Afrika just can't wait to be almost king

by Alan Tsang { Sep 4th 2008 at 10:00PM }

Who would have thought? The quirky wild-animal-photography title Afrika is the runner-up for this week's Media Create Japanese sales charts, courtesy of Famitsu. It was beaten by a DS title called Rhythm Tengoku Gold, but Afrika still managed to sell a healthy 38,000 copies. The retail price for the title isn't cheap either, at 5,980 yen (about $56 USD), though many places are selling it for less.

Considering its niche nature, Afrika finishing #2 on the Japanese sales chart is a mightly impressive feat. We know there won't be a European release, but let's all cross our fingers for a US one, okay?

Gallery: Afrika

Tags: afrika, hakuna-matata

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Kspraydad @ Sep 4th 2008 10:33PM

Wow ... 56 dollars? I thought this was a $15 PSN type game...

Skyflur @ Sep 4th 2008 11:04PM

Since when has a PSN game looked like that? And sold for 15$ for that matter.

Kspraydad @ Sep 4th 2008 11:13PM

Quest for Booty?

I picked 15 as a mid point between 10 and 20 dollar value...I did not realize that they intended for this game to compete with the Resistance's and Killzones of the world.

Skyflur @ Sep 4th 2008 11:18PM

Quest for Booty

It uses the same engine as Tools of Destruction with some new lighting and environmental effects. It's also a 5-6 hour game.

Yea, it's a complete standalone game, just look at the graphics, it's basically Pokemon snap for adults.

wocyob @ Sep 5th 2008 12:04AM

hmm yea i thought this game would be a cheap psn game around 15-20 bucks but $56 or so bucks in my book is not worth it

i WAS kind of looking forward for this game cuz i love taken pictures but now im REALLY have to think about it now

guess ill wait for awhile when its super cheap

Skyflur @ Sep 4th 2008 11:09PM

"Jap" is sometimes known to be an ethnic slur, just letting you know. Oh and Afrika the game, eh I still can't see paying 60$ to play safari, I guess it would be the cheapest alternative to actually going to an african country.

Steve @ Sep 5th 2008 12:04AM

I guess I'm in the minority, but I really want this game. I'll have to get the JP version if it isn't annouced for the US market soon.

Eric E @ Sep 5th 2008 10:13AM

I want it too, but for my GF. It Doesn't sound cool, But Pokemon snap was fun.
My GF is really into Photography and i just got her the Sony Alpha 200 Which hopefully is in the game (or similar 300, 350 models)
She can't get some good practice, I just wish i knew if you actually had to learn about cameras and adjust aperture, F-Stop or whatever. I think it would be a good learning tool.

Dru @ Sep 5th 2008 12:05AM

Sony, you need to localize this game for Europe or NA in english so those that want it can import.

The1stMJC @ Sep 5th 2008 12:55AM

As someone who suffers from insomnia I can't wait for this to come it America. Finally a drug free cure.

Daniel @ Sep 5th 2008 1:27AM

I want this game so bad. I'm so sick of all the same old games all the time. PSN has a lot of "different" games but most of those get old quick. I think this being a full game would last a lot longer. It's visually stunning and from what I've heard works very well and is very fun. I would love to own this game but I don't want to buy the JP version because the game is mostly text based and it's all in a language I cannot read LOL

An english version would be awesome! I'm hoping and dreaming!

favian @ Sep 5th 2008 8:58AM

i really want that game. and i'm not saying that because i love every game trailer that gets released. i watched the long trailer on the japanese psn network, and the concept is amazing, and the replay value looks to be worth the price of admission. ps3 gets a lot of credit for the genre experimentation that 360 lacks. bring it to the states.

Adjsteam @ Sep 5th 2008 2:03AM

an english version is coming this november and the european release will come out under the name of "hakuna matata"

Kxpuc @ Sep 5th 2008 2:38AM

it was also sold on a half week so that's not even a full week worth of sales, it could have been #1

DiggerDaniels @ Sep 5th 2008 2:42AM

"but let's all cross our fingers for a US one, okay?"

It's not getting a western release for one simple reason. The fact it's a quirky Japanese title, with niche appeal means it will get ripped apart by American FPS/Xbox living review sites.

I Mean you only have to look at some of IGN's oddball scorings in the past to see they will rip this apart buy giving it to a Xbox reviewer deliberately.

Tamyu @ Sep 5th 2008 3:58AM

It`s already being torn apart by *Japanese* reviewers. Apparently it has quite a few bugs, and is just incredibly repetitive and boring. It also appears to suffer from the "wow, those graphics sure were downgraded along the way!" syndrome.

I still sort of want it, if only for the huge National Geographic database included - but not for that price.

Metal_Gear @ Sep 5th 2008 10:37AM

Who gives a flying turd what some Xbox fanboy thinks of a PS3 exclusive? Most of them will tell you LBP is a pile of lame shite and Gears of War 2 is without a doubt, Game of the Year (yeah and Jennifer Anniston is butt naked and trying to get me back into bed)

Stop caring what other people think, everyone has a game that they really like but it didn't get a good rating on websites, or it didn't sell well. This could be a real gem for a good few players out there and looks like an awesome series of games could come from it in different places (Africa, Underwater, Rainforest...)

dartmerc @ Sep 5th 2008 3:54AM

Damn near anything can be seen as a racial slur. Man up.

Kristopher gonzalez @ Sep 5th 2008 4:44AM

:( i hope they reconsider an European release!

I really want this game with the option for multiple languages.

Shawn @ Sep 5th 2008 7:11AM

Say what you will but this is one of the few games I'm really excited about. If it doesn't make it over here this may be the game that finally forces me to learn Japanese.

tim @ Sep 5th 2008 7:31AM

ok look sorry to change topic here but yesterday i wrote a question with many grammar errors and nobody answered me. The question is: how far should i put my ps3 from a tv screen?

silverwolf761 @ Sep 5th 2008 9:23AM

If this is a serious question: it really shouldn't matter.

If you've got an LCD or Plasma screen it shouldn't affect your screen at all, but CRT (the big heavy TVs) are more sensitive to magnetic interference. Unshielded speakers can affect your CRT screen if they're too close, but moving them farther from the screen should rectify it. I can't confirm that the PS3 will have any negative impact on CRTs though.

The short answer? it doesn't really matter with LCD or Plasma screens, and if you're having issues with your CRT, move it far enough away where the issues disappear.

sw @ Sep 5th 2008 8:12AM

"Jap" is sometimes known to be an ethnic slur, just letting you know.

What a good little PC drone you are.

higeki @ Sep 5th 2008 8:21AM

Hey guys, I bought this game the day it came out. It was on sale at Yamada Denki for 5200 yen, which still isn't cheap...but no game here is. Anyway, it's a breath of fresh air from playing MGS4 and COD4 all day. I've only played it for about a total of 5 hours. Something you can't tell from pictures and trailers is that it relaxes you. There's this atmosphere that the game creates that is kind of like those things that make relaxing sounds (waves, watarfalls, etc). Especially if you have a big HDTV and surround sound. Turn off the lights and play it, it's really soothing.

BTW, I'm an American, not a "Jap", as some of you more ignorant people put it.

Metal_Gear @ Sep 5th 2008 8:43AM

The Japanese can be refered to as 'Japs' until the British and not reffered to as 'Brits'

Devin @ Sep 5th 2008 1:00PM

What do you think of the game? Does it look good? How does it play? Has it kept your attention or does it just put you to sleep? Was it worth the $56 pricetag? Does it support DS3? Are there trophies?

evilfoxhound @ Sep 5th 2008 10:18AM

"Jap" is just short for Japanese. Just like a british guy is called a "Brit". There is nothing wrong with it at all and it isn't offensive.

God I hate PC people. They are worse than racists.

Watcher @ Sep 5th 2008 11:13AM

1. This looks like an interesting game, but it's a little too pricey for me to just take photos. MY GF would hang me out to dry if I tried to slide this one by her.

2. Using the term "Jap" IS a racial slur used during WWII. It's NOT equivalent to the term “Brits”, which is used in a positive light. Those who compare it to Brits obviously don't have any Japanese friends or much historic education.

How about looking it up the word first before responding? NO Japanese would like to be referred to as a "Jap”. This is not an PC thing; this is a everyday life thing.

Anyway..

This game looks great, but it’s a bit pricey for what little is seems to offer.

Kodros @ Sep 5th 2008 12:40PM

"It's NOT equivalent to the term “Brits”, which is used in a positive light."
So why can't we use Jap in a positive light now?

Skyflur @ Sep 5th 2008 1:52PM

I apologize, didn't know all 3 of you were Japanese and took no offense to it. Oh wait you're not... Regardless what you may think it is. Besides that point, I said sometimes since it varies differently from English speaking country. But guess what, most Japanese descent regard that word as a racial slur.

PC was brought up twice, like somehow PC gamers are more moderate and polite, guess most of you kiddies we're playing your offline n64 while N bombs we're dropping non stop on CS servers.