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

Gamers decipher a years old AIDS mystery

It now seems that it's no longer a requirement to have a Ph.D in order to accomplish a major scientific breakthrough, you just need to be good at video games.

In an unprecedented feat, gamers used an online video game called Foldit to unravel the mystery of a key protein in the development of AIDS that's baffled scientists for more than a decade. The goal was to successfully create a 3D image of the structure of a retroviral protease, an enzyme from an AIDS-like virus that plays a key role in how it spreads.

Scientists fruitlessly wrestled with this problem for years, and in a Hail Mary play, gave groups of Foldit users three weeks to fashion an accurate model. After the allotted time, researchers compared the best submissions to the enzyme's crystallographic X-ray and found that one of the teams correctly created its structure in just 10 days.

Studying every angle of a protein via a 3D image is vital for Pharmacologists in understanding diseases and developing drugs to combat them. Constructing these representations is what Foldit's for.

Created in 2008 by University of Washington researchers, Foldit uses a video game-like setting and provides players with a set of online tools to compete with each other at decoding complex amino acid chains, which make up proteins. More stable structures are awarded higher points. The community has grown to more than 236,000 players since it started, and many of the gamers involved with the experiment had no background in biochemistry at all.

"People have spatial reasoning skills, something computers are not yet good at," Fold.it's lead designer and developer Seth Cooper said in a press release. "Games provide a framework for bringing together the strengths of computers and humans."

The weekly journal, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, published these findings in its Sept. 18 issue, lauding the players and researchers for their efforts.

The war on AIDS isn't over yet, but if gamers could crack an AIDS puzzle in less than three weeks, then give them about three months and we'll have warp drive and interstellar travel.

A Special Conversation: Fumita Ueda and Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Part 4 (Final)

Finally, our journey together is at an end. With part 4 (links for parts 1, 2, and 3 are here, in case you need to catch up), the final installment, this special conversation between Fumita Ueda (Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian) and Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Rez, Lumines, Space Channel 5, Child of Eden) is complete. We sincerely hope you enjoyed it, and that it gave you some things to mull over. At the very least, we hope it was interesting. Look forward to the Ico and Shadow of the Colossus collection coming out September 27th for PS3 (for those of you who missed it on the original PS2, shame on you), as well as Child of Eden coming out for PlayStation Move on the same day. Here's hoping that both Mizuguchi and Ueda have many long and prosperous years as game designers ahead of them.

“What was established with 'Genki Rockets' is continuing on in 'Child of Eden'.” 

~Tetsuya Mizuguchi

Ueda: When I tried playing Child of Eden recently, I really thought it was similar to what I've tried to do with my games, and my way of making them. Trying to make the game interface as simple and unobtrusive as possible, and making something that not only appeals to normal gamers, but broadens the audience to appeal to lots of different people, for example. On top of that, the balance you have between gameplay and visuals is amazingly good. It's not just interactive art, it's a very high-quality, complete game. I was once again impressed with the fact that more than being just an artist, you are a true game designer.

Mizuguchi: Thank you. I'm very flattered and honored that you think that.

Ueda: Did you personally make both the world view, the concept for the world in Child of Eden, and the plot for the game as well?

Mizuguchi: Yes, I made both the basis for the world view and the plot by myself, and put them down in writing. Then, as a producer, I had to sync the world view and the story with the actions of the music provided by Genki Rockets (ed. note: the music group responsible for most of the music in Lumines as well as Child of Eden). Of course, there were some things that weren't inspired by the music, but in general, I think I made the world and the story of Child of Eden with Genki Rocket's music in mind, so it fit together perfectly later.

Ueda: With something like Child of Eden, which is basically a shooting game with sound and images, there is of course a need for meaning, but not necessarily a huge necessity for an actual story. You must really like the story, if you were that particular about it, huh?

Mizuguchi: Heh, yeah I guess I was pretty particular about it, about all of Child of Eden actually. After all, when I made Rez 10 years ago, there were things that I wanted to express, to communicate, but due to various restrictions, specifications, and limitations, I couldn't. 10 years have passed since then, and I've realized that what I can do, regardless of anything else, is move people. I can stimulate their emotions, by making a game that connects them to music and conveys a little bit of a message while they're playing. It was something I tried to do in both Rez and in Space Channel 5, and I think I've finally learned how to do it. I feel that Child of Eden is continuing off of the things I learned and tried in those earlier games.

“I want young creators to have high aims.” ~Tetsuya Mizuguchi

Ueda: Mizuguchi-san, I think that game designers who can make games that appeal to everyone, not just game fans, are very few. In fact, you might be the only designer who accomplishes it at the level you do, so I really want you to continue making games with the same high level of motivation you've shown in all the work you've done so far.

Mizuguchi: Thank you very much. Personally, Ueda-san, I hope that you will surpass Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki; become a creator that gives dreams and touches people all over the world. I want you to become the best. I think that the works of art you make have the potential to change how games are viewed as entertainment.

Ueda: Oh....wow....I'm not sure if I deserve that, but thank you. It is true that the anime movies Miyazaki-san makes, while still being entertaining, also receive critical praise and are valued as examples of fine films. I do think it would be wonderful if games could achieve that sort of existence too, and be valued in the same way.

Mizuguchi: If we, the Japanese game industry, can find new ways of expressing and showing our culture, I'm sure our audience will spread, and gaming will become more accepted. I want that to happen, for our sake as well as for the future of gaming. So that happens, I especially hope that young creators, both existing now and coming soon, will have high aims and ambitions. Especially now, with the level of technology we have, there are really very few obstacles standing in the way of true expression anymore. In addition, when people around the world become more attentive of each other, we will be linked together more than ever before. Only if we have imagination, though, can we make this amazing world materialize.

Ueda: I agree, and I'm sure it will happen. For game designers, being able to use technology well is important, of course, but I feel that this generation is one that needs imagination more than anything else..... Speaking of imagination, Mizuguchi-san, you usually make 'arcade style' games, and I make games more for consoles, or 'consumer style' games, but I want to see some new people appear that can start making different types of games entirely, ones we can't even think of at this point. I think that will be interesting to see, if it happens.

Mizuguchi: Recently, with social gaming and such, many creators are making games and new forms of entertainment that tie people together, that have them form bonds over networks. I think that if there will be an entirely new type of game, it will happen in this sort of environment. I think now may be the chance for a whole new way of game development to be born, and I look forward to it.

Study shows that video game violence won't transform you into a murderer

The back and forth debate has raged on for years over whether or not violent video games can corrupt children's minds and transforms good kids into bad.

Recent research shows, however, that it's not the games that are mainly responsible for the negative effects experienced by some people from prolonged exposure, but rather the player's personality itself. These findings were presented to the American Psychological Association (via USA Today), in an effort to help bring clarity and answer questions that have troubled many parents concerning violence in video games.

“If you’re worried about a video game turning your son or daughter into a killer, don’t worry about that,” said psychologist Patrick Markey, co-author of the study published in the Review of General Psychology. “But is your kid moody, impulsive, or are they unfriendly? It’s probably not the best idea to have that child play violent video games.”

The study aimed to assess the hostility levels of 118 participants who played either a violent or a non-violent video game. Those who were highly neurotic or had low agreeableness and conscientiousness showed to be more adversely affected by playing violent video games. Individuals who didn't have these personality characteristics were virtually or completely unaffected.

A study published in Psychology of Violence, written by Paul Adachi of Brock University in St Catherines, Ontario, supports Markey's findings.

“It appears that competition in games is what may influence aggression, not the violent content,” Adachi said. “We found — irrespective of violent content — the two highly competitive games produced more aggressive behavior than the two less competitive games.”

Essentially, how someone responds to a video game is not determined by its level of violence but by the person's temperament.

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

A Special Conversation: Fumita Ueda and Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Part 3

Continuing on from parts 1 and 2, part 3 of the conversation between two of Japan's most creative game designers (Ueda - Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and Mizuguchi - Child of Eden, Rez, Lumines) focuses on how they go about creating the gameplay mechanics of their games. Enjoy, and look forward to part 4 coming soon!

“A game is not just a series of beautiful images.” 

~Fumita Ueda

Mizuguchi: Ueda-san, how do you make the core gameplay part of your games? For example, in my case with 'Child of Eden', when we made the trial build, I really suppressed the visuals as much as possible so I could focus more on how the music changed, and how to present that change visually. That was the most important gameplay aspect to me, so I really tried hard to make those scenes. Temporarily dampening the graphical intensity in that build allowed me to create more feeling and emotion.

Ueda: So the graphics in the test build were completely different than the finished version, then?

Mizuguchi: Yep, it was the absolute minimum, bare-bones version, visually. It was so simple, actually, that I had to graphically supplement it in my head while I was playing it, to keep myself entertained (laughs).

Ueda: Heh, I see. So, not the visuals, but how I start making the actual core gameplay mechanic, huh?...... How on earth do I make it?! (laughs) …. I think I probably start making the game mechanic core at the same time as the visuals. If I just wanted to make something composed of beautiful images, I'd be better off making a movie. Since I make games, not movies, I usually choose one of my drawings to become the focus, the inspiration, for the gameplay. What sort of game structure and mechanics do I need to make in order to re-create the feeling in this image? How do I get the players to experience it without them feeling like they are being forced to? In 'Ico', for example, I started with the image of a person moving while pulling a girl by the hand, and 'Shadow of the Colossus' came from a picture of someone climbing up these giant creatures that were like living art pieces.

Mizuguchi: So, you made 'Shadow of the Colossus' from a scene, an idea, of riding on top of one of the Colossi?

Ueda: Yes, that's the very first thing we experimented with. Even though we called them 'colossi', at that point they were just cylindrical shapes and groups of bare polygons. We stuck the player character, the Wanderer, on top of them, and after verifying that the actions of both the Wanderer and the 'colossus' came off naturally, and the build was stable, we then broadened the design and look of the individual colossi. That's pretty much how the process of making the whole game went, continuing on one by one. With 'Child of Eden', did you derive the interactive portion of the gameplay from a visual piece of art as well?

Mizuguchi: No, the visuals for 'Child of Eden' were used solely to develop the world and how it looked. While the art team were working on the visual aspects, a separate team of staff members were making the game framework, the interface and such, parallel to them. We would figure out how we should proceed with development by actually trying to make something and play it. We just kept on fine-tuning it.

Ueda: Something as unique as 'Child of Eden' seems like it would be difficult to fine-tune all the way down to the minute details. It just seems like it would be difficult to explain exactly what you wanted in either words or pictures at that precise a level, somehow.

Mizuguchi: It was, we really needed a lot of patience and perseverance in the end. We were making small, minute tweakings of the game interface and controls until just before it went to press.

San Diego Comic Con 2011 Game Coverage: Part 3

Whether you were a gamer in the early 80’s, or are just breaking into the scene now, you probably know one brand above all others. Arguably the most innovative video game hardware developer out there, with some of the most successful game franchises of all time, this company has earned its rank. Whether you consider their latest console, or their much anticipated follow-up, a work of genius or an inevitably passing trend, one thing is certain: you can never count them out, because they will never cease to astound. By now you must know that I am referring to the one, the only, Nintendo. Since they already revealed their next console to the world during E3, Nintendo’s San Diego Comic Con display had its focus elsewhere, in an area possibly in need of more immediate attention.

Nintendo came armed to the teeth with A-list games for the final part of 2011, ready to blow the doors off of any expectations attendees may have set in place for this year. Not only did Nintendo have a booth on the main exhibit floor, but right next door to the convention was an over 10,000 square foot gaming lounge. Even with its over 80 game stations, the game lounge was always packed; lines were excruciating but, at long last, the demonstrations were well worth it. Being the Nintendo fanboy that I am, I was second in line on the first day the lounge was open. I immediately ran to the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword demo (of which you can read my more in depth preview here), and began my lengthy day of taking in what should only be known as the Nintendo experience. 

The best demo on hand, without a doubt, was Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS. The game blends elements of Super Mario 64 and Mario Galaxy perfectly, and it even brings back nostalgic boss fights aboard Bowser’s Airships, against various members of his evil offspring… the Koopalings! Yes, you heard right, the Koopalings have returned yet again! As if that were not enough to tickle your Italian plumber-esque fancy, there’s more: the fabled Tanooki suit is back! The Tanooki suit was last seen in Super Mario Bros 3 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and was similar to the Raccoon leaf except it was a full body suit. The suit is dissimilar from past incarnations as it does not allow the player to fly so much as provide a brief hovering ability, which mostly aids in bounding across chasms due to the ability to more or less spot out a landing. It does still allow for a spin attack, but you won’t be the only one with this incredible power! Goombas throughout the level will also be wearing the stylish striped tail, and now have the same abilities as Mario when seen with the power up! This game far exceeded any expectations I had for it, and the 3D effect looks amazing to say the least. Super Mario 3D Land will be flying onto shelves in North America in early November, exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS.

Speaking of long awaited, Kid Icarus: Uprising was in full effect at this year’s convention. Although it is supposed to have a late 2011 release, rumor has it that Nintendo will have to push back the game’s release to early 2012 due to certain issues with the multiplayer. Coincidentally, this was the only mode not available in the demo I had the chance to play, but was made up for by the great story and stunning visuals. This game is fast paced, action packed and tons of fun! This game continues the epic story of Pit, the hero from past Kid Icarus games, in his battle against the evil Medusa. The game utilizes the touch screen as a primary form of camera control for air battles, and the analog slide pad for land battles. The game controls are smooth and easy to grasp, but this game will definitely offer up a challenge to even the most experienced gamer! Kid Icarus: Uprising will be a must have for any 3DS owner, and I suggest you keep your ear to the ground, because this is one you won’t want to miss. 

Mario Kart 7, which is actually the ninth game in the series, is a fun twist on a classic title. Offering numerous multiplayer options, massive amounts of replay value, and a great game that you can play for hours or jump on for a quick race around the track, this game is another home run for Nintendo’s line-up this year. The game will be familiar to enthusiasts from past Mario Kart games, but will offer a few fun additions to change up gameplay, and keep this game feeling fresh. The addition of both hang glider and propeller gadgets, for both air and under water racing respectively, will give players new challenges. Additional changes include Kart customization, which will undoubtedly switch up gameplay even more. Seemingly less item heavy than its Wii brother, Mario Kart 7 is more balanced and more dependent upon racing skill than sheer luck. This game will make the ability to race online with friends and competitors from around the world both portable and eye catching. Mario Kart 7 will release in early November, racing to stores just in time for the holiday season.

This concludes our coverage of Comic Con, part 3, with the highlights from Nintendo’s gaming lounge. Next time: Sony’s Uncharted 3 demo and other details from the convention! Thanks for reading!

Submitted by: Corey Hall (Employee)

The father of video games seeks to improve modern education

In an attempt to merge video game technology and learning, Atari founder Nolan Bushnell believes that using a game-based education program, delivered via cloud gaming technology, is the next step in fostering in a new era of education in America.

“I've been working on an education project for about 10 years now," Bushnell announced at Cloud Gaming Conference USA, "and it turns out that educating children and computers go together.”

The brainchild behind this idea is a project called Speed to Learn, which uses a cloud network to boost the quality of learning at all different grade levels. If successfully integrated, high school students could be receiving their diplomas in less than four years.

“We've been in hundreds of classrooms with 40,000 kids. We are currently teaching subjects 10 times faster. We believe that when we roll this up to full curriculum we'll be able to teach a full career of high school in less than a year, and we think we'll be able to do that by the end of next year,” Bushnell said.

Current computer conditions in schools may be ill-suited for this task. Many young students and their inquisitive nature may inadvertently damage the machines and cause a host of administrative problems. Cloud technology would remove this issue, however, as technical support could be handled at an off-site location.

“If you go into a class of fifth graders - say there's 30 of them - and they all have computers, I guarantee you that 10-15 percent of those computers do not work. They're virus infected nightmares,” Bushnell said.

Bushnell's grim outlook on the educational system in the U.S. has been one of the main driving forces behind Speed to Learn.

"Our public school is a disaster," Bushnell said. "It's creating an underclass that will erode the foundation of our society. The kids who happen to have won the lottery and been born to rich parents can survive. The parents make sure the kids are either in private school or something. The kids who have lost the lottery are being put into schools with dysfunctional teachers."

Whether or not Bushnell's right, there's no doubt that our lives are becoming more digitized everyday, but time will tell if further merging technology with education will really remedy America's educational problems.

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