Weekly Famitsu #1216
Cover Story
This week Black Panther 2, the Yakuza spin-off for the PSP, is featured on the cover of Famitsu. The Yakuza games, or Ryu ga Gotoku as they are known in Japan, are really popular here, so it makes sense that the game would eventually find its way to the PSP. In case you forgot the last few times we’ve mentioned it, the PSP is actually an immensely popular system in Japan, thanks in no small part to the Monster Hunter series. The PSP actually has games released for it here. Amazing!
In the first Kurohyou, or Black Panther, you played as a young man named Tatsuya Ukyou, who after dropping out of high school enters into the world of the Yakuza, Japan’s notorious gangsters. In the sequel, Tatsuya returns as he struggles to come to terms with his life after the events of the first game, which we won’t spoil for you. The original played pretty much like its console counter-parts, complete with all the random stuff like arcades, restaurants, and hostess clubs. Don’t expect any huge changes in the sequel, as it will pretty much retain the same game play style as the rest of the series, but it is supposed to expand on the first game’s online mode a great deal.
It’s unfortunate that the PSP never took off back in the US, as there have been a lot of really good games released for the system that will never see the light of day back home. This will more than likely happen with the Black Panther series as well, unless it somehow manages to make its way to the PSN as a digital download for the PS Vita. I wouldn’t hold my breath, though…
Hardware Sales: Week of 3/5-3/11
- 3DS – 63,717 units
- PS3 – 33,679 units
- PSP – 15,621 units
- Vita – 10,228 units
- Wii – 7,621 units
- 360 – 921 units
- DS – 575 units
- PS2 – 532 units
Top 5 Selling Games: Week of 3/5-3/11
- One Piece Dynasty Warriors (PS3) – 89,462 units
- Hatsune Miku & Friends: Project Mira (3DS) – 88,737
- Street Fighter X Tekken (PS3) – 54,559 units
- xxxGundam UC (PS3) – 54,029 units
- Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3d (3DS) – 32,569 units
That’s it for this week, but next week the new Kingdom Hearts game for the 3DS will be the cover story. The magazine has a really in-depth look at the series as well, so look forward to next week’s coverage!
