3DS trumps lifetime Wii sales in Japan

by Earnest Cavalli on Sep 25th 2013 5:30PM

The Wii may be Nintendo's highest selling console to date, but at least in Japan, it's been eclipsed by the Nintendo 3DS.

The most recent figures from Japanese sales tracking authority Media Create show that the 3DS has sold 12,752,731 units in the island nation. By contrast, the Wii has sold 12,698,878 units. As GamesIndustry points out, with the 3DS enjoying its golden years and the Wii slowly fading from memory, it seems likely that the handheld will maintain its lead.

There are many reasons for the success of the 3DS, but most notable is the sales juggernaut known as Monster Hunter 4. Japan apparently loves murdering giant beasts, as the game has remained in Media Create's top sales spot since its debut. Buoyed by this hyper-popular game, the 3DS managed to sell 159,388 units in Japan during the week of September 16 alone - an impressive feat, given that total hardware sales for the period were only 187,773.

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The top 30 games of 2012 in Japan

by Jessica Conditt on Jan 27th 2013 1:30PM

Japan's list of best-selling games in 2012 is full of national pride, including titles from Capcom, Nintendo, Namco Bandai, Square Enix and Sega, among a few other Japan-based publishers. The top game of 2012 in Japan is Pokemon Black and White 2 for Nintendo DS, which we found to feature a "world that feels larger and more interesting than ever."

Black and White 2 is followed by Animal Crossing: New Leaf for 3DS, New Super Mario Bros. 2 for 3DS, Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D for 3DS and, breaking the pattern in more than one way, Resident Evil 6 for PS3. Check out the entire lineup below, as compiled by Siliconera from data on 4Gamer.

01. Pokémon Black/White 2 / 2,919,977 / DS / Pokémon Co.
02. Animal Crossing: New Leaf / 1,969,955 / 3DS / Nintendo
03. New Super Mario Bros. 2 / 1,743,791 / 3DS / Nintendo
04. Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D / 919,870 / 3DS / Square Enix
05. Resident Evil 6 / 833,012 / PS3 / Capcom
06. One Piece: Pirate Warriors / 828,150 / PS3 / Namco Bandai
07. Mario Kart 7 / 748,797 / 3DS / Nintendo
08. Super Mario 3D Land / 689,374 /3DS / Nintendo
09. Mario Party 9 / 641,348 / Wii / Nintendo
10. Dragon Quest X / 609,783 / Wii / Square Enix
11. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate / 602,058 /3DS / Capcom
12. Yakuza 5 / 518,224 / PS3 / Sega
13. Dragon's Dogma / 467,375 / PS3 / Capcom
14. Fire Emblem: Awakening / 455,268 / 3DS / Nintendo
15. Tales of Xillia 2 / 428,913 / PS3 / Namco Bandai
16. Paper Mario: Sticker Star / 402,133 / 3DS / Nintendo
17. Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 / 399,340 / PS3 / Konami
18. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates of Infinity / 373,699 / 3DS / Pokémon Co.
19. New Super Mario Bros. U / 369,392 / WiiU / Nintendo
20. Wii Sports Resort (w/ MotionPlus pack-in) / 358,627 / Wii / Nintendo
21. The 2nd Super Robot Taisen Z / 344,018 / PSP / Namco Bandai
22. Pokémon Conquest / 341,250 / DS / Pokémon Co.
23. Taiko Drum Master: The Little Dragon and the Mysterious Orb / 340,533 / 3DS / Namco Bandai
24. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City / 338,889 / PS3 / Capcom
25. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance / 338,812 / 3DS / Square Enix
26. Run for Money Tousouchuu / 337,472 / 3DS / Namco Bandai
27. Taiko Drum Master: Super Splendid Edition / 321,959 / Wii / Namco Bandai
28. Kid Icarus: Uprising / 316,133 /3DS / Nintendo
29. Inazuma Eleven Go 2: Chrono Stone – Neppuu/Raimei / 314,016 / 3DS / Level 5
30. Resident Evil: Revelations / 296,040 / 3DS / Capcom

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Dragon Quest X Wii U confirmed for Spring 2013 in Japan

by Sinan Kubba on Oct 25th 2012 8:20AM

Dragon Quest X will be released in Japan for Wii U in Spring 2013, Square Enix announced today. Last month DQX producer Yosuke Saito told attendees at the Tokyo Game Show that next Spring was the aim, but the release window was confirmed today during a Nintendo Direct for Japan.

An open beta is scheduled for February 2013. Saito also confirmed Square Enix is working on making Wii characters compatible with the Wii U version.

The MMO arrived on Wii back in August, selling over 400,000 units in its first week. A Western release for either verson remains unconfirmed, so don't start pencilling away the greater part of 2013 just yet.

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[3DS] Enterbrain: 3DS shatters monthly sales record in Japan

[3DS] Enterbrain: 3DS shatters monthly sales record in Japan

3DS had a rough start, I don't think anyone would deny that. But just this month it has really solidified that those days are in the past now, as it completely blew away all the competition in Japan over the December period.

The Japanese tracking firm, Enterbrain, says that the handheld sold a staggering 1,492,931 between November 28th and December 25th. Those are the highest figures ever recorded since they started in 1997. December was also the seventh month straight that the 3DS had topped Japanese sales.

To add some perspective to this news, second place was held by Sony's newly released PlayStation Vita. The Vita managed to sell 402,794 since the December 17th launch, claiming a distant second.

Whilst it is a bit early to say the 3DS is definitely out of the woods everywhere, I think it is definitely the case in Japan.

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[Multi] Weekly Sales Charts, Dec. 11-17: Vita Hits Japan

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WORLDWIDE HARDWARE
Nintendo 3DS - 1,490,572 (12,492,038)
Xbox 360 - 1,164,416 (62,628,832)
Nintendo Wii - 1,025,293 (93,387,912)
PlayStation 3 - 916,724 (59,140,921)
Nintendo DS - 364,800 (150,630,929)
Sony PSP - 322,714 (72,365,057)
PlayStation Vita - 322,488 (322,488)WORLDWIDE SOFTWARE TOP 20
1) Just Dance 3 (Wii) - 1,122,592 (4,847,222)
2) Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - 857,724 (2,973,597)
3) Super Mario 3D Land (3DS) - 847,416 (3,655,093)
4) Kinect Adventures! (X360) - 772,957 (13,938,802)
5) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (X360) - 729,642 (10,589,179)
6) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PS3) - 674,729 (8,401,814)
7) Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii) - 638,998 (1,412,358)
8) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (X360) - 560,912 (4,111,445)
9) Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3) - 538,774 (538,774)
10) Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 486,826 (30,645,466)
11) New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) - 346,847 (23,572,598)
12) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS) - 345,612 (2,530,263)
13) Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3) - 339,921 (2,778,547)
14) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3) - 338,834 (2,358,030)
15) Wii Sports Resort (Wii) - 334,199 (30,086,691)
16) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) - 328,743 (2,196,449)
17) Assassin's Creed: Revelations (X360) - 325,324 (2,446,681)
18) Wii Sports (Wii) - 321,250 (79,326,121)
19) Assassin's Creed: Revelations (PS3) - 311,284 (2,056,724)
20) Battlefield 3 (X360) - 310,003 (4,377,750) USA HARDWARE
Xbox 360 - 766,126 (32,585,890)
Nintendo 3DS - 588,837 (4,109,074)
Nintendo Wii - 476,016 (38,569,527)
PlayStation 3 - 343,886 (19,578,107)
Nintendo DS - 182,055 (50,120,586)
Sony PSP - 107,225 (19,380,283)USA SOFTWARE TOP 10
1) Just Dance 3 (Wii) - 524,019 (2,473,274)
2) Kinect Adventures! (X360) - 506,611 (8,581,092)
3) Super Mario 3D Land (3DS) - 444,371 (1,728,398)
4) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (X360) - 428,171 (6,574,771)
5) Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - 337,408 (1,097,111)
6) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PS3) - 292,373 (3,741,898)
7) Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii) - 283,010 (456,706)
8) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (X360) - 250,967 (2,205,062)
9) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS) - 249,251 (1,240,492)
10) Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 246,154 (11,825,454) EUROPE HARDWARE
Nintendo 3DS - 363,283 (3,365,586)
PlayStation 3 - 347,618 (22,881,249)
Nintendo Wii - 339,975 (30,363,142)
Xbox 360 - 235,577 (19,387,100)
Nintendo DS - 116,649 (50,777,409)
Sony PSP - 90,203 (20,668,095)EUROPE SOFTWARE TOP 10
1) Just Dance 3 (Wii) - 435,245 (1,666,240)
2) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PS3) - 237,016 (2,942,376)
3) Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - 235,155 (739,088)
4) Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii) - 229,584 (689,373)
5) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (X360) - 215,645 (1,255,045)
6) Professor Layton and the Last Specter (DS) - 212,909 (907,061)
7) FIFA Soccer 12 (PS3) - 188,205 (2,784,542)
8) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (X360) - 186,949 (2,863,168)
9) Super Mario 3D Land (3DS) - 178,670 (815,635)
10) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3) - 144,923 (881,299) JAPAN HARDWARE
Nintendo 3DS - 371,281 (3,614,814)
PlayStation Vita - 322,488 (322,488)
PlayStation 3 - 65,512 (7,523,065)
Sony PSP - 64,293 (18,443,396)
Nintendo Wii - 60,353 (12,090,758)
Nintendo DS - 9,062 (32,959,765)
Xbox 360 - 3,584 (1,552,031)JAPAN SOFTWARE TOP 10
1) Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3) - 538,774 (538,774)
2) Monster Hunter 3G (3DS) - 200,324 (726,151)
3) Mario Kart 7 (3DS) - 178,845 (794,033)
4) Inazuma Eleven GO: Dark/Shine (3DS) - 148,091 (148,091)
5) Super Mario 3D Land (3DS) - 108,481 (829,604)
6) Kirby's Return to Dreamland (Wii) - 67,525 (393,518)
7) Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational (Vita) - 56,520 (56,520)
8) Just Dance Wii (Wii) - 45,576 (326,115)
9) Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita) - 44,459 (44,459)
10) Wii Party (Wii) - 42,626 (2,142,285)

USA TOP 10 PREORDERS
1) Diablo III (PC) - 38,713 (313,984)
2) Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC) - 18,715 (958,073)
3) Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3) - 18,586 (160,620)
4) Mass Effect 3 (X360) - 18,509 (365,447)
5) Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii) - 14,763 (58,018)
6) Halo 4 (X360) - 10,058 (152,057)
7) Kinect Star Wars (X360) - 9,684 (179,840)
8) Final Fantasy XIII-2 (X360) - 7,881 (54,603)
9) Mass Effect 3 (PC) - 6,655 (60,903)
10) Luigi's Mansion 2 (3DS) - 6,215 (81,146)

Written by: Mike Glubish

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Vita sales drop below 3DS, PSP in Japan

by JC Fletcher on Dec 28th 2011 12:17PM

The PlayStation Vita appears to be struggling to build an audience in Japan. In its second week on the market, the system sold 72,479 units, according to the Media Create numbers -- outsold by the 3DS, PSP, Wii, and PS3. The software top 20 shows why the 3DS is doing so well right now (it sold 482,200 units): three of the top five games are 3DS releases, including Mario Kart 7 (#1), Super Mario 3D Land (#3), and Monster Hunter Tri-G (#4).

In fact, no Vita games at all appear in the top 20 -- though that makes sense, given the relatively lacking hardware sales and the availability of all retail games on PSN at lower prices.

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Hey Japan, stop making me save the world

by Jason Schreier on Nov 4th 2011 4:00PM

This is a column by Jason Schreier dedicated to the analysis (and occasional mocking) of his favorite genre, the Japanese role-playing game. Whether it's because they're too antiquated or just too niche, he believes JRPGs don't get enough attention in the gaming industry today. It's time to change that. You've seen this play before. Some ragtag heroes are standing at the edge of some interdimensional space portal or subterranean crystal labyrinth or evil god's castle. They're holding powerful weapons -- acquired after hours of tedious mini-games -- and staring down some nasty monster or deity or demon squirrel.

Their goal? Save the universe from imminent doom.

If you're anything like me, you're probably already yawning. The go-forth-and-save-the-world trope is so worn out in video games by now that it's hard to muster up even an iota of compassion for all of the artificial people that need rescuing. Japanese role-playing games are the worst offenders of all, spitting out bombastic villains and supernatural events with reckless abandon and little regard for reality. Games like Tales of Vesperia and Lost Odyssey might start you off with small tasks and adventures, but at the end of the day, you know you're going to have to prevent the apocalypse.

On some level this makes sense: It's cool to feel like you're the man. It is cathartic to start off as a weakling and grow stronger and stronger as your journey progresses -- and you have to be pretty damn strong to save the world. (Or worlds, as the case may be. Japan is crazy.)

The problem with this method of story-telling is that it gets very old very fast. While traditional JRPGs like Dragon Quest can be as comforting as a familiar blanket or a warm cup of tea, they can also have trouble convincing us to stay emotionally invested. It's hard to care about saving the world when you do it every weekend.

So what does make us care about stories? Simple: the people driving them. If we connect with fictional characters' desires and flaws, if we believe that they are real human beings with real motivations, it's easy to empathize with their journeys.

Unfortunately, many JRPG developers have subscribed to the idea that a protagonist doesn't need to be believable. The main character wants to save the world because he wants to be a hero. Maybe he just likes protecting people. Or he's just sick of killing sewer rats.

How do you make people relate to your character? Film school teachers will offer a single piece of advice: "Raise the stakes." Add more conflict. Make things worse for your protagonist. Give him more obstacles to overcome. Allow us to connect to his struggles.

But that doesn't mean you have to raise the stakes for the whole damned world. Take Inception, one of the most critically-acclaimed films of 2010. It's filled with villains, explosions, and plenty of conflicts. It's also about a single person's journey -- in some way or another, every moment of the film is dedicated to protagonist Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his attempts to get back home to his family. We are invested because the stakes are high for him. The world won't be destroyed if he fails -- but his personal world might be.

It's not just Hollywood. Gaming's most powerful narratives are not about massive conflicts; they are about individual journeys. John Marston's harrowing path to salvation in Red Dead Redemption is far more interesting than some gang of silent warriors trying to defeat a god. We are invested in the world of Planescape: Torment because of its hero's fascinating quest to discover his own identity. Both of those games throw endless hurdles at their protagonists, forcing us to feel both admiration and empathy as we guide them through the sorrow of survival.

Of course, even save-the-world adventures can be touching -- so long as they don't expect us to care about saving the world. So long as they are personal journeys, journeys that take our protagonists through the rollercoaster of ups and downs that makes a great story. Journeys that raise the stakes.

Jason Schreier is a freelance writer/editor based out of NYC. He's a contributing writer for Wired.com and occasionally writes for a number of other sites and publications, including Edge Magazine, the Onion News Network and G4TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @jasonschreier.

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[TGS '11, Vita] New Vita Details, Japan Release Date

See, this is why the handheld gaming industry is going down the tube. They're trying to turn these things into what are essentially smart phones, but they only end up more expensive with worse battery life and less software.

The reason the DS and Advance gameboy lined sold so well was due to the fact that they were truly game-dedicated, portable handheld gaming machines. Take for instance the DSi. It had upwards of 10 hours in battery life, it fit easily in your pocket, the controls were smooth, it was a cinch to program for which made it heavenly for developers and provided more games for the consumer.

Now examine the current state of handhelds- 1/3 the battery life, gimmicks up the arse, a pitiful selection of games compared to what was previously offered, and too much bulk to ever being capable of fitting in your pocket. It's just a fail, up and down.

3DS needs to get better battery life, forget the extra circle pad and move on, drop the price another $50, and focus on steller 1st and third party software. If it does that, it'll do great. But, who knows when and if that will happen.

Likewise, the vita needs to get better battery life, get even a measly 8gb of on-board memory (which would NOT be that big of a deal), and stop focusing on all these "extra features" and more on pumping out some stellar titles. In a way, in its in the same boat as 3DS, except it costs $70 more, which currently gives it a huge disadvantage.

These manufacturers just don't get it: cheap, long-lastly, small, with great games. That's what a truly great handheld should be.

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[TGS'11, PS3] Ni no Kuni is venturing outside of Japan in early 2012

[TGS'11, PS3] Ni no Kuni is venturing outside of Japan in early 2012
Ni no Kuni: Queen of the Holy White Ash is looking like it might be worth a look, if you can't remember it is the Level-5 developed RPG coming to PlayStation 3 (as well as a version for Nintendo DS) that is being created in a collaboration with the famous Studio Ghibli.

However, considering how Japan-centric this was all sounding it was looking uncertain as to whether it would venture outside of the home country. The game is being released in Japan on the 17th of November and now Level-5's president, Akihiro Hino, has confirmed that it will be released outside of Japan sometime in early 2012. Exciting news!

If you missed the trailer from a few weeks ago, here it is again.

Written by: Kyran Morrison DPrinny
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Monstrous Rhythm Heaven soundtrack announced for Japan

by JC Fletcher on Aug 3rd 2011 1:50AM

While the rest of the world has to wait indefinitely for the Wii Rhythm Heaven (it has a TBA release date in the West), it's out in Japan as of last month. And now that Japanese version is being joined by an enormous soundtrack collection ... that will almost certainly never be released outside of Japan.

The ¥4,800 ($62) soundtrack comprises an impressive four discs and 177 tracks, including all the music from Minna no Rhythm Tengoku ("Everybody's Rhythm Heaven," the Japanese title for the game) and the two previous games. It'll be out -- in Japan -- on August 24.

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Tales of Graces not coming to Wii outside of Japan

by JC Fletcher on Jul 4th 2011 5:45PM

It already seems miraculous that Western gamers will get to play Tales of Graces F through an official Namco Bandai localization. We suppose there's only so much we can reasonably expect. Not among the things we can expect: a localized release of the original Wii version of Tales of Graces.

During this weekend's Japan Expo, Namco Tales Studio director Makoto Yoshizumi told Kingdom of Tales that "there will be no Wii release." The explanation he gives sounds kind of odd, for a game originally released on Wii: "We wish to deliver the best and most complete experience for US and European fans, therefore we're localizing Tales of Graces f. The game on the PS3 version is on a blu-ray disc. It would be next to impossible to condense all the game's data on a Wii disc, so unfortunately, there will be no Wii release."

The statement isn't entirely unfounded: the PS3 version includes a new playable chapter not found in the Wii original, with a voice-acted script reportedly 3/4 the length of the original game's. The desire for the "best and most complete experience" likely refers to that extra content, thus explaining why the original Wii version is being skipped.

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[PS3] A special Tales of Xillia PS3 bundle dropping in Japan

[PS3] A special Tales of Xillia PS3 bundle dropping in Japan

One thing that Sony loves doing is putting out special versions of their console for certain titles when they come bundled. Some examples from the past include the Gran Turismo 5 blue console, the Final Fantasy XIII white console, the Metal Gear Solid 4 gun-metal grey console, and the Cloudy Wolf PlayStation 3 from the Advent Children: Complete bundle. Now we can add another special console to that list in the form of a Tales of Xillia bundle.

The console comes in the standard charcoal black colour with a 160GB HDD, but it depicts artwork of the title's two main characters Jude and Milla in gold and red, with the PlayStation 3 logo in red.

Although it is a distinct possibility that one day Tales of Xillia will be released over here, it most likely won't be anytime soon so it is lucky that the PS3 is region free. If you decide to try and get your Western World hands on the console you are looking at about ¥37,980($470USD) when it releases on the 8th of September.

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Japan Analyst – Nintendo E3 Predictions

As we march closer and closer toward this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, opinions on what the big three hardware makers are going to reveal in Los Angeles are being spouted off everywhere you go, online and off. Japan is no exception, and Famitsu magazine obliged this week by printing some remarks from Eiji Maeda, senior analyst for SMBC and the man they usually go to for predictions at times like these.

“Nintendo is definitely the company attracting the most attention at E3 this year, their Wii successor in particular,” Maeda was quoted as saying. “The Wii was a success because of the make-people-smile aspect of it that is such a key part of Nintendo’s goals, so it’s likely the new system will follow similar lines. Networking and online communication has become a vital part of any home system, and I think they will offer some kind of new service related to that. The Wii presented a comparatively large number of hurdles to getting online, and I think Nintendo will try to up the percentage of connected consoles with the new system.”

For the 3DS, Maeda pushed the fact that Nintendo needs to regain some of the steam they’ve lost after launching the system in February. “Nintendo aims to sell 16 million 3DS systems in 2011, and they’re going to need to introduce titles that can bring them toward that goal,” he said. “Some of the titles they’ve announced, like Mario, Mario Kart and Animal Crossing, will pretty much have to come out within this year, and the 3DS’s E3 presence will likely revolve around those titles. It’ll be a platform for Nintendo to re-emphasize the 3DS’s abilities.”

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Silent Hill composer's guitar auctioned for Japan relief

by David Hinkle on Mar 30th 2011 9:05AM

What's scarier, being absolutely broke or regretting never taking a chance to have a piece of video game history? An auction for Akira Yamaoka's guitar and FX amps, which were used to create the audio atmosphere for a little franchise called Silent Hill, is currently underway on eBay (and will last for five days).

The auction is part of Play for Japan, a coordinated effort to present consumers and gamers with means to help the relief effort in Japan. If you partake, you'll not only feel good about donating money to Japan, but you'll possibly give this guitar a new home and outlook on life, one filled with joy, sunshine and family -- not giant death bunnies and other unspeakable horrors.

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Pandora's Tower revealed, and coming soon to Japan

by James Ransom-Wiley on Apr 6th 2011 11:05AM

In late January, Nintendo of Japan launched a teaser site for "Pandora's Tower," a (total) mystery Wii game said to be near completion -- no kidding! The site was updated today with a trailer (which has also been released on the Wii's "Everyone's Nintendo Channel" in Japan), revealing a release date of May 26, 2011. See for yourself after the break.

So, what is Pandora's Tower? According to a preview in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu (via Andriasang), this straightforward-looking if not melodramatic action RPG assigns the young hero, Ende, with the absolutely morbid task of de-fleshing enough beasts to end a curse suffered by the lovely singer Ceres -- who's supposed to be gracing the harvest festival! Ende must butcher these foul creatures (in a colorful cartoon-style suitable for ages 15 and up) throughout a series of twelve towers before the curse consumes Ceres.

Pandora's Tower has been developed by Ganbarion, best known for its pair of Jump Stars DS fighting games in Japan.

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Chrono Trigger, Mega Man X coming to Virtual Console in Japan

by JC Fletcher on Mar 25th 2011 2:45PM

Nintendo's Virtual Console release schedule for April includes just three games -- quite a contrast from the service's high points in 2007 and 2008, when the monthly additions would routinely top a dozen. However, even with just three releases, Nintendo of Japan manages to make us totally jealous, because one of those releases is Chrono Trigger.

Nintendo (or Square Enix) has decided to charge a premium 900 Wii Points for the Super Nintendo RPG, a 100-point markup that is usually reserved for games "imported" from other regions, but used here basically because they can. That's still cheaper than the current (discounted) price for the DS version in the US.

In case we hadn't achieved sufficient jealousy levels, the other planned SNES release for next month is Mega Man X, which will sell for the standard 800-point price in Japan. Also on the schedule: King of the Monsters 2 for Neo Geo.

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Ikaruga model kits due in Japan this June

by Ludwig Kietzmann on Feb 19th 2011 5:30PM

When verbal communication fails to adequately convey your immense love for Ikaruga, it's time to invest in an intricate, 1/144 scale replica of one of the game's ships. And we do mean invest: the gorgeous "Hitekkai Ikaruga" injection-plastic kit from Japanese manufacturer Kotobukiya requires time, art supplies, assembly and painting. Depending on your level of interest, you're either seeing "fun weekend project" or "help help I've glued my blue fingers together again."

According to Tomopop and HobbyLink Japan, the Ikaruga kit will ship in June. Early pre-orders, from now until April 6th, can get it for a discounted price of 3,840 Yen ($46). Motivation: If you've already mastered Treasure's intense test of polarity clarity, what challenge could there be in a pile of fiddly, plastic pieces?

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Tales of Graces Wii Gets Budget Re-Release In Japan - Tales Union

Ever since the reveal of Tales of Graces f, we haven't heard much about the original Wii version of the game. That changes as of today, as Nintendo and Namco Bandai have announced that they will be re-releasing the game under the Minna no Susume Selection (translates to "Everybody's Recommended Selection") label.

Tales of Graces on the Nintendo Wii was the first mothership title for the series on the platform (Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World was classified as a spin-off sequel). The original release of the game was riddled with numerous bugs, with some even crashing the game altogether. Namco Bandai was forced to issue a bug-fixed version of the game, and a improved port was released in the form of Tales of Graces f late last year.

The re-release of the Nintendo Wii version of Tales of Graces will be released in Japan on March 24, 2010 for 2,800 Yen.

(On the subject of Tales of Graces, the PSN DLC cameo costumes will be released on January 13 and 20. The first batch will include Sophie, Cheria, Malik and Richard's costumes, with the latter batch including Asbel, Hubert and Pascal's costumes.)

SOURCE: Nintendo of Japan

TAGS: Tales of Graces, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo, Namco Bandai, Minna no Susume Selection

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