Famitsu has posted a listing of the top 10 best-selling games in Japan for the month of June. We have the translated results below.
1. Wii Sports Resort – 6/25 release (Wii) – 353,827 units
2. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days – 5/30 release (DS) – 171,242 units
3. Friend Collection – 6/18 release (DS) – 170,490 units
4. Ace Attorney Investigations – 5/28 release (DS) – 65,863 units
5. Sloane and MacHale’s Mysteries – 5/21 release (DS): 57,359 units
6. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G PSP the Best – 10/30 release (PSP): 51,590 units
7. Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires – 5/28 release (PS3) – 49,059 units
8. Infinite Space – 6/11 release (DS) – 48,397 units
9. Atelier Rorona – 6/25 release (PS3) – 47,456 units
10. Ken to Mahou to Gakuen Mono 2 – 6/25 release (PSP) – 45,282 units
With a title like Red Steel 2, one would think that there would be a good amount of blood in the game. However, that’s not actually the case. The decision not to make Red Steel 2 a bloody game was a conscious decision.
“We get asked this a lot. In fact, we asked ourselves this question at least a thousand times before we made the final call…Building our game with realistic violence in it would, for many players, interfere with just having a good time with a sword and gun. And, that’s sort of the whole point of all the work we’ve been doing. Blood and gore just isn’t what this game is about, and we want to be true to the game we are making. That won’t necessarily make everyone happy, but we believe that at the end of the day, if you like the idea of swordfighting, we’ll have a game that is worth your time.” – Jason Vandenberghe, Creative Director
Mr. Vandenberghe also discussed how the team is “trying to make something entertaining, something truly fun to play, a game where you play a real hero, a badass with a sword and a gun.” So, rather than creating a truly gruesome and violent game, the developers are focusing more on the aspect of creating an overall enjoyable experience.
Journey to the Heart of Africa Where You Control the Wild Kingdom!
REDWOOD CITY, Calif — July 7, 2009 — Pack your bags for an African adventure as EA Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced SimAnimals™ Africa for the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™, the sequel to the highly enjoyable SimAnimals™ game. In SimAnimals Africa, gamers play with and tame all new exotic animals including lions, elephants and gorillas as they explore exotic landscapes from savannas to jungles. This must-have Wii game for the holidays is great for kids and features challenges and mini-games that players solve to unlock new items, animals and levels to explore!“SimAnimals Africa offers players a whole new, wild world to explore, take care of, and discover,” said Tim LeTourneau, General Manager of the SimAnimals Franchise. “Kids are in for hours of entertainment as they explore new terrain, and for the first time, play as wild animals where they can run, jump, kick and charge, adding another dimension to the fun.”
Tales of Monkey Island – Chapter 1 – Launch of the Screaming Narwhal (Wii) – E10+
Impossible Mission (Wii) – E
Logic Machines (DS) – E
Walt Disney Pictures The Princess and the Frog: Taste of New Orleans Edition + DGamer (DS) – E
Rolling Stone Drum King (Wii) – T
Moki Moki (Wii) – E
My Hero: Doctor (DS) – E10+
Tumblebugs 2 (Wii) – E
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (Wii) – T
Just In Time Translations (DS) – E
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS) – E10+
Fabulous Finds (DS) – E
Harvest Moon: My Little Shop (Wii) – E
The Circle: Martial Arts Fighter (Wii) – T
Tornado Outbreak (Wii) – E10+
Spore Hero Arena (DS) – E
Mr. Driller W (Wii) – E
At E3, Nintendo revealed Demo Play, a ploy of sorts that the company is featuring to make experiences less frustrating for casual gamers. Essentially, players can allow the game itself to take over and skip parts that he/she finds difficult. The first title to be making use of this function will be New Super Mario Bros. Wii, although Nintendo isn’t stopping there. Japanese reports from Nikkei say that the Big N will be implementing Demo Play in DS games as well. No specific titles were mentioned, but seeing as how New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be the first representative of Demo Play, implementation of the mode in handheld games shouldn’t be expected until after the holiday season.
Wii Sports Resort (Wii) – 94%
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Wii) – 70%
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (Wii) – 60%
Overlord Dark Legend (Wii) – 65%
Klonoa (Wii) – 80%
The Munchables (Wii) – 64%
MySims Racing (Wii) – 72%
Overlord Minions (DS) – 51%
Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil (Wii) – 72%
Super Smash Bros. (Wii VC) – 84%
Space Harrier Arcade (Wii VC) – 58%
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (WiiWare) – 72%
Fish ‘Em All (WiiWare) – 57%
Cocoto Platform Jumper (WiiWare) – 60%
Asphalt 4: Elite Racing (DSiWare) – Score: 75%
KuBos (DSiWare) – 91%
PiCOPiCT (DSiWare) – 91%
NEMREM (DSiWare) – 58%
Sudoku 150! For Challengers (DSiWare) – 70%
Thanks to joclo for the news tip!
Province supports Ubisoft in development of first Ontario-based studio
LONDON, UK – JULY 7, 2009 – Ubisoft announced plans today to open a full development studio in Toronto, Ontario – a first for the company in the province. This significant announcement is expected to result in the creation of 800 net new jobs within the province over the next decade. The government of Ontario is investing CA$263 million over ten years in the company and Ubisoft’s net investment will be over half a billion CAD in the new studio, which will begin operations in late 2009.
“Today’s announcement marks a strategic move for Ubisoft as we continue to expand our internal development force,” said Yves Guillemot, president and chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “We are in an excellent position to grow and after extensive analysis we are thrilled to have reached an agreement with the government of Ontario to found our new studio in Toronto. The city is one of North America’s economic and cultural epicenters and our expectations are high. We’re excited to be able to count on the exceptional local talent, who will contribute to our accelerated growth and will have a profound impact on the video game industry with the excellence of their creativity.”
Sky Crawlers
– Coming to America courtesy of XSEED
– Also bringing over Fragile
– Should buy their games and support the company if you’re been complaining about these types of games not coming
– They’ll go out of business if we don’t buy their games
– Matt, Bozon likes Fragile despite shortcomings
– Sky Crawlers looks cool too
– Got good reviews in Japan
– Happy they’re bringing Sky Crawlers over
