Tag: Japan - Page 21
Feature Missile Dancer Dev Terarin Games On Shmup Design, Future Plans And Embracing Western Players
"Shmups have a simple mechanism, but making good shmups is difficult"
Like so many Japanese gamers, Terarin Games' Junichi Terayama grew up with Nintendo. "The first video game I played was Xevious on the Famicom. However, I didn't have a Famicom as a kid; I was playing it at my friend's house." Despite the lack of unrestricted access to the...
News New Video Gives Us Our Best Ever Look At Super Nintendo World
What a sight to behold
If you've been keeping an eye on our coverage of Super Nintendo World over the past few weeks, you'll have seen a number of aerial photographs, shots from the ground, and even a video of Y
News 16-Year-Old Student Arrested For Allegedly Threatening To "Blow Up Konami’s Headquarters"
Individual was upset by connectivity problems with Konami's PES mobile game
A 16-year-old student has been arrested in Japan for allegedly threatening to blow up Konami's Tokyo headquarters. According to Yomiuri, the suspect made the threats between June 16th and June 18th on the review section of an online app store. Another Japanese outlet,
A huge achievement
According to Famitsu's Japanese chart estimates, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has now surpassed five million physical sales in Nintendo's home region. The game is the first on Switch to reach the impressive milestone. The five million sales total has been achieved in just over three months and leaves New Horizons comfortably...
News Nintendo's Directors Receive New Approval Ratings - Here's How Shareholders Voted
Furukawa, Miyamoto and more
Every time Nintendo holds one of its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, its directors are faced with a new series of votes from shareholders to assess their approval ratings. Today, the day of the 80th annual meeting, is no different, and we have a record of how the votes went down below. Shareholders were asked to...
Deals Pokémon Fan? Check Out This New Line Of Pikachu-COOL & Pikachu-POP Gear For Your Switch
Tough to 'chus a fave
Ask a random stranger on the street to name a Pocket Monster and there's a good chance that a certain yellow mouse will be the Pokémon that passes their lips (assuming they can name one at all). Sure, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Eevee have their fans – and there are a handful of post-Gen I Pokémon that might pop up...
News Universal Studios Japan Postpones Opening Of Super Nintendo World
Mario fans might have to wait until 2021
There have already been many delays this year, and now to add to this, Universal Studios in Japan has officially postponed the launch of Super Nintendo World. Sorry folks, but the park will no longer open this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. It's not exactly a surprise after the 2020 Summer Olympics...
Japanese Charts Nintendo Takes Nine Of Top Ten As The Last Of Us 2 Topples Animal Crossing
But New Horizons is still selling strong
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 15th - 21st June, revealing that Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been knocked off top spot by The Last of Us Part II. The new PS4 exclusive sold an estimated 178,696 boxed copies in its opening week in Japan, beating Animal Crossing's total of 73,680. Still,...
News New Video Shows Yoshi In Action At Super Nintendo World
Another glimpse
Super Nintendo World in Japan appears to be coming along nicely. Just last week, we got our first look at spinning coins, and now we've got an even more exciting tease of Mario's sidekick Yoshi. The following clip has been uploaded by Twitter user @ywki_woo. It shows a life-size Yoshi model walking around a tree and then slowly...
Japanese Charts Ring Fit Adventure Surpasses One Million Sales, Nintendo Takes Entire Top Ten
Animal Crossing's still on top, of course
Remember these guys? Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 8th - 14th June, revealing that Ring Fit Adventure has now surpassed one million boxed sales in Nintendo's home region alone. The game has found itself regularly occupying the top ten since launch and this week's no different. It sold...
News Japan Is Getting A Medabot Collection On Nintendo Switch
Medarot Classics Plus contains eight titles
In the wake of Pokémon's astonishing success in Japan in 1996, many other developers attempted to ape the formula with their own RPG-style adventures. One of the more memorable was Imagineer's Medabot (or "Medarot" as it's known in Japan) series, which spawned a manga and anime and was focused on the...
News Nintendo, Creatures And Game Freak Apply For PokéToon Trademark In Japan
That might not be all, folks
Remember the new 'PokéToon' cartoon The Pokémon Company released earlier this month on its Kids TV channel? It was an animated short inspired by cartoons of America's Golden Age, where series such as Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes rose to fame. The episode itself was called 'Chase The Beans' and starred Scraggy - who is...
Animal trafficking
The incredible popularity of Animal Crossing: New Horizons – and the fact that many of the characters and items in the game are hard to come by during normal gameplay – has resulted in the establishment of websites which sell content in the game for real-world money. In Japan, it is reported that one of these organisation –...
News The Super Game Boy Is Now 26 Years Old
Only for Super Nintendo
If you're as old as some of us here are at Nintendo Life, you might have fond memories of the Super Game Boy. It was an adapter cartridge for the Super Nintendo that allowed you to play Game Boy and dual-mode Game Boy Color cartridges on the big screen - aka your television. Some games, like the Pokémon titles, even had...
Japanese Charts Animal Crossing Keeps Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics From Top Spot
Nintendo takes nine of top ten
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 1st - 7th June, revealing that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is still sitting comfortably at number one. The game shifted another 97,810 copies last week, keeping new release Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics in second place in its first week on sale. Nintendo's new...
News Konami Pulls The Plug On Nintendo Switch Exclusive Hyper Sports R
Track and failed
When Konami first shared the multitude of screenshots from its upcoming game Hyper Sports R back in 2018, it's fair to say that it didn't generate too much interest. The cartooney character models in this sports sim did seem a bit unusual, and perhaps this upcoming Switch exclusive was never going to capture the imagination of...
News New Video Shows Super Nintendo World's Spinning Coins In Action
What other secrets will be hidden inside?
We've been treated to a number of cheeky glimpses at the upcoming Super Nintendo World over the past couple of weeks, but this latest tease is arguably the most exciting of the lot. A new video has been shared online by Twitter user @thrillgeek, giving us a look at the park's coins. 'How can coins possibly...
News That 3D Crab Fighting Game Appears To Be Surfacing On Switch This August
The first rule of Fight Crab...
One game we've been keeping an eye on for some time now here at Nintendo Life is the utterly ridiculous Fight Crab. The premise is quite simple - two crustaceans enter an arena and only one comes out the victor. So, when will it be released? According to a listing on Play-Asia, it'll be surfacing in Japan on 20th...
News Bandai To Hold Super Mario Lottery In Japan With Really Cool Prizes To Be Won
We'll take them all
We often find ourselves feeling incredibly jealous of any lucky Nintendo fans who live in Japan and today's no different, as Bandai Spirits has revealed a brand new Super Mario lottery. Kicking off on 27th June, the lottery will be held at various stores across Japan including 7-Eleven, Ito-Yokado, and even Nintendo's very own...
News Here Are The Switch eShop's Best-Selling Games Of May 2020 (Japan)
Number one is a familiar sight
Yesterday, we shared a list of the top 15 most-downloaded Switch games in Europe for the month of May, revealing that Animal Crossing: New Horizons had finally been knocked off top spot. But how are things looking in Nintendo's home country of Japan? Below, you'll find a list of the 20 best-selling games on the...
That's one impressive list
Nintendo recently applied for multiple trademarks on 12th May 2020 and each one has now been published. First up, is a trademark for the upcoming Switch release, Paper Mario: The Origami King, which is due out on 17th July. The other game mentioned is the much older 2006 Wii title, Excite Truck. It doesn't end there,...
News New Super Nintendo World Images Give Us Another Sneak Peek At The Park
Bowser's Castle, Mario flagpole and more
Just last week, we shared some intriguing aerial photographs of Super Nintendo World, the new theme park currently in the works at Universal Studios Japan. The images gave us a good look at the general layout of the park and its components, but now we have several more images taken from the ground. The park...
Review Space Invaders Invincible Collection - 40 Years Of History In One Package
Invaders Must Die
Considering we have been shooting them out of our virtual skies for entertainment over the past forty-two years, any sentient extra-terrestrial life form might not be too keen to drop in to say “Hello!” these days, and with good reason – Tomohiro Nishikado's original 1978 Space Invaders didn't just kickstart a cultural...
How to buy games from any region
One of the most exciting features of the Nintendo Switch is the fact that it's region-free, a welcome move for a Nintendo home console. While it's a much-lauded feature, Nintendo won't be publishing any tutorials on how to set up multiple accounts any time soon, so this guide is here to help you out. After all, why...
News Yes, Sega's "Revolutionary" Announcement Is To Use Its Arcades As Cloud Gaming Data Centers
But is that a big enough scoop for you?
Last week, a Famitsu reporter teased a "revolutionary scoop" in this week's issue of the magazine. Initial reports stated that this could be related to a "fog gaming" system in Japan, and now the issue is available and has been properly translated, we're seeing more solid information appear. According to
Japanese Charts Animal Crossing Denies Xenoblade Chronicles A Debut Week At Number One
With another 100,000+ copies sold
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 25th - 31st May, revealing that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is still standing strong at number one. The game sold an estimated 102,749 copies last week - an almost identical figure to the week before - leaving this week's new Switch title Xenoblade Chronicles:...
News Sega's Game Gear Micro Might Not Be The "Revolutionary" Scoop Famitsu Has Been Teasing
Update: First details about the big scoop surface
Update (Wed 3rd Jun, 2020 09:30 BST): It's believed the big Famitsu scoop is a new arcade service/platform from Sega known as 'Fog Gaming'. It will supposedly allow game centers to make money outside of regular business hours At this point, it sounds like it'll be a Japan-only thing. Sorry folks!...
News Impressive Aerial Shot Of Super Nintendo World's Construction Surfaces Online
Update: Second photo shows park's entrance
Update (Mon 1st Jun, 2020 12:30 BST): A second aerial shot of Super Nintendo World has now been shared online, this time giving us a look at the entrance to the park. It looks like visitors will walk in via a giant green Warp Pipe, and there's even an adorable Super Star on the ground. Lovely stuff...
News Nintendo's Latest Patent Protects IC Tags Within Soft Toys
Like plush amiibo
Nintendo recently filed a patent that intends to prevent damage to IC tags within soft toys. As weird as this may sound, it seems to actually refer to the NFC feature contained within plush amiibo. One example of this is the Yarn Yoshi amiibo which was released in 2015. A similar patent dating back to 31st March of the same year...
Japanese Charts Animal Crossing Still Dominates As Switch Takes Nine Of Top Ten
Another mighty week
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 18th - 24th May, revealing that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is still leading the way for Nintendo. The game shifted another estimated 102,553 copies last week, bumping its grand total of physical sales in Japan to 4.5 million. The second best-selling physical Switch game in the...
Platforms still unconfirmed at this point
To mark the 34th birthday of the Dragon Quest series, Square Enix has announced a new trio of Dragon Quest games, all of which are based on the manga Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, which ran in Japanese magazine Shonen Jump between the years of 1989 and 1996. The biggest game of the three games is...
News Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition Launches In Japan This August
No word on a local release date just yet
After multiple delays, Square Enix has finally locked in a release date for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition - at least in Japan. The game will arrive on multiple platforms, including Nintendo Switch, on 27th August. There'll be a physical and digital copy made available for 4,800 yen...
Random In Japan, You Can Buy A Nintendo Wii For 50 Cents
And DS consoles are under a dollar
The Wii and DS were phenomenally successful consoles, selling over 250 million units between them worldwide. That's great news when a system is 'alive' and still getting new games, but when it's a decade down the line, the software has dried up (well, almost dried up) and
Japanese Charts Animal Crossing Leads The Charge As Nintendo Secures 80 Percent Of The Top 10
Hardware sales drop slightly from last week
To the shock of pretty much nobody, Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains at the top of the Japanese sales charts, as supplied by Famitsu. The Nintendo Switch exclusive has now sold almost 4.5 million copies in its homeland alone. Ring Fit Adventure remains in second place, and is closing in on a million...
Casual mode, 20 hour epilogue and more!
Famitsu recently had the opportunity to conduct a Q&A with Monolith Soft President Takahashi Tetsuya, and discuss topics surrounding Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. In it, they talk about what was updated, new features and details surrounding Future Connected. We've taken the time to translate...
News Hori Brings Its Fighting Commander Gamepad To The Switch This June
Japan only, for now
If you play a lot of fighting games, you'll know how important it is to have the right gamepad or arcade stick. It can make certain combos easier to perform and will often give you a competitive edge in battle. Japanese accessory manufacturer HORI might have already released a number of controllers for the Nintendo Switch, but...
News Official Mother Tribute Comic Revealed, More News Expected To Follow
"to be continued"
At the end of last month, the company Hobonichi Shinbun (owned by Mother series' creator Shigesato Itoi) launched the 'Hobonichi Mother Project' - promising "various contents and goods" before the end of 2020. Now, in the latest update, the Pollyanna tribute comic has been revealed. According to a translation on the
Random Japanese Scheme To "Smash" Switch Scalpers Doesn't Quite Go According To Plan
Stock situation triggers weird scenes in Akihabara
The Nintendo Switch is in short supply all over the world right now, but in Nintendo's homeland, the stock situation is especially dire, with stores regularly holding lottery-style systems in order to fairly distribute the tiny number of consoles they have. As a result, we've seen scalpers step in,...
Japanese Charts Animal Crossing: New Horizons Surpasses 4 Million Boxed Sales In Japan Alone
It's a monster!
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for both 27th April - 3rd May and 4th - 10th May after a delay in chart publication last week. As such, we have a bumper episode of data for you this time around. Strap in! It probably comes as no surprise that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is still comfortably at number one, now finding...
News Ninjala Is Getting A Physical Edition Release In Japan
Despite being free-to-play
GungHo Online Entertainment's Ninjala is set to receive a physical edition release in Japan this summer, it has been announced. The news arrives via the game's official website, where it has been revealed that Japanese fans of the game will be able to pick up a boxed copy of Ninjala on 22nd July. It contains a physical...
News This Summer's New Pokémon Movie Has Been Delayed
10th July release date scrapped
The Pokémon Company has announced that the release of this summer's movie, Pokémon the Movie: Coco, will be postponed. The film was due to be released in Japanese cinemas on 10th July, but the company has issued a statement to its official website today to inform fans of the delay. As you can probably guess, the...
News Switch Online Subscribers Will Soon Get To Play Celeste For Free In Japan
And yes, there's a western workaround
Starting from next week, Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in Japan will be able to enjoy Celeste - in its entirety - at no extra charge. The game is the latest to be offered up in a string of free, limited-time releases available to subscribers, which has already included the likes of Fire Emblem Warriors and
News Nintendo Thwarts Scalpers With Animal Crossing amiibo Card Restock
Gotta collect 'em all
We're big fans of using amiibo cards to invite villagers to our campsites in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but let's be honest - it's incredibly hard to get the entire set and many dedicated collectors end up turning to popular auction sites in order to fill the gaps in their collection, often from unscrupulous scalpers asking...
News Tokyo Game Show 2020 Officially Cancelled, Will Be Replaced By An Online Event
Another one bites the dust
It's official, like every other video game convention before it, this year's Tokyo Game Show has been cancelled to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The show, which was scheduled to take place between 24th - 27th September, will now be replaced by an online event. Here's the official statement: Due to the outbreak of...
Random "Games I Want Ported To Nintendo Switch" Twitter Hashtag Goes Viral In Japan
Switch users from other regions join in
The Switch already has an extensive library of games, but there's always room for more ports. While we've seen Nintendo and a number of other companies release a bunch of them over the past few years, there are still quite a lot of fantastic previous generation titles that could make the Switch. The Japanese...
Japanese Charts Animal Crossing Overtakes Smash Ultimate To Become Switch's Best-Selling Game
In just over one month
Famitsu's Japanese chart figures are now in for 20th - 26th April, revealing that Animal Crossing: New Horizons has smashed yet another record - and this one's a biggie. The game sold an estimated 283,913 copies in Japan last week, taking its lifetime sales total in the region to a mighty 3.89 million. This means that in...
Gallery Nintendo Website Shares Brand New Screenshots Of Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected
New overview trailer also released
Perhaps the most exciting thing about Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition for returning players is the all-new epilogue story. It's officially titled 'Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected'. If you're curious to see more of this new chapter, some additional screenshots have now been shared on the game's...
News Kemco And City Connection Apologise Over New Switch JRPG Revenge Of Justice
The game launched just last month
The teams behind new Switch JRPG Revenge of Justice have both issued statements to their official websites today, apologising over content found within the game. Both Kemco, the game's publisher, and developer City Connection have acknowledged reports that said the new game has a number of similarities to PC game,...
Teaser website also launched
The Mother series, as we know, hasn't really been acknowledged by Nintendo since EarthBound Beginnings was released on the Wii U eShop back in 2015. Fortunately, it's not been completely forgotten about. Although the series' creator Shigesato Itoi has said he's not particularly interested in making a fourth entry, his...
News EA Adds FIFA 20 To Its Nintendo Switch 'Best Hits' Line In Japan
Same game, cheaper price
On 25th June 2020, Electronic Arts is adding FIFA 20 to its 'Best Hits' Nintendo Switch line in Japan. It will see the game's price dropped reduced from ¥5,500 down to just ¥3,080. The digital version of the title on the eShop is also expected to be reduced. As you can see above, the physical Legacy Edition is still...