Namco word-puzzle reissue ships big in Japan

TOKYO--According to the Nikkei Journal, Namco has shipped 100,000 copies of the budget reissue of Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan for the PlayStation 2 since its release on July 8. When the company originally released Mojipittan in January 2003, the word-puzzle game went largely unnoticed, shipping only 50,000 copies.

Sony Computer Entertainment launched an aggressive promotion campaign for Mojipittan, running prime-time TV ads and marketing it as a game for all ages. Furthermore, the reissue was budget-priced at a low 1,800 yen ($16). After its original release last year, Mojipittan sold for 4,800 yen ($43), which many consumers considered too high for a mere puzzle game.

While Mojipittan hasn't been released outside of Japan, owners of the Xenosaga Freaks import should be familiar with a minigame on the disc called Xenopittan, which is a Xenosaga-themed version of Mojipittan.