There are few to no in-store displays. The title carries a restrictive game-as-porn Z rating. It is an exclusive for a largely unpopular American console. And, it looks like Dead Rising is going to be a hit in Japan.

Over the weekend, we ran a story chronicling the uphill climb Capcom's Dead Rising is facing in The Land of the Rising Sun. The title was released late last week, and retailers are not featuring display cases or even advertising. Without an in-store push, it's almost as though the game, a huge seller in the States, hasn't even been released.

I swung by several different retailers to see if it's really that bad. And yes, it is.

My local chain retailer features nothing that promoted the game. There are no boxes on the floor and no posters. I approach the register and ask:

Me: "Do you have copies of Dead Rising?"
Some fat lady behind the counter with glasses: "Dead what?"
Me: "Dead Rising. It's a game for the Xbox 360."
S.F.L.B.T.C.W.G.: "Let me check."

She goes in the back, comes out a minute later.

S.F.L.B.T.C.W.G.: "Yes we do."
Me: "How many copies?"

She goes in the back, comes out two minutes later.

S.F.L.B.T.C.W.G.: "We have two copies."
Me: "How many copies did you get in?"
S.F.L.B.T.C.W.G.: "I don't know."
Me: "Could you find out?"

Her tally? Five copies of the game were received, and three have been sold. Keep in mind: That's factoring no in-store advertising whatsoever (and blissfully oblivious staff).

I head over to Yodobashi Camera in Umeda. It's one of the largest electronics stores in north Osaka, and something like twenty two million people pass through Umeda Station daily. Should be a good barometer. The game corner is downstairs, in the basement.

Similar to the store near my house. No in-store advertising, save for a tiny description shoved next to Aqua Zone. No posters. And, there were no boxes. I ask, and the clerk tells me the game is sold out. Sold out last Thursday, when the game launch. And according to this clerk, it sold out pretty quick. Thirty copies in all, he guesstimated.

Down south, Bic Camera is king. There's a massive store in Osaka's Nanba neighborhood. Leaving my parked legally on the street, I make my way up to where they sell toys, tennis rackets and video games. There's nothing in the Xbox 360 section on Dead Rising. Two guys are barreling through Lost Planet demos on kiosks, while a DS Station stands by. Neglected. Momentarily.

At the register. Do you have any copies of Dead Rising?

Some thin woman behind the counter with glasses: "Sorry, we're sold out."
Me: "When are you going to get it back in?"
S.T.W.B.T.C.W.G.: "We don't know."
Me: "How many copies of the game did you get in?"

She pulls down a book and starts slowly flipping through it, leaving me wonder why this kind of information isn't stored on computers, why she can't hurry up and if I am going to fall victim to Japan's new, strict parking rules.

S.T.W.B.T.C.W.G.: "Forty."
Me: "And when did the game sell out?"

Closes the book, and she walks over to a cubicle, where a man in a white shirt and tie sits behind a desk. She asks him and comes back.

S.T.W.B.T.C.W.G.: "They sold out on the 28th. When the game went on sell."

As I weave my way down the escalator, my thoughts are more with my car and less with Dead Rising. Despite obstacles the game is selling and selling out. Though, the numbers could hardly be called impressive, it's nice to know at least 73 people own Xbox 360's. That, and if you park your car illegally in front of Bic Camera at 10:42 am on a Monday, chances are that you won't get a ticket. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Kotaku]

Contact information for this author is not available.