Tag: Japan - Page 10
News Masahiro Sakurai Recently Had A Meeting With HAL Laboratory
New game when?
Although Masahiro Sakurai is now done with Smash Bros. Ultimate, it seems like he may not be slowing down any time soon. In a bit of an update on social media, the director of Nintendo's all-star Smash Bros. series revealed how he recently had an online meeting with his former employer, HAL Laboratory. He had no need to necessarily...
News 'Sonic Speed Q&A' Airing Next Month In Japan, Ask Sonic Anything
What questions have you got for the blue blur?
It's a busy year for Sonic the Hedgehog, but somehow the blue blur still has time to take questions from his loyal fanbase. In fact, between 25th May and 2nd June, Sega Japan will be taking questions on his behalf (via social media) - allowing fans to ask the VTuber version of him anything they want for...
News Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection II Launches On Switch This September
Japan only, for now...
Remember back in March when Edia announced it had plans to release a second collection of Valis titles on the Nintendo Switch? Well, it's now locked in a release date...at least for Japan, confirming this three-in-one classic collection will be released on 22nd September. This second collection, known officially as Valis: The...
Random The Final Zelda Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Book Has Been Uncovered
And it looks stunning
History of Hyrule has been doing some fantastic work in archiving The Legend of Zelda series history. And they've been at it once again with another fantastic find. In January, we reported that the archivist had uploaded a 1986 choose-your-own-adventure book that contained tons of quirky lost Zelda lore. That book was based on...
Random An Animal Crossing Nature Encyclopedia Is Releasing In Japan
Hoo-HOO!
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' ripe and varied ecology is one of its most lovely assets. From the bugs and fish changing every month, season, and even time of day, to the fossils you can uncover. In Japan, the game has often been used as an educational tool, with a tie-in stamp rally event running at an aquarium in Japan. Now, you don't...
News Suda51 Teases New Grasshopper Manufacture Game Reveal, Possibly Before The End Of 2022
"I want to hurry up and show everyone"
Towards the end of 2021, the famous video game creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda announced his development studio had joined the Chinese video game group NetEase. With No More Heroes 3 now complete, Suda 51's team is focused on creating new and original IP projects over the next decade. In a recent interview...
News Live A Live Remake Stream Unleashes Four New Trailers And Gameplay Footage
The Wild West, the Middle Ages, the Near Future, and Edo Japan
We've got a bounty of new Live A Live news! Square Enix's upcoming remake of the Super Famicom RPG received a livestream today, featuring the director of the original and producer of the remake, Takashi Tokita, and the now-legendary composer of the original, Yoko Shimomura. And in that...
News The Switch Has Now Outsold The 3DS In Japan
Is now the third bestselling system in the region
It's no secret that the Switch has proven to be a roaring success worldwide. Just recently, we reported on the system's remarkable achievement in overtaking PS4 sales in North America, and now it's just hit another major milestone in its native Japan. As reported by Game Data Library on Twitter, the...
Japanese Charts Nintendo Switch Sports And Kirby Still Reign Supreme
Square Enix's The Centennial Case charts
We're back to our regularly scheduled weekly Japanese charts after last week's report gave us two weeks' worth of sales. But there are no real surprises as Nintendo Switch Sports continues to dominate. It sold over three times as many copies over the period of 9th to 15th May as its closest competitor,...
Japanese Charts Nintendo Switch Sports Dominates As Kirby Holds Strong
Sports, yeah!
The latest Japanese charts are in and thanks to 'Golden Week', today's figures cover two weeks' worth of sales, from April 25th to May 8th. This means, of course, that's it's the debut entry of Nintendo Switch Sports, which storms to the top of the pile with 304,588 units sold. Kirby and the Forgotten Land continues to sell well,...
News Psychological Horror RPG 'Omori' Gets A June Release Date On Switch
Japan's Indie World confirms
OMOCAT's highly-anticipated Switch port of its horror RPG, Omori, was one of the featured games during Japan's Indie World showcase. And the presentation also confirmed an official release date for the game — 17th June! While we initially reported that the game's physical edition would be shipping out on the same day,...
News A New Pokémon X Converse Range Is Coming To Stores In Japan
We want all of them
The Pokémon franchise has seen its fair share of merchandise across the years. From trading cards to cuddly toys and even themed cars, there's something for every fan to enjoy. Over in Japan, footwear company Converse is launching a new collaboration with Pokémon, launching ranges for both children and adults. The children's...
News Nintendo Reveals Opening Cinematic For Mario Strikers: Battle League
Out on Switch this June
While Nintendo's western branches are seemingly focused on promoting Nintendo Switch Sports and certain upcoming releases, its homeland (Japan) appears to be really excited about the release of Mario Strikers: Battle League next month. Last week, Nintendo's Japanese YouTube channel shared an introductory overview trailer -...
News Ace Attorney's 20th Anniversary Concert Takes Place Later This Week
Here's the full tracklist
As you might recall, the Ace Attorney series is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary. Yep, it's been a whole 20 years since the series originally made its Japanese debut on the Game Boy Advance in 2001. It's still going strong 20 years later, and to pay respect to the series, a special 20th anniversary orchestral...
Send in the Toaplanes
M2’s ShotTriggers series has been an ongoing pilgrimage of preservation for some of the greatest shoot-em-up’s in arcade history. Hishou Same! Same! Same! combines an early Toaplan series of two: Hishouzame and Same! Same! Same!, known in the West as Flying Shark and Fire Shark, respectively. Both original arcade titles are...
News Capcom Fighting Collection Is Getting A Global Physical Release, Pre-Orders Now Live
Update: Pre-orders appear at US retailers
Update: If you were wanting to get your hands on a copy of the standard physical edition, you're in luck! Pre-orders for the game have now appeared across a number of popular US retailers – we've added all the links you need in our original article below. Original Article (Wed 23rd Feb, 2022 12:45 GMT):...
News Animal Crossing: New Horizons To Get A Lovely Second Soundtrack This June
Update: Available to pre-order now!
Update: Both the 'Original Soundtrack 2' collection and the K.K. Slider vinyl release are now available to pre-order at PlayAsia with worldwide shipping available. Here are the links you need (more info in our original article below): <products id="18687,18688"> Original Article (Thu 28th Apr, 2022 11:00...
Video 7 Nintendo Switch Games Exclusive To Japan That We Really Want Localised
Yo-Kai Watch 4, Dragon Quest X and more!
As much as we love the Nintendo Switch, one downside is the fact so many great games still are still exclusive to Japan. With this in mind, our American-based video producer Zion Grassl has rounded up a bunch of games that we would love to see localised. There are all sorts of games from Yo-Kai Watch 4,...
News River City Saga: Three Kingdoms For Switch Launches This July In The West
Celebrating 35 years of Kunio-kun
Update [Fri 29th Apr, 2022 04:00 BST]: Arc System Works and APlus Games have now confirmed River City Saga: Three Kingdoms will be released here in the west on Switch on 21st July for $29.99 USD (or your regional equivalent). Japan is also receiving a physical version. You can check out the announcement trailer...
News It's Official, Knuckles Is Now A VTuber
Amy has also been teased
One of the ways Sega celebrated 30 years of Sonic the Hedgehog last year was by transforming the blue blur into a VTuber. This was followed by his lovable sidekick Tails receiving the same treatment and now it's Knuckles' time to shine. Yes, that's right - in another official Sonic livestream in Japan, Knuckles has made
Japanese Charts eBaseball Powerful Pro 2022 Is A Home Run As Kirby Slips To Third
The Switch family closes in on 25 million
We've got the sales figures from the latest Famitsu Japanese charts, and during the week of 18th - 24th April, Kirby and the Forgotten Land was dethroned by a double-assault from eBaseball Powerful Pro Baseball 2022. The latest entry in the hugely popular eBaseball series smashed the competition to sell a...
News Hulu Video Streaming Is Now Available On Nintendo Switch In Japan
Download it today
There have been calls for more streaming services to be made available on the Nintendo Switch, and it seems Japan has got a new one today. It's the American subscription platform Hulu and can be downloaded for free right now if you're located in this region. It was previously released in North America on the Switch eShop back in...
News Legend Of Mana: The Teardrop Crystal Anime Launches This Year, Here's A First Look
Celebrating 30 years of Seiken Densetsu
Square Enix is teaming up with Warner Bros. Japan to release Legend of Mana: The Teardrop Crystal - a new television anime based on Square Enix's Legend of Mana action RPG video game. The show will air at some point in 2022. As part of this announcement, Square Enix and WB have released the key visual for the...
News Masahiro Sakurai Celebrates Kirby's 30th Birthday On Social Media
It's been 30 years since Dream Land
Today is a very important day in the history of the Kirby series. 30 years ago in Japan on 27th April 1992, the pink puff started out in his very first adventure - Kirby's Dream Land on the original Game Boy. The creator of Kirby was actually Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai, who at the time, worked at...
News Super Nintendo World Visitors In Japan Can Now Rent Switch Docks In Their Hotels
Hotel Mario
Holidays are great and all, but when you have to go back to the hotel at the end of the day, it's a bit of a bummer to not be able to boot up a nice game of Mario Party Superstars on the bedroom TV — unless you've brought your Nintendo Switch dock with you, but why would you waste precious luggage space on a dock when you can fill it...
Japanese Charts Kirby And The Forgotten Land Continues To Dominate
There's just no stopping it
The latest Famitsu Japanese charts are in for the period from 11th April - 17th April. It's yet another triumph for Kirby and the Forgotten Land, with the latest entry to the Kirby franchise coming in at number one. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim enters into the charts in a strong position, coming in at number two with a total...
News Japan's Next Trial For Nintendo Switch Online Has Been Revealed
Go on a mission with Team Bond
Following on from the news that Dragon Quest Builders 2 would be the next free trial for Switch Online users in North America and Europe, Nintendo has now revealed what Japan will be getting. This time around, it's Koei Tecmo's visual novel-style adventure game Buddy Mission:
News Coca-Cola Releases 'Super Nintendo World' Anniversary Bottle Design
It won't give you a 1-UP, though
Coca-Cola Japan has released a limited bottle design to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the grand opening of Super Nintendo World. The theme park opened in Osaka, Japan on March 18th, 2021 after a relatively short delay thanks to the reintroduction of COVID-19 restrictions in the city. Universal Parks &...
News Pokémon Variety Show To Share "Latest Information On The Pokémon Games" Next Week
Catch this broadcast
Trainers got a lot of details about Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet when the new generation was first revealed in February. So when is the next update? Well, there might be something planned for next week. According to the Pocketmonsters.net Twitter account, the Japanese Pokémon Variety show called 'PokéDoko 4' will...
News Atlus Mobile RPG 'Megami Tensei Gaiden: Shinyaku Last Bible' Announced For Switch eShop
Will be another 'G-Mode Archives+' release
G-Mode has announced it will release the Atlus-made RPG Megami Tensei Gaiden: Shinyaku Last Bible as a 'G-MODE Archives+' title for Switch eShop in Japan. As you might already know, this is a spin-off of the Megami Tensei series, and was originally released on mobile devices in Japan in 2007. There's no...
Random Classic Kirby Goes Supersize With This Irresistible 30th Anniversary Plush
More to squeeze and more to love
Did you know Kirby's 30th birthday is coming up soon? The pink puffball's 30th anniversary is on 27th April, which is when Kirby's Dream Land first came out in Japan in 1992. He wasn't pink here then, due to a misunderstanding and the Game Boy's lack of colour, but we know the truth, Nintendo. There are already a...
Random These Pokémon Nail Polishes Will Ensure You Can Win Any Beauty Contest
There's a type for everyone
The Pokémon series pretty much has the market in the palm of its hand when it comes to the amount and variety of merchandise that it has. So no one is going to bat an eyelid at Pokémon nail polish, right? Japanese beauty brand uka has created a line of Pokémon-inspired nail lacquers. This is the latest in the brand's...
Japanese Charts Kirby And The Forgotten Land Is On Top For Another Week
A familiar story this Spring
The Famitsu Japanese charts for the first full week of April are in, and, well, it's a pretty similar story to last week. Kirby and the Forgotten Land continues to crush the competition. While sales numbers have almost halved compared to last week, Kirby still sold nearly four times more than the next best-selling game,...
Random You Can Get Boney's Sneaky Disguise From Mother 3 In Plush Form
And the claymen too!
If you're one of the lucky ones and have been able to play Mother 3, you might remember a section where Lucas and his trusty canine companion Boney have to get into a club. When arriving at the club, the pair are turned away because the venue has a strict "no animals" policy. So, how do you sneak your four-legged friend inside a...
News Bandai Namco Appears To Be Remastering A '3D Action Game' For Nintendo
What could it be?
Bandai Namco - the Japanese company behind series like Tekken and Pac-Man - appears to have a new project in the works, contracted by Nintendo. According to multiple job listings on Bandai Namco's Japanese website (via
Random See Inside The Real-Life Animal Crossing: New Horizons Aquarium Stamp Rally
Japan-only!
Back in 2021, Japanese aquarium Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise held an Animal Crossing: New Horizons tie-in event, which allowed visitors to take part in a real-life stamp rally just like in the game. Obviously, there was zero hope that most of us could visit without already being in Japan, but luckily for us, one insider recorded...
Random Get A First Proper Look Inside The Former Nintendo HQ Hotel
Looks like Masahiro Sakurai stayed recently, too
A week ago, 'Marufukuro', the former Nintendo HQ that has been turned into a hotel, opened to the public. Based in Kyoto, the building is hugely iconic for Nintendo fans, with many of them posing outside in front of the old sign. It's actually where the company was making playing cards and began...
News Nintendo Acquires Land For New Development Building In Japan
Scheduled to be completed by 2027
This just in: Nintendo has announced it's acquired new land. According to an official PR, it has bought this land next to its Kyoto HQ for around $5 billion Yen (that's close to $40 million USD). This new area will be home to the headquarters' second development building (tentative name). The purpose of the...
Rumour Does This Bandai Namco Trademark Hint At A New '.hack' Collection?
Is an Outbreak incoming?
Recently, Switch owners got a chance to play through .hack//G.U. Last Recode, a collection containing the once PS2-exclusive .hack//G.U. trilogy, which includes a brand new chapter, Reconnection. But these aren't the only .hack games, let alone even the first. And Bandai Namco might be making a move regarding the first four...
News Nintendo Highlights Another N64 Title Coming Soon To Switch Online's Expansion Pack In Japan
Custom Robo V2 is on the way
Earlier this week, Nintendo announced it would be releasing the N64 classic Mario Golf on the Switch Online Expansion Pack. It means the remaining games (which have already been revealed) include
News New Screenshots Of Fire Emblem: Three Hopes Surface Online
Here's a look
Koei Tecmo is releasing another Fire Emblem Musou spin-off in June. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes will be based on the latest mainline entry, Fire Emblem: Three Houses. While we've already seen quite a bit of the game in the lead up to its June release date, the game listing on Amazon Japan apparently features three new...
Japanese Charts Kirby And The Forgotten Land Retains The Top Spot
Kirby's latest approaches 500K
It's that time, once again, for the Famitsu Japanese charts; this time they cover the week of 28th March to 3rd April. Kirby and the Forgotten Land holds strong at the top spot for the week and despite seeing a fairly significant drop in sales from the previous week, it is still leagues ahead of the competition with...
News Nintendo Reminds Us Splatoon 3 Is Still On The Way (Again)
Update: Splatoon 3's Japanese webpage now live, additional screenshots
Update: Nintendo has also launched its official Splatoon 3 webpage in Japan. While it's obviously in Japanese, you can still some additional screenshots of the game - highlighting the new city, battles, the game's story mode and Salmon Run. Visit Splatoon 3's Japanese...
News Metal Max Spin-Off 'Metal Dogs' Launch Trailer Is Full Of Blasting, Barking Good Boys
Still Japan-only for now
The Metal Max series hasn't had a ton of success outside of Japan. In fact, only two games have ever seen the light of day over in the west - Metal Saga, and Metal Max Xeno (which is getting an enhanced rerelease on Switch) - and whenever they have made it over here, they've rarely attracted bounds of adoring critical...
News City Connection Announces Multiple 'Saturn Tribute X Taito' Releases For Nintendo Switch eShop
Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute arrives 28th April
Japanese publisher City Connection has announced it will be bringing Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute to the Nintendo Switch eShop and multiple other platforms on 28th April. It follows on from a rating earlier this year in February. Layer Section is a 1995 home console port...
News Kirby And The Forgotten Land Is Apparently Japan's "Biggest" Kirby Launch Ever
It's outperformed Kirby Super Star Ultra on DS
Earlier this week, we found out Kirby and the Forgotten Land had become the biggest Kirby launch ever in the UK. Now, in related news - the game has been crowned the "biggest" Kirby launch in Japan. As highlighted in Japan's Famitsu sales charts th
News Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rebirth Hits Switch This July
...in Japan, at least
Koei Tecmo has announced that Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rebirth is coming to Switch later year. The game – which is the latest in a long-running series – will hit Japan on July 21st, 2022. Those who pre-order the game will get a bonus 'Tensho Sarushibai' scenario. Koei Tecmo has also revealed that it will release a 'Treasure...
Review Touken Ranbu Warriors (Switch) - A 'My First Musou' That Adds Little To The Formula
The way of the Warriors
At first blush, Koei Tecmo’s Touken Ranbu Warriors appears to be something of a "My First Dynasty Warriors", or a "Diet" Musou. It’s based on DMM’s (popular in Japan) free-to-play browser-based collectable card game, targeted at Japanese women — specifically a subculture of otaku known as “katana women” – ladies...
Japanese Charts Kirby And The Forgotten Land Absorbs More Big Sales
The rest have to suck it up
It's that time, once again, for the Famitsu Japanese charts; this time they cover the week of 21st to 27th March/ Of course that brings us into the launch of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which we already knew had enjoyed a fast sales start in the UK. The good news for fans of the pink one is that has also been evident...
News PS2 Stealth Action Title 'Kamiwaza Tourai' Coming To Switch In Japan
Will a western release follow?
Tokyo-based publisher Acquire has announced Kamiwaza Tourai, a remastered version of the PS2 stealth-action game from 2006. The game will launch in Japan later this year. The release will improve on the original release in multiple ways, including HD graphics, updated textures, an auto-save feature, multiple tutorial...
