Tag: Japan - Page 4
Round Up Pokémon World Championships 2023 - The Best And Most Controversial Yet?
Pokémon came home
After the Pokémon World Championships made its long-awaited return in London last year, it was announced that the 2023 Championships would be taking place at the Pacifico Yokohama in Japan. This would be only the second time the tournament has been held outside of North America, making this truly a monumental announcement —...
News Bandai Reveals New Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Figures Coming To Japan
Go figure
Adding to its already impressive lineup, Bandai has today revealed the latest figures to join the Candy collection, all of which come from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's Paldea region (thanks, Go Nintendo). This news was shared on Bandai Candy's official @pokemonkids_of Twitter/X account, which revealed that the six sets in this upcoming...
Japanese Charts Pikmin 4 Comfortably Holds Onto Its Throne
While Switch continues to sell lots 'n' lots
The latest Japanese charts are in courtesy of Famitsu (thanks, Gematsu) and it's once again Pikmin 4 that takes home the crown with an additional 69,989 in unit sales. This takes the game's total sales to a rather ominous-looking 666,377. Following this, we've got Mario Kart 8 Deluxe taking second place,...
News Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Has Reportedly Helped Boost Japan's GDP
No tears here
Preliminary figures released by the Japanese Cabinet Officer today report that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom may well have helped boost Japan's GDP (gross domestic product), Japanese outlet Mainichi Shinbun reports. (via Forbes). Nintendo's highly-anticipated first-party title launched back in May 2023 and broke sales...
Random My Nintendo Store Japan's New Splatoon 3 Range Includes Empty Shoe Boxes
Think inside the box
There's a lot of cool Splatoon 3 merchandise out there from clothing to decorations, but the recently-released shoe boxes might be among the strangest that we've seen. Yes, it's just a shoe box. These cardboard boxes are currently exclusive to the Japanese My Nintendo Store and will set you back 880 yen (around £5 / $6) if you...
News Super Mario Bros. Live-Action Movie Getting 4K Anniversary Screening (Japan)
Celebrating 30 years
Long before Nintendo and Illumination's record-breaking Super Mario Bros. animated movie, there was the infamous live-action film starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo, which has since gone on to become a cult hit. Now, to celebrate this movie's 30th anniversary on 15th September 2023, a 4K theatrical re-release of Super...
Hell Wing
M2’s garage doors are open for business again, continuing to pay homage, and in fastidious attention to detail, to the shoot 'em ups of yesteryear. Zero Fire, a portmanteau of collected titles Zero Wing (1989) and Hellfire (1989) represents Toaplan during the height of its glorious arcade tenure. Although released just four months...
News Pokémon World Championships Disqualifies Scarlet And Violet Pros Using Hacked Monsters
"Stricter checks" have reportedly caught out a lot of trainers
As you might have already seen, the Pokémon World Championships is taking place this weekend in Yokohama, Japan. While it's the same format to previous years, it seems there's actually been a bit of drama in the new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet competition. In a story on Kotaku, it's...
Japanese Charts Pikmin 4 Retains Its Crown For The Third Week In A Row
No Tears for Olimar & co.
This week's Japanese charts are in from Famitsu (via Gematsu) and we are once again seeing Nintendo's latest big release top the competition, as Pikmin 4 lands in first place for the third week in a row. The plant-plucking RTS game sold another 78,838 copies this time around, comfortably beating Tears of the Kingdom in...
News Another Earth Defense Force Spin-Off Is On Its Way To Switch
Update: Here's a first look at 'World Brothers 2'
Update [Thu 10th Aug, 2023 05:00 BST]: A week after its initial reveal in Famitsu, D3Publisher has now uploaded its first trailer of Earth Defence Force: World Brothers 2. Check it out in the video above. Original article [Wed 2nd Aug, 2023 05:35 BST]: The Switch has already played host to a...
News Nintendo's New Development Building Reportedly Delayed Due To "Expansion Plan"
"Expected to be completed in 2028 or later"
Last April, Nintendo announced it had acquired new land next to its Kyoto, Japan headquarters for a new development building. In an update from Nikkei, it seems the building will no longer hit its completion goal date of 2027, with the building now expected to be finished by "2028 or later". The delay is...
News These Snoopy Nintendo Switch Controllers And Pouches Are Absolutely Adorable
But they're exclusive to Japan
The Nintendo Switch gets a lot of themed controllers, cases, and accessories — and a lot of them we love. But we want these Snoopy-themed controllers and cases right now. Two new controllers and two cases are launching in Japan tomorrow, 10th August 2023, and are available from the official Japanese Snoopy website...
News Detective Pikachu Returns Comes With Exclusive Pokémon Trading Card In Japan
Japanese pre-order bonuses detailed
Detective Pikachu Returns was one of the highlights of the Pokémon Presents August 2023 showcase, and with more information about the long-awaited sequel to the 3DS cult favourite, pre-order bonuses in Japan have also been revealed, and we're mighty jealous. Brewing over on the official Japanese Pokémon website...
News "Sonic & Friends" Revealed As Animated TikTok Series
So that's what that trademark was for
Update [Tue 8th Aug, 2023 07:05 BST]: At the end of July, a logo for a "Sonic & Friends" trademark surfaced online. It had everyone wondering what it was for and Sega has now officially revealed it's a series of animated TikTok shorts. This series will be made available exclusively on TikTok, with more...
News Here's Your First Look At The Switch Box Art For Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince
Illustrated by the legendary Akira Toriyama
Dragon Quest RPGs have become a staple of the Nintendo Switch and later this year the hybrid system will receive the spin-off Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince. This game is a little bit different from traditional entries in the series. Instead of directly fighting opponents, you take on the role of...
News Service For Dragon Quest X Online On Wii U And 3DS Will End Next Year
End of an era for the Japan-only release
Dragon Quest X Online might have never left Japan, but the game has come to a whole host of different platforms since its 2012 launch on Wii including the Wii U, 3DS, Switch and mobile. Service for the game ended on the original console a few years back and now Square Enix has announced that the Wii U and 3DS...
Japanese Charts Pikmin 4 Maintains Dominance As Switch Surpasses 30 Million Units
Milestone after milestone
This week's Japanese Charts are in, courtesy of Famitsu (thanks, Gematsu) and it's Nintendo's own Pikmin 4 out in the lead again with an additional 115,697 in unit sales. Elsewhere, we've got a few newcomers this week, with Natsu-Mon! 20th Century Summer Vacation coming in at number two, and CRYMACHINA for Switch and PS5...
News Konami Is Releasing Another Baseball Game On Nintendo Switch (Japan)
Coach your team to victory
The Switch isn't exactly short on baseball games, but if you are keen for more it seems Konami has plans to bring 'Powerful Pro Baseball Eikan Nine Crossroad' to Nintendo's hybrid system at a later date. Players will lead their high school baseball team to victory "as a coach". Here's what else you can expect (via...
Japanese Charts Pikmin 4 Posts An Out Of This World Debut, Knocking Zelda From The Top Spot
Holy Hocotate!
This week's Japanese charts have come in from Famitsu (via Gematsu) and it has been quite the debut for Nintendo's latest big release. Yes, Pikmin 4 has taken the top spot this time around with a whopping 401,853 copies sold in its opening week. Of course, this doesn't come close to Tears of the Kingdom's opening (which this time...
News Edia Crowdfunding Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection III For Nintendo Switch
Here's what's included
After the successful release of the first two Telenet Valis: The Fantasm Soldier collections, publisher Edia has now announced a third one. The catch is, it's another crowdfunded effort via a Makuake campaign, which is seeking five million Yen (about $35,000 USD). At the time of writing, it's already got more than half of the...
News Smash Bros. Ultimate GameCube Controller Getting Restocked (Japan)
Out next month
Nintendo controllers can be some of the hardest products to get your hands on, and new stock of certain pads seems to sell out time and time again. We've seen this with the Switch Online N64 controllers and limited-edition Joy-Con in recent times, but another one that's been out of reach for many is the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate...
Random Japanese Parents Are Using Pikmin To Keep Their Children In Line
Gather 'round, kids!
There's really nothing quite like a child's imagination, is there? Before the dire reality of adulthood robs them of any shred of innocence, children are able to completely alter almost every facet of their lives, including their personality, their surroundings, and the people around them. It's really quite remarkable. Parents...
Japanese Charts Atelier Marie Remake Debuts Strong, But It's Not Enough To Trouble Zelda
Another strong week for Switch
The latest Japanese charts are in from Famitsu (via Gematsu) and this week sees The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom once again manage to cling onto the top spot despite some fresh competition. Making an attempt to challenge Zelda's pole position this time is Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist Of Salburg, the S
News The Pokémon Company Reveals Exclusive Figures For This Year's World Championships
Gotta buy 'em all
The Pokémon World Championships will get underway in Yokohama next month from 8th-14th August, and TPC has started to reveal some of the exclusive merch that you will be able to pick up if you are lucky enough to be in attendance. Just today, The Pokémon Company took to Twitter to share a first look at a range of figures that...
News Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom "Most Downloaded" Switch Game In The First Half Of 2023 (Japan)
Nintendo confirms
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been an absolutely massive release for Nintendo and months later it's still enjoying success in the sales charts. We've seen it dominating Switch sales in Japan for some time now thanks to Famitsu data, and on the Switch eShop in the same region, it's also been just as popular. In an...
Japanese Charts Zelda: TOTK And Final Fantasy XVI Battle For Supremacy
Who will claim the throne?
It's time to check out the Japanese charts once again folks, and as expected, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Final Fantasy XVI are pretty much neck and neck this week after Master Detective Archives: Rain Code dropped down to fourth place. Tears of the Kingdom is still beating out the competition and is...
News Super Famicom Horror Classic Clock Tower Is Officially Coming To The West
Home sweet home
Most horror game fans will recognize the cult classic series Clock Tower as a PlayStation-exclusive franchise. The first game in the series to ever come to the West was on the original PlayStation, but a few years prior in 1995, the series started off on the Super Famicom in Japan as a point-and-click horror adventure. This original...
News Nippon Ichi's 30th Anniversary Website Teases Three Unannounced New Games
Could it be a Disgaea in disguise?
Developer Nippon Ichi is today celebrating 30 years in the industry and it has set up a special anniversary website to mark the occasion. The site contains a boatload of neat information covering the company's history and a special message from President Tetsuhisa Seko, but the part that has caught our eye is the...
News Level-5 Launches Yo-Kai Watch 10th Anniversary Website
A number of initiatives are planned
Although Level-5 is busy with a new Professor Layton game for the Nintendo Switch, it's also found some time to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its spirit-themed RPG series Yo-kai Watch. The original game made its debut on 3DS in 2013 in Japan and was followed by a local release here in the West in 2015/16...
News Percentage Of Female Managers At Nintendo Hasn't Improved, Despite Pledges
Annual report also reveals gender pay gap at NCL
According to Nintendo's annual report published earlier this week, only 4.2% of company managers in Japan are women. This is a number that has remained unchanged since 2021, when the company formed its 'Nintendo Women and Allies' initiative, pledging to "promote women’s careers" (thanks, Axios). On...
News Sonic Co-Creator Yuji Naka Found Guilty Of Insider Trading
Receives suspended sentence and huge fine
The former Square Enix and Sega developer Yuji Naka has now been sentenced to two years and six months in prison, with a probation period of four years. He's also received fines of two million and 171 million yen. Website and social media account 'SEGAbits' shared a bit more detail about this based on a...
Japanese Charts Master Detective Archives Claims Victory As Zelda: TOTK Takes Third
While Final Fantasy XVI settles for silver
The latest charts from Japan are in and it's a resounding victory for the newly launched Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, which comes in at number one with a total of 55,339 sales. It's a strong start for Spike Chunsoft's Switch exclusive, which comparatively debuted at number twenty-three in the UK...
News Japan's Switch Sales In June Were Reportedly A Record High For The Console
Golden oldie
According to a recent Nikkei report, last month's Switch sales in Japan were the highest June figures that the console has ever received. The article cites Famitsu, stating that the Nintendo Switch sold 380,000 units in Japan during the month, which is said to be a 68% rise from the same time last year. When you consider the fact that...
Random Nintendo Advises Against Blowing Into Your Switch Cartridge Slots
But... that always works..?!
Remember the days when consoles took humungous cartridges and it became almost tradition to blow into them occasionally to ensure their ongoing health and happiness? Well, it turns out that Nintendo doesn't want you to do that anymore. As posted by Nintendo's Twitter support page (and spotted by the folks over at...
News 3DS Beat 'Em Up River City: Rival Showdown Comes To Switch This October
Update: Worldwide release confirmed
Update [Thu 6th Jul, 2023 04:30 BST]: Arc System Works has now officially confirmed River City: Rival Showdown will be launching worldwide for Switch eShop on 12th October. It will be priced at $24.99 USD (or your regional equivalent) and includes language support options for English, Japanese, Korean,...
News Nintendo Will Be At Tokyo Game Show 2023, But Not In The Public Area
Serious business only
Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association has revealed a list of attendees for the Tokyo Game Show 2023. Taking place from Thursday, September 21st to Sunday, September 24th, 2023, the in-person show will be completely unrestricted for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, Tokyo Game Show took place in...
News Nintendo To End Its 'Wide Care' Switch Repair Service In Japan After One Year
That didn't last long
Remember when Nintendo launched a subscription service last year for Switch repairs in Japan called 'Wide Care'? Well, the company is now about to end the service entirely. In an announcement posted on its official website (thanks, Perfectly Nintendo), Nintendo states that it will no longer be of
Japanese Charts Final Fantasy XVI Dethrones Zelda: TOTK After Six Weeks On Top
You witness a King's revival
This week's Japanese charts are now in from Famitsu (via Gematsu), and we have finally seen The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom bumped down a place after holding onto pole position for a tasty six weeks. Of course, it is Final Fantasy XVI that goes home with the gold this time, selling a massive 336,027 copies in...
News Universal Studios Japan's Pokémon Halloween Party Will Feature DJ Pikachu And Gengar
*Record scratch*
Yes, it may only be June, but that doesn't mean that the schedule for the winter months isn't filling up already. Today, Universal Studios Japan has joined in the planning, as it announced a special 'Pokémon Halloween Party' for, erm, Halloween. But what will the event entail? you might ask, well, we're not exactly sure yet. What...
News Switch Exclusive 'Fashion Dreamer' Locks In November 2023 Release (Japan)
One for Style Savvy & Style Boutique fans
One game featured in last week's Japanese Nintendo Direct that didn't get a spot in the Western broadcast was the upcoming Marvelous XSEED fashion title, Fashion Dreamer. It was previously shown in the February Direct, and now, if the Switch's release schedule wasn't already busy enough for the second half...
Random Disgruntled Splatoon 3 Fan Complains Directly To Nintendo's President About Male Poses
Bought shares just to access Nintendo's annual shareholder meeting
Imagine saving up money to buy shares so you can attend a shareholder meeting with the company president and complain about something in a video game. That's exactly what one Splatoon 3 fan has reportedly done. GLHF reports that a Splatoon 3 player saved up enough cash to attend a...
News Nintendo Reveals Range Of Pikmin 4 Homewares Heading For FamilyMart Stores In Japan
Ice, ice Pikmin
Here at Nintendo Life, you will regularly catch us getting envious of region-exclusive game merchandise, and such envy has hit us today as we got a first look at the range of Pikmin 4 homewares that will soon be coming to FamilyMart stores in Japan as well as the Nintendo stores in Tokyo and Osaka. Shared via a blog post on the...
Japanese Charts Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Dominates The Competition, Once Again
Can it be stopped?
The latest Japanese charts are in from Famitsu (via Gematsu) and surprising absolutely nobody, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom once again lands in first place with another 31,151 copies sold. This marks the sixth consecutive week that Link's latest has held onto the top spot, and it leads by some margin this time. Mario...
Random The Super Mario RPG Switch Remake Clarifies A Couple Of Cameos
Some resolution
The announcement of a Switch remake of the beloved SNES game Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars set many a nostalgic heart racing during the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, and sharp-eyed gamers have noted that the upcoming return of Square's 16-bit classic will bring some previously blurry elements into much sharper focus. In...
News Yoshi And Kirby Developer Good-Feel Reveals New 3D Action Game For Switch
A Japanese Direct Goemon inspired announcement
Nintendo's latest Direct broadcast was loaded with all sorts of announcements, but there were actually some different ones in the Japanese livestream. One highlight, in particular, was the reveal of Good-Feel's new 3D action game. Good-Feel, as you might recall, is the developer behind games like...
News Square Enix Announces Octopath Traveler 5th Anniversary Broadcast, Airing Next Month
The sequel released on Switch earlier this year
Square Enix has announced it will host a special 5th anniversary live stream for its HD-2D RPG Octopath Traveler. This event will take place next month on 13th July at 8 pm JST and will apparently include a "memorial corner" reflecting on the history of the series, the results of a user survey, and...
Feature The Mysterious Absence Of A Famicom Gem On Switch
Castle's in the air
Update [31st Oct 2023]: Well, would you believe it? Nintendo only went and dropped the game on Switch Online as a Halloween treat. Enjoy! Something very mysterious is going on with a sadly obscure but fondly remembered gem from the Famicom era. It was built on the same game engine as the original Legend of Zelda, but unlike...
Review Batsugun Saturn Tribute Boosted (Switch) - The Best Home Release Of Toaplan's Final Shmup
The Iceman Cometh
Toaplan, a shooting game developer that flew high in the '80s with titles like Twin Cobra and Truxton, possesses a formidable resume. Batsugun, the company's swan-song shooter, and one of its most historically significant works, spearheaded an evolution of the genre that remains prevalent today. Programmer Tsuneki Ikeda joined...
Japanese Charts Diablo IV Dominates The Top Ten, But Can't Topple Zelda: TOTK
Meanwhile, Switch sells lots
The latest Japanese charts are in, and it's another solid week for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Coming in at a further 46,644 copies sold, Nintendo's flagship title is comfortably ahead of Diablo IV, which sold a total of 41,839 across all platforms. Speaking of Diablo IV, however, the Xbox version did not...
News Sonic Superstars Developed By Original Designer's Studio
Talks "fell through" with Sonic Mania dev
It's been revealed Sonic Superstars will be developed by the Japanese team at Arzest - a studio run by Naoto Ohshima, who is best known for designing the blue blur. Sonic Team's head Takashi Iizuka has revealed how the studio became involved when plans "fell through" with the Sonic Mania developers,...
