Famitsu surveys Japan; topnotchers of 2007 receive honors

Famitsu sent questionnaires out to gamers and retailers in Japan to let them be heard, and decide which developers, video games, and industry figures did exceptionally well in 2007. Find the results at the full article.

Famitsu sent out questionnaires to let 263 gamers and 63 stores sum up how the gaming industry was in Japan this 2007, and the results are interesting to say the least. Nintendo unsurprisingly took most top honors, but Monster Hunter Freedom 2 managed to snag one for Capcom.

Nintendo Company Ltd. finished strong as the best developer of 2007, while Capcom entered second place, and Square Enix came at third. Sony made it to the fourth spot, followed by Level-5. Retailers gave credit to Nintendo Wii, which got several million-seller titles of shelves and earned the platform holder its place on top.

Even when it comes to the question of which hardware stood out in 2007, Ninty dominated with its console and handheld. Users pushed the Wii to the top because of its innovative controls, while sellers voted the Nintendo DS for its hot selling streak.

Among game industry figures, Shigeru Miyamoto was crowned as 2007’s best. Gamers and sellers point at him as the man behind the DS and Wii’s success. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata is the next best man according to users, but for stores, Mistwalker’s Hironobu Sakaguchi is just next to Miyamoto. Level-5 President Akihiro Hino got plenty of votes too, which is probably the product of adventure puzzle game series Professor Layton‘s huge success.

When gamers were asked which game engrossed them the most, Nintendo’s Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii barely bested Capcom’s PSP title Monster Hunter Freedom 2. Retailers favored Capcom’s PSP game as the best in terms of defying expectations, since it broke one million in sales and was the first for Sony’s handheld to do so.

Aside from Wii Fit and Super Mario Galaxy, Japan’s favorites for this year consist mostly of games for the DS and PSP. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII were third and fourth most engrossing games, while Professor Layton undoubtedly brought Level-5 fame after being second on the list of games that surpassed expectations.

Furthermore, the participants of Famitsu’s survey chose the kanji or Chinese character “Nin” of Nintendo to represent 2007. Kanji of “revolution,” “exercise,” “port,” and “hunt” filled the rest of the list. “Port” referring to the ports we’ve seen this year, of course. “Hunt” represents the Monster Hunter craze.

Via 1UP