If you’re wondering why there hasn’t been a new post in a while it’s because I’ve been in Osaka on a business trip all week. While I was there I found time to check out the games shops in Den Den Town, which is Osaka’s version of Akihabara – a Mecca for retro game fans.
I picked up a few bargains, which was cool, but what I was really hoping to see was something, anything, to do with Captain Rainbow. You see, many of Japan’s game stores heavily promote upcoming games weeks before they’re released so you’ll find flyers, posters, videos… All kinds of stuff to promote the title. Some shops even go the extra mile and create their own displays for games they are personally interested in. Some titles are promoted several months in advance. For example, one store I went in had a large poster that looked like the page of a newspaper, announcing that Sega is working on Yakuza 3.
So what are Japan’s game stores doing to promote Captain Rainbow, a first-party published Nintendo title? Absolutely nothing. I saw no displays of any kind, no posters, no flyers, no pre-order facilities. All I managed to see was a 3-page preview in this week’s Weekly Famitsu.
Is this a bad omen? Possibly. I’m sure the game will be great regardless but I’m a bit concerned about whether it will sell or not, particularly since the chances of a Western localisation could hinge on the game’s domestic performance.
That’s pretty depressing. It’s only about 2 weeks away from release, if I’m not mistaken? Pull it together, Nintendo!
Hope you enjoyed your trip. I’ve got to go to Japan on “business” more often.