RPGamer - Japandemonium - Super Mega Candy Update!

The revolving door turns again, and out pops Scar. Yep, it's me again. You might remember me from previous RPGamer sections, such as ...well .....everything. But we aren't here to talk about me, right? More about that at the end! For now, into the stuff you're here for. It's my first time, and this is my first day doing this (literally), so it is going to be short, but I promise more meat and potatoes next week!

According to the Dengeki charts, Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission sold nearly 175 000 units in its first week, which is pretty darn impressive. Shadow Hearts II came up quite a bit shorter, at 45 000. As well, Pokémon continues to juggernaut, with Pokémon Fire Red / Leaf Green selling another hundred thousand plus units. Rockman EXE 4 Tournament Red/Blue and Phantom Brave round out the list, along with even more Pokémon, for good measure.

Pos.	Title	Publisher	Plat.	Sales	Total
4	Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission	Square Enix		174,142	174,142
5	Pokémon Fire Red / Leaf Green	Pokémon		116,596	1,520,109
7	Shadow Hearts II	Aruze		45,335	45,335
19	Rockman EXE 4 Tournament: Red Sun / Blue Moon	Capcom		9,710	833,113
23	Phantom Brave	Nippon Ichi		5,572	140,512
28	Pocket Monster Ruby / Sapphire	Pokémon		4,140	5,018,008
30	Pokémon Colosseum	Pokémon		3,875	601,597

EGM recently conducted a short interview with Junko Kawano regarding Suikoden IV. Amongst other information, she explains how the next installment in the series takes place on the ocean, a departure from most standard RPGs. As she notes, it should be interesting how the player differentiates gameplay from other games using the ocean, such as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

One game that has completely gone under my radar is Gust's new RPG, the sixth in its series, Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana. Fans will be happy to hear that it is scheduled for release in Japan this coming May. Check out some of the screenshots below or in our Screenshots section to get a good look at this colorful game.

Compounding Microsoft Game Studio's cancellation of Mythica is Microsoft of Japan announcing that True Fantasy Live Online, its XBox Live MMORPG, has been pushed back from this spring to Winter 2004. The company plans on using the extra time to fine tune the game, instead of releasing it in its current form.

For something completely different, Chun Soft has released new screenshots of its GameCube RPG, Homeland, scheduled to be released in Japan this summer.

It has been too long! After a short stint with the guys in Q&A last July, I have been busy working, stocking bread in a grocery store. Yep...fun. Not really. When I was offered the chance to return to the site, I jumped on it. I'm very happy to be back. I'll have to spend some time sweeping the dust off the floor (and sweep it under the rug), but everything is a go now. Yay!

Also, if you have any ideas on how to improve this little section, Let Me Know. I want this section to stay as well maintained as when our old friend Alex did it. Until next week...