This Week in Famitsu

Weekly Famitsu #1178

Cover Story

This week Famitsu takes a look at Rockstar's ambitious detective thriller, L.A. Noire. While the game has been out for some time back in the States, it is not releasing here in Japan until July 7th. Famitsu takes a look at some of the different characters you will encounter, covers some basic plot details, and side-quests. It also outlines the 5 different divisions of LAPD you play throughout the game, along with the partners who will accompany you. The article also pays special attention to the amazing period-specific details that are present in the game. Since the game has already been released in the US, though, there's really not a lot else to say.

However, this does give us a good opportunity to talk about something: the 'Western game' in Japan. For a long, LONG time Western games have been looked down upon over here. Slowly but surely that has been changing; in fact, since moving to Japan 2 years ago, we have seen a marked increase in the number of Western games being featured in Famitsu and given prominent advertizing campaigns here (both in print and in retail). Unfortunately, most Western games are still viewed by the gaming public, by and large, as being nothing more than just your standard, cookie-cutter, carbon-copy shooter. However, games like L.A. Noire, which have intricate and complex stories, are starting to change that. So much so that when Famitsu reviewed L.A. Noire in this month's issue, they gave it a 39/40 (four reviewers each rate the game on a scale of 10), which is very impressive. It missed the “Perfect” score by only 1 point, and as Famitsu has only ever given 15 Perfects in their entire 25 year history, that's nothing to laugh at.

Featured Games

Mobile Suit Gundam: New Gihren's Ambition (PSP): Gihren's Ambition is a turn-based strategy game, very similar in style and gameplay to that of the Fire Emblem series, based on the original Gundam anime. This particular Gundam series saw its first game based on it released on the Sega Saturn in April 1998. In the original title, players took control of either Federation or Principality of Zeon forces. In New Gihren's Ambition, you still have the option of choosing your side, but now you can also play from the perspective of a single pilot or a commander, in addition to the conventional approach of taking control of the full battle. Pilot and commander scenarios include many of the popular characters from the series, and the game will be presenting the story through both CG graphics and actual scenes from the anime.

Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS): Kid Icarus returns to the 3DS after a 25 year hiatus from gaming. While the original Kid Icarus was a blend of platforming and 'shooting', Uprising puts more attention on the shooting. The game is a fast-paced action game featuring a variety of weapons, including Pit's classic bow and arrow. New to the mix are close combat claws, a mixture of heavy and light guns, and magical attacks. The game will also feature a robust 3v3 online multiplayer mode. Probably the coolest thing about Uprising, though, is that it will support the AR Cards (one of the 3DS's best features in our opinion) to create a card battle game using the characters featured in Uprising!

Weird Games Found Only In Japan

AKB48 1/48: When You Fall in Love With an Idol in Guam (PSP): Just what is AKB48 you ask? Well, that's simple: it's an all girl music group comprised of 48 school girls, and they are one of, if not the biggest, music group in Japan now. Yes, you read that right. 48 girls...it wasn't a typo. As there are so many of them, it's the perfect source material to make a dating sim game from!

In the original AKB48 1/48 game for the PSP, players were bombarded by the advances of ALL 48 members of AKB48, and it was up to you to complete the arduous and painstaking task of selecting only one girl to be the recipient of your affection. In actuality it turned out to be more of a dumping simulator, but that didn't matter because it had 48 girls that you could dump! 48 of them! It sold half a million copies here in Japan, so it was pretty much a sure thing that it would be getting a sequel.

The sequel is set in..... wait for it..... wait for it.... Guam! Once again, the players finds themselves being pursued by all 48 members of AKB48, but this time they are in bikinis....it's different because of the bikinis. Just like the first game, the sequel will be sold in a variety of offerings including

the “First Run Limited Edition” version that comes with a copy of the game, a 120 minute UMD with outtakes, 420 minute making-of and “fashion collection” (that's code for video of the girls in their bikinis) DVD set, a set of pics, a Team 4 special DVD (because there are some many of them the girls are divided up into “teams”), 48 small posters, a download code for 48 different custom themes, and a Blu-ray film of all cut-scenes from the first game. I kid you not, there were customers getting into altercations while waiting for the first game because the “First Run Limited Edition” was so sought after. Look for this game to come out in the US when we make our own 48 member all girl group.

Hardware Sales: Week of 6/13-6/19

• Nintendo 3DS – 41,086 units
• PSP – 28,026 units
• Playstation 3 – 14,327 units
• Nintendo DS – 7,892 units
• Wii – 7,031 units
• Xbox 360 – 2,465 units
• Playstation 2 – 1,230 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 6/13-6/19

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (3DS) – 182, 998 units sold
• Danball Senki (PSP) – 163,834 units sold
• Yakuza: Of The End (PS3) – 48, 252 units sold
• Steins Gate: Hiyoku Renri no Darling – 40, 473 units sold
• Steins Gate Double Pack (360) – 10, 803 units sold

Top 5 Most Anticipated Games: Based on survey results from 6/16-6/22

• Tales of Xillia (PS3)
• Dragon Quest X (Wii)
• Final Fantasy: Type-O/Agito (PSP)
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3)
• Photo Kano (PSP)

We hope you enjoyed this week's 'This Week In Famitsu'. See you next time!

Submitted By: Aaron McKeever & Sherrie Blackwell

This Week in Famitsu

Weekly Famitsu #1177 

Cover Story

So, before we begin this week's coverage on the cover story, there's something you all need to know about Famitsu: on slow news weeks, or when there's a particularly awesome game, they will have strategy guides in the magazine. Usually they aren't that in-depth or long; they tend to focus on one thing, say, getting all the feathers in Assassin's Creed 2, or something along those lines. They're very cool, and great if you are actually playing that game at the time. They usually aren't very newsworthy though, so we tend to skip over them. However, the latest issue of Famitsu has a guide for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, that is also riddled with random tidbits of information and readers' favorite memories of the game. Famitsu also polled its readers on various items, bosses, dungeons, and how much the readers loved/wanted to break their controller from the difficulty for each of them. We thought it would be interesting to share some of those results with you, especially since it's what's featured on this week's cover. So, without further ado, here you are!

Favorite Characters 

1.) Link

2.) Navi (What. The. Heck.) 

3.) Zelda

4.) Saria

5.) Shiek

6.) Malon

7.) Ganondorf

8.) Ruto

9.) Darunia

10.) Epona

Most Difficult Bosses 

1.) Ganondorf

2.) Bongo Bongo

3.) Phantom Ganondorf

4.) Morpha

5.) Twinrova

6.) Barinade

7.) Gohma

8.) Volvagia

9.) Dark Link

10.) King Dodonga

Most Difficult Dungeons 

1.) Water Temple

2.) Shadow Temple

3.) Ganon's Stage

4.) Forest Temple

5.) Bottom of the Well

6.) Jabu Jabu's Belly

7.) Gerudo Training Grounds

8.) Inside the Deku Tree

9.) Fire Temple

10.) Ice Cavern

Favorite Songs 

1.) Saria's Song

2.) Zelda's Lullaby

3.) Song of Storms

4.) Epona's Song

5.) Song of Time

6.) Serenade of Water

7.) Prelude of Light

8.) Requiem of Spirit

9.) Forest Minuet

10.) Nocturne of Shadow

And there you have it! Results straight from Famitsu readers' mouths. How do they stack up to your own opinions? Personally, we agree with the Water Temple being the most difficult... the many long hours spent staring at the TV screen in a confused stupor, aboslutely stumped.... Ah, memories!

Featured Games

Remake Extravaganza: Okay, so this isn't so much a featured game as a secondary cover story. This week, Famitsu decided to take a look at all the remakes and facelifts classic games have been getting over the years. It's a fun little article that takes a nice trip down memory lane, so we thought we'd share it with you! Of course, these games, the release dates, and the sale numbers related to them are for the Japanese copies, and there might be a few games in this list that never made it to American shores.

Super Mario Collection (SNES): This is the same as the US verison of Super Mario All Stars, containing Super Mario Bros. 1-3, as well as Super Mario USA for the NES. What's Super Mario USA you ask? Well, that is our verison of Super Mario Bros 2, which is entirely different from the Japanese verison (known in the States as "The Lost Levels"). In fact, the US verison of Super Mario 2 is actually a game known in Japan as "Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panikku", with Mario characters substituted for the games' normal characters. Released on 7/14/93, with 2,120,000 total units sold.

Dragon Quest I & II (GBY & SNES): A remake of original Dragon Quest I & II games from the NES. Dragon Quest is so popular here in Japan that it is a National Law that DQ games can only be released on a weekend, so as to not impact the productivity of businesses and the nation. Released on 9/23/1999, with 763,760 total units sold.

Super Mario Collection 25^th Anniversary Special Pack (Wii): This is a re-release of the Super Mario Collection from the SNES to commerate Mario's 25^th Anniversary. The package also contains a nice little packet about the history of Mario as well as a soundtrack CD. Released 10/21/2010, with 905,732 total units sold. 

Romancing Saga: Minstrel's Song (PS2): A remake of Romancing Saga from the SNES. Yes, Japan actually likes the Saga games! Released on 4/21/2005, with 454,657 total units sold.... which we almost can't believe. A Saga game selling almost half a million units must be one of the signs of the apocalypse or something... 

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (PSP): This was a remake of Valkyrie Profile from the PS1, probably one of the rarest games back in the US. Here in Japan used copies of the PS1 classic are readily available at pretty much any used game store for around $10, if you can believe it. Released on 3/2/2006, with 168, 515 total units sold.

MOTHER 1+2 (GBA): This is a remake of MOTHER for the NES and a port of MOTHER 2 for the SNES. The game was releasd to celebrate MOTHER 3 being released on the GBA. The MOTHER games are known in the US as Earth Bound, and are probably one of the most popular RPG titles here in Japan to never be completely released in the US. Released on 6/20/2003, with 279,183 total units sold.
  

Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green (GBA): Both of these games are remakes of the fan favorites Pokemon Red and Green, originally released on the GBY. Released on 1/29/2004, with 3,073,380 total units sold. 

Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver (DS): Another Pokemon fan favorite remake, this time from the GBC classics Pokemon Gold and Silver. Released on 9/12/2009, with 3,901,466 total units sold.

The article also talks about some current and upcoming re-releases, such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, StarFox 64, Tales of the Abyss and Metal Gear Solid 3, ALL for the 3DS. Persona 2: Sin, for the PSP, was just recently released in Japan. Not many people know that there were actually two Persona 2 games for the PS1 in Japan; the US only ever had one of the Persona 2 versions released as the other, 'Sin', was deemed too controversial at the time (the PSP version of 'Sin' is finally scheduled to be released this summer in the US). Also, remember that law we mentioned earlier about Dragon Quest games only being released on a weekend? Well, it's a good thing, because this September Japan will be getting the Dragon Quest: 1, 2 & 3 Collection for the Wii. It will feature both the original NES and enhanced SNES versions of Dragon Quest 1, 2 & 3.

Finally, the article mentions the HD collections of game series like God of War and Sly Cooper. It highlights the upcoming Monster Hunter Portable 3^rd HD, in which you can take your save file from Monster Hunter Portable 3^rd on the PSP and use it to play on the PS3 and vice versa. The graphical jump this game is getting on the PS3 is definetly impressive, and we're sure since it is a Monster Hunter game it will sell like gang busters. Last, but certainly not least, we come to what is our most antcipated game of this year...the ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection. These two games were gorgeous beyond belief when they were released on the PS2, and the PS3 versions look mind blowingly amazing. Oh, and just to make you all jealous, Japan is getting a special edition of the games bundled together with a special art and interview book and a soundtrack! September 22 can't come soon enough, as that is when we will lord our awesome Japanese collecter's edition copy over you all like nobody's business.

Weird Games Found Only in Japan

Hatsune Miku Project DIVA: Dreamy Theater 2^nd (PS3): Any description of this game must be fore-worded by an explanation of who Hatsune Miku is, so with that in mind, here you go: Hatsune Miku is one of Japan's biggest pop idols right now, selling out concerts wherever she goes, with songs that have reached the top of the charts.... and she's not real. She's a CG character who is voiced by a computer music program. 'But wait!' you might be saying, 'how has she sold out live concerts then?' The answer is simple: they project a 3D hologram onto the stage for her fans to worship! (Check out the video below to see one of her concerts.) As she's already a CG musical character, Ms. Miku translates perfectly into the music game genre, of which there are several. The gameplay is the standard 'push the buttons in time to the music' fare, but this latest iteration for the PS3 is notable because it takes advantage of the system's ability to project games in 3D. Now Hatsune Miku fans can get the experience of being at one of her insane concerts in the comfort of their own home! The game is coming out sometime this summer in Japan, but don't hold your breath for Miku and her friends (Yes, there are more of them! There's a boy too...) to be popping out of your American TV anytime soon.

Hardware Sales: Week of 6/06-6/12

• PSP – 25,854 units
• Nintendo 3DS – 24,226 units
• Playstation 3 – 16,673 units
• Wii – 7,149 units
• Nintendo DS – 7,028 units
• Xbox 360 – 1,535 units
• Playstation 2 – 1,148 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 6/06-6/12s

• Yakuza: Of The End (PS3) – 30,7592 units
• Resident Evil: The Mercenaries (3DS) – 15,721 units
• Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing (DS) – 12,019 units
• Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 Professional (DS) – 10,856 units
• One Piece Unlimited Cruise SP (3DS) – 10,337 units

Top 5 Most Anticipated Games: Based on survey results from 6/09-6/15

• Tales of Xillia (PS3)
• Dragon Quest X (Wii)
• Final Fantasy: Type-O/Agito (PSP)
• Dark Souls (PS3)
• Photo Kano (PSP)

That's it for this weeks Famitsu, check back next week to see what Famitsu is talking about! Oh, and we wanted to say thank you to everyone that has been passing along a kind word to us about these articles. We definitely appreciate it, as it takes a long time to read through the issue, pick-out intresting things, translate and then type this article each week. Once again, thanks everyone!

Submitted By: Sherrie Blackwell & Aaron McKeever