Lair rides into Japan top ten for software sales

by Ross Miller { Oct 19th 2007 at 3:45PM }

Factor 5's Lair, much-ballyhooed in North America and Europe for its unfavorable control scheme (and Sony's subsequent response), has debuted in Japan with enough sales to crack the top 10 for weekly sales, according to Media Create (via GamesIndustry.biz).

The game, known there as Rise from Lair, landed in the number seven spot with 22,000 in sales, likely helped by Famitsu's positive review. For comparison, Project Gotham Racing 4 received the same Famitsu score and only charted at 25, the highest rank for an Xbox 360 title and a big drop in Microsoft's presence following the console maker's triumphant one week at the top with Halo 3 (59,000 unit sales).

Nishimura Kyotarou Suspense Detective Series: Deadly Intent for Nintendo DS debuted in the top spot this week with 61,000 in sales. Dragon Ball Z: Sparkling! Meteor for PS2 and Gundam Battle Chronicle (PSP) took second and third place, respectively.

Tags: factor-5, factor5, japan, lair, rise-from-lair, sony

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

T3H WICKERMAN (FDF) @ Oct 19th 2007 3:50PM

I hate to say this but there taste in games seems to suck dragon shaft.

kennethrios @ Oct 19th 2007 3:53PM

If you'd take a look at what we Americans buy, you would see we have a lot in common with Japan. (i.e. we buy crap too, like we love to buy games based on summer blockbusters)

T3H WICKERMAN (FDF) @ Oct 19th 2007 4:03PM

While we may have those games that good intentioned grannies buy for their kiddies, we also have imo better rpgs and action games. I will have fun playing things like mass effect, elder scrolls and gears while they make more generic 1980s games like lost odessey and a slew of crappy anime based fighting and action games.

kennethrios @ Oct 19th 2007 4:10PM

I agree with you about how we have overall better games (save for RPGs) but if you look at the North American charts you’ll find stuff like Transformaters with mass sales.

Also, repent SATAN!!!

Noshino @ Oct 19th 2007 4:10PM

bad taste? you mean games like Devi May Cry, Fire Emblem, Breath of Fire, Rockman, Street Fighter, Tekken, Soul Calibur, Shadow of Colossus, Rogue Galaxy, Final Fantasy, Ico...should I keep going or was that enough to make you think next time before you say something?

rv @ Oct 19th 2007 4:12PM

Noshino I don't even know half of the games you speak of, probably because I won an xbox.

rv @ Oct 19th 2007 4:13PM

*own

T3H WICKERMAN (FDF) @ Oct 19th 2007 4:15PM

As I said my opinion and its mega man here fanboy not rock man (funny you bring us such a rehashed title) Here are the only good ones i can name dead rising, resident evil,(and though this sounds hypocritical) Zelda. Final Fantasy has become to me nothing more than derrivative cross dressing trash. None of it feels that fresh to me anymore.

Chilly Willy @ Oct 19th 2007 4:16PM

rv, you sound like a dang fool. Ignorance of some of the greatest videogames ever made is not something to be proud of.

rv @ Oct 19th 2007 4:19PM

Im not sorry becaue I've never heard of Fire Emblem, Breath of Fire, Rockman, Shadow of Colossus, Rogue Galaxy, and Ico, it just means I don't spend as much time playing games as the rest of you (I think), which is a good thing because I really should stop playing altogether soon.

upz @ Oct 19th 2007 5:06PM

You'd make a good start by no longer reading Joystiq.

Noshino @ Oct 19th 2007 6:02PM

T3H WICKERMAN

"As I said my opinion"

your opinion would have been "yah, I didn't like this game" but to bash someone else's (or country for that matter) tastes because they don't think the way you do is just stupid

"and its mega man here fanboy not rock man (funny you bring us such a rehashed title)"

the REAL name is Rockman, I don't care where you are from, stick with the real stuff even if the mother company decides to not do so. Oh, and it can be rehashed, but seriously, somehow Rockman is the ONLY series that no matter how many times it has been "rehashed" it has always felt fresh and fun (IMO BTW)

"Here are the only good ones i can name dead risin"

Dead rising? are you serious? that's all you could come up with? (IMO once again)

"resident evil,(and though this sounds hypocritical)"

yah, it was fun back when it came out, and still is (IMO once again)

"Zelda."

you would make Fernando proud...and, in my case, all the Zelda's have been fun with the exception of the latest one for DS... (IMO BTW)

"Final Fantasy has become to me nothing more than derrivative cross dressing trash. None of it feels that fresh to me anymore."

Fresh or not, its a great series, one that is even considered system seller nowadays...Hell, there are even more American FF Cosplayers than football players out there...

there are many more games out there, and like I said, I rather be on the japanese side of gaming, than to get yet another shooter...(hey, you are stereotyping, so I can do the same, right?) and let's not forget that most of the history making games were from japanese companies (READ: Most, not all, give credit where due, Atari had a lot going on back in the days too)

Brello @ Oct 19th 2007 6:16PM

The only thing that bothers me in some Japanese-made titles are the horrible characters. Sorry, but Captain Dinner-plate Eyes and the Blue Spikey Hair Gang is just a complete turnoff. I don't mind Mario and friends, but characters like Sora and countless others are just too weird. There's not too many of these types outside RPGs, thankfully.

WTangoFoxtrot @ Oct 19th 2007 6:20PM

the japanese are truly screwed up in the nuggets !

GRANTED @ Oct 19th 2007 9:41PM

the only thing that bothers me is that rv has never played ico and shadow. yet hes commenting on joystiq.

dude, hate on games all you want, but what are you doing here. you are like an alcoholic going to an aa meeting at a bar.

bm @ Oct 19th 2007 3:51PM

One thing the japanese love is getting good at frustrating and tedious crap. They love shit like "Baito Hell" for christs sake. They're masochistic like that.

Lair should be right up their alley in that regard.

ukickmydog (NDF - Earth) @ Oct 19th 2007 6:56PM

nicely worded

jmf @ Oct 20th 2007 11:22PM

racist
really love the generalizations huh?
americans shoot nukes from their rifles thats why we love shooters, am right am i right? take that hiroshima, bang bang

bm @ Oct 22nd 2007 3:20PM

Haha, what the fuck? @ that comment up there.

You complete and utter fucking retard. Go back to fucking primary school and learn the definition of racism.

bigd7387 @ Oct 19th 2007 3:52PM

Japanese people have no taste. Lair is Monkey Shit pressed onto a Blu-ray disc. Of course they are the only people who could make a game of playing with Monkey Shit.

arrrgh @ Oct 19th 2007 4:07PM

they bought it because it's the only thing even remotely close to what they have an interest in. What else are they going to buy on their ps3? Probably almost everyone with the system bought it ;)

NaeemTHM @ Oct 19th 2007 3:52PM

Wait wait wait.....the PS3 plays games too?!

kennethrios @ Oct 19th 2007 3:54PM

Rarely. (which is kind of like my Wii right now)

arrrgh @ Oct 19th 2007 4:05PM

rough times i guess...I still haven't put mine down for more than a day

arrrgh @ Oct 19th 2007 4:06PM

drugs help :) get messed up and play some nfs carbon :)

phattie @ Oct 19th 2007 3:53PM

For those moaning at the controls for Lair.. take a look at any 10 Wii reviews.. 8/10 will cite control issues.

kennethrios @ Oct 19th 2007 3:59PM

Why? If Lair controls do not make for a pleasing experience than why on Earth do I care about some unrelated Wii games? If I eat something nasty at my local seafood joint, I don't start talking about how much I hate Subway.

T3H WICKERMAN (FDF) @ Oct 19th 2007 4:07PM

did the wii come over to your house tie you up and make you watch it waggle your mum? Man you have a hard on for bashing that system. I will agree that most games on it (like the ps3) are shit right now. After they have more time to get some games out then we will see if they are good or rubbish.

arrrgh @ Oct 19th 2007 4:09PM

oh fatty mcgee youre the fattest

unfortunately, you're also a complete cock box
straw man tactics are some sad shit man

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Oct 19th 2007 5:25PM

And sadly those wii games control much better than Lair. Seriously what did the wii do to you? As said by multiple people already, did it rape your mom? Did Miyamoto molest you as a child? What fucking gives?

i_hate_mtv @ Oct 19th 2007 5:35PM

I ask you, what does the Wii have to do with any of this? I mean really, did Nintendo kill your father and rape your mother or something?

I don't mean to echo everyone else's sentiments, but seriously. Your hatred of Nintendo is irrational, even by fanboy standards.

Shagittarius @ Oct 19th 2007 6:44PM

Vegeta you've obviously never played Lair.

Vegnagun @ Oct 19th 2007 7:39PM

Shagi has and he knows that they're worse than that.

bm @ Oct 20th 2007 1:19AM

Oh god shaggi, you're not gonna defend Lair are you? That's horrible even for your standards.

whookid @ Oct 19th 2007 3:55PM

Project Gotham Racing 4 received the same Famitsu score and only charted at 25, the highest rank for an Xbox 360 title and a big drop in Microsoft's presence following the console maker's triumphant one week at the top with Halo 3 (59,000 unit sales).

Spot the contradiction.. Smell the ps3 fanboyism.

arrrgh @ Oct 19th 2007 4:11PM

maybe it's just sony's new spin on sales? lie about everything

wait that's their old spin

upz @ Oct 19th 2007 5:14PM

He means the highest for a 360 title this week. It's the commenters on this site that are biased, not the writers.

NATO_Duke @ Oct 19th 2007 3:57PM

Dragon Ball Z: Sparkling! Meteor

Seriously now - do they pull misc names from an old coffee can at this developers? Enough with the Dragon Ball games, you cant even competently name them.

Sean @ Oct 19th 2007 5:22PM

DRAGON BALL Z: LAVA WAVES RISING

Anticrawl @ Oct 20th 2007 3:18PM

Dude, I think it's required by law to put Sparkling! 50% of all entertainment items, beverages and in some cases diswasher detergent in Japan.

The Fuzz 53 @ Oct 19th 2007 3:58PM

They sure do play some crap over there.

Akamaru @ Oct 19th 2007 4:01PM

Who said the game was panned in Europe? It hasn't even come out yet!

The game isn't nowhere near as bad as some people make it out to be. I really enjoyed playing it. Moreso than Heavenly Sword.

The games isn't for everybody, that's for sure. If you have ADD, are on ritalin, or obese, then please stay away from this game!

phattie @ Oct 19th 2007 4:07PM

Why would obesity have anything to do with your enjoyment with this game.. its not like its WiiFit or DDR.

Ghaleon @ Oct 19th 2007 4:05PM

20,000 units, WHOA SHIT NEWS STORY

That was its debut week. That is awful.

upz @ Oct 19th 2007 5:12PM

You realize Japan is not the same size as America...

kennethrios @ Oct 19th 2007 4:09PM

I agree with you about how we have overall better games (save for RPGs) but if you look at the North American charts you’ll find stuff like Transformaters with mass sales.

Also, repent SATAN!!!

kennethrios @ Oct 19th 2007 4:11PM

Do Not Read Above. It is in the wrong place.

JJ @ Oct 19th 2007 4:10PM

Yes because we all know anyone or group of people who dont play the same games as we do and that aren't universally praised are just wierd...

Yes the japanese have different gaming tastes but to me thats a good thing, if everyone ONLY liked games with 9+ review scores everything would be pretty boring pretty quick.