Tag: Japan - Page 8
Video Square Enix Releases New Official Trailer For Dragon Quest X Offline
Launching exclusively in Japan next month
Square Enix has released a third official trailer for Dragon Quest X Offline, due out for Switch, PlayStation and PC in Japan on 15th September. This latest clip highlights the heroes. In case you've missed our previous coverage, this is a new version of the MMORPG that can be played completely offline...
Random Vintage Nintendo Playing Card Opening Ends In Disaster For Collector
“I cannot overstate how excited I was"
We've covered Nintendo's history a lot here at NL, and not just the video game side. At this point, it's pretty well known that before Nintendo jumped into gaming, it was well known for producing handmade hanafuda playing cards. And if you're a hardcore Nintendo collector, you'll likely want to get your hands...
News Disgaea 7 Officially Announced For Switch, And Things Are Getting Bigger
Out in Japan in January
Nippon Ichi Software has revealed the next entry in the popular Disgaea franchise. This over-the-top strategy RPG series' new entry — Disgaea 7 — launches in Japan on 26th January next year, and the developer also shared a ton of details about the game. An English localisation hasn't been announced yet, but we usually get...
Random These Pokémon Cushions Offer The Perfect Post-Training Relaxation
Dedenne, use Hug!
Here at Nintendo Life, we love Pokémon merchandise. There was the life-sized Lucario plushie that we were fawning over this month and who can forget the giant Snorlax bed? What we struggle to get over, however, is when these adorable collectables are available only in Japan (please, TPC, we need them). As of today, we have...
News Hori Reveals The Split Pad Fit For Nintendo Switch, Pre-Orders Now Live
An updated version of the Split Pad Pro
Hori's Split Pad Pro controller has been one of the most popular third-party controllers for the Switch - with the company releasing it in all sorts of themed designs, from Pokémon to Sonic the Hedgehog. Now, it's revealed a brand new version called the Split Pad Fit. The button layout appears to be the...
Japanese Charts Nintendo Switch Sports Knocks Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Off The Top Spot
Game, set, and match!
The latest Japanese Charts are in courtesy of Famitsu and it's predictably another strong turnout for the Nintendo Switch. Coming in at number one, Nintendo Switch Sports managed to sell an impressive 53,900 units, bringing its total so far to 677,393. Meanwhile, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 hold strong at the number two slot,...
Video Splatoon 3 Gets A Five-Minute Japanese Overview Trailer
Take a look
Nintendo is gearing up for the launch of Splatoon 3 on September 9th, and if you're eager to see more footage ahead of the third game's release, you're in luck. The company has uploaded a new video on YouTube, and although it's entirely in Japanese, it's pretty easy to follow along if you're already familiar with the way of the...
Random Former Nintendo President's Family Office Is Looking To Buy Marine Engineering Firm
Yamauchi family seeks "to tackle profound global challenges"
The Yamauchi No 10 Family Office, a group formed of members of Nintendo's founding family, is looking to buy out marine engineering company Toyo Construction, with the stated aim of helping to make the oceans cleaner, the Financial Times reports (paywall). The Yamauchi family, who owns...
Random Japan Joins In With 'Shin Chan's' Morning Gymnastics Sessions
So wholesome!
Recently, a speedrunning event known as 'RTA in Japan Summer 2022' was held in Japan. Much like charitable events like 'Games Done Quick', it tasks players to race through games as quickly as possible while governed by certain rules and regulations. As mentioned by Automaton, the event's name is derived from the Japanese term for speed...
News Fire Reported At Nintendo's Japanese Headquarters
Luckily, no one has been injured
Emergency services in Japan have responded to a fire at Nintendo's HQ in Minami-ku, Kyoto, local media outlet NHK reports. The article (shared and translated by VGC) states that the fire was reported at 1pm local time today, 15th August. Police at the scene state that some furniture has been damaged in one room on...
News Splatoon 3's Weapons Are Brought To Life In These Japanese Commercials
These items are not to be missed
The Splatoon 3 Nintendo Direct revealed a whole lotta info about the upcoming sequel, including new game modes, maps and weapons. It is the latter of these that immediately caught our eye, with the slashing Splatana Wiper and accurate Tri-Stringer both promising to make an inky splash on the battlefield when the game...
News Veteran Capcom Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi Joins NetEase Games
Moving on after 27 years
Capcom producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi has announced his departure from Capcom after 27 years. To mark his 50th birthday he'll be filling the same roll over at the Chinese video game giant NetEase. Kobayashi started out as a programmer on the Resident Evil series in the '90s and took up producer roles for series like Dino...
News Sunsoft Hosting New Digital Event To Announce Upcoming Titles
For "fans old and new"
Sunsoft, the company behind series like Blaster Master, has announced it will be hosting a new digital event next week on August 18th. At this event it intends to unveil its plans for titles due out for the remainder of 2022 and also the year ahead. In a PR, Sunsoft general manager, Yuichi Ochi mentioned how the company was...
News That Life-Size Lucario Plush Is Finally Available In The UK
Update: Large and in charge
(Update 2: Thu 11th Aug, 2022 20:30 BST) British folks, our time has finally come. If you're based in the UK, you can get your grubby mitts on the life-size Lucario from the Pokémon Center site for just £360. A bloody bargain for 47 inches of Lucario, mate. <products id="20180"> (Update 1: Tue 23rd Nov, 2021...
News Kirby: Right Back At Ya! Is Getting A Blu-Ray HD Remaster In Japan
Hitting shelves this winter
As if the Kirby 30th anniversary music festival and release date announcement for Kirby's Dream Buffet wasn't enough pink puffball content for one day, the event also revealed the early 2000s anime, Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, will receive the HD remaster treatment. The release of the new Blu-Ray edition of the anime is...
News Okinawa Pokémon Center's Grand Opening Marked By Gorgeous Animation
Growlithe, Growlaugh, Growlove
The Pokémon Company has once again put all other brands to shame with its demonstration of how to mark a store's grand opening. Japan's newest Pokémon Center has opened today in Okinawa, Japan, and alongside some official images of the fresh store, the company has also released an original animation, 'Travelling...
Video New Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Commercial Highlights Mario Kart Tour DLC Tracks
Real-world locations are now in Mario Kart
Nintendo last week released the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 'Wave 2' Booster Course Pass DLC. It features another eight tracks, including two more from the mobile game, Mario Kart Tour. They include New York Minute and Sydney Sprint. Now, to drum up even more excitement for this new DLC, it's released a commercial...
News Pokémon GO Is Joining The 3D Billboard Craze In Japan
The purr-fect advertisement for World Cat Day
Today is World Cat Day (you knew that right?) and while we may not be awash with national holidays and gift giving, the Pokémon company have managed to deliver us a present nonetheless. The gift comes in the form of a series of Pokémon GO-themed 3D billboards, which will be showing outside Shinjuku...
News Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Executive Director Teases Series' Future
Tetsuya Takahashi shares his thoughts
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has been wowing fans across the world since its release just over a week ago, and it sounds like we've got more to look forward to in the years ahead. Nintendo Everything has reported that in an email sent to Japanese customers, Nintendo shared a message from Monolith Soft's founder —...
News Shovel Knight Nendoroid Looks Better Than We Could Have Hoped For
Pre-orders now open
The Shovel Knight Nendoroid (No. 1929), originally revealed in a prototype form, is now available for pre-order via Play-Asia, and it looks absolutely stunning. Coming in at 10cm in height, the Nendoroid comes with additional parts including his "iconic shovel, a powerful attack effect for combat scenes, and a treasure chest...
Japanese Charts Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Digimon Survive Take Top Two Spots
PlayStation 5 sales surge too
The Japanese charts for the week of 25th July to 31st July are in from Famitsu, and it's a big week for RPGs and the Switch. The top two spots are taken up by two brand-new releases this week. Monolith Soft's Xenoblade Chronicles 3 runs away with the number one spot, selling a staggering 112,728 physical copies. No...
News River City Girls 2 Gets New December Release Date In Japan
No longer set for summer
It's been a little while since we've heard anything about WayForward's River City Girls 2. Revealed last year and confirmed for a summer 2022 release date, the beat 'em up sequel — and spin-off to the Kunio-kun series — is looking to bring multiple improvements to the game. However, Nintendo Everything
News Nintendo Rules Out Any Price Increase On The Switch In Japan... For Now
Inflation currently isn't affecting the console market
Amidst a weak yen in Japan, electronics are currently facing some serious price hikes, including the likes of Apple's iPhone, but also emcompassing a wide range of pretty essential goods including TVs, fridges, dishwashers, and printers. One area that seems to be immune (for now) is the video...
News Nintendo DS Firmware 'Prototype' Reveals System's Unique Boot Up Sound Effect
It even works on "real hardware"
Nintendo preservation website Forest of Illusion has managed to acquire another rare piece of gaming history. It's been able to archive a Japan prototype of the Nintendo DS X4 firmware - recovered from an X4 prototype unit. According to the source, "just about every aspect of this version is different from the final...
News Taito & M2 Bringing Shmup Collection 'Ray'z Arcade Chronology' To Switch
Update: Localisation & HD Collection confirmed
Update #2 [Sat 30th Jul, 2022 17:15 BST]: ININ Games has confirmed it will release Ray'z Arcade Chronology and also RayStorm x RayCrisis HD Collection on the Switch here in the west. There's no release date just yet and ININ will be handling publishing duties of both games digitally (via Gematsu). The...
News Supply Chain Struggles Reported By Switch Manufacturing Partner
Nintendo has declined to comment
Hosiden Corp, an Osaka-based company responsible for assembling Nintendo Switch consoles, has withdrawn its projected sales forecast for the year and is citing difficulties with the procurement of important components as the reason. Bloomberg reported this withdrawal, which could potentially spell future troubles...
News Nintendo's Official Magazine For Summer 2022 Gets English Digital Release
Poolside reading anyone?
Nintendo's official magazine is once again gracing our screens, this time with the Summer 2022 edition. And, for the first time since the publication started in 2020, you can read the magazine in English as excerpts have been translated and shared online! This summer's issue sees Kirby take pride of place on the front...
Random Nintendo Got Its Own Question Wrong At An Official Splatoon Quiz
Nintendon't know
Given that the developer of Nintendo's hit multiplayer franchise Splatoon is, uh... Nintendo, you would think that the publisher would know pretty much everything there is to know about it. Well, not quite... As reported by Automaton, Nintendo hosted a Zenkoku Issei Splatoon Quiz (Nationwide Splatoon Quiz) in Japan between July...
Random This Giant Inteleon Plush Is The Most Threatening Pokémon Merch Ever
It's the eyes!
The starter trio for Pokémon Sword & Shield are a pretty unusual bunch. You have Rillaboom, a taiko-drumming gorilla; Cinderace, a soccer-playing bunny; and lastly, Inteleon, a secret agent. Inteleon quickly became a pretty meme-able Pokémon back when the games were released in 2019, but we think it's time to give this lanky...
News Nintendo Announces Return To BitSummit, Will Showcase 7 Indie Titles
Nintendo's booth is back for the first time in three years
Nintendo is always hosting special indie world game presentations, and now, for the first time in three years, its booth will be returning to Japan's largest indie game event 'BitSummit X-Roads' next month from 6th August to 7th August. It will be held in Kyoto City, with the first day a...
Japanese Charts Live A Live Sales Come To Life As This Week's Best-Selling Game
The Super Famicom remake tops the charts
The monster has been slain! In this week's Japanese charts — shared by Gematsu and published in Famitsu — Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak has lost the top spot courtesy of a group of people all from different time periods. Live A Live, Square Enix's HD-2D remake of its 1994 cult classic, has stormed into...
News Super Smash Bros. Composer Kenichi Okuma Has Passed Away, Aged 56
Sakurai offers his condolences
There's some incredibly sad news coming out of the Super Smash Bros. community today, with the unfortunate announcement on Twitter that composer Kenichi Okuma has passed away at the age of 56. Okuma passed away last week on 22nd July after a battle with esophageal cancer. He was best known as the composer and arranger...
News Dragon Quest X Online Launches 'All In One' Switch Package This October (Japan)
DQX Offline has also got a new trailer
In the latest episode of 'cool things Japan gets', Square Enix has announced it will be releasing the Dragon Quest X "All In One Package Version 1 - 6" on October 20th. It will be exclusive to Japan and made available on Switch, PlayStation 4 and PC. As detailed by Gematsu, this release contains "all of the...
News Inazuma Eleven: Great Road Of Heroes Receives New Name, Screens, And More Changes
Still on course for 2023
Level-5 has finally shared some new information on its new Inazuma Eleven game. Following the company president's announcement that the developer would be dropping more information in a blog post, we can see that the project has undergone some pretty big changes on the pitch — including a brand new name. The game will now...
Japanese Charts Monster Hunter Rise Is Still Top Of The Pack Thanks To Sunbreak
The expansion is bringing in the loot
Capcom and Monster Hunter are once again top of the class in this week's Japanese charts. Published by Famitsu and shared by Gematsu, we can see that Sunbreak is still pulling in the numbers for Monster Hunter Rise, and the set is once again the best-selling game of the week with 29,006 sales. No surprises there...
News Nintendo Live Will Host The First Splatoon 3 Tournament When It Returns In October
Concerts, competitions, and more!
Nintendo Live is returning later this year! This event usually focuses on current games, tournaments, and music events all around Nintendo games. The last show was held in 2019, but Nintendo fans won't need to wait another year as the expo is coming back in 2022! Nintendo confirmed the event's return on Twitter...
Random Elected Official In Japan Is Looking To Legally Preserve Games
And keep them playable for generations to come
A newly elected official in Japan has announced his intention to implement a legal framework to preserve games and keep them in a playable state. As reported by Automaton, Ken Akamatsu recently won a seat on Japan's House of Counsellors and is due to take office on July 26th. In a statement on Twitter...
News Level-5 Is Ready To Share News On The Inazuma Eleven Switch Game Soon
After multiple delays
It's been a while since we've had any new information on the next entry in Level-5's hugely popular Inazuma Eleven series. This soccer-based video game series debuted on the DS in 2008 and has spawned numerous spin-offs, including an anime and manga series. But Inazuma Eleven: Great Road of Heroes — the upcoming Switch game...
Reminder Custom Robo And Its Sequel Are Out Now For Switch Online (Japan)
The west gets Pokémon Puzzle League
Update [Fri 15th Jul, 2022 05:00 BST]: Custom Robo and Custom Robo V2 are now available for the Switch Online Expansion Pack service in Japan. See below to find out how to access these games. Original article [Fri 8th Jul, 2022 02:45 BST]: When the N64 library was originally announced for the Switch Online...
News SuperDeluxe Announces Reprint Of 'Sol Cresta' Physical And Collector's Edition For Japan
Includes figures, soundtrack, and a tiny arcade cabinet
[Update: Thu 14th Jul, 2022 19:30 BST] Correction: The Collector's Edition and Physical Edition of Sol Cresta were previously sold in the West through Limited Run Games, and have since sold out. These two new releases allow players to purchase the two versions again through LRG's newly-formed...
Japanese Charts Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Maintains A Comfortable Lead
Another strong week for Capcom
The latest Japanese charts are in and it's another strong week for Capcom's Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak Set, with the pack leading the charge again with an impressive 44,071 units sold. Although this is a sharp drop from the 104,315 units sold during its launch week, this is still a solid figure for the latest entry...
News Nintendo Formally Acknowledges Same-Sex Marriage, Despite Japanese Law
Enabling employees to "fully realize their talents"
Update: It has been highlighted that this particular addition to Nintendo's CSR first appeared when it was updated last year, and is therefore not a new addition to the document. We apologise for the error. Bearing in mind we haven't previously reported on it, we've decided to keep the story live...
News DS Cult Favourite 'Touch Detective' To Get "Funghi Case Files" Collection On Switch In Japan
Hopes for a translation?
You'd be forgiven for never having heard of the Touch Detective games before (although some of you will no doubt know it, since you clicked on the title and all). The original game was released in Japan on DS in 2006, and made it to Europe and America shortly after. It's a point-and-click detective adventure — and there...
News Sega's Old Arcades Are Flourishing Under New Owners, Sort Of
Genda Inc. reports 3 billion+ yen profit
Cast your minds back, dear readers, to the start of the year. We reported that Sega would sadly be leaving the arcade market, selling the remaining 14.9% of its Sega Entertainment division to Genda Inc with the division being subsequently rebranded as 'Genda GiGO Entertainment'. Now, it looks like the arcade...
News Don't Use Your Switch In Temperatures Exceeding 35C, Warns Nintendo
Everybody, chill!
Japan, like many regions at the moment, is working its way through a merciless ongoing heatwave. Just last week, the capital of Tokyo experienced daily temperatures exceeding 95 degrees Fahrenheit (about 35 Celsius), and although temperatures have dipped slightly this week, the region is still sweltering in unusually extreme heat...
News Nintendo Might Finally Be Racing Ahead With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Wave 2 DLC
Japan 7-Eleven advert appears to have provided a hint
We're now in July, and there's still no sign of the second Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC wave, so what's going on? Although Nintendo hasn't provided an update about when this next wave will be delivered, it seems fans have been able to work out some sort of time frame for this next DLC release. As...
Gallery Here's A Look At Custom Robo 1 & 2 For The Switch Online Expansion Pack
Out in Japan next week
Nintendo yesterday announced it would be adding Pokémon Puzzle League to the Switch Online Expansion Pack service on 15th July. Over in Japan, however, the same service will be receiving the action role playing games Custom Robo and Custom Robo V2 developed by Noise. These games have never been released here in the west, so...
Random This Fan-Made Mini TV With A Built-In Super NES Is Totally Adorable
Bite-sized classic gaming with a TV to match
One of our favourite console peripherals is the Joytech GameCube screen, a little attachable screen for the little box-shaped console that turned it into a portable console of sorts. Lots of mods for other consoles have been inspired by this little add-on, but today, we have something extra dinky that...
Japanese Charts Sunbreak Helps Monster Hunter Climb To The Top
Base game and expansion set sell monster numbers
We've got the latest Japanese charts, courtesy of Gematsu, and it's a corker of a week for the newly released Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak DLC! The pack containing the main game and the expansion has comfortably taken the top spot in the charts with an almighty 104,315 units sold, beating out...
News Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series DLC Set Lets Klonoa Wear A Giant Pac-Man Head
Plus other Bandai Namco hats!
Tomorrow, the wait to travel through dreams is finally over. Bandai Namco's Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series launches on the Switch after a near-14-year wait for the cabbit's (cat rabbit? We won't stop trying to figure this out) return. And it looks like we're getting some lovely, nostalgic DLC which harkens back to...