Japan News, Japan Features - Page 5 of 28

We can hear our wallets crying

The latest edition of CoroCoro magazine has released some new information on upcoming Pokémon title for the Wii U, Pokémon Scramble U. The game will be released in Japan on the 24th April, and it'll be the first title to utilize the console's NFC (Near Field Communication) feature. NFC allows the player to place...

We're counting down the years to localisation

During the recent Nintendo 3DS Direct in Europe, it was announced that the third entry in the Inazuma Eleven handheld series would be coming to Europe this summer. As it's the 3DS version (not DS) it seems to be the enhanced edition that was part of a trilogy release in Japan — no trilogy was...

Fix expected this weekend

Wii U owners in Japan are reporting that an error with the system is preventing them from accessing the eShop, as well as downloading firmware updates. According to Nintendo, a patch will be issued to fix the error — officially titled 105-3102 — this weekend, but the timing couldn't be worse. Beta testing for the Wii...

3DS systems hold off the reduced-price Vita, just

It's Media Create Japanese chart time again, and some things remain ever-present: Animal Crossing: New Leaf is still hanging around near the top, 3DS is still the best selling platform (only just, for once) and Wii U is still awaiting games before it can enjoy a sales bump. That said, this week's...

Super Famicom classic gets an update

It has been revealed in the latest issue of Famitsu that Umihara Kawase — a series which started life on the Super Famicom and has since enjoyed instalments on the PlayStation, PSP and DS — is getting another sequel, this time on the 3DS. A platformer in which the lead protagonist uses a fishing line to hook...

Still super after all these years

To many, it's the greatest video game console ever made. The Super Famicom — or Super Nintendo Entertainment System as it is more commonly known outside of its native Japan — is host to some of the finest pieces of interactive entertainment ever made. It was on this console that Nintendo refined so many of the...

Like two bald men fighting over a comb...

Some things seem to be ever-lasting in the Japanese video game charts, one of which is continued dominance for the 3DS. It goes like this — the two models outsell every other platform combined, and rivals or those not inclined to like the system curse the skies and wonder how it came to such a position of...

Those of us in the West are rather fortunate

It's a common refrain among gamers in the West, especially with 3DS games, to bemoan a number of rather interesting titles that either don't come out of Japan or, alternatively, take an age to do so. When you also take into account the number of attractive hardware revisions of the handheld,...

Making the move from Taiwan and Hong Kong

Over the past 25 years or more Nintendo's liked to give consumers a lot of choices with handhelds, with colours and design variations to keep almost anyone happy. It's now emerged that the pictured light blue and pink 3DS models — not XL — will arrive in Japan on 20th March; not that Japan has a shortage...

Going head to head with Pokémon X & Y

Last year Digimon World Re:Digitize was released on the PSP in Japan, but it never made it to the 3DS — or to the West for that matter. Well, Namco Bandai has now revealed that an updated version of the game called Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode is on its way to the 3DS in Japan. Digimon World Re:Digitize...

Kenji Eno passes away

Respected game designer and musician Kenji Eno passed away yesterday. Cause of death was heart failure induced by high blood pressure. He was 42 years old. Best known for founding the game studio WARP, Inc. and creating the Sega Saturn RPG adventure D, Eno was also involved in the WiiWare title You, Me, and the Cubes. He...

Trio of treats

It has been confirmed during today's Japanese Nintendo Direct that Guild01 is being followed up by Guild02 - a trio of 3DS eShop titles developed by some of Japan's leading designers. Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune is contributing a tank shooter with insect-sized enemies. Mini Kitchen's Kazu Ayabe is working on The Friday When The...

We'd be amazed if the same doesn't happen in the West

Nintendo has hosted a Japanese 3DS Direct, focused on titles on the way in the big N's homeland. While a number of games on show may never make it to the West, two upcoming Virtual Console titles seem inevitable for worldwide appearances. It was confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of...

Focused on third party games

Last week we told you about a planned Japanese 3DS Direct with a focus on third-party games, and rather late last night Nintendo confirmed a time for this latest extravaganza. Naturally we're interested to see what's on the way, even if there's a danger of it featuring some games that won't make it West. It all kicks...

Sure looks pretty

Shin Megami Tensei IV is coming out in Japan this May, and to mark the event lucky Japanese fans will also have the chance to pick up a rather fetching limited edition 3DS XL (or LL as it is known in that part of the world). The release date is May 23rd, to coincide with the stand-alone game. People who pick up the first-print...

The quest begins in the east

Square Enix has revealed today that it is set to release Dragon Quest X in Japan on 30th March. Boasting the same content as the Wii release, the Wii U version has enhanced graphics and the option to play the game entirely on the Wii U GamePad. The MMO RPG will retail at 6,980 yen (that's around €55 / £48 / $75) and...

Give the dog a bone

The Nintendo Entertainment System — or NES, for short — is arguably the console on which Nintendo's current lofty status was built. Launched in Japan as the Famicom, the 8-bit platform is home to an almost endless list of solid-gold classics, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid,

It's not over yet, it seems

We've only just gotten over one Nintendo Direct, and now there's another on the horizon. Yes, you read that right. This broadcast, however, will be Japanese only, and will focus directly on third-party content. Details are scarce at the moment, so it's unclear if European and North American announcements will unfold at...

3DS continues to dominate Japan

The Nintendo 3DS doesn't seem to be releasing its vice-like grip on the Japanese gaming public, with Square Enix's Dragon Quest VII proving to be the next in a long line of smash hit titles for the format in The Land of the Rising Sun. Square Enix's remake of the PlayStation original launched in Japan on February 7th...