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