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Eternal Sonata liked by Japan

4:28 PM on 05.19.2007, Jim Sterling 23 comments

Eternal Sonata liked by Japan photo
     Xbox 360

The Xbox 360, not being the most Japanese of consoles (and suffering from bad marketing on the part of Microsoft), is not known for doing so well in the land of the rising ninja. That said, it does have a few titles that the Japanese get excited for. With some distinctly more Eastern flavored games coming out on Microsoft's machine, the 360 is in danger of actually selling something over there, as evidenced by Eternal Sonata claiming the number three sales spot at amazon.co.jp

Known as Trusty Bell to the Asian market, Namco's unique RPG set in the dream world of a comatose Frédéric Chopin, doomed to die but imbued with great magical power as a tradeoff. I'd prefer to just not be dying, really. With a concept that crazy, it's little wonder the Japanese fans are all over it. 

Signs of a turnaround in the far East for Microsoft? Probably not, and more a spike than a long upward curve, but nevertheless it's always a fresh experience to see a 360 game actually selling over there. If it means more Japanese content on the 360 over time, you'll get no complaints from me. Provided they see the light of day in the West, of course.

[Thanks once again, PacoDG


Next page: More Role Playing Games stories




Kif 's Avatar
Kif at 05/19/2007 18:21
Maybe the 360 needs more games where you cook and use an abacus and play with dogs.
Justice's Avatar
Justice at 05/19/2007 18:23


This is your hero!
ArrestedDeveloper's Avatar
ArrestedDeveloper at 05/19/2007 18:44
Well it's good to see that they can put out a game that causes some interest over in the land of the rising sun.
Salamande's Avatar
Salamande at 05/19/2007 19:01
It deserves all the attention it can get. The Xbox Live demo showed a lot of potential.
ClarenceBoddicker's Avatar
ClarenceBoddicker at 05/19/2007 19:06
The combat in this game is really fun,well from the little time I spent with the demo
brad drac's Avatar
brad drac at 05/19/2007 19:11
Japan produced 360 games is a win situation for all. It was an enormously serious failing of the first xbox to me.

This won't help MS break the market much though for the simple fact that x = no in japan. You wouldn't want a console called the nobox, would you? Of course not, it's depressing. Only emo kids would want them. You're not an emo kid, are you? You sicken me...
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 05/19/2007 21:51
I thought X meant "don't buy me." guess I was wrong. The japanese don't buy apple stuff much either from what I hear, so don't feel bad microsoft. You actually can do something just as trendy as apple, fail in Japan.
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 05/19/2007 21:53
Also, maybe they should just make games with really bad graphics cuz this looks like ps2 or wii, and they love that wii.
Iceciro's Avatar
Iceciro at 05/19/2007 22:01
There was no need to bash the wii in this article's comments, derail.
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 05/19/2007 22:14
I DO WANT
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 05/19/2007 22:22
Microsoft won't shed a tear over losing the Japan market because they don't seem to care, a practice I find rather stupid. Apparently they failed to promote Gears of War half as well as they could have over there, and it could've made it big. It's a mixture of Japan's culture being such that they don't go for foreign products so much, and Microsoft taking a "fuck 'em" attitude. Both mindsets are pretty self defeating.
chronicus_prime's Avatar
chronicus_prime at 05/19/2007 22:31
Is this game out or coming out in the U.S.???? And is that demo downloadable in the U.S. Region?
MrWonderful's Avatar
MrWonderful at 05/19/2007 22:56
I'm not sure what you mean Jim, I think Microsoft knows their Japanese audience. Shooters do not sell in Japan, and it seems pretty unlikely that Gears would break that mold. Their advertising dollars are much better spent promoting games like Eternal Sonata or Blue Dragon.
I'm not saying they're not messing up in Japan, but I don't think continuing to pump shooters at the eastern makret is the answer.
Alaphic's Avatar
Alaphic at 05/19/2007 23:00
They need to make a bukkake game.

That'll sell those x360s.
God Len's Avatar
God Len at 05/19/2007 23:22
Microsoft does care about Japan, its just that most of the games that came out previously like mr.wonderful said are not what the japanese usually play.

And please... Japanese people do not only play those crazy games that are associated with Japan..
Rainbowblack's Avatar
Rainbowblack at 05/20/2007 05:03
Actually the 5 people out there that own a 360 love GoW believe it or not.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 05/20/2007 05:08
I've a magazine interview with Hironobu Sakaguchi where he says that Gears could have been the number one best seller in Japan, if only Microsoft had let more gamers know it was there, but the marketing was awful, hence why it shold 23,000 copies and not the amount it truly deserved.

Maybe it's just his theory that Gears would have done well, but he loved the game and nobody as Microsoft even showed it to him. Perhaps a case of Microsoft thinking too much that they know their market.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 05/20/2007 05:09
*33,000
PacoDG's Avatar
PacoDG at 05/20/2007 07:17
Man, americans have RPG fans, they need to start getting off of just playing Final Fantasy only and expand into the, what I feel, are better games.
generaldane's Avatar
generaldane at 05/20/2007 14:37
this game looks fucktastic
MusashiX2's Avatar
MusashiX2 at 05/20/2007 15:34
isn't this game no longer a 360 exclusive, and is headed to the ps3? there was an ESRB rating for it on ps3. so how the hell is it gonna help 360 sales at all? people in japan will just buy it on ps3.
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