Posts with tag EternalSonataChopinsDream
Eternal Sonata Japan's 2nd best seller
Stop the presses, hold the phone, and list some clichés, because an Xbox 360 game has reached the number 2 spot on the Japanese sales charts. Yes, Eternal Sonata, known as Trusty Bell in Japan, clawed its way to the number 2 spot with 49,334 copies sold, beaten only by Practice by Observing: DS Observation Training for the DS. It is unclear how many copies sold were part of the Trusty Bell bundle we reported back in April. If you haven't been keeping track, the Xbox 360 hasn't really fared too well in Japan, so a number 2 game is a momentous occasion indeed. This becomes particularly apparent in light of the fact that Blue Dragon, developed by the creator of Final Fantasy himself, only managed to hit number 4 (though it actually sold more copies). We'll be keeping our eye out for the hardware charts to see if the Xbox 360 got a much needed boost last week as well.
Gallery: Eternal Sonata (AKA Trusty Bell)
Eternal Sonata No. 1 on Amazon Japan
The Xbox 360, to put it mildly, hasn't fared terribly well in Japan thus far. Routinely selling only a couple thousand units every week, the 360 needs a serious kick in the pants if Microsoft hopes to make even a modest dent in the Japanese market. For this reason, it's heartening to see an Xbox 360 game claw its way to the top of the Amazon Japan bestseller list. The game in question is the Namco Bandai RPG Eternal Sonata, known as Trusty Bell in Japan. It would seem that demand has crescendoed (get it?) before the game's launch, slated for June 14 according to Amazon Japan. Granted, Amazon is a fickle beast. The number one bestseller could change next week, tomorrow, or even in a couple of hours, but it's nice to see a 360 title beat out the PS2 and even the mighty DS.
The only question now: does Eternal Sonata have the power to sell Xbox 360s in Japan? We'll know soon enough.
[Thanks, alesul]
Gallery: Eternal Sonata (AKA Trusty Bell)
360 bundle rings a (Trusty) Bell in Japan
As a rule, if you want to sell consoles in Japan, you'd better have some good RPGs available. Microsoft knows this, and is doing everything in its power to secure some decent Japanese titles for it's uphill battle in the Land of the Rising Sun. Late last year, Microsoft released a Blue Dragon bundle, which quickly sold out and gave the Xbox 360 a hearty but brief boost. Microsoft looks to repeat that success by bundling the 360 with the upcoming RPG from Namco and tri-Crescendo, Trusty Bell (known as Eternal Sonata in the west). X3F readers will recall that Eternal Sonata left Joystiq with a good impression in March. The bundle will include an Xbox 360 core system, Trusty Bell, and a special soundtrack DVD. The bundle's price has not yet been set. Of course, you can tack on the price of a memory card or hard drive to the bundle's price, as players won't be able to save their progress otherwise. While Trusty Bell isn't likely to have the same impact as Blue Dragon, it is expected that the RPG will generate a small amount of "buzz" for the console.
The new bundle will be available on June 14th in Japan.
[Via Xbox-Scene]
