This Week in Famitsu

WEEKLY FAMITSU #1191

Cover Story

I'm sure you recognize the costume Famitsu's mascot is wearing on the cover, which should give you a hint as to this week's cover story: Super Mario 3D Land! Mario's first appearance on the 3DS looks like it should be a blast when it arrives this November 13th in the States. Japan gets it just a touch early, on November 3^rd.

Unlike old-school Mario games, Super Mario 3D Land is forgoing the 2D route, with a game-play style that seems to resemble Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii more than anything. However, that does not mean that this new Mario is going to shun its roots. On the contrary, it seems to be paying more homage to it than many other recent titles by the inclusion of one very important, incredibly beloved, nostalgic power-up: the tanuki suit. That's right, the raccoon looking animal suit is back, albeit with some minor changes. The suit no longer seems to let you fly a ridiculously long time; instead, it appears to be more of a super-jump power-up than a flying ability. Also, you are not the only one who gets the benefits of the tanuki leaf: certain enemies can now receive the tanuki suit power-up as well. The goombas have tanuki tails now.... beware!

In addition to the tanuki suit, there are many stages that seem to be re-hashes of classic Mario levels, but don't let that concern you; there's plenty of new material too. New worlds, new enemies, and a new type of block called the 'propeller block' (which flies you up to new areas by means of the little propeller on its head) should keep this game exciting to even the most seasoned Mario aficionado. Beyond that, well, it's a new Super Mario Land game. We all know you're going to buy it, and it's going to be awesome. Now all we have to do is wait another month before we can rock our tanuki tails, and rock them we will.

Featured Game

Mario Kart 7 (3DS): With a planned release of December 1^st here in Japan, a scant month after Super Mario 3D Land, it's apparent that Nintendo is rolling out their big guns for this holiday season. While the basic premise of the Mario Kart series is bound to be the same (race against other Mario characters in crazy go-carts with crazy weapons), this iteration promises new courses, new carts, and new features to keep hardcore fans entertained. There's even a new character in the form of Metal Mario! Will there be others? Hmmm.... we can only wonder. Beyond the new character, however, the coolest thing about Mario Kart 7 is the ability to customize your cart. You can change the wheels, the body frame, and various other things. Speaking of your carts, did I mention they fly in this one? That's right, there's a pop-out propeller for underwater portions of the race, and a pop-out hang-glider for those super long jumps! Mario Kart 7 will also be playable online, much like Mario Kart DS. While Mario Kart is, and always will be, Mario Kart, that doesn't mean that this new version won't be just as fun as all the games that have come before it. Hopefully, with all the new additions, it'll even surpass its legacy.

Hardware Sales: Week of 9/12-9/18

• 3DS – 62,245 units
• PS3 – 37,477 units
• PSP – 24,106 units
• Wii – 15,146 units
• NDS – 3,187 units
• PS2 – 830 units
• 360 – 788 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 9/12-9/18

• Dragon Quest 25^th Anniversary Collection: Nintendo and Super Nintendo Dragon Quest I, II, and III (Wii) – 264,760 units
• Tales of Xillia (PS3) – 55,323 units
• Resident Evil Revival Selection (PS3) – 24,238 units
• Wii Sports Resort (Wii) – 15,014 units
• Everyone's Rhythm Heaven (Wii) – 14,412 units

Top 5 Most Anticipated Games: Based on survey results from 9/15-9/21

• Final Fantasy: Type-O/Agito (PSP)
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3)
• Dragon Quest X Online (Wii)
• Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
• Monster Hunter 3/Tri G (3DS)

So, I have two things to apologize for. First, this week's Famitsu is unfortunately on the short side, as most of the articles were about stuff that we've covered before. The biggest chunk of the magazine was an in-depth wrap-up of this year's Tokyo Game Show, but as there was no new information, and many of the most promising games we've already featured in previous week's issues, we decided to leave it out. The second thing I have to apologize for is that I promised last week that this Famitsu would be released along with the new version of our website layout. I kinda lied. While this issue is late mostly due to hoping we could get the website up and running in time, it seems to not quite be ready yet. So, while I am also currently posting this on our new website as well, it's not quite ready for public consumption, so I'm posting this on this blog too, which will soon be the old blog.... hopefully. Good things come to those who wait, right? As soon as the new website is up, we'll be posting a notice here for it. We have lots of exciting content waiting for it, so look forward to it!

Submitted by: Sherrie Blackwell

This Week in Famitsu

WEEKLY FAMITSU #1190

Cover Story

The cover story this week, as you can obviously see, is Gears of War 3. That's great for Japan, as it just came out on the 22^nd of September here for them, a scant two days after the North American release. We hope that the general population of Japan enjoys the game as much as the reviewers of Famitsu seemed to have; Gears of War 3 scored a 39 out of 40, with three out of the four reviewers giving it a perfect 10. Perfect 40 scores from Famitsu are incredibly rare, with only a handful of games ever receiving such a high score, most of them classics of gaming; the original version of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a good example of this. Being only one point off from a perfect score is less rare, but is still a worthy accomplishment, especially as Gears of War 3 is a 'Western' game, which traditionally aren't as well-received as the domestic ones here.

While this is great news for Japan, it's unfortunately not great news for us, or for you; Gears of War 3 is already out, and we assume that most of you are already furiously working on defeating the Locusts and Lambent. As such, that means that we don't really have much of a cover story this month, as you all already know all about it. Hopefully the shorter 'This Week in Famitsu' today will give you more time to play it.

Featured Game

Dragon Quest X Online (Wii): Dragon Quest is huge here in Japan, bigger than Final Fantasy even. In fact, Dragon Quest games are only allowed to be released on weekends here, by law, as the releases were affecting productivity at offices around the country. As such, it should be no surprise that news of the next installment of this beloved franchise has been eagerly awaited. The fans have finally gotten that news, but it's probably not anything like what they were expecting: Dragon Quest X is going to be an online only MMORPG, like World of Warcraft for those unfamiliar with the term. This could turn out to be either a huge hit for Square Enix, or a huge flop. After all, Final Fantasy XI was an MMORPG, and it was quite successful for them, with them still making money off of it to this day. Final Fantasy XIV, however, which was also released as an online only MMORPG to replace XI, was a huge flop. Huge, as in they haven't even been able to charge a monthly fee to play it yet because it's so messed up, huge. As such, there are some valid concerns the community has about Dragon Quest X. It being exclusive to the Wii, and having graphics only slightly better than the PS2 Dragon Quest VIII, are some of them. Still, with six races to choose from (Human, Ogre, Pukupo, Weddie, Elf, and Dwarf), and a huge world to explore, Dragon Quest X could overcome the odds and be wildly successful... if for no other reason than the fact that Japanese gamers can't live without their Dragon Quest.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (3DS): Kingdom Hearts games are plentiful, as the games have truly become a series in their own right, almost rivaling Final Fantasy in popularity here in Japan. Unfortunately, this series tends to suffer from re-telling, re-releases, and ports, which is why we're happy to report that Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is an entirely new game, with an all new story! Featuring both Sora and Riku as main, playable characters, this title promises not only a new story, but new worlds and new enemies as well! In addition to the normal Heartless, there are all new creatures called Dream Eaters. Well.... actually, the enemies are really called Nightmares, as Dream Eaters come in two varieties. The other kind, Spirits, are apparently good, and accompany and help Sora and Riku in their adventure. They are also kinda cute, which Square Enix seems to be aware of, as the game will have AR cards released with it that will allow you to play and interact with different types of Spirits, like some sort of fantasy Nintendog. Also hanging out in the game to help you out is an all-new character: Neku, from the World Ends With You, makes a cameo appearance in Kingdom Hearts 3D. With the game also supporting the 3DS Expansion Slide Pad, we're sure that this will be a big seller for the sometimes embattled 3DS. We know we're excited for it.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy (3DS): There have been many debates on the internet recently over whether or not Japanese games are out of touch. Western developers are making bigger and better games, and Japan, which was once the undisputed leader of making any game worth anything, is now being questioned as to whether they can keep up with the times. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, there is no question that Japan once ruled supreme at making games, especially RPGs, and regardless of what's going on currently, there are still fans of those games. Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is for them. Famitsu's coverage on this brand new, original Square Enix RPG includes a short interview with the producer, who flat out admits that this game is for fans of Japanese RPGs. There's not a lot out about the game yet, beyond that you will play as a Warrior of Light trying to prevent the destruction of the world. Sounds.. incredibly stereotypical for a Square Enix game (old-school Final Fantasy games, anyone?), but there is something about this title that is catching everyone's attention: it will apparently use AR cards and the 'augmented reality' feature they utilize in the game. In fact, they used it already to promote it, by making an AR card that makes a girl appear in your room and plead with you to save her world. You can watch a video of the AR trailer below, and quite an interesting one it is. Famitsu included an AR card to be able to actually view the trailer in person, which I did. It was amazing how it actually was interacting in my room. Unfortunately, in order to watch the trailer, you also have to download a special app from the Japanese Virtual Console, otherwise we would've taken a picture of the AR card so all of you could have enjoyed it in person as well. Hopefully the video will suffice. Consider us intrigued at the possibilities AR cards could open up with the traditional Japanese RPG gameplay of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy.

Hardware Sales: Week of 9/5-9/11

• PS3 – 62,266 units
• 3DS – 49,191 units
• PSP – 23,352 units
• Wii – 9,130 units
• NDS – 2,748 units
• PS2 – 842 units
• 360 – 727 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 9/5-9/11

• Tales of Xillia (PS3) – 512,544 units
• Resident Evil Revival Selection (PS3) – 76,638 units
• Grand Knights History (PSP) – 19,996 units
• Resistance 3 (PS3) – 19,255 units
• Monster Hunter Portable 3^rd HD Version (PS3) – 19,190 units

Top 5 Most Anticipated Games: Based on survey results from 9/8-9/14

• Final Fantasy: Type-O (PSP)
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3)
• Dragon Quest X Online (Wii)
• Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
• Dragon's Dogma (PS3)

And it looks like the PS2 outsold the 360 here in Japan for a month straight now. Does the mercy rule kick in anytime soon? We hope you enjoyed this week's Famitsu, and by the time we post next week's, the new website should be all rolled out....assuming all goes to plan. Look forward to the new website, with more new content, and as always, another 'This Week in Famitsu'!

Submitted by: Sherrie Blackwell

This Week in Famitsu

WEEKLY FAMITSU #1189

Cover Story

First of all, we hope the cover doesn't offend anyone. As this week is the Tokyo Game Show issue, they chose the most famous part of TGS to grace the cover: booth babes. If you are unfamiliar with booth babes, they are attractive models, usually found at game shows, that are hired to promote specific games and products. They sometimes dress in outfits from the game they are promoting, or even have demo portable game systems literally hooked to their bodies. They are also usually quite scantily dressed. Similar to E3 in recent years, which has cracked down on what booth babes are allowed to do, and how racy their outfits are allowed to be, Japan also has tried to regulate a dress code, but with mixed success. Regardless, TGS' booth babes are truly...ehem.....out there. For all to see.

TGS is, of course, already over, and the plethora of information released at that game show has already started its rotation around the internet. This particular issue of Famitsu came out the day before TGS started, so it's a preview of what the show would offer, as well as being a vicarious experience for those unlucky enough to have not been able to make it in person.

The theme of this year's show was 'GAME- Dancing Your Heart'. It's quite engrish-tastic. Famitsu helpfully provides not only the dates, location, times, and cost of the show (only about $15 bucks for a ticket day-of, if you were curious), but also a map of the easiest ways to get there by train, and a floor map of the event hall showing where each vendor's display booth was going to be located. It then goes on to list each of the major booths and what games they would be demoing. All the big names were there: Konami, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, Capcom, Bandai Namco, Koei Tecmo, Square Enix, and many others. It also has a highlight of the goods each booth sold, and the prices of each item, so you could plan out your purchases in advance. It even has a list of some of the freebies each booth gave out, and what you could win in various raffles at the show, so you could plan those out too. Sadly, they did not include a list of what the booth babes were wearing at the individual booths, so attendees had to find the hottest ones all on their own.

PSVita Games

Well, we've finally come to the end of Famitsu's weekly look at the new games coming out for the PSVita, leading up to its newly-announced release date of December 17^th here in Japan. They started out this last week by discussing a perennial favorite: a new Ridge Racer game. Ridge Racer is an insanely popular racing series here in Japan, and has quite the cult following in the States as well. There aren't too many details put out so far about this title, and the coverage Famitsu had was mostly just an interview with the creators. However, they did manage to show off some of the new courses, featuring resorts and night races through cities, as well as some more traditional outdoorsy courses. They also showed one of the new cars that will be available in it. All of this is rather irrelevant, however, since those who like Ridge Racer games will probably ecstatically buy this new iteration, even if there was nothing new in it whatsoever.

Also new for PSVita, but not a new series, is a new Katamari game! Katamari Stretched follows the same formula that made its brothers so successful: as the small, green, Prince of the Cosmos, you roll a ball around gathering up stuff, until it gets bigger and you can gather up bigger stuff, and then you just keep going. Let's just say it's more fun in person than what it sounds like. New to the PSVita version is the ability to stretch your katamari into different shapes, in order to allow for maximum rolling-up-crap capability. As the game is going to fully utilize the PSVita's unique features, such as the front and back touch panels, controlling the katamari should be easier and more fun than ever!

To satisfy your blood-craving, the uber-violent hack-and-slash action series Ninja Gaiden is coming to the Vita, with a port of Ninja Gaiden Sigma. It looks gorgeous on the system, from what we can tell from the screenshots; it doesn't seem to have lost any of the polish and shine it had in the original PS3 version. There is, of course, at least one new special feature to look forward to with this title, beyond the ability to take your ninja habit on the go: the port will utilize the PSVita's touch panels. Various things, from critical hits to Ninjitsu magic, will all utilize touch controls to add to the experience.

Also mentioned in this week's last Vita coverage is a new Ys, the long-running and respected RPG series. While there's not much information out about it yet, Famitsu believes that Ys: Woodland of Celceta is actually a remake of Ys IV, based on its subtitle. As this is the 25^th year since the series first released, it's likely that this will be a very special Ys, but it looks like we have a while to wait yet for its release, let alone any more information.

Famitsu also mentions other PSVita games coming out, in brief, such as a new Formula 1 Racing game, a new DJ Max rhythm game called DJ Max Technika Portable, a sudoku game, and a new bass fishing game called FISH ON. Exciting! The feature ends with what might be our most anticipated game for the Vita, however: Dragon's Crown. Made by Vanillaware (Odin Sphere, Muramasa, Grand Knights History), it's an action RPG you can play with up to 4 players of varying job classes and races. It's sort of like a side-scrolling, gorgeous Baldur's Gate. Famitsu has covered this game before in more depth, so the feature this time is short, but we always appreciate the ability to look at new screens for this gorgeous game.

With that, Famitsu's weekly feature on upcoming PSVita games is finished! We hope it made you hungry for the PSVita's release, December 17^th here in Japan, with an early 2012 release date expected in the States. We know we are excited!

Featured Games

Theaterhythm – Final Fantasy (3DS): Square Enix is releasing a new Final Fantasy game for the 3DS, but it's not quite what you'd expect from the RPG maker. This new Final Fantasy is actually a rhythm and music game, with RPG elements. The game allows you to select from anyone of the thirteen Final Fantasy games and its main character, and play through the games most memorable musical pieces. The game has field scenes set in dungeons and towns, and battle scenes that resemble the side-view battles of old-school Final Fantasy games. However, everything is played like a rhythm game, where you tap the screen in accordance with prompts. The game uses three kinds of musical notes/prompts: red notes you tap, yellow notes you swipe (up, down, left, right, and at diagonal angles), and green notes you hold. Where do the RPG elements come into this game, you ask? Characters attack when you hit notes and deal a critical hit if your timing is perfectly on beat. Miss notes and the HP meter in the top right drops a bit. As you progress through the game you will also gain experience points, allowing your chosen character to level up. So, there you have it, a Final Fantasy music game that's probably exactly like you imagined it would be. If you ever imagined an RPG rhythm game, that is...

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright (3DS): This game takes place in a different universe from both the Professor Layton and Ace Attorney universes, otherwise our universe would explode if these two characters existed in the same place together. Both Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright, along with their respective assistants Luke and Maya, find themselves in a strange and mysterious medieval town known as Labyrinth City. The game has a combination of gameplay from both series, featuring the trademark puzzles of Professor Layton, as well as the trials from the Ace Attorney series. Layton has to solve the mysteries of the strange world, while Phoenix Wright has to defend a client in an actual witch trial. However, unlike the Ace Attorney games, Labyrinth City has an unorthodox legal system: "mob juries", which override the typical rules of court. The game will also feature fully-voiced anime-style cutscenes, a staple of the Professor Layton games but a first for the Ace Attorney series.

Weird Games Found Only In Japan 

Fab Style (DS/3DS): Fab Style mixes fashion store management with a dating sim. In Fab Style, you play as a young female student that has inherited her sister's fashion store. Since you are now in charge of the store, it is up to you to help the customers make clothing, makeup, and fashion choices. Customers will react to you based upon if they are satisfied by your service or not. Throughout the game you will also encounter a bevy of young, hot men, all of which want to date you, and you them. The big selling point of the dating sim part of the game, at least here in Japan, is that these guys are actually voiced by famous voice-actors. So, you too can live out your fantasy of dating a hot young Japanese voice-actor! Squeeee!

Hardware Sales: Week of 8/29-9/4

• 3DS – 55,264 units
• PS3 – 32,969 units
• PSP – 28,921 units
• Wii – 9,931 units
• NDS – 3,205 units
• PS2 – 964 units
• 360 – 830 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 8/29-9/4

• Grand Knight's History (PSP) – 63,672 units
• Monster Hunter Portable 3^rd HD Version (PS3) – 55,346 units
• Sengoku Musou 3 Empires (PS3) – 23,186 units
• Everyone's Rhythm Heaven (Wii) – 21,044 units
• Devil Survivor: Overclocked (3DS) – 18,564 units

Top 5 Most Anticipated Games: Based on survey results from 9/1-9/7

• Final Fantasy: Type-O (PSP)
• Dragon Quest X Online (Wii)
• Persona 4: The Golden (Vita)
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3)
• Mario Kart 7 (3DS)

And it looks like the PS2 outsold the 360 here in Japan for the third week in a row. Someone at Microsoft Japan is probably going to have to commit ritual Japanese suicide over this. That's all for this week's Famitsu, we hope you enjoyed it! Make sure to check back next week!

Submitted by: Aaron McKeever & Sherrie Blackwell

This Week in Famitsu

Weekly Famitsu #1187

Cover Story

This week the newly released Tales of Xillia, for the PS3, graces the cover of Famitsu. Tales of Xillia is the thirteenth, and first next-gen, entry into the extremely popular Tales series. Xillia takes place in the world of Liese Maxia, where humans and demons live with another in relative peace. However, a third group of spirit beings, whose powers provide the world its energy, inhabits the world as well. Tales of Xillia follows the adventures of Jude Mathis and Milla Maxwell, a girl who claims to be one of those spirits. At the beginning of the game, a devastating accident occurs involving the use of those spirit powers at a military base, and from there our heroes embark on their quest to uncover the cause of the accident and unravel the mysteries of the world, meeting new characters along the way.

Tales of Xillia features a new combat system called Double Raid Linear Motion Battle (DR-LMB) in which two characters coordinate their attacks against enemies. Also new to the Tales series is the Assault Counter system, where heroes link their attacks together, resulting in devastatingly powerful attacks.

Namco-Bandai, the long-time developers of the Tales series, is going all out with their DLC content for their first next-gen offering, including a wide range of in-game outfits to deck-out your entire roster of characters with. Some of the outfits are pretty out there, and include ones from the popular Idolmaster games, Maid/Butler themed outfits, classic Tales characters outfits, and even the same clothes that pop-singer Ayumi Hamasaki wears in the music video of the game's theme song. Unfortunately for Tales fans elsewhere in the world, Namco-Bandai currently has no official plans to localize the game for a release outside of Japan. However, there have been hints of them wanting to, such as showing trailers for the game at trade shows outside of Japan, so perhaps if there's enough demand fans will see their dreams come to fruition. After all, no one wants another Last Story, an awesome RPG that only Japanese fans are lucky enough to play.....

Upcoming PS Vita Games

Continuing our cover story from last week, Famitsu enters week two of their hands-on previews of upcoming PS Vita games, the first of which is going to be a MUST HAVE title for the PS Vita, Uncharted: Golden Abyss. This newest entry into the Uncharted series actually takes place before the original Uncharted for PS3, and follows our rugged hero Nathan Drake as he attempts to uncover the secrets of an ancient Spanish cult. Golden Abyss will take full advantage of all of the Vita's new features, including touch-screen controls for platforming, combat, weapon selection, and puzzle solving. It looks like even though it takes full advantage of the system's touch-screen interface, it still manages to maintain the feel of an Uncharted game.

Next up we have Dynasty Warriors NEXT, which will be using the Vita's touch capabilities in hopes of spicing up a fairly formulaic but incredibly popular series. By tapping on the back touch panel of the Vita, players will be able to activate their Musou powers, causing eruptions from the ground in the same place you touched on the back panel. Additionally, NEXT will have a new Ambush System, in which the player will be ambushed by enemy soldiers in a first person perspective and must use the touch-screen to slash at the enemies before they are able to attack you. Finally, during a boss encounter, you will have to use a touch-screen based QTE system in order to effectively defeat the bosses.

Finally we have the game for the Vita that we are most excited for, and that is Gravity Daze. Gravity Daze (which apparently is going to be released in the States under the shorter title of Gravity) is an action platforming game made by Team Siren, which are better known for their horror games. Still, from what we've seen of this game so far, we are willing to overlook their inexperience with the genre. The game revolves around a young heroine named Kat, who like all of the best main characters is currently suffering from amnesia. Not only does she currently have little to no idea who she is, she mysteriously has the power to control gravity. Kat can walk on any surface she sees, simply by shifting the gravity of an area to a new direction, done by utilizing the Vita's gyroscopic controls. Beyond this fascinating gameplay mechanic, the atmosphere of the post-apocalyptic looking world, perfectly visualized by a cel-shaded graphical style, really has our interest up. Needless to say, we'll be waiting in line to pick up this game on its first day of release.

Featured Games

Persona 4 The Golden (PS Vita): Game developer and publisher Atlus is perhaps best known for the Persona series, a spin-off of their main Shin Megami Tensei RPGs. Persona 1 and 2 were on the PSOne, and have recently been re-released on the PSP for new fans to enjoy them. Persona 3 and 4 were on the PS2, and while Persona 3 was released recently on the PSP for fans to enjoy on the go, Persona 4 was remarkably absent from the handheld scene. Until now, that is, as Persona 4 is finally being released in portable form on the upcoming PS Vita. The more advanced processing and graphical capabilities of the Vita allow for not just a port of Persona 4, like it might have been on the older PSP, but an upgrade. Boasting a new character (named Marie), new dialogue, new and expanded animation sequences, new persona demons, and new outfits, Persona 4 The Golden has everything the original Persona 4 had and more. A set-in-stone release date has yet to be announced, but hopefully it will be close to the launch date of the all-new PSP Vita, which is rumored to be coming out this November in Japan.

Persona 4 The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena (Arcade, PS3/360): As if making Persona 4 portable weren't enough, Atlus has more plans in store for the Persona RPG series faithful: a beautiful all-new fighting game, featuring everyone's favorite characters from Persona 4. Made by the team behind the fighting game classics Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, this game not only looks gorgeous, but it should have an actual honest-to-goodness fighting game system and play mechanic to back it up. The Famitsu article only showed Yu (the main character), Chie, and Yosuke so far from Persona 4, but it also revealed that Aegis from Persona 3 will be a playable character as well. Other characters from Persona 3 are also rumored to be in the roster, although no confirmation of that has been made at this point. Regardless of who is in it, however, there's no denying that this will appeal to not only Persona fans, but hardcore fighting game fans as well. The game will first be released as an arcade cabinet here in Japan, with home console versions rolling out sometime at a later date. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long to hook our arcade sticks up to this beautiful game.

Hardware Sales: Week of 8/15-8/21

• Nintendo 3DS – 107,462 units
• PSP – 40,595 units
• PlayStation 3 – 30,342 units
• Wii – 17,399 units
• Nintendo DS – 5,015 units
• PlayStation 2 – 1,192 units
• Xbox 360 – 1,103 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 8/15-8/21

• Everyone's Rhythm Heaven (Wii) – 50,877 units
• Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village G (PSP) – 37,988 units
• Super Pokemon Scramble (3DS) – 35,102 units
• Kirby Mass Attack (DS) – 34,145 units
• Extra Dimensional Gamma Neptune mk2 (PS3) – 33,763 units

It's definitely a sad week for Microsoft Japan; the PlayStation 2 (a ten year old console by the way) outsold the 360 this past week. Ouch, that's gotta hurt! We hope you enjoyed this week's look inside Famitsu, as always. See you next week!

Submitted by: Aaron McKeever and Sherrie Blackwell

This Week in Famitsu

Weekly Famitsu #1186

Cover Story

For the next few weeks Famitsu will be exclusively unveiling brand new PS Vita games in each of their issues, leading up to the Tokyo Game Show. This week's cover story takes a look at four of those games, all of which will be playable at TGS.

Sports fan's rejoice! Sega is bringing its popular tennis series over to the Vita with Power Smash 4, this time taking full advantage of the Vita's gyroscopic and touch screen controls. Additionally, you can also use the Vita's camera to take a picture of yourself and then map your face onto your custom character, so YOU can really play the game.

The Vita will also be the proud home of the latest entry in the still young but incredibly popular fighting game series BlazBlue, with BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend. Extend includes all of the previous Continuum Shift characters and content, including all of the console DLC, as well as a brand new fighter: Relius Clover the Puppeteer. The online mode will have new rule options like 2-on-2, 3-on-3, and even 2-on-4 battles. [EDITOR'S NOTE: It was revealed shortly after the publication of this issue that Extend will also be coming to the PS3 & 360 as well!]

Next up is Malicious, which is going to be a direct port of an upcoming PSN title of the same name. In this game, you are tasked with defeating a group of dangerous monsters, known as ...dun dun dun...the Malicious! The gameplay is a boss-rush challenge, where instead of normal stage progression you start out each area in a giant fight against a boss and their minions. Players use the Cloak of Ash to do battle, which is capable of morphing itself into various forms that can be used for a wide range of up-close and ranged attacks, as well as defensive maneuvers. As you defeat different bosses you gain new abilities; however, since you are free to challenge any boss you want at any given time (just like any MegaMan game), you will have to discover the correct order in which you must challenge the Malicious.

The last of this week's Famitsu exclusive PS Vita game announcements and the game featured on this week's cover is also this week's Weird Game Found Only in Japan...how 'bout that. Shin Kamaitachi no Yoru is what's known as a “Visual Novel.” Just what the hell is a visual novel, you ask? Well, the "gameplay" consists of mostly static graphics (think a painting) supported by text-based dialogue, through which you ultimately solve whatever the central problem of the story is. It's like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” game, if any of you are old enough to remember those books.... The original Kamaitachi no Yoru was released for the SNES in 1994, and told the story of a murder mystery involving Toru and his girlfriend Mari. Since then the series has sold almost a million copies across many different platforms. The brand-new PS Vita game maintains the unique visual style of the original, which showed its characters as blue silhouettes, while introducing a whole new story and taking full advantage of the Vita's abilities. It will also be completely voice acted. Look for this to be a Vita launch title in the States when everyone would rather watch their books than read them.

Featured Games

Gundam Extreme Vs (PS3): Exclusively for the PS3, Gundam Extreme Vs is the first home console version of the INCREDIBLY popular arcade title of the same name. The game plays like Steel Battalion and Street Fighter mashed up with one another. In the arcades, players picked their favorite Gundam from the innumerable entries in the series and proceeded to beat the crap out of each other both locally and online against a multitude of opponents. Yes, online. Arcades in Japan have internet connections, and the games are wired together so players can play each other across the country. The coolest thing about the arcade, which we have seen personally, is that while there is a traditional coin-op cabinet version, there is also the POD. The POD is a giant white spherical cock-pit that is meant to give the feeling of piloting a real Gundam, because one day Japan IS going to build one of these things for real, so they might as well start training pilots now. There has been no mention of a cock-pit home peripheral...yet.

Ni no Kuni (PS3): Ni no Kuni is a collaboration between Level-5 Games, best known for Dragon Quest VIII & Professor Layton, and the beloved animation house Studio Ghibli, creators of My Neighbor Totoro & Spirited Away. The game is an RPG that follows the adventures of an orphaned 13 year old boy named Oliver and his fairy companion, Shizuku, as they travel to the Second Kingdom (you could also translate that as 'Second Country', but kingdom sounds cooler), a world parallel to his own, in search of a way to bring his mother back to life. This game looks gorgeous beyond belief, and if you can believe it, looks just like you are playing a movie made by Studio Ghibli. We absolutely cannot wait to play this one and will definitely be posting a review/hands-on with it when it is released in Japan this November.

Hardware Sales: Weeks of 8/1-8/14

• Nintendo 3DS – 214,821 units
• PSP – 41,790 units
• PlayStation 3 – 19,171 units
• Wii – 18,680 units
• Nintendo DS – 5,562 units
• Xbox 360 – 1,875 units
• PlayStation 2 – 1,050 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Weeks of 8/1-8/14

• Everyone's Rhythm Heaven (Wii) – 129,423 units
• J. League Pro Soccer Club 7 – 127,293 units
• Kirby Mass Attack (DS) – 117, 790 units
• Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village G (PSP) – 102, 963 units
• Super Pokemon Scramble (3DS) – 91, 613 units

This week's sales number encompass two weeks worth of data, as Famitsu is still trying to play catch up from the vacation they took. We hope you enjoyed this week's Famitsu, and look forward to more coming soon!

Submitted by: Aaron McKeever and Sherrie Blackwell

This Week in Famitsu

Weekly Famitsu #1185

Cover Story

Famitsu has declared this summer to be the 'Summer of Monster Hunter', thanks to the soon to be released Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village G for the PSP (now that is a LONG name) and Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD for the PS3. Did we mention that the annual Monster Hunter Festival just took place, too?

Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village G (phew) is the sequel to the popular Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village (I'm not typing that again...). Basically, while there are monsters for you to hunt like any other game in the series, Monster Hunter Diary is more of a simulation game. You play a Felyne (the cat-like species that helps out the player in the main Monster Hunter series) as they talk to their fellow villagers, complete quests, and try to attract more Felynes to the village they are building. The game is something like Animal Crossing and Monster Hunter put together, if you can imagine that. It also offers cross compatibility with Monster Hunter Portable 3rd G by allowing you to transfer your custom Felyne from Diary. Various other items and weapons can also be transferred as well.

Moving onto the more 'normal' entry into the popular series, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD is a PS3 version of the same named (less the HD part) PSP game. The game features full HD visuals with completely overhauled textures and 3D support. The best part of all is that save data can be shared with the PSP version, which allows you to play both on the go and at home. The game is part of a new PlayStation 3 series from Sony called PSP Remaster. This series features PSP titles customized for re-release on PS3, taking full advantage of all the PS3's capabilities, especially the better graphics.

We've said it before and we will say it again, Monster Hunter is CRAZY popular here in Japan! It's so popular, in fact, that Capcom holds an annual Monster Hunter Festival here. This year's happened just recently, with attendees enjoying a wide range of exhibits, all of which were Monster Hunter related. They posed for pictures with near life-sized inflatable versions of some of the more popular monsters, compared their footprint to those of monsters featured in the game, had a chance to meet with some members of the development team, enjoyed food based off of the game, and competed in a tournament to crown the ultimate Monster Hunter Champion. Japan loves its Monster Hunter.

Featured Games

Shinobi 3D (3DS): The long anticipated return of the fan favorite series will feature the classic side-scrolling action gameplay players have loved since the original. However, the game features a brand-new highly stylized art style and introduces a combo system which allows you to switch between melee, ranged, acrobatic, and ninjitsu-magic attacks. The game will also feature a new parrying system allowing you to dodge incoming attacks, even while in mid-air.

Resident Evil Revelations (3DS): Revelations harkens back to earlier titles in the Resident Evil series by offering a more strictly limited supply of ammunition and more emphasis on exploration and puzzles. It still keeps itself current, however, by keeping the popular control scheme and camera style of Resident Evil 4 & 5. It also features a new item, the supply scanner, which can be used to detect hidden items. The game takes place between Resident Evil 4 & 5 and follows Chris and Jill (separately, as they both have their own unique partners in this title) on one of their first missions with the BSAA.

Hardware Sales: Week of 7/25-7/31

• PSP – 33,582 units
• PlayStation 3 – 21,324 units
• Wii – 17,066 units
• Nintendo 3DS – 15,819 units
• Nintendo DS – 6,592 units
• Xbox 360 – 1,957 units
• PlayStation 2 – 1,046 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 7/25-7/31

• Everyone's Rhythm Heaven (Wii) – 83,325 units
• Queen's Gate Spiral Chaos (PSP) – 72,903 units
• Devil Survivor 2 (DS) – 62,246 units
• Taiko Drum Master Portable DX (PSP) – 24,494 units
• Sengoku Basara Heroes Chronicles (PSP) – 23,207 units

Apparently, Japan saw the news about the 3DS price drop as well. That's the lowest in the sales rankings we've ever seen it since we started doing this. Regardless, we hope you enjoyed this week's look inside Famitsu. We are now caught up again after our vacation, so they will now be back on their regular schedule. Thanks, as always, for reading!

Submitted By: Aaron McKeever

This Week in Famitsu

Weekly Famitsu #1183 & #1184

We're baaaack! And where have we been for the past two weeks, you ask? Well, in Japan, the end of the week of August 7^th and the beginning of the week of the 14^th are known as the festival of Obon. Obon could be best described as a mash-up of Thanksgiving and All Souls Day put together. Family members return to their ancestral home, enjoying each other's company and praying for their deceased relatives by going to the family grave and cleaning it. During this time, many businesses close or have limited hours, and Famitsu is no exception. Famitsu always releases a double issue before Obon begins, in order to allow its employees to go home and be with their families. Unfortunately, these double-numbered Obon issues are always notoriously light on new content, and this issue was no exception.

The double issue was basically a re-hash of the same content that Famitsu has been publishing for the past month or so, just with a bit more details on some games. The cover story this time around is an interview and photo shoot with a popular Japanese model, which is not really an interesting read. Famitsu also takes a look back at the all the comings and goings from Comic-Con 2011, but since our very own Corey Hall was actually there and is writing a lengthy first-hand account of his experiences (look for the first of these articles later this week) this is also a non-starter. So, what does this double issue of Famitsu actually offer? This:

Games To Play During Summer

Famitsu put together a great list of over 100 games that you can enjoy during the summer time, no matter what situation you might find yourself in. The list is way to long to cover in its entirety, so we decided to only list Famitsu's top picks in each category. There is something on this list for everyone.

• Games You Can Play On Vacation: The Legend of Zelda (3DS), Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep Final Mix (PSP), Professor Layton & The Mask of Miracles (3DS)

• Games You Can Play By Yourself: L.A. Noire (PS3/360), El Shaddai (PS3/360), Catherine (PS3/360), inFamous 2 (PS3), Dynasty Warriors 6 (PS3), The Last Story (Wii)

• Games You Can Play With Friends: Little Big Planet 2 (PS3), Monster Hunter 3^rd G (PSP), Everyone's Rhythm Heaven (Wii), Taiko Drum Master Portable DX (PSP), Puyo Puyo (DS)

• Games You Can Play That Make You Happy: Scribblenauts (DS), Nintendogs & Cats (3DS), Dance Central (360 Kinect), Portal 2 (PS3/360) [huh...]

• Games You Can Play Online: Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (PS3/360), Killzone 3 (PS3), Marvel vs Capcom 3 (PS3/360), Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3/360)

• Games You Can Play To Have A Summer Fling: Love Plus + (DS), Dream Club Zero (360), Amagami EbiCore + [How I Learned To Stop Worrying & Embrace] (PSP)
  

Hardware Sales: Week of 7/18-7/24

• Nintendo 3DS – 32,381 units
• PSP – 27,056 units
• PlayStation 3 – 22,935 units
• Wii – 16,939 units
• Nintendo DS – 7,568 units
• Xbox 360 – 1,526 units
• PlayStation 2 – 1,155 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 7/18-7/24

• Everyone's Rhythm Heaven (Wii) – 130,781 units
• Sengoku Basara Chronicle Heroes (PSP) – 77,017 units
• Taiko Drum Master Portable DX (PSP) – 42,389 units
• No More Heroes Red Zone Edition (PS3) – 40,050 units
• Real Powerful Pro Baseball 2011 (PSP) – 38,964 units

Next week we will be back to a regular schedule for 'This Week in Famitsu', assuming there are no other ancestor worshiping holidays on the horizon. See you then!

Submitted By: Aaron McKeever