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 25th Anniversary Special Pack (Wii): This is a re-release of the Super Mario Collection from the SNES to commerate Mario's 25th 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 3rd HD, in which you can take your save file from Monster Hunter Portable 3rd 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 2nd (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
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
