Japan News, Japan Features - Page 4 of 28

3DS is still King

Earlier today we reported on more woes for the struggling Square Enix, with Dragon Quest X posting poor launch week sales in Japan. The overall Media Create results for last week do also tell a few other tales, including a modest improvement for Wii U and some good results for a famous green brother. In terms of the software...

Recovery is happening too slowly for former Capcom man

Former Capcom developer Keiji Inafune has had some choice things to say about the state of games development in his homeland — it was his famous "Japan is over" speech at the 2009 Tokyo Game Show that triggered a protracted period of self-assessment on the part of many game designers in the...

Nintendo's former figurehead impacted by tumbling share value

Having $2.1 billion in the bank would make us very happy indeed, but that amount of cash can only secure you 13th place in Japan's rich list, according to Forbes. Former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi used to be sitting pretty at the top of Japan's richest people, but his fortunes...

Wii U version shifts just 33,000 units

Square Enix is certainly in a tricky spot right now, with under-performing games and a major reshuffle at the top thanks to some poor financial results. Things have just gotten worse for the firm with the news that one of its big titles for 2013 — Dragon Quest X on Wii U — has only mana

Localisation may be in the works as we speak

It may have one of the strangest names, but Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is high on the "most wanted" 3DS games list for many western RPG lovers. There hasn't been an official announcement on a release date outside of Japan, but earlier last month the game's Twitter page hinted that localisation could...

Should be coming this month in the West

During the latest Chotto Nintendo Direct Satoru Iwata revealed some new footage as well as a release date for Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger. The downloadable game stars an armadillo ranger called Dillon and is the sequel to last year's Dillon's Rolling Western. It's set to feature the same style...

Satoru Iwata shows them off during a Chotto Direct

Satoru Iwata has announced a selection of new special pre-paid cards will be coming to Japan during a Chotto Nintendo Direct. What's so special about them? Well, they double up as augmented reality cards, which can be used in conjunction with new 3DS downloadable AR software called Isshoni Photo...

Let your 3DS LL sit in style

There are some new additions in the Japanese Club Nintendo rewards catalogue in the form of five different coloured 3DS LL cradles. As you can see from the image below, club members can choose from a red, green, white, blue and yellow cradle. Any of these colourful cradles can be redeemed for 200 points from Club...

3DS remains best selling hardware, too

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon has successfully spooked its way to the top of the Japanese sales charts. The 3DS adventure sold 280,151 copies in its first week on sale. The arrival of Luigi's latest outing helped the 3DS shift 76,553 units, putting it ahead of the PS Vita, which sold 41,073 consoles in the same...

Remake of the DS original hitting Japan in June

Yesterday, we reported that the latest issue of Famitsu magazine could well be featuring some news on a fresh instalment in the Etrian Odyssey series. Leaks from Japan suggest that the magazine will be unveiling Etrian Odyssey: Millennium Girl for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is expected to launch in...

More RPG goodness on the way for 3DS owners?

While fans in the West are just forging into Etrian Odyssey IV or eagerly awaiting its arrival, time marches on in Japan: news on what’s next for the series is expected to arrive soon. Tweets from Atlus Japan have teased an announcement regarding the Etrian Odyssey series which will appear in the...

Normal service is resumed

Last week the House that Mario Built may have been a little rattled, as 3DS was knocked off the top of the Japanese Media Create hardware charts for the first time — at least by our memory — since late 2011. Sony's Vita handheld combined a healthy price drop with the release of Soul Sacrifice to improve on its major...

In Japan, and supposedly reminiscent of Power Stone

If you mention Power Stone or, more pertinently, Power Stone 2 to certain members of the Nintendo Life team, they may start to convulse and enter a fit of SEGA fanboy/girl glee, requiring a splash of cold water to snap them out of it. So when a four-player action brawler called Toriko: Gourmet ga...

Arriving next week

Nintendo has confirmed that NES titles Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and Donkey Kong 3 will both be hitting the Japanese 3DS eShop on March 27th. Simon's Quest is one of the more unique entries in the Castlevania series, as it employs a day and night cycle and has strong RPG elements to it. Donkey Kong 3 is a sequel to the...

Time extension

Space Harrier 3D was the first of Sega's efforts to give its illustrious arcade portfolio a new lease of life on the Nintendo 3DS, and it's being followed by another beloved coin-op smash-hit: Super Hang-On. Yu Suzuki's motorcycle racing classic is coming to the Japanese 3DS eShop next week for 600 Yen ($6.30 / £4.15 / €4.85)...

V-Jump gets the, er, jump on the news

A little while ago we told you that PSP title Digimon World Re:Digitize was coming to 3DS as an expanded version, with Decode being plonked on the end of the game title. It's certainly a popular series in Japan, though can only really claim niche status in the West. While news of a localisation is,...

One to watch out for

Level-5's latest project is Youkai Watch, a 3DS game about a young boy who acquires a special wristwatch that allows him to see ghostly creatures in his environment. Using his own ghosts he can battle them and stop townsfolk from being haunted - such a nice boy. Youkai Watch has now been given a more concrete release, with...

The Amazing Bento Lady!

We've always been told that you shouldn't play with your food, but we'll make an exception for the art of Bento. For the uninitiated, Bento is kind of like a Japanese packed lunch - it's a single-portion meal which is often arranged in a visually appealing manner. In Japan, mothers often spend a large amount of time...

Will feature over 160 digital monsters

Last month we reported that the 3DS would be getting an updated version of the PSP game Digimon World Re:Digitize in Japan. All we knew was that it will include a couple more story chapters and would have an extra word chucked on the end of it for good measure. Yes, Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode certainly...