@kingclip: So far so good on Valkyria Chronicles. I'm actually more hyped about playing the English version this fall after my time with the Japanese version. There is a ton of text that I don't even want to bother trying to figure out (my kanji recognition sucks). Every character, event and weapon seems to have some kind of back story.

Game play is pretty fun, a nice twist on SRPGs. Each character has a set range they can use to move whereever they want. You use Command Points to activate any of your troops, the same character multipule times if you want. Aiming is manual but the accuracy is a bit sketchy. More leveling up should fix that, and really, what's an SRPG without a little bit of grinding. However, how someone can miss the sid of a tank with a bazooka at 5 yards is beyond me... and snipers will never seem to hit when you need them to.

Graphics are great, tho the sketchbook effect is really the most prominent in dark/shaded scenes and when it works it works damn well. Other scenes (especially the talking heads stuff) look like normal cell shading, nice but nothing outstanding.

All in all, if you like SRPGs and don't mind WWII styled guns and tanks fighting instead of standard fantasy fare it should be something you'll enjoy.

Lowbar

@Raynre: @CockroachMan:
If I trade it in at Gamestop, does that still make me a polluter or just a sinner or both?

AndrewG009

@超外人: Let's see what happens once monster hunter 3 (wii) hits japanese shelves :)

Mlata

@Edmon: OW OW OW ^_^

relic1980

@TOWER_JUNKIE:

Capcom publishes GTA in Japan. GTAIV was released worldwide on april 29 except for japan.

No idea when it will show up there.

CCCombobreaker

Interesting to see Deca Sports doing relatively well. It makes me wonder what Nintendo could possibly put in a Wii Sports Sequel now, since Hudson has always pretty much been near-Nintendo quality on Nintendo Hardware.

Guess we will have to wait until E3 to find out if that's even going to happen anytime soon.

Robotube

@TOWER_JUNKIE: Not released in Japan yet. If history repeats itself, Capcom will handle the release in the future.

Struct09

@AndrewG009: buy the game, sell the Wheel at eBay :P

CockroachMan

@AndrewG009: It's $50 anyways, just toss the thing if you dont want it.

Of course, then you'd be guilty of polluting the world. You sinner.

Raynre

I wanna buy Mario Kart, I just don't want the wheel. . .

AndrewG009

GTA didn't even break the top 30? Or is it not released there yet?

TOWER_JUNKIE

@TP/\C SHKR: oh.. dont worry, its bound to happen. but here.. ill help them out.

"Whats wrong with Japan?! Has non-gaming taken over in that country? Why can't these fools see that Mario Kart and its many mini games is a waggle fest that would have been good if it wasn't a Wii game or a sequel. Only Nintendo makes sequels by the way, not Infinity Ward, not Bungie, and definitely not Rockstar. GAH!"

there you go man.

shouryuuken

If any of the fine folk in Japan could give some impressions of Valkyria Chronicles, as somebody who is VERY hyped for the game, it would be greatly appreciated.

kingclip

The only problem with Mario's karts is that you have to blow on them to get them to work.

Edmon

Surprised at the amount sold in Japan. Monster hunter being surpassed by a Mario game D: heresy!

超外人

again, big N dominates face...and now, the haters...

TP/\C SHKR

Really?

Link's Crossbow Training?

balls187 upside yo head

1.9 million UMD's and Balance boards... Imagine all that white plastic in a pile!

Astrofox

I realise Wii Fit's been out for a while there, but I'm still shocked that the gun peripheral outsold it. What's up with that? Ah screw it, it's just a chance for us in the UK to mock someone else's chart.

cdammers

I guess the Japanese love cheap A.I. kart racing games.

Furysetzer

So did Smash Bros. Brawl turn out to be a bit of a dud, relatively speaking? Did great the first week then everyone realized it was broken and it faded into relative obscurity? I figured it would follow the last one and turn out to be the biggest game for the Wii like the last one was for the 'Cube. But it really isn't that good. Online enabled? It'd be a lot better -- but I think I'd still prefer Mario Kart Wii. And what's this Monster Hunter Portable thing all about? I never even heard of the franchise until seeing these charts. Is it worthy of the sales?

Sloopydrew

Didn't some of you predict Valkyria Chronicles wouldn't even be in the top 30 this week? Looks like it has legs after all.

LittleBigPlaneteer

@Sloopydrew: Hasn't brawl already sold more then the lifetime sales of melee? I think I saw a graph of it somewhere..

fanatism

@LittleBigPlaneteer: It takes more than being on the chart for one week to determining whether a game has 'legs'.

Oyn

@Edmon:
Oh, I see what you did there...

BPMε

@Raynre: Of course you could use it as a frisbee.

KM91

@Sloopydrew: Smash was number one on the Japanesr charts for at least five consecutive weeks. It might have been more than that... I don't remember. Anyway, it outsold Melee in Japan and globally has sold around 5 million copies. That's without Europe, mind.

megaStryke

@Oyn:

oops my bad, I thought it was there for longer than a week

LittleBigPlaneteer

What? They released a Taiko Drum Master DS game? When did this happen?

Tetrad

@LittleBigPlaneteer:
This is the second week it's been on the charts (Valkyria sold 77k last week).

BPMε

@Tetrad:
A while ago. This is actually the sequel.

BPMε

@kingclip: seconded

cio

there's no stopping monster hunter too..

mcool93

And it's bizarre, because Mario Kart Wii isn't really very good.

I was most disappointed. I was bored of it within about 6 hours, and I can't be bothered to play multiplayer against friends because the controls are now too complicated to explain without them going "I do what with the what now?".

Mario Kart DS still has my heart. I'll always love you, MKDS!!

Collins1

@Edmon: Nice. That made checking the comments section totally worth it for the first time in a while. :)

fearing

@Collins1:To you it's not very good. You however must remember that you don't make up the whole of the gaming world.

And controls too complex, wut? Are your friends retards, slow or just thick? My 89 year old grandmother who has Altimezers can play just fine even though some minor stuff she forgets.

Foxstar Sixtail

@Foxstar Sixtail:
Yeah I'm a bit confused on what Collins1 meant by complicated..it's a pretty basic game.

On topic, why is Link's Crossbow Training on there? And Monster Hunter isn't #1? I'm flabbergasted Japan.

sweetie55

@Collins1: Wait wait - the controls are too complex?

You *steer*. With a *wheel*. There's *one button* you need to use, it's marked 2 and you will hold it down virtually all the time.

Yeah, you might need to use items as well but you know what? That's part B. You can learn that bit after you get used to the driving part.

I think the game is pretty damn awesome. It would be nice to have a few more new tracks (but then again, Mario Kart has 16 new tracks most of which are genuinely different from each other, plus sixteen old ones, while some other racing games have eight tracks that all use the same scenery... so it's not a bad deal). Other than that it's good and the online is soooo slick. (Wish it wouldn't disconnect so often, but that might likely be my system.)

@AndrewG009: The wheel is great. Might be slightly less accurate than using the nunchuk but who cares? It's fun. Unless you've tried it, don't believe the haters. If you have tried it and don't like it, no problem, there are plenty of people who'd appreciate a second one for multiplayer.

quen

@LittleBigPlaneteer: Whoops, I guess I missed the previous weeks chart somehow :x

Oyn

Wow, looks like Monster Hunter 2G is going to break 2 mill on Japanese sales alone, astonishing for what's little more than a tweaked re-release with some re-skinned monskers.

If it had had online play I might have shared their enthusiasm, but I supposed meeting up to play it in cafés and such is more sociable.

JudgeNutmeg

@Tetrad:

This actually the second Taiko DS game. The first one sold so well that it's still selling an average of 6000 copies per week after 9 months.

squall23

I want Valkyria Chronicles nao!

denebola