Square Enix/Ubisoft Ink Exclusive Japanese Distribution Deal
Square Enix and Ubisoft today announced an exclusive distribution deal for the Japanese region, under which Square Enix will gain all distribution rights for Ubisoft games. The deal becomes active in April, meaning the most recent Prince of Persia will likely be the last major game Ubisoft Japan releases.
The deal isn’t so unexpected for Square Enix, as CEO Yoichi Wada has often spoken about gaming globalization, his admiration of Western software, and his ambitions to distribute foreign games in Japan. Ubisoft has handled European distribution for Square Enix titles in the past, providing a pre-existing relationship.
Ubisoft’s apparent abandoning of Japanese publishing is somewhat surprising, however, given respectable Assassin’s Creed sales of over 150,000 units, and the remarkable marketing and localization push the company gave Prince of Persia. For the recent 360 release of the game (the PS3 version is due in Japan January 22), Ubisoft went as far as to hold elaborate launch events with name actors Riko Narumi and Daisuke Namikawa, who provided the voices for Elika and the Prince.
Gaming’s Biggest Names of 2008 and 2009
Who changed the industry last year, and who might this year?
By 1UP Staff
Few people in the industry had a bigger year than our power players — a selection of people who made a huge impact on the gaming world in 2008. One of them might be our Person of the Year, which you can find on the second page of this feature. And if you hate the past, check out page three, where we look at gaming visionaries that should make a big splash in 2009.
Power Players in 2008
Alex Evans
The Bob Vila of gaming
The gaming industry first took notice of former Lionhead employee Alex Evans when he helped create the quirky independent PC fighter Rag Doll Kung Fu. But as cofounder and technical director of Media Molecule, he’s made a colossal splash with Little Big Planet, the wildly imaginative do-it-yourself online platformer for PlayStation 3. LBP has garnered tremendous critical acclaim and already fostered a massive community.
What’s next: Little Big Planet will expand and evolve in 2009. Plus, look for Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic, a multiplayer online remake of the classic PC hit (from a new development team that doesn’t include Evans), to arrive on PlayStation Network.
Sam Houser
People person
“Cultivating relationships…. That’s one of the things that I’ve personally been obsessed with in games for years,” Rockstar President Sam Houser told us last year. And though Grand Theft Auto 4’s focus on one city seemed scaled down compared to San Andreas‘ sprawling world, Rockstar gave its virtual Big Apple knockoff big heart by having protagonist Niko Bellic spend as much time keeping friends happy as wreaking havoc, propelling the successful franchise to a new high.
What’s next: Downloadable content for GTA4: The Lost and Damned (360 only). Is the long-rumored GTA MMO far behind?
Hideo Kojima
PlayStation patriot
DS headed for a Tokyo Beat Down in March
Filed under: News
Remember Success’s police brawler Tokyo Doujitahatsu Terror Wo Chinatsuseyo? Atlus did! In another wonderfully surprising Success acquisition, the publisher has announced plans to release the beat-em-up in North America on March 10 under the catchy title Tokyo Beat Down.
Players control an elite Tokyo police division called the Beast Cops, who rid the streets of terrorists and other criminals by beating the hell out of them. A true arcade-style brawler, the cops can “hurl enemies into each other, chain together combos, execute special moves and throws, and then let loose on your foes with an arsenal of firearms, ranging from the small to the obscenely large”.
We didn’t think we needed any more DS games in the next couple of months, but we were SO WRONG. There is always room in our hearts, wallets, and Penguin United DS game cases for an arcade brawler.
Gallery: Tokyo Beat Down
DS headed for a Tokyo Beat Down in March originally appeared on DS Fanboy on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Chinatown Wars receives ‘18′ rating in UK
Filed under: News
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has been granted an “18″ certificate in Britain by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification, and no, we don’t understand that, either).
Huge surprise, right? Well, no. We already know about the drug-dealing subgame, and any GTA game receiving a restrictive age rating is hardly news. But then Chinatown Wars is also the first DS title in the UK to receive such a classification, a landmark that is worth recording. Incidentally, no DS title has yet obtained an “Adults Only” rating from the ESRB (indeed, only six have been rated “M” — C.O.R.E., theresia, Ultimate Mortal Kombat, Dementium, Touch the Dead, and Resident Evil: Deadly Silence); could Chinatown Wars be the first?
Also of interest: the BBFC’s listing for the game reveals that the title contains 168 minutes of in-game cut-scenes. Wow!
Gallery: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
[Via MCV]
Chinatown Wars receives ‘18′ rating in UK originally appeared on DS Fanboy on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Phantasy Star Zero Coming Stateside
Good news for Phantasy Star fans who are willing to be patient. It looks like Phantasy Star Zero for the Nintendo DS is on its way over to the States.
Sega announced that Phantasy Star Zero, which hit Japan last December, will arrive in North America and Europe in “Winter 2009.” Taking place on an alternate Earth, players star as hunters out to protect cities from marauding monsters. And for those who don’t feel like venturing out alone, Phantasy Star Zero can group players with random parties or friends via the Nintendo DS’s wireless access.
So now that it’s coming west, it might be good to start making those early Christmas wish lists now. This looks like a good one.
Phantasy Star Zero confirmed for North America
Filed under: News
If this rough shot of the most recent copy of Nintendo Power is to be believed, Phantasy Star Zero will hit North American shelves this fall. A reader sent the photo in to our friends at GoNintendo, and posters at NeoGAF also report the Nintendo Power cover. Word of mouth on the game has been incredibly positive, so we would be excited even if we weren’t talking about Phantasy Star Zero. But we are, so that means we’re over the moon. Are you as excited as we are? If not, maybe you should check out a trailer.
Oh, and we should also mention that Sega just sent us a press release confirming the game will release in Europe.
Gallery: Phantasy Star Zero
Read — GoNintendo
Read — NeoGAF
Phantasy Star Zero confirmed for North America originally appeared on DS Fanboy on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Dragon Quest V handed over to Europe in February
Filed under: News, Screens, Imports
Square Enix has announced a European release date for the DS remake of Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride: February 20, just three days after the North American release. Of course, the title will omit the number, because PAL region audiences must not be allowed to know how many Dragon Quest games Enix and Square Enix have failed to release over the years.
As with Dragon Quest IV, this DS version of the multigenerational RPG will be the first European release for this game, which was one of the best-selling releases on any platform in Japan in 2008. New screens were released to accompany the announcement, and we’ve placed them in our gallery.
Gallery: Dragon Quest V
[Via press release]
Dragon Quest V handed over to Europe in February originally appeared on DS Fanboy on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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DS Daily: Fluent yet?
Filed under: DS Daily
A few months have passed since the last language trainer, My Japanese Coach, debuted on the DS, so now seems like an apt time to ask: if you bought one of the DS’s numerous language titles, are you still returning each day to learn new lessons? Has the DS made you feel confident enough to converse with real people on the streets of Paris/Tokyo/Madrid?
Oh, and as this is sort of related, did anybody ever pick up the hilariously inappropriate Spanish for Everyone?
Gallery: My Japanese Coach
DS Daily: Fluent yet? originally appeared on DS Fanboy on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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GameStop Offers Female-Focused Magazines with Fitness Games
Are you one of the nearly 700,000 people who bought a copy of Wii Fit in November? Or perhaps you’re one of the countless still trying to find it on store shelves after a sold out holiday season? If you fit into either of these camps, you just might be one of the “busy moms who often don’t have time to spare for exercise” that GameStop is targeting with their latest promotion (via a report from Kotaku).
In a press release boasting over 40 “fitness-oriented titles” on sale right now, GameStop announced that they will be offering free year-long subscriptions to Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, O Magazine, and other magazines for any consumer spending over $34.99 on those titles. Although they did not provide a full list of games included in the deal, obvious titles like Wii Fit and My Fitness Coach were matched with “brain fitness” titles such as Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day and My Japanese Coach.
GameStop senior vice president of marketing Mike Hogan provided this curious comment:
“We know that getting in shape is one of the toughest New Year’s resolutions to stick with, especially for busy moms who often don’t have time to spare for exercise. Today’s moms are looking for ways to incorporate exercise into their lifestyle. Active video games are a terrific way to reach your fitness goals, and as an added bonus, they can be enjoyed with your whole family.”
From my end, it seems like GameStop is making some pretty big leaps in assuming that a very specific audience — busy moms who want to get into shape — is the primary group buying a growing genre of games. Stuffing “mental fitness” games into that category just makes the whole deal even more suspect. After all, I’m willing to bet that there are more otaku nerds buying My Japanese Coach than family-focused mothers, but maybe that makes me just as jaded as the marketers who devised this campaign.
Bomberman 2 exploding in Europe next month
Filed under: News, Screens, Imports
Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Konami has revealed it will bring Custom Battle Bomberman to Europe next month, on February 13 (so now you know how to win our hearts, in time for the following day). For its western debut, the game will be known by the far blander moniker of Bomberman 2.
As the Japanese title suggests, customization is the name of the game here. An extensive (and busy-looking) create-your-own-Bomberman mode will allow you to design your own explosives-toting hero, to be used in the rest of the game. According to Konami’s press release, over 160,000 combinations will be possible. According to us, all will look better than the Bombermen from Bomberman: Act Zero.
After bolting your Bomberman together, you’ll be able to use your creation in Wi-Fi battles for up to four players, or fight in wireless matches for up to eight. Sure, it doesn’t beat the ten-player matches of Saturn Bomberman that molded us into the people we are today, but it’s not such a logistical nightmare!
Gallery: Bomberman 2
[Via press release]
Bomberman 2 exploding in Europe next month originally appeared on DS Fanboy on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.