Tokyo - Lose a game of chess to a computer, and you could bruise your ego. But lose an arm wrestling match to a Japanese arcade machine, and you could break your arm.
Distributor Atlus have said it would remove all 150 Arm Spirit arm wrestling machines from Japanese arcades after three players broke their arms grappling with the machine's mechanised appendage.
"The machine isn't that strong, much less so than a muscular man. Even women should be able to beat it," said Atlus spokesperson Ayano Sakiyama, calling the recall "a precaution."
"We think that maybe some players get overexcited and twist their arms in an unnatural way."
"We think that maybe some players get overexcited and twist their arms in an unnatural way," she said. The company was investigating the incidents and checking the machines for any signs of malfunction.
Players of Arm Spirit advance through 10 levels, battling a French maid, drunken martial arts master and a Chihuahua dog before reaching the final showdown with a professional wrestler.
The arcade machine is not distributed overseas.