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Dragon Quest IX is Q3's top-selling game

by JC Fletcher { Nov 5th 2009 at 3:39PM }

Despite the handicap of not being for sale in most of the world, Dragon Quest IX for the DS sold more copies than any other game in the world between July and September of this year, according to a Top Global Markets report. With 3,925,000 copies sold in Japan, it outsold the number two best-selling game for that period, Wii Sports Resort, by almost 1,000,000 copies -- and that game was available worldwide.

Following Wii Sports Resort in the top five: Madden NFL 2010 at 2,612,000, Pokemon HeartGold And SoulSilver at 2,068,000, and Halo 3: ODST, which was only out for a week in Q3, at 1,847,000 copies. All these games have plenty more sales ahead of them as the holidays approach!

Japanese gaming market continues to decline

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 1st 2009 at 2:00PM }

We got our first indication that the Japanese gaming industry wasn't doing too hot in July, when gaming hardware and software sales from the first half of 2009 had dropped 24 percent from the same period last year. The recently released sales figures from the first half of fiscal 2009 (which runs from March 31 through September 28) are equally downtrodden: According to the industry analysts at Enterbrain, the Japanese games market fell 10.5 percent during this six-month period. That figure represents a 15.1 percent drop in hardware sales and a 7.5 percent decline in software sales.

The various models of the Nintendo DS were the biggest sellers during this period, moving nearly 1.7 million units combined. Appropriately, the top two selling titles during the half-year were Dragon Quest IX, which sold nearly 4 million copies, and the recently released Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver editions, which sold a little over 2 million combined. Not faring quite as well are the PSP (813k units sold), Wii (594k units sold), PS3 (581k units sold) and Xbox 360, which moved a paltry 137k units in the first half of the fiscal year.

No use crying over spilled milk, we suppose. Things can only go up from here! Unless, of course, they continue to go down. That's also an option.

[Via Kotaku]

Pokemon remakes break a million in two days

by JC Fletcher { Sep 21st 2009 at 7:00PM }

The top two games on the Media Create charts for the week ending September 13 are Pokemon HeartGold and Pokemon SoulSilver. Despite coming out just one day before the end of that week, the games managed to outsell everything else in Japan, almost by a factor of ten. The distribution of the 1,442,990 copies sold was pretty evenly split between the two versions, with Soul Silver's 722,904 copies edging out Heart Gold's 720,086.

The number three spot belongs to Tomodachi Collection, also on the DS, followed by Dragon Quest IX, PS3's Gundam Senki, and Wii Sports Resort. The only other new game in the top ten is MAPLUS Portable Navi 3, a PSP map/navigation program.

Nintendo announces Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver for US

by David Hinkle { Aug 14th 2009 at 2:29PM }

Turn those baseball caps backwards and clear you calendars, because Nintendo's latest Pokemon titles, Pokemon HeartGold and Pokemon SoulSilver, are set to invade North America during spring of next year. The games release in Japan next month and take players back to the Johto region, recreating the classic Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver games on the Game Boy Color. The press release made no mention of the walking functionality, which kind of bums us out. What, you didn't think we would actually beef up our Pokemon by playing the game, did you?

Gallery: Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver (DS)

Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver hitting Japan Sept. 12

by Griffin McElroy { Jun 26th 2009 at 12:30PM }

Yes, the once-vague "fall" launch window for the pedometer-infused pokéremakes, Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver, has evolved into a much more specific Japanese release date of September 12. The game will be catchable if you've got 4,980 yen ($50) to spare, which seems an exorbitant price, but is actually the standard cost of Pokémon titles in Japan, thanks to that completely unwarranted Adorability Tax.

North America hasn't gotten a release date or price for the remakes -- probably because Nintendo has yet to formally announce the games in the States -- but we'll let you know when it finally does. You'll know which post contains this announcement, because it'll be written in bold all-caps to reflect our uncontrollable excitement.

Pokemon Gold/Silver remakes let you train Pokemon by walking

by JC Fletcher { Jun 8th 2009 at 9:30AM }

Turns out that the same technology used in Personal Trainer: Walking to train you will also help you train Pokemans in Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver. According to Andriasang, the Pokémon Sunday TV show revealed a new pedometer device used in the game, called the "Poké Walker," that resembles a cross between a Pokeball and the Pokémon Mini handheld. For some reason, Nintendo decided to make another wireless pedometer peripheral for the DS rather than allowing people to use the existing one.

The device allows you to build one Pokémon's experience and personal affinity simply by walking. In addition, the Poké Walker generates "watts," which can be used to catch wild creatures and find tools inside the Poké Walker world to send back to the full game.

Check out the first screens of the remakes in our gallery, as you come to the terrifying realization that Nintendo didn't mention this game at all at E3.

Gallery: Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver (DS)

First footage of Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver revealed

by Griffin McElroy { May 10th 2009 at 4:00PM }

As promised, today's episode of Pokémon Sunday brought the now not-so-surprising reveal of Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver. While the actual revelation wasn't particularly mind-blowing, the episode did feature a few seconds of gameplay (posted after the break) that will likely whet the appetites of many a pocket-sized monster fanatic.

The gameplay itself isn't that interesting -- the protagonist merely walks in circles a few times -- though we do get a good sense of the Pearl and Diamond-esque art style the remakes will adopt. Also, if this clip is any indication, it looks like your starter pokémon will follow your character around in a Pokémon Yellow-esque fashion. We feel so sorry for Pokémon detractors. If you guys had hearts, that news would make them feel pretty warm.

Continued →

Nintendo chooses to announce Pokemon Gold and Silver remakes

by JC Fletcher { May 7th 2009 at 11:23PM }

So, that Pokémon announcement that everyone assumed would be remakes of Gold and Silver? Totally remakes of Gold and Silver. We'll get to play new versions of the Game Boy Color Pokemans and we get the satisfaction of being right! This time, it was Nintendo that jumped the gun with the announcement.

The DS remakes, called Pokémon Heart Gold and Pokémon Soul Silver, are scheduled for release in Japan this fall. Going by the time it took Diamond and Pearl to reach North America, we could possibly see these by spring 2010.

[Via Kotaku; thanks, Fernando Rocker!]