This week’s Japanese software sales are as follows:
01./01. [3DS] Friend Collection: New Life # (Nintendo) {2013.04.18} (¥4.800) – 46.787 / 1.090.875 (-21%)
02./04. [PS3] Kamen Rider: Battride War # (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.05.23} (¥7.480) – 18.059 / 166.794 (-10%)
03./05. [3DS] Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Nintendo) {2013.03.20} (¥4.800) – 15.759 / 766.712 (-20%)
04./02. [PS3] Resident Evil: Revelations (Capcom) {2013.05.23} (¥4.990) – 15.495 / 150.361 (-52%)
05./06. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf # (Nintendo) {2012.11.08} (¥4.800) – 13.953 / 3.263.663 (-17%)
06./03. [3DS] Shin Megami Tensei IV # (Atlus) {2013.05.23} (¥6.980) – 13.649 / 232.636 (-55%)
07./10. [PS3] Terraria (Spike Chunsoft) {2013.05.23} (¥4.179) – 7.619 / 35.941 (-10%)
08./08. [PSV] Valhalla Knights 3 (Marvelous AQL) {2013.05.23} (¥5.980) – 5.710 / 57.195 (-49%)
09./14. [3DS] Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.02.28} (¥5.800) – 5.148 / 203.609 (-3%)
10./13. [WII] Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Super Deluxe Edition # (Bandai Namco Games) {2012.11.29} (¥5.040) – 4.300 / 492.793 (-23%)
11./00. [360] Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition (Microsoft Game Studios) {2013.06.06} (¥2.079) – 4.268 / NEW
12./20. [3DS] Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Best Price!) (Capcom) {2012.11.15} (¥3.800) – 3.510 / 316.487 (+21%)
13./15. [3DS] New Super Mario Bros. 2 # (Nintendo) {2012.07.28} (¥4.800) – 3.330 / 2.039.477 (-16%)
14./07. [PSP] Norn9: Norn + Nonette # (Idea Factory) {2013.05.30} (¥6.090) – 3.121 / 17.956 (-79%)
15./17. [3DS] Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo) {2011.12.01} (¥4.800) – 3.034 / 2.060.698 (-11%)
16./12. [PSP] Summon Night 5 (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.05.16} (¥5.980) – 2.793 / 127.927 (-53%)
17./19. [3DS] Tousouchuu: Shijou Saikyou no Hunter-Tachi Kara Nigekire! (Bandai Namco Games) {2012.07.05} (¥5.040) – 2.669 / 494.218 (-9%)
18./16. [PS3] Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen (Capcom) {2013.04.25} (¥4.990) – 2.611 / 190.336 (-28%)
19./21. [3DS] Taiko no Tatsujin: Chibi Dragon to Fushigi na Orb (Bandai Namco Games) {2012.07.12} (¥5.040) – 2.459 / 493.591
20./26. [WIU] New Super Mario Bros. U (Nintendo) {2012.12.08} (¥5.985) – 2.452 / 519.027
Eiji Aonuma isn’t the only new StreetPass Mii Plaza visitor. Mario Kart producer Hideki Konno has appeared as well through a SpotPass distribution. Connect your 3DS online and you should see him on your system shortly.
CVG has gone live with a short interview with Shigeru Miyamoto. You can find comments below regarding work on HD games, Wii U’s slow start, and playing music.
Miyamoto on lessons he has learned working on his own debut HD projects such as Pikmin 3…
What I learned the most is that the HD visuals are really particularly suited to Pikmin 3, and I say that because I think the lesson I learned is that the high resolution graphics are really good at portraying lots of little details within the environment.
But also of course in completing those HD visuals it’s taken a lot of time, and what’s particularly important is that in that process of developing the games you really need to stay true to that core game design. Because if you don’t then it’s very easy for a game’s production values to overshadow what’s going on with the gameplay itself.
Of course at the same time if you don’t have that core game design locked down then the development keeps extending and extending as you try to polish the quality of the graphics along the way.
Princess Peach is finally playable in a mainline Mario game. Super Mario Bros. 2 was the last title to offer something similar.
This is something that Super Mario 3D World producer Yoshiaki Koizumi is quite pleased about.
Koizumi told Polygon:
“I feel like Mario games, as you know, have done lots of representation of male characters over the years. Perhaps much more so than female — so it’s actually really nice to be able to have a female playable character in the game.”
Interestingly, Peach wasn’t always intended to be playable. But once Koizumi mentioned the idea and told the team that they should “definitely” include her, Peach’s role in 3D World was set.
According to game director Koichi Hayashida:
“I think she adds a lot to the sense of competition when you get in multiplayer. You can have different people choosing different characters based on their personality or whoever they like. And princess Peach is just really a lot of fun to play!”
This week’s Japanese eShop update is as follows:
3DS
Downloadable Titles
Simple DL Series Vol. 13 The Taxi – Boku wa Charisma Untenshu – 600 yen
Chain Blaster – 700 yen
Chain Blaster DEMO – FREE
Picross e3 – 500 yen
Donkey Kong Returns 3D (retail title) – 4,800 yen (6/13)
Ch?soku Henkei Gyro-Zetta Arubarosu no Tsubasa (retail title) – 5,000 yen (6/13)
Virtual Console
Clu Clu Land (Famicom) – 500 yen
Downtown Nekketsu K?shinkyoku Sore Yuke Daiund?kai (Famicom) – 500 yen
Wii U
Virtual Console
Yoshi no Tamago (Yoshi, Famicom) – 30 yen (500 yen after 11:59 p.m. on 7/11)
Video Content/Software Impressions
Trailers for downloadable and VC releases
E3 2013 Nintendo Direct
Developer interviews
2D trailers for Pokémon X / Y, Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, Wind Waker HD, Bayonetta 2, Monolith’s X, Smash Bros. (the initial trailer as well as the Mega Man and Wii Fit Training trailers), Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Pikmin 3, Super Luigi U, The Wonderful 101, Sonic Lost World, Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Mario & Luigion 3DS and Yoshi’s New Island
Chain Blaster preview video
Watch_Dogs’ E3 2013 trailer leaked out right before Ubisoft’s press conference. The video popped up online on Sunday, but Ubisoft’s briefing wouldn’t be taking place until Monday.
Naturally, the leak was a disappointment for Ubisoft. Head of sales and marketing Tony Key reacted to the situation with Polygon and discussed the difficulty in keeping secrets:
“When you spend so much time and effort on something and it leaks out a day early, it’s disappointing for everyone involved. It was supposed to be a big moment at our briefing. If half the people have already seen it, then it’s half as effective.”
“There’s a lot of other triggers in place. It’s not just what’s shown in the briefing, it’s all the assets that are about to be released associated with that, the press packages, the uploads to YouTube, the mobilization of your social media efforts. You may even have TV advertising tied to an announcement. We have an entirely integrated machine around these pulse points and when things don’t hit when they are supposed to it causes a lot of inefficiency and generally lowers the impact.”
Ubisoft put out a few Wii U exclusives in time for the console’s launch – most notably, ZombiU. But chances are we won’t be seeing similar efforts from the publisher until the Wii U picks up on the market.
Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot told Kotaku:
“We need more sold. They are coming with five of their biggest brands ever. And the Yen went down. So maybe they will take steps that will increase the number of consoles sold.”
Guillemot added that Ubisoft was able to take what it learned from making two-screen experiences with Wii U and apply their knowledge to other consoles. Still, he feels that there is ample content coming to Wii U.
“Our job is to be agile. We have to adapt the company to the potential of the market. So, what we did last year, was we knew we could learn second-screen with Nintendo, so we went full-speed to use this capacity the console was bringing. And we were able to develop Rayman, which will come at the end of this year and which is fantastic, using this second screen. What we saw is that, in learning that, we can also use it with the other consoles with [Xbox] Smart Glass, for example, and it’s a good option that is coming to us. If you look at us this year on Wii U we will have a lot of products.”
And what is the future of ZombiU? Guillemot seemed to hint that the series could have a future.
“We are still following the gameplay that was created [for that game,], so you will see something emerge one day.
Nintendo decided against holding a press conference at this year’s E3. The move was unprecedented – the Big N had been hosting media briefings for many, many years.
Despite the lack of a big conference in 2013, Nintendo isn’t ruling out future ones for the future.
Speaking with Geoff Keighley in a GameTrailers interview, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said:
“No. All it means is that for this year, based on the fantastic lineup we have, we thought it was the right thing to do to get right to the games. Next year it’ll be based on what we have and the best way to merchandise all of our activity.”
A question for you: would you like to see Nintendo’s conferences return? Or do you prefer Nintendo Directs at E3 time?
