R-Tuned [Official Site via Game Watch]

June 28th, Saturday
•Yodobashi Camera Shinjuku 10:00AM - 11:00AM
•Sofmap Omiya 2:30PM - 3:30PM
•Yodobashi Camera Yokohama 5:30PM - 7:00

June 29th, Sunday
•Nagoya Station Bic Camera 10:30AM - NOON
•Osaka Yamada Denki Labi1 4:00PM - 5:30PM

Seems like signatures are mostly being limited to game packaging (Premium Pack is okay!), so that means no Kojima signed cigarette boxes. Bummer.

GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS　ワールドツアー　in JAPAN [IT Media] [Pic]

Hit the jump for a totally non-game related clip from YouTuber tokyocooney. A totally brilliant non-game related one.

We thought the safety of our customers is our top priority. We deeply apologize for the cancellation.

"We were just talking about it. We didn't fly in until last night and I didn't know about it until I got off the plane," Hayashi said through a translator Wednesday afternoon. "They told me there is stuff going on in the media in Japan, there is a game that was involved and it just so happens it was Ninja Gaiden DS."

Masahiro Kanagawa, 24, told police that on March 19 he decided he wanted to attack his sister and a local elementary school, but changed his mind and instead randomly picked a home and went inside and killed a 72-year-old man. Four days later, police say Kanagawa went to a shopping center and stabbed eight people, one of which later died.

The day after the stabbings, at least one television station pointed out that Kanagawa had a copy of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword in his bag when he was arrested. The game went on sale in Japan on March 20 and police told at least one outlet they are looking into a possible connection.

"There is always going to be a motive for everything that happens," Hayashi said. "There is always a reason and a motive for a way a person acted and in this case, we are almost a party that has to react to a situation that obviously we didn't expect would be triggered by our game."

"Whoever has seen (the connection) in the news and the media we hope that they know what the true reason is, what the truth is behind why this person did this and that it's not connected or directly related to our game."

Kanagawa, who was a gamer, had been involved in at least one national Dead or Alive tournament in Japan and made it the finals, but Hayashi said that he had never been in contact with Tecmo or Team Ninja.

Hayashi, who says that he thinks the game is appropriate for teenagers to play, added that police have not contacted Tecmo or Team Ninja and that he believes the seemingly tangential connection between the stabbing and his game was one created by the media alone.

"The media should not be the ones answering the questions or defining the reasons why this incident happened," he said. "I want to believe that whoever is watching the news has their own judgment of what went on."

"What I said just now is more of a message to the media. Obviously there are victims here, the people who died and their families, so hopefully they don't see that as me trying to defend our company or product. That's just my message from me to the media. The media can report on these tragedies but they shouldn't just assume or lead into a question that doesn't have a definitive answer."

I pre-ordered Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan! at the Shinjuku Bic Camera in Tokyo as after playing the demo I was really interested in giving the final product a serious playthrough. Today being the release date, I headed over to Bic Camera as soon as I could leave work. I arrived at the store around 7:30pm, got my copy and was told that there were holding a Japanese-style raffle and to take my recipt over to another section of the videogame area.

For those that don't know, a Japanese raffle is a kind of lottery where when it's your turn, you spin a hexangoal box around a few times, and out comes a colored ball to determine your prize. I got the lowest level - a "high quality oil cloth."

The highest reward were fairly large posters for the game, and when I got over there, some guy in a flashy jacket was bent over one of them with a pen in his hand. In case you hadn't guessed, it was indeed the
director, Toshihiro Nagoshi, autographing some of them. I didn't feel right asking for his autograph since he was already making the posters for the winners, but I had the good luck to see that he was on his way out - the poster I had seen him sign was his last.

We rode down the elevator together (with his staff), and then as we got off I worked up the nerve to ask him for his picture. One of his staff was kind enough to offer to hold the camera so I could appear in the picture too...

For a guy as flashily and expensively dressed as he was, he was very nice, and to be honest a bit tired - I think the final push had taken it's toll, as his pants were a bit dirty too.

Crazy Otaku Dude [fuckedgaijin]

I've put together of official and fan-made stuff. It's mostly game-related like Ayane from Dead or Alive (above). So you should be able to pick out Resident Evil, THE iDOLM@STER, SNK ladies, Metal Gear Solid and a fuckton of Haruhi Suzumiya figurines.

Wonder Fes 2007 Summer [Senaka Blog]

Super Robo Ad [Famitsu]

SEGAROCKS is a SEGA tribute band made up of old dudes singing Saturn-era SEGA songs. They sound like hair metal, and their live performance even has heavy guitar noodling! There are a couple songs from their 2004 Tokyo live performance. The clips came on a DVD that was included with a SEGAROCKS CD. Yes, they actually made a proper studio album! Just check out the track listing. While watching the clips and listening to the guitar solos, keep in mind that these guys are serious. Brian Ashcraft

SEGAGAGA March

Go Go SEGA Rally

SEGA Saturn Shiro

Sega Rox [Insert Credit]

Bring on the guys in wife-beaters and in Yankees caps! A Saints Row party was held in Shibuya's Club Unit, complete with hip-hop DJs. The club had a playable demo kiosks, but the real head turner was the Hummer Saints Row limo. While the Hummer seems relatively popular for rich Japanese who love impractical cars, there are only a handful of the limo versions. Side note: in my old apartment building, one of the tenants had a hummer. Dude would spent at least 15 minutes everyday squeezing that truck out of the cramped parking lot. Brian Ashcraft

Famitsu writes "Satins Row", "Saitns Row" and "Satints Row" [Famitsu]

Today in Tokyo, Konami announced its upcoming skin care software for the Nintendo DS. Dubbed Dream Skincare, the game features beauty adviser Chizu Saeki, who appears in-game and gives pointers on skincare. In order to give users the best advice, individuals enter their daily body temp and keep track of their hormonal balance — things like that affect skin. It's possible to keep track to us for up to a year! The game is touch screen based to keep things simple. And at today's presser, Chizu Saeki took the stage, taught the press how to massage their armpit lympnoids and quoted a German poet. Yup, kinda kooky. Brian Ashcraft

Skincare Game [Dengeki Online]

Nerd haven Akihabara is dangerous! Compared with other countries, Japan has a reputation of being fairly safe. At fast food restaurants, people don't think twice about leaving their purses and bags on their chairs while going to the restroom. Pick-pocketing on crowded trains is almost unheard of, and violent crime is rare. The Yomiuri Shinbun reports:

• Between January 1st and May 31st, there were 29 reported bag thefts of customers who were playing video games or sleeping. (No sleeping in Akiba!) Compare that to 22 total cases of theft last year.
• 
  
• 225 shoplifters were caught in 2006 compared to 118 in 2005. The shoplifters were apprehended stealing games and DVDs with the intent of reselling them to raise money.
• 
  
• Last year, 259 individuals were caught carrying knife "without proper reason." That is a chargeable offense and violates the Minor Offenses Law. In 2004, there were only 39 violations.

The Yomiuri Shinbun [Official Site]

Think Second Life meets PlayStation Home set in modern day Tokyo. Dubbed "meet-me," it's a MMO from Sankei newspaper, digital marketer Trans-Cosmos and From Software, the folks behind Armored Core. The PC title shows all 23 Tokyo wards in 3D and runs on Windows Vista and be out at the end of the year in Japan. The early meet-me screens show famous Tokyo landmarks like Shibuya 109 and lots and lots of Armored Core 4 adverts. Can't help but feeling that unless mechas are worked into this MMO, From Software's talents are being somewhat wasted. Brian Ashcraft

meet-me [Famitsu Thanks, Riyu!]

You gotta start somewhere when you start studying Japanese. When I began learning katakana many moons ago, my teacher was Hello Kitty. Yes, I first purchased a Sanrio writing book in a Tokyo bookstore. And this was after I had sex for the first time — with another person, even! So sad. Reader Lord Jezo sent this along:

I spotted this book at Mitsuwa (the premier East Coast Japanese supermarket in the New York City area) over the past weekend. It seems that Pikachu has moved on from selling people soda and is now trying to teach Japanese folks katakana.

Ramune is a Japanese clear soda-type beverage with a very distinctive bottle. It's traditionally a summertime time beverage. Personally, I love ramune, you might love ramune and Pikachu definitely loves Ramune. Reader Landon spotted this Poké-ramune in Tokyo. And from the looks of it, he had chicken for dinner. Ah, ramune and chicken — Doesn't get any better than that! Brian Ashcraft

"No, not the Shin Shinbashi Building," I tell the middle-aged woman sitting behind the ticket counter. "The New Shinbashi Building. 'New' as in the English word 'new' not the Japanese 'new.'"

Tokyo's Shinbashi has two New Shinbashi Buildings — Both on opposite sides of the station. One of them uses the character "shin" (新) which translates as "new." The other uses the English word "NEW" in all caps. What's more, "Shinbashi" means "New Bridge." Confused? You should see the woman behind the counter.

The middle-aged woman behind the counter pauses, then turns to another middle-aged woman behind the counter. An Abbott and Costello routine ensues until I make it perfectly clear: The New Shinbashi Building, not the Shin Shinbashi Building.

The New Shinbashi Building, not the Shin Shinbashi Building, is a stop over. I'm writing a feature on Japanese arcades — I've already visited famous game centers like the dirt cheap, ¥50 per-play Shibuya Kaikan and Akihabara's shooter heaven Taito Hey! This, this is a diversion.

A row of taxis lines up across from the New Shinbashi Building, not the Shin Shinbashi Building. An old lady is laying in the street, and I can hear the rhythmic siren of an ambulance. Businessmen in ill-fitting suits move in transit from work to bars, and a gaggle of young girls wearing thigh-highs and mini-skirts cluster near the doorway, putting on eye liner and talking on cell phones.

The whiff of wet cigarettes and the roar of spinning metal balls and stale techno hits me as I enter the New Shinbashi Building. To my left, there is a large pachinko parlor. Signs in front advertise new pachi-slot machines. Shoe-horned in is an ad for a movie theater showing porno flicks. All of the other shops appear to be either sporting goods retailers or cosmetic counters. Nothing that I'm looking for. I'm looking for game centers, for arcades.

Somewhere between the aluminum baseball bats and the cherry lip-gloss, I see it: A drawing of a Sprinter Trueno or a Skyline — I can't tell. It's an ad for Initial D, a racing game based on a manga of the same name. An illuminated sign reads "World Game," and the Initial D is a front of sorts. The back is packed with mahjong arcade cabinets. Businessmen circle silently, smoking. Nearby, there's "Pit in Game," another arcade. Likewise, nothing remarkable and mostly mahjong. Neither game center is being staffed.

It's looking to be a bust. Two arcades on the first floor, that's it. There are four stories, so maybe, just maybe there are more. Four or "shi" in Japanese, the number itself is unlucky. The word "shinu" (to die) begins with "shi." I double back around, and that's when I find it: The escalator leading to the basement. I descend.

The basement is packed with restaurants. Salarymen with loosened neckties and red faces smoke more cigarettes and laugh. A short order cook grills egg-plant, and fat waitresses stand out front, hoping to catch passer-bys with offers of all-you-can-drink.

"No, thanks," I tell the umpteenth fat waitress. Up ahead, there's a poster. Says King of Fighters. There's an arcade called "Game Shigeru." Two banners for Konami's Mahjong Kakutou Club are out front. I don't go in.

"Doc Well" is split into two parts. Or three parts. The one game center spans several store fronts, but it's all "Doc Well." And it's all filled with mahjong machines. Staffers are no where to be seen, and it all appears to be autonomous. There are a few Virtua Fighter 5 cabinets, old cabinets. Catty corner to the "Doc Well" row is "Diana." Two women in bland business suits play darts. There's Gundam, too. And mahjong.

Mahjong in Japan is primarily a male pursuit. Pro female players in Japan are a rarity, and woman in mahjong parlors are doing one thing: Serving drinks.

Up ahead, "Game Wonda." There's a chance game out front with prizes like Cuff-in-the-Dark and Jungle Undies. Below the toy prizes, gray bags contain adult videos. Step inside, there are mahjong cabinets.

I stick my head in "Gameland." There's a UFO catcher. A crane hand tries to pick up hard-core adult videos. They're not in gray bags, but out for all to see.

Besides the New Shinbashi mahjong arcade game standard, there is a poker-type game with foreign women. An old man sits down in flannel, stuffs a coin in and begins playing. His fingernails are dirty, and I write down the game's title: Cherry. Bonus. IV.

Another Konami banner tells me that "Wing" has mahjong — Along with Virtua Fighter and Tekken. The game cabinets are deserted, and salarymen sit hunched over, lighting cigarettes, putting them out, lighting them again. They don't notice me.

There's a "Wing 2," another arcade, which I peak in.

Take out my note pad. Two floors, nine arcades. And all of them have mahjong games. I toggle through the pictures on my digi-cam. Just to make sure. Somewhere, I can hear salarymen laughing. An attractive woman blows by me with a middle-aged man in tow. The greasy smell of yakitori and the stench of flat beer is sickening.

Second floor. There are numbers on the wall. Crazy numbers, all out of order and mixed up. Red velvet seats and Super Mario. The arcade's name is "221." In the back, two salarymen play mahjong games.

In the breezeway, men stuffed into white nurse outfits like sausages and young boney women also wearing white nurse outfits mill about. One of the boney women stops and stares, then continues down the hall.

A barbershop is wedged between massage parlors and chiropractors offices. Male nurses sit in the doorways, and massage tables are visible under curtains. This isn't sex for sale.

Another nurse, young and pretty, stands near "Jambo." She takes a deep drag and blows out a grey cloud. Behind her, I can make out a horse racing game. In front of me, mahjong.

I pass the "Game in Rido Park Part I." Mahjong. No staffers. I search for "Game in Rido Park Part II," but don't find it.

High heels click by. A worn woman in a skimpy skirt and unfashionable shoes shuffles down the hallway. Somewhere on the second floor, an ad for an adult movie.

The closest thing to an real arcade is the "Royal Shinbashi." It's got Cave's new shooter, Muchi Muchi Pork, the new Time Crisis game, Elevator Action and Densha De Go. This is the thirteenth arcade in the New Shinbashi Building (not the Shin Shinbashi Building). I scan the game center and can't find any mahjo—

The thirteenth arcade also has mahjong. They all have mahjong games. Every single one, and not a single staffer in sight.

Doubling back to the escalator, I pass D-Cup Fashion Health. A sign welcomes customers in, and the 30 minute course rate is broken down by time. It's now evening, so it costs a bit more to have a woman dress up and finish you off. Mornings, they're cheap.

The third floor is deserted. Most of the shops and stores are shuttered shut. Yet, I can swear I hear jazz. There's the odd adult bookstore and the occasional dentist office.

My shoes squeak and squeak on the linoleum until they are drowned out by John Coltrane. The music wafts from a shop — A video game store.

The store's nothing special. But why is it on the third floor of this building? Who shops here? There's a guy behind the counter. Wearing a Yankees cap and spectacles, he clicks though a laptop.

"Excuse me," I say.
He looks up, then slowly: "Yes?"
"I have a question. Do you mind?"
Shuts the laptop.
"Sure, go ahead."
"Don't you think that it's odd they are so many arcades in this building? And that they all have mahjong games?"
He opens the laptop and replies:
"No."
Continues clicking as I linger for a moment and leave.

The fourth floor is silent, save for the high pitched hum of the fluorescent lights. No jazz and no squeaking shoes. Most stores are shuttered and a staircase leads into inky blackness. The sky outside is dull blue as the city four stories below settles in for a long night.

There's a single door open. A woman in a plain office lady-type uniform obscures the view, and I move forward. She serves drinks to four men sit at a table. She leaves, and that's when I see: They're playing mahjong. Real mahjong for real money.

A trio of salarymen appear and pass by, talking loudly and entering that mahjong parlor. Perhaps they were warming up downstairs in an arcade. Perhaps not.

I go back down to the ground floor, to the make-up counters and the pachinko parlor. Pass one of the first floor's game centers, I forget which. A sweaty man in a tacky orange shirt that screams "arcade staff." He's restocking a U.F.O. catcher with stuffed animals. I interrupt.

"I was wondering, why are there so many game centers?"
"What do you mean?" He looks surprised.
"There's something like thirteen arcades in this building. That's a lot. Too many, even. Do you know why?"
"It's always been that way."
"Are they all owned by the same company?" I counter.
"No, they're all separate."
"Why all the mahjong arcade games?"
"Because it's popular."

As I head out of the New Shinbashi Building, not the Shin Shinbashi Building, I think, he's right. It is.

When the DS Lite first went on sale in Japan, it sold out. And then it sold out again. And again. As soon as the product showed up in stores, it was cleaned right out. From late 2005 until April 2007, getting a DS Lite was hard. You had to be lucky. But, is the supply-and-demand problem slowing? Blog Ota-Road points to a flood of Lites that have hit stores in Den-Den Town. While I was in Tokyo over the weekend, I noticed that it's much easier to get a Lite there as well. And people I was talking to kept bringing up the same thing: The DS drought is over. Well, until Dragon Quest IX hits, and people start buying Lites in four packs. Get 'em while you can, Japan. Brian Ashcraft

DS Lite Can Be Purchased Recently [Ota Road]

Being popular is tough! Today at a Tokyo briefing, Nintendo prez. Satoru Iwata promised that Nintendo was doing everything possible to get increased Wii hardware on shelves. Said Iwata:

We must do our best to fix this abnormal lack of stock. We have not been able to properly foresee demand.

While Iwata did not disclose the Wii's production capacity, he did announce that 2.5 million DSes were being produced monthly in order to meet the insane demand. That's the highest production for Nintendo hardware. Ever. Forecasts for this year include selling loads of games, consoles and making a shit load of money. Brian Ashcraft

Nintendo Increase Wii Production [Famitsu]
AP Story [Houston Chronicle via Game Industry]

Duke Saraie's Healthy Walking Navi: Let's Become Beautiful doesn't teach DS users just how to walk correctly. Oh, no. It teaches them how to walk beautifully and get in shape in the process. Duke Saraie is 50-something former model who has built an empire on teaching Japanese people (women, namely) how to walk. He hails from Western Japan and appears on TV here in Osaka and Tokyo, instructing those in the way of what he calls "Dukeswalk." He is so successful that he actually resides in Monaco. What's more, his DS game is coming out in May. Hey, why not?

Oh. Duke is NOT the guy in the suit. Brian Ashcraft

Duke Walking Onto DSes [Game Watch Impress]

While fans will become turgid at the thought of finally playing Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for the PSP, RPG nerds will have to wait a little longer for their Final Fantasy XIII fix. All three titles from the Final Fantasy XIII Fabula Nova Crystallis series will be in video form only. Here's what's scheduled:

• Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP)
• Dragon Quest Monster Battle Road (Arcade)
• Dragon Quest Monster Joker (DS)
• Dragon Quest Swords (Wii)
• Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings (DS)
• Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War (PSP)
• Itadaki Street DS (DS)
• It's A Wonderful World (DS)
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (DS)
• Final Fantasy I (PSP)
• Final Fantasy II (PSP)
• Final Fantasy XI Online (PS2, Xbox 360, PC)
• Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
• Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3)
• Final Fantasy Agito XIII (Mobile)
• Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete (Blu-ray)

uck. I think my -key is starting to act unny now. uckin' Square-Enix! Michael McWhertor

Often, Mom and Pop retailers in Japan are actually official dealers of particular products. I've seen this countless times with companies like Panasonic. But Nintendo? While "wandering around aimlessly," Kotaku reader Landon came across the above shop which is a "Famicom Shop" that is "Licensed by Nintendo." He writes:

I was intrigued by the fact that it was officially licensed by Nintendo. Are there more closed-down shops like this around your area? This one was in a VERY small area — near the Saginuma station on the Den-en Toshi line. ...looked like it was completely closed down. It was on a weekday, around 4PM, so it should've been open if it was, but I saw no sign showing hours or anything, so I was one sad panda.

Sad panda, indeed! Brian Ashcraft

I haven't been to Akihabara's Super Potato in something like 8 months. No, need to! The legendary game store chain is based out of Osaka, and there's one near my house. I can walk to Super Potato.

Yesterday, went to the Akiba branch with Patrick Macias and Matt Alt. Perhaps my memory is crap, but it's really, really changed. The controllers hanging from the ceiling are gone. There are new lamenated signs. And the top floor is a mini-arcade. You can smoke there, too. Good if you smoke, I guess!

I dunno, I kinda missed the old Akiba Super Potato. You know, with the grime, like we have here in Osaka. Perhaps that just doesn't fly in Akihabara anymore. Brian Ashcraft

Yesterday morning, I arrived in Tokyo a little earlier than scheduled to appear on the Kojima Productions podcast with Ryan Payton. As I've mentioned a gazillion times before, I was in town for an article I'm doing for a design magazine. I headed over to Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills to the Kojima Productions office. I hadn't been there in a while, and security is still ass-tight. Here's the last time I visited Mori Tower.

I've known Ryan for a few years now. We worked on a Wired Mag piece together eons and eons ago — Before he was working for KP. Anyway, it's was good seeing him again, hanging out for a bit and appearing on his podcast. Not sure when it will air, but will let y'all know when it does.

Didn't have much time to snoop around the office because I was on a tight schedule, so I was pretty much in and out. There weren't playable copies of Metal Gear Solid 4 just lying around, but I took a picture of the hallway leading into the room where they are making it. SO EXCITING. Brian Ashcraft

Back when I visited Sony's Ginza showroom, Sony gave me a big bag o' nuttin'. Japanese culture site Japundit blogs that Sony is now giving away schwag to entice customers. From Japundit:

Sony is giving away freebies to woo buyers to the new PlayStation 3 video game machine whose hefty price appears to be scaring away shoppers.

No word on what that schwag is. Unless it's money, not sure how it's gonna make a world of difference on the pricetag, though. Brian Ashcraft

Free PS3 Stuff [Japundit]

Not all Japanese gamers may know Crackdown (retitled "Riot Act" here) is hitting today, but I am willing to bet dollars for donuts that most are aware Monster Hunter Portable 2nd drops. Just look at those game boxes! And at those special champagne Monster Hunter bundled PSPs!! And you know what, those boxes are probably empty.

I took this pic earlier today in Tokyo at the Yurakucho Bic Camera software branch. Even though it does look like there are enough copies to go around, I'd be shocked if this game isn't a smash hit. Famitsu is reporting long lines since morning at the Yodobashi Camera in Shinjuku, Bic Camera in Ikebukuro and at the Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara. But, like I said, the Bic Camera in Yurakucho had a bunch this evening. (Because I went to the UNPOPULAR store.) Software sales, sure, but think this game will move hardware? Brian Ashcraft

Eds note: Our man in Tokyo Jean Snow brings word of just how insane getting a DS Lite is

It's absolutely ridiculous to think that a person living in Japan still has to go through the following if he wants to get his hands on a stinkin' Nintendo DS lite — that's over 2 years after the initial DS launch, and close to a year for the DS lite — but this is what I had to go through today in order to score a Crystal White Nintendo DS lite (and let it be known that I have an original DS, which I got at launch).

My wife had heard that you needed to call the stores to find out if they were getting some stock, and then rush there to wait in line, and she'd also been told by some friends that Bic Camera got their shipments in on Friday (they also sometimes get some on Mondays and Wednesdays, but Friday are for the big orders). So she called this morning, and sure enough, they had gotten a shipment, but wouldn't reveal when they would go on sale, or where they would make people line up. The wife had gone through the same thing 2 weeks ago — when she scored a pink DS lite — so she told me to head there around noon, and to try and find out what would be happening.

I got there at 12, asked some staff behind the counter in the games section (insisting I had called, because they were just about to say that they didn't know anything before that — the filthy liars), and was told that I had to "hang out" for a while, as they didn't know when they were going to go on sale. Maybe 40 minutes later, two staff with bright green Bic vests ran out from behind the counter with signs that said that DS lites were about to go on sale, and then started forming a line along the staircases (the game section at the main Bic Camera store in Ikebukuro is on the 3rd floor). I was the fifth in line — some guys got there quicker than me — and a few minutes later they started handing out tickets for the color you wanted (I was the first to ask for a Crystal White). Then, 10 minutes later, they started guiding us to the sales counter, and... DS lite GET! Jean Snow

Nothing says video games like plastered trucks. To promote the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Capcom is rolling out the above truck to rampage the streets of Tokyo and Osaka from today to January 26th to the 28th. It lights up at night! Bad ass, especially when compared to what Electronic Arts is rolling out across Japan for Sim City DS (below).

Even sadder when compared to the Tokyo city GTA bus racing through Shibuya, Roppongi and Shinbashi (hit the jump). Brian Ashcraft

GTA Rides
EA Ride [Famitsu]

Thought the PS3 was the hardest console to score? Well, it is, but oddly, the early word is that the Wii is as well. We've heard a few stores with shockingly low Wii numbers. Gizmodo Japan reports that the Bic Camera in Tokyo's Shinjuku has only 100 consoles. When asked about the number of units ready for sale, a Bic Camera staffer's response was:

We got in 100 units. But that's more than we got for the PS3.

Well, no duh. Launch qualities are something like twenty times the PLAYSTATION 3. Giz Japan imagines that the low sale numbers are due to the majority of consoles being alotted for pre-reserves. Brian Ashcraft

Few Wiis in Shinjuku [Gizmodo Japan]

Tomorrow, 400,000 Wiis hit The Land of the Rising Sun. Gizmodo Japan reports that compared to the PS3, there have been more Wii pre-orders. And thus, more people unable to get pre-orders. So it's a numbers game again, really.

For our Japan-based readers, here's the retailer run-down:

Bic Camera: Sales start first come, first served tomorrow morning at 7:00am. As previously mentioned, those with Suica cards can pre-reserve. Otherwise, head to the Ikebukuro headquarters (ahem, Jean Snow!) or Yurakucho. Eds Note: Jean Snow just told me the smaller Bics will be doing drawings for Wiis at 11am. Tickets given out between 9-10am.

Yodobashi Camera: Sales also first come, first served with stores opening at 7:00am at the Shinjuku, Akihabara and Umeda branches. I'll be at the Umeda branch. Wearing a Paul Smith scarf (Yeah, I know. My excuse: It was a present.)

Shibuya TSUTAYA: Pre-reserves only. Orders filled in two hours.

Sofmap (Den-Den Town): Likewise, pre-reserves. They apparently went quick.

Sakuraya: Tickets will be passed out from 7:30 am tomorrow morning with sales starting at 8:00 am.

Good luck all! Brian Ashcraft

Japan Retail Info For Wii GET [Gizmodo Japan]

This weekend, while you were passed out thanks to that mmm...mmm... sleepy tryptophan in turkey, Japanese folks were lining up to play games Wii games. Nintendo World finally made its way to Tokyo, where the peak wait for Twilight Princess clocked in at almost four hours. The lines for Super Mario Galaxy and Dragon Quest Swords both were over an hour and a half. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption's line was two hours long, and Super Monkey Ball's was 80 minutes. Some of these games, you might already own, so don't forget that the Wii hits The Land of the Rising Sun this December. No more bitching from Americans how Japan gets stuff first, 'mkay? (Europeans, carry on as usual.) Brian Ashcraft

Nintendo World Invades Chiba, Really [Famitsu]

Lord knows Ashcraft has been working his ass off in Japan over the past 24-hours hustling between stores, documenting controlled riots, picking on homeless men. He even managed to pick up a PS3 for himself through a pre-order. So the rest of the team have been leaving the Japan launch of the console alone.

But when someone sends you launch day madness photos taken by none other than SCEE's President of Worldwide Studios Phil Harrison, you just gotta post em. While interesting pics, the most interesting is that one of them was saved as Physical Scrum. What the...? Brian Crecente

While Ashcraft has you covered for all the PS3 launch madness in Osaka, I just biked over to the main Bic Camera store in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district — I specify "main" because there are 5 of them here, which I believe is where the chain started — to have a look, and what they've done is set up a line in the back of the store, inside a park. As of midnight, I can say that there are already several hundred people queuing, quite possibly a thousand. What you see here is the start of the line, with more after the jump.

At first I was just in shock when I got to the front of the store to see absolutely no one, except this guy standing in front, yelling instructions.

Looking way to the right, you can see this guy with a sign pointing to where you need to go.

This kid must have the greatest mother ever, coming to queue with him all night.

There's the sign. You gotta love this level of organization. I was just talking with my friend Brad, who's at the Bic Camera store in Yurakucho, where it's pretty much chaos since the store is not allowing any official queue until the 5:00, and so there are currently a few hundred people hovering around the store.

End of the line, baby!

See the lovely cones! See the people waiting in line!

The park even has a small temple, so I imagine you can stop by for a few prayers, to increase your chances of getting your hands on a PS3.

Is he feeling lucky? I wonder what his chances are of getting one.

Not Nintendo licensed software, but DIY and amazing nonetheless. It's a map of the Tokyo Subway system, and the program looks incredibly easy to use. Just look how it scrolls! Brian Ashcraft

SD Card Goodness [Electrosphere]