Japan News, Japan Features - Page 13 of 35

Soon? This week to be precise

The latest episode of Japanese TV show Pokémon Smash has confirmed that new information regarding Pokémon X & Y for the 3DS will be making its way to our needy little ears during next week's episode, as well as being featured in this week's CoroCoro magazine. CoroCoro — a Japanese manga magazine published by...

Nosiness from the comfort of the living room

Last year Satoru Iwata confirmed that the Google Maps Street View functionality would be coming to Wii U, an app that makes sense given the GamePad's screen and motion sensors. It may not be a big hit or a system seller, but this potentially fun app — called Wii Street U — has now arrived in Japan...

Wii U momentum remains low

It's that time again, when the Japanese chart results emerge and show us that Nintendo's homeland is still in love with the 3DS. It's been a period of sustained success for the handheld in the region, and in light of the Q3 financial report listing 29.84 million sales — as of 30th December — we can be pretty confident...

Just one catch - it's the arcade version

Screenshots of the next entry in the popular Mario Kart series have hit the web - but before you get too excited about laying your eyes on the recently-announced Wii U sequel, we should point out that we're talking about Mario Kart: Arcade GP DX, developed by Namco Bandai. It's the third game in the coin-op...

Read our translation of events right here

Because of the overwhelming response to the Animal Crossing: New Leaf in Japan, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata and some of the game's staff decided to have a another special Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct to share some of the comments they've received about the game. We start with game producer Eguchi...

"We feel greatly accountable for this severe outlook"

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has hinted that he will step down if goals for the next fiscal year are not met. Speaking in a Corporate Management Policy Briefing, Iwata addressed the thorny issue of two consecutive years of losses and recent financial troubles: We feel greatly accountable...

"Our love for the game blinded our business reasoning"

XSEED Games has a reputation for localising great Japanese-only titles for the west. The publisher has been very successful with its choices, with The Last Story becoming its most successful title of all time. Another highly-regarded title is Pandora's Tower, a game that has already made it to...

We'd choose it over Pikachu any day

In October we reported that Japan would be getting a very special treat in the form of a Charizard 3DS XL, but it would only be available through a lottery across Pokémon Centres in Japan. It has now been revealed that members of the Pokémon Daisuki Club in the Nintendo's homeland are being offered the...

A year to remember for Nintendo's handheld business

Media Create, the most trusted source for the weekly hardware and software charts in Japan, has released details of the top selling games in the region for the whole of 2012. As anyone who follows our regular posts on the weekly Japanese chart will know, Nintendo's been having a good time in its...

Mini game madness

Nintendo has confirmed that Wii U title Game & Wario will be coming to Japanese stores on March 28th. The US and European release dates have yet to be confirmed, but we'd imagine they won't be far behind. Game & Wario is the next instalment in the popular WarioWare series, and is made up of various mini games. You can...

It's all kinds of expensive

This week, Capcom revealed that it is set to release a revamped version of the previously "3DS exclusive" Resident Evil Revelations - Biohazard Revelations in Japan - this year for the Wii U. The company is currently putting together a flashy bundle for gamers in Japan - with a flashy price tag to match. Feast your...

A match made in heaven?

Yesterday, we reported that THQ's time was up and the company's studios were being sold off to the highest bidders. One of the shocks of the process has been the fact that nobody has come forward to purchase Darksiders II studio Vigil Games. However, it would seem that there are interested parties out there. Platinum...

Japanese collector Isao Yamazaki shows off his stunning haul

As we move towards a totally digital age, the attraction of collecting physical gaming media is going to become even more unusual - pretty soon, there will be kids who don't understand the concept of actually buying a physical cartridge. Thankfully, so long as people like Isao Yamazaki...

We hope this isn't true

If we could give the "Rumour" prefix on this news story additional emphasis, then we would - because this one needs to be taken with a sizable pinch of salt. Japanese magazine GameLab is reporting that the delay of Monster Hunter 4 on the 3DS isn't due to quality improvements - as stated by Capcom - but because the game is...

Wii U slips just behind PlayStation 3

The latest round of sales results from Japan, covering the period from 7th to 13th January, give us an early indication of sales levels in the region after the boosted business of the Holiday season. They tell a mixed tale, with 3DS still ruling the roost and Wii U scrapping it out within the main pack. In...

3DS still comfortably out-performing Wii U

It's a New Year, but the same old story in the Japanese hardware and software charts. In recent times it's not been a question of how dominant Nintendo (particularly 3DS) is, but the extent to which it's outperforming rival systems. The most recent results (covering the first week of the New Year)...

With added extra content

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask launched almost 2 years ago in Japan, and will finally be making its way to the 3DS eShop over there, which comes with a plus. We literally mean 'plus', as the game will be released on the eShop as Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask+ to distinguish between it and the original...

Hopes of a Western release boosted

Level 5 has a few 3DS games out in Japan that are yet to be confirmed for Western release. Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney has been out since the end of November and just before the New Year the ultra-cute Fantasy Life was made available in both physical and digital form. Fantasy Life is actually developed by...

It keeps on rolling

While worldwide performance and firm figures are either hard to find or occasionally shown to be modest, one thing is certain — the 3DS is emerging as a major sales success in Japan. Perhaps due to the power of franchises — Animal Crossing: New Leaf has been a monster hit — the handheld's performance is such that it's...