Here's a quick update for Namco Bandai and its third quarter financial results: overall profits jumped by 112%, all because of several PS2 titles as well as handheld games Tekken: Dark Resurrection (0.84 million PSP copies sold) and Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 (0.79 million DS copies sold).

If you want to know, the best selling game was Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 for the PS2 (1.03 million copies sold). We're pretty sure the company is celebrating right now. And just to give you an idea how well it performed, here's a breakdown of the results:

• For the three month period, revenues were ¥ 330.52 billion (US$ 2.77 billion) up 96 percent on the same period in 2005.
• Profit rose by 112.3% to ¥ 19.89 billion (US$ 166.6 million).
• The newly merged company's home video games business saw sales rise by 95%, from ¥ 43.22 billion (US$ 362.1 million) to ¥ 100.22 billion (US$ 839.3 million).
• Operating profit (net profit data was not revealed per division) rose by 77 % from ¥ 7.73 billion (US$ 64.7 million) to ¥ 9.58 billion (US$ 80.2 million).

Well, an raise in profit increase doesn't always translate to better games in the future, but we can always hope. There's really nothing much to say right now except "Kudos to Namco Bandai and with all that money, we hope you don't forget about your fans."

Pretty much everybody knows the drill when it comes to Tamagotchi. You feed 'em, take care of 'em, and then they laugh at you and die. OK, it doesn't really happen that way (not all the time, anyway). This blogger's just bitter because he never could get the hang of those egg-like things.

Anyway, on to more Tamagotchi news. Atari today announced the forthcoming European release of Namco Bandai's Tamagotchi Connexion: Corner Shop 2. Based on the wildly popular Tamagotchi Connexion virtual pet toy, aspiring shop keepers can open a variety of shops in which they tend to their Tamagotchi customers’ needs by successfully completing tasks in a variety of playful mini-games.

If you missed the little critters from the first Corner Shop game, fear not because Mametchi, Memetchi, and Kuchipatchi return in this sequel to help players create a shopping fantasy land populated by more than 100 different Tamagotchi. Catering to the needs of your customers will be essential in keeping the Tamagotchi happy in Tamagotchi Connexion: Corner Shop 2, so players will have to really hustle to grab what Gotchi points they can to keep their Tamagotchi overlords happy.

The European Tamagotchi invasion commences in March 2007.

We're just giving you DS dudes out there a gentle reminder that Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 is shipping tomorrow. For those who haven't the foggiest about what this game's all about, here's a short introduction. The game's set in a world inhabited by 100 different tamagotchi, with the player having the choice of one of 12 different shops to run, and earn up "gotchi" points to upgrade your shops with new gear.

Tamagotchi's come a long way since this author can remember. We remember its earliest incarnation as an odd-looking keychain that every user had to attend to like a real pet, and this author's sister in particular made the mistake of giving her beloved "Pet" a nice hot bath...wait...that's not an in-game option.

Well, glasses of water and "dead" pets aside, we've also enclosed one last set of screenshots for this game. Here's one for the road, guys.

Those looking forward to playing with their Tamagotchi pals will be pleased to know that the Namco Bandai title Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 has achieved gold status. For the uninitiated, this means that the game is now in its final version and is all geared up and ready for its November 14 launch.

With over 100 different tamagotchi inhabiting the world of Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2, players will surely have a blast as they choose from 12 unique shops that they can run and grow. Wow your customers with mega-astounding service and top-notch goods and you just might be able to impress the princess and get store upgrades as rewards.

In the game, players can also use the "gotchi points" they have earned in the store to buy new rugs, wallpapers, food, and other fun items that'll help keep smiles plastered onto your Tamagotchi partners' faces. With Nintendo's Wi-Fi connection, players can also trade cards, items, and screenshots as well as send their friends gifts.

Now, to celebrate Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2's golden achievement, here are some new screenshots of the game.

For those out there who just can't resist cute things, then we've got a little treat for you as Namco Bandai has just released a new gameplay video for their upcoming DS title, Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2! We've featured the carwash before, so this time what we've got would be all about sugar and spice and everything nice. We're talking about cakes.

In Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2, the goal of the player will be to open a business with their Tamagotchi pet at various locations. Many types of businesses and professions are available, such as running a sushi bar, a burger shop, a flower shop or a concert hall. In our video here, we've got a cake shop where you have to bake the cake that your customer has requested and then make it nice enough so that the customers will pay you, and perhaps come back to make another purchase.

The money that you earn can of course be used for either outfitting your shop with new equipment and accessories or for getting your pet things that are just as nice.

This game will be available by November 14 which is a mere few weeks away, so watch out for it! In the meantime, go on and watch the video and start practicing those baking skills.

Download: [Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 baking video]
Pre-order: [Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2]

Enterbrain, the publishers of popular Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, has revealed the best selling games in Japan this year and guess what format they play on? That's right: DS. DS has sold the most consoles in the first half of the fiscal year, which runs from March 27 to September 24. Mario was one of the original adventure platformers and is a big seller just about everywhere, and during the first half of the fiscal year, New Super Mario Bros. for the DS managed to sell 3.09 million units!

The Japanese weren't satisfied with just one DS title, though. The popular Brain Age sequel, Motto Nou wo Kitaeru took second place, with 1.53 million copies sold in the given period. DS titles didn't take up the whole list though, with a PS2 game, Winning Eleven 10, selling 1.04 million units.

Then it goes straight back to DS titles, with the original Brain Age at number four selling 900,000 units, followed by Animal Crossing DS (870,000), Tetris DS (840,000), Final Fantasy III(730,000), the English language training program Eigo Zuke (670,000), the digital cookbook Shaberu DS Rori Navi (500,000), and Tamagotchi Puchi Puchi Omisecchi(500,000 units).

With three DS titles nominated for Game Of the Year in the Golden Joystick awards as well, it appears that 2006 is shaping up to be the year of the DS. But the release of PS3 and Wii in November should shake things up a little before Christmas. I wonder if New Super Mario Bros can hold onto the number one spot during this period? What do you think? Ssound off your comments!

 

The famous Tamagotchi virtual pet system was all the rage a few years ago, being the first virtual pet to feature some great black and white LCD animations and the ability to feed, play with, nurse and manage your pet in just about every way possible. It provided fun for both children and adults alike but suffered a slow decline in sales due to the rise of computers and other handheld devices. Now the Tamagotchi is set to make a comeback, going head to head with the leader of the virtual pet genre, Nintendogs on the DS with Tamagotchi Connection Corner Shop 2.

Tamagotchi Connection Corner Shop 2 is a cartoon-like title that won't follow the usual strategies of its predecessors, and will instead focus on opening speciality shops where the gamer can develop their businesses (using their loyal Tamagotchi pet of course) by serving customers needs through a series of small but fun mini games. How would you like to own your very own Tama-car wash? Well now you can with Tamagotchi Connection Corner Shop 2.

The carwash animations and the small Tamagotchi pets make you feel at home no matter where you are and the friendly Japanese nursery rhymes that they appear to be playing in the background just add to that 'nice' atmosphere of the game. This trailer shows the full dual-screen functionality, with one of the first DS games we have seen to use the 2 screens together as one screen; almost as if there isn't a separation between the two. We've been waiting for this game since June 2005 and we just hope it's worth the wait when it is released this November.

Go window shopping with these newly released screens of Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2, courtesy of Namco Bandai.

Now here's something that Paris Hilton and her prissy friends wouldn't probably enjoy playing, because instead of them shopping, they'll be playing the role of shopkeeper and stand on the opposite side of the counter. In the game, players will work in different mall stores to tend to customers' needs, with the help of their favorite Tamagotchi pets.

As a sequel to the earlier released title of the same name, Corner Shop 2 will feature all-new shops like the Bowling Alley and Sushi Bar, but will also feature your old favorites like the Flower Shop and Concert Hall.

Get to stack cheeseburgers, load wasabi onto pieces of sushi, and hand tailor gym bags with pink ribbons, and more, as you work your way through the game. However, remember that in order to gain "Gotchi Points," you'd have to tend to your customers well...thus, no spitting on the cheeseburgers and no boogers in the sushi, alright?

And as a reward for being a good shopkeeper, the Gotchi points you earn can be used to buy new outfits, stereo systems, etc. for your Tamagotchi partner. Players can also connect to their friends via wireless to trade items, give gifts, or send each other screenshots and notes. Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 will be released for the DS this winter. While waiting in cue, why don't you check out these screenshots we have for you and let them remind you of a world of pink puppies and butterflies and everything nice.

More screens await after the jump!

In the latest Japanese sales charts that Media Create has compiled which are dated from August 28 to September 3, the Nintendo DS Lite has come out at the top, thanks to the release of its black version in Japan. It has sold a whopping eight times more than its close competitor, the Sony PSP. This is a huge thing since the number of units sold last week have almost doubled.

The number of PS2 units sold include both the "original" and the "slim" types, while the numbers in parenthesis are the total number of units that have been sold since the release of that particular title or console.

Hardware

• Nintendo DS Lite - 228,939 (4,196,826)
• PlayStation Portable - 27,499 (3,939,299)
• PlayStation 2 - 22,703 (19,684,767)
• Game Boy Advance SP - 2,751 (5,884,378)
• Game Boy Micro - 1,791 (535,040)
• Xbox 360 - 1,250 (140,493)
• GameCube - 855 (4,157,561)
• Nintendo DS - 320 (6,577,480)
• Game Boy Advance - 22 (8,822,676)
• Xbox - 0 (475,522)

DS Total - 10,774,306
GBA Total - 15,242,094

Moving on to the games themselves, the sales for Final Fantasy III have dropped, not because people didn't want it anymore (it DID completely sell out on its release day, afterall), but because at the moment, the limelight is shining on a non-Nintendo game, Phantasy Star. Ninty fans can still breathe easy, though, since the top ten is till dominated by Nintendo games.

Software

• PS2 - Phantasy Star Universe - Sega - 120,202 (NEW)
• NDS - New Super Mario Bros. - Nintendo - 72,763 (2,974,027)
• NDS - Brain Age 2 - Nintendo - 46,662 (3,119,857)
• NDS - Final Fantasy III - Square Enix - 45,949 (549,001)
• NDS - Freshly Picked Tingle's Rose Colored Rupee Land - Nintendo - 45,496 (NEW)
• NDS - Cooking Navi - Nintendo - 35,689 (419,733)
• NDS - Mario Hoops 3 on 3 - Square Enix - 34,001 (267,763)
• NDS - Animal Crossing: Wild World - Nintendo - 32,605 (3,181,735)
• GBA - Rythm Tengoku - Nintendo - 28,361 (123,432)
• NDS - Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 - Namco Bandai - 27,540 (458,474)

From August 21 to 27, the Nintendo DS dominated MediaCreate's Japan game console sales chart moving 163,274 units within a week. This brings the total DS Lite units sold to almost 4 million. PSP is a distant second (21, 829) while the Xbox 360 was at No. 6 (1,197). The "other" DS sold 410 units putting it at No. 8.

On the games title chart, Final Fantasy III for DS went straight to the top on its first week of release selling more than half a million copies. The only other new release, Rune Factory, landed at No. 3 with 42,210 copies sold. All games in the Top Ten are DS titles.

Note: The number in parenthesis is the total units sold since the system/game was originally released.

Game Consoles:

1. Nintendo DS Lite - 163,274 (3,967,887)
2. PlayStation Portable - 29,945 (3,911,800)
3. PlayStation 2 - 21,829 (19,662,064)
4. Game Boy Advance SP - 2,719 (5,881,627)
5. Game Boy Micro - 1,819 (533,249)
6. Xbox 360 - 1,197 (139,243)
7. GameCube - 837 (4,156,706)
8. Nintendo DS - 410 (6,577,160)
9. Game Boy Advance - 14 (8,822,654)
10. Xbox - 12 (475,522)

Game Titles:

1. Final Fantasy III - 503,051 (NEW)
2. NEW Super Mario Bros. - 65,556 (2,901,264)
3. Rune Factory -  42,210 (NEW)
4. Brain Age 2  -  41,784 (3,073,195)
5. Cooking Navi - 37,326 (384,045)
6. Tamagotchi 2 - 30,504 (430,934)
7. Mario Basketball 3-on-3 - 30,355 (233,762)
8. Animal Crossing Wild World - 30,023 (3,149,130)
9. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day - 22,866 (2,736,150)
10. English Training - 17,465 (1,401,669)