Japan Review Check: Fist of the North Star, Black Ops 2

Here is a recap of the most interesting games coming out soon in Japan, courtesy of the reviews section in the latest issue of Famitsu magazine.

There are still no sign of Famitsu's reviews of Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U, oddly enough. However, they did review a couple new Wii U titles, including The Family Party, the Japanese version of D3 Publisher's budget title Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade. The result: Not exactly stellar. The game earned scores of 6, 6, 5, and 4 for a total of 21 points out of 40, one of the lowest aggregate scores Famitsu has given out in a while.

"All the minigames are rough and you gradually get more and more frustrated as you play them," one editor wrote. "It feels like they were forcing themselves to use the Wii U GamePad here, so even with the price in mind, it's hard to say much good here. I appreciate getting all these games into one set, but I wish some of them were more complete games." Who says that Famitsu doesn't bash bad games?

Other highlights include:

- Shin Hokuto Musou (9/9/9/10, 37 points): The sequel to the game titled Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage in the US gets great marks, in part because it feels more like the Omega Force Warriors games that inspired this title in the first place.

"The action in the previous game was blunt and heavy," as one editor put it, "but this game is much more about the exhilarating feeling you expect from the Warriors games. I like the 'phantom battles' section that presents new what-if plotlines; it's nice that we aren't just following the original story any longer. The controls are good, the difficulty selectable, and I think gamers of all walks of life can enjoy this."

"The additional dodge and dash moves make it easier to avoid enemy attack, really upping the pace on the game," added another reviewer. "It's a shame that it's still pretty hard to keep track of your character when near a wall."

- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (9/9/10/9, 37 points): The Wii U version of this game, complete with full Japanese voice track, is the top-rated FPS for the system so far over there. "The graphics are great and really put you on the battlefield," Famitsu wrote. "The story, which jumps between the past and future, is deep and brilliant, and since the voices are in Japanese you can concentrate on the visuals and the game here. The Wii U GamePad controls work well, but I would have liked something that used the touchscreen or the Wii U's other unique features a bit more."

"I get the impression the framerate drops a bit compared to other consoles," another editor pointed out. "Still, there are a lot of merits to this version: the Wii U GamePad lets you play further away from the system, and you can do multiplayer with two screens. I think it's a good choice for people trying out their first FPS after purchasing a Wii U."