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Etrian Odyssey III sells big + April’s RPG releases in Japan (J-Shop Watch April)

By Heath | April 10, 2010 at 9:39 pm

Here’s the RPG outlook for Japan this month. Lots and lots of RPGs to look out for.

Etrian Odyssey III was released on the first, and has since sold over 90,000 copies (debuting at #1 on the charts).

Atelier Judie, a PSP port of a PS2 title, was released April 8, and sales data has not yet been reported. Mass Effect for 360 hit the Platinum Collection on that same day; Mass Effect 2 has not been schedule for release in Japan.

The 22nd will be a pretty big day for RPGs. The PSP’s Tokyo Mono Hara Shi and Ys: Oath of Felghana will launch that day as well as The Elder Scrolls IV Game of the Year Edition (PS3/360), NieR Replicant (PS3) and NieR Gestalt (360). This game will come out in North America, but only the Gestalt version featuring its older, white-haired protagonist. The game will be represented on both PS3 and 360 just like in Japan, but in Japan, the PS3 version (NieR Replicant) stars a younger guy trying to save his sister. The 360 version (Gestalt), with the aforementioned older character attempting to save his daughter, will be ported to the PS3 for its English-language release. Square Enix representatives expressed that they feel that this one character and story related better to the Western audience. Keep those stereotypes alive, boys.

Not quite an RPG but a spinoff of a popular series, Disgea Infinite for PSP will also ship on the 22nd.

One sure to make a splash in the marketplace and challenge Etrian Odyssey III for the top game of the month will be April 28’s Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 for DS. Half-Minute Hero, our PSP RPG of the year 2009, will hit the PSP’s budget line “The Best” that day.

Comepletely escaping my radar until now was Hitman Reborn DS: Guardian of Snow Fate of Heat III for DS. Well, here’s a video. It ships April 29. Don’t count on an English release for this one.

Thanks for reading!

Topics: Etrian Odyssey III, Games with ridiculous names, Hitman Reborn DS: Guardian of Snow Fate of Heat III, Shop Watch