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Going to Afrika will be affordable

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 9th 2009 at 6:00PM }

Natsume is finally bringing the long-delayed Afrika to American audiences this year. The nature-themed photography game is very much a niche title, but its production values are far beyond what a typical budget game offers. Pricing is a tricky subject for the publisher to handle, as its games aren't meant really for casual gamers. "We are not so interested in the so-called 'value' titles," Yasuhiro Maekawa explained to Gamasutra. "Most of the Natsume games I'd say are about in the middle. Sort of normal retail price titles with normal graphical levels."

So what will the publisher pursue for Afrika? "For a PlayStation 3 title, this will probably be $49.99. That's what we're thinking. Between $39.99 and $49.99. $59.99 is probably too much." At $50, Afrika isn't really a "budget" game, but it's still cheaper than the average new PS3 game. Is that low enough for you to consider purchasing the game? Or should it drop down to $40?

How Natsume picked up Afrika (bonus: trophies confirmed!)

by JC Fletcher { Jun 17th 2009 at 2:45PM }

When Sony first revealed Afrika, it was a marquee first-party PS3 title used to show off the power of the system. Three years later, it's finally being released in North America, by tiny third-party publisher Natsume, who is more familiar with Harvest Moon and handheld games than anything shown off at a press conference. How did this happen?

According to Graham Markay, Vice President of Operations for Natsume, Finny the Fish was instrumental in the deal. No, really. Sony's Uo: Nanatsu no Mizu to Densetsu no Nushi was localized on the PS2 by Natsume as Finny the Fish & the Seven Waters.

"We have a relationship with Sony Japan," Markay explained. "You might remember Finny the Fish? That game was done by Sony Japan. So we licensed that game from them. We have a little bit of a history with their licensing department in Japan." Because of this relationship, Natsume was one of the companies contacted by Sony Japan about the game. Markay said that Afrika "really fits with the Natsume theme" because it's non-violent and nature-oriented. We might add that it fits with the Natsume theme so well that the company is simultaneously releasing a different safari photography game on the Wii.

In case you need an extra incentive to buy Afrika, Markay confirmed that "there is going to be a trophy system, which wasn't in the Asian release or Japanese release."

Gallery: Afrika

Impressions: Afrika

by Ben Gilbert { Jun 10th 2009 at 5:30PM }

Pokémon Snap fans, beware! Afrika is the Pokémon game you know and love, just all grown up ... and, ya know, without all those Pocket Monsters. Instead, you're chasing around lions and tigers and, erm, zebras with fancy Sony brand cameras, trying your best to capture shots and not get trampled.

Oh, wait, that's right! There is no "trample." In fact, there's no interaction with the animals of any kind. You don't even get the satisfaction of oddly petting them like in Endless Ocean. With Afrika, you get an African safari simulator and little else. Which really makes it hard for us to even classify Afrika as a "game" as opposed to edutainment. Sure, there are assignments and "challenges," should you so choose to engage them, but there is little (if any) real progression through the experience.

Better cameras do unlock as you complete assignments and a whole mess of National Geographic footage/stills/information also serve to reward various complete objectives, but none of this makes the "game" any more game-ey. Those of you looking for an interactive African safari simulation, Afrika is for you. For those of you whose first interest is seeing if you can run down a rhino, look elsewhere -- this "game" ain't for you.

Gallery: Afrika

Natsume pulls a Pangea, bringing Afrika to North America

by Justin McElroy { May 27th 2009 at 3:05PM }

For a game that we didn't really care all that much about in the first place, Afrika sure has had a circuitous route in getting to us. After seeing the game at a Sony press briefing 137 years ago, we figured it was unlikely the photography sim would come stateside. But in November, National Geographic changed all that when it revealed that it would be publishing the game (and swapping the "k" for a "c").

But this morning we hear from IGN that the North American rights have been picked up by Natsume. OK, listen, it's been in so many hands, we know there's not an integrity issue here, so it would it have killed one of you to slip a gun in there? Taking pictures of animals? Boring. Knowing you'll be the last person to ever take a picture of said animal? Worth at least a rental.

Gallery: Afrika

National Geographic publishing Afrika in the US

by Andrew Yoon { Nov 19th 2008 at 3:15PM }

Remember Afrika? It's a nature-themed PS3-exclusive photography game that met moderate success when it debuted in Japan earlier this year. An English release seemed unlikely due to the niche content of the game, but it appears the game will be making its way to American shores -- and from an unlikely source, as well.

National Geographic has picked up the rights for Afrika, rebranding it as National Geographic: Africa. It's promised to release next month -- but with potentially very little fanfare.

For more on National Geographic: Africa, read our previous stories on Afrika.

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

Into Africa: Far Cry 2 dev talks about, shows immersion

by Randy Nelson { Aug 29th 2008 at 9:30PM }

It seems that even Ubisoft wants to know what an average day is like for our very own Ludwig Kietzmann. Is life in Africa really as crazy as he makes it out to be? Clint Hocking and his team have dedicated themselves to finding that out. They are going to great lengths to put players into Ludwig's shoes via a variety of immersion-enhancing elements in Far Cry 2, which Clint himself talks about in a brand-new video after the break.

As an added bonus, we've included a new, all-gameplay video of Sony's Afrika (Hakuna Matata outside of Japan) after the break as well, since Ludwig assures us that this game is also highly representative of his daily routine.

Continued →

Afrika teams up with Japanese hotel chain to create pseudo-safari experience

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 27th 2008 at 11:15AM }

We love bizarre Japanese promotions, like this one between Sony Computer Entertainment and Tokyu Hotels. During the month of September, they'll have a special campaign which starts at 19,000 yen. Special Afrika-themed rooms will include a special projector screen displaying high-resolution images from the upcoming PS3 safari game. A special exotic meal will be prepared and delivered to your room as you enjoy the digitally rendered African environment from the PS3. At the very least, this beats having to stay in a boring non-Afrika themed room, right?

Afrika: the complete trailer

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 19th 2008 at 9:15PM }

Okay, so it's not from Leipzig, but considering the other two trailers that were released tonight, we thought it wise to highlight this trailer for the PS3-exclusive Afrika. Unlike the Japanese commercial for the game, this trailer looks rather exciting -- the opposite of sleep-inducing if you ask us. The National Geographic branding certainly adds a bit more weight to the authenticity of this unique nature observation game. Hopefully, we'll see a localized release announced in the coming weeks.

Japanese ad says Afrika will put you to sleep

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 18th 2008 at 7:00PM }

Unless we're missing something because of the cultural gap, we don't think this is the best way to advertise the upcoming PS3-exclusive Afrika ...

Afrika or Hakuna Matata: which title is king?

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 31st 2008 at 8:00PM }

The PS3 photography game, Afrika, will be unleashed upon the Japanese public soon. However, will it have a name change when it arrives in other territories? Perhaps. The PlayStation Asia site shows a rather different name for the game: Hakuna Matata, the phrase made popular by the Disney musical, The Lion King. (It really means "no worries.")

To be honest, Hakuna Matata is a pretty awesome title. Should this title make its way over to the States, which would you rather prefer?

[Via Siliconera; Thanks, gambit07!]

New Afrika vid is all about the music

by Majed Athab { Jul 21st 2008 at 3:30PM }

So while this new trailer for Afrika really does little to tell us anything about the game -- and is nothing more than a collage of static scenery -- it's still captivating to watch. You could almost completely bypass the lack of something (anything) happening in the video as Afrika's music proves yet again its marvelous quality. Watch the video not for the scenery alone, but listen to the great soundtrack that accompanies it.

The game is scheduled for an August 28 release in Japan.

Afrika's main theme sounds Indiana Jones-ish

by Majed Athab { Jul 7th 2008 at 11:30PM }

Afrika is a safari sim hitting Japan in late August. While we haven't heard much about the game recently, we have heard sounds from the game -- the main theme to be exact. Coming from ScoringSessions, this video shows composer Wataru Hokoyama leading an orchestra on Afrika's title music. It sounds rather Indiana Jones-ish in lieu of what we'd expect to hear; like, uh, say something out of The Lion King.

Still, it's a good track, and, no, the video has no sights of Africa ... just sights of Hollywood where the music was recorded. If you want to check out more on Afrika, you can hit up the official Japanese site. A North American release has yet to be announced.

[Via MultiplayerBlog]

Sony's Afrika soundtrack is safari-sational

by Randy Nelson { Jul 7th 2008 at 10:00PM }

Ludwig's on vacation, but we're sure he'll check the site sooner or later and see that we have news to report on his most wanted game ever. Sony's lovely, yet elusive safari sim, Afrika, has surfaced again (albeit briefly) in a new behind-the-scenes clip of its soundtrack being recorded in Hollywood.

Afrika's score is the work of Wataru Hokoyama, who is new to games but not other media. In addition to film scores, Hokoyama has brought his talent to TV, including orchestrations for "Once More, With Feeling," the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also conducts his own works, as you can see in the above video. Now that we've seen and heard the game, here's hoping (if only for Ludwig's sake) that we finally get to play it next week at E3.

[Via MTV Multiplayer]

New Afrika trailer and Japanese release date

by Jem Alexander { Jun 6th 2008 at 12:15PM }

No, you're not dreaming. This is gameplay footage of Afrika -- and when we say "gameplay" we don't mean "in-engine animal animations." This trailer actually shows the protagonist and actual gameplay mechanics and everything. Sadly, our dreams of a secret mutation laboratory where animal DNA is combined to form hideous Saharan monsters were all for naught. This is Pokemon Snap for adults.

The Japanese release date has also been revealed as August 28th. There's no word on an American release yet, but SCEE has said that a European release won't be happening. Chances are this game might not make it out of Japan, which would be a shame. Check out the official website for more info.