minna ni naisho dayo

New Game: Dragon Quest VIII: Sora to Umi to Daichi to Norowareshi Himegimi (JP)

Title: Dragon Quest VIII: Sora to Umi to Daichi to Norowareshi Himegimi
Platform: PlayStation 2 (JP)
Publisher: Square Enix

(For those of you who care, DQVIII's unusually long subtitle translates to "The Sky, the Sea, the Earth and the Cursed Princess.")

Where: Shibuya Tsutaya
When: November 27
How Much: 7.920 yen (8,316 yen w/tax)

My most anticipated game of 2004 has arrived! And what an arrival it was. Shibuya Tsutaya opened its doors at 7am today and held a special launch event that included the likes of Yoichi Wada (Square Enix president) and Yuji Horii (Dragon Quest creator and scenario writer). Over 300 people stood in line outside Tsutaya from as early as 11pm last night to be among the first in the world to get their hands on the game. I showed up this morning around 6:30am and decided to flash the ol' press credentials along with Anoop from IGN to get myself, AV, JonnyRam and DCharlie inside the store for a nice, up-close view of the festivities.

The highlight was definitely the final moments before 7am, when Wada-san, Horii-san and everyone standing in line inside the store counted down the last 10 seconds before the registers opened and Dragon Quest VIII "officially" went on sale:

All in all, it was a great morning. But now, it's time to sleep!

New Game: Feel the Magic: XY/XX (US)

Title: Feel the Magic: XY/XX
Platform: Nintendo DS (US)
Publisher: Sega

Where: Electronics Boutique
When: November 21
How Much: $29.99 ($32.58 w/tax)

Believe it or not, of all the DS launch games, this is the one I've been looking forward to the most. Of course, I have high hopes for Sawaru Made in Wario as well, but seeing as how Mawaru Made in Wario only just came out a little over a month ago, I'm not quite as excited about Sawaru as I might have been otherwise.

As you can see, my copy of Feel the Magic has a bit of graffiti on it; that would be the autographs of the game's producer (Yojiro Ogawa) and one of the main designers (Emiko Sunaga), who came out to drink with us at our weekly nomikai last night. My DS and games showed up at my apartment a mere 30 minutes before I was planning to head out to meet up with them -- talk about good timing!

I brought my DS with me, of course; it was a lot of fun gauging people's reactions to it as they got their hands on the final hardware for the first time. Pretty much everyone who played the DS seemed to enjoy it (including a few Sony guys, one of whom is actually making a first party PSP game), and Feel the Magic was far and away the game of choice for all those who took it for a spin. In fact, I'm not sure if anyone even bothered to try Super Mario 64 DS, though a few people did take a quick peek at Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt. The general consensus on that one: it's much prettier in motion than expected, but the controls are still kind of whack. As for me, I'll probably pass on the final game.

So, next up is Sawaru Made in Wario and possibly Chokkan Hitofude or Zoo Keeper at the Japanese launch (I'm a sucker for handheld puzzle games), but aside from those and Ridge Racer DS, I probably won't be buying any more DS games until Catch! Touch! Yoshi (formerly Balloon Trip) is released on January 27. I'm pretty much broke now anyway, so no complaints here. :)

New Game: Super Mario 64 DS (US)

Title: Super Mario 64 DS
Platform: Nintendo DS (US)
Publisher: Nintendo

Where: Electronics Boutique
When: November 21
How Much: $29.99 ($32.58 w/tax)

This one was kind of obvious, don't you think? You can't very well buy a new Nintendo platform without also picking up the accompanying Mario game, even if it is a remake with (unfortunately) worse controls. To be fair, I haven't even popped it in yet, but based on all the reviews I've read and friends I've talked to, it sounds like no matter how you choose to play -- d-pad or touch screen -- the DS version doesn't control quite as well as the N64 version did.

Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to playing through it again (it's been years), and I'm excited to check out the new content they threw together for the remake.

New Hardware: Nintendo DS (US)

Platform: Nintendo DS (US)

Where: Electronics Boutique
When: November 21
How Much: $149.99 ($162.93 w/tax)

Finally, it's here! I've been one of the more vocal supporters of the DS ever since it was first announced earlier this year, and I remain extremely optimistic about its future potential. No, it's not as sexy as PSP, nor is it anywhere near as powerful. But the potential for new and interesting types of games is almost limitless, and that alone has me very, very excited. In fact, I kind of want to make a game for it myself, should the opportunity arise.

Even though it's out in Japan next Thursday, I couldn't wait the extra week, so I preordered one from America and had it shipped over on launch day via EMS with a couple of games (Super Mario 64 DS and Feel the Magic: XY/XX).

It'll be interesting to bring this thing with me tomorrow morning when I wait in line to pick up Dragon Quest VIII; I'm sure there'll be lots of people hurling waves of jealousy in my direction. :)

PS -- Many thanks to my good friend Parisi in New York, who always comes through for me when I need stuff imported. Your PSP is already secured, sir!

New Game: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (US)

Title: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Platform: PlayStation 2 (US)
Publisher: Konami

Where: Electronics Boutique
When: November 18
How Much: $49.99 ($54.30 w/tax)

When Metal Gear Solid 2 came out, I was so excited to play it I had it shipped over from America via FedEx next-day air the moment it was released. Needless to say, it turned out to be quite a letdown thanks to its utterly ridiculous story, repetitive level designs and lame boss battles.

Fortunately, everything I'm hearing about part three from those who've played it has been much more positive. I admit I'm in no immediate rush to play through it (too much other stuff yet to play, like Halo 2, Feel the Magic, Dragon Quest VIII, etc.), but now that I have it, I'll at least add it to the list of games I'd like to complete before the end of the year.

Stage 2: Preorder Craziness

The past month has been an interesting one for gamers in Japan. With two new handhelds due out here in the next three weeks (Nintendo DS on Dec. 2 and Sony PSP on Dec. 12), both of which are expected to be in extremely short supply, hardcore gamers and early adopters have been running around Tokyo like chickens with their heads cut off trying to get their systems locked down in advance.

In late October, Nintendo announced plans to allow DS preorders from the morning of November 3, a full month before release. Retailers all over Japan were notified in advance, and therefore, if you wanted a DS, you knew exactly what you had to do: wake up early on the 3rd, head over to your favorite local games shop, and reserve the hardware (and whatever games you wanted).

Thanks to a typically well-coordinated effort by Nintendo (I say typically because they always seem to be on top of their game when it comes to promotional stuff like this in Japan), preordering a DS was relatively painless.

On the other side of the fence, we have PSP. As you might imagine, PSP is going to be the hottest must-have item in Japan this holiday season by far, and with expectations of only around 200,000 units being ready for launch, things are bound to get ugly. To make matters worse, Sony's PSP preorder campaign was... practically nonexistent. There was no advance warning of preorders, which had most people checking in with shops on an almost daily basis trying to find out what was up. Of course, shopkeepers were completely in the dark as well.

Suddenly, around Nov. 15, rumors started flying about various smaller shops and web sites starting up PSP preorders. But by the time those rumors got anywhere, these places were already sold out.

Then, Sony announced that their online store at www.jp.playstation.com would begin taking "pre-reservations" from Nov. 19 at 12:30pm. Users who logged in to the site at that time could apply for a pre-reservation, which is basically a preorder of a preorder -- a guarantee that you'll be able to reserve a PSP when the official reservations begin a few days later (Nov. 30, as it turns out).

Fortunately, thanks to a well-placed tip, I learned that Shibuya Tsutaya, one of the largest game shops in Tokyo, would start taking preorders that same morning. I found this out around 8pm the night before; so much for advance warning! In any case, thanks to this tip, myself and GameScience's JonnyRam were literally the first two people in Japan to get PSP preorders in at Tsutaya. What a relief!

I also managed to nab one from the website as well, but not without much grief; I spent over 40 minutes of repeatedly clicking on the "pre-reserve" button with no luck before finally giving up, only to find out later that I had gotten through after all. The problem was, the confirmation screen never showed up because the site was getting hammered so hard from other people trying to get through as well.

So, yes, now I have both a DS and a PSP guaranteed for launch. To be honest, all of the stressing and searching was actually kind of fun; it's not all that often you get to experience the excitement of a new system launch in Japan, after all. But I'm definitely glad it's over now, and I hope Sony will learn from this experience and handle things a little smoother when PS3 rolls around.

As for everyone who wanted to preorder but couldn't -- well, you can expect to read about hundreds (possibly thousands) of people lining up throughout Japan the night before each system launches to try and buy one the normal way when the shops open at 7am the next morning. This'll be fun as well, I'm sure, but there was no way I was willing to go right down to the last minute not knowing for absolute sure whether or not I'd be playing DS or PSP over the holiday break this year.

The moral of the story? Get your preorders in early, kiddos. And don't expect it to be easy if it's something Sony-related. :)

BTW, I suspect some people will be wondering which games I preordered as well, so here's the current list:

Nintendo DS:

- Super Mario 64 DS (Nintendo)
- Kimi no Tame nara Shineru (Feel the Magic: XY/XX) (Sega)
- Sawaru Made in Wario (WarioWare Touched!) (Nintendo)
- Ridge Racer DS (Namco)

I preordered Ridge Racer DS from the US, mostly out of curiosity. I'm not expecting it to be anywhere near as good as Ridge Racers on PSP, for obvious reasons. It's scheduled to release there on December 7.

Sony PSP:

- Ridge Racers (Namco)
- Minna no Golf Portable (SCE)
- Lumines (Bandai)
- Metal Gear Acid (Konami)

Metal Gear doesn't actually release until the 16th, but since I'm heading back to the US for a few weeks from the 18th, I figured I'll grab it and see if it's any good during the break.

Between all this stuff and then Halo 2, Metroid Prime 2, Metal Gear Solid 3 and Dragon Quest VIII, this is going to be one busy (but FUN) holiday break!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in America!

New Game: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (UK)

Title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Platform: Game Boy Advance (UK)
Publisher: Nintendo

Where: Gamestation
When: November 13
How Much: £29.99 (tax included)

Oh, come on now. Did you really think I could wait an extra two months for the US version to show up? :)

Har, har. Even though I went ahead and bought the Japanese version of the new GBA Zelda (Fushigi no Boushi, aka The Minish Cap), I asked Dean over at NOM UK if he could nab me a copy of the UK version as well so I could check it out in English (thanks, Dean!). I'm in the last dungeon in the Japanese version, but I'll probably play the English one a good bit as well, just to see how the localization went. Interestingly, in the five minutes I've played so far, the text doesn't really read like a typical Nintendo translation, which is making me wonder if perhaps the UK version was localized independently of the upcoming US version? The text in the manual is pretty janky, and the in-game text seems a little weird as well at times, though perhaps it's just me not being used to "British English," as it were. This is only the fourth game I've ever imported from the UK (behind Terranigma, Kuru Kuru Kururin and -- don't laugh -- Dreamcast Shenmue II), so what do I know, after all?

One other minor point: UK packaging is an eyesore! Two horrible ratings logos muck up the front of the box (my kid nephew could make a more stylized design than the one that's currently in use), and the manual has no color whatsoever, aside from the front and back covers. Presumably this is because they have to print the manual in no less than five languages (ouch!), but still, a little extra care would go a long way with dedicated fans, as anyone who's ever bought a Japanese game can attest to.

In any case, the game is fantastic, so if you've been on the fence for whatever reason, I strongly suggest you jump right over and plop down the $30 or so to play it. If you're a Zelda fan, you won't be disappointed.

New Game: Halo 2: Limited Collector's Edition (US)

Title: Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition
Platform: Xbox (US)
Publisher: Microsoft

Where: No Idea
When: November 12
How Much: $54.99 ($59.80 w/tax)

Props to Dan "Shoe" Hsu of EGM who, despite having received his own copy of Halo 2 directly from Microsoft, went out of his way on launch day to stand in line for me and nab me a copy as well. Shoe, you are the man!

Now, if you'll excuse me, 2004's GOTY awaits...

Stage 1: Destined to Import

It's funny how things work. Ever since I was around 13 years old (1988), I've been fascinated with Japanese games. I stumbled into the local Kay-Bee toy store one day to find a stack of magazines by the register -- the premiere issue of some new rag named Electronic Gaming Monthly -- and suffice it to say, my life was pretty much changed forever. EGM, unlike other game mags of the time (Nintendo Power, GamePro), dedicated a good chunk of its pages to covering the Japanese market, which helped ignite my interest in import gaming. The first import I'd ever played was Super Mario Bros. 3 (read all about it here), but the first ones I'd actually purchased were games I first read about in EGM (Dragon Quest V and Final Fantasy V, both for Super Famicom).

Back then, importing was not an easy task. Several shops advertised their wares in the back of games mags like EGM and GameFan, but most of these places looked like they were run out of some kid's garage, which made it tough to commit to dropping a check for $100 in the mail that you might not ever see again. (Yes, Super Famicom games were actually that expensive back then; it's amazing what Japanese people were willing to pay for their games before CD-based media arrived.)

In the end, I went with GameFan's own store, the Die Hard Game Club, which turned out to be safe enough. This paved the way for years of importing dozens and dozens of Japanese games, right up until the final days before I moved to Japan in December 2000. Fortunately, around 1995, the importing process became much smoother and easier when reliable internet mail order sites like NCS, Tronix and Video-Source popped up. Preordering was usually a necessity, but otherwise you could often get what you wanted, when you wanted it, without too much hassle.

Anyway, for someone who imported games as much as I did, you'd think moving to Japan would have been a perfect fit, right?

It's somewhat ironic, then, that right around the time I got to Japan, the longstanding tradition of "all the good games" coming out in Japan before the rest of the world started to break. This happened for two reasons that I'll hopefully get into more detail about at a later date: 1) because the North American games market started to get a lot bigger than Japan's, meaning it often made sense for Japanese developers to release their games in the US first, and 2) simply because Western developers were starting to make better games.

The reason I brought all this up is because I've spent much of the past week trying to figure out what'll be the best way to secure a copy of Halo 2 from the US by November 11. The game comes out on the 9th in the US, but all of my friends here will be getting their Japanese copies on the 11th. The thing is, I actually have a US Xbox with US Xbox Live, which means for me to join in on the multiplayer madness that's sure to ensue, I'll need a US copy of the game.

Which means, I have to import.

I usually plan ahead for this sort of thing, but for whatever reason, I waited too long to get a preorder in to my local EB back home, leaving me unable to guarantee a copy on the first day. As such, I've been pleading with all kinds of friends in high places to try and secure me a copy and get it shipped over here in time for the Japanese launch. Will I succeed? Or will I be sitting at home twiddling my thumbs while everyone else in my crew is out having a grand old time blowing each other to bits?

I'll get back to you on that shortly. In the meantime, wish me luck. :)

New Game: The Legend of Zelda: Fushigi no Boushi (JP)

Title: The Legend of Zelda: Fushigi no Boushi
Platform: Game Boy Advance (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo

Where: Shibuya Tsutaya
When: November 4
How Much: 4,114 yen (4,319 yen w/tax)

Oh, come on now. Did you really think I could wait an extra two weeks for the UK version to show up? I don't have that kind of willpower, sorry. :)