Tag: Japan - Page 32
Video Relive The Thrill Of The Arcade With The Most Bonkers Nintendo Switch Stand Yet
Sticky floors and cigarette smoke optional
Gamers of a certain age will know all too well the thrill of amusement arcades; the glare of the screen, the unique - erm - 'smells' and the challenge of sitting down next to a potentially unknown opponent and taking them down in your favourite game. Those truly were the days. If you're hankering for a...
News Former Tiny Metal Staffer Retracts Accusation Of Kickstarter Embezzlement
"Please allow me to apologize again for my actions"
Towards the end of last year, there was controversy surrounding the funding of the Advance Wars-esque turn-based strategy title Tiny Metal. The issues stemmed from Project
News Latest Octopath Traveler Restock In Japan Sells Out Again
Incredibly popular
Since the release of Octopath Traveler on the Switch, there have been plenty of positive headlines about how well the game has sold. It's performed so well, in fact, developer Square Enix previously issued two apologies after underestimating the game's popularity in Japan. Many local JRPG enthusiasts were unable to secure a...
News One In Two Japanese Switch Owners Have A Copy Of Splatoon 2
Tremendous popularity
Splatoon 2's popularity in Japan is going from strength to strength, with new reports suggesting that the game is owned by one in every two Japanese Switch buyers. According to Dengeki Online, Splatoon 2's attach rate is standing at 53.5% as of July 2018. This means that the game has sold just over half the amount of copies...
Random Say Hello To The Officially Licensed Pikachu USB 'Butt Charger'
Shocking
Another week is now upon us and it only feels right to kick things off in style with this officially licensed Pikachu USB charger, offering a slightly different way to charge your favourite devices. Yes, Nintendo has announced that it will be releasing a brand new, officially licensed Pikachu USB charger that essentially looks like its...
News Hori Taiko Drum Controller Won’t Be Released In The West, But Here's Where You Can Get One
Missing a beat
Last week, Bandai Namco finally confirmed Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! would arrive on Switch in Europe and North America this November. This followed a series of hints over several months the game would be localised. One burning question that remained was whether or not the Hori Taiko Drum Controller would make its way...
News Switch Reignites Video Game Console Market In Japan After 10-Year Slump
Sales success
It appears the success of the Nintendo Switch in Japan has had an impact on the wider video game console market locally, with key statistics released by Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association revealing there’s been a peak in overall sales. In 2017, when the Nintendo Switch was originally released, the console market...
News Animal Crossing’s Isao Moro Has Left Nintendo
All the best
News has surfaced Nintendo director Isao Moro has left the Japanese company. Best known for his work on the Animal Crossing series, Moro has taken on a variety of roles over the years. Arriving at Nintendo in 2001, he started out as assistant director on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and has since covered the Animal
News Atlus Teases Next Stage In Etrian Odyssey Series
Beyond 3DS
As we found out in April, Atlus would be releasing Etrian Odyssey X for 3DS in Japan on 2nd August. Billed as the final outing for the 3D portable system, the company has now revealed the series won't be ending any time soon - with the next stage in the dungeon-crawling RPG series receiving a special teaser trailer. The...
News Nippon Professional Baseball Launching Splatoon 2 eSports League
The future is now
It's not uncommon nowadays to hear about a domestic sports competition starting up its own eSports league. Plenty of famous clubs and teams worldwide have also jumped on the bandwagon of acquiring well-known cyber teams in the hope they can broaden their reach and earn some extra revenue on the side. In Japan, it's no...
News Switch Retail Game Sales In Japan For This Year Have Surpassed The Five Million Mark
Ongoing demand
The Nintendo Switch is an unstoppable powerhouse right now. It’s not only the system itself, though, it’s also the retail games - such as the recently released Octopath Traveler - receiving much love, to the point suppliers literally couldn’t keep up with the demand. In Japan, the system has already reached another milestone...
News Yet Another Wave Of Lovely Pokémon Plushes Is On Its Way To Japan
International shipping available
As if the recent announcement that all 151 Pokémon are being released in an adorable line of miniature plush toys wasn't enough, another new range of cuddly monsters is set to launch in Japan this November. These new toys make up a new section of the 'Pocket Monsters All Star Collection', including a whole host of...
Long-time misconceptions
During a recent interview with DenFamiNicoGamer, the president of Nihom Falcom - Toshihiro Kondo - revealed how the company has dealt with “online flaming” for many years due to the misconception the Japanese developer did not like Nintendo. Even prior to the release of Ys VIII on the Nintendo Switch, the president...
News Taiko: Drum Master Charges Straight To Number One In The Japanese Charts
Without missing a beat
Taiko: Drum Master (known as Taiko no Tatsujin: Nintendo Switch Version! in Japan) has drum-rolled its way right to number one in the Japanese charts. It's been yet another strong week for Nintendo on the whole in the region, with the top 12 chart entries all being either Switch or 3DS games. Octopath Traveler,...
News Sega To Publish The Former Sony Exclusive Crash Bandicoot On Nintendo Switch In Japan
End of an era
Despite the fact that Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy has been available for a while now in western territories, and absolutely dominating the UK sales charts in the process for good measure, the game is still yet to release on Switch in Japan. In a weird turn of events, Sega will be taking over publishing duties for the region,...
News Action-Platformer Iconoclasts Arrives At Start Of August On Japanese eShop
Bring it on!
Earlier this year it was revealed Joakim Sandberg's indie title, Iconoclasts, would be ported to the Switch following the game's positively received release on PC and multiple other platforms. Now, Famitsu is reporting the long-awaited title will arrive on the eShop in Japan on 2nd August with the help of Dangen Entertainment...
Gallery Splatoon 2, Super Mario And Nintendo Switch Take Over A Balmy Tokyo
Hot town, summer in the city
The Nintendo Switch has been doing gangbusters all around the world, but none more so than in the console's backyard, Japan. Furthermore, 'pop up' stores are very popular among prominent franchises and dedicated fans alike, with Kirby and Pokémon regularly having exclusive goods available for a limited time, as well as
News The Japanese Version Of Sonic Mania Plus Comes With A Gorgeous Mega Drive Reversible Cover
An exclusive alternative
Last week, we showed you a lovely secret message that Sega had hidden on the back cover of Sonic Mania Plus' artbook, thinking that it would definitely be the coolest thing we see from the deluxe bundle. Now, though, we've discovered that the Japanese version has its own exclusive Mega Drive-inspired reversible...
News Square Enix Issues A Second Apology As Octopath Traveler Restock Sells Out In Three Hours
A lot of love for the game in Japan
You may remember that, just last week, Octopath Traveler developer Square Enix issued an apology after underestimating the game's popularity in Japan (a region in which the company is also acting as publisher). Many Japanese fans were unable to secure a physical copy of the game thanks to stock shortages,...
News A Range Of Splatoon 2 Trading Cards Is Hitting Japan Next Month
With edible wafers inside
In today's episode of 'Japan gets all the cool stuff and we're incredibly jealous', we present to you this new set of Splatoon 2 trading cards that are set to launch next month. The cards feature beautiful, standalone pieces of artwork on one side, with written chunks of information on the reverse, and even come with...
News Octopath Traveler Shifted 90 Percent Of Its Initial Stock In Japan
A story of hope and success
Tanabata (also known as Star Festival) is an annual Japanese event where people celebrate by writing their wishes on a piece of paper called tanzaku, and then hang them on bamboo or other types of decorations. This year, Acquire Studios’ president, Takuma Endo, took part in the celebrations and shared a photo of his...
News Japanese Man Arrested By Police For Selling Modified Pokémon GO Plus Accessories
Says he didn't realise it was illegal
Japanese authorities have reportedly arrested a 37-year-old man from Japan's Chiba prefecture for selling Pokémon GO Plus modification services. Despite claiming that he didn't know his activities were illegal, the man was arrested for violating Nintendo’s trademark by offering a Pokémon GO Plus...
News Octopath Traveler Smashes Its Way To Number One In Japan By A Huge Margin
Captain Toad positions well, too
The Japanese chart figures are finally in for last week and Octopath Traveler has grabbed the top spot without even the slightest bit of concern from competitors, securing 110,111 sales in its opening week. It's been another astonishing week for Nintendo on the whole, with games on Switch and 3DS securing nine...
Video Japanese WarioWare Gold Trailer Is Four Minutes Of Microgame Insanity
Weird, wacky and wonderful
WarioWare Gold is out next month on the 3DS and in preparation for the release, Nintendo’s Japanese YouTube account has uploaded a new four-minute overview trailer of the game. The recent demo made available on the 3DS eShop at the start of this month allowed players to go hands-on with Wario's latest outing, and this...
News Japanese Players Vote Hollow Knight As The Most Recommended Digital Switch Game This Month
The Cherry on the cake
Every month, Nintendo invites Japanese players to take part in random questionnaires to determine which games they would like to recommend - a slightly different form of user reviews, if you will. This is often a great way for smaller, indie titles to reach a new audience, as players often vote for the potentially hidden gems...
News Nintendo's Dominance In Japan Continues, Publishing Over Half Of 2018's Top-Selling Games
Winning the game
Last year was a fantastic one for Nintendo - the Switch launched in March, gaining universal excitement from the off, and a splattering of truly brilliant experiences like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey took the world by storm. As it turns out, despite not feeling quite as dramatic so far, 2018 isn't...
Hardware Review The Shōnen Jump 50th Anniversary Famicom Classic Mini Is Gorgeous, But Pointless
Nintendo loves gold, only gold
Nintendo may have fixed the supply issues which plagued the launches of the NES and SNES Classic Editions, but many will still be haunted by the devilish degree of difficulty they exper
Collector's items
If you like having physical boxes of games to add to your ever-growing, beautiful collection of joy, but also like the convenience of having your games stored within your Switch's internal memory for quick and easy access, you'll likely be pretty jealous of Nintendo's latest offerings in Japan. On the official Japanese Nintendo...
News Nintendo Clamps Down On Risqué Imagery By Censoring Taisen Hot Gimmick Switch Port
Look away now, kids
Zerodiv's mahjong game Taisen Hot Gimmick: Cosplay-Jan has recently made it onto the Switch's Japanese eShop, previously being available exclusively in the country on PlayStation 2. Being the family-friendly company that Nintendo is, however, the game's lead image on the digital storefront has been replaced with a much more...
News Switch Isn't The Right Platform For Yakuza, Says Series Producer
"Yakuza 1 & 2 for Wii U was a significant failure"
Sega's critically-acclaimed Yakuza series has always been associated with Sony consoles, but Nintendo fans got a glimpse of what makes this franchise tick when the first and second games hit Wii U in Japan. Sadly, sales weren't great, but Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi said the release was
News An Inazuma Eleven Ares Presentation Is Coming, Original Game Releasing For Free To Celebrate
Original Inazuma Eleven to be available as free download
This month’s CoroCoro magazine has revealed that a presentation for Inazuma Eleven Ares will be held on 26th August, potentially meaning that we'll finally find out the game's Japanese release date. The game is currently planned to release in the west sometime next year, but the...
Video See The Voices Behind Pearl And Marina Laying Down Some Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion Tunes
Music to our ears
Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion has been out in the paint-soaked wilds for a few of weeks now and Inklings the world over are enjoying the joys of a proper single-player portion to balance out the game's usual multiplayer offerings. And, as you might imagine, all that extra content also included some brand new music, including a new...
News Pokémon Art Style Gets Fresh Look In The New Movie, Pokémon: Everyone’s Story
What? Pokémon is evolving!
On July 13th, the latest instalment in the long-running Pokémon feature film series will premier in Japan -- along with a fresh animation style for fans to catch. Pokémon: Everyone’s Story takes a dramatic turn towards a more Ghibli-esque appearance, seen in the beautiful new poster tweeted out by the film’s...
News Prepare Your Wallets As All 151 Original Pokémon Are Getting Brand New Plush Toys
Bills or Pokémon toys?
A complete plush toy collection of the original 151 Pokémon is headed to Japanese Pokémon Centers starting this month. According to the Japanese Pokémon website, a first wave of the adorable little creatures will appear in stores this Friday (13th July) and will also be available to order online. This first set will...
News Game Boy Title Sagaia Coming To Darius Cozmic Collection As Amazon-Exclusive DLC In Japan
Shooting heaven
We won't dwell too long on the fact that the Virtual Console isn't part of Nintendo's plans for Switch, but the desire for retro games on the console remains as high as ever - which is why the news that a Game Boy game is coming to the system is such big news for the wears of rose-tinted specs. However, before you get too excited,...
News How Sharp Accidentally Copyright Trolled Nintendo Almost 40 Years Ago
Famicom Wars
First, let us kick off this article by saying happy birthday to the Family Computer! Released in July 1983, (July 15th, to be exact) the 8-bit warhorse is turning 35 years old this year. That's quite a milestone for even long forgotten hardware, but Famicom/NES games still live on today, either as part of the Classic Mini line or as...
Random This Officially Licensed Sonic The Hedgehog Curry Makes Your Poop Blue
Gotta go (to the toilet) fast
In what is possibly the most random of 'random' articles we've ever published, we bring you the all-important news that an official Sonic The Hedgehog-themed curry has launched, causing some rather surprising bathroom dramas across Japan. Sega has teamed up with Geek Life to create this official Sonic dish, with...
Random Nintendo Switch Is Getting Its Own VR-Style Headset, Kinda
Headset offers a 120 inch 'virtual' display, apparently
While VR continues to bubble under elsewhere in the industry, Nintendo has remained indifferent to the technology; when your first 'Virtual' product ends up being a massive dud, we guess you become a little more cautious about asking your customers to strap lumps of plastic to their heads...
News New Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa Receives 96.51% Approval Rating From Shareholders
Pretty popular, then
Nintendo’s 78th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders took place just a few days ago on 28th June, and details have now emerged surrounding the approval rating of key figures in the company. The list includes a collection of big names including the likes of Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Shibata - who has recently become a...
News Nintendo Announces New 2DS XL Minecraft, Mario Kart 7 And Animal Crossing Consoles For Japan
There's life in this system yet
While a great many gamers may have written off the 3DS now the Switch is here, it's vital to remember that it's still very much a part of Nintendo's plans - and the company has reinforced this by announcing a trio of New 2DS XL (or LL as they're known over there) consoles for release in Japan. Launching in the...
News Mario Tennis Aces Has Stellar Launch In Japan, Doubles Early Sales Of Ultra Smash On Wii U
Game, set and match
Mario Tennis Aces was finally released to the world on Switch on 22nd June, and if these Japanese sales figures are anything to go by, it seems to have already been a pretty big success. According to data provided by Media Create, Mario's latest Tennis adventure racked up an impressive 123,774 sales in its opening...
News Warning! Darius Cozmic Collection Is Approaching Switch Fast!
Something fishy is going on here
Shooter fans, rejoice - Taito is bringing its classic Darius series to the Switch in the form of Darius Cozmic Collection. It's expected to launch in Japan on February 28th 2019 and will cost 5,200 Yen. The collection includes four of the arcade entries, but a limited edition - costing 16,800 Yen - will add five...
Random NieR: Automata Game Director Explains How He Was Inspired By Ikaruga
Total respect for Treasure's shmup
In celebration of the recent re-release of Ikaruga on multiple platforms including the Switch eShop, the Japanese publication Famitsu sat down with Yoko Taro - the director of the highly praised NieR: Automata - to discuss how exactly Treasure's sublime shmup has influenced his own work over the years...
Video Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle And The Millionaires’ Conspiracy Gets New Switch Trailer
Releases in Japan this August
Fans of Professor Layton rejoice: a new trailer has appeared for the Switch version of Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle And The Millionaires’ Conspiracy. As you can see, the trailer is celebrating the game's upcoming release in Japan where it is scheduled to launch on 9th August. There's still no word of a...
News Nintendo, Creatures And Game Freak Apply For Mysterious New Pokémon Trademarks
What is a Poké-Lun anyway?
Nintendo Co., Ltd., Creatures Co., Ltd. and Game Freak Inc. - the three custodians of the almighty Pokémon franchise - have applied for two new trademarks in Japan. The trademarks appear to be related to the same product and have been registered with the Japanese words ポケるんTV and ポケるん and...
News New Trademarks Suggest Nintendo Has GameCube On The Brain
GameCube Mini, anyone?
Ah, the humble trademark. Few things get the brain buzzing as fast as a company registering a name or title linked to your favourite game or console. Of course, when it's tied to the GameCube - a console that's very much back in vogue thanks to the arrival of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in December and the announcement that GC...
Video See Taiko Drum Master In Action On Nintendo Switch
Handheld percussion
While we're still waiting on news of an official western release for the Switch incarnation of Taiko Drum Master, at least we know the Japanese version will be getting an English language option when it launches in August. Well, while we wait (or sort out a pricey import), some more gameplay footage has dropped for the Switch...
News Yo-Kai Watch Comes To Smartphones To Challenge Pokémon GO's Dominance
Spooky stuff
Level-5 and GungHo Online Entertainment have just launched a Yo-Kai Watch game for iOS and Android smartphones in Japan. Yo-Kai Watch World is a location-based title not entirely unlike Pokémon GO, where famous Yo-Kai characters appear "in
Video The World Ends With You: Final Remix Gets A New Trailer And A Funky Limited Edition
Remix to ignition
We were thrilled to learn the Nintendo DS classic The World Ends With You is getting a Final Remix re-release on Nintendo Switch, and now we've been treated to a brand new trailer and a peek at its rather funky-looking new limited edition. The It’s a Wonderful Bag Limited Edition is a Square En
News CoroCoro Shares Entire Splatoon Manga Online For Free For A Limited Time
Take a look while you can
CoroCoro Comic - a monthly Japanese manga magazine that often shares and creates content on video game franchises - has uploaded a complete Splatoon manga online for free viewing. This particular manga, which features both the newly introduced Octoling characters and the new Spy Gear, comes from this month's magazine...
