Anime fans generally fall into two camps: those who hate dubs and those who prefer them (there's also a third camp: those who don't give a damn). The same is basically true for gamers. Some just prefer their localized games to have the original voice acting intact. For Phantom Brave: We Meet Again, NIS America is catering to the whims of both groups.

We've got quite a batch this week, considering that this is the last week before E3. The list starts with the electrifying new PS3-exclusive, inFamous, which by the way also comes with an 80GB PS3 bundle. Also on the list are two great North American releases after making quite a stir in the East - Crimson Gem Saga and Cross Edge. The M-Rated Damnation is also shooting in this week, adding to the lineup's variety. We've got all the details and the goods, so be sure to check 'em all out.

Evil comes to Western shores and the Imperial Capital Defense is on the job - NIS America confirms that Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love, will be localized for North America, and fans can play as Sakura and the rest of Team Hana in their Kobu on the Nintendo Wii. Gameplay details in the full article.

Spearheading this week's edition of On Shelves are a pair of mature-rated games featuring characters with arms so huge I don't think they can even see their armpits anymore. I'm talking about Resident Evil 5 and MadWorld. For the less mature-inclined, we have M&M's Beach Party and Totally Spies! Totally Party. Um, yay, I guess?

North American gamers are familiar with the video game development studio Idea Factory for its strategy RPG titles that are mostly being published by Atlus and NIS America. The company already has games released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Idea Factory announced today its first outing for the Nintendo Wii console and judging from the few details we've gathered so far, it seems that its developers took a very different turn with this one. More details after the jump!

 

Kyoto-based Nintendo isn't just today's leading game hardware maker, it's now the top game publisher as well. This is according to Game Developer Magazine's annual Top 20 Publishers report.

This marks the very first time that publishing powerhouse Electronic Arts has been knocked off its throne. EA has held the first place among publishers since the annual report was initiated five years ago.

Sadly, though, all reigns must end and Nintendo Company Ltd. won this year's coveted distinction on the strength of big software sales, positive feedback from industry insiders, and excellent responses from trading partners worldwide.

EA remains in the top tier as it grabs a firm hold on the second spot, while rival Activision comes in at third. French Publisher Ubisoft's investments on the Nintendo Wii and DS platforms produced a huge pay-off as it now ranks fourth. THQ jumped to fifth place by virtue of its best-ever revenue results.

Just outside the Top 20 list are major forces such as Atari, Warner Bros. Interactive, Gamecock, and NIS America. Here's the full list of this year's Top 20 Publishers by Game Developer Magazine in descending order.

1. Nintendo
2. Electronic Arts
3. Activision
4. Ubisoft
5. THQ
6. Take-Two Interactive
7. Sega of America
8. Sony Computer Entertainment
9.  Microsoft Game Studios
   
10. SCi/Eidos Interactive
11. Square Enix
12. Namco Bandai
13. Vivendi Games
14. Capcom
15. Konami
16. NC Soft
17. Disney Interactive
18. Atlus USA
19. LucasArts
20. Midway
    

Phoenix Spaulding, the person responsible for translating Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) games before reaching the west, sat down with Gamasutra to shed light on what NIS America does during the localization process to get its games outside Japan. Aside from finding out who's behind the wacky item descriptions of Disgaea 2, what caught our interest the most is the possibility of Disgaea going to Nintendo platforms.

Now that NIS America is porting Disgaea on the Sony PSP as Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness, it seems like the company is testing new waters. When asked if there's any chance we'll see Nippon Ichi games on the Nintendo Wii or the Nintendo DS, Spaulding replied:

I don’t have any details on it, but I know back at Anime Expo, NIS Japan made a very brief mention about Disgaea on the DS. As far as I know, that’s still planned, and I know they’re at least looking at the others, like Wii, and maybe some other DS titles. I hope they do because so many of our fans, they’re all DS kids. It really just makes sense to at least try it.

While NIS Japan is sorting out plans to give Nintendo fans some love, those who haven't played the first Disgaea on the Sony PS2 should try it out. The cult hit, originally published by Atlus, didn't come in abundant supply (ask any Atlus fan how difficult it is to find its games months after release), but NIS America recently reprinted Disgaea after seeing its sequel's success.

For the full interview, click on the Read link below.

This is for those of you guys who love Disgaea, as well as other games from Nippon Ichi's stable. Although they don't talk about the North American PSP version of the beloved game, GameSetWatch's interview with Jack Niida and Mitsu Hiraoka of Nippon Chi Software America (NISA) talks a bit about the mother company's future game plans... and a lot about Prinny collecting.

Niida was quick to point out that, while a majority of their releases were on the PS2 and PSP, they are nonetheless committed to supporting other platforms as well: "gamers (on all platforms) can expect surprises from us." Of course, they will still work as closely with Sony, "providing great games for PS2/PS3/PSP users as well."

Wonder why GameSetWatch didn't ask about the possibilities of a PS3 game set in the Disgaea universe?

Moving on... Part of the interview was dedicated to NISA's contribution to geek love, their online store RosenQueen.com. The name's taken from an item shop in Nippon Ichi's Marl's Kingdom series, and since it doesn't "literally" carry the NIS/NISA name, it can carry both Nippon Ichi-related products and products that aren't related to NIS/NISA at all, providing a service to both the customer and other companies (double cha-ching to NISA, too).

Remember the Disgaea wish list? They carry Prinny plushies! (Dunno if the plushies carry their in-game power, though: you might want to run them past an X-ray or something, just to be sure. Kidding!)

Speaking of collectibles, in this case special editions of their games, Niida also explained the logic behind putting out a collector's edition of a game. "Judging cost effectiveness on a bonus item for video games is always a difficult task. What it comes down to is cost-benefit, customer interest, affordability, and future impact."

It also depends on the retailer's cooperation - if they're willing do devote resources to promoting these spec.-editions in stores - but Niida did say that they would "like to provide similar special editions packages." Hmm... we're wondering if there will be a special-edition North American Disgaea Portable with free Etna and/or Flonne in the pack... Who wants to start the letter-writing campaign?!

 

NIS America just made our day when they spilled the beans on Disgaea Portable's US version. Now, we'll just have to wait if Nippon Ichi would indeed fulfill our Disgaea wish list. While we wait, let's focus our attention on the other things that NIS America has in store for us.

It was way back in June when NIS' Jack Niida talked about making games for the Wii, potential downloadable titles, and sticking to 2D games. After that, we heard nothing about NIS making games for the Wii or the Nintendo DS...until now. Apparently, during the presentation of NIS' new online store, RosenQueen, a company exec hinted that NIS is moving into Wii and DS development. He said that "I've heard rumors - just rumors! - that NIS is preparing DS and Wii contracts". And if you check out RosenQueen, you would see that the company now sells Wii and DS accessories.

Hmmm. We don't know what games they are planning to make for the Wii and the DS or if they are really serious in developing for the mentioned platforms. We guess we have to hear some official word from NIS America. For now, keep checking us out for updates.