emblem-of-gundam
Latest
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/12-5/18
The spotlight this week is on Luminous Arc 2: Will, a game that has yet to be confirmed for English language localization. While we're forced to sit and wait jealously, though, forty thousand Japanese gamers ran out and bought the title. Only falling behind the juggernauts Monster Hunter and Mario Kart Wii (and almost squeezing past Nintendo's racer), Image Epoch's SRPG debuted pretty impressively.In other sales news, the announcement for another Professor Layton game in Japan managed to push the first title in the series back into the top thirty. Aside from that, there weren't any differences in DS software worth mentioning.In terms of hardware, the numbers for the DS weren't so hot. In fact, we don't remember the sales numbers for Nintendo's handheld ever being this low in Japan. With everyone and their mother already owning a DS in the country, does the system still have room for growth? We won't know for sure until the next big software push, but for now it looks like the dual-screened handheld should get comfy in that third place spot. PSP: 70,536 (19,348) Wii: 41,572 (25,736) Nintendo DS: 34,905 (16,323) PlayStation 3: 7,701 (353) PlayStation 2: 7,022 (442) Xbox 360: 1,474 (176) The software numbers are located after the break, so go on and take a look. They won't bite!**DS Fanboy claims no responsibility for those who get bitten by our sales figures.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/5-5/11
There's no new DS software in the top of the charts to report this week, but that doesn't mean Nintendo's little handheld didn't completely clean house. In fact, nineteen of the top thirty were DS games, showing how gluttonous the dual-screened portable can get when it comes to sales. Some old favorites also popped back up around the bottom, including Brain Age 2, Animal Crossing, and the original Taiko Drum Master DS.Hardware continues to be a struggle, though. That doesn't mean the DS is doing poorly, because it's not; sales for the handheld even jumped up almost 10,000 units since last week. However, since the PSP and Wii have been doing so well lately, it's hard for Nintendo's handheld to compete: PSP: 89,884 Wii: 67,308 Nintendo DS: 51,228 PlayStation 3: 8,054 PlayStation 2: 7,464 Xbox 360: 1,298 We have no doubt that the DS will be on top again soon enough, but until then, you can check out the satisfactory software numbers posted after the break.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/28-5/4
We realized today that we don't know Japan as well as we thought we did. With our reasoning, a new Gundam game + the popularity of the DS = cha-ching. While the debuting Emblem of Gundam had decent sales for its first week, though, taking the twelfth spot isn't all that impressive -- especially since there was only one new release cluttering up the top ten. On the other hand, We're Fossil Diggers, Pokemon Ranger, and the Taiko Drum Master DS sequel continued to shine, giving the DS a nice piece of top ten representation. Batonnage managed to reach the half-million mark, while the other two games neared 100,000 copies sold.For hardware, DS numbers went up since last week, but the handheld is still convincingly behind the PSP and Wii in recent sales. If you want to see the numbers, though, just click past the break. You can check out the software listings there, too.
Boxart battle: Emblem of Gundam vs Front Mission 2089
Above, we have the covers for two upcoming strategy titles, Emblem of Gundam and Front Mission 2089. Both series have similar themes -- giant mechas battling it out against an intricate backdrop of political drama -- so it's startling to see the different approaches in their packaging designs.Front Mission 2089 puts more emphasis on its character lineup, masking a lone Wanzer in the mist, and the result is a lusterless jacket that looks as unexciting as the starring crew's listless expressions. Emblem of Gundam's cover has more action to it, giving its mobile suits and story characters even billing. One guy is flying through space with a rapier! Another has a gun! And a massive Gundam oversees the entire scene, jets blasting and fingers positioned like a master pianist preparing his next attack. This is how you design a box!Today's lesson: If you have huge robots, use them. Pilot your mecha past the post break for a better look at the two covers.
Tiny Sprites of Gundam
Gundams are huge -- 50-foot-tall mechanical monsters that leave great shockwaves as they traverse the battlefield. Except, of course, in strategy games like Emblem of Gundam, in which Gundams are tiny, thumbnail-sized sprites, rendered so small due to the need to cram as many as possible onto the screen.The latest screenshots put aside the cinematic presentation in favor of the real game, which has a lot of numbers and a lot of little robots. Custom teams can be built from a stock of mobile suits on each side. Each unit seems to add to a team's total attack and defense value, which seems to affect the first-strike ability of the attacking team.
We can actually understand this Emblem of Gundam trailer
It's odd for a Gundam game trailer to be in English, since there's only about a 0.1% chance that such a game will end up in English-speaking markets. The language choice of this trailer is also strange, considering that it's on the official Japanese website for the upcoming title, Emblem of Gundam. Maybe Namco Bandai knows that everyone in Japan is going to buy the game anyway, so they're trying to encourage imports. In any case, if you'd like to check out the newest trailer for Emblem of Gundam, we've tucked it away after the break. It doesn't tell us much about this title that we wouldn't already expect, but it will help whet the appetite of the Gundam fanboy or girl inside of you.Warning: The video will autoplay if you venture past the break.
More like Fire Emblem of Gundam
Well, no, not really. But when a strategy game called Emblem of Gundam comes along, we're pretty much required to make that joke. The latest Gundam game on the DS explores the history of the Gundam universe while simulating strategic ground battles.Emblem of Gundam is, at its core, a turn-based strategy game. It also includes a heavy character-driven adventure component, based around conversations between characters. At certain points in the game, you'll be given a choice about which scenario to follow, or, as the game puts it, which "history button" to press. Expect a lot of story in Emblem of Gundam: the game is designed to add extra perspective to the storylines in Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: A War in the Pocket, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, and Mobile Suit Gundam Z.
