Is there any truth that there's a bitter rivalry between Square Enix icons Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura? Is this the reason why they're supposedly working on separate Final Fantasy Versus XIII games? What does he think of former boss Hironobu Sakaguchi's work with the Final Fantasy franchise? All the answers in the full article.

Last week, we had a mammoth of a game release with Devil May Cry 4. It's not going to be any different this time around, with the much-awaited Lost Odyssey by Mistwalker finally making its US debut. Other noteworthy games in this batch are Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts, RPG Maker VX, and a slew of other titles. Hit the full article for the rest of the list.

* Article originally posted Feb 11, 2008 at 01:12AM

After last week's new releases, it doesn't come as a surprise when Media Create's latest software sales chart for December 3 to December 9 is almost dominated by previously released titles. Some newcomers such as Tales of Innocence and Lost Odyssey, however, fought for the top ten and came close to claiming Wii Fit 's throne.

Find out what's hot in Japan by checking out the full article!

We're barely three weeks away from what could be the world's biggest game expo after the E3 downsizing of 2007. Yup, it's an event most of us would love to be in: The Tokyo Game Show 2007!

It's no secret that TGS has always been the Far East's answer to E3 in terms of big announcements and sneak peeks of exciting projects. If there's a shindig that the big game publishers are saving their aces for, this one has to be it.

Here's a short list of just some of the stuff we expect to see. Feel free to add your own wishes at the comments, though, because we're sure you have some big ideas of your own:

1. An apparition of Final Fantasy XIII - Square Enix was mum on this big PlayStation 3 project in E3 and even in during GC 2007 in Germany. Could they be saving the best for the year's last huge show? They better be because we're all aching to see more than just screenshots. A new trailer and some details would be terrific.

2. More of Wii Fit - There's no doubt that the most anticipated release for the fastest-selling console in history is next year's exercise game Wii Fit and its accessory, the Balance Board. We saw a bit of this with Reggie Fils-Aime in E3 and we can expect a bit more for the Japanese crowd.

3. More Metal Gear Solid 4/ Metal Gear Online teasers - You know a big game is about to hit when its PR machine is getting noisier by the day. We've been seeing new MGS4 trailers from Santa Monica to Leipzig and it would be almost a travesty if its hometown Tokyo doesn't get one. Also, the multiplayer MGS Online is looking hot and we won't be surprised if there are more details soon.

4. A big Halo 3 showing - So maybe the Halo franchise isn't quite as big in Japan as it is here in the US, but with the TGS just a few days away from the big game's Japanese release, is there any reason why Microsoft should hold back? The game, as we all know, is already at gold status, so expect it to be shown off in full force.

More of our wishes and expectations after the jump!

While Microsoft is readying up a media barrage for North America to promote Bungie's Halo 3 game (Xbox 360), it looks like Japan's populace may not be quite as receptive. Famitsu's latest "Most Wanted" polls of the region indicate that the game is gone from the poll's top 20 list, being overrun by Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends for the PlayStation 2.

Games making another appearance in the list include White Knight Story and The Last Remnant (PS3, Xbox 360). And in case you're wondering, the lists' top five stalwarts are still there, solidly rooted to their current places - at least until more developments arise.

1. Dragon Quest IX (NDS, Square Enix)
2. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
3. Biohazard 5 (PS3, Capcom)
4. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3, Konami)
5. Monster Hunter 3 (PS3, Capcom)
6. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii, Nintendo)
7. Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360, Microsoft)
8. Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII (PSP, Square Enix)
9. Devil May Cry 4 (PS3, Capcom)
10. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, Nintendo)  
11. The Last Remnant (PS3, Xbox 360; Square Enix)
12. Animal Crossing (Wii, Nintendo)
13. Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
14. Final Fantasy IV (NDS, Square Enix)
15. Ash (DS, Mistwalker)
    
16. Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends (PS2, Koei)
17. Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Wii, Capcom)
18. White Knight Story (PS3, Sony)
19. Gran Turismo 5 (PS3, Sony)
20. Professor Layton and Pandora's Box (NDS, Level 5)
    

The battle has come a long way. Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft fought valiantly to invade Japanese households. Numbers for May are finally here, and Ninty dominates across the board.

Bloomberg reports that the Wii outsold the PlayStation 3 five to one. 251,794 more units have been sold to further increase Nintendo's market share. In the handhelds race, the DS took the lead with 620,670 - 123,673 against PSP.

With limited third-party support, Microsoft's hefty Xbox 360 sold only 11,082. Will Mistwalker titles win the hearts of Japanese gamers? It doesn't look like Halo 3 is enough to be a driving force, even if it's expected to bring Microsoft's gaming division its first profitable quarter ever.

As if its huge lead wasn't enough, Nintendo believes that their Wii will reach thrice the households at the end of this fiscal year. Some believe that a number of PS3 games will "murder" the Wii, Microsoft is deadset on spreading its influence in the Land of the Rising Sun - will tides change? Time will tell.

Today we've got a lot of Wii and DS news thanks to the Nintendo Retailer Meeting in Japan. Most, if not all, of the news relate to Japanese gaming news, but we can glean a few insights on what could possibly be in store for U.S. versions of the Wii and DS in the near future.

Here's a list of some of the game announcements and dates for the Wii and DS:

• Power of Observation Training (NDS, Nintendo)
• Kazujin Taisen (NDS, Nintendo)
• Ouendan 2 (NDS, Nintendo) - The sequel to the popular rhythm game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan (released as Elite Beat Agents in the U.S.) will include 19 songs including "Go My Way" by hitomi, "POP STAR" by Hirai Ken, "VISTA" by Going Underground and "Real Life Real Heart" by Kimura Kaela.
• DK Taru Jet Race (Wii, Nintendo) - This Paon-developed title was formerly known as DK Bongo Blast for the GameCube. In it, Donkey Kong finds some barrel jets that let him fly in the sky across sixteen courses. The game includes support for up to four players and is set for release on June 28 in Japan.
  
• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (NDS, Nintendo) - This title is slated for June 23. It'll make use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and will have a multiplayer mode where two players can play either Link or the evil overlord.
• DS Origami (NDS) - Coming in June
• Hello Kitty Character Dex (NDS) - 26th July
• Harvest Moon (Wii, Marvelous Interactive) - 7th June
• Negima!? (Wii, Marvelous Interactive) - 14th June
• A.S.H. (NDS, Nintendo) - Mistwalker's game system for this title is reportedly a cross between RPG and strategy, and battles will be multiple turn based. No specific release date for A.S.H. has been announced yet, and it still carries a 2007 release date.
• Kurukin Nano Island Story (NDS, Nintendo) - Kokurin Nano Island Story is another new action RPG title for the DS and may be coming as soon as May 24. According to C3, it's kinda like Pokémon, only in this game you get to raise bacteria and use them to do battle against your rivals.

Suffering from info overload yet? Here's one last piece of news. Nintendo is reportedly working closely with Tomy Toys and AQ Interactive on the development of a new Pokémon arcade game called Pokémon Battrid. It seems this will be Nintendo's answer to Sega's Love and Berry and other similar arcade games.

The Nintendo-heads from Cubed3 learned from a translated transcript of the latest issue of Famitsu's 'zine that Marvelous Interactive (folks responsible for Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, Luminous Arc), CING (Another Code, Hotel Dusk) and Townfactory (mystery group revealed later) have teamed up to work on a new project for the Nintendo Wii.

 

Revealed only as "Project O", the game project is already underway for a 2008 release, combining elements of creativity, strategy, and management to focus on a new sandbox genre, like SimEarth. Cubed3 calls this the "Japanese Dream Team Project." Apt name for a developer powerhouse title.

Townfactory is a group of Japanese game vets including but not limited to Kimura Shourou, Hideo Minaba, and Kazuyuki Kurashima. Shourou worked on Lovedelic titles Moon and LOL. Minaba, former Square Enix art director, is also currently at work on Archaic Sealed Heat (ASH), a highly anticipated RPG being developed in parallel with Mistwalker.

Kurashima is a graphic artist whose works are present on Square Enix's Super Mario RPG and Freshly Picked Tingle's Rosey Rupeeland. He also worked with Shourou on Lovedelic's Moon and LOL.

We'll keep an eye on more information surrounding this mysterious "Project O" title. Stay tuned, folks!

Japan game news may not seem very relevant to an English-language game site whose audience is largely from the United States and Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and United Kingdom and Ireland, but you know that when it comes to Nintendo games, the Japanese market is something to pay attention to.

DS. Just look at Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan (Go! Fight! Cheer Squad) from iNiS - it became the "instant DS classic" Elite Beat Agents,. Japan is going to get the sequel later this year, and Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 (Burn! Burning Rhythm Soul Go! Fight! Cheer Squad 2) promises more fun: 4-player wireless play. Where do we sign up to demand Elite Beat Agents 2?

Mistwalker's tactical role-playing game ASH: Archaic Sealed Heart will also be released this year.

Bad news. The release date for Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is no longer 2007. It's now "undecided release date" according to Siliconera.

Wii. The brain-testing game Wii Yawasaka Ataka Juku or Yawaraka Atama Jyuku (let's just call it Wii Big Brain Academy,) looks like it will be released on April 26, 2007. The racing game DK Bongo Blast (Donki Kongu: Taru Jetto Resu - "Donkey Kong barrel jet race") is another 2007 Wii game along with Wii Fitness.

According to Siliconera, these are the Wii games that Nintendo will publish in 2007:

• Fire Emblem: Goddess of Dawn - Feb 22
• EyeShield 21 - March 8
• Super Paper Mario - April 10
• Wii Yawasaka Ataka Juku (Wii Big Brain Academy) - April 26

TBD Wii Games in 2007:

• Wii Fitness
• Disaster Day of Crisis
• Mario Party 8
• Project H.A.M.M.E.R
• Wii Music
• Super Mario Galaxy
• Super Smash Brothers Brawl
• Battalion Wars 2 (BWii)
• DK Bongo Blast
• Forever Blue
• Mario Strikers Charged
• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (We want to add that the wait for this game has been long, but it's been justifiable. We want them to take their time with making this game perfect for the Wii.)
  

Announced with an undetermined date:

• Animal Crossing
• Kirby

In spite of all the issues surrounding the future of EGM, the business still has to go on. And go on, it did. EGM has some rumors and reviews in their upcoming issue (#213, March 2007). Going over NeoGAF, we have found an interesting thread which talks of the said EGM reviews and rumors. Let's start with the rumors first, shall we?

• Rumor 1 - Square has another MMO Final Fantasy (à la FFXI) in the works for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. It is said that it won't be set in Vana'diel, but rather a world from a previous FF game.
• Rumor 2 - Tekken 6 pushed back until 2008.
• Rumor 3 - Mistwalker planning Blue Dragon 2, depending on U.S. sales. A DS spin-off is also possible.
• Rumor 4 - Wipeout PS3 to hit in 2007, uses the MotorStorm engine. (That's one sizzling combination!)
  
• Rumor 5 - Mizuguchi working on a Space Channel 5 follow-up.
• Rumor 6 - EA making a kiddie Madden.
• Rumor 7 - Indiana Jones game to hit with movie in 2008.

Another MMO Final Fantasy would be really nice, in my opinion, and may even give Blizzard a run for its money. A handheld version of Blue Dragon also sounds appealing, but I am a bit skeptical about a tykes version of Madden. Well, what do you guys think?

On to the reviews. Virtua Fighter 5 was deemed as EGM's Game of the Month. They also have good reviews for Crackdown, NBA Street Homecourt (PS3, Xbox 360), and Battlestations: Midway among many other games.