Well, if only there is a Custom characters Mode + Little Mac as DLC .... The Direct was fantastic imo, showed off a lot of content. Glad to see that health can be adjustable (in case one setting manages to take too short/long to punch through), the only real complaint I could see is that the Blind effect really does look to cover too much of the screen (and hence become OP), but it looked like it might fade away pretty quick so it might be fine.

Either way I've already pre-ordered this, glad to see a demo just to verify the gameplay, but I'd say it's shaping up very nicely. @Anti-Matter Little Mac would be awesome. If so, they should probably make him just have regular arms, but just super powerful if he is able to get in close and strike. This game. THIS GAME.

Start 4 months ago like a "meh" and now is a "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Hype level over 9000

(and Splatoon.... im so glad for get a Switch at day one.) @JaxonH ha yes, I think it's time to be optimistically optimistic! I'm pretty hyped for this game, even though I got my ass kicked at the preview event before the Switch came out.
The Direct was really cool, but I would have liked some information about the standard controls with buttons. I can't see myself using motion controls, as I play in handheld mode most of the time. I can't wait to play this! I'm more excited for this than I was for Splatoon when it was first announced years ago and it's turned out to be one of my favourite games in a long time!

Also Springman!!!! That hair!!! Man what a great overview trailer. Only wanted to try the game. Now i want it. I think ill preorder. Seems to have much more content than i thought it would have. This global teststuff should become the norm, its perfect.

Really cant wait to play it. I think min min will be my player. My love for nintendo is enkindled again^^ @impurekind Eurogamer have said the motion controls work really good. Said the standard controls work good too but it doesn't feel as engaging playing this way. I need more info on pro controlls! Before I buy.
Tho it's a great game I don't want to wave my arms around. As someone who had little interest in the game before this Direct I have to say that this presentation has made a believer in the potential of Arms. There seems to be a good amount of content at the get-go, and with more being released as free updates like Splatoon I think this game will have plenty to offer. I will almost certainly get it, assuming I can actually find a Switch and that is a challenge in itself. There's a LOT more to this game than I think anyone had expected.

I had kinda hoped that Twintelle had been a character with celluloid film rolls for arms, but hair coils are pretty cool too. She T H I C C @Ryu_Niiyama "Twintelle looks really cool and all and I get she is a star and a debutante but who fights in heels?"

I think you can find three answers in your own profile picture. Still not feeling this. More optimistic than I was but it really doesn't look like my thing. I'll give the demo a go, hopefully the button controls work and the single-player is more involved than current info suggests. @OorWullie Andre from Gamexplain was saying he's hooked to the game and loves the motion controls...I saw his report and he was gushing over it. @WiltonRoots I'll go and watch that now,cheers. What do you mean no online features? i thought this was a mainly online-arena game! Lack of single player would make more sense. I've been excited since the first time I saw the game and thought it was "just" an arcade boxer. Got even more excited the next time I saw it and realized it was an arcade boxer brawler with character customization. Even more excited now that I realize it's a genre bending, platforming arcade boxer brawler with character customization. This game was made for me, and I couldn't care less about reviews or critiques. Sold. @Maxz Lol touche; seen them in concert and I still don't get how they move they way they do in heels! It is like magic! I prefer flats (flat footed and years of barefoot martial arts...also size 11-12 and thus hard to find shoes in my size that don't cost a fortune.) so I will only do wedges at most. But I am comfortable with my height so I don't wear heels if I can help it. @Ryu_Niiyama I think they can actually levitate and are just very good at doing so slightly about the ground. It makes more sense that being able to pull that sort of stuff off in heels under the full effect of gravity.

I tried heels once and it was like trying to balance on chopsticks. All the time and everywhere. Maybe it gets easier with practice, but it seemed a pretty high tax on mobility/stability for a bit of extra height. Platform shoes seem like a much less spikey compromise. @Maxz Superpowers would totally explain most of what Perfume can do. You remember that little dance number in Nee? Geez I think I fanned myself and nearly passed out from wincing so hard all at the same time. Your chopstick analogy is spot on. I remember when my mom tried to teach me how to walk in heels, I burst into tears, ripped them off and threw them across the room and limped out of the room to get a pair of sneakers. The amount of torture we do to our bodies to conform is insane. Also Aikido has altered the way I sit, move and stand so I'm sure if I tried heels now I'd fall down a flight of stairs...no stairs required. They are really useful if you have to stomp on someone's foot though. Hey maybe Twintelle can throw them at her opponents? @Ryu_Niiyama Yeah, I'll admit they're a pretty effective way of weaponising footwear, but... I think I'd just prefer to be able to run away instead. Or have rocket boots. That'd be the best of all worlds.

Most of my experience with them comes from walking next to people using them, which still sets me a little on edge because I always have a niggling feeling they're going to suddenly topple over or something. It's like going for a stroll with a tightrope walker. Anyway, I shouldn't be the one complaining.

I must admit, I'm not a huge fan on Nee as a song, but I do like the choreography and the video in general, even if it's just a massive advert for that particular clothes brand. At least it's a nice clothes brand, and quite a few of my favourite Perfume songs were massive adverts for things, so I can't really complain in principle. @Maxz The natural beauty basic adverts were the best! I usually don't care about fashion commercials, but its Perfume. Plus they were usually well done. They were so good at showing each of the ladies' personalities. The look on Nocchi's face during her 30 second advert is...Sigh I'm swooning over here. And A-chan just looks like she is going to launch into a giggle fit. I swear that woman's joy is infectious. Kashiyuka has the "let me show you perfection" vibe going on.

Yeah I did security work on a college campus and I used to laugh my butt off watching the female freshmen running around (literally running I mean) in 20 degree weather with a tight dress and heels on...meanwhile I'm in a parka. Gave my coat to a few of them while they waited for the bus because I felt so bad. @Ryu_Niiyama Yeah, NnKS had an amazing song and an amazing video, so I'm super down with that. It was Nakata all over. That was the same brand, right?

I've always liked his work when it's tinged with funk, but all choppy and jagged in the way that only electro can be. The last time he dipped his toes in that water (that I know of) was this. This EDM phase just hasn't had the same sense of groove. I enjoyed Wave Runner for what it was, but it doesn't stand out in my music collection as much as many of his other works. CAPS LOCK I liked, but was kinda short, and some of the tracks were too whack to really afford much replay. I've ordered MEG's 'Best Flight' after digging 'Passport', but I've not been as much into her stuff as Perfume, so we'll see how that goes.

Anyway, yeah, there's definitely a bit of swoonery to be had. I'm not team-anyone, and I never will be team-anything ever (fandoms are scary), but if I had to be team-someone it'd probably be Nocchi. She's all like... angular and cool. But my biggest fanboy moment was obvs meeting Nakata and spilling his friend's drink over him a little bit (but not very much) and him saying lovely things and me almost fainting.

Now I just hope he starts making music I really like again.

How you ever been into MEG/Capsule/Kyary/etc, or is it mainly a Perfume only love affair? Wow, this is so awesome!
I was already looking forward to this game and when they showed the first video in January its huge potential was instantly clear to me.
Now that they've shown us so many additional details, it's pretty much a given that this will be a massive hit aka Nintendo's next big thing. @Maxz Yep same brand. I like the kirin adds as well. The one for glitter was great (I hated what Nakata did to the album version). I am an equal opportunity Perfume daifan but if you had to ask me who I was crushing on and polygamy wasn't a valid answer, then Nocchi all day every day. I adore them all in general from a personality and talent perspective. You just know they are cool and down to earth. I remember your Nakata story! You lucky guy!

I like some of capsule's work (really liked world of fantasy), I can't take Kyary's voice, Meg is hit or miss with me, I have a few of her older albums but she doesn't get regular play. I'm usually spinning Nana Mizuki (how the heck does a woman that petite have pipes like that?! Also her team up with TM Revolution was epic.), May'n (after Yoko Kanno got ahold of her) and I still play Nana Katase on repeat despite her only having one and a half of an album (grumble grumble). Perfume is the ultimate mood lifter for me though, which is why I love them so much. I don't care how bad I feel I pop in some Perfume and the day gets so much better. They are my Positive Ki shots to the soul. @Ryu_Niiyama I'm kind of in the same boat about Kyary. I like some of her songs, but I'd struggle to get through an entire album. Capsule can be kinda hit and miss too, given how open-ended the project is, but that open-endedness has lead to all sorts of different music I like for all sorts of different reasons.

I'll have a listen to some of your other recommendations. I'm not big on J-Pop in a universal sense, so I've mainly stuck with Perfume and a few other Nakata bits and pieces. I don't mean that as any slant on J-Pop, I just don't think I've ever been into any single county's entire pop music output. Anyway, thanks for the chat. I have dinner to do, and we've spun the ARMS thread into something closer to legs and heels and music. I might revive the Music Thread from its slumber for the next Perfume-fest, and the people there can't complain because MUSIC. Anyway, now for FOOD!

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