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 #1188

Cover Story

By now, many of you have probably seen the new addition to Nintendo's 3DS: the so called slide-pad cradle expansion, with its extra analog thumbstick. Reportedly, the new addition will allow for more control with some of the new games coming out, as well as allowing third-party publishers to more easily port their games between the PSP Vita (which has dual-thumbsticks) and the 3DS. Unfortunately, as you can see from the image below.... it's pretty ugly. It's apparently more comfortable than it is pretty, but there's no denying that the jury is still out on whether or not the slide-pad is a good idea. Since there is such a controversy surrounding it, what better way to smooth things over with the nay-sayers than by releasing a new game for the 3DS that specifically uses it? Especially one of the most beloved game series in Japan?

That's where Monster Hunter Tri G comes in. One of the most popular games on the Wii is being ported over to the 3DS, with new features and additions in tow. According to the article, the new 3DS version will feature 12 weapon-wielding hunter classes, under-water battles, and a new huge monster to hunt. Exciting! There will also supposedly be online components, including local multiplayer. Of course, it is also supposed to utilize a control scheme that will take full advantage of the new nub attachment, and the 3DS' lower screen is ideal for displaying maps and other inventory control menus conveniently. 

Considering the popularity of the Monster Hunter series here in Japan, there's no doubt this will probably go a long way in pacifying Nintendo's Japanese fans. What they will do to pacify the rest of their fans world-wide, who are equally hesitant about the viability and visual appeal of the analog expansion cradle, remains to be seen.

PSVita Games

Famitsu continues on with its weekly in-depth 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.

One of the first things covered in week 3 of Famitsu's special feature is Ragnarok Odyssey, which appears to be an attempt to capitalize on the success of Monster Hunter and God Eater, as it's an open-world action game with online play support. Featuring six different character classes to choose from (Sword Warrior, Assassin, Hunter, Mage, Hammer Smith, and Cleric), it looks to be a fun enough game, if not wholly original in concept.

More exciting and original is Sumioni, literally ink demon. It's a 2D side-scrolling hack and slash game where you play as, surprise surprise, an ink demon! It's absolutely beautiful, with the art style made to resemble Japanese ink drawings. You can also draw new ink lines to help Sumioni in his journey, making new platforming paths for your little ink demon. It's very Okami-esque, what with the art style and the ability to draw new ink strokes. However, that is not a bad thing, by any means.

Shinobido 2, made by the developer of the Way of the Samurai and Tenchu series, Acquire, is another title coming to the PSVita. A single-player action game with ninjas seems like a sure bet for fun. Add in the fact that you will use the PSVita's touch screen capabilities for throwing ninja stars and various other ninja-esque activities, and we're sold.

Also mentioned in brief were Rayman Origins, a port of the new Rayman game coming out; Dark Quest Alliance, a Baldur's Gate style dungeon crawling game; and two music games, Lumines Electronic Symphony and Michael Jackson the Experience HD.

Featured Game

Beyond the Labyrinth (3DS): A joint effort between Tri-Ace and Konami, Beyond the Labyrinth is a new 'Dungeon RPG' coming out exclusively for the 3DS sometime in the future. It's visuals are gorgeous, and the environments seem to give off an almost ICO-like vibe. Also very ICO-like is the fact that you are journeying together with a young girl, but that's where the similarities end. You, as the player, are the one accompanying the young girl throughout her journey, and unlike Yorda in ICO, she isn't very quiet. In fact, she drags you along on the journey with her, sometimes physically changing your point of view to look at something she thinks is interesting. You do seem to have control over her actions in some fashion, and there are enemies to fight in true RPG style, but beyond that, well... we'll have to wait and see. Consider us intrigued by this new game, and if it really is anything like ICO, that'll just be icing on the already very beautiful cake that is Beyond the Labyrinth.

Weird Games Found Only In Japan

Moe Moe Daisensou Gendaiban Plus (PSVita): Moe Moe Daisensou Gendaiban was originally a PC game, that was then ported over to the original PSP, and is now getting an upgrade for the PSVita. It's a strategy simulation game, which doesn't seem all that worthy of making it 'Weird Game' worthy, until you look at what you play with: girls from around the world, who are all actually enhanced with weapons and jet parts. Yes, little jet-girls. You have a choice of girls from around the world, from Japan to America to Germany, and you can then upgrade and attach new weapons onto them to prepare for battle. The game boasts of having three distinctive parts to it, an adventure part, a simulation part, and a communication part. The 'adventure' comes from scenarios and story telling events you can participate in when you are not fighting battles. The 'simulation' is the actual main part of the game, the battles, and the 'communication' part supposedly covers getting to know the girls better.... and also gives you bonus points that you can use in customization. So...yes, we deemed that customizing little girls into fighter jets is 'Weird Game' worthy, and hopefully you agree with us.

Hardware Sales: Week of 8/22-8/28

• Nintendo 3DS – 57,927 units
• PlayStation 3 – 32,235 units
• PSP – 32,066 units
• Wii – 10,479 units
• Nintendo DS – 3,710 units
• PlayStation 2 – 1,028 units
• Xbox 360 – 938 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 8/22-8/28

• Monster Hunger Portable 3^rd HD Version (PS3) – 282,960 units
• Black Rock Shooter THE GAME (PSP) – 108,716 units
• Mobile Suit Gundam: New Giren's Ambition (PSP) – 74943 units
• Sengoku Musou 3 Empires (PS3) – 70,488 units
• Shin Sangoku Musou 6 Special (PSP) – 28,598 units

Top 5 Most Anticipated Games: Based on survey results from 8/25-8/31

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

And it looks like the PS2 outsold the 360 here in Japan for the second week in a row. That's really got to hurt bad, especially when they didn't even sell a 1,000 units in the entire country of Japan this last week. Poor Microsoft. In any case, that's all for this weeks Famitsu, we hope you enjoyed it! Make sure to check back next week!

Submitted by: Sherrie Blackwell

This Week in Famitsu

Weekly Famitsu #1180

Cover Story

This week Famitsu returns to its retrospective series with a look back at the history of RPG giant (and creator of two of Japan's best selling franchises of all time, Final Fantasy & Dragon Quest) Square-Enix. However, hopefully most of you remember that before the company was known by its current name, it was actually two separate companies: Square Co. Ltd & Enix Corporation.

Enix (whose name is a play on the words of "phoenix" and "ENIAC", the world's first digital computer) can trace its roots back to 1975, but it didn't get into gaming until 1982 when it held a PC game programming contest. The winners of this contest would eventually go on to create 'Dragon Quest' on the NES, which was released in 1986 and sold almost 1.5 million copies. In addition to its video game business, Enix is also very well known in Japan for its anime and manga publishing divisions.

Square was founded in 1983 and was originally the computer software division of a Japanese power-line company. They released their first game, 'The Death Trap', in 1984 for the PC. The game was a text-based adventure game which somehow managed to sell over 500,000 copies, if you can believe it. However, after Square's initial success, they had nothing but failure after failure. In 1987 Square was on the verge of bankruptcy when they released a game for the NES called, appropriately at that time, 'Final Fantasy'. The rest, as they say, is history.

Fast-forward almost twenty years to 2003. Faced with ever-increasing development costs and huge financial setbacks (caused by the financial failure of Final Fantasy: Spirits Within for Square and the long drawn-out development of Dragon Quest VII for Enix) the two companies merged and formed Square-Enix. Thanks to their combined catalog of games, the newly formed company was stronger then ever, and in 2009 they purchased the well-known 'Western' game company Eidos.

Thanks to their recent addition, beyond the tried and true franchises Square-Enix creates themselves, they also publish a great deal of western games in Japan. They will be responsible for publishing some of the most anticipated new titles this year, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Hitman Absolution, Tomb Raider, & Deus Ex. Square-Enix also operates a store based out of their headquarters in Shibuya, which sells merchandise based on their popular franchises. (Look for a separate post on the blog soon that will give you a first hand look!) Here's wishing this RPG giant many more years ahead of it to add to its already impressive history.

Finally, this wouldn't be a Famitsu article if it didn't have an extensive poll of its readers. Check the results below and see how they compare with yours!

     Game Most Desired to be Remade

1. Final Fantasy VII
2. Xenogears
3. The World Ends With You

     Favorite Dragon Quest Game

1. Dragon Quest III
2. Dragon Quest V
3. Dragon Quest VIII

     Favorite Final Fantasy Game

1. Final Fantasy VII
2. Final Fantasy X
3. Final Fantasy V

    Favorite Non-Final Fantasy/Dragon Quest Game

1. Chrono Trigger
2. Xenogears
3. Romancing Saga 2

Weird Games Found Only In Japan

Senran Kagura (3DS): When you first heard about the 3DS' ability to project hands-free 3D, what was the first thing you thought could most effectively utilize this new technology? An awesome 3D HUD system on a first-person shooter? Innovative puzzle mechanisms? 3D movies in the palm of your hand? Apparently the mind of the creator of this week's 'Weird Games' pick went straight to... shall we say the fairer sex? Senran Kagura is a new 3DS game coming out this September in Japan. It's a brawler (think old school River City Ransom or Streets of Rage), which is pretty awesome; the genre is a bit rare nowadays. It boasts nice graphics, some RPG elements, and incredibly ...eh-hem, well-endowed school girls in 3D. With over 180 different outfits you can change the various female characters into (counting color variations), including picking out what they wear underneath them, it's pretty obvious who this game is pandering to. Picking out what they wear underneath is important, by the way, because the amount of damage you receive is reflected by the amount of clothing, or lack there-of, left on the girls as the battle progresses. It might be worth it to check it out just for how incredibly rare straight-up brawlers are nowadays, but there's a reason this game was crowned to be this week's 'Weird Games Found Only In Japan'; expect this game to come out in the States when every single person who still believes that games are just for children and wants to ban them moves to Canada.

Hardware Sales: Week of 6/27-7/3

• Nintendo 3DS – 31,545 units
• PSP – 26,587 units
• Playstation 3 – 19,290 units
• Wii – 11,915 units
• Nintendo DS – 6,890 units
• Xbox 360 – 1,874 units
• PlayStation 2 – 1,051 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 6/27-7/3

• Tales of the Abyss (3DS) – 68, 218 units sold
• Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (PS3) – 45,347 units sold
• To Heart 2: Dungeon Travelers (PSP) – 43,979 units sold
• Goldeneye 007 (Wii) – 37,457 units sold
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (3DS) – 26,019 units sold

Top 5 Most Anticipated Games: Based on survey results from 6/30-7/6

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

We hope you enjoyed this week's 'This Week In Famitsu'. See you next time, and keep an eye out for that first-hand account of the Square-Enix store, coming soon!

Submitted By: Aaron McKeever & Sherrie Blackwell

This Week in Famitsu

Weekly Famitsu #1179

Cover Story

With issue 1,179, Famitsu officially celebrates its 25^th Anniversary. This definitely is an amazing accomplishment in a day and age in which the medium of print is slowly dying off; the number of gaming magazines in the US alone that are no longer around are too many for us to count. So, we here at Level Up Video Games would like to offer our congratulations to all the hard-working staff at Weekly Famitsu for their 25 years of work and dedication.

In order to celebrate their 25^th Anniversary, Famitsu decided to take a look at the Top 10 Revolutions in gaming history, which they were around for most of.

The first gaming revolution, according to their list, was the beginning of 'Video Game Civilization' from 1983 to 1987, or basically, the advent of home consoles. With the original Nintendo (Famicom here in Japan), the Sega Mark III, PC Engine and others, video games suddenly became something everyone could enjoy in their own homes. Incidentally, the Famicom was released in 1983, and Famitsu launched their first magazine in 1986, so they really have been around for almost the entire history of games.

Revolution number 2, 'The Advent of Gaming as a Social Phenomenon', from 1988 to 1991. Games such as Tetris, Dragon Quest 3 and Sonic the Hedgehog all became incredibly popular, and started to spread into mainstream consciousness, setting the stage for gaming to be the mega-industry it is today.

'The Arrival of the Fighting Game Boom' from 1992 to 1995 is Revolution 3. Street Fighter II, Virtua Fighter, and Tekken all came out during this time period. Enough said.

Revolution 4: 'Portable Game Machines', or essentially, their surge in popularity in 1996. Why '96 you ask? One word: Pokemon. Red and Blue, to be precise. The love the gaming public has for their little pocket monsters has not diminished over the years.

The fifth revolution can be attributed to the millions of tears gamers shed at Aeris' death scene; 'The Evolution of Expression' in video games, or the increased amount of emotions games started to display and evoke from 1997 to 1999, is adequately represented by Final Fantasy VII, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Shenmue.

'The New Form of Action Games', from 2000 to 2001, was largely brought about by the release of the Playstation 2 in 2000. Games such as Dynasty Warriors and Onimusha brought a new level of graphics and depth to this fan-favorite genre.

Revolution number seven is a two-for-one deal: 'Attack of the Western Games and the Rise of Online Gaming'. And yes, it's literally referred to as an attack...or an invasion, if you prefer that word. Halo and Final Fantasy XI are both prime examples of their respective categories.

'The New Generation of Video Games' are represented by Wii Fit and Brain Age, titles that don't quite fit within the traditional definition of a game. These and others like them were released from 2004 to 2007.

Revolution number nine is a continuation of revolution four: 'The Prosperous Age of Portable Gaming'. With games like Monster Hunter and Love Plus sparking a new level of nationwide obsession between 2008 and 2009, I think it's fair to say Japan will never be the same. We have yet to ride a train here where there were not multiple DS and PSP systems in use around us.

Finally, the last revolution is the one we are currently in: Revolution ten, from 2010 to 2011 and beyond, is 'The Games From Here On Out'. From the portable 3D technology on the 3DS to the motion sensing capabilities of the PlayStation Move and the Kinect, the technological advances in gaming that await us are truly awe-inspiring. With any luck, Famitsu will continue its magnificent news coverage as we all journey together into our bright future of gaming.

Weird Games Found Only In Japan

Girls RPG: Cinderella Life (3DS): The latest game from acclaimed developer and publisher Level-5 Games (Dragon Quest VIII, Professor Layton) is actually a remake of its incredibly popular mobile game called 'Kyaba Joppi', in which you play an employee of a hostess club. What's a hostess club, you ask? Well, we'll tell you!

Hostess clubs are something of a cultural oddity here in Japan. Basically they are bars in which you pay beautiful young women in evening gowns to talk with you and serve you horribly overpriced food and drinks. Before your mind goes down that road, there is no sex involved what-so-ever at hostess clubs, only talking. Why anyone in their right mind would pay to have someone talk to them is anyone's guess, but even though the girls don't sleep with their customers, that doesn't stop them from shamelessly flirting with and complimenting them. For middle-aged businessmen that can work over 12 hour days six days a week, dating might be too troublesome, perhaps.

Cinderella Life stars a country girl, which you can create and customize, who travels to Neo-Ginza from her small rural town in order to hit it big. The game follows her career at a hostess club in a castle. So just how do you play game in which you are a hostess? Well it involves talking to the guests, having them order overpriced food and drinks from the club's menu using a slot machine (huh?), all the while leveling up based on your performance and the customer's level of satisfaction. When not working at you are free to explore the town of Neo-Ginza, which is populated with shops that sell fashion items which increase your performance at your job. You can also visit the many restaurants in town or talk and interact with the various residents of Neo-Ginza.

Chalk this one up in the “no-way in hell” category for its release date outside of Japan.

The Games of 2011 Reviewed: January – June

Occasionally, in addition to the 200+ pages Famitsu puts out each week, they sometimes have additional pack-in stories featured as their own mini-magazine. This time, as the title says, the mini-mag is a collection of all the reviews Famitsu has done for every game that has been released in Japan from January until June. Since there have been over 125 releases in that time frame, we are only going to list the top reviewed game for each system. Here they are!

• Best DS Game: Dragon Quest Joker 2 Professional – 37/40
• Best PSP Game: Dissidia 012 [duodecim] Final Fantasy – 38/40
• Best 3DS Game: Nintendogs & Cats – 38/40
• Best Wii Game: The Last Story – 38/40
• Best PS3 Game: Little Big Planet 2 – 38/40
• Best 360 Game: Dragon Age Origins & Portal 2 – 37/40

Hardware Sales: Week of 6/20-6/26

• Nintendo 3DS – 27,378 units
• PSP – 25,080 units
• Playstation 3 – 14,967 units
• Wii – 8,954 units
• Nintendo DS – 6,677 units
• Xbox 360 – 1,853 units
• Playstation 2 – 1,183 units

Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 6/20-6/26

• Atelier Meruru: The Alchemist of Arland 3 (PS3) – 100, 722 units sold
• Steins;Gate (PSP) – 85,918 units sold
• Gundam Memories: Memory of Battle (PSP) – 60,189 units sold
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (3DS) – 40,262 units sold
• Danball Senki (PSP) – 38,496 units sold

Top 5 Most Anticipated Games: Based on survey results from 6/23-6/29

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

THE NEW 3DS

The innovator of hand-held gaming has done it again! Behold the Nintendo 3DS! Yes, you read that right, the 3d DS. Besides the obvious, the system features several additions to the design of the original DS, including a slider on the side of the device that adjusts the intensity of the 3D effect, a round nub analog input called the "Slide Pad", an accelerometer, and a gyroscope. The 3DS has two cameras on the outside of the device, capable of taking 3D photos and capturing 3D video, as well as a camera positioned above the top screen that faces the player. The best part of all? No dorky 3D glasses!

The system also has 3D movie playback capability; Nintendo has made deals with Warner Bros, Disney, and DreamWorks to deliver 3D movies. The 3DS also possesses Wi-Fi capabilities and periodically searches for Wi-Fi hotspots and other 3DSs without user input, and will be able to receive data from the Internet or other 3DSs while in sleep mode. The system supports multiplayer gameplay via a local wireless connection or over the Internet.

It will be compatible with both Nintendo DS and DSi games, and a new generation of 3DS games. Announced titles from Nintendo include Kid Icarus: Uprising, Mario Kart 3DS, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Paper Mario, Star Fox, and pretty much any other Nintendo title you would want. Many companies have signed on to develop for the 3DS, and over 20 titles in all have been confirmed, including such big names as Metal Gear Solid, Kingdom Hearts, Shin Megami Tensei, Resident Evil & Harvest Moon.

Official pricing and release have yet to be commented on by Nintendo, but rumors have the Nintendo 3DS being availiable by March 2011. We were sceptical at first, but after our hands-on time with the device at this year's E3, we can say without a doubt it works and it's awesome! Stay tuned for more information about this exciting new system from Nintendo!