Tag: Japan - Page 37
News Japanese Gaming Magazine Famitsu Celebrates 1500 Issues
Long live the king of game magazines!
The 14 September issue of Famitsu is one for the record books. The iconic magazine, which is the longest running gaming publication in Japan, reached its 1500th issue. Though Famitsu celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, 1500 issues is quite a big round number and also worthy of recognition. The...
News Nintendo Switch Still Leads in Japan as Etrian Mystery Dungeon 2 Makes Debut
Splatoon 2 takes second place in the software charts
It's the middle of the week, which means the Media Create Japanese chart results have been issued. The results bring mixed fortunes from a Nintendo perspective, so let's get to it. Starting with software, Everybody's Golf on PS4 made its debut at number one, though Splatoon 2's ongoing popularity...
News As Switch Hits 1.5 Million Sold In Japan, Data Shows How It Dominates PS4 Right Now
Nearly three times as many Switches sold as PS4s in first 26 weeks
The PlayStation 4 may be the most popular games console of this generation with over 60 million systems sold since launch, but in Japan the Switch is currently outperforming it by some margin. According to 2ch (via Kotaku), the Switch has sold almost three times as many systems...
News Switch Hardware Sales Climb Again as Monster Hunter XX Arrives in Japan
The new MH doesn't scale the heights of predecessors, however
In the madness of prepping for the Nindies Showcase yesterday we skipped by the Media Create Japanese chart results, but by popular(ish) demand here they are. The big software arrival of the week was Monster Hunter XX on Nintendo Switch, but though it hit number one it...
News Two Of Ash's Oldest Pals Are Returning In The Pokémon Sun And Moon Anime
Ah, the nostalgia!
Brock and Misty may be two of the most famous (human) faces in the Pokémon universe, but that didn't stop them being unceremoniously cut from the recent 20th anniversary Pokémon movie. Fans were up in arms about history effectively being re-written to expunge Ash's devoted travelling companions, but it would seem that...
News Nintendo Affected by Recent Online Issues in Japan, Google Admits Fault
A simple 'network configuration error', apparently
While the internet and modern technology are wondrous, powerful things, it's interesting to note how vulnerable and susceptible they are to tumbling down. This was highlighted last week in Japan (on 25th August), when a number of services - including the eShop and servers for Nintendo Switch, Wii U...
News The Plug Will Finally Be Pulled On Miiverse In November
We hardly knew Mii
Back in July, we reported on a Wii U system update message which confirmed that Nintendo's quirky social network Miiverse would be coming to an end in the foreseeable future. Of course, the writing was on the wall the moment it was confirmed that Miiverse would not integrated into the Nintendo Switch launch. Now it's been...
News McDonald's In Japan Is Offering Awesome Pokémon Goodies With Its Happy Meals
Gotta eat 'em all
Lucky Japanese Pokémon fans will soon be getting Pokémon goodies in their McDonald's Happy Meals. From 1st to 7th September, buying a Happy Meal in the Land of the Rising Sun will gain you a Pokémon Ga-Olé discs which can be used with the arcade game Pokémon Ga-Olé. Characters on the discs include Solgaleo,...
News Switch Sales Fall Dramatically In Japan, But Splatoon 2 Passes The One Million Marker
The Summer lull
The launch of Splatoon 2 really helped to boost sales of Switch hardware in Japan during the month of July. The console shifted almost 100,000 units in a single week, which was a pretty impressive feat. Things have slowed down a bit in the Switch sales department in Japan this week, with just over 22,000 units shifted. Still, it's...
News Dynasty Warriors 8, Samurai Warriors And Warriors Orochi Are All Headed To Switch
Physical and digital releases, but only for Japan at present
To mark Omega Force's 20th birthday publisher Koei Tecmo is re-releasing some of the most famous entries in the Warriors series on the Nintendo Switch. On November 9th, the Switch will be getting Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires, Samurai Warriors: Spirit of...
News Sonic Forces Hits Japan On November 9th
Just in time for Christmas
Sega has confirmed that Sonic Forces will launch on the Nintendo Switch on November 9th in Japan. The Nintendo edition will arrive alongside the PlayStation 4 version at retail, with a cost of 5,990 Yen. Japanese Xbox One owners will only have digital release, costing 5,980 Yen. In the west, Sonic Forces has a...
News PayPal Payment Option Arrives On Switch eShop
Makes it even easier to part with your cash
Update: The PayPal payment method has now been rolled out in all regions and is ready available for use. Original story: A new payment method is making its way to the Nintendo Switch eShop, giving users even more options to fund their accounts. The popular online payment system PayPal...
Video Take a Detailed Look at the Original "Legend of Zelda" Manga
Just in time for the 30th anniversary of the English release
If there is anything that you could say is good about having delayed releases for games from Japan, it’s that for many classics we can celebrate anniversaries for both the East and West. The Legend of Zelda is one such game, and though its Japanese landmark was last year, the US release...
Feature Trying Biohazard Beverages, a Rockman Stew and More at the Capcom Café
One of the gaming treats in Shinjuku, Tokyo
Located opposite the famous 'Golden Gai' izakaya (bar) square in Shinjuku's Kabukucho district (Tokyo) is a small cafe dedicated to all things Capcom. Whether your franchise of choice is Street Fighter, Biohazard (Resident Evil), Rockman (Mega Man), or something a little more niche, there's plenty of...
Random It's Hard to Resist Importing These Super Famicom Joy-Con Kits
Super Switch indeed
You may have noticed the name of our editorial director Damien McFerran has been largely missing for the last couple of weeks, and that's because he's swanning about on Holiday. He still has time to browse random Japanese accessories online, of course, because that's just his style. In any case, he sent us poor worker drones a...
News Dragon Quest XI and Nintendo Switch Still Dominate the Japanese Charts
The Snack World: Trejarers makes its debut in 2nd place
The Media Create chart results for Japan are here once again, bringing some new releases but also familiar sales trends that mean good news for Nintendo. Starting with software, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age on 3DS stays at number one in the software chart, taking it past 1.5...
News Japanese Gamers Can Now Pick Their Favourite Joy-Con Colour Combo
Mix and match
Lucky Japanese Nintendo fans now have the option to pick their favourite Joy-Con colour combination when buying a Switch online from the official store. We had a play around with the online configurator and came up with the rad combo which you can see above. Hot or not? Japanese customers can pick from any options which actually...
News Dragon Quest XI and Nintendo Switch Lead the Way in Japanese Charts
Great Ace Attorney 2 makes its debut, sales down on predecessor
The Japanese Media Create results are out, and remind us of the power of brands with two versions of a massive Square Enix title still leading the way. There's good news for Nintendo in both the software and hardware results, too. Starting with the software top 20, Dragon Quest XI:...
Gallery Checking Out Yokohama's Pikachu Outbreak Pokémon Event
Painting the town yellow
From today until next week, various locations in the Japanese city of Yokohama will play host to the annual Pikachu Outbreak event. This year's event consists of merchandise stalls, parades, air ship flyovers and a number of Pokémon GO parks and stadiums, catering for fans of the phenomenally popular mobile game...
News Pokémon GO Getting Ready For Japanese Pikachu Outbreak Event
Japan-only Pokémon GO Deluxe Set also revealed
Further details have been revealed about the upcoming Pokémon GO "Pikachu Outbreak" event occurring in Japan this summer. Like Pokémon GO's Anniversary event (but hopefully proving to be somewhat more successful), the location will see an increased lot of PokéStops as well as access to...
Feature Is It Really Cheaper To Order Retro Games Direct From Japan?
Forget eBay - there could be a cheaper option
Back in the '90s, it seemed that the Japanese got all the best stuff. Not only did games typically launch sooner in Japan, they came in gorgeously-illustrated boxes complete with full-colour manuals, putting the rather drab western equivalents to shame. Not only that, the Japanese were blessed with many...
News Dragon Quest XI Delivers Extraordinary Sales on 3DS, as Switch Hardware Continues to Thrive
New 2DS XL leads the way thanks to DQXI bundle
The Media Create chart results are out for Japan, and it was a bit of a storming week for Nintendo, with Sony also enjoying a boost. The source of this is mostly the Dragon Quest series, which is absolutely massive business in Japan. Unsurprisingly Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive...
News Splatoon 2 Delivers Extraordinary Launch Sales in Japan and Boosts Switch Hardware
Layton’s Mystery Journey takes 2nd for 3DS, too
Earlier today we shared Famitsu numbers covering the Splatoon 2 launch in Japan; now Media Create has weighed in as well. Media Create brings a lower figure, but it's still the biggest Switch game launch to date, and also led to significant hardware sales. Splatoon 2 may be the dominant arrival in...
News New Range Of Super Mario iPhone Cases Arrive In Japan
Classic and modern designs
A range of new iPhone cases featuring everyone's favourite Italian plumber have come to Japan. The seven new cases feature classic and modern incarnations of Super Mario, and are designed to fit the 6 / 6S / 7 standard and Plus models of Apple's popular handset. The two retro-style cases are priced at...
News Animals Will Duke it Out in Weird Ways in Penguin Wars for Nintendo Switch
Almost enough to tempt us to setup a Japanese eShop account
Sometimes remakes arrive that, well, not many people have asked for. We suspect Penguin Wars falls into that category, or Penguin-kun Wars as it's known in Japan. It was a 1985 release for Arcades, MSX and the Famicom in Nintendo's homeland, and plays out rather like a game of peculiar...
News A New Tamagotchi Game Is Heading To The 3DS In Japan
Tamagotchi Life
Do you remember those little cute Tamagotchi keychain digital pets? Who could forget the joys of cleaning up their poop and forgetting to feed them? Well, it's their 20th anniversary this year and Bandai Namco is bringing them back on the 3DS in Japan, as revealed by the teaser website. This new Tamagotchi game launches on 16th...
Gallery King Of Games Celebrates 15 Years Of Awesome Video Game Clothing
15 years of looking the part
Premium Japanese gaming clothing brand King of Games is currently celebrating its 15th anniversary with a gallery of products and Nintendo-related kitsch at Nakano's Meteor Gallery. In case you didn't know, Nakano is a part of downtown Tokyo which is gaining a reputation as the "new Akihabara", making it the ideal...
News Scammers Are Taking Advantage Of Switch Mania In Japan By Ripping Off Desperate Fans
Tut tut
The Switch is very hard to find in its native Japan at present, with stock vanishing from shelves as fast as Nintendo can produce it. The incredible demand for the console in the Land of the Rising Sun has predictably led to people scamming desperate gamers on social media. Several news outlets in the Far East are reporting that these...
News DeNA Has Committed 10 Percent Of Its Staff To The Nintendo Alliance
That's around 100 people
It came as a massive surprise back in 2015 when Nintendo announced that they would be licensing their IP to mobile publisher DeNA to help gain a foothold in the very lucrative smartphone game arena. Since then we've seen the quirky social network Miitomo, Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroe
Feature Just How Hard Is It To Buy A Nintendo Switch In Japan?
We hit the streets of Tokyo on Splatoon 2 launch day to find out
Today is Friday, July 21st. It's horrendously hot and humid in Japan. It's the height of summer and the start of the school holidays in many parts of Tokyo. It's also the day that Splatoon 2 is out. As if the shortage of Nintendo Switch consoles wasn't bad enough, Nintendo's newest...
News New 2DS XL Tops Japanese Hardware Chart As Switch Sales Plunge Amid Stock Shortages
Hey! Pikmin sells almost 80,000 units, too
The New Nintendo 2DS XL was Japan's biggest selling piece of hardware for the last week in Japan, according to Famitsu. The newest member of the 3DS family shifted 36,860 units in its first week on sale, and was accompanied by new releases Hey! Pikmin (79,517) and Ever Oasis (15,907). Elsewhere,...
Gallery Splatoon 2 Squid "Air Mascots" Released in Japan
Blowing hot air
Coinciding with the worldwide release of Splatoon 2, Bandai has released a set of inkling inflatables known as "Air Mascots" through toy capsules. The collectible squids come in six variations being blue, green, olive, pink, purple and yellow. There is also the opportunity to find Judd the cat as a special bonus. The capsules...
News Visual Novel Song Of Memories Getting Switch Port In Japan With English Subtitles
Warning: mild cheesecake contained within
Pure Wish has confirmed that its visual novel title Song of Memories is getting a Switch port this year. Interestingly, even though no news of a western localisation has been confirmed, it has been revealed that the Switch port will contain Japanese, English, and French language support -...
News ARMS to Feature in Inaugural Evo Japan Tournament
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U makes the cut, Melee doesn't
This year's Evo extravaganza brought a range of reveals along with the high-end competitive play, and included some details related to the first ever Evo Japan. It'll take place in Tokyo from 26th to 28th January and will feature two prominent Nintendo titles in its line-up. Tekken...
News Luggage Company LeSportsac Has All Your Nintendo Travel Needs Sorted
New line of bags coming to Japan
If you like everything in your life to have a Nintendo theme, then you'll be pleased to learn that American luggage company LeSportsac has teamed up with the Japanese video game veteran to release a trendy new line of themed travel accessories in Japan. The line is split into three main categories. 'Super...
News Nintendo Switch Demand Remains High in Japan, As Thousands Queue for Raffles
It's not just about Zelda any more
When the Nintendo Switch launched there was understandable relief at its positive reception, with plenty of hype ensuring that demand outstripped supply. Though Nintendo has frequently made noises about ramping up production it's taking some time, and there still aren't enough systems to go around. A case in point...
News Nintendo's 'Quality of Life' Project Lives On
"Our aim is to enable consumers to make daily efforts to improve their QOL"
Way back in 2015 it was suggested that Nintendo's Quality of Life initiative had been put on the back burner following the untimely passing of company president Satoru Iwata. Given that not much has been said about QOL, you'd be forgiven for assuming that Nintendo had...
Random We Greedily Consumed McDonald's Pokémon McFlurry In The Name Of Science
"Can anybody tell what's wrong with this picture?"
Friday night, suburban Tokyo. All through the week, the eager Japanese public have been waiting to hear what flavor the mystery Pokémon McFlurry will be. Options ranged from the reassuringly pleasant to the downright bizarre - after all, this is coming from a country that brought wasabi Kit Kat...
News We All Need These Splatoon 2 Splat Dualie Water Pistols In Our Lives
Double up
Splatoon is a series which lends itself to irresistible merchandising opportunities, be they cute plush toys or themed towels. However, one line of toys which has done very well so far is the range of official Splatoon water pistols; released alongside the first ga
Random Dry Yourself Off With These Amazing Splatoon 2 Hooded Towels
'Stay Off The Hook'
We love the emails that Play Asia sends us sometimes - it's a reminder of how quirky some products in Japan are when compared to the sort of things which we get in the West. One thing which caught our eye today are these adorable Splatoon 2 themed hooded towels. Dress up like your favourite inkling and dry your hair at the same...
Video Learn How to Access and Use the NicoNico App on Nintendo Switch
Courtesy of gaijin hunter / aevanko
Just recently it was confirmed that the first third-party video streaming app was all set for Nintendo Switch, with NicoNico coming to the Japanese eShop. While it's not the streaming news we all necessarily want at this stage, it's an encouraging first step to show that, in theory, Nintendo is willing to allow...
Video Gaze In Wonder At The VR Mario Kart You'll Probably Never Get To Play
Unless you live in Japan, that is
A short time ago we reported on the news that Bandai Namco’s new VR Zone in Shinjuku, Tokyo would play host to a special Virtual Reality version of Mario Kart Arcade, the company's long-running racing series which is developed in conjunction with Nintendo. We only caught a glimpse of the game previously, but...
News Japanese Pokémon GO Players Are Outspending Their U.S. Counterparts
U.S. remains the biggest market, however
Pokémon GO recently passed $1.2 billion in revenue after just a year of availability, making it one of smartphone gaming's biggest success stories. Mobile analysis firm Sensor Tower has been picking apart the data, and has discovered some interesting global trends relating to the game and how much...
Random McDonald's Japan Thinks You Might Like A Broccoli-Flavoured Pokémon McFlurry
Pick your Pokémon drink of choice, if you dare
Update: Don't worry everyone - common sense prevailed and Japan will be getting a pikachu 'flavoured' chocolate banana Mcflurry this weekend! Original story: In support of the latest Pokémon movie - entitled Pokemon 20 - I choose you! - McDonald's Japan has started a campaign which gives...
News The Latest Pokémon Movie Is Ditching Two Of The Franchise's Most Famous Characters
Written out of history
There are three things you can be sure of in life: death, taxes and a new Pokémon movie every few years. The next cinematic outing for the juggernaut than is the Pokémon brand - subtitled "I Choose You!" - is getting hyped up in Japan at present, and seeks to re-tell the famous Indigo League series - which is...
Video The Real World Gets Splatted In These Japanese Splatoon 2 Commercials
The hype train has left the station
Following yesterday's Nintendo Direct, the Splatoon 2 hype train is officially boarding. To get Japanese gamers pumped for the game Nintendo have put out a trio of new commercials; the one above features live action scenes, while the two below are more focussed on gameplay footage. All of them are pretty...
Video The Japanese Trailer For Maldita Castilla DX On 3DS Is The Best Thing
"A thousand credits and a slate"
Maldita Castilla DX is coming to the 3DS eShop this year, a fact that fans of Capcom's Ghouls 'n Ghosts should be very happy about - the game is a love letter to the epic adventures of Sir Arthur and boasts gorgeous 2D visuals, excellent music and addictive gameplay. FlyHigh Works is ha
News Sales Data For 2017 Reveals Nintendo Is Killing It In Japan
8 out of the 10 best-sellers are for Nintendo systems
Nintendo has always done well in Japan traditionally; even during the rather dismal Wii U years, the Japanese software and hardware sales charts were dominated by the 3DS. However, with the Switch now available the company is attacking Japanese retail on two fronts, and the latest sales data for...
News Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima's Approval Rating Grows 10 Percent
97.70 percent, up from 87.14 percent last year
It's been a crazy rollercoaster ride since Tatsumi Kimishima was named as the new Nintendo president, following the tragic and untimely passing of Satoru Iwata. He had big shoes to fill following Iwata's success during the Wii and DS era, and steering the company out of the commercial disaster...
News ARMS and Nintendo Switch Keep a Grip on the Japanese Charts
Only just...
The Media Create Japanese chart results are out, and they bring positive news for Nintendo as they have a lead in both software and hardware. In the software charts we have ARMS clinging on to top spot, very narrowly seeing off the challenge from the retail iteration of the PS4 expansion Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood. We then...