Doko Demo Issyo (どこでもいっしょ, lit. "Together Everywhere")[a] is a Japanese video game series primarily developed by Bexide and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The first game was released for the PlayStation in 1999. In the games, players talk to, feed, photograph, and play minigames with characters. Most of the games have only seen release in Japan, where Sony has also used the series character Toro as a mascot for the PlayStation brand.
| Doko Demo Issyo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre(s) | Virtual pet |
| Developer(s) | Bexide Sony Computer Entertainment Japan (Watashina Ehon, Toro to Nagareboshi) Jungle (Toro to Kyuujitsu) Gemdrops (Japan Studio VR Music Festival) |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Interactive Entertainment ForwardWorks |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS |
| First release | Doko Demo Issyo July 22, 1999 |
| Latest release | Toro and Friends: Onsen Town 2019 |
History
edit
Doko Demo Issyo is a long-running series in Japan,[2] where it has seen commercial success.[3] The games feature "pokepi" (short for "pocket people"),[1] characters which the player interacts with through a variety of virtual pet mechanics and minigames (e.g. talking, feeding, sleeping, photography).[2][4] A major reocurring feature is to teach the pokepi words to memorize.[5][6] Most games feature some type of networking features to communicate with other players by sharing "business cards" or other data.[5][7]
The first game in the series, Doko Demo Issyo, was released on 22 July 1999 for the PlayStation.[1] It was possible to put transfer pokepi onto the PocketStation and interact with them on the device.[1] The game sold over 1.1 million copies.[4] Sony released two bonus discs that added more gameplay: Koneko mo Issyo featured younger versions of the pokepi, and Modo mo Issyo had cell phone connectivity features.[6]
The series has touched on a variety of genres.[6] On PlayStation 2, Watashina Ehon allows the player to make picture books, and Toro to Nagareboshi is more akin to an adventure game.[6] On PlayStation Portable, Rettsu Gakkou! has the player learning trivia and playing minigames. By using the PSP's network functions, the player could download new lessons distributed every two weeks.[6]
On PlayStation Vita, Toro's Friend Network creates avatars and a visualization of the player's PlayStation Network friends, allowing them to interact with the avatars in different 3D environments.[8]
Toro
editOne of the game's characters, Toro Inoue, became a mascot for the PlayStation brand.[8] Gamesindustry.biz wrote in 2004 that Toro was "firmly established as a cultural icon in the Far East" as PlayStation's mascot.[3] Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine wrote in 2002 that Toro was used heavily as a mascot in Japan, but that the American Sony branch did not want a single mascot to represent the brand. The character was used in a variety of marketing materials in Japan, including billboards and television commercials.[4] On several occasions, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Japan) and series developer BeXide have held public "birthday parties" for Toro featuring food, charities, and raffles.[9][10]
Games
edit| Year | Title[11] | Original platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | どこでもいっしょ
|
PlayStation | Original game released for the PlayStation. A remake was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2004.
Also released in the following years were two bonus discs with additional content. Both required the original game to play:
|
| 2001 | トロと休日
|
PlayStation 2 | |
| 2002 | トロとタイピング
|
Windows | A licensed PC-based typing game where the user inputs Japanese characters with a keyboard to have varying conversations with Pokepi.[12] |
| 2003 | -どこでもいっしょ- 私なえほん
|
PlayStation 2 | |
-温泉もいっしょ
|
Windows | Another PC-based typing game, sequel to Toro to Typing.[13] | |
| 2004 | -どこでもいっしょ- トロと流れ星
|
PlayStation 2 | |
-どこでもいっしょ- トロといっぱい
|
PlayStation 2 | ||
-どこでもいっしょ
|
PlayStation Portable | Remake of the original PlayStation Doko Demo Issyo game. | |
| 2006 | -どこでもいっしょ- レッツ学校!
|
PlayStation Portable | An abbreviated version was released in 2007 subtitled "Training edition". |
まいにちいっしょ
|
PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable | PSP version titled "Mainichi Issyo Portable". Service ended in 2009. | |
| 2008 | みんニャのパターGOLF
|
PlayStation 3 | Crossover with Everybody's Golf series. |
| 2009 | 週刊トロ・ステーション
|
PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable | Service ended in 2013. |
トロともりもり
|
PlayStation 3 | ||
| 2011 | Toro's Friend Network | PlayStation Vita | Could play Shuukan Toro Station inside Toro's Friend Network in Japan.[14] Service ended in 2015. |
| 2017 | Japan Studio VR Music Festival | PlayStation 4 | PlayStation VR game. It features Toro and Kuro. |
| 2019 | Toro and Friends: Onsen Town | Android, iOS | Match-three puzzle game. Service ended in 2021.[15] |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "『どこでもいっしょ』が初代PSで発売された日。ポケステとの連動が斬新な"お話しゲーム"で登場キャラのトロが一躍有名になった【今日は何の日？】 | ゲーム・エンタメ最新情報のファミ通.com". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
- ^ a b Nix (2004-09-24). "TGS 2004: Doko Demo Issyo Hands-On". IGN. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
- ^ a b Fahey, Rob (2004-09-10). "Japan Charts: Winning Eleven 8 passes the million mark". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
- ^ a b c "Only in Japan". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 52. January 2002. p. 66.
- ^ a b "『どこでもいっしょ』が初代PSで発売された日。ポケステとの連動が斬新な"お話しゲーム"で登場キャラのトロが一躍有名になった【今日は何の日？】 | ゲーム・エンタメ最新情報のファミ通.com". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
- ^ a b c d e "21周年を迎えた『どこいつ』シリーズを振りかえり！ アプリ『トロとパズル』用のプレゼントを紹介". 電撃オンライン (in Japanese). 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
- ^ Gantayat, Anoop (2004-07-12). "Dokodemo Issho Goes Online". IGN. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
- ^ a b "New PS Vita Apps This Spring: Friend Network and Imaginstruments". PlayStation.Blog. 2013-02-25. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
- ^ 株式会社インプレス (2011-04-26). "SCEJ、「どこでもいっしょ」のイベントを開催 トロの誕生日会や3D体験イベントほか". GAME Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-12-24.
- ^ "【どこいつ】トロの誕生日会が4年ぶりに開催。トロとクロのかわいさはいつまでも変わらず、お父さんもお姉さんも家族連れも笑顔なイベントリポートをお届けニャ | ゲーム・エンタメ最新情報のファミ通.com". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). 2023-05-09. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
- ^ "PlayStation 「どこでもいっしょ」シリーズ歴代のゲームソフトを紹介！". Archived from the original on January 1, 2011.
- ^ "トロとタイピング～どこでもいっしょタイピングソフト～".
- ^ "温泉もいっしょ～どこでもいっしょタイピング ソフト～ （メディアクエスト）".
- ^ "Twitterと連動！『週刊トロ・ステーション』PS3向け機能拡張アップデートが本日実施". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "Toro and Friends: Onsen Town to end service on April 12 in the west, May 10 in Japan". Gematsu. 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
External links
edit- Official website (archived 2004)
- Official website (archived 2010)
- Official website