Nintendo recently posted a net loss of 43.2bn yen (530 million dollars) for the 2011 fiscal year (which stretches from April 2011 to March 2012), a first for the company. These losses were in spite of their newly released 3DS handheld console dominating the Japanese market, outselling Sony’s PlayStation Vita 10:1. Last year the company reported a net gain of 77.6bn yen (959 million dollars). The companies’ losses this year were not, however, as bad as previous estimates had predicted.

Hardware sales were not able to reach predictions Nintendo announced three months ago, predictions Nintendo had reworked downward from previous estimates. Globally, the Nintendo 3DS sold 13.51 million units, the Wii 9.84 and the DS ‘family’ 5.1, while expectations had had the 3DS at 14 million units, the Wii at 10 and the DS ‘family’ at 5.5. Even though actual hardware sales did not fall too far from what Nintendo had predicted, the results are still disastrous for the company. Software sales, meanwhile, were 36 million for the 3DS, 102.37 million for the Wii, and 60.82 for the DS ‘family.’

Regarding these results, the company stated: “While [Nintendo] did post a loss for the recently completed fiscal year, the continuing momentum of the Nintendo 3DS and the global introduction of the highly-anticipated Wii U home console will drive the company back into profitability in the current year.” In a separate announcement, Nintendo predicted a net profit of $245 million for the upcoming fiscal year.

Nintendo went on to say that by the middle of its current fiscal year (around August 2012), the 3DS will cease to be sold below cost of making one, meaning they will start to see a profit from the handheld. The company also announced that New Super Mario Bros. 2, Animal Crossing and a new Brain Age series title are in the works, with the latter releasing in Japan sometime this summer. These games, along with other upcoming ones, will definitely give Nintendo a boost in software sales and help move consoles.

In addition, Dragon Quest X: Waking of the Five Tribes Online was reported to have a Japanese release date set for August 2. No release date for other regions has been announced yet. The title marks a first for the Dragon Quest franchise: never before has an MMORPG entry in the series been released. A Wii U version will follow, although at this time there is no information on it available.

Dragon Quest X is set to sell for 6,980 yen ($86), and a separate version will also be available that includes a USB flash drive for 8,980 yen ($110). A flash drive is required to play the game.

Although details are scarce, these big games look to get Nintendo out of the red this coming year and hopefully help the company reach its $245 million goal. Stay tuned at Toonari Post for more details.

Image Courtesy of   Barone Firenze / Shutterstock.com

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The ‘Tales of’ series is considered one of the three RPG giants in Japan, along with Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Here in the States and Europe, though, it is a different story. Some may remember ‘Tales of Symphonia’ for the Gamecube, the most hyped ‘Tales of’ game this side of the earth, but other than that, there has been little else.

Few of the games have been translated, and many of those that have suffer either from bad localization or bad voice acting. ‘Tales of the Abyss 3DS’ does not have these problems. Instead, its main problem is the fact that it is six years old, having been released for the PS2 both in Japan and America, and this version is less of an update, than a simple port.

While parts of it may seem stale, on the whole, it is a fulfilling journey. Luckily, nothing that was present in the older version has been cut for this one, not even voice acting. The gameplay is that of a typical Japanese RPG, with a world map to explore. There are no random battles here; enemies are visible on the screen, and the player can avoid battles if they wish (or are fast enough to avoid contact).

Battles, though, are where the game really shines. The player and three other AI-controlled players move around in real time on a 3D battlefield. Although the player can issue them commands if they want, the AI is good enough that players need not focus their attention on what others are doing all the time.

Those that were frustrated in ‘Tales of Symphonia’, because they had to stay in a straight line and were not free to roam the battlefield, will find comfort here. At the press of a button, players can run around any which way they want in the area. Attacks and blocks are controlled by the face buttons.

The graphics have suffered a bit in the transition from PS2 to 3DS. The world map, which looked bad enough on the television, is even worse now, and characters and environments are jagged. The game also was clearly not meant for the 3DS, as the 3D feature seems more distracting than anything else while playing.

The story is what one would expect from a ‘Tales of’ game. It is formulaic, and at times silly, with some plot twists being obvious way before they are revealed, but it is enough to keep the player interested. Spoiled brat Luke Fon Fabre, a young man who suffers from the ultimate cliché, amnesia, finds himself outside the comforts of his aristocratic household with a mysterious woman. Along the way, others join the party as they begin to realize they are the only ones who can save the world.

Overall, the game is fun, but with over 45 hours of main story gameplay, it drags a lot. If you have played the original PS2 version, you may want to stay away, as there is nothing new to entice a buy.  If you have not, give it a try, but be warned it is dated in some areas.

8/10

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