Japan News, Japan Features - Page 21 of 27

Software sales aren't too bad, either

The 3DS is approaching its forth month on the Japanese market, and video gaming magazine Enterbrain has reported that the handheld console has reached an important milestone in terms of hardware sales. It's taken the 3DS 13 weeks to surpass one million domestic sales, slightly slower than the original DS which took four weeks, and the DS Lite and DSi which both..

3D classics and 3DSWare abound

The eShop launches next week, and Nintendo Japan has revealed the games that will get the ball rolling. In the 3D Classics stakes, there's the already-confirmed Excitebike as well as a new 3D version of classic top-down shooter Xevious. Both games will sell for 600 Yen in Japan, though Excitebike is free for a limited time, as it will be in the West. For Virtual..

Are you the same?

3DS had a decent start in Japan but its sales have notably fallen behind the Monster Hunter-powered juggernaut that is the PSP. Japanese survey firm Goo Research quizzed over 1,000 Japanese citizens about why they haven't bought the console yet, with the most common reason simply being "it's too expensive". Other reasons...

Is this to trick us into buying more?

With the worldwide 3DS system update just around the corner, Nintendo still hasn't officially announced what the new prepaid cards will look like, and as Japanese gamers start snapping theirs up, we can't help but think: "The eShop Cards in Japan look cool!" In revamping its virtual currency system,...

No parting shots

Takahashi Meijin, known to many as Master Higgins or as the master of rapid fire button-tapping, has announced he is leaving Hudson after nearly 30 years at the company. Joining the company in 1982, Takahashi rose to prominence for his ability to fire 16 shots per second in Hudson's Star Soldier, a skill that led to the creation of a specific practice tool, the 16 Shot! Shooting..

So we Gather

The pink puffball's next appearance is locked down for Japan: Atsumete! Kirby — which roughly translates to Gather! Kirby — is coming to DS on 7th July. Last month we brought you the first Atsumete! Kirby gameplay details, which revealed the player will control multiple Kirbies and use their combined power to overcome puzzles and enemies. Should a Kirby die, it floats up to heaven..

Chains of love

Wii adventure Pandora's Tower may be Japan-only for now, as neither Nintendo's American or European arms have revealed any plans to bring the game to the West. Whether or not the game stays in Japan, the trailer below is too good not to share. Key to Pandora's Tower is hero Ende's chains, which can be used to attack enemies, scale...

What have we here?

Everyone's still waiting for details of the 3DS eShop launch: when, what, when, how, when. Apparently a translation by The Magic Box of this week's Famitsu Magazine contains the details of what Japanese gamers will be able to play when the eShop goes live. The firmware update — a date for which was not given — will include several 3D Classics, as well as 3DSWare and Virtual..

Launching more decent games might help

If there's anything to be learnt from the Japanese hardware and software sales numbers, it's that Nintendo is struggling to recapture the dominant performance of the 3DS when it first launched. After reclaiming the top spot in the hardware chart, the 3DS was once again overtaken by the PlayStation Portable and now the latest sales f

Slips from the top of the Japanese hardware chart

It's been on the Japanese market for a couple of months now and worldwide for about half that time, but the 3DS simply isn't selling as expected by Nintendo. During Satoru Iwata's presentation at Nintendo's Financial Results Briefing, the president admitted that sales of the handheld started to slow...

The back and forth struggle between 3DS and PSP begins

After a dominating start, sales of the 3DS in Japan have slowly been on the decrease and more recently, have been overtaken by the PlayStation Portable in the hardware sales chart. Now, it seems the 3DS is regaining momentum as the sales figures from last week are revealed. For the period starting 11th and ending 17th April, Nintendo sold..

Called "Battle of Elemental"

There aren't enough games that pit giant weapon-packed robots against each other and there never will be, but even after several years we've still got a soft spot for Sega's Virtual On series. This arena-based robot combat title has never quite conquered the mainstream, but its influence is keenly felt in several titles, not least of which is the upcoming DSiWare game..

Open the box

Nintendo's financial report in January this year unearthed all sorts of interesting bits of news, including Pandora's Tower on Wii. The game stayed hidden atop a lofty tower until now, as Nintendo has released the first trailer for its Wii adventure. The game appears to be a story-driven action game, with cutscenes spliced between footage of the heroine smashing enemies together with..

Beat it

Last week we shared news that River City Ransom 2 had been announced, but at the time it was still up in the air whether the game would come to WiiWare. Will it? Won't it? It will, says Miracle Kidz. Andriasang pegs the game for a release on WiiWare this summer, though that's likely to be a Japanese release only at this stage, so don't expect a localised version this side of Autumn. This..

Will the Western world follow?

It's one of the most requested games for Virtual Console: Square's Super NES classic Chrono Trigger, but its chances of coming to the Wii's download services in North America and Europe just got a bit of a boost as the game is coming to Japanese Virtual Console next month. In its native country the game would retail for 900 Nintendo Points, and is due to land in..

So don't do it

Nintendo has spoken before about the strong anti-piracy measures in 3DS, but there's been little more specific said. Now a rumour has surfaced that using a flash cartridge or similar device will actually render the console useless through a firmware update. A rough translation of a poster outside Japanese retailer Enterking reveals...

All gone?

Saturday saw the Japanese release of the Nintendo 3DS, and predictably the console sold extremely well, with newspaper Nikkei (via Andriasang) reporting the initial shipment of 400,000 units of the machine have all sold out across the country. Shop shelves shouldn't be bare for too long though, with Nintendo promising to deliver a total of 1.5 million consoles for Japan before the end of..

Go on, give 'em a scowl

Today's the day: Nintendo's new handheld, the 3DS, is officially available to buy for the first time in Japan, for ¥25,000 (around $305 / £190 / €220). Kotaku reports the majority of Tokyo stores sold out of their stocks all-but immediately, and has put together a short video below showing some of the sights of the first truly new Nintendo hardware launch since Wii's..

Is there hope for a localisation?

While Nintendo may not have any concrete localisation plans to announce with regards to Japanese RPG Last Story, but the news it's shot to the top of the all-format charts in its home country can't do its chances of heading Westward any harm. In its first week on sale the game shifted 114,722 copies, according to...