Filed under: Imports
Monster Hunter 3 captures Japan's money this summer
by JC Fletcher 
{ 9 months ago }
We assumed that MH3 wouldn't be released until some time after April, because Capcom is including a demo with Monster Hunter G, which comes out April 23. We're surprised that Capcom isn't holding this back until the fall, since this is likely to be the company's (or anybody's) biggest release of the year.
[Via IGN]
VC Friday: Pop-Up Onslaught!
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
The other game up today is something that we personally think looks delightful: Pop-Up Pirate!, the WiiWare version of the classic toy in which players stick swords into a barrel until someone accidentally stabs the imprisoned pirate. Fun for the whole family!
- Onslaught (1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
- Pop-up Pirate! (1-4 players, 500 Wii Points)
Dragon Quest IX delayed until July in Japan
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
Square Enix has announced a delay of Dragon Quest IX from its March 28 release date to July 11. The March release date had been announced at a Dragon Quest-specific press conference in December. The announcement indicates that major bugs were found in the game code.This delay seems like somewhat of an emergency measure; as NeoGAF members note, Square Enix had already put a lot of money and effort into advertising the game around Japan, including promotional signage around 7-Eleven stores -- a partnership that has since proven ironic.
In somewhat less terrible news, Famitsu has posted new screens of the game, featuring an inn-based communication system. Players can visit their friends' version of Ricca Inn, and leave messages and treasure maps.
[Via NeoGAF]
Nintendo publishing World of Goo in Japan [update]
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
Siliconera found a new Japanese trademark registration, for something called ... hmm, "World of Goo?" Oh, wait, that's probably just that WiiWare game, World of Goo, that came out in other territories last year and was loved by all. 2D Boy's puzzle masterpiece has yet to hit Japan, but it could soon, judging by this registration. Surprisingly, Nintendo is the registering company, meaning that it may choose to publish World of Goo in Japan. That's a testament to Nintendo's
World of Goo isn't the first Western WiiWare game from a smaller developer to be picked up by a huge publisher for Japanese release. Square Enix released Frontier Developments' LostWinds in December.
VC Tuesday: Bubble Bobble Wii rises to the top
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
- Tactics Ogre (Super Famicom, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
- Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes (Mega Drive, 1 player, 700 Wii Points)
- Winning Shot (PC Engine, 1-4 players, 600 Wii Points)
- Okiraku Slot Car Racing (1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
- Let's Play with Kappa: Kappa and the Three Kittens (1 player, 600 Wii Points)
- Board Warriors (1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
- Bubble Bobble Wii (1-4 players, 800 Wii Points)
A welcome Muramasa: The Demon Blade media overload
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
If you're as awestruck by the backgrounds as we are, you should have a look around the newly redesigned website (updated in anticipation of the April 9 Japanese release date), which has character/UI-free background images. Marvelous also added a new trailer to the page, which we've embedded after the break.
Apparently, there will be some sort of preorder bonus for the Japanese version, an unknown item that will show off the character art and other artwork. A poster? Art book? Whatever it is, we want it.
Source -- screens, via NeoGAF
Source -- site, via AndriaSang
Continue reading “A welcome Muramasa: The Demon Blade media overload”
VC Friday: Sonic Clayos
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
The other Mega Drive release is the Master System Sonic Chaos. While it wasn't exactly lauded upon release in the US this week, it's even less noteworthy in Europe: while we never got the Master System version of the game (only the Game Gear one), Europe did, so it's totally not special.
- Clay Fighter -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points
- Sonic Chaos -- Master System -- 500 Wii Points
Metroid Prime's new play controls demonstrated in Japanese ads
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
Nintendo's new Japanese commercials for the New Play Control version of Metroid Prime pretty well answer the question of how the new controls work. The commercials show example motions over in-game activities, revealing that the control scheme for the Wii remake of Retro Studios' first-person adventure game are similar to the controls found in Metroid Prime 3. The clip goes by too quickly and doesn't feature enough detail for us to determine if any changes have been made to the Corruption control scheme, but we doubt it.This is basically what we expected, and we're delighted to see it: aside from a minor issue with the + and - buttons, the Wiimote/Nunchuk controls for Metroid Prime 3 were just right. We're quite excited about getting to use them in the magnificent first Prime.
Continue reading “Metroid Prime's new play controls demonstrated in Japanese ads”
VC Tuesday: Super Pole 'n Ghosts
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
It's joined by some shmups: L-Dis, a cute-em-up from Cho Aniki developer NCS, Formation Z, a Famicom shooter from the late Jaleco, and Galaxy Force II, which might as well not exist without the super-fun arcade machine.
- Formation Z (Famicom, , 500 Wii Points)
- Galaxy Force II (Mega Drive, 1 player , 600 Wii Points)
- L-Dis (PC Engine, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
- Dai Makaimura (SuperGrafx, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
- Pole's Big Adventure (1 player, 500 Wii Points)
Rating suggests that Bubble Bobble Wii will journey out of Japan
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
The game, which we had no idea used 3D character models until just now, is listed under the new title Bubble Bobble Plus!, with that very appropriate exclamation point. Of course, this rating is no guarantee that the game will be released in Germany, nor is a German release firm confirmation of a release anywhere else, but it certainly seems likely! Besides, those "world rankings" work a lot better if the "world" isn't limited only to the area within Japan.
[Via Siliconera; screens via Inside-Games]
Game Center CX 2: New screens of new old games
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
Guadia Quest Saga is a sequel to the original game's Dragon Quest-like RPG, released late-ish in the (fake) Famicom's lifetime, in 1991. GunDuel, the sequel to StarPrince, is a vertical shmup with much more detailed backgrounds.
Four "rare" games are only available in the (in-game) game shop, presumably because your character can't afford to buy them! Cosmic Gate: MASA-X version is a port of the first game's Galaxian-like shooter, made in the style of MSX computer games. Rally King EX is a special "time trial" version of the original's racer, and StarPrince SA is a special version of StarPrince in which players have just a few minutes to accrue a high score. Perhaps weirdest of all is Karakuri Ninja Haguruman: Koume Version, which was (in the alternate universe of the game) a special release of Haguruman with the hero sprite swapped out for his sister Koume, given to members of that character's fan club!
February's VC releases in Japan: Tactics Ogre and more
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
Nintendo has released the list of Virtual Console games planned for release in Japan next month, including eleven games overall. The biggest news is probably Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, which was released in North America on the PlayStation, but will be released on the VC in its original Super Famicom form. If the PlayStation release were to come out on VC, that would definitely be news. In any case, don't look for it outside Japan any time soon: as Siliconera points out, Atlus's English translation was only used for the PlayStation version, and Square Enix isn't going to license that work and recode the game to put it in. It's rather miraculous that they've deigned to dump one of their ROMs on the service as it is.Other items of interest include the Alex Kidd sequel The Lost Stars, which contains one of the most ridiculous digitized screams in history, and the return of the SuperGrafx Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts! Will it actually come out this time? And we must mention Wallaby!! which is a game about rabbits betting on kangaroo races.
Continue reading “February's VC releases in Japan: Tactics Ogre and more”
VC Friday: A new day for Samegame
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
- Family Glide Hockey -- WiiWare -- 500 Wii Points
- Pop Them Drop Them SAMEGAME -- WiiWare -- 500 Wii Points
Dragon Quest IX, or 'Dragon MapQuest IX'?
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
It's a minor thing, but the map screen in Dragon Quest IX is quite lovely. And, honestly, it's more important to have a nice world map than it may seem, because you'll be staring at the thing all the time. The sepia-toned map provides a detailed drawing of the world, including bridges and other narrow crossings.Less detailed, but still pretty great, is the treasure map, seen here. These maps imitate the color scheme of the main world map, but are drawn crudely and with much less detail. Treasure maps, of course, are marked with an X in a location corresponding to some mysterious treasure -- housed inside caves.
Once inside the cave, you switch over to a blank automap that fills in as you explore. That's a lot of different mapping for one game!
Kamehame-awww: Atari recalls Dragon Ball Origins in Australia
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
If you're in Australia and you've been holding off on picking up a copy of the delightful Dragon Ball Origins, your wait has just been artificially extended: Atari has issued a recall in Australia for every copy of Dragon Ball Origins on store shelves, due to an apparent mis-rating. Origins has been out in the region since December.The cause seems to be a lazy OFLC: Dragon Ball Origins was given the same PG rating as other recent Dragon Ball games, but Origins features, well, multiple pants-free scenes. The first such scene occurs within the first hour of gameplay!
Atari will reissue the game once it's been re-rated and labeled accordingly. If you've already got it, congratulations! Instant collector's item.
