Tag: Famitsu
News Japanese Game Creators Reveal Their "Top 20" Video Games Of 2024
Here's the full list
It's the end of the year and as we round up the best games and all sorts of other interesting facts and figures, Weekly Famitsu's latest issue (released on 26th December 2024) has revealed the "most popular games played in 2024" according to 181 industry figures and "game loving celebrities" in Japan. As explained by Persona...
News The First Review For Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Is In
Famitsu rates it
Update: If you're looking for what we thought of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, then the verdict is in — it's a fantastic remake, but it suffers from a few performance issues on Switch. <related ids="173714"> Original article: It's an incredibly exciting week for JRPG fans with the long-awaited arrival of Dragon Quest III...
Random Mario Wonder Prototyped Yoshi's Egg-Throwing Mechanic
Unfortunately, it was too "hard to control"
Super Mario Bros. Wonder contains all sorts of hidden secrets and surprises, but there were also a lot of ideas left on the cutting room floor. As highlighted by producer Takashi Tezuka during a chat with Famitsu last week, there was a point during the game's development when the team considered Yoshi's...
News The First Review For Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince Is In
It's received the same score as Mario Wonder
It's the end of the week and that means more new game releases for the Switch! Today we've got Square Enix's newest Dragon Quest spin-off, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince. The first review by Japanese publication Famitsu has now rolled in and the game's got near-perfect marks. This outlet has a...
News Zelda Voted 'Favourite' Tears Of The Kingdom Character In Recent Famitsu Survey
Who is your pick?
From time to time, Japanese publication Famitsu will run a survey about a certain game asking readers all sorts of questions. The latest one focused on Nintendo's 2023 game of the year contender The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, asking readers who their favourite character is in Link's latest outing and Princess Zelda...
News The First Review For Sonic Superstars Is Now In
Can it possibly live up to that superstar key art?
We're less than a week away from Sonic's return to the second dimension (well, not really, but it's a side-on platformer in the classic mould, okay?) in Sonic Superstars. After spending some hands-on time with it back at Summer Game Fest, this throwback to the classic 2D games was showing a lot of...
News Resident Evil's Most Popular Character Revealed In Famitsu Reader Survey
Leon is best
Capcom's survival horror series Resident Evil has been back in the headlines recently due to the upcoming release of Capcom's Resident Evil 4 Remake. In the lead-up to this launch, Japanese publication Famitsu has put out a call - asking readers to nominate their favourite Resident Evil characters of all time. They've now released the...
News Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Wins 'Best RPG' At Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2022
Splatoon and Pokémon also recognised
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has taken out the 'best RPG' category at the Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2022. Multiple other first-party Nintendo titles were nominated with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet winning 'best scenario' and 'best character' and Splatoon 3 receiving best action game. Unsurprisingly, The Legend...
News Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Nintendo Ad Teases New Master Sword Details
Link's legendary sword returns
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release is fast approaching and while we won't be publishing any major spoilers or leaks here on Nintendo Life, we are still sharing officially released materials. The latest one comes in the form of a translated Nintendo ad in the latest issue of Japanese publication Famitsu...
Video New Gameplay Footage Of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion Surfaces
Launching on Switch this December
The 2022 Tokyo Game Show is now underway in Japan, and as expected - all sorts of new gameplay footage and announcements are beginning to surface online. Japanese outlet Famitsu has uploaded a whopping 13 minutes of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion. Showing off more gameplay in this HD remaster. Keep in...
Random Undertale Creator Is Now Writing Columns For Famitsu, Replacing Sakurai
Get ready for 'Toby Fox's Secret base'
Toby Fox, the creator of Undertale and Deltarune, will seemingly begin writing columns for Weekly Famitsu Magazine, according to Famitsu itself. The column will be called "Toby Fox's Secret Base" with the first piece featuring in Weekly Famistu Magazine dated September 29th, 2022. Fox will effectively be...
News The First Review For Mario Strikers: Battle League Is Now In
Is it a hat-trick for Next Level Games?
Update [Wed 8th Jun, 2022 14:00 BST] We said keep your eyes open! We've shared our own Mario Strikers: Battle League review and, well, not to spoil anything, but we're big fans. Original article [Wed 8th Jun, 2022 10:30 BST] We're just two days away from the release of Mario Strikers: Battle League, the...
News Switch's Best-Selling Games In Japan After Five Years, According To Famitsu
Animal Crossing takes out the top spot
The Nintendo Switch recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, and Japanese publication Famitsu used it as an opportunity to put together a "top 35" best-selling game list in the country since the system's launch. While Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best global seller, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has taken out...
News Sakurai Wins 'Most Valuable Creator' At Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2021
Monster Hunter Rise takes out GOTY
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai has been recognised by the Dengeki Game Awards as Japan's most valuable video game creator in 2021. This award was decided based on user voting within Japan. Sakurai shared the news with his followers over on Twitter, while also thanking everyone who supported...
News The First Review For Triangle Strategy Is Now In
Will it be acute score?
Update: We've now also shared our Triangle Strategy review; minor spoiler, we like it a lot. Original Article: We're only days away from the release of Triangle Strategy, Square Enix's HD-2D tactical RPG. Turn-based tactical RPG fans around the world have been clamouring for a brand new entry in the genre from the company...
News Japan's Top 100 Best-Selling Video Games Of 2021, According To Famitsu
Capcom's Monster Hunter Rise is #1
The Nintendo Switch has just made it through another year, so how are its games doing on the charts within Japan? Japanese games outlet Famitsu has just released an extended list of the best-selling video games of 2021 for this location - and Switch is dominant once again. The first 21 titles on the list are all...
News It Seems Masahiro Sakurai Will Be Ending His Famitsu Columns Very Soon
"He's been writing them since 2003"
Earlier this week, Masahiro Sakurai revealed the final DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In case you did somehow miss it - it's Sora from Square Enix's long-running Kingdom Hearts series. Sakurai's all-star brawler for Switch isn't the only thing coming to an end, either. As you might recall, his...
News Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Has Now Surpassed Four Million Sales In Japan
There's no slowing down!
This week marks yet another major milestone for the best-selling Nintendo Switch title Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. If you saw yesterday's Japanese charts, Famitsu sales data reveals the game has now surpassed four million sales in Japan. Yep, that's right! This reportedly makes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe the fourth Switch game in Japan...
News The First Review For Mario Golf: Super Rush Is Now In
Is it a hole in one?
There are a lot of Nintendo Switch games to look forward to, but one upcoming release that's just around the corner is Mario Golf: Super Rush. In fact, it's out next week! Ahead of the latest entry, the famous Japanese publication Famitsu has shared the very first review of the game. As you might already know, this outlet uses...
News Japan's 35 Best-Selling Switch Games In The First Four Years, According To Famitsu
Animal Crossing is out in front
The Nintendo Switch reached its fourth anniversary earlier this week. As of 31st December 2020, the hybrid system has shifted 79.87 million units worldwide and software sales are now at 532.34 million units. Although Nintendo has already released its top ten software sales data for the financial year 2020/21, the...
News Among Us Quickens Masahiro Sakurai's Pulse, But He's Not Sure How Long It Will Remain Popular
"It isn't a game that allows you to come up with a clear strategy when playing"
You've likely seen that outside of directing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Masahiro Sakurai writes a regular column for Famitsu. Having previously shared his PlayStation 5 thoughts and calling Cyberpunk 2077 a "
News Famitsu Delivers Its Verdict On Disgaea 6: Defiance Of Destiny
Meet the cast in a new western trailer, too
Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny, the sixth entry in Nippon Ichi's turn-based tactical RPG series, is scheduled to arrive in the West in 'Summer 2021' (as a Switch exclusive in this territory, no less). However, lucky Japanese gamers will get their hands on it in just one week's time when it launches on...
Random Masahiro Sakurai Calls Cyberpunk 2077 A "Dream Game"
That's one way to put it
As you likely already know, Masahiro Sakurai has a regular column in Famitsu where he talks about everything and anything related to games. In the latest one, the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director took the time to reflect on CD Projekt Red's new game Cyberpunk 2077. You see, he started out playing it on PC and...
Random Smash Bros. Director Masahiro Sakurai Shares His Thoughts About The PlayStation 5
Highly recommends Astro's Playroom
Even the legendary video game director Masahiro Sakurai needs a break every once and a while, so what does he do when he's not working on new fighters and content for the Nintendo Switch title Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? He plays other games and systems on his insane gaming setup, of course. In his latest...
News Sakurai Wanted To Import Minecraft Stages Into Smash, But Gave Up Because It Was "Impossible"
At least he tried
Minecraft is all about creating and crafting things, so it's no surprise Masahiro Sakurai wanted to incorporate this in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate when he was working on the Steve and Alex fighter DLC. A fan-made mod recently demonstrated how it's possible to import skins from Minecraft into the game, and it seems Sakurai had...
News Leaked Famitsu Column Suggests Sakurai Considered Rollback Netcode For Smash Bros. Ultimate
It didn't work out
Leaked excerpts of Masahiro Sakurai's weekly Famistu column have apparently revealed that during development of Smash Bros. Ultimate, the series creator and the team considered using a popular coding solution used in other fighting games to improve the online experience. According to PushDustin on Twitter, the column will discuss...
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 Famitsu Poll Reveals Readers' Favourite Fire Emblem Games
Top Five Emblems
The Fire Emblem series celebrated its 30th anniversary in April and in honour of the milestone Japanese gaming publication Famitsu polled its readers on their favourite games from Nintendo's celebrated strategy RPG series. Of course, Japan has received several entries in the franchise that we never got over here in the West--we...
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 HAL President Shares His Thoughts On The Company's History And Future
"HAL Laboratory is a company where everyone is a creator"
In celebration of HAL Laboratory's 40th anniversary, Famitsu recently sat down with HAL Laboratory president, Kawase Shigefumi. Surrounded by familiar sights and sounds in the Kirby Café, President Kawase shared his thoughts on the history and future of the beloved game developer. First...
News Pokémon Sword And Shield Wins Famitsu Dengeki 2019 Game Of The Year
And takes out best role-playing game award
Pokémon Sword and Shield has taken out the game of the year award and best role-playing game of 2019 during a livestream award ceremony held by Famitsu and Dengeki. Apart from this, Nintendo's exercise game Ring Fit Adventure tied with Square Enix's mobile title Dragon Quest Walk for the Special Award,...
But fans must show their support for the series
In the same Weekly Famitsu interview where the Bravely Default producer Tomoya Asano apologised for End Layer not living up to fan expectations, he was asked if there were plans for a 'Bravely Third' game, once Bravely Default II
Can Bravely Default II get it right?
At last year's Game Awards, the reveal of the show for many Nintendo fans was the Switch exclusive, Bravely Default II. As much of a surprise as this was, at the time, we couldn't help but wonder why the other previously released sequel wasn't being acknowledged. Now that the 2015 3DS entry
It creates "a better flow"
For a very long time now, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai has been sharing a 'Pic of the Day' over on Twitter. While he's previously explained how a lot of these screens were never intended to be shown outside of the office, in his most recent Weekly Famitsu column, he revealed the idea behind it –...
News Masahiro Sakurai Says "It's A Total Blank Slate" After He Finishes Smash Bros. Ultimate's DLC
What could be next?
Masahiro Sakurai is dedicated to making Super Smash Bros. Ultimate the best fighting game it can possibly be. That's why he's working around the clock, and sometimes even risking his own health to meet certain deadlines. Although there's a "high probabilit
News The First Animal Crossing: New Horizons Review Is In, And It Might Surprise You
Japanese magazine Famitsu gives its verdict
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is days away now, and the wait is proving to be unbearable for some fans. Will this latest instalment in the long-running series live up to the incredible hype? Can it possibly top the superb New Leaf on the 3DS? Will it be the Switch's must-have title for 2020? We can't...
News Shigeru Miyamoto Approves Of People Uploading Gameplay Videos
"I think it’s good that there’s a variety of ways to enjoy things"
While streaming and uploading footage of video games online has become a common practice nowadays, not every company is necessarily thrilled about it. For example, a number of Japanese companies like Arc System Works and Atlus have released special recording and streaming...
News Miyamoto Says The Success Of The Switch Was All Thanks To The "Good Timing" Of Its Release
Gauging the mobile market
The one and only Shigeru Miyamoto has been in the headlines a few times already this week, speaking about how he's broken his habit of "upending the tea table" and how Nintendo has worked hard to escape its 'childish' reputation. Now, in the same interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu (as translated by
News Miyamoto Has Broken His Habit Of "Completely" Reworking Games Mid-Development
No more “upending the tea table”
Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto currently acts as a 'Creative Fellow' at the Japanese video game giant – passing on his ideas and knowledge to the next generation of game designers. As a result, he's not quite as involved as he used to be. For example, he no longer comes in mid-development to "completely" rework...
Random Masahiro Sakurai Was So Tired He Passed Out While Bathing At The Gym
Oh dear...
For the past year now, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai has been working around the clock to develop additional DLC fighters. He puts excessive hours in the game's creation and often doesn't take breaks. He has even spoken about his health issues previously and how it has required him to rethink his work-life balance...
Only a few say they won't
One of the more memorable segments of last month's Pokémon Direct was the reveal of a mighty expansion pass for the latest entries, Pokémon Sword and Shield. Rather than a third entry or 'Ultra' version, this two-part DLC add-on will allow players to continue to their adventure within the Galar Region and uses the same...
News Hideki Kamiya Says The Development Of Bayonetta 3 Is "Progressing Smoothly"
Still on track
At this point, it seems to have become a monthly tradition to ask Hideki Kamiya how the development of Bayonetta 3 is going for Nintendo Switch. So, how is it going? In the latest issue of the Japanese publication Famitsu, the creator of the series was once again asked this same question during an interview about Platinum's recently...
News Sakurai Understands There Are Too Many Fire Emblem Reps In Smash, Says It's Time To "Move On"
"It’s something that’s already been decided"
Article updated - Sun 9th Feb, 2020 07:00 GMT: Earlier this week, in his latest Famitsu column, Masahiro Sakurai touched on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate having too many Fire Emblem characters and sword fighters. While he understands what the fanbase is
News Pokémon Sword And Shield Dethrones Diamond & Pearl In New Famitsu Sales Chart Record
The ninth week in first
Since the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield on the Nintendo Switch last November, both games have appeared at the top of the Japanese charts every single week. The latest chart data from 6th - 12th January, was no different. Pokémon took out the top spot for the ninth week in a row. If that wasn't already impressive...
News 2019 Was Nintendo's Best Year In Japan For Two Decades
76% of Japanese hardware sales were Switch last year
Japan has traditionally been a something of a stronghold for Nintendo, but the latest 2019 sales data from Famitsu shows just how dominant the company has become in its homeland. The stats – pulled together by Twitter user Oscar Lemaire – show that a staggering 76% of Japanese hardware sales...
News Sakurai Discusses "Drawing Light, Not Objects" In Final Famitsu Column of 2019
In-depth thoughts on graphic development
Masahiro Sakurai's latest Famitsu column has been released, and it happens to be his last for 2019. In the article, titled "Draw light, not objects." Sakurai discusses various graphical development techniques and thoughts. We've gone ahead and translated the article for you. Please note, this is a general...
News Sakurai Praises Death Stranding In Latest Famitsu Column
A summary of his thoughts on Kojima's latest hit
Update: The full translation is now available in the Twitter thread below: The next issue of Famitsu releases tonight, but we've already received a general summary of Masahiro Sakurai's latest column. While the Smash Bros. director's writing often focuses on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, sometimes...
News Famitsu Reveals New Details About Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
New screenshots also shared
After the troubled Wii U generation, Nintendo seemingly decided to port all of its major titles from this console across to the Switch. It started out with games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and followed on with titles such as Pokkén Tournament DX and eventually New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. One of its next releases to...
News Sakurai On Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Becoming Best-Selling Fighting Game of All Time
His thoughts on Terry's inclusion, plus more
The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu has been released, and once again we are treated to a column written by Masahiro Sakurai. This is a summary of the column, as translated by Nintendo Life. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has exceeded the lifetime sales of Street Fighter II to become the best-selling...
News Weekly Famitsu Drops The 3DS From Its Release Schedule Section
A sign of the times
One noticeable difference at this year's E3 was the absence of the 3DS. Although the five-in-one Atooi Collection was announced for the platform during the Limited Run presentation, Nintendo did not showcase any new games for its 3D device. If it wasn't already evident the handheld system has come to the end of
