Tag: Japan - Page 33
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...
News Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido Has Shockingly Poor Launch In Japan
Not the best start for Nintendo's new IP
Just last week, Nintendo's latest creation Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido launched on both Switch and 3DS. The game is an action-puzzle mash-up with an incredibly high level of polish and a great story mode (we rated it rather highly in our review), but the initial sales figures for the game are shockingly...
News Shoji Mizuno, The Character Artist For Bomberman's Classic Look, Has Passed Away
He was a longtime staffer at Hudson Soft
According to a number of reports, Shoji Mizuno - the man who gave Bomberman the iconic look he sports today - has died. One such report is a blog post written by former Hudson Soft executive and frontman Toshiyuki Takahashi, which memorialises Mizuno's contribution to the company. Mizuno has a decades-long...
News Taiko: Drum Master Will Be Getting An English Option In Japan This August
Time for an import come August
We're big fans of Taiko: Drum Master here at Nintendo Life - or Taiko No Tatsujin as it's known in the East - but while we were stoked to hear the series was making its way to Switch, we were also frustrated it was seemingly being released with no consideration for us western percussionists. Well, while it still isn't...
It's this week's Japanese charts
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has now sold over a million physical copies in Japan, according to the Media Create charts for May 28th to June 3rd. The Switch launch title sold 6,722 copies during this period, making it good enough for 9th place. It has now sold 1,004,689 copies in Japan since it launched...
News Mother 3's Director Is Involved With FuRyu's New Nintendo Switch RPG, Work x Work
All work and no play...
The Alliance Alive and The Legend of Legacy studio FuRyu is working on a new RPG for Nintendo Switch, and there are some pretty big names involved with its development. Described as a 'retro-inspired' RPG, Work x Work places you in role of a hero's dog who has to guide visitors around a dungeon-filled theme park...
Random Pokémon Plush Doll Vending Machines Keep Popping Up In Japan
Better than fizzy drinks
Most of us who follow Nintendo and love its various franchises have likely come to terms with the fact that Japan will always receive the coolest stuff. A couple of months ago we reported on a Pokémon Cafe that had arrived in Tokyo, allowing customers to try out Pokémon-themed food and buy plates and mugs to take home...
News The Mega Man Legacy Collections On Switch Debut At Number Nine In Japan
Bombing Blue Bomber
It's been another strong week for Nintendo Switch software titles in Japan, with half the top ten comprised of games on Ninty's hybrid hardware. However, Mega Man didn't perform quite as well as Capcom was probably hoping, with the combined Mega Man Legacy Collection debuting at number nine. In other words it failed to sell as...
News Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Was The Best-Selling Game For May In Japan
Switch the best-selling console, too
Sales figures have been released for software and hardware sales in Japan for the month of May, and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has smashed and ground-pounded its way to the number one slot. Famitsu has shared the latest numbers and chart positions for the month, which actually cover the four week...
News Check Out Some Of Splatoon 2's Fresh New Cuts And Threads
Fro rider
Octolings are set to arrive in Splatoon 2 as part of the incoming - and hotly anticipated - Octo Expansion, and it looks like the newcomers are going to be getting some rad new haircuts to help them stand out from the ink-stained crowd. The fresh cuts were revealed via a series of promo images on the Japanese Splatoon Twitter account,...
Feature Unravelling The Crossover Fisticuffs Of Blade Strangers
Diverse roster aims to cut its teeth among the genre's elite
Studio Saizensens new fighting game, Blade Strangers, brings together a diverse and interesting mix of established characters in their own respective universes, but are new to the fighting game genre. Teaming up with publisher Nicalis has further bolstered the roster to include the...
News The Original Professor Layton Game Is Getting A Mobile HD Remake In Japan
Will this come to the west?
It has been revealed that Professor Layton and the Curious Village - the very first title released in the series around a decade ago - will be receiving a mobile HD remake. The news comes from the latest issue of the weekly Famitsu magazine, which states that Level-5 intends to release the remake on mobile platforms...
News The Latest Japanese My Nintendo Rewards Include Discounts On Those Precious Micro SD Cards
Jealous of Japan?
The My Nintendo rewards system is an ever-increasingly debated topic among Nintendo fans; we've seen numerous comments of upset and even anger from our fine collection of readers over the last few months, with discussion usually suggesting that players aren't happy with the offerings in Europe and North America - despite the...
News Japanese TV Show Oha Suta To Share "Shocking" Pokémon News On 31st May
Update: TV episode description suddenly changed
Update: It appears that the description of this TV show, which originally mentioned "shocking Pokémon news" and "a moment a new story begins", has now been replaced. The description now reads "Full of Pokémon Information", suggesting that either a mistake was made, or this little snippet of...
Feature Diving Down The Rabbit Hole With Japan's Arcade-Based Trading Card Games
It's in the cards
Tourists dropping in on Japan’s arcades are often surprised. Western arcades have stuck to a familiar trajectory, running last-decade machines form last-century franchises: OutRun 2, After Burner Climax, Time Crisis 4…. The games we’re used to are easygoing, fun and friendly, with a warm welcome and a wave goodbye. It’s not...
News Two Classic Super Famicom Games Are Set For A Special Reprint In Japan
SNES who?
There's been a spate of retro re-releases as of late in Japan, with publishers reissuing classic titles (and a few obscure gems) on their original platform. Japanese firm Tommo is the latest publisher to leap aboard the bandwagon, with two Super Famicom titles getting a reprint. It's been confirmed that Shodai Nekketsu Kpuha Kunio-kun...
News Japanese Version Of Resident Evil 7 On Switch Has An English Language Option
Worldwide release when?
Biohazard 7 - known as Resident Evil 7 in the rest of the world - has just been released on Switch in Japan. It's a cloud-based proposition which means you're playing a streamed version of the game from Capcom's servers, rather than running it direct from the console itself. There's no indication on whether or not Capcom has...
News Nintendo Continues To Dominate Japan's Charts As 7 Of The Top 10 Games Are On Switch
Although the top-selling game is on PS4...
That Nintendo remains top dog in Japan this week in terms of sales perhaps isn't the most shocking news - the company regularly finds itself in pole position in its homeland. However, the Media Create sales figures for the 14th of May to the 20th show that a PlayStation 4 game came in at number one -...
News A Cheaper, Customisable 'Nintendo Switch 2nd Set' Has Launched In Japan Without A Dock
A cheaper way to play
Nintendo is now selling the 'Nintendo Switch 2nd Set' in Japan, which is essentially a fully colour-customisable Switch without a dock. This new package appears to be aimed at those who want a second Switch in their home, aiming to give customers the option to purchase a second device without having to fork over for an...
News Nintendo Applies For New N64 Trademark - Is Another Classic Edition On The Way?
It's only a matter of time, right?
With the NES and SNES Classic Editions proving to be commercially successful, it's almost inevitable that Nintendo will produce another 'recooked' version of one of its vintage platforms. Given that Nintendo Co., Ltd. has just applied for an N64 trademark in Japan, one might assume that the 64-bit console...
Video Get Another Glimpse Into The Wacky Levels Of Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion
Ballin'
Nintendo has slowly but surely been drip-feeding new details about the hotly anticipated Octo Expansion for Splatoon 2. The latest video shows a new escort mission, where you'll be guiding a ball through a maze, using both your steady stream of ink and various contraptions around the course like a larger than life version of Mouse Trap...
News SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy Locked In For A 6th September Launch In Japan
Sky Love is also joining the roster
It's been revealed that SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy will be getting a 6th September release in Japan, a day earlier than the 7th September date previously confirmed for Europe and North America. The official release date was confirmed in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu. Along with the news on the date for...
Feature Lumines Remastered Is Music To Our Ears At BitSummit
Maestro Tetsuya Mizuguchi revisits a classic number
At last weekend's Bitsummit indie games event in Kyoto, Japan, Tetsuya Mizuguchi of REZ and Child of Eden fame showed off his latest project - a remaster of beloved music-puzzle game, Lumines. As advocates for using the interaction between music and games in pioneering ways, it was great to play...
Video Resident Evil 7 Cloud Brings Both Good and Bad to Nintendo Switch
Anytime, some places, on your own
Cloud gaming is something that's been banded around for ruddy years now, and whilst it's had its successes and failures, it's never properly made its break into the public's hearts. That's not necessary about to happen when Resident Evil 7 comes to Japanese Switch through a cloud streaming system, but it's still...
News Resident Evil 7 Is Coming To Nintendo Switch In Japan
But there are a few catches...
It’s fair to say that Resident Evil 7 surprised the gaming community back in early 2017. As well as being a dramatic departure and reinvention of the franchise, what was more interesting to most was that it was actually really good. More than good. Developer Capcom has been a strong supporter of the Nintendo...
Feature PixelJunk Monsters 2 Developer Q-Games On Nintendo-Like Design And Future Switch Projects
"The amazing thing about the Switch is the simplicity"
In the heart of Japan's former capital Kyoto, Q-Games founder and former Argonaut programmer Dylan Cuthbert and his team are putting the finishing touches to the sequel to popular tower defence game PixelJunk Monsters. Ten years since the original title and several ‘canon’ games later,...
News Super Smash Bros. Switch Is Playable At Special Events In Japan Next Month
Just after E3...
Nintendo has revealed that the upcoming Switch title Super Smash Bros. will be playable at a series of events in Japan during June and July. The demo will kick off its Japanese tour at RAGE 2018 Summer, which takes place on June 17th at Makuhari Messe, Chiba. A week later it will be at Jisedai World Hobby Fair ‘18...
News Okami HD Release Date Revealed For Japan
Two versions available this summer
Japan's weekly gaming magazine Famitsu has revealed that the Switch version of Okami HD will be released on 9th August. A limited edition, priced at ¥3,990, will be available alongside the standard edition (priced at ¥2,900). Sadly, there's no news on whether this special edition will be making it to the West...
News Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle And The Millionaires’ Conspiracy DX Is Switch-Bound
Layton's on the case
Good news if you're waiting patiently for a Layton-based adventure on Nintendo Switch - Level 5 has confirmed last year's Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle And The Millionaires’ Conspiracy (which hit 3DS and smartphones) will getting a Switch port with an extra DX on the end for good measure. The announcement was...
News Yuji Naka Wanted To Join Nintendo After He Finished Working For Sega
"I had this faint hope that I’d be getting a call… but it never came"
Ever wondered what would have happened if Yuju Naka - former head of Sonic Team and one of the driving forces behind the success of the iconic blue speedster - had made the move over to Nintendo? Well, turns out that could have easily been reality. In a recent interview,...
Feature Nintendo Of Japan Stamps Its Mark On BitSummit 2018
Popular Japanese hobby crosses over to unite indies on Switch
As previously reported by the lovely Alex, many games from western indie developers are coming not only to Switch, but also to make their mark in Japan, which came to fruition under the new Nintendo umbrella 'Indie World'. A cute pixellated world exhibiting both existing hits and upcoming...
News Beyblade Burst: Battle Zero Will Spin Its Way Onto Nintendo Switch This October
Well, in Japan at least
The toy-spinning action of Beyblade is going to make the jump to Nintendo Switch in 2018, with news that Beyblade Burst: Battle Zero is coming to the platform on 25th October. The only caveat is that's a Japan-only release at the moment, with a price tag of 6,280 yen attached. The game is also getting a special physical...
News Keep The Beat With The New Taiko Drum Controller For Switch
Drum up some hype
Back in March, we reported on the reveal of Taiko: Drum Master - known as Taiko no Tatsujin in Japan - a rhythm-action game featuring tunes from both Splatoon 2 and Super Mario Odyssey, and now Bandai Namco has unveiled the special Drum Controller that will accompany it. The controller, based on a traditional Japanese taiko...
Video Discussing What Took Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate So Long to Come to the West
Slaying monsters in HD... in English!
The news dropped recently that Monster Hunter XX is dropping on Nintendo Switch in the West in the form of Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate; a borderline direct port of the 3DS version to guarantee compatibility. It's lovely news and no mistake, but why did it take Capcom so long to make the decision? We...
News Nintendo Reveals a Feast of Nindies Coming to the Japanese Switch eShop
Western devs make their mark
To say Nintendo's embracing the indie scene is a vast understatement, and now that support has spread over to Nintendo's homeland with the recent Indie World showcase. Unsurprisingly, it's a video showing off a load of lovely new indie games coming to the Switch in the near future, most of which we've heard of before,...
News Zelda-Like Adventure Game Minit Heading to the Japanese Switch eShop
60 seconds to go
Nintendo of Japan have been busy showing off some upcoming games recently in their "Indie World" presentation. Whilst most of these are games already available in the West, we did spot Devolver Digital's lovely Zelda-like adventure game Minit on the list. Well, when we say Zelda-Like, what we really mean is imagine playing a...
News Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Swings To The Top Of The Japanese Charts
Switch remains the top-selling console
The arrival of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in Japan has knocked the baseball powerhouse that is Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2018 off the top spot, while God of War finally drops out of the top five. Nintendo Labo Variety Kit rose to number three, Kirby Star Allies jumped tw
News Job Listing Reveals Nintendo Has Already Begun Working On The Next Zelda
Which may (or may not) be surprising to you...
It’s no secret that Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful titles of the last few years, so it makes perfect sense that Nintendo would be right on the case with the next instalment. Proof has surfaced with Nintendo posting job listings...
News Nintendo Labo Drops To Fourth (And 17th) In The Japanese Charts
The Snack World Switch port also drops out of the top ten
Nintendo Labo has finally been knocked off the top spot as God of War sales continue to surge, while the arrival of the hotly-anticipated Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2018 has pushed out everyone with both its PS4 and PS Vita versions nabbing first and second places respectively...
News Japanese Musican Shows Us How To Rock The Piano In Nintendo Labo
Tinkling the cardboard
It was only going to be a matter of time until a musical prodigy took to YouTube to show the world how to rock the cardboard Piano Toy-Con from the entertaining package that is Nintendo Labo: Toy-Con 01 - Variety Kit. Here's Japanese musician Geniway treating us to a rendition of Splatoon music using Labo's...
News This Has To Be The Most Amazing Use Of Nintendo Labo Yet
Controlling a wheelchair... with cardboard?
Nintendo Labo has been with us for a little over a week now, but we're already seeing some incredible creations - including Game & Watch clones and other clever devices. However, this latest example could be the best one yet. A Japanese user has hooked Labo up to a wheelchair, allowing the user to...
Random People Keep Crashing Real-Life Mario Karts In Japan
Not a banana skin in sight
We've covered the phenomenon of "real life" Mario Karting in the past, but it would seem that this light-hearted attempt to replicate the feel of the classic racing series comes with some pretty negative side-effects. Not only is the company which runs the "MariCar" event being taken to court by Nintendo, there have been...
News Jin Fujisawa, The Director Of Dragon Quest IX, Leaves Square Enix
He's now working for a different, undisclosed firm
One of the Dragon Quest franchise's most influential developers has parted ways with the publisher. Jin Fujisawa, who worked on nine entries on the series (from Dragon Quest VII on PS1 to Dragon Quest X Online) has moved onto pastures new and is now working with a different company on an...
News Mario's Stretchy Face In Mario 64 Started Out As An Experiment With Ping Pong Balls
Meet the man behind THAT face
Eurogamer recently conducted an interview with Giles Goddard, one of the few foreign programmers who worked at Nintendo HQ in Kyoto in the 1990s, the man who also happened to create the famous interactive face that introduced the world to Super Mario 64. You know, that major turning point in gaming history. Goddard,...
News Shuntaro Furukawa Is Nintendo's New President
Pokemon Board Member Appointed as Kimishima Steps Down
At Nintendo's financial report in Tokyo this afternoon, it has been announced that 68 year old Tatsumi Kimishima will step down in June after nearly three years as President of the company. He will be replaced by board member of both Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, Shuntaro...
News Nintendo Labo Racked Up Almost Double The Sales Of God Of War In Japan
Cardboard is king
The weekly Media Create sales figures for Japan are out, and the big news is that the Labo Variety Kit outsold PS4 exclusive God of War by almost two-to-one. The main Labo kit sold 90,410 copies, while God of War sold 46,091 units in the same time frame. The Robot Labo Kit shifted 28,629 units. Sorry, Kratos...
News SaGa: Scarlet Grace Hits Japanese Switch Consoles In August
PS Vita RPG is getting ported with new content
Square Enix has announced that the Switch port of the 2016 PS Vita title SaGa: Scarlet Grace – Hiiro no Yabou will arrive in Japan on August 2nd. It's also coming to PlayStation 4, PC, and smartphones on the same day. The news was confirmed in the latest issue of Famitsu, along with details on the...
Feature Enjoy The Cardboard Craziness Of These Nintendo Labo Creations
It's just pure creation
Since its January reveal, the question on many people's lips has been can Nintendo Labo's cardboard construction kit survive the novelty factor and wear 'n' tear of younger audiences to genuinely engage creative minds beyond customisation? If early indications are to be believed, the answer is, emphatically, yes, as Japanese...
