Wii fetching high price over at eBay

If you are thinking about getting the Wii for Christmas this year, think again. Over at eBay, the prices are going bananas. They are fetching something like $350-$400, when the RRP is $249. Got to love supply and demand.

Source: Kotaku

Sales Chart JPN: Another remake, another ichiban

Week 19 November - 25 November 2007

If you think remakes can't make money, you should know better, especially when you are talking about Square Enix. Yep, this week's number 1 is yet another Square Enix remake special. It's Dragon Quest IV, selling over half a million (597,301).

Besides Mario Party DS (109,522), which was last week's number 1, everything else on the top 10 is new. Soccer is still big, with Winning Eleven 2008 PS2 version (293,926) edged out the PS3 version (141,432).

I am surprised that gamers are still playing FFXI. Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess sold 67,724 copies, while the Xbox 360 version debuted at 26th place. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games is 6th (62,550), not particularly good, if you ask me. And why on earth are the Japanese playing Pachinko (10th; 35,882) on a gaming console? Strange bunch of people, they are.

Some of the bad performers include Heavenly Swords (from 7th down to 39th) and Armored Soldiers (from 10th to 50th).

My prediction next week, Professor Layton and the Devil's Box going straight to the top.

Top 5 games:

DS - Dragon Quest IV
PS2 - Winning Eleven 2008
PS3 - Winning Eleven 2008
DS - Mario Party DS
PS2 - Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess

Number of titles in the top 50 for each platform this week:

DS - 27
Wii - 7
PS2 - 6
PS3 - 5
PSP - 3
360 - 2

Console War VII: Battle for Nippon

After 2 weeks of dominance, the PS3 has gone back to the old days. But not by much. Everything has gone up by a lot since this week. Must be the start of the holiday season, everyone gearing up for the Christmas end of year spending spread. But it is still a familiar sight with Nintendo taking charge on both counts.

DSL - 116,694
PSP - 75,027
Wii - 54,362
PS3 - 50,564
PS2 - 14,875
Xbox360 - 7,117

Market share this week

DSL vs PSP
60.87% vs 39.13%

Wii vs PS3 vs XBox 360
48.52% vs 45.13% vs 6.35%

Source: Media Create

Sales Chart JPN: Mario still reigns and so is the PS3

Week 12 November - 18 November 2007

Same guy, same game. Japan is still having a Mario frenzies right now. The week before, it was Mario Galaxy, last week, it was Mario Party DS, and this week, it still is Mario Party DS, selling roughly half of last week (115,680). But still managed to beat the second place, Bio Hazard (aka Resident Evil) Umbrella Chronicles (82,637). Shin San Goku Musou 5 (or better known as Dynasty Warrior) still doing well at third place (75,515). The Xbox 360 version, however, dropped to 19th. Sports still play a great part on the DS, with Pro Baseball Family Stadium taking out 4th (49,365). PS2 is still hanging onto the top 10 chart, with Armored Soldiers at 10th. Professor Layton and the Curious Village upped another 5 spots to 44th. The second installment is well and truly going to be a hit over Christmas, one would hope.

And it's now looking a bit more rosy for PS3. It has more games on the chart than PS2.

Best selling games for each platform (that is on the chart) this week

DS - Mario Party DS
Wii - Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
PS3 - Shin San Goku Musou 5
PS2 - Armored Soldiers
XB360 - Shin San Goku Musou 5
PSP - Dungeon Explorer: The Promised Door

Number of titles in the top 50 for each platform this week:

DS - 26
Wii - 7
PSP - 6
PS3 - 5
PS2 - 4
360 - 2

Console War VII: Battle for Nippon

The PS3 has outsold the Wii again! What's going on? Has the Japanese crazed finally faded? Or has the people finally accept the PS3? Or is it just that they have finally saved enough money to buy one ever since Kutaragi said they should? Who knows? All we know are the numbers.

DSL - 76,069
PSP - 65,609
PS3 - 39,178
Wii - 36,230
PS2 - 8,855
Xbox360 - 6,525

Market share this week

DSL vs PSP
53.69% vs 42.78%

Wii vs PS3 vs XBox 360
44.22% vs 47.72% vs 7.96%

Source: Media Create

So, fancy playing your (really) old Famicom cartridges? Now you can do it on the go. On sale in Japan is this Famicom adaptor that allows you to plug and play your Famicom carts. The unit plugs into the GBA port. Just add Famicom/NES games.

Source: MyDS

Nintendo sold a lot of DS and Wii (as if we didn't know)

Nintendo of America released a statement today, reporting that it has sold a shitload of DS and Wii, and by extension, making another bucket load of money. The first week of the 2007 holiday season saw NOA getting over 653,000 DS and 350,000 Wii out there in storeland.

It also reported that with the increasing fuel prices, people are planning to spend less this holiday season, and claimed that the DS and Wii fits well with the price range (since everything else is more expensive).

Take that with a grain of salt. While it's true, my guess is Nintendo try to market itself off as a cheap console (at least that's what the RRP is saying).

Source: Nintendo

Prison Break Special: Haruhi Dance

No, it's not Prison Break Season 3 Winter Special. This clip is filmed in a Philippine prison, apparently. The infamous Haruhi Dance has official infiltrated hell, so we've been told.

The moment an astronaut / cosmonaut / taikonaut (chinese astronaut) starts dancing the Haruhi dance in space will be the day I move the Mars.

Review: Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon

So, I was scouted by Mobile Tech Review as one of their game reviewers a couple months back. I was thrilled. It was my other reviews on GameFAQs that got their attention. I knew my hard work wouldn't go to waste, plus, I have fun writing them.

I have finally finished my first review for the site, and it's now up. Go check it out. The first game I reviewed for the site is Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon. It is addictive if you are a Harvest Moonie.

Check out their site as well, it's all about Mobile Tech, including reviews of iPhones, Laptops and such.

Sales Chart JPN: Different Mario, Same Place

Week 05 November - 11 November 2007

Same guy, different game. Japan is having a Mario frenzies right now. Last week, it was Mario Galaxy, this week, it is Mario Party DS, selling roughly the same sort of numbers as Mario Galaxy (234,708). Second belongs to the well establish chart selling, Shin San Goku Musou 5 (or better known as Dynasty Warrior) on the PS3 (188,456). Even the Xbox 360 version is on the top 10. Such is the power of the warriors.

All the new entries to the top 10 this week are all from well established franchise, with Mario and Dynasty Warrior leading the way, but also Castlevania Chronicle (6th) and Ratchet & Clank Future (10th). Whatever happened to original IPs? Well, Professor Layton and the Curious Village made it back to the chart at 49th. Must be the anticipation for 2nd installment, Professor Layton and the Devil's Box. Can't wait for that.

Best selling games for each platform (that is on the chart) this week

DS - Mario Party DS
PS3 - Shin San Goku Musou 5
Wii - Mario Galaxy
XB360 - Shin San Goku Musou 5
PSP - Castlevania Chronicle
PS2 - NBA Live '08

Number of titles in the top 50 for each platform this week:

DS - 25
PSP - 6
Wii - 6
PS2 - 5
PS3 - 5
360 - 3

Console War VII: Battle for Nippon

Ladies and gentlemen, this week you have witnessed yet another history in the making (sort of). The PS3 outsold the Wii in a country where it has been trailing ever since the dawn of time. So what's up with that? you ask? Well, Dynasty Warrior had something to do with that, but also the 40GB that came out in Japan with obviously a lower price point. The Wii hasn't really decreased, it is still the same kind of numbers, it's just that the PS3 has increased. Everywhere else is roughly the same, with the exception of Xbox, which went back down to the thousands.

DSL - 78,854
PSP - 58,964
PS3 - 55,924
Wii - 34,546
PS2 - 9,043
Xbox360 - 5,817

Market share this week

DSL vs PSP
57.22% vs 42.78%

Wii vs PS3 vs XBox 360
35.88% vs 58.08% vs 6.04%

Source: Media Create

Sales Chart US: Guitar Heros reign on the chart, and so does the Wii.

October Sales Figure

So, into the second month, and Master Chief is still the Chief of the charts. But it is Guitar Hero that takes the reign, with the next 3 spots filled with various version of the game. The best DS selling game was Zelda in 5th, while Wii Play is still up there in the top 10.

1. Halo 3 (Xbox 360, Microsoft) - 433,800
2. Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock w/guitar (Xbox 360, Neversoft/Activision) - 383,200
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock w/guitar (Wii, Neversoft/Vicarious Visions/Activision) - 286,300
4. Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock w/guitar (PlayStation 2, Neversoft/Budcat/Activision) 271.1K
5. Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS, Nintendo) - 262,800
6. Wii Play w/remote (Wii, Nintendo) - 239,700
7. The Orange Box (Xbox 360, Valve/EA) - 238,400
8. Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock (PlayStation 2, Neversoft/Budcat/Activision) - 231,700
9. FIFA Soccer '08 (PlayStation 2, EA) - 129,700
10. Brain Age 2 (DS, Nintendo) - 116,900

Console War VII: Battle for America

Wii has regained the lost spot due to the arrival of Master Chief, with over half a million sold. The DS also also back to 2nd spot, while the Xbox 360, after having sold over half a million last month, is back to third place. Not surprisingly, the PS3 is last, as usual. The PSP is roughly the same as last month, which is roughly the same as every other month.

Wii - 519,000
Nintendo DS - 458,000
Xbox 360 - 366,000
PSP - 286,000
PlayStation 2 - 184,000
PlayStation 3- 121,000

Market share for the month

DS vs PSP
61.56% vs 38.44%

Wii vs XB vs PS3
51.59% vs 36.38% vs 12.03%

Source: Gamasutra

Top 10 DS games to play on a plane trip

If you ever had the 'pleasure' to travel halfway around the globe in a pressurised tube, chances are, you will be glued to your seat for a good 10-15 hours, maybe even longer. You can do read the newspaper, or annoy the hell out of your neighbour who is trying to read the newspaper. So what to do with the rest of the plane trip when your neighbour finally had enough and told you to shut up? Handheld portable is your saviour. Either that or the in-flight entertainment. Here are the top 10 games that you can play on a long plane journey halfway across the globe. Some you can even finish before you set foot on your destination.


No 10. Trace Memory

A short but sweet game about a girl finding her father and a ghost finding his memory on a remote island. Its lack in length is made up by its interesting puzzles. Most you will solve in no-time, and some will require a bit of thinking and backtracking. Just pray that your plane do not need to make an emergency landing on the island.


No 9. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

The game is short, but definitely not hollow. The vampires are back, and it is your job as Soma Crus to once again get rid of them. Gameplay is easy to learn, graphics are pretty, albeit in 2D. If you finish the game before the plane lands, you can play again as Julius on hard mode.


No 8. Hotel Dusk: Room 215

Some people read a novel to pass time on the plane, but why read when you can play? Hotel Dusk: Room 215 plays like a visual novel. You make a few choices and go to a few places, all in the confinement of a hotel. The game is heavy on dialogue, just like any good mystery novel. This might just be the hotel you are going to stay in when you arrive.


No 7. Animal Crossing: Wild World

A game without a real start or an end (or even a real purpose, as for that matter), you can be rest assured that your neighbour in this game will not tell you to shut up like your real life fellow traveller would. You can talk to them for as long as you want, and they will not get annoyed, at all. But when you arrive at your destination, make sure you have the right time zone, because Animal Crossing is a real-time interactive game.


No 6. New Super Mario Bros.

Mario is back, and he is bigger! Yes, Peach is kidnapped again *sigh*. What can you do? Go forth and rescue her, Mario. In NSMB, you can literally grow big and stomp over anything and everything in your path. What's a better way to cause destruction? Of course, Bowser's minnows will try to stop you. Plenty of replay value with secret worlds and alternative paths. It will keep you occupied until the plane lands.


No 5. Super Princess Peach

Move over Mario, I am the princess, and this time, I am doing the rescuing. If you finish NSMB before your plane touches the tarmac, play this one. It is very similar to NSMB, except you get a life bar, carry a super umbrella, and you are Peach. Mario is locked away on Vibe Island and it is your task to recuse him. If my plane had to make an emergency stop on a remote island, this is it.


No 4. Osu Tatakae Ouendan!

Best played using earphones, you will tap, slide and drawing circles to victory in this musical rhythm game. It's better than listening to the iPod, if you don't mind the small selection of songs. Best not to draw circles too violently unless you intend on taking revenge on your fellow traveller for telling you to shut up.


No 3. Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan

More of the same as the first game, but with new songs. Again, nothing really changed in this game. Same as the first one, you can get tremendous amount of replay value out of this one, as the beats get harder and faster. On second thought, you probably want to bring your iPod just in case.



No 2. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

If you are ever charged with murder, you better hope Phoenix Wright is your lawyer. His choice of hairstyle is the butt of many jokes, but he get his job done, winning his client's freedom against all odds. This game is text driven but the dialogue is hilarious and the gameplay is as simple as making a few choices. Just don't shout out 'Objection' in the middle of a flight. Fellow travellers might think that you are crazy.


No 1. Professor Layton and the Curious Village

By far the best puzzle game on the DS to date, this game is refreshing, engaging and entertaining. There are over 120 puzzles to solve, and the story is nothing short of brilliant. Graphics might be 2D, but they are beautifully drawn. Game time depends greatly on your IQ. The lower your IQ, the longer it takes. Note, English version coming out early 2008, unless either you or the person sitting next to you knows fluent Japanese.

Make sure you fully charge your battery before you leave for the airport. And bring your charger and adaptor too, so you can charge it before you hop on the return flight. As a health warning, don't eat anything that would make you fart unless you want to stink the whole plane.

Sales Chart JPN: Mario takes Wii back to the top.

Week 29 October - 04 November 2007

After many weeks of substantial absence on the top of the chart, the Nintendo Wii has finally got its charm back this week, with none other than its famous plumber, Mario. Mario Galaxy blasted its way out of this earth and into the next with over a quarter of a million sold (250,585). No doubt the game will stay for a long while on the charts, hovering about in top 10. Is this the hit Nintendo is looking for to revive the somewhat sluggish sales of the Wii in recent week? Only time will tell.

The closest competition only sold 76,708. Yet another flying machine. This one is of the mechanical type. Bandai-Namco's popular Ace Combat is flying the flag for the company at 2nd with Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. Funny thing is that the game is on the Xbox 360. And this week, there are not one, not two, but three Xbox 360 new comer on the chart!!! Besides Ace Combat, The Idolm@ster came in at 21st and Earth Defense Forces 3 came in at 29th. This is probably the best week for Xbox for a very long time in Japan.

Third is last week's number 1, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 (50,514). FF is losing steam on this one, me thinks. Not many new comers in the top 10 this week, with Super Robot Wars Scramble Commander the 2nd the third and last new comer this week at 4th (20,525). Quite a mix this week with 4 different system featured on the top 4. But guess what? No PS3 or PSP games. The best PSP game is still Gundam Battle Chronicle, and the PS3 Hot Shot Golf 5. Last week's PS3 entry, Imabikisou, which was 4th, has got lost and can't find its way back to the charts. Wii Sports found its way back to top 10.

Best selling games for each platform (that is on the chart) this week

Wii - Mario Galaxy
XB360 - Ace Combat 6
PS2 - Super Robot Wars Scramble Commander the 2nd
DS - Final Fantasy Tactics A2
PSP - Gundam Battle Chronicle
PS3 - Hot Shot Golf 5

Number of titles in the top 50 for each platform this week:

DS - 25
PS2 - 8
Wii - 7
PSP - 5
360 - 3
PS3 - 2

Console War VII: Battle for Nippon

Ladies and gentlemen, this week you have witnessed history in the making (sort of). The Xbox 360 outsold PS3 in a country where it traditionally does shit. I don't think most of the number comes from Ace Combat, but certainly a large number of it is contributed by Idolm@ster. I won't be surprised in that was the case, given the Japanese idol culture. Not even during the week of Halo 3 did Xbox archived these kind of amazing numbers for Microsoft.

Elsewhere, DS and PSP is roughly the same while Wii has bounced back from the 20K-ish per week, at least for now. Interesting to see the numbers in the following weeks.

DSL - 78,552
PSP - 59,714
Wii - 37,617
Xbox360 - 17,673
PS3 - 17,434

Market share this week

DSL vs PSP
56.81% vs 43.19%

Wii vs PS3 vs XBox 360
51.73% vs 23.97% vs 24.30%

Source: Media Create

Sales Chart JPN: Yawn, yet another FF game on top.

Week 22 October - 28 October 2007

Seriously, when was the last time a non-re-release Final Fantasy game not make it to the top at least once? This time, it's Final Fantasy Tactics A2. Get it while it's hot (142,191). It didn't sell as much as the last FF game released, Crisis Core (that sold almost half a million in the first week), and also less than the last FF game on DS, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (274,004 in the first week). Hmm, is the Japanese finally got tired of the FF milking franchise?

Onto other news, number 2 is taken by yet another new PS2 games, Ar Tonelico 2 (72,365). Developers are still producing PS2 games like PS3 never existed. 7 out of the 10 PS2 games on this week's chart are new. Well, at least Sony is still kind of making money from their out system. But I wonder if that would be the case when they stop the BC in the PS3, and stop making PS2 consoles altogether.

Number 3 is Konami's Winning Eleven DS (28,985). PS3's Imabikisou (22,663) is number 4. 7 out of the top 10 games are new. The only ones that stayed up are DS Bungaku Zenshuu, DS Kyotaro Nishimura Suspense New Detective Series: Kyoto, Atami, Zekkai no Kotou Satsui no Wana and Pokemon. Wii games have been noticeably absent for the past few weeks, but Ghost Squad has rectified the situation, coming in at 7th, while Xbox 360 has another entrant this week with Bladestorm at 33rd. Beautiful Katamari has been rolled off the island altogether, never to be seen on the chart again. Probably it was a bad idea to release the game on the XB.

Best selling games for each platform (that is on the chart) this week

DS - Final Fantasy Tactics A2
PS2 - Ar Tonelico 2
PS3 - Imabikisou
Wii - Ghost Squad
PSP - Gundam Battle Chronicle
XB360 - Bladestorm

Number of titles in the top 50 for each platform this week:

DS - 22
PS2 - 10
Wii - 8
PSP - 5
PS3 - 4
360 - 1

Console War VII: Battle for Nippon

The hardware numbers have been more or less stable this week. Everything increased slightly, some more than others. Maybe people are preparing for the "holiday" season. Japan doesn't have Christmas holiday, but they still have the Christmas spirit (not the religious kind). We should see some big numbers in the weeks ahead.

DSL - 76,243
PSP - 59,792
Wii - 27,502
PS3 - 18,785
PS2 - 11,698
Xbox360 - 3,718

Market share this week

DSL vs PSP
56.05% vs 43.95%

Wii vs PS3 vs XBox 360
55.00% vs 37.57% vs 7.44%

Source: Media Create