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Monster Hunter Portable 2nd sells a million in Japan
It's not unusual to see million-selling games on the DS (as Tom Jones would have crooned), but Monster Hunter Portable 2nd is the first PSP game to manage that feat inside Japan. The game got off to a great start last week and, according to a press release from Capcom, as of today one million units have been shipped to retail. Whether this is the start of something big in terms of a comeback for the PSP, or just a one-off success story, it still leaves Sony with an awful lot of work to do if it intends the PSP to ever catch up with the DS' phenomenal performance in Japan. Either way, it's great news for Capcom!
Rumor: Co-op may be coming to Dead Rising
Keeping the rumor mill a twirling, Xboxic received word that in the latest issue of EGM they reporting that Capcom has co-op aspirations for Dead Rising. EGM says that when Dead Rising comes to the platinum hits catalog that it will include a new online co-op feature. At the same time there will be a co-op patch downloadable via the XBLM for current Dead Rising owners, but it will not be free. Do you think an online co-op patch could breathe new life into an aging Dead Rising or would you be dead set (get it?) against paying extra for the option via a download? Come on ... spill your guts!
Lost Planet Auto-Update Details
Yesterday, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition got a multiplayer auto update. The first thing it did was add some features, such as seeing a player's national flag in the lobby, pre-game and post-game results. It also shows who's talking in-game and in the lobby with a ")))" to the left of their gamertag in team-based games. Finally, in the lobby, your connection strength to a player is signified by a "!", and the brighter it is, the better your connection. The other set of fixes were to bugs found in the game, due to lag, as well as a few exploits. For full details on what to expect next time you log on, click the "Read" link. So do the fixes to the gameplay make you want to put some more time into Lost Planet's multiplayer?Oh, and one more thing...Brian Dunn says that the downloadable maps should be available March 9th or in close to that date.[Thanks, AoE]
Japanese software sales: week ending 02.25.07
Media Create's Japanese sales data for the past week has just been released, revealing a PS3-free Top 30 that is headed by a monster hit (yes) for the PSP at Number One. For more mixed signals, set your dials to receive this week's Top Ten: Monster Hunter Portable 2nd - 705,281 units sold last week (new entry / Capcom, PSP) Higurashi no Naku Koro ni - 80,002 (new entry / Alchemist, PS2) Fire Emblem: Dawn Goddess - 75,359 (new entry / Nintendo, Wii) Sim City DS - 50,826 (new entry / EA, DS) Professor Layton and the Mysterious Town - 49,979 (186,716 sales to date / Level-5, DS) Wii Sports - 47,503 (1,090,736 / Nintendo, Wii) Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX - 45,792 (new entry / Tomy, Wii) Dragon Quest Monsters Joker - 40,507 (1,174,576 / SquareEnix, DS) Wii Play - 35,811 (944,586 / Nintendo, Wii) Picross DS - 26,693 (183,357 / Nintendo, DS) And here are some lessons we can learn from the big figures: The PSP is ALIVE, and Monster Hunter is the WINNER EA has had a place in Japan, after all (see also: firing the whole Japanese studio was a really clever thing for EA to do) There are as many Wii titles as there are DS games in this week's Top Ten -- Japan is bowing to its Nintendo duarchy
New Rockman ZX Advent screens and character art
Capcom released a ton of screens today for the new Megaman ZX sequel, Rockman ZX Advent, and they show exactly what we want to see in our Megaman games: running from left to right and shooting at robots, all delivered in gorgeous hand-drawn 2D. We could look at stuff like this all day. Coincidentally, that's kind of our job.In the first ZX, kids use "Biometals" ("Livemetals" in the Japanese version) to transform into robots similar to X and Zero from the Megaman X series, as well as a fused ZX form. The kids from last time, Vent and Aile, have been replaced by a pair of functionally-identical crimefighting children, called Grey and Ashe.They operate a new Biometal, called Model A, which enables transformation into a dual-wielding robot seemingly based on Axl from Mega Man X7, a game that we're glad is on the PS2 (so we don't have to like it).We've included character designs and a selection of screens for you. Bask in their 2D-ness after the break, won't you? We shrunk them down a bit from Dengeki's original display, to make the basking more successful. Over-enlarged DS screens are not cool.
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 announced for Europe [Update 1]
No surprise here. After selling 700,000 copies in its first week in Japan, Monster Hunter's sequel is set to dominate the rest of the world. Or, at least Europe. According to a new press release from Capcom Europe, "Capcom plans to release this game as Monster Hunter Freedom 2 across PAL territories in September 2007."While no US release has been announced yet, we're expecting an official statement soon. Certainly, Capcom USA wouldn't want to miss this excuse to literally print money?[Update 1: The US press release states that the game is coming to the States in September as well.]
Monster Hunter slays Japan's sales charts
We knew Monster Hunter Portable 2nd was a big seller, but now the official numbers are out. The weekly sales report from Mainichi Interactive states that Capcom has blown away sales expectations by selling 700,000 units in its first week. This easily puts Monster Hunter Portable 2nd one of the best selling PSP games yet in Japan. PSP hardware also sold quite well in the same time, coming in at number 3 in the hardware sales charts. Let's hope this news means more Capcom content on Sony's portable. [Via IGN ]
Capcom licenses Unreal Engine for US developed title
Not wanting to be the last to the party, Capcom has become the latest developer to license the Unreal Engine 3 for use in their titles. This comes only days after another leading publisher, Activision, made a similar announcement. Capcom will be utilizing the Unreal Engine for an unannounced title to be developed in North America. Earlier this month, Lost Planet producer Keiji Inafune commented that "western developers are leading the industry, with Japanese developers falling behind." As Japanese development houses have historically been opposed to middleware, this deal, along with Capcom's recent success here in the west with titles such as Dead Rising and Lost Planet, could be a sign of faith in their western counterpart.
Capcom dragon punches Unreal Engine 3
We're starting to think that Epic's Unreal Engine 3 is the core component of Skynet. As more and more developers sign on to use Unreal Engine 3, its network -- and its intelligence -- grows. Soon, when enough developers latch onto the Gears of War creating powerhouse, our world will be overrun with diabolical machines that wish for nothing but out destruction. The latest victim is Capcom, which has licensed the engine for an unannounced North American project. We'd love to imagine the possibilities of a fully rendered Ken Masters in Unreal glory, but we're pretty sure that Capcom wouldn't hand over any Street Fighter development to the US. Could the project be a sequel to one of Capcom's hot 360 properties like Dead Rising or Lost Planet? Only time will tell. Let's hope they get the game finished before the machines attain sentience.[Via Xbox Addict]See also:Activision uses Unreal Engine 3 in new game
I am information about I am 8-bit 2.007 [update 1]
Game Informer has posted a nice preview of the 2007 I am 8-bit art show, along with some of the art that will be featured. I am 8-bit is an annual art exhibition that celebrates classic videogame culture and iconography, with an emphasis on Nintendo and their NES-era third parties. It's also the source of some amazing game-related art, like the Donkey Kong-inspired painting shown above, "Mario's Lament" by Reuben Rude. We'd be proud to display any of these paintings, sculptures, or crafts in our own Fancaves.Just like every year, we'll be gazing wistfully at these previews and cursing our luck for not being Californian or California-adjacent. If you happen to be in the LA area between April 17 and May 12, we urge you to go to Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight and support the very best kind of fanboyism: the kind that manifests in honest creative expression (fanfic excluded).[Update 1: changed the preview picture to something friendlier.][Via 4cr]
Japan gets a Gyakuten Saiban 4 calendar and we don't? OBJECTION!
Capcom put this gorgeous "school calendar" (it starts at April) up for sale in their Japanese store today, and we're dying over here. Look at that cover! That is better than most posters, there. There's Ema Skye, and Phoenix Wright, and the whole group is surrounded by new guy Odoroki Housuke's bracelet thing.And there's six pages of official art inside. This is too much. We don't really have anything clever to say about it. Look at it. It's a thing we want, a lot, and probably won't be able to purchase.Oh, man, we feel so inadequate. How can we be Phoenix Wright fans if we can't look at some Gyakuten Saiban characters when we want to see what day it is? We're going to have to look into placing an order for this thing. 1,260 yen turns out to be ... $10.45.Oh, and while you're at the e-Capcom store, check out these other just-out-of-reach Gyakuten goods!Sample calendar page after the break. You could resize it and make a very blurry, artifacty wallpaper out of it!
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd off to a quick start in Japan
Famitsu is reporting on the impressive demand for Capcom's PSP RPG Monster Hunter Portable 2nd, which has launched in Japan this morning. Around 140 people were in line outside the West Shinjuku branch of Yodobashi Camera before the store opened, while more than 200 people were at the Ikebukuro branch of Bic Camera. Promotion of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd has had an impact -- the game's TV commercial seems to have aired more frequently here in the past week than that of any other game (this blogger watches too much Japanese telly), and the PSP hardware-plus-game bundle also appears to be selling out in Tokyo. Chances are, this PSP hit will top next week's Japanese sales chart. [Image credit: Famitsu]
Monster Hunter 2 coming to the US?
The answer is yes, if Capcom official board posts are to be believed. No longer will Monster Hunter fans have to be jealous of their friends in Japan. The Capcom senior community member OrleanKnight goes on to say that the sequel will unsurprisingly be called Monster Hunter Freedom 2 and will be out sometime later this year. While this isn't official confirmation, Capcom staff did not deny the claims on the board. I know our readers love this game (judging from comments), so let's hope this all is true. [Thanks Joe!]
Capcom on Lost Planet, marketing, community
Charles Bellfield, Vice President of Marketing at Capcom, USA recently sat down with Gamasutra to discuss Capcom's recent changes in marketing strategy, and its overall direction for the future. Speaking specifically about Lost Planet, Bellfield notes that Capcom's marketing strategy was to involve the community from the beginning. In particular, several changes were made to Lost Planet after Capcom received feedback about the two Lost Planet demos that were available on Marketplace. Further adding to the Lost Planet community, Capcom made fansite kits available, even naming the three best Lost Planet fansites and including them in the manual of the game. Bellfield notes the important distinction between fostering community and falsely creating one (in reference to the "All I want for Christmas is a PSP" fiasco). We have to hand it to Capcom, they did a good job marketing Lost Planet and keeping the online community informed. Overall, the interview is a good read, especially for those interested in the business side of the game industry. Hit the "read" link for more.
Capcom, Clover, and a little Wii name-dropping
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Capcom_and_ex_Clover_devs_hard_at_work_on_mysterious_new_Wii_title'; If someone mentions an amorphous new Wii game in space, we're gonna hear about it, so when Capcom marketing VP Charles Bellfield name-dropped our favorite console in an interview with Kyle Orland over at Gamasutra, our ears perked up. But Bellfield was coy about unleashing any of the juicy details. "I would love to give you my product lineup for the next five years, but ... *laughs* ... we are developing a new title for the Wii platform. We will be making announcements in the coming months as to what these different titles are." Those former Clover employees who are not busily planting Seeds will be hard at work on this title, as well as others. A new title indicates that it's probably not the Wii Okami you've been hoping for. In fact, Bellfield was quick to push the fact that Capcom is all about churning out original IPs. With the diversity of Capcom's stable of awesome, we can't possibly speculate on what they may have in store for us, but we'll be spending these "coming months" idly dreaming of zombie wolf attorneys.
Lost Planet for $39.99 at Best Buy
Best Buy is currently offering copies of Lost Planet for the reasonable price of $49.99. However, if you're a stickler for a good bargain, and we imagine you are, you can knock off an additional $10 with a special coupon in the latest issue of GamePro. The coupon specifies that copies will not be accepted, but we've heard tales of folks printing off high resolution copies and redeeming them with no trouble -- not that we condone that kind of behavior. In fact, a little sleuthing after the "read" link might just point you to the aforementioned high resolution coupons. You might even find out a few strategies for getting your coupon accepted.Lost Planet for $39.99? Not a bad deal if you ask us.
Capcom talks about Clover closure
This news may not be as hopeful as the last Clover-related item, but it certainly helps to soften the original shock of Capcom's shutdown of Clover Studio last October. Capcom's vice president of marketing, Charles Bellfield, explained the nature of Clover's dissolution, giving us a glimpse at Capcom's internal development team structure. Basically, most of Capcom's teams are defined by their heads, and programming talent is pulled from a common pool. Clover was the exception, with a dedicated team of about 80 people. When Hideki Kamiya, Atsushi Inaba, and Shinji Mikami "decided to leave" the rest of the staff were folded back into the Capcom development pool. It's not exactly a happy ending to the Clover saga, but at least the whole development team didn't get canned for being too Viewtiful. The Clover bigwigs have their freedom, and the staff still have Capcom jobs. The interview is packed with info on all kinds of recent Capcommery, including a discussion of Phoenix Wright's surprising success. A Fanboy high five to the interviewer, former Video Game Ombudsman and blog-relative Kyle Orland.
ex-Clover developers are working on Resident Evil 5
So, while many of those involved in the now-defunct Clover Studios have moved on to create the new studio Seeds, apparently there are a few developers who were reassigned to Capcom's Resident Evil 5. But didn't Seeds have some of the people involved in the creation of Resident Evil anyway? It would've been wise to ask for Seeds help, but alas.Charles Bellfield, VP of Marketing, addressed that very issue. "What actually happened is Mikami-san, Kamiya-san and Inaba-san chose to leave the company and do something else and the rest of the Clover team was just incorporated back into the rest of Capcom's development talent pool." What do you guys think? Should Capcom have bit the bullet and asked Seeds to help with Resident Evil 5 or will they be just fine without the creative minds behind the franchise?
Ema Skye returning for Gyakuten Saiban 4
Ema Skye, the science-obsessed, Luminol-toting teen sidekick from Case 5 of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Gyakuten Saiban: Yomigaeru Gyakuten) is making a return appearance in the new DS sequel, pink goggles and all. Her new character art portrays her as a little more grown-up, so maybe she'll be less annoying. Even if not, we really started to feel sympathetic to Phoenix's junior-detective friend in that case (Don't know what we're talking about? PLAY THE GAME!).Speaking of return appearances, you know who else will be returning when this comes out? Us. Our frothing demand for this game increases. You might as well call us "Phoenix Wright Fanboy." Click past the post break to scientifically investigate a few screenshots.
Former Clover members now working on Resident Evil 5, new Wii game
Capcom's VP of marketing, Charles Bellfield, recently demonstrated extraordinary levels of courage and patience when he was sealed in a (possibly metaphorical) room with our very own Kyle Orland. The experience yielded an interesting interview on Gamasutra, one that touches on the fate of Clover Studios and the not-so-elusive Ace Attorney 3. On the topic of Clover Studios and its untimely liquidation, Bellfield asserts that several members of the team have simply been integrated into other Capcom groups. "So, for example, some of the team that worked on Clover titles are now helping Takeuchi-san on Resident Evil 5, helping Inafune-san on a new title for the Wii, so I think it's very much the skill set still stays in the company when those individuals stay and, unfortunately, three individuals chose to leave." The three referenced individuals, namely Shinji Mikami, Atsushi Inaba and Hideki Kamiya, have since formed their own studio, Seeds.Later in the interview, Bellfield expresses some surprise as to the success Phoenix Wright has found in America, with the original title now having shipped over 100,000 copies since its introduction. "It's shipped steadily for the last year, and we've just shipped Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All and we have more coming up, so I think again it's like a good book, it's that word of mouth that gets people out there to learn more about the game." With that, Bellfield likely confirms what we've suspected since Capcom launched it's Ace Attorney 3 contest last week -- the third Phoenix Wright adventure is likely being localized as we speak. English, that is.
