Famitsu: Xbox 360 nails four spots on 'Top Stories in Japan of 2008' list

You're Famitsu, a popular Japanese video game magazine that speaks directly to the ultra hardcore gamer base of the Far East and you want to know, "What blows Japanese-gamer minds?" The only way to know for sure would be to surgically remove test subject brains and, after years of rigorous studying, come to some generated but ultimately flawed conclusions. Or you could ask them. Asking was our second suggestion.

In a survey conducted by Famitsu to readers and select retailers the magazine asked which stories in 2008 were considered the biggest of the year. Of the top ten, four stories were related to the Xbox 360. According to 1UP, the list breaks down like so:

1. The simultaneous announcement of Dragon Quest X for Wii and Dragon Quest IX's release date - 12/10/2008
2. The release of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G and the social phenomenon it caused - 3/27/2008
3. Square Enix's announcement of three Xbox 360 RPGs (Infinite Undiscovery, The Last Remnant, and Star Ocean: The Last Hope) - 6/10/2008
4. Sony's discontinuation of the 60 and 20GB model PlayStation 3s (removal of backwards compatibility) - 1/20/2008
5. The announcement of Tales of Vesperia for Xbox 360 - 2/22/2008
6. Legal action by 54 game publishers against the importation and sale of Nintendo DS "backup" devices - 7/29/2008
7. The release of Metal Gear Solid 4 - 6/12/2008
8. The sub-¥20000 price drop for Xbox 360 - 9/1/2008
9. The announcement of Final Fantasy XIII for Xbox 360 in America and Europe - 7/15/2008
10. The several hour wait at Tokyo Game Show to play Monster Hunter 3 tri~ - 10/11/2008

Hey, the Xbox 360 isn't exactly blowing up in Japan but at least we know some folks pay attention. Want more fun (and crazy) facts? According to the same survey Microsoft was named the fourth on a list of top five standout publishers in the region behind top three picks Capcom, Nintendo and Square Enix but ahead of Sony, at number five. Now our minds are blown. Brains in tact.