The debut of the Dragon Quest VI remake for DS proves that a Dragon Quest game doesn't have to be entirely new to sell like crazy in Japan -- just new enough. In its first week at retail, January 25–31, the new version of the classic Super Famicom RPG sold 906,458 copies, according to Media Create, making it by far the top-selling game of the week.

A pair of other newly-released RPGs also did quite well: the PS3 version of tri-Ace's shooty-RPG End of Eternity (we call it "Resonance of Fate") landed in second place on the weekly software chart with 118,088 units sold (the Xbox version charted respectably at #8, selling 27,048 units) and Ar Tonelico 3 hit #4 with 81,633 copies sold. Even the Japanese release of MAG managed to make it into the top ten!

See the complete weekly top ten sales list after the break.

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After surviving harrowing losses of ¥22.8 billion (nearly $254.8 million) during its fiscal year 2009, Sega Sammy Holdings (parent company to Sega, which you've probably sussed out) has managed to revive its faltering bottom line. According to the company's latest financial report, Sega Sammy brought in a net income of ¥16.9 billion ($189.5 million) during the first nine months of its fiscal 2010 (April–December 2009).

This income came in spite of the fact that Sega's total game sales had dropped 13 percent from the same 9-month period the previous fiscal year -- however, thanks to the company's massive restructuring last February, operating income skyrocketed to ¥28.8 billion (about $323 million), which more than softened the blow. The company's highest-selling title was, alarmingly, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, with 5.6 million units sold (and probably counting). Bayonetta, which was only available in Japan (released October 29) during the period covered by the report, came in a distant second with 1.1 million units sold.

It looks like the company's managed to recover from an extremely painful fiscal 2009 -- at a cost.

Your teenage daughter and/or son aren't kidding around when they say you just don't get it. You really don't. You're not a teenager. You don't know everything like they do. And one of the things they know is that video games are the bomb. The kids still say that, right?

Anyway, according to a recent Pew Internet & American Life Project study (via MSNBC), 80 percent of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 own a gaming console and that around 51 percent of those in the same age group own a portable gaming device. "While younger and older teens are equally likely to have a game console, boys are more likely than girls to have one," the study reads, pointing out that 89 percent of boys have a gaming console compared to 70 percent of girls.

The study itself focuses mostly on the internet and how the young are connecting (hint: they like laptops and -- wait, MySpace?), but it's a good read if you're looking to get in touch with the youngsters.

[Via Edge]

Hey, Rock Band aficionados! Are you ready to spend your hard-earned Microsoft Points, Wii Points or good old-fashioned cash money on tracks which you'll never be able to play without injuring your tender, fragile metacarpals? Brace your bones -- the Music Store is about to get a healthy dose of Megadeth, in the form of the outfit's 1990 album "Rust in Peace." Or, as it's more commonly known, "The one with 'Hangar 18' on it."

The nine-track album will be available for $14.99 (1200, bundle not available on Wii), and can also be purchased piecemeal for $1.99 (160, 200 Wii Points) per track. In addition, the Who's "Super Bowl S-mashup" medley will be made available on Sunday after the big game for $1.99 (160, 200 Wii Points).

Check out all the songs included in next week's update after the jump.

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If you want to play a bunch of songs by The Who in Rock Band in a manner that satisfies your minute attention span, and do so soon, MTV and Harmonix just made an announcement that will delight you (however briefly). Alternately, you're going to be thrilled if you want to capture some Super Bowl magic in your living room.

On Sunday, February 7, The Who will play a 15-song medley during the Super Bowl's halftime show, and Rock Band will feature that same medley as a $2 download the same day (on Xbox 360 and Wii, anyway -- the PS3 version will arrive later). The identities of the songs contained in the medley will be unknown until the Super Bowl performance, but, really, they're all good.

Yeaahhhhhhhhh!

[Update: We mistakenly identified the "S-mashup" as consisting of the 15 songs listed in the press release. It is actually a medley of unannounced songs. We apologize for the error.]

Prope and publisher Bandai Namco sent out the first screens and footage (after the break) of the new Wii and DS versions of the once-Windows Mobile exclusive Ivy the Kiwi?, thus forcing us to fill another post with question marks? Okay, we didn't need that one.

The presentation on the console versions of the game is identical to the original, with the unusual sepia-tone color scheme and hand-drawn backgrounds. Both new versions double the number of levels, bringing the game up to a total of 100. And both new versions have multiplayer: local download play on DS and splitscreen on Wii. And, of course, the DS has a map screen. Why not?

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Another year, another Madden cover announcement. But wait, this year has a twist! EA and Doritos have teamed up with a unique promotion, allowing fans to vote on who they want to grace the cover of this year's annual gridiron update. The three candidates for this year's cover include Vikings' defensive end Jared Allen, Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne.

It may be tempting to choose your favorite athlete out of the bunch, but we urge you to play it smart. Instead, think about this as a strategic opportunity to inflict the Madden Curse on your most hated team! Best of all, you can vote every day to inflict as much negative karma as possible.

In addition to being able to decide who lands the cover of Madden 11, the Doritos-sponsored promotion also offers entry into a contest. Most notably, the weekly grand prize is a trip for two to see the NFL Draft in New York City this April. Considering you don't have to buy a single bag of Doritos to participate, this promo seems like a must for any NFL fan.

Ghostfire Games' Rage of the Gladiator is on the way to WiiWare, and now we have word of another first-person, MotionPlus-enhanced WiiWare game involving ghosts: Ghost Slayer, by Gevo Entertainment.

Ghost Slayer uses the Wiimote (with optional MotionPlus) to simulate a sword as you fight howling, glowing ghouls in first person. According to the backstory, ghosts (led by a Ghost Queen) are pouring out of a dry well, and it's up to you, as a Ghost Slayer, to hit them a bunch of times with your sword!

The North American release date is currently TBA. In the meantime, you can be creeped the hell out by the trailer after the break.

[Via Nintendo Life]

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Australia's OFLC classification of Mega Man 4 has us wondering if the blue bomber's fourth adventure will become a western Virtual Console offering. Already slated for release in Japan, this would be the first indication that the game is being offered via VC off the island. The android's first three missions are already available on the VC outside of Japan. Mega Man IV is when things started getting campy with the baddies, as we were introduced to that light bulb guy and the one with a vacuum on his head.

Of course, instead of picking up this series bit by bit on Virtual Console, if there's any chance of finding the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, you should definitely do that. It includes Mega Man 1-8, but can end up costing a pretty penny now.

We were filled with a mix of two emotions upon seeing that House of the Dead: Overkill is now $12.99 on Amazon. The first emotion was, of course, joy, because now more people can experience the total, unabashed radicool that drenches this funny, smartly designed on-rails shooter.

The other emotion? Disgust that it had to come to this. This should be a collector's item that's impossible to find, not fodder for the bargain bin! All we're saying is this: We bought our copies here at Joystiq HQ. Did you buy yours, America?

... Well? Did you?

The prospect of racing against the Bonanza Bros. as a forklift-driving Ryo Hazuki likely has many Sega fans on the precipice of purchasing Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing. However, those of us whose common sense has yet to be short-circuited by fan service would prefer to try out the game in order to determine whether the actual racing is worthwhile. And according to a Digital Spy interview with producer Steve Lycett, we may get to do that.

"We're currently looking at downloadable demos for 360 and PS3, and a DS demo via the Nintendo Channel to boot," Lycett said.

He also responded positively to the idea of Sumo Digital developing a Shenmue sequel -- you know, because having a game with a Ryo Hazuki character model in it is basically halfway there. "I'm sure if Sega asked, we'd love to take it on," Lycett said. "It'd scare me to death to take on something so epic, but well, I'd like to think we could do it justice. I think if you cut us in half at this point, you'd find Sega written through the middle of us!"

It's long been known that "Project Needlemouse," announced by Sega last September, was the codename for a new 2D, console Sonic the Hedgehog title. It was subsequently revealed (much to our delight) that Sonic would be its only playable character, and we now know that the game will be, in fact, a direct sequel to 1994's Sonic & Knuckles on Sega Genesis. Not only that -- it'll be (wait for it) episodic.

We also know that the officially titled Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 looks like a proper Sonic game -- i.e., there's hope for it yet.

GameSpot, which has a first look at the blue bolt's new downloadable XBLA, PSN and WiiWare adventure, reports that "episode 1" will be available on all three platforms "this summer." Additionally, Sega confirmed to the site that the game will support online leaderboards and motion control on Wii and PS3 (Sixaxis for the latter; sorry, "Arc").

You can watch the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 after the break. What do you think?

The latest carrot to be dangled before the teeming mass of The Legend of Zelda fans comes from a recent interview in Famitsu magazine, via Andriasang. There, director Eiji Aonuma says he hopes that Nintendo will be able to "show something playable" at E3. What? That's, like, four years ahead of schedule! We jest, but it's not like Nintendo really needs to rush anything. It's The Legend of Zelda. You want it, even if it's supposed to be different this time around.

Aonuma wouldn't provide much in terms of how far along the game has come, other than talking up the MotionPlus support and stating the team has "progressed in development since last year" and that the "core areas have come into clear view." We take that to mean the team has finished rendering Hyrule Field.

If the "Madden Curse" is the unflapping revenge exacted by the fowl spirit of the Great Turducken, its devoured body unceremoniously carved up by the bare hands of John Madden on national television those many years ago (seriously, go wikipedia that joint), then the annual "Madden NFL Super Bowl Simulation" is just ... plain math.

In the latest case of crunching the numbers, Madden 10 has predicted the New Orleans Saints to be winners of this Sunday's Super Bowl XLIV over the Indianapolis Colts. It was a real nail biter, EA recalls: "with minutes left in the game the duo of Joseph Addai and Peyton Manning put the Colts back on top with a go-ahead touchdown pass. With the game hanging in the balance, Drew Brees hits David Thomas for an 11-yard touchdown and the game winning score." The final: 35-31.

But more intriguing than the projected outcome of a mere sporting event is EA Sports' coveted simulation formula, which has become scary good. Not only did it correctly predict the winners of the conference championship games a few Sundays ago within a three-point margin of error, according to EA Sports, the formula accurately played out last year's Super Bowl down to the final score and individual player stats, which begs the question: What can't it predict?

We'd like to put a request in to EA to simulate next week's retail showdown: BioShock 2 vs. Dante's Inferno. Place your bets now!

With posts that go back to 2006, the public embarrassment that is Sadness is far more interesting than the game could have ever been. The epic tale of vaporware, which is comparable to Duke Nukem Forever, receives another notch in its timeline today.

The latest is that the Sadness website is gone and the URL is up for grabs. Developer Nibris has yet to speak on the matter and, frankly, whatever they say doesn't really matter.

Dare we say this is the end of Sadness? Heck no. Where there's a developer and a desperate fan base, there's a way.

[Via GoNintendo]