Tag: Japan - Page 44
News Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon Tops Japanese Charts as Wii U Beats PS4
Super Mario Maker claims second place
The Media Create Japanese chart results have been later than normal this week, but the eventual outcome certainly has some positives for Nintendo. For starters, Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon has claimed top spot in its début week, with the 3DS title sneaking past 150,000 sales. Super Mario Maker claims second...
News Amazon Offers Neat Picross 3D 2 Demo Promotion in Japan
'Buy' a free demo, get a discount on the full game
A little while ago it emerged that Picross 3D 2 is heading to the 3DS in Japan, providing a sequel to the popular DS retail puzzler. Due on 1st October in the country, it'll serve up more 3D puzzles and include amiibo support for extra content. In a neat promotion simply trying out a demo will also...
Video Take A Look At How Monster Hunter Stories Is Shaping Up On 3DS
Beautiful monster
The Tokyo Game Show is in full swing and lots of upcoming games are being shown for the first time on the show floor. One of these which is of great interest to us is Capcom's Monster Hunter Stories, a spin-off game with a very different art style to the classic Monster Hunter series which we know and love. In this official...
News More Than A Million Super Mario Maker Levels Have Been Uploaded In A Week
You guys have been really busy
Nintendo's Japanese Twitter account has confirmed that since Super Mario Maker launched last week more than a million user-generated stages have been uploaded. Just allow that colossal number to sink in for a moment - when you think that Sony's LittleBigPlanet was released in 2008, it took
News Super Mario Maker Tops The Charts In Japan, Causes Wii U Sales To Double
Almost 140,000 copies sold, additional 10,000 consoles shifted
Super Mario Maker has made its début in Japan and has claimed the top spot in this week's Media Create Sales charts. The DIY platformer has sold 138,242 copies in its first week on sale. In second place is Capcom's 3DS exclusive Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village DX, which...
News Genei Ibun Roku #FE Japanese Release Date And Bundles Revealed
Swimsuit sets included, because why not?
Nintendo has revealed that Genei Ibun Roku #FE - also known as Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem - will launch in Japan on December 26th. As well as offering up this all-important piece of info, three bundles have been announced for the game. The bog-standard regular edition comes with a set of costumes as a...
News Next Sega 3D Classics Retail Collection Includes Cult Arcade Racer Power Drift
But it's only available in Japan
Sega has confirmed the second 3D Classics compendium for the 3DS, and the big news is that the seminal arcade racer Power Drift has made the cut. The pack follows the previous retail release which pulled together all of the 3D Classics titles released up to that point. This second selection boasts Sonic the...
News Super Mario Maker DLC Confirmed, Famitsu's Mascot Necky The Fox Coming Soon
Necky the Fox to be a playable costume in Japan
Super Mario Maker hits the shops in Europe and North America tomorrow (just in case you hadn't heard!). Out of the box it supports a staggering variety of amiibo figurines; for example if you tap a Kirby amiibo against the Wii U GamePad while creating your level you can give Mario an 8-bit Kirby...
News Dragon Quest VIII and 3DS Overtaken by Metal Gear Solid V and PS4 in Japan
VIII is not greater than V, after all
It's Japanese Media Create chart results time again, and after a sustained spell of ruling the roost the 3DS and its games take a backseat this week, though that was always on the cards. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Hideo Kojima's final entry in the series and with Konami, has naturally taken the two...
News Splatoon Art Book Making A Splat Landing In Japan This Year
300+ pages of kid/squid goodness
As if the Inklings among us didn't already have enough to celebrate, it looks like the 2-disc soundtrack we recently reported on isn't the only piece of Splatoon merchandise emerging from the watery depths this year. Freshly announced by Famitsu magazine and translated by
News This Hello Kitty New Nintendo 3DS Console Is Just Purrrfect
Cute as a button
North American Nintendo fans may be over the moon about the fact that the smaller New 3DS console - the one with the collectable cover plates - is finally coming to the US, but over in Japan they've got through quite a few special editions of the customisable handheld system already - and there's another being added to the list...
News This Monster Hunter X New Nintendo 3DS Cover Plate Makes Us Want the Game Even More
Just look at it
Based on the ease with which we're still able to fill an online lobby, plenty of gamers are still enjoying Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate in the West. Of course, lucky Japanese gamers have Monster Hunter X (Cross) to look forward to later this year, a fresh take on the series that introduces new approaches to combat and an action-centric...
News Some Western Splatoon Players Would Prefer Not To Compete With Japan
Online technicalities causing tension?
Reports have recently surfaced via Japanese video game blogs that certain clusters of Western Wii U owners do not enjoy playing Nintendo's competitive online squid shooter Splatoon with players from Japan. Some have even taken to social media to demand that Nintendo enforce regional servers for the game. The...
News Dragon Quest VIII Storms to Number One in Japan and Boosts New 3DS Sales
Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer creeps towards 1 million sales
Wednesday is Media Create results day in Japan, in which we see whether Nintendo and its system's games can maintain strong form in the company's homeland. On that score this week brings more positive news. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, the 3DS port of the PS2...
Feature Handheld LCD Gaming Past And Present
For those times when an original Game Boy just isn’t retro-chic enough
Nintendo first hit the LCD game scene all the way back in 1980 with Ball, a simple but thoroughly playable affair at the time that may be familiar to fans of the Game Boy Camera or those brave souls who ventured onto the DSi shop. From these humble beginnings Nintendo's LCD...
News Super Robot Wars BX Battles Its Way to Number One in Japan
Animal Crossing and Yo-kai Watch still going strong
It's Media Create Japanese chart results time again, with this week bringing more good news for the 3DS; the portable's been rather greedy in its success in recent times. Super Robot Wars BX makes its début on 3DS in top spot, which looks noisy and fun based on the footage at the end of this...
Video Japanese TV Commercials For Super Mario Maker Take The Reserved Approach
Low on CGI, high on charm
The launch of Super Mario Maker is just around the corner, and Nintendo is giving the game one final push in Japan with a raft of new TV commercials. Compared to the CGI-heavy nature of the US ads, these are a little more reserved and showcase one man and his quest to create the most entertaining Super Mario level...
Video Check Out These Delightful Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Japanese Trailers
Dungeon crawl with your pocket monsters
The upcoming release of Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon promises to take the now long-running series to new heights with a more extensive game experience than ever before – with enhancements such as randomly generated dungeons that change each time a player enters, and the chance to battle alongside both...
News We're Pretty Sure We Need These Earthbound Techo Planners In Our Lives
Shigesato Itoi mines his past for future greatness
One of the many modern-day pursuits of Earthbound / Mother creator Shigesato Itoi is creating planners, or "Techos" as they're known in Japan. His company Hobonichi makes many of these useful items, which can be used as a diary, notebook or scrapbook. Hobonichi has had plenty of success in its...
Weirdness Dancing Electric Rodents Infest The Japanese Coastal Town Of Yokohama
Pika-pi, Pikachu!!
Japan appears to be absolutely obsessed with the cute, cuddly and electric Pokémon, Pikachu. To celebrate the nation’s cultural obsession with the adorable pocket monster, for a second year in a row now, Nintendo has infested the coastal Japanese town of Yokohama with dancing Pikachu. These giant-sized Pikachu are actually a...
News Splatoon eSports Tournament Series To Be Launched In Japan
Over $1 million in prize money
It seems like only yesterday that we learnt that North America would be getting a Transformers themed Splatfest in the ever-popular Splatoon. The Splatoon hype train waits for no man however and it's been revealed today that a Splatoon eSports tournament series will be launched in Japan with over $1 million in prize...
News Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer Leads as Splatoon Passes Half a Million Sales in Japan
Wii U sales increase, too
The latest Media Create Japanese charts have arrived, bringing with them more positive news of Summer sales for Nintendo. On the software side Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer stays on top with over 180,000 sales in its second week, pushing it beyond 700,000 retail sales already. The two iterations of Yo-Kai Watch...
News CoroCoro Reveals Yo-Kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version For Wii U
A Level-5 & Ubisoft collaboration
After selling millions and becoming a cultural phenomenon in Japan, it has been revealed the popular Yo-Kai Watch series will receive a Just Dance spin-off. The latest issue of Japan’s CoroCoro Magazine explains Yo-Kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version is on the way to the Wii U courtesy of a surprising...
News CoroCoro Magazine Posts More Images Of Mysterious New Pokémon
Another monster for your pocket
We recently reported on a mysterious new blob-like Pokémon which was teased during the screening of Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages in Japan. Viewers caught a little glimpse of the new character, which is expected to make its début in the forthcomingPokémon The Movie XY. However, CoroCoro magazine...
News Not Only Does Japan Have Awesome Arcades, it Has Cool 30th Anniversary Mario Prizes
We'll happily buy these, given the chance
The arcade scene in the West isn't completely dead, but it's certainly less vibrant and varied than in Japan. It's not just that Japanese arcades have incredible machines, old and new, but some of the amusements also offer awesome prizes. As an example we have the following prizes that, if we're making...
Video These Yo-Kai Watch Busters Commercials Focus On The Ghostbusters Vibe
Bustin' makes me feel good
Yo-Kai Watch Busters is doing pretty brisk business in Japan, as is to be expected when you consider how massive the Yo-Kai Watch series is in its native homeland. The title launched last month and a series of fresh commercials have been aired to maintain sales momentum, and they really push the whole...
News 3DS Version Of Dragon Quest VIII To Feature Brand New Ending
As well as a new dungeon to tackle once you complete the game
Dragon Quest VIII hits the 3DS in Japan on August 27th, and to build on the already intense interest for the game in its homeland, Jump magazine has delivered some more details. The most striking addition is that the game will feature a brand-new ending. There isn't a lot more detail...
News SNK Playmore's New Chinese Owners Aim To "Do A Marvel" With Its Famous Franchises
$63.5 million paid for 81.25 percent of the gaming veteran
SNK Playmore has been acquired by a group of Chinese investors, Gameindustry.biz is reporting. Ledo Millennium has paid $63.5 million for 81.25 percent of the company's shares, purchased from former SNK CEO Eikichi Kawasaki and his wife Natsuyo Kawasaki. Chinese companies Oriental...
News Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer Dominates Japanese Charts, Boosts 3DS Sales
Wii U sales increase, too
It's that time of the week, once again, for the Japanese Media Create sales charts. Pleasingly for Nintendo a spin-off for one of its most successful franchises has had a strong start, allaying fears that it would struggle to grab attention. That title is Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, which launched with various...
Video These Monster Hunter X Trailers Are for Lance Fans
Or treat yourself to the Gun Lance
Capcom's currently in the process of teasing its YouTube followers with flashy weapon trailers for Monster Hunter X (Cross), which is coming to the 3DS in Japan in late November. The footage is welcome, though, as it showcases a few monster variations and demonstrates how the co
Weirdness Keep Your French Fries Toasty Hot With These Yo-Kai Watch Holsters
Only in Japan, of course
Yo-Kai Watch is massive in Japan, and that means there are plenty of opportunities for all kinds of cross-promotional activity. However, few ideas are as zany as these McDonald's French Fry holsters, which allow you to slot in your pack of chopped potatoes and keep them warm during your quests to locate naughty spirits...
News Capcom Continues to Go Big With a Monster Hunter X Limited Edition and New Trailers
For those always on the hunt
Monster Hunter X (Cross) is being given a big push by Capcom ahead of its late November release in Japan, a fresh entry that brings a slight switch in dynamic to the core play. Considering the huge success of previous 3DS releases in the franchise the projections for millions of sales don't seem excessive. A pricey...
News Splatoon And Nintendo Dominated Japanese Retail During June
Over 50 percent of the top 30 were 3DS titles
Japanese gaming publication Famitsu has published sales figures for the month of June, and Nintendo's online shooter Splatoon has come out on top. The Wii U release sold 368,538 copies between May 25th and June 21st - almost 20,000 of which were digital - making it one of the most impressive débuts for...
News Nintendo Is Licensing Hudson Soft IP From Konami
New Momotaro Dentetsu title in development
Earlier this morning, we posted some rather worrying news regarding the current situation at Konami, including claims that staff are being used as cleaners and security guards. If there's one positive to come out of the whole situation it's that Konami is so disinterested in harnessing its catalogue of IP...
News Scathing Nikkei Report Hints At Shameful Treatment Of Staff By Dictatorial Konami Management
"Useless" employees used as cleaners and security guards
All is not well in the world of Konami. Recent rumours have suggested that the Japanese veteran could be planning a move out of the home gaming business, and the company's recent treatment of Hideo Kojima - surely its most famous staffer - has raised eyebrows throughout the industry. However,...
Feature Hands On With The Spooktacular Luigi's Mansion Arcade
Don't cross the streams
Deep in the dimly lit bowels of Japanese arcades lurks a surprisingly wonderful new first person shooter (sucker?) with an unlikely arcade hero. It's not surprising that Luigi is running the show this time around. After all he's saved Mario from the notorious King Boo on two separate occasions at this point. The surprise...
News Yo-Kai Watch Busters and 3DS Continue to Rule in Japan
The Wii U holds steady, too
It's Wednesday, which means we cast our eyes over to the Japanese market to see the movers and shakers, and those titles that simply refuse to go away. It's another decent week from Nintendo's perspective, overall, despite a lack of major releases. Starting with software, Level-5 continues to have cash fights and all-day...
News Muramasa: The Demon Blade And Trauma Team Hitting The Japanese Wii U eShop Next Month
Classic Wii titles inbound
Nintendo has revealed that two fan-favourite Wii titles will be coming to the Wii U eShop next month. Vanillaware's Muramasa: The Demon Blade and Atlus' Trauma Team (known as Hospital: 6 Doctors in Japan) are the titles in question, and will launch on August 19th for 2,700 Yen each. "Muramasa: The Demon Blade and games...
Video This Japanese Super Mario Maker Overview Is Surprisingly Well-Constructed
Game details and amiibo footage, it's all here
It's not long until Super Mario Maker graces Wii U systems all over the world, and our own personal interest surrounding this intriguing DIY title grows with each snippet of fresh news. Today's interesting titbit is a new video from Nintendo of Japan which shows off the game's mechanics in a...
Video Japanese Splatoon Advert Teases New Weapons, Gear, Map & Rainmaker Mode
Lock n' load with new paint bucket and mini-gun weapons
Since its release at the end of May, Nintendo’s third-person squid shooter, Splatoon, has received several updates enhancing the overall game experience – with new content arriving on a regular basis. It appears more free DLC is now on the way, with a new Japanese Splatoon trailer...
News Japanese Retailer Highlights Stock Issues With Animal Crossing amiibo Cards
Play-Asia is taking pre-orders, though...
Slowly and surely, the stock scenario with amiibo has become a little better. Through a combination of Nintendo churning out stock and retailers trying to help fans, more of the figures have been up for grabs. It's still difficult for hardcore collectors, of course, but there have been signs of progress...
News Here's What The Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 Olympics Arcade Game Looks Like
Arriving Spring 2016 in Japan
We recently reported on the fact that Sega is releasing an arcade variant of its forthcoming Wii U and 3DS title Mario & Sonic at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The Japanese firm has now published an image of the cabinet, as well as an official site. The game is scheduled for release next Spring in Japan, and one w
Feature How to Track Down Nintendo's Original Kyoto Headquarters
A pilgrimage in Japan
Nintendo, as a company, has been around for a staggeringly long time. The Kyoto-based gaming giant has a very interesting past that is speckled with differing ventures such as playing cards, love hotels and innovative new toys. For some the journey to its original headquarters is a pilgrimage. I am certainly one of those...
News Japanese Devil's Third Site Details Online Modes, Microtransactions And File Size
New gameplay videos also revealed
Devil's Third launches in Japan and Europe next month and as a result we're seeing plenty of fresh information relating to Tomonobu Itagaki's forthcoming action title. The official site for the game has just gone live in Japan, and contains plenty of interesting data. For example, the game's online mode is...
Video Here's What Luigi Mansion Arcade Looks Like In The Ghoulish Flesh
Ain't afraid of no ghost?
Luigi Mansion Arcade is one of Nintendo's more unusual ventures of late - it's an arcade shooter developed by Capcom based on the Luigi's Mansion game series. It's recently been released in Japan and we're now seeing off-screen footage of the game in action. As previously confirmed, it's a first-person light-gun style...
News Yoshi's Woolly World Has Limited Impact in Japan as Yo-Kai Watch Busters Dominates
3DS retains overall hardware lead despite PS4 boost
The latest chart results have been released out of Japan and bring a mix of good and middling news for Nintendo. To begin with software, the results bring us the début of Yoshi's Woolly World on Wii U, and its impact has been fairly underwhelming; the title sold 31,158 units in its first week...
Video Watch Sonic Repeatedly Rescue Tails In 3D Sonic The Hedgehog 2's Credits Sequence
To be this good takes ages
3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 recently landed on the 3DS eShop in Japan. This version of the game sports all the features of the Mega Drive / Genesis original, including two player support. In cooperative play, player two gets an invincible Tails and two players can race on a split screen in Match Play mode. Of course the main...
News Mario & Sonic At The Rio 2016 Olympics Is Getting An Arcade Release
Recently underwent location tests in Japan
Sega has confirmed that the forthcoming Wii U and 3DS release Mario & Sonic At The Rio 2016 Olympic Games will also be released in arcades. The game recently underwent location tests in Japan which allowed Sega to balance things and iron out any issues. It was on test at Club SEGA Akihabara and SEGA...
News Pokkén Tournament Launch Brings Hype and Début Trailer for Blaziken
Western gamers play the waiting game
Pokkén Tournament has made its bow in Japanese arcades - the Bandai Namco-developed brawler has had plenty of months in build up and playtests and is now out in the wild. Accompanying the launch was a Famitsu announcement that Blaziken will be added to the game in August, and the début trailer has now been...
Gallery Feast Your Eyes on More Screens for Monster Hunter X (Cross)
Yes please, Capcom
Monster Hunter X (Cross) is coming to Japan by the end of this year in Japan, and will bring its own blend of action to the venerable IP. Incorporating villages from older entries and a slightly more action-oriented approach of spin-offs, it appears to be a blend aimed to entice action fans as well as dedicated MH aficionados...
