Tag: Japan - Page 56
News Stardust Amazoness Is The New RPG In Development By Arc System Works
Females only
The latest issue of Famitsu magazine reveals developer Arc System Works — best known for the Guilty Gear and Blazblue series of fighting games — has a new game in development for the 3DS: Stardust Amazoness. The RPG is set for release in Japan on 14th November this year. Players are thrown into Prison Planet, an asylum in which the...
News The Wonderful 101 Struggles In Its First Week At Japanese Retail
Just 5,258 copies sold - a less than wonderful start
The Wonderful 101 is a truly fantastic piece of software, and one of the best Wii U games we've played this year. Sadly, the quality of product hasn't translated into sales, as the game has shifted less than 5,500 copies in its native Japan, according to Media Create's data. Platinum's Wii U...
News Bravely Default: For the Sequel Confirmed for Japan
Think of it as Bravely Default: Flying Fairy 1.5
While it's unclear when exactly it's coming, either late 2013 or 2014 for Europe and North America, Square Enix RPG Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is coming to the 3DS in the West. That's news that delighted fans of the genre that were also charmed by images and impressions of the title, though we now...
News XSEED Admits That Chances Of It Localising Medabots: Dual Are Slim
"We don’t have anyone here familiar with that series"
Publisher XSEED has admitted that it won't be bringing Medabots: Dual to the west. The news follows Natsume's admission that the previous game in the series, Medabots 7, also won't be making the jump from Japan to North America and Europe. When asked about Medabots: Dual on its
News Nintendo Expects To Sell 5 Million 3DS Consoles In Japan This Year
Global sales to hit 18 million in 2013
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has stated that his company expects to sell 5 million 3DS consoles in Japan this fiscal year, contributing to a global target of 18 million units. Speaking at a Capcom event in Tokyo, Iwata backed up his prediction by explaining that 5.5 million 3DS consoles were sold in Japan...
Video The Monster Hunter 4 Opening Cinematic is a Bit of a Beast
Holy moly...
Monster Hunter 4 arrives in Japan on 14th September, which is just over two weeks from now. There are franchise fans in PAL regions and North America that would, we suspect, offer up all-manner of sacrifices for the same deal. As it is, there's been no word on localisation, with Capcom's most recent statements declaring that the title...
News Jam With the Band 3DS Title in Development By Intelligent Systems
Its most recent 3DS game was Fire Emblem: Awakening, just sayin'
Some European DS owners may be fans of Jam With the Band, a colourful music game published by Nintendo that incorporates performing and composing in some rather fun ways; it was never released in North America, unfortunately. Nintendo has now uploaded a teaser site for a new title in...
News Level-5 Announces Wonder Flick, A New RPG Coming To The Wii U In Japan Next Year
Flick 'em up
During Level-5's Vision event today in Japan, the company behind the popular Professor Layton series announced it has a new game in development: Wonder Flick. The title will be a touch-centred RPG and is set for release on the Wii U in Japan in 2014. It will also release on other platforms such as PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3,...
News Team Ninja Still Keen To Continue Wii U Support, But Not With Ports
"I think there are games that would be good for Wii U"
Team Ninja head Yosuke Hayashi has stated that his company is still interested in developing for the Wii U, but it wants to focus on original content — and not ports like Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. Speaking To Joystiq, Hayashi said: Of course, I think there are games that would be good...
News Club Nintendo Japan Gets A Trio of Awesome T-Shirts
Pikmin 3, Wonderful 101 and Wind Waker threads now available
Club Nintendo in North America and Europe has had a few neat little additions in recent weeks, with the Pikmin tote bag and keyrings, but Club Nintendo Japan may have just topped them all with the inclusion of three T-shirts based on some of the latest Wii
News SEGA Genesis Shooter, Steel Empire, to Get the 3DS eShop Remake Treatment
Steampunk shooting
We may have reported this week that the publisher of Kokuga sees "difficult crossroads" for the shoot-em-'up genre in Japan, but that hasn't deterred others from flying into the market. One upcoming release is promising to bring back a side-scrolling shooter from the 16-bit era, as Japanese developers Starfish are preparing Steel...
News Kokuga Publisher Believes The Shoot-em-‘up Genre Faces a "Very Difficult Crossroads" in Japan
"You are not able to make a living on just making shooters"
Kokuga's arrival on the 3DS eShop this Summer was certainly welcomed by shoot-em-‘up fans, especially as Hiroshi Iuchi's name was on the project. As was made clear to us in our interview with G.rev CEO Hiroyuki Maruyama, however, the market for these titles is smaller than it perhaps was...
News Disney Magic Castle Prospers in Japan, Wii U Sales Return to Five Figures
Obon Festival boosts retail results
The latest Japanese sales figures are in, and despite the lack of any major releases the results have brought welcome boosts in software and hardware. This increase in sales is being widely attributed to the Obon Festival (known natively as "Hachigatsu Bon") in Japan, a public holiday that often improves retail...
News The Wonderful 101 Reportedly Shipping Just 30,000 Copies for Japanese Launch
Can our heroes gather up higher numbers?
It looks like The Wonderful 101 will be seeing an underpowered start in Japan with a limited number of copies available at launch. Siliconera is citing Japanese retail blog Sinobi, which is stating that PlatinumGames’ colourful action title will apparently ship only 30,000 copies for its 24th August...
News Game Freak Devs Explain the Origins of Soliti Horse
Just horsing around
When Game Freak teased a new game that featured a franchise popular worldwide, it's safe to say that no-one really thought "that looks like a horse silhouette, so it'll be a horse racing and Solitaire mashup". Yet that's what it is and, perhaps oddly, Soliti Horse looks like a lot of fun. Already released in Japan, its odds for...
News Yakuza 1 & 2 HD Reportedly Sells Less Than 2000 Copies in Debut Week
Oh dear
Earlier this year, as part of a 'SEGA Direct' segment broadcast in Japan, Satoru Iwata and Toshihiro Nagoshi introduced Yakuza 1 & 2 HD, a bundled re-release of the two PlayStation 2 games. A potential problem for this title was that it was already released in the region on PS3 in November 2012, with the very real possibility that most...
News New Footage For Medabots: DUAL Blasts into View
Still no news on a Western release
Natsume's Medabots series has quite the following around the world but the games rarely make it outside of Japan, which is a shame. Earlier this year, Medabots: DUAL was announced for 3DS and this adaptation will feature online play and team battles. The developer Rocket Company has now released some in-game...
News Disney Magic Castle Stays On Top in Japan, As the 3DS Rules the Land
Wii U hardware sales narrowly dip into four figures
It's Wednesday, which mean its Japanese charts day, unless it's Nintendo Direct day as it was last week. The news of what's hot in the Japanese game industry has one reliable truth every week; the 3DS continues to out-sell the rest. The software results see 3DS title Disney Magic Castle: My Happy...
News Two More Inazuma Eleven GO Titles Confirmed for Japan
Out of this world
European gamers have become used to slow and steady localisations of Level-5's Inazuma Eleven games, with the lengthy process meaning the region is well behind Japan; football / soccer fans in North America have unfortunately been entirely left out of the franchise. It seems a pity, especially as the main entries are typically...
News 3D Streets Of Rage Will Come With One Hit Deathblow Mode
Bare Knuckle becomes Fist of the North Star?
Sega's 3D Classics range — which has so far only seen the light of day in Japan but is due to hit the west soon — is a selection of the company's past titles adapted for the 3DS console's auto-stereoscopic display. In the games released so far, Sega has made other enhancements — such as extra game...
Video This Monster Hunter 4 Trailer May Be The Best Yet
It must come to the West, right?
Monster Hunter 4 is certainly on some wishlists among the Nintendo Life staff, and we're sure the same applies for a number of 3DS gamers. It arrives in Japan on 14th September, so envious glances are becoming increasingly frequent as we wait for news of potential localisations to North America and PAL regions...
News Iwata: Getting The Attention Of Gamers Is Harder Than Ever
"The ability to pay attention is limited"
Gamers have more distractions than ever before — not only are there three main console makers, but players are also tempted with smartphone, tablet and web-based games, meaning that the amount of time they have to devote to any single title is reduced. Compare this to two decades ago, and most gamers would...
News Platinum: Nintendo's Focus On Perfection Can Be "Unnerving", But They Give "Great Advice"
Director Yusuke Hashimoto and producer Atsushi Inaba talk Bayonetta 2
Bayonetta 2 is currently in development at Platinum Games and is shaping up to be one of the Wii U's most important titles. Gamasutra has been speaking to director Yusuke Hashimoto and producer Atsushi Inaba about the game's path to release, its finely-balanced combat mechanics...
Weirdness These Gaist Crusher 3DS Add-Ons Aren't Particularly Stylish
Lumps of plastic to bolt onto the 3DS? Check...
Not so long ago we brought you the news that Treasure — best known for brilliant titles such as Sin & Punishment: Star Successor and Gunstar Heroes — is working with Capcom on Gaist Crusher for the 3DS. It's a title that'll aim to combine the in-game action with a broader branding effort,...
News Monster Hunter Frontier Online Coming to Wii U in Japan
Based on the trailer, it looks like a lot of fun
It may be an oddity in the series, but for game-starved Monster Hunter fans in the West, the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) Monster Hunter Frontier Online has likely been a source of interest and envy. Considering that so much of the fun in Monster Hunter Tri and Monster...
News Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies Storms to the Top of the Japanese Charts
No objections here
It's Japanese charts time, and there's happy news for Capcom and its release of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, as it surpassed a quarter of a million sales in its debut week. The Wii U news is less positive, with momentum sliding further for the system and Pikmin 3. The software top 20 is dominated by Capcom's...
News Dragon Quest Monsters 2 Remake Coming to 3DS in Japan
Alas, unlikely to come to the West
Earlier in the year a trademark emerged suggesting a Dragon Quest Monsters 2 remake, which seemed likely to be for the 3DS following the success in Japan of Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D. Square Enix has now made it official, unveiling Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Iru and Luca’s Wonderful Mysterious...
News Nintendo Feels That Working On Smartphones And Tablets Would "Decrease Brand Value"
"You can’t get a true feel for Mario on smartphone or tablet"
Once upon a time — year ending March 31, 2009, to be precise — Nintendo managed to post a profit of 555.2 billion yen. Those days feel like a lifetime away now, what with the Wii passing into memory and its successor — the Wii U — struggling to sell in meaningful quantities...
Video The Pokémon Tretta Lab Add-On Makes the Circle Pad Pro XL Look Streamlined
You can't get this monster in your pocket
A little while ago we told you about Pokémon Tretta Lab coming to the 3DS in Japan, an app accompanied by fairly bulky hardware to bring an arcade experience home. It arrives in the region on 10th August, with the app being free but the hardware costing 3,800 yen (approx. £25 / €30 / $38). This provides...
News Nintendo Blames 2011 Tohoku Earthquake For Sluggish Wii U Performance
Natural disaster?
The Wii U's struggles are well documented, and Nintendo has even admitted that a lack of software and poor communication have harmed the system's chances of early success. However, another reason has recently come to light following an interview with Japanese magazine SAPIO. According to Nintendo, the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake is...
News Monster Hunter 4's Insect Staff Weapon Attributes Detailed
Buffs and evolving bugs to feature
Monster Hunter 4 is now less than two months away from release in Japan, with Capcom unsurprisingly ramping up the hype generator for the occasion. Its latest burst of fresh information, as translated from the official website by Siliconera, is focused on one of the two new weapons — the Insect Staff. While the...
News Wii U Finally Hits One Million Sales in Japan
It's a marathon, not a sprint
The Wii U has had a tough opening eight months on the market, which doesn't rule out the system's prospects but, nevertheless, has been a source of disappointment for Nintendo as it's missed various sales targets. While it may not be moving the number of units that the company would hope, it's nevertheless reached a...
News Mario & Luigi Has a Dreamy Japanese Chart Debut, Wii U Hardware Sales Drop by a Third
3DS hardware SKUs occupy both top spots
It's Media Create Sales time in Japan, which is our weekly insight into the best-selling software and hardware in Nintendo's homeland. Once again the 3DS rules the roost, even if last week's pleasing jump in Wii U hardware sales has dropped away in Pikmin 3's first full week in the market. In terms of...
News Nintendo Tops Japanese Software Sales in First Half of the Year
Not a surprise, really
With data for the first half the year now long-since collated, we've gradually been given more information on Nintendo's positives and negatives so far in 2013. One major positive has been the Japanese market, where the 3DS has reigned supreme and a number of software releases have set up residence in the country's top 20...
Video Flipnote Studio 3D Nintendo Direct Sketched Out in Japan
Plenty of in-app footage inside
Fipnote Studio 3D is due to arrive on the 3DS eShop next week in Europe — on 1st August — and early August in North America; it arrives in Japan today. To celebrate the occasion Nintendo has released a new Nintendo Direct video to show off the app and explain its various features. While the video is in Japanese,...
News Retro Collection of Manga Titles Coming To 3DS in Japan
Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya and Go! Go! Ackman all feature
Namco Bandai is bringing a compilation of Famicom and Super Famicom games known as J Legend Biography in Japan. The games included in the collection are Dragon Ball: Mystery of Shenlong, Go! Go! Ackman 3, Saint Seiya: The Golden Legend, Saint Seiya: The Golden Legend Final Chapter and...
News Game Freak's New 3DS eShop Title Combines Horse Racing And Solitaire
Soriti Horse is hitting Japan at the end of the month
Following on from the successful HarmoKnight, Pokémon studio Game Freak is preparing to launch another 3DS eShop title in the shape of Soriti Horse. The game is divided into two phases: "Solitaire" and "Control". The former allows you to nurture your relationship with your steed in order to...
News Nintendo Not Accepting Independent Wii U Developers Based in Japan "At This Time"
GDC form rules studios out
Update: Nintendo has issued the following statement to Eurogamer, which unfortunately says relatively little. Ultimately, it's the decision of each regional body of Nintendo to decide on licensing policies, so this is a decision squarely on the shoulders of the Japanese licensing department. The policy in question is...
News Sin & Punishment Studio Treasure Is Working On Gaist Crusher With Capcom
Big things expected from 3DS action title
Capcom's Gaist Crusher is part of a concerted effort to create a new money-spinning brand which fuses the mediums of video games, animation and toys, and the forthcoming 3DS title is shaping up to be a significant title for 2013. It has been revealed by Treasure — the talented team behind Sin &...
News Pikmin 3 Shifts Slightly More Copies Than The Original in First Week in Japan
Naturally, it sold less than Pikmin 2
Pikmin 3 was released in Japan last week and new data from Media Create has shown it has sold a respectable number of copies. The folks at Siliconera have put together a little comparison chart showing how the third game in the series sold in relation to its two predecessors. As we know, Pikmin 3 sold 92,720...
News New 3DS eShop App Brings Voice and Text Chat to Japan
Odds of Western release, about a million to one?
The 3DS is not only a continuing sales success in Japan, topping the weekly hardware charts week after week, but its positioning as a device is arguably a fair bit different. In the West we'd suggest that its role is primarily that of a gaming system — of course — whereas in the Japanese market...
News Pikmin 3 Makes Japanese Chart Debut at Number One, Boosts Wii U Hardware Sales
Light on the horizon
The Wii U has endured a largely consistent loss of momentum in 2013, which a release lineup that — despite some excellent titles — has largely failed to inspire substantial sales. Nintendo has, unsurprisingly, lined up a significant range of titles for the second half of 2013, starting off with Pikmin 3. The latest title in...
News Pikmin 3 Causes Wii U Sales Growth In Japan
Launch sales comparable to those of New Super Mario Bros. U
Pikmin 3 launched this week in Japan, and appears to have had the desired effect on the Wii U's retail health. According to Japanese store Tsutaya, the sequel is selling very well indeed and has triggered "greater sales" of its host console. Here's Taketo Matsuo, Tsutaya’s Director of...
News Namco Bandai Is Teasing A New 3DS Game, But What Could It Be?
Your guess is as good as ours
Namco Bandai has opened a countdown site for its new mystery title, which is now confirmed as coming to the 3DS. Aside from some abstract artwork, the enigmatic site gives us very little to go on at present. The countdown timer indicates the reveal will take place in just under four days (at the time of writing, of...
News Satoru Iwata Refutes Claim That Nintendo Is "Suffering" Right Now
Experience counts for a lot in this game
Nintendo's in a funny place right now. The 3DS is doing great, but business types will point out that it's tracking below where the DS was at the same point in its lifespan. The Wii U — the successor to one of the most popular home consoles of all time — is struggling, with dismal sales and a lack of...
News Shigeru Miyamoto Optimistic About The Future of Wii U
Pikmin 3 will be followed by more great titles
Nintendo has been having a bit of a rough time with the Wii U in all worldwide regions but the company hopes to improve this in the future with the release of some stellar first and third party titles. In an interview with Japanese gaming website 4Gamer, Shigeru Miyamoto admitted things hadn't gone...
News Capcom Reveals More of Monster Hunter 4's Chico Village
Felyne good
While Monster Hunter 4 still represents a distant dream for many of us, its Japanese release on 14th September creeps ever closer. As a result Capcom is dishing up regular snippets of information for the Japanese market, while those of us elsewhere can look on as interested parties that can only hope. As translated by Siliconera, more...
News 8-Bit Titles Nuts & Milk And Mach Rider Hitting Japanese 3DS eShop Next Week
500 Yen a pop
Nintendo has confirmed that two new 8-bit titles are coming to the Japanese 3DS eShop next week. The excellently-titled Nuts & Milk was in fact the first third-party game for the Famicom, and launched way back in 1984. It's a curious puzzle / platfomer hybrid which involves linking up Milk with his girlfriend whilst avoiding the...
News 3DS eBook App Details Emerge in Japan
Let us tell you about it, dear readers
Last week we reported on the news that eBooks are coming to the 3DS in Japan this Fall, with the slim details stating there'd be around 300 books aimed mostly at children. Dai Nippon Printing has now stepped forward as the company launching the service, confirming and showing the online store at the Tokyo...
News Nintendo To Focus On Struggling Markets In The Short-Term
Performance in U.S. and Europe is "less than satisfactory"
During the Nintendo investor Q & A, Satoru Iwata took many questions about Nintendo's various struggles with the Wii U launch and also shared some insight about Streetpass DLC and the disappearance of the Vitality Sensor. But a question
