Japanese release day highlights: 12.07.06
by Jonti Davies 
{ Dec 7th 2006 at 8:32AM }
It's getting really cold in Japan. Like, two pairs of socks cold. And as the outside gets colder, the inside gets warmer. Inevitably, we stay indoors more and play more games. This is the time of year when Thursdays become even more important to us. And today's shop for new games should be a particularly warming one.
Here's what we plan to pick up in Osaka's Den Den Town:
- Blue Dragon (the biggest Xbox 360 game in Japan to date -- a 3-DVD set that scored 37/40 in Famitsu)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku 2 (aka Yakuza 2 -- by orange-skinned Toshihiro Nagoshi; PS2)
- Ape Escape Racer (like Mario Kart, but with more monkeys and some disco balls; PSP)
- PaRappa the Rapper (Chop Chop Master Onion gets cut up and refried for the PSP)
- Power Pro Kun Pocket 9 (big-headed baseball from Konami; DS)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
J.Goodwin @ Dec 7th 2006 8:44AM
Ooh Power Pro Kun Pocket 9.
I may just try to pick up one of those.
Torched @ Dec 7th 2006 9:20AM
Wow... Three disks for Blue Dragon. I thought DL DVD's were enough for this generation.
Gamer G @ Dec 7th 2006 11:59AM
@2 clearly they are you just need more discs!
if Sony had thought of that they could have saved them and their customers a fortune!
Its funny because it was not a problem for Sony to have multi discs in the past was it?
What changed their mind? Nothing to do with trying to force UMD2 on us was it?
Yuki~Summer Ver.~ @ Dec 7th 2006 9:34AM
You're posting a picture of Osaka and saying it's cold here!?! It's totally not cold. Chilly, maybe, but in no way two pairs of socks cold.
Jonti @ Dec 7th 2006 9:39AM
I'm actually in the mountains north of Kyoto, Yuki -- and I'm wearing two pairs of socks. Osaka is noticeably milder than Kyoto.
SpeZek @ Dec 7th 2006 9:42AM
Wait, how cold is cold to you guys?
Cause for me, anything warmer than about -35 celcius is sweater and sneaker weather.
Jeff @ Dec 7th 2006 10:39AM
The weather reports I'm seeing peg the temp in Osaka at around 50 degrees fahrenheit, which is light jacket weather to me.
Japan totally does get cold in winter, but it doesn't seem to be there yet. Dramatic license in a blog post?
Anyway, I might have to pick up Power Pro Kun Baseball for the DS too. Not the easiest series to play if you're not fluent in Japanese (and I'm not), but really deep and fun. Where are all the western big-headed baseball management sims?
BklynKid @ Dec 7th 2006 10:50AM
I'm actually getting really syched about Blue Dragon. It's got that epic (see FF7) feeling for me.
bladestar @ Dec 7th 2006 10:53AM
@Torched, "Wow... Three disks for Blue Dragon. I thought DL DVD's were enough for this generation.". It is. Eventhough 95% of the games will never need more than 1 disk, this proves that if one disk is not enough the game can be released in 2 or even 3 saving you $200 in the process. People didn't have a problem having up to 4 disk for the PS (Final Fantasy & Metal Gear) why would they have a problem with the 360, considering the fact that it takes less time and eford to do that than to get a bear in the kitchen. Besides if you don't mind playing the wii (which require more energy) you shouldn't have a problem changing one disk ever 15-20 hours of game play. Stop making a big deal out of something that's not. This does not afect the games. If you want a PS3 because it comes with a blu-ray then do so, no one will stop you.
crono141 @ Dec 7th 2006 11:23AM
"no one will stop you."
Except, of course, sony; because they can't seem to get them to work off the assembly line.
Anybody know what the yields are on Cell and Blue Diods these days? I remember a few months ago cell was only at 7%.
Phranctoast @ Dec 7th 2006 11:21AM
get a bear out of the kitchen huh....What if I want a lion. can i get that?
glotch @ Dec 7th 2006 12:11PM
Sony always pushed their own stuff. Memory sticks, UMD's, and now blue ray. Always trying to create a revolution with the "best of the best". So yea, i guess its not necessary, just necessony.
TopaZ @ Dec 7th 2006 12:51PM
Disc Swapping lmao -- Welcome to 1995.
Rask @ Dec 7th 2006 1:01PM
I bet you it takes less time to get up and swap a disk twice in a 40-60 hour game than it takes to dump a huge section of the game to the HDD because of that extremely slow Blu-Ray drive.
Torched @ Dec 7th 2006 1:57PM
Posted at 9:28AM on Dec 7th 2006 by Gamer G "Its funny because it was not a problem for Sony to have multi discs in the past was it?"
Yes It was a problem then and it will be a problem in the coming years with X360. It doesn't change the fact that all the ~27GB of data would have fit on a DL HDDVD.
"if Sony had thought of that they could have saved them and their customers a fortune!"
If microsoft would have included HD DVD they could have stomped bluray and sony in one small step.
Don't pretend for a second that had microsoft included HD DVD and sony went with DVD you would be all over sony for having to disk swap. Don't pretend that its not inconveinient to have three different disks for a game.
Posted at 1:00PM on Dec 7th 2006 by Rask "I bet you it takes less time to get up and swap a disk twice in a 40-60 hour game than it takes to dump a huge section of the game to the HDD because of that extremely slow Blu-Ray drive."
Oh yeah, THAT inconveinient HDD that was included in my PS3. Gosh, I hate that thing.
Izuna Drop @ Dec 7th 2006 2:02PM
I just left Tokyo this past Sunday and it was not cold there at all (Of course I realized Kyoto, being surrounded by the mountains, is notoriously hot in the summer and cold in the winter). Tokyo, on the other hand is sweatshirt weather... samu ku nai.
I'm interested to see this weeks console sales numbers in Japan and how Blue Dragon affected 360 sales.
Izuna Drop @ Dec 7th 2006 2:07PM
I should really check my grammer before posting.
Amos @ Dec 7th 2006 2:16PM
"I bet you it takes less time to get up and swap a disk twice in a 40-60 hour game than it takes to dump a huge section of the game to the HDD because of that extremely slow Blu-Ray drive."
Not even exxaerating or pointlessly attacking, I'll bet that's exactly right. Disc swapping takes seconds. The Blue Ray will take minutes...if you're lucky :D.
nick @ Dec 7th 2006 2:22PM
yay for yakuza 2 too badits another shenmue and people in the us will never see it ;/// oh yea WHERE IS SHENMUE 3 SEGA??? ;_;
Car2oon @ Dec 7th 2006 7:18PM
Um... Yeah! Ape Escape!
Rask @ Dec 7th 2006 2:32PM
Torched - You misunderstand me. This wasn't a dig on the HDD. It was a dig on Blu-Ray.
Torched @ Dec 7th 2006 4:12PM
Posted at 2:31PM on Dec 7th 2006 by Rask "Torched - You misunderstand me. This wasn't a dig on the HDD. It was a dig on Blu-Ray."
You comment seems to contradict itself if the HDD install save time. I would rather have a HDD cache the data like a PC does. The time I save in loading screens will overcome the time I spend installing files to the HDD. Besides, we would not be wasting our time discussing wasting time if the X360 fanbois didn't just taste a mouthful of shoe.