Posts with tag taiko
DS Daily: Instant import
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/16-6/22
The DS found itself back in cozy old third place in this week's chart, as the hype from Metal Gear Solid 4 died down a bit in Japan:- PSP: 59,531 (
5,325) - Wii: 41,037 (4,527)
- NDS: 36,599 (2,602)
- PS3: 20,336 (54,975)
- PS2: 6,346 (951)
- Xbox 360: 2,555 (
392)
Yet overall, the DS had a relatively boring week in terms of software, with no exciting new releases to congratulate or poke fun at (unless you consider the budget-priced re-release of Puyo Puyo 15th Anniversary "exciting" and "new").
If you want to see what Japanese gamers were buying last week, though, just click on past the break.
Continue reading Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/16-6/22
DS Daily: A band in your hands
With Guitar Hero: On Tour allowing you to turn your DS into an axe for shredding, we were wondering if the DS could be turned into other instruments. Like drums, or even a bass to back up that guitar.There's already Taiko Drum Master, which allows you to wail on the touch-screen like you would a Taiko drum, but what about a good piano-based title? How about a karaoke game? What other rhythm-based times would you like to enjoy on your DS? If you could have any major console title in the genre on the DS, which title would that be?
Gallery: Guitar Hero: On Tour
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/26-6/1
Two DS games debuted in the top ten this week (Endless Frontier: Super Robot Wars OG Saga and the cutesy spatial puzzler Empty Space Training), but otherwise, DS software had a relatively lackluster performance. Only twelve titles ended up in the top thirty, which is low for Nintendo's handheld. As for hardware, the DS is getting comfortable in third place behind the PSP and Wii:- PSP: 71,986 (7,537)
- Wii: 50,851 (1,804)
- Nintendo DS: 38,355 (951)
- PlayStation 3: 9,169 (98)
- PlayStation 2: 7,203 (14)
- Xbox 360: 1,959 (12)
Click on past the break to see the other software numbers and rankings from 5/29 to 6/1.
Continue reading Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/26-6/1
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/19-5/25
- PSP: 64,449 (6,087)
- Wii: 49,047 (7,475)
- Nintendo DS: 37,404 (2,499)
- PlayStation 3: 9.071 (1,370)
- PlayStation 2: 7,189 (167)
- Xbox 360: 1,947 (473)
Check out the sales numbers and rankings for yourself after the break.
Continue reading Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/19-5/25
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/12-5/18
In other sales news, the announcement for another Professor Layton game in Japan managed to push the first title in the series back into the top thirty. Aside from that, there weren't any differences in DS software worth mentioning.
In terms of hardware, the numbers for the DS weren't so hot. In fact, we don't remember the sales numbers for Nintendo's handheld ever being this low in Japan. With everyone and their mother already owning a DS in the country, does the system still have room for growth? We won't know for sure until the next big software push, but for now it looks like the dual-screened handheld should get comfy in that third place spot.
- PSP: 70,536 (19,348)
- Wii: 41,572 (25,736)
- Nintendo DS: 34,905 (16,323)
- PlayStation 3: 7,701 (353)
- PlayStation 2: 7,022 (442)
- Xbox 360: 1,474 (176)
*DS Fanboy claims no responsibility for those who get bitten by our sales figures.
Continue reading Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/12-5/18
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/5-5/11
There's no new DS software in the top of the charts to report this week, but that doesn't mean Nintendo's little handheld didn't completely clean house. In fact, nineteen of the top thirty were DS games, showing how gluttonous the dual-screened portable can get when it comes to sales. Some old favorites also popped back up around the bottom, including Brain Age 2, Animal Crossing, and the original Taiko Drum Master DS.
Hardware continues to be a struggle, though. That doesn't mean the DS is doing poorly, because it's not; sales for the handheld even jumped up almost 10,000 units since last week. However, since the PSP and Wii have been doing so well lately, it's hard for Nintendo's handheld to compete:
- PSP: 89,884
- Wii: 67,308
- Nintendo DS: 51,228
- PlayStation 3: 8,054
- PlayStation 2: 7,464
- Xbox 360: 1,298
Continue reading Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/5-5/11
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/28-5/4
We realized today that we don't know Japan as well as we thought we did. With our reasoning, a new Gundam game + the popularity of the DS = cha-ching. While the debuting Emblem of Gundam had decent sales for its first week, though, taking the twelfth spot isn't all that impressive -- especially since there was only one new release cluttering up the top ten.On the other hand, We're Fossil Diggers, Pokemon Ranger, and the Taiko Drum Master DS sequel continued to shine, giving the DS a nice piece of top ten representation. Batonnage managed to reach the half-million mark, while the other two games neared 100,000 copies sold.
For hardware, DS numbers went up since last week, but the handheld is still convincingly behind the PSP and Wii in recent sales. If you want to see the numbers, though, just click past the break. You can check out the software listings there, too.
Continue reading Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/28-5/4
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/21-4/27
Not only did the PSP gain momentum with the hideous brown, er, we mean shiny bronze model that released in Japan last week, but the Wii also beat out its portable cousin, sending the DS to third place in hardware sales:- PSP: 92,411
- Wii: 48,796
- Nintendo DS: 42,435
- PlayStation 3: 9,107
- PlayStation 2: 7,108
- Xbox 360: 1,283
To check out the other new releases and software placings, just keep on reading ... forever.
Continue reading Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/21-4/27
Ba-dum! Taiko No Tatsujin Clay Anime
We already knew Taiko no Tatsujin's characters are pretty darn cute from playing the games, but this clay anime series, officially produced by Namco, makes sure we'll never forget it. Though it's supposed to be a show for children -- it originally aired on Japan's Kids Station channel, if that's any indication -- we've found ourselves totally drawn into the adventures of Wada Don, Wada Katsu, and their clay friends.
A total of 26 episodes were put out over two seasons in 2005-2006, and the first seven are subtitled and available to watch on Youtube. Like the clip above, each Taiko No Tatsujin Clay Anime episode is only four minutes long, so you could feasibly watch the entire collection of translated videos in the time it takes you to watch a single episode of a much less interesting anime.
On the topic of Drum Master, Siliconera has an excellent preview and walkthrough of Taiko no Tatsujin: 7 Islands' Adventure, which shipped to stores in Japan just last week. Combine that with these menu translations, and you've got nothing stopping you from importing the rhythm game!
[Via GameSetWatch]
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/14-4/20
Something caused a Phoenix Wright sales revival, and we suspect it was the Gyakuten Meets Orchestra concert (which was also a Gyakuten Kenji hype event). Both the first and second Gyakuten Saiban games for the DS ended up in the top thirty this week.Newcomer We're Fossil Diggers (a second-party effort by RED Entertainment that actually sounds really fun, at least to the dinosaur lovers in us) deserves all the glory, though. Debuting at third place, this unique piece of software did rather well for itself in its first week.
Besides the same old games that have been showing up in the charts for the past few weeks, the other notable is Square-Enix's dull-sounding bookkeeping game. It seems like a rather niche title to end up in the top thirty, but who knows -- maybe a lot of Japanese folks are getting ready to take the Level 3 Bookkeeping exam. Or, maybe they just can't resist a game by the beloved Squeenix.
To see all the placings and numbers for yourselves, just click on past the break.
Continue reading Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/14-4/20
Taiko Drum Master DS: 39 Songs' Adventure
Taiko no Tatsujin: 7 Islands' Adventure comes out in Japan -- and ships out to happy importers -- this week. Along with more screenshots, GAME Watch included the full (as far as we know) song list. We thought it might be nice for people interested in the game to know what's in the game, so we translated, or transliterated, the song titles and linked to a video of each one. Except for the Fukoumori theme, which we couldn't find.The game's music falls into six categories: J-Pop, game music, Namco originals, children's songs, classical music, and anime. Well, functionally, they fall into one category: stuff with beats. Check after the break for the list, and please watch some videos so we don't feel like we've wasted our time.
Friday Video: One more time!
We love the kind of hyperenthusiastic trailers that Japanese game companies produce. When such a chipper announcer tells us how awesome a game is, we're inclined to believe them. And we have no reason to believe that Meccha! Taiko no Tatsujin DS: 7-tsu no Shima no Daibouken is anything but great, between the tried-and-true fake-drumming gameplay and the endless march of beloved characters.
But even if we didn't care about the game, or didn't even know what the hell it was, the super-adorable moment at the end of the trailer when the boy, dejected after a loss, raises a drumstick stylus and sleepily asks for another game would have sold us as our hearts were melting.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/7-4/13
In a strange turn of events, there's only one new DS game in Japan's top thirty this week, and that's Oshiri Kajiri Mushi's Rhythm Lesson DS. In case that title doesn't ring a bell, you may know it better as "that butt-biting bug game." If there's one thing we've learned from this bug, it's that biting is serious business. Despite Japan's love for DS software and quirky rhythm games, though, Oshiri Kajiri Mushi only debuted in the eighteenth spot. Perhaps butt biting is even too weird for Japan?In hardware, the DS fell behind the PSP once again. Yet, there's already signs of the Monster Hunter hype beginning to dwindle, as the PSP sold 35,000 less units than the week before. Will the new brown model that comes out next week help the PSP keep a wide lead, or will the gap start to narrow again between the two handhelds? We're looking forward to finding out!
To see the Japanese placings and numbers, just check after the break.
Continue reading Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/7-4/13
Taiko Drum Master ships 500k
Those of you who pay attention to Japanese sales have probably noticed that week after week, Taiko Drum Master DS sits comfortably in the top thirty. It may not sell absurd quantities (according to Famitsu, usually around 6,000 copies per week as of late), but it can't be argued that the game has legs, especially considering that it debuted nine months ago. In fact, it's the only third-party game for a Nintendo system that shows up on the charts with such consistency.It was only a matter of time, then, before the game hit the 500k landmark. We're glad to see Namco's game doing so well, and hopefully the DS sequel will find similar success.
[Via GoNintendo]
