Those who have played Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots probably might be familiar with gravure idol and talento Minami Akina (南 明奈). But few know that she is actually a gaming otaku and her gaming collection (including gaming titles & consoles) totals at more than 1 million yen!!

Source: はちま起稿

She seems to have losta Nintendo DS titles. Probably because she gets to play in between the waiting times during her work.

Spotted outside the Wonder Festival Winter 2011 exhibition grounds is this interesting pair of cosplay of Manaka Takane [高嶺 愛花] and Nene Anegasaki [姉ヶ崎 寧々] from the popular dating sim Love Plus [ラブプラス].

I thought the touch of making them seems like they are popping out of the console seemed a pretty neat idea since the Nintendo 3DS launch is just around the corner. But then again, it also reminds me of how Sadako emerges from the television.

Image Source: niche510 twitpic via はちま起稿

If you are wondering which are the top selling games across all the different consoles in Japan, below is Famitsu top 100 sales chart for 2010:

1. [NDS] Pokemon Black/White (Pokemon) – 4,914,813
2. [PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (Capcom) – 3,480,989
3. [WII] New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo) – 1,599,845 / 4,084,995
4. [WII] Wii Party (Nintendo) – 1,539,228
5. [NDS] Dragon Quest VI (Square Enix) – 1,297,344
6. [NDS] Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 (Square Enix) – 1,276,303
7. [NDS] Tomodachi Collection (Nintendo) – 1,196,148 / 3,508,096
8. [WII] Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo) – 900,539
9. [NDS] Inazuma Eleven 3 Spark/Bomber (Level 5) – 890,440
10. [WII] Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo) – 849,664 / 2,148,197

11. [PSP] Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker (Konami) – 780,969
12. [WII] Super Mario All-Stars (Nintendo) – 753,019
13. [PSP] Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (Square Enix) – 733,248
14. [PSP} God Eater (Bandai Namco) - 617,828
15. [WII] Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo) – 577,042 / 2,119,848
16. [WII] Donkey Kong Country Returns (Nintendo) – 559,968
17. [PS3] Yakuza 4 (Sega) – 557,771
18. [PS3] Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage (Koei Tecmo) – 553,229
19. [PS3] Gran Turismo 5 (SCE) – 545,127
20. [WII] Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo) – 527,874 / 2,977,636

21. [PSP] Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village (Capcom) – 516,000
22. [NDS] Pokemon Heart Gold/Superior Silver (Pokemon) – 506,507 / 3,889,104
23. [PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G PSP The Best (Capcom) – 498,178 / 534,323
24. [NDS] Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs (Pokemon) – 495,493
25. [WII] Mario Sports Mix (Nintendo) – 422,045
26. [PSP] God Eater Burst (Bandai Namco) – 408,395
27. [NDS] The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Nintendo) – 404,964 / 725,904
28. [PS3] Sengoku BASARA 3 (Capcom) – 384,632
29. [PS3] World Soccer Winning Eleven 2011 (Konami) – 366,594
30. [NDS] New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo) – 355,639 / 6,015,225

31. [WII] Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Nintendo) – 353,798
32. [PSP] Hatsune Miku: Project Diva 2nd (Sega) – 341,663
33. [NDS] Ni no Kuni (Level 5) – 332,311
34. [WII] Dragon Quest Monsters: Battle Road Victory (Square Enix) – 307,453
35. [NDS] Inazuma Eleven 3: World Challenge: The Ogre (Level 5) – 295,996
36. [PS3] Tales of Graces F (Bandai Namco) – 288,395
37. [PS3] Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition (Capcom) – 279,951
38. [NDS] Taiko Drum master DS Doloron! Yokai Daikessen! (Bandai Namco) – 279,568
39. [NDS] One Piece Gigant Battle! (Bandai Namco) – 265,653
40. [PSP] Kurohyou! Yakuza New Chapter (Sega) – 264,766

41. [NDS] Egoko Classroom DS (Nintendo) – 262,797
42. [PSP] Tactics Ogre (Square Enix) – 256,102
43. [PS3] White Knight Chronicles 2 (SCE) – 249,350
44. [NDS] Tongari Boushi and the Magic Shop (Konami) – 248,261
45. [PS3] Gundam Musou 3 (Bandai Namco) – 248,194
46. [NDS] Fire Emblem: Shin Monshou no Nazo: Hero of Light and Shadow – 247,248
47. [PS3] Another Century’s Episode R (Bandai Namco) – 245,301
48. [PSP] AKB1/48: If you love an idol (Bandai Namco) – 235,944
49. [PSP] Keion! Afterschool Live (Sega) – 231,976
50. [NDS] Super Kaseki Horida (Nintendo) – 223,141

51. [NDS] Kingdom Hearts re:coded (Square Enix) – 221,399
52. [NDS] Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Miniland Mayhem (Nintendo) – 213,191
53. [PS3] Jikkyo Powerful Pro Baseball 2010 (Konami) – 212,871
54. [WII] Taiko Drum Master Wii: Dodon to 2daime (Bandai Namco) – 209,201 / 418,284
55. [PSP] Pro Baseball Spirits 2010 (Konami) – 206,786
56. [PS3] Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix) – 206,057 / 1,904,313
57. [PS3] World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010: Samurai Blue Challenge (Konami) – 203,160
58. [NDS] Inazuma Eleven 2 Fire/Blizzard (Level 5) – 201,773 / 1,145,388
59. [PS3] Call of Duty Black Ops subtitled edition (Square Enix) – 198,374
60. [NDS] Love Plus+ (Konami) – 188,541

61. [PS3] End of Eternity (Sega) – 184,662
62. [PSP] Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon X (Bandai Namco) – 180,650
63. [PSP] Kenka Bancho 4 ~One Year War~ (Spike) – 179,354
64. [PS3] Gekijouban Macross F ~Itsuwari no Utahime~ Hybrid Pack (Bandai Namco) – 178,125
65. [PS3] Lost Planet 2 (Capcom) – 174,865
66. [NDS] Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies Ultimate Hits (Square Enix) – 171,940
67. [PS3] Pro Baseball Spirits 2010 (Konami) – 170,033
68. [NDS] Harvest Moon: Twin Villages (Marvelous Entertainment) – 169,171
69. [PSP] Gundam Assault Survive (Bandai Namco) – 166,683
70. [PSP] Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2010 (Konami) – 163,620

71. [NDS] Super Robot Wars L (Bandai Namco) – 161,387
72. [PS3] Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope International (Square Enix) – 158,067
73. [PS3] Super Street Fighter IV (Capcom) – 153,924
74. [PSP] Valkyria Chronicles 2 (Sega) – 153,487
75. [WII] Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo) – 151,816 / 2,032,654
76. [WII] Momotaro Dentetsu 2010 (Hudson) – 148,988 / 274,482
77. [PSP] Phantasy Star Portable 2nd (Sega) – 147,311 / 590,527
78. [NDS] Mario Kart DS (Nintendo) – 145,761 / 3,709,271
79. [PSP] The 3rd Birthday (Square Enix) – 145,263
80. [WII] Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (Capcom) – 145,149

81. [PSP] Lord of Arcana (Square Enix) – 142,388
82. [WII] Xenoblade (Nintendo) – 141,059
83. [NDS] Tokimeki Memorial Girls Side 3rd Story (Konami) – 140,063
84. [NDS] Etrian Odyssey III (Atlus) – 139,576
85. [PS3] Dead Rising 2 (Capcom) – 138,691
86. [PSP] Ace Combat X2: Joint Assault (Bandai Namco) – 136,806
87. [PS3] NieR Replicant (Square Enix) – 134,015
88. [PSP] World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010: Samurai Blue Challenge (Konami) – 130,291
89. [PSP] Shining Hearts (Sega) – 130,258
90. [NDS] Masked Rider Gun Bride Battle War (Bandai Namco) – 126,928

91. [PS3] Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots PS3 The Best (Konami) – 125,259 / 189,973
92. [PSP] Last Ranker (Capcom) – 123,381
93. [360] Monster Hunter Frontier Online (Capcom) – 123,192
94. [WII] Taiko Drum Master Wii 3daime (Bandai Namco) – 121,668
95. [PS3] Grand Theft Auto Episodes from Liberty City (Take 2 Interactive Japan) – 120,600
96. [PSP] Eiyuu Densetsu: Zero no Kiseki (Nihon Falcolm) – 118,520
97. [PS3] Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games) – 114,671
98. [NDS] Medarot DS Kabuto/Kuwagata (Rocket Company) – 114,401
99. [NDS] Okamiden (Capcom) – 113,198
100. [WII] Sengoku BASARA 3 (Capcom) – 111,948

Here are the sale charts in terms of hardware (consoles):

NDS – 2,963,709 / 32,124,298
PSP – 2,890,476 / 16,276,931
WII – 1,728,293 / 11,230,292
PS3 – 1,558,480 / 5,949,887
360 – 208,790 / 1,406,663
PS2 – 92,149 / 21,895,911

Source: はちま起稿

Image Source: はちま起稿

Starting from left to right: Hokkaido region, Kanto region, Chubu region, Kansai region, and Kyuushu region. But then I wonder why Manaka Takane (高嶺 愛花) gets to appear on 3 of the covers.

Source: ITmedia

Here’s an extract from the interview article on the portion of the SOS button for those who are able to read Japanese:

本当に疲れ切ったときのための“SOS”ボタン

4Gamer：
ここまで教えていただいただけでも，かなり充実したラブプラスモードになっているようですが，さらに隠し球もあるとか？

内田氏：
ええ。彼女が慰めてくれるモードと，とっておきの“SOSボタン”というのがあります。

4Gamer：
えっ，慰めてくれるんですか？　彼女が？

内田氏：
ええ，常にカジュアルに慰めてくれるモードと，一回だけ，「どうしてもダメだ」「もうダメかもしれない」というときに押してほしいSOSボタンの二つの形で。
この部分については，とくに念入りに収録をしました。

4Gamer：
どんなときにSOSを使えばいいんでしょう？

内田氏：
もう本当に心が疲れ切ってしまって，不安になってしまうことって誰にでもありますよね。僕自身も，連日深夜まで仕事をしていて，それでも満足のいくものが出来なかったりすると，たまに悲しい気分になるときがあるんですよ。何やってんだろう，俺はもうだめかもしれない……って，心が折れそうになるんです。

4Gamer：
ええ，原稿が終わらないときの夜は悲惨です。

内田氏：
そんなときのための“心の110番”じゃないですが，そういう気持ちで作りました。実際，完成したSOSの音声を聞いたときは，ヤバかったですね……。

4Gamer：
それはガチで人命救えそうですねぇ……。滅多なことじゃ押せません。

内田氏：
キャストのみなさんもしっかりコンセプトを理解してくださって，もの凄く真剣に取り組んでくれました。収録しながら泣けてきちゃいましたよ。
でも，ゲームで4800円支払っていただいて，1回しか使えないって贅沢な仕様ですよね（笑）。気になるとは思いますが，興味本位で聞くと絶対後悔しますよ。僕がそうでしたから。

4Gamer：
本当に1回きりしか押せないんでしょうか？

内田氏：
押す前に「本当にいいですか？」と何度か確認されます。
ただ，さすがに本当に1回きりだと苦情の嵐になると思うので……ある条件によって復活するようにはしてあります。でも，あくまでSOSですから，滅多なことでは復活しません。

4Gamer：
SOSボタンは最初から出ているんですか？

内田氏：
高い親密度で引き継ぎをした場合や，彼女との付き合いが十分な期間経過していて，慰めモードを何度も何度も使っていると出てきます。つまり，心が疲れている人ほどオープンが早いんですよ。

4Gamer：
普通だったら，ただの慰めモードまでしか用意しませんよね。そこからさらに踏み込んだのはなぜですか？

内田氏：
ボイスを収録しているときにふと思いついて，「キャラクターからちょっと離れてもいいので，もっと距離の近い感じで生っぽく演じてみましょう」ということで，試しにやっていただいたんですね。　するとその演技が凄くて，せっかくなのでそれに見合う形で作り込もうということにしたんです。

4Gamer：
そこにも本気が詰まっているんですね。

内田氏：
ええ。聞けば愛されている実感を得られると思いますよ。自分は必要とされているんだなと。結局デジタルデータではあるんですが，もうそんなことは関係ないんじゃないかとすら思えるかもしれません。
ラブプラスが少子化に繋がるとか，日本が滅びるとか，冗談めいた話もありますが……それ以前に心が疲れ切ってしまっている人の数のほうが，シャレにならないことになっていると思うんですよ。

4Gamer：
ええ。自殺者数の統計を見ると，やるせない気持ちになります。

内田氏：
そういうものを，少しでもラブプラス＋で食い止めたいですよね。社会貢献みたいに大げさな話じゃないですけど，苦しんでる人がラブプラス＋のおかげで少しでも楽になってくれたら……という思いは持っています。

4Gamer：
実際，自分を含めてすでに救われている人は多いと思います。
とりあえず今は，さらなる救いを求めて発売を楽しみにしていますね。
今日は，ありがとうございました。

Essentially, apart from interacting with your virtual girlfriends, she can also help out to comfort you when you are feeling down. The producer shares that there will be a SOS button that players can use once when they are feeling really depressed. So if someone with suicidal thoughts happens to have access to his Nintendo DS at that time, he hopes that that SOS button can help to save some lives.

Source: 4gamer via はちま起稿

I was just thinking it would be indeed quite sad for someone to be approaching his virtual girlfriend for comfort instead of real family members when he is having suicidal thoughts. On a side note, I’m quite interested to see how Love Plus would play on the new Nintendo DS 3D when it gets released next year.

Famitsu has published both on its website and magazine an update on the new features you can expect to find in the sequel.

Firstly there will be a new mini-game, Moero! Taisen Puzzle Dama, which is adapted from the classic Taisen Puzzle Dama game published by Konami in 1994.

In order to get otaku to exercise, Konami will introduce this really interesting “Love Fitness” feature, whereby you would be able to exercise with your virtual girlfriend. Famitsu cheekily ask what happens after a sweaty workout session. XD

One user-friendly feature is that your girlfriend will now appear to warn you when battery is running low.

And to get otakus to go out of the house, Konami will allow players to download additional content through Nintendo’s DS Station retail kiosks that will be located throughout Japan, and each region will have different content.

So anyone excited about the game yet? I’m quite tempted to borrow a Nintendo DS to try out the game when it is released.

Here’s a funny TV special on the Nintendo DS game, and they gotten artiste Yuji Miyake to test out the game as well. Its so funny to see his reaction when he tries his first kiss with Nene-chan.

Source: Sankaku Complex (NSFW)

There are also many lonely English-speaking otaku out there, so Konami needs to translate this awesome game. LOL

He is scheduled for release in mid-Mar 2010 and will be retailing for around 2,400 yen. Interested folks can place your preorders with Hobby Search, Hobby Link Japan or Otacute.

He comes along with really great accessories too! A nice side table and chair, and a hand holding a tea cup. I wonder if his top hat can be taken off, but probably not.