Tag: Japan - Page 14
Random Get A First Proper Look Inside The Former Nintendo HQ Hotel
Looks like Masahiro Sakurai stayed recently, too
A week ago, 'Marufukuro', the former Nintendo HQ that has been turned into a hotel, opened to the public. Based in Kyoto, the building is hugely iconic for Nintendo fans, with many of them posing outside in front of the old sign. It's actually where the company was making playing cards and began...
News Nintendo Acquires Land For New Development Building In Japan
Scheduled to be completed by 2027
This just in: Nintendo has announced it's acquired new land. According to an official PR, it has bought this land next to its Kyoto HQ for around $5 billion Yen (that's close to $40 million USD). This new area will be home to the headquarters' second development building (tentative name). The purpose of the...
Rumour Does This Bandai Namco Trademark Hint At A New '.hack' Collection?
Is an Outbreak incoming?
Recently, Switch owners got a chance to play through .hack//G.U. Last Recode, a collection containing the once PS2-exclusive .hack//G.U. trilogy, which includes a brand new chapter, Reconnection. But these aren't the only .hack games, let alone even the first. And Bandai Namco might be making a move regarding the first four...
News Nintendo Highlights Another N64 Title Coming Soon To Switch Online's Expansion Pack In Japan
Custom Robo V2 is on the way
Earlier this week, Nintendo announced it would be releasing the N64 classic Mario Golf on the Switch Online Expansion Pack. It means the remaining games (which have already been revealed) include
News New Screenshots Of Fire Emblem: Three Hopes Surface Online
Here's a look
Koei Tecmo is releasing another Fire Emblem Musou spin-off in June. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes will be based on the latest mainline entry, Fire Emblem: Three Houses. While we've already seen quite a bit of the game in the lead up to its June release date, the game listing on Amazon Japan apparently features three new...
Japanese Charts Kirby And The Forgotten Land Retains The Top Spot
Kirby's latest approaches 500K
It's that time, once again, for the Famitsu Japanese charts; this time they cover the week of 28th March to 3rd April. Kirby and the Forgotten Land holds strong at the top spot for the week and despite seeing a fairly significant drop in sales from the previous week, it is still leagues ahead of the competition with...
News Nintendo Reminds Us Splatoon 3 Is Still On The Way (Again)
Update: Splatoon 3's Japanese webpage now live, additional screenshots
Update: Nintendo has also launched its official Splatoon 3 webpage in Japan. While it's obviously in Japanese, you can still some additional screenshots of the game - highlighting the new city, battles, the game's story mode and Salmon Run. Visit Splatoon 3's Japanese...
News Metal Max Spin-Off 'Metal Dogs' Launch Trailer Is Full Of Blasting, Barking Good Boys
Still Japan-only for now
The Metal Max series hasn't had a ton of success outside of Japan. In fact, only two games have ever seen the light of day over in the west - Metal Saga, and Metal Max Xeno (which is getting an enhanced rerelease on Switch) - and whenever they have made it over here, they've rarely attracted bounds of adoring critical...
News City Connection Announces Multiple 'Saturn Tribute X Taito' Releases For Nintendo Switch eShop
Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute arrives 28th April
Japanese publisher City Connection has announced it will be bringing Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute to the Nintendo Switch eShop and multiple other platforms on 28th April. It follows on from a rating earlier this year in February. Layer Section is a 1995 home console port...
News Kirby And The Forgotten Land Is Apparently Japan's "Biggest" Kirby Launch Ever
It's outperformed Kirby Super Star Ultra on DS
Earlier this week, we found out Kirby and the Forgotten Land had become the biggest Kirby launch ever in the UK. Now, in related news - the game has been crowned the "biggest" Kirby launch in Japan. As highlighted in Japan's Famitsu sales charts th
News Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rebirth Hits Switch This July
...in Japan, at least
Koei Tecmo has announced that Nobunaga’s Ambition: Rebirth is coming to Switch later year. The game – which is the latest in a long-running series – will hit Japan on July 21st, 2022. Those who pre-order the game will get a bonus 'Tensho Sarushibai' scenario. Koei Tecmo has also revealed that it will release a 'Treasure...
Review Touken Ranbu Warriors (Switch) - A 'My First Musou' That Adds Little To The Formula
The way of the Warriors
At first blush, Koei Tecmo’s Touken Ranbu Warriors appears to be something of a "My First Dynasty Warriors", or a "Diet" Musou. It’s based on DMM’s (popular in Japan) free-to-play browser-based collectable card game, targeted at Japanese women — specifically a subculture of otaku known as “katana women” – ladies...
Japanese Charts Kirby And The Forgotten Land Absorbs More Big Sales
The rest have to suck it up
It's that time, once again, for the Famitsu Japanese charts; this time they cover the week of 21st to 27th March/ Of course that brings us into the launch of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which we already knew had enjoyed a fast sales start in the UK. The good news for fans of the pink one is that has also been evident...
News PS2 Stealth Action Title 'Kamiwaza Tourai' Coming To Switch In Japan
Will a western release follow?
Tokyo-based publisher Acquire has announced Kamiwaza Tourai, a remastered version of the PS2 stealth-action game from 2006. The game will launch in Japan later this year. The release will improve on the original release in multiple ways, including HD graphics, updated textures, an auto-save feature, multiple tutorial...
News Harvest Moon Added To Japan's Switch Online Super Famicom Library
Farm life
Instead of Earthworm Jim 2, Japan has received the original Harvest Moon game this month. This farming RPG was first released on the Super Famicom in 1996 and is joined by Dig Dug II and Mappy-Land. Just like the western offerings, you can play this one right away. The catch is, you'll obviously need to have access to a Japanese Switch...
News Zelda: Breath Of The Wild 2 Delay Sees Nintendo Shares Slump 6%
Hard news to take
Following the announcement that the company is pushing back the launch of the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 from its previous '2022' release window to 'Spring 2023', Nintendo shares dropped 6% in Tokyo trading yesterday. As reported by Reuters, the slump comes after a 25% year-to-date climb, with Switch
Jumping on the Band Dragon
No option to rotate a display in a vertical oriented shoot-em-up is a worrying sign. Nevertheless, the option is conspicuously absent in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. What it does boast, though — unusually for a niche Japanese release — is a top-to-bottom English language translation, which makes this a more tempting...
News Nintendo Releases Two Utterly Charming Switch Commercials In Japan
Part of the journey
While Nintendo's sizeable regional teams around the world evidently do an excellent job of promoting and selling the Switch, we often find ourselves admiring the homely and natural style seen in some of the company's Japanese marketing. This is most evident in extended seasonal commercials, which often emphasize the role of a...
News Step Aside, Rocket League - There's A New Car Soccer In Town, And This Time, It's Guinea Pigs
It's Southeast Asia-only, though
Have you heard of Pui Pui Molcar? It's an incredible Japanese-made stop-motion animated series, with short, two-minute episodes that explore the lives and trials of Molcars — gigantic guinea pigs that also happen to be automobiles. "What possible narratives can you write about a guinea pig who is also a car," you...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Legends: Arceus Can't Stop Chaos As Stranger Of Paradise Takes Top Spot
Chaos is super effective!
The latest Japanese sales figures are live, and for the week of 14th to 20th March, there's a new Square Enix king in town. Where Triangle Strategy sat at the top a few weeks ago, Jack Garland and his merry band of bros from Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin have thwarted the competition and jumped into first...
News Nintendo's New 'Ask The Developer' Interview Is With The Kirby Team
HAL Laboratory talks about the Forgotten Land
Last July, Nintendo kicked off a new 'Ask The Developer' series - inspired by its famous series 'Iwata Asks'. So far, it's released an entry on Game Builder Garage, the Nintendo Switch OLED and Big Brain Academy, and now the latest one focuses on the upcoming first-party release,
Random How On Earth Did We Miss Bandai Namco's "Cooking Action Battle Game" Tabe-O-Ja?
Create the "World’s Strongest Dish"
Given how many games are released on the Nintendo Switch on a weekly basis, we hope you can forgive us for not bringing Bandai Namco's Japan-exclusive "cooking action battle game" Tabe-O-Ja to your attention. Released at the close of 2020, the game sees you in the role of titular chef, and your job is to...
News Konami's Mario And Animal Crossing Killer 'Momotaro Dentetsu' Surpasses 3.5 Million Sales
No wonder they won't make a new Castlevania!
Japan's love of Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban! hasn't faded yet. It gained notoriety around here for beating the likes of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, for goodness sake! And it's Japan-exclusive, meaning we don't even get to see what the fuss is about. If...
Random Japanese Workers Wish Nintendo Would Gamify Their Tax Returns
Who wouldn't, right?
At the best of times, tax returns are absolutely dreadful. Anyone who conducts their own business — whether it be as a full time gig or some freelance on the side — knows just how soul-destroying it can be to fill in the seemingly endless list of forms, with the only end result being the transfer of money over to Mr. Tax...
News DS Cult Classic 'Knights In The Nightmare' Is Coming To Switch
Can you read Japanese?
Sting's genre-mashing Nintendo DS cult classic Knights in the Nightmare is coming to Switch next month – but sadly, it's only confirmed for Japan at present. The game will hit the Japanese Switch eShop on April 7th, with a cost of 2,860 yen. Originally released in the west way back in 2009, Knights in the Nightmare is...
News Super Nintendo World Celebrates Its One Year Anniversary
Yes, it's already been a year
One year ago, Super Nintendo World in Japan opened its doors to the public after multiple setbacks and delays tied to the pandemic. To mark the first year anniversary, the park has held a special celebration ceremony event this week. There was a marching band playing the original Super Mario Bros. theme and J.L...
News Hatsune Miku Jigsaw Puzzle Coming To Switch In Japan
No localisation announced as yet
A new Hatsune Miku game has been announced for the Switch and will be all about jigsaw puzzles. Fans of the Vocaloid sensation don't have to wait long until Hatsune Miku Issho ni! Jigsaw Puzzle hits the Japanese eShop, either — the game will be launching pretty soon on March 24th. However, at the time of writing,...
News Capcom Releasing Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Diorama Set (Japan)
amiibo included
Capcom is going all out with the upcoming release of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak - with all sorts of digital and physical editions. One other that's now been spotted is a "special edition" diorama set. It's getting a release in Japan and will allow fans to recreate a scene out of Sunbreak with the assistance of three new amiibo...
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 Pokémon Is Airing A One-Hour Anime Special For The 25th Anniversary
Two new episodes arrive on April 1st
It seems Pokémon's 25th anniversary celebrations haven't ended just yet - with the animated series Pokémon Journeys announcing it will be airing a one-hour special in Japan on April 1st. This will line up with 25 years of the anime series, which originally debuted on the same date in 1997. This special will be...
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...
Japanese Charts Triangle Strategy Storms To First Place
Strong start for the SRPG
We've got the latest sales figures from Japan for the week of February 28th to March 6th, and it makes for some lovely viewing, with newcomer Triangle Strategy making its debut at the top of the pile at number 1. PlayStation is nipping at the Switch's heel with the PS5 and PS4 versions of Gran Turismo 7 coming in at number...
News You Can Now Read The Official Mother Novels In English
Thanks to a fan translation
If you're a Mother/EarthBound fan and are hungry for more stories set within this weird and wonderful universe, you might be interested in checking out this fan translation of the Mother and Mother 2 novel by Nyaasu. Both of these novels have never received an official English translation. They tell the stories of the...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Legends: Arceus Holds Strong In The Wake Of Elden Ring
The tarnished take the top 2 spots
We've got the latest sales figures from Japan for the week of February 21st to February 27th, and perhaps unsurprisingly FromSoftware's Elden Ring has taken the top two spots with both the PS4 and PS5 versions, achieving a rather staggering 278,507 units sold across both formats. Pokémon Legends: Arceus holds its...
Random Universal Studios Japan Introduces New Monster Hunter Food And Merch
Celebrating "Cool Japan 2022"
Have you ever really, really wanted to eat one of those massive meat hunks from Monster Hunter? Short of hunting down an ostrich, you'll probably never get the chance... or you could go to Universal Studios Japan, where they've just announced a selection of new merchandise and meals based on anime and Monster Hunter in...
News Bandai Namco Gives Its Japanese Staff A Nice Pay Rise
Move comes as part of wider 'Connect with Fans' Initiative
We've all heard plenty of stories about poor working conditions for those in the video game industry - perhaps most recently with Team17 - so it's lovely to see companies taking positive actions to improve the lives of the people who create the games we love. Bandai Namco has moved to...
News Tokyo Game Show Will Return To Being An In-Person Event This September
Online programs also available
Tokyo Game Show is a yearly video game convention held in Chiba, Japan, usually focused on Japanese games and releases. It was held virtually in 2020, and a combination of online and in-person (for business only) in 2021, thanks to the ongoing COVID pandemic, but it will return to being a fully in-person event this...
News My Famicase Exhibition 2022 Is Now Accepting Entries For Fictional Famicom Cartridges
Fantastic fan-made fideo games
The My Famicase Exhibition is a long-standing tradition for artists who love retro games. Every year, Meteor — a Japanese retro game and goods shop — opens up applications for anyone who wants to be a part of the art, and all you have to do is design a cover for a Famicom cartridge. They're now accepting...
Japanese Charts Switch Exclusive 'Touken Ranbu Warriors' Claims Top Spot On Its Debut
Seven of the top ten are Switch games
We've now got the Japanese sales data for February 14th to February 20th, and we can report that Touken Ranbu Warriors has jumped right to the top of the Japanese multiformat charts, selling 113.159 copies in its debut week. It's one of seven Switch games in the top ten, which, rather unusually, features three...
News Nintendo Acquires SRD, A Longtime Partner Studio With Mario And Zelda Game Credits
Studio-us
The season of acquisitions rolls on, although the latest video-game-company-buys-other-video-game-company news isn't quite a bombshell of the likes we've seen from Microsoft and co. recently. In fact, it's more a solidification and strengthening of long-term relationship which dates back to the early NES days. Aww. As spotted by Games...
News Megaton Musashi Is Getting A Crossover With Getter Robo And Mazinger Z
Still no word on a western localisation, though
Level-5's mech-based title Megaton Musashi is getting crossover content with two of Japan's most legendary robot series. A teaser for the crossover was shown during Level-5’s 'Megaton Lab' livestream. and shows the distinctive silhouettes of the Getter-1 Robo and Mazinger Z. Both of these robots are...
Video Pokémon Japan's New ASMR Recipe Series Features A Sulky Jigglypuff
Pikachoux and Jiggly(cream)puff
[Update: Tue 22nd Feb, 2022 21:00 GMT] Episode Three is here! We've added it down below. [Original: Mon 21st Feb, 2022 21:30 GMT] The Japanese YouTube channel for Pokémon is a treasure trove of high-quality animation, and their latest videos — which have a focus on ASMR-adjacent recipes in the daily life of a...
Random Stella McCartney Is Making $1800 'Space Invaders' Knitwear, For Some Reason
It's the crossover we all wanted, right?
We've seen some pretty amazing crossovers between the world of fashion and video games over the years, but one we didn't know we needed was a range of women's clothing based on Taito's Space Invaders. Stella McCartney's Japanese arm is currently hawking a bunch of knitwear items emblazoned with the iconic...
Feature Is It Worth Importing A Japanese 3DS For These Virtual Console Games?
Save money on import classics before it's too late
As we all know the 3DS and Wii U eShops are closing down, taking with them countless classics in all genres. It's a decision that's understandably left many of us scrambling to find our old passwords and make those last minute purchases, finally turning those 'Maybe next time' purchases into a...
News Nintendo Reveals Japan's Best-Selling 3DS eShop Games From 2011 - 2020
Animal Crossing, Pokémon and more...
Ahead of the 3DS and Wii U eShop closure, Nintendo's website has rounded up the top 15 best-selling games on the 3DS eShop in Japan from 2011 through to 2020. Monster Hunter, Pokémon and Animal Crossing have frequently charted to the top over the years, and some other popular series include Battle Cats,...
Japanese Charts Pokémon Legends: Arceus And Switch Remain Dominant
Legendary performance
Ever since its release Pokémon Legends: Arceus has been leading the charge in the Japanese charts, and that's continued in the period of 7th February to 13th February; it's also making ground on Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl in terms of overall sales in the country. The top 10 is also dominated by familiar...
"Nintendo is unhinged"
The day we all feared has finally come – Nintendo has confirmed that in 2023, it will be closing the Wii U and 3DS eShops in order to focus entirely on its Switch platform. It's the natural course of things – especially in the digital age, where we don't "own" anything – but there's still a feeling of bitterness about...
News The Next Free Switch Online Trial For Japan Has Been Revealed
It's Neko Tomo: Smile Mashimashi
Nintendo has revealed its next free trial for Switch Online service subscribers located in Japan. This time around, it's the Japanese exclusive Neko Tomo: Smile Mashimashi by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Neko Tomo originally launched on the Switch (and 3DS) in 2018 and follows on from Teddy Together. 'Smile...
News Did You Know The Game Boy Advance Could Make Video Calls Back In 2004?
With a rather expensive accessory, of course
Back in 2004, the idea of making a video call with your mobile phone felt like the future. 3G was just taking off and several phones were sold on this feature alone – even though the image quality was often terrible and it was impossible to get a signal strong enough to use it often. Although it...
News Sleep In Edgeworth's Office To Celebrate Ace Attorney's 20th Anniversary
No, he won't be there
Luxury Japanese capsule hotel, Anshin Oyado Nagoya Sakae, has just announced a collaboration with Capcom to bring two Ace Attorney-themed rooms to its customers, in celebration of the series' 20th anniversary. There are two rooms available: The Ace Attorney room On one side, Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth's office, complete...
