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Stiq Figures, October 28 - November 3: PlayStation 4 edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. I know we keep hyping up the launch of new consoles and that a certain time-traveling Joystiq editor teased us all with details from the future, but you know what? I'm excited! I've had some great times on the 360, PS3 and Wii (and more recently the Wii U), but getting new, promising consoles on the market can feel like a mini holiday. The PlayStation 4 is launching on Friday, November 15 with 19 games, and those that have been using their DualShock 4 controllers elsewhere will finally have access to the library they were built for. Personally, I will undoubtedly be glued to the front window, waiting on Amazon's supposed launch day delivery. I'll probably end up canceling my order for Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, though, in favor of picking it up locally. The last thing I need is a PS4 in my house without anything to play on it. Of course, there's always Resogun ... Hopefully something about the PS4's launch has you excited, and if not, there's always the week after. In the mean time, check out the hardware Japan is buying after the jump! A certain down-but-not-out console that recently threw a party had a surprising pick up.
Stiq Figures, October 21 - 27: My backlog haunts me edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Look at this picture. Look at it! That's just a fraction of what I wish I had the time to play, and I haven't even filled in the PS3-shaped chasm of games that I've missed out on during this generation. So what am I doing with the coming weeks, you ask? I, uh ... might have a PS4 and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag pre-ordered. Most of these games haven't been started, never mind the hours involved with actually completing RPGs like Final Fantasy 9 and Lost Odyssey, but I've already set myself up to jump into a whole new library! Every purchase I make on Amazon feels like a relapse on a self-control level. As I fetch the involved pouches from the mailbox, I can't help but wonder if I'm just throwing money away by buying things to put them on a shelf. What other use could extra games serve when I'm already buried? If you're anything like me (hello, Steam users), maybe we should peer-pressure each other into finishing what we've already purchased before going on spending sprees for every game we've ever wanted. Unless you've got a master plan to wrap things up before these new consoles hit, in which case you should totally share it with me before I spend grocery money on games. Let's talk backlogs in the comments, right after you check out this week's Japanese hardware sales after the jump!
Stiq Figures, October 14 - 20: Kuribo's shoe edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Powerups can be great and all, but sometimes one of them just runs away with your heart. Super Mario Bros. 3's Super Leaf was way more useful and generally more common, but sometimes I played through five worlds of that game just to use the Kuribo's shoe. Well, okay, I played through two worlds and then used the flutes to bypass that stupid fish. I'm not sure if I just enjoy the near-invincible state that the shoe grants the Bros. or if it's the obscene appearance of the item, but mowing down Goombas and Spinys with an oversized wind-up shoe makes me smile every time. I've been pretty okay with a few of the series' following powerups, too. The Mario series is definitely not the only source of great powerups, though. Contra's Spread Gun is the only reason I ever got past the first level, for example! You should share your favorites with us in the comments, riiight after you check this week's Japanese hardware sales after the jump!
Stiq Figures, October 7 - 13: Favorite pre-order bonuses edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. When pre-order bonuses are done well, they're a great argument to throw down some cash for a game months before its actual release. They help retailers get a general idea of the game quantities they should request, and customers get a sweet trinket related to the game they're anticipating! Seems like a win-win situation to me. The best bonus I ever got for pre-ordering a game I wanted anyway was The Legend of Zelda: Master Quest, a version of Ocarina of Time with completely re-worked dungeons. T-shirts and game cases are great, sure, but Master Quest struck me as the Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels of the Zelda series. The idea of accessible room layouts was thrown out the window in favor of some really bizarre dungeon design, and I remember it taking me quite a while to wrap up the game's quest. I refused to use a guide, though, so I feel that those weeks of confusion make up for my cracking under the pressure of Majora's Mask's last temple. With digital distribution becoming more prevalent, it's safe to assume that tokens for downloadable maps or skins will become the norm for pre-order incentives - tangible goodies seem to exist almost exclusively in the realm of collector's editions now. Be they digital or physical, were there any pre-order bonuses throughout your gaming career that still stick with you as great incentives? Share them with us after you witness the Vita 2000's affect on this week's Japanese hardware sales after the jump!
Stiq Figures, September 23 - 29: It's my birthday edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Great Sea explorers just experienced an extra birthday when they started their fresh files in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, but it's my actual birthday today, so I think that means I get double presents? I was the kid that had gaming-themed parties for as long as my family allowed me to. Pokemon banners, Pikachu cakes, Yoshis as presents ... a total stranger could have predicted where I'd end up professionally, really. The themed cakes and parties have been replaced with presentable dinners and spirits because I guess I should grow up, but I'll always appreciate my family letting my gaming-themed decoration requests overrun their houses once a year. I also had a homemade Pikachu outfit for a few Halloweens, because my mother's sewing abilities seemingly know no bounds. Were you able to talk your way into any gaming birthday parties as a kid, or have you bucked society's expectations in favor of carrying them out to this day? Maybe you have little ones of your own to pass the gaming-themed celebratory torch to now? Let us know how you celebrate once you check the hardware sales data for Japan after the jump!
