Japan Game Watch: Bullet Witch (Update 3)

Ah, nice box. And I mean the packaging. Zoom in! Zoom in! With only three days until its Japanese release, we will soon learn whether Bullet Witch is the next Codename Veronica or more like that old Tomb Raider sequel that everybody boycotted on principle. Unfortunately, the Famitsu score is teetering on "blah" -- Bullet Witch (Xbox 360, AQ Interactive) : 8 / 6 / 6 / 7 -- (27/40), which is only a 68% recommendation and otherwise a big fat F on a college score scale. Ouch. Granted, preview scores are but a barometer and should be taken with a chug of salt, but it is not a good sign. At least N3 received a 33/40. So what are the Japanese buying on the Gates 360? Here's this week's top 5:

01 Dead or Alive 4 (Tecmo) - 89,255 units 02 Ridge Racer 6 (Bandai Namco) - 59,509 units 03 Ninety Nine Nights (Microsoft) - 34,418 units 04 Perfect Dark Zero (Microsoft) - 26,085 units 05 Rumble Roses XX (Konami) - 25,331 units

Update 2: New Trailer shows more game footage, bosses, stuff exploding (June 9) In high school, a group of us went to see The Craft. I decided then and there that I would probably not want to undergo a sex change and devote my life to the 4 elements and bring Armageddon onto the world by chanting awful, short, rhyming poems over and over, but I probably wouldn't mind playing this as a game for a few evenings (that means RENT). I still can't tell if this game is gonna suck the big one or not - the footage goes from perfect atmospheric night time creepyness to awkward Resident Evil style action. Guess we'll have to wait and see Witch way it goes. Old trailer and more info after the gimp: First Look Trailer (May 4) Think Devil May Cry + Voodoo + Estrogen. The upcoming post apocalyptic game is looking pretty solid, showing surreal gameplay of powerful spell casting in a third person hack and slash platform. Not a heck of a lot of details are out in English at this time, but you can poke around the project web site. It will be available for import in the middle of July, although this is the second time it's been delayed. The movie looks way better than the still detailed shots, which is of concern. Funny how many zombie games are hitting the next-gen systems all of a sudden. Developers were given the horsepower to put a ton of characters on the screen, and they're all doing Thriller. Here's a fresh idea: How about a Miami night club sim, where you have like two inches of personal space and have to squeeze and elbow your way to freedom without spilling your $50 Tom Collins?