Tag: Japan - Page 28
News The Arcade Version Of Pokkén Tournament Is Terminating Its Online Services
Gone but not forgotten
Bandai Namco's Pokkén Tournament might be known as one of the more exciting games during the Wii U generation that got a new lease of life when it was re-released on the Switch, but it actually started out as an arcade exclusive in Japan. In sad, but inevitable news, it's now been announced via the official website, that the...
News Super Real Mahjong PV Temporarily Removed From Switch eShop Due To Accidental Nudity
Not safe for the eShop
Super Real Mahjong PV has only been available on Nintendo Switch for a matter of days, but the game has already been pulled from the eShop after several scenes of nudity were spotted by players. Super Real Mahjong is a series of arcade mahjong titles made by SETA Corporation, with many of its games being ported to the Sega...
News Media Create Will No Longer Share Japanese Sales Data Publicly
Behind closed doors
Recently, the head of Media Create Atsushi Hosokawa told Bloomberg the practice of releasing Japanese hardware and software sales data publicly may not continue. Now, after a review, the team has decided to no longer share weekly sales figures with the general public. Starting next month, companies requiring sales data will need...
News Square Enix Shares More Info About The Story In The Octopath Traveler Mobile Game
Choose a pathway
Earlier this month, Square Enix announced it was releasing a prequel to the Switch title, Octopath Traveler, on mobile devices in Japan this year. Although we've already got a few details about this upcoming free-to-play single-player RPG, a bit more information about the story side of the game has now been revealed via Japanese...
Random Child Holding Famicom Controller The Wrong Way Causes Outrage Online In Japan
We live in dark times
If you ever want to cause mass outrage in Japan, apparently all you need to do is hold a Famicom controller upside down, get someone to take a photo of it and then wait until it goes viral on the internet. This is what happened earlier this week when a photo of a child holding a Famicom controller the wrong way supposedly...
Japanese Charts Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn Debuts In Sixth, Can't Compete With Switch Titles
Smash still in second place
Japanese chart figures are now in for 4th - 10th March, revealing that new 3DS title Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn has debuted in sixth position. The game shifted 10,607 copies at retail, putting it below four evergreen Switch titles which all managed to outsell the newcomer this week despite having been on sale for multiple...
News Yo-Kai Watch 4 Finally Gets A Solid Release Date, In Japan At Least
Another slight delay
Level-5 has revealed the Japanese release date for the upcoming Yo-Kai Watch 4 in the latest issue of Corocoro magazine. Those in Japan, or anyone with a Japanese eShop account, can get their hands on the game from 6th June. No pricing has been revealed for the region just yet, but having a solid release date is definitely...
News Square Enix Opens Octopath Traveler Smartphone Demo Applications In Japan
A first look at the new game
Last Friday, Square Enix revealed that Octopath Traveler will soon be making the jump to mobile with a brand new smartphone game, simultaneously confirming that a new console experience is also in the pipeline. It looks like we might be hearing first impressions of the mobile game from players pretty soon, as Japanese...
News Here Are The Top 20 Best-Selling Switch Retail Games In Japan (As Of February 2019)
Sales figures included
Earlier this month, Nintendo Switch celebrated its second anniversary and, to celebrate, Japanese publication Famitsu has shared a list of some of the best-selling games released on the console so far. To be more specific, this is a list of the top 20 best-selling Switch retail games in Japan since the console launched in...
Random Were Banjo And Kazooie Named After A Nintendo President's Grandchild And Son?
Rethinking history
If you're a fan of Nintendo trivia, you may or may not have heard this one before. Apparently, Banjo and Kazooie from Rare's 1998 Nintendo 64 game Banjo-Kazooie are (at least partly) named after the grandchild and son of former Nintendo president, Hiroshi Yamauchi. This is according to some "amazing trivia" game writer and...
Japanese Charts Smash Ultimate Returns To Number Two, Dead Or Alive 6 Takes Top Spot
Switch hardware sales as strong as ever
Japanese chart figures are now in for 25th February - 3rd March, revealing that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has managed to climb back up to number two this week. The game narrowly beats New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe to that position, with just over 1,000 sales between them, but it's Dead or Alive 6 which has...
Random Let's Find Kirby, A Where's Waldo?-Style Book, Announced For Japan
Kirby's no wally
Is it possible to have too much Kirby? We're not convinced so, and a new book announced in Japan has taken that sentiment to the next level. In addition to the mountain of merch already devoted to the pink one, Let's Find Kirby is an official book in the vein of Where's Waldo? (or Where's Wally? for UK readers) where you must find a...
News Nintendo Switch Has Been The Best-Selling Console In Japan For 12 Months In A Row
It's pretty popular, then
If you follow our weekly Japanese chart updates, you'll probably be aware that the Switch almost always finds itself at the top of the hardware sales chart by a comfortable margin. The console can often be found selling upwards of 50,000 units per week, and it seems that this constant success has earned it another...
News Nintendo Reveals Average Salary, Age And More Of Its Employees In Japan
Let's be nosy, shall we?
For most fans of the company, working at Nintendo probably sounds like a dream come true. Being surrounded by your heroes on a daily basis, working on incredibly exciting projects and - of course - the potential for free games all sounds pretty lovely, but what is it actually like working in the house of Mario? Well, while...
Japanese Charts Phoenix Wright Sells Best On Switch, Anthem Steals Mario's Thunder
Switch still ahead in hardware sales
Japanese chart figures are now in for 18th - 24th February, revealing that EA's Anthem has swooped in at number one, keeping New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe in second place for another week. Mario has been sitting high at the top of the Japanese charts ever since it released, often finding itself at number one...
News Game Freak Thanks Pokémon Fans For Continued Support Over The Past 23 Years
"We as a company are deeply moved by this day"
The reveal of Pokémon Sword and Shield for the Nintendo Switch also marks 23 years since the release of Red and Green on the Game Boy in Japan. One company that's been along for the ride since the very beginning is Game Freak. Without it, who knows if the pocket monster franchise would have lasted for...
News Japanese My Nintendo Users Can Now Spend Points On Physical Yoshi Goodies
And we're incredibly jealous
In today's episode of 'why does Japan get all the cool stuff and why haven't we just relocated already?', we present to you the latest selection of physical goodies added to the region's My Nintendo rewards service. And everything's coming up Yoshi. Yes, these new arrivals all feature our favourite, green, egg-laying...
News Nintendo Opens Up About Relaxing Content Creator Guidelines
Embracing the community
Last November, Nintendo decided to axe its controversial creators program, replacing it with new guidelines intended to make it easier for creators to monetise any videos featuring Nintendo games. A report published by Japanese publication Nikkei has now discussed Nintendo's new stance, explaining why exactly Nintendo...
News Splatoon 2's #GearForAll Social Media Movement Fights Exclusive Japanese Content
Stand up for your in-game rights
Earlier this week, Splatoon 2 players found out the Japanese manga magazine CoroCoro would be offering exclusive in-game gear to readers via a special download code in an upcoming issue. The 'Mecha Gear' as it is known (see above), is tied to a competition to design new accessories for the online multiplayer...
News Prepare To Go Big In Downtown Rantou Koushinkyoku Mach!! For Switch
A super-charged River City Melee: Battle Royal Special
Fans of the Kunio-kun series will no doubt be delighted to hear that a new entry in franchise is headed to Switch. Downtown Rantou Koushinkyoku Mach!! is an enhanced version of River City Melee: Battle Royal Special which throws in some new elements which make for even more heated battles...
News The English Translation of Super Mario RPG Cut Many Japanese Pop References
Explains some of the oddness
That's Mallow Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was a grand departure from the Mario template when it launched back on Super Nintendo in 1996. Nowadays there's nary a genre the precocious plumber hasn't dipped his toe into, but his first foray with role-playing turned out to be a classic that still stands up...
News Square Enix Trademarks Collection Of Mana In Japan
Is this a sign?
Square Enix has now trademarked "Collection of Mana" in Japan, after recently filing a series of trademarks for Final Fantasy and Secret of Mana in the United States, Canada and Europe earlier this month. According to Gematsu, the odd thing about this is how it sounds like a title for a potential western release of the Seiken...
News The Legend Of Zelda And Famicom Disk System Are 33 Years Old Today
Seems like there's an anniversary every year...
As time marches on inexorably - week after week, year after year - it should come as no surprise that The Legend of Zelda is 33 years old today. No, not the cartridge version - that wouldn't make an appearance until July '87 in North America - we're talking about the Famicom Disk System original. The...
Japanese Charts Jump Force Kicks New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Out Of The Top Spot
Switch sales maintain momentum
Japanese chart figures are now in for 11th - 17th February, revealing New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe has been pushed down to third place. It's been replaced by Bandai Namco's new fighting game Jump Force in first and the PlayStation 4 version of the new Atlus release, Catherine: Full Body. Despite this, Nintendo...
News New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Japanese Sales Prove Plumber Port Profitability
Blimmin' game takes up half the headline!
While the number of Wii U ports Nintendo has bought to Switch might be a bone of contention for some fans - especially the ones that stuck with the company through those lean years and already bought these games once before - it's easy to see why they make sense. Not only do these gems find a new audience...
News Nintendo Secures Trademarks For Dr. Mario World And Dr. Mario
The doctor returns
One game announced at the start of this month that has seemingly been forgotten about after the recent Nintendo Direct presentation is Dr. Mario World for mobile devices. The free-to-download game will be co-developed by LINE and NHN Entertainment and will include in-app purchases. Now, in related news, Nintendo Co., Ltd has...
News Famitsu Report Reveals Japan's Highest-Selling Games And Top-Selling Hardware In 2018
Nintendo dominates the competition
2018 was a big year for Nintendo, with the Switch and the system's library of the games dominating the charts for many months of the year worldwide. Famitsu has now published its own report, revealing the top 10 highest-selling video games and top-selling hardware in Japan last year. According to the estimates...
News New Fan-Made Splatoon 2 Gear Coming In Japanese Mag CoroCoro
Competition-winning 'Mecha' set to appear in April
CoroCoro, the Japanese manga magazine, will be offering some exclusive in-game Splatoon 2 gear to readers via a special download code with an upcoming issue. The 'Mecha Gear' is the result of a competition to design some new accessories for the online shooter, and as you can see from the pics, it's...
News Japanese TV Spot For The Original Link’s Awakening Shows Nintendo's Playful Side
The company's always been experimental with art styles
The announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remaster for Switch has had many gamers revisiting the original and rediscovering the quirkiness of Koholint Island and its inhabitants. The remaster’s new toy-town art style is a plastic-y evolution of the aesthetic we saw in A Link...
News The Zoids Are Back In Town On Switch This Month, In Japan At Least
There's always the import option
If you remember the Zoids craze from the ‘80s, then you might be interested to learn that a new game is releasing in Japan at the end of the month: Zoids Wild: King of Blast. If your memories don't stretch back that far, Zoids are large mecha-animals which began life as a toy line and then grew into a franchise...
News Racy Shogi Game Comes To The Switch eShop In Japan
Get tips from professionals while you play
How do you spice up your chess game so it'll stand out on the overcrowded eShop? If you're Silver Star, the company behind Oshiete Onedari Shogi (or Teach Me Japanese Chess Pretty Please, if you prefer), the answer is to add some lovely ladies in a variety of revealing costumes. Kotaku reports that this...
News Japan Got A Few Extra Games In Its February Nintendo Direct
Some additional nuggets snuck in for Japanese fans
As so often happens, it seems there were minor regional differences between the Nintendo Direct broadcasts for the east and west. Japanese fans were treated to games missing from the North American and European versions. First up is Dragon Quest Rivals, a free download first released on mobile back...
News Japanese Poll Discovers That Vast Majority Of Viewers Were Pleased With The Nintendo Direct
Were you?
Just a handful of hours ago, we had our first Nintendo Direct of 2019. You might have noticed? The reaction so far has been mostly very positive from fans talking on social media and our very own comment sections here at Nintendo Life, and now we have some cold hard statistics to truly look into its success. Japanese video sharing site...
News Yo-Kai Watch Popularity Declines Sharply Against Steady Ol' Pokémon
Yokai ain't afraid of no ghost, but indifference gives them the willies
It seems the Yo-Kai Watch bubble is bursting fast in the Land of the Rising Sun. In fact, it burst a while ago, but the game and its accompanying media and merch were so incredibly popular in Japan that residual interest keeps the whole shebang running on fumes. While the craze...
Japanese Charts New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Triple Jumps Back To Top Spot
Switch still best-selling console
Japanese chart figures are now in for 4th - 10th February, revealing that New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe has reclaimed the top spot. Mario and friends managed to shift another 38,482 units at retail this week, outselling last week's number one Kingdom Hearts III which came in just behind with 35,450 sales. There...
News To All Mankind, A New Adventure Game From NIS, Is Coming To Switch
It's a Tokyo jungle out there
According to this week's Famitsu, Nippon Ichi Software is teaming up with Acquire to bring To All Mankind (or Jinrui no Minasama e to give its Japanese title) to Switch and PS4. It's in development and there's no word yet on a release date. Set in Tokyo, details are a little sketchy, but the game appears to take place...
Random Tell Us Who You Love In This Official Pokémon Poll For Valentine's Day
Winners will be revealed on 14th March
Last week, the official Play Nintendo website ran a poll to find out who fans would love to give a Valentine to on Valentine's Day. The poll featured many famous Nintendo characters such as Mario, Link and Isabelle, but in the end, Waluigi won in a landslide victory. Apparently, this wasn't a one-off, as The...
No 3DS love?
Recent 3DS title Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey has had a pretty rough launch period, with early sales showing that it is currently sitting amongst the worst-selling Mario titles ever released. In its home region of Japan, Mario & Luigi: BIS + BJJ (how do you shorten the name of this thing?!) has...
News Imagineer Issues Apology For Fitness Boxing Shortage In Japan
Recommends downloading from the eShop for an immediate workout
Remember the time when Square Enix had to apologise to fans who missed out on a physical copy of Octopath Traveler? Well, Imagineer has now had to issue a similar apology via Twitter, after stores around Japan ran out of copies of
Video Take A Tour Of PlatinumGames' Stunning Headquarters In Osaka, Japan
Gorgeous
PlatinumGames has shared a lovely new video giving fans a tour of its headquarters in Osaka, Japan. Getting the chance to have a good look around video game development studios is a rather rare treat, especially when they're as utterly glorious-looking as PlatinumGames' swanky pad of joy. The office is located in Osaka's Umeda Sky...
Japanese Charts Switch Hardware Sales Still Dominate But Kingdom Hearts 3 Takes Software Glory
Mario in third spot
Japanese chart figures are now in for 28th January - 3rd February, revealing that Kingdom Hearts III has managed to stay at number one for a second consecutive week. The game shifted another 91,019 units this week, keeping second place Resident Evil 2 safely behind it in the charts. Nintendo-published software titles take up the...
News Pokémon Sales Slump To All-Time Low In Japan, Despite Strong Worldwide Performance Of Let's Go
Gotta sell some more
Nintendo’s latest financial data has revealed Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! has now shifted around 10 million units worldwide. This places these latest entries in the series as the fifth best-selling games on the Nintendo Switch. It's quite an achievement. As rosy as it might sound for the new Pokémon...
News Nintendo Tokyo Store Opening This Fall
Expanding business
During Nintendo's latest Corporate Management Briefing, the President of the company Shuntaro Furukawa announced Nintendo would be opening a store in Tokyo this fall. Despite being the homeland of the company, Nintendo Tokyo will unbelievably be the first official Nintendo shop in Japan. It aims to be accessible to a wide range...
Rumour Nikkei Suggests Smaller And More Affordable Switch Hardware Is On The Way
As early as this year
Last October, The Wall Street Journal reported the Nintendo Switch would be receiving a makeover towards the end of 2019. The report said the new system would be “brighter, thinner and more energy-efficient” and was likely to include an improved LCD display. It wasn’t exactly a surprise, as Nintendo has been known to...
Japanese Charts Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe Sales Exceed 300,000, Kingdom Hearts 3 Takes Top Spot
Switch hardware sales return to normal
Japanese chart figures are now in for 21st - 27th January, revealing that New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe has now sold more than 300,000 units in the country alone. The game shifted another 57,725 copies this week, taking its total up to 312,869 and keeping it safely within the top three positions at retail...
News Be The Talk Of The Town With These Eye-Popping Pikachu Sneakers And Sweater
Pika Choo
If you're a Pokémon fan, chances are that you have a bit of a soft spot for Pikachu. If your love for the little electric bundle of cuteness goes beyond mild adoration, though, then these new clothing options might be just your thing. Launching in Japan later this year, these new trainers and jumper (or sneakers and sweater, for our...
News Fitness Boxing Faces Stock Shortages In Japan After Players Share Weight Loss Stories Online
A sudden hit
After a very slow and steady start, Imagineer's Nintendo-published title Fitness Boxing appears to be blooming in Japan, all thanks to players sharing their weight loss stories online. Since its release in the country last month, Fitness Boxing has been slowly gathering a small handful of sales each week without making much of a dent...
News Japan's Kirby Cafe Is Being Updated With Adorable New Merch And Menu Items
Squee!
Sitting proudly on our list of must-do things in Japan is the Kirby Cafe, a restaurant dedicated to our favourite pink sphere of joy and related, yummy-looking food. Starting on 27th February, the cafe is seeing a bit of an overhaul, introducing new menu items and even some new merchandise which you can take home after you've eaten. You can...
Video Level-5 Showcases Yo-Kai Watch 4 Gameplay At World Hobby Fair Winter 2019
Looks marvellous
Exactly a week ago, Level-5 released a new trailer for its upcoming Switch game Yo-Kai Watch 4 at World Hobby Fair Winter 2019. This clip provided a glimpse of the world you'll be able to explore and the Yo-Kai you can expect to encounter in battle. If this wasn't enough to satisfy you, Level-5 has now uploaded a direct-feed...
News Japanese Booklet Reveals Upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo
Everyone is here
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo collectors will be pleased to hear the next wave is seemingly on the horizon, with an anonymous user sharing a photo of a Japanese booklet showcasing unannounced amiibo on a Discord Channel. amiibo Alerts uploaded the photo on its Twitter account. As can be seen below, the page shows pictures of...