Tag: Japan - Page 56
News Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 Confirmed For 3DS in Japan
More button mashing mayhem
It may not have swept all before it critically and commercially when it arrived as a 3DS launch title, but Samurai Warriors: Chronicles — a portable spin-off for the main series — was a welcome early showing of support from Koei Tecmo; it's a relationship that developed to bring us the upcoming Hyrule Warriors. Like...
News Capcom's Latest Monster Hunter Figurine is Pure Gold
Literally
To celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Monster Hunter, Capcom has decided to celebrate with the release of a delightful little figure of a felyne – a cat-like race from the series. This little number would be eye-catching enough, bearing armour made from the mighty rathalos, but Capcom is marking this special occasion by making the...
Video Mario Battles Through Real Life Tokyo to Get to Super Smash Bros. Event
A smashing fan made trailer
We've seen some awesome fan made Nintendo videos in the past, and this certainly ranks as one of the best. YouTuber Dean Wright has faithfully created a trailer of everyone's favourite portly plumber dashing through the streets of real life Tokyo in order to get to a Super Smash Bros. event on time. Not only is Mario's...
News Nintendo Comes Out On Top As Japanese Gamers Vote For Their Favourite Developers
Foreign devs still struggling to make an impact
A Japanese website by the name of Freshers recently conducted a poll pretty much reconfirming that domestic developers and publishers are still the clear favourites amongst Japan’s game-playing population. The poll conducted last month asked 500 members of the public if they played video games, and...
News Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright Art Books Coming West from UDON Entertainment
Top-notch finger-pointing for your coffee table
Art direction fanatics who can read this are in for a treat now that UDON Entertainment will be bringing two new art books to English-speaking territories; one for Phoenix Wright's latest "I can't shout OBJECTION! on the bus" screen-tapping epic Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies and another...
News Pocket Monsters Invade Arcades In Bandai Namco's Pokémon: Battle Nine
Japan-only, for the time being
We've seen Pokémon arcade games in the past from the likes of Sammy and Takara Tomy, and now Bandai Namco is trying its hand at bringing those famous pocket monsters to amusement centres — in Japan, at least. It has just revealed a promotional trailer for Pokémon: Battle Nine, an arcade title which uses the famous...
News The Japanese Console Market Fell in 2013, With Revenues Behind the Mobile Gaming Sector
A 16% fall from 2012 to 2013
It's been a day of financial figures and reflections on Nintendo's latest results, yet a report emerging from Japan demonstrates that conventional gaming systems as a whole are under a heavy strain in the country. This should be no surprise to those that regularly follow the Media Create chart results, with sale numbers...
News Looks Like You Can Only Install 300 Games And Apps On Your 3DS
Still enough to keep you busy for a while
We've all experienced the irksome problem of running out of storage space on our 3DS consoles, but it would appear that even the most spacious SD card in the world won't help overcome this issue totally — the hardware seems to have a maximum ceiling of 300 applications. Reddit user Rayquaza3010 received...
News Wii U and 3DS Hardware Sales See Slight Increase in Japan as Yokai Watch 2 Stays on Top
Yoshi's New Island makes chart début in second
It's time again for Media Create chart results from Japan, with Nintendo hoping for good news in both the software and hardware stakes; the 3DS sees a game release that the West has been enjoying since Spring. It should surprise no-one that Level 5's Yokai Watch 2, available in two versions, remains...
News Azure Striker Gunvolt Hitting Japan August 20th, North American Launch Shortly Afterwards
Euro release "being worked out", could have multilingual support
Inti Creates has revealed that Azure Striker Gunvolt will launch in Japan on August 20th, with a North American release coming in the weeks that follow. A European release is also on the cards, with Inti Creates CEO Takuya Aizu telling Silicon
News One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X Will Cram 85 Different Characters Into Your Humble 3DS
Confirmed for Japanese launch this Winter
The One Piece juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down. We've only just had One Piece: Unlimited World Red here in the west, and Bandai Namco has now announced the next video game adaptation of Eiichiro Oda's famous anime and manga series: One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X. This 3DS offering will feature 85...
News Dragon Quest X All-In-One Retail Package Will Include Wii, Wii U and PC Copies in Japan
Let the package design nightmare begin
Update: It seems that there will still be three distinct SKUs for this 'all-in-one' version, identifiable with Wii U, Wii and PC branding. Each will still, nevertheless, contain copies for all three platforms. Original Article: Square Enix has announced that the upcoming Dragon Quest X 'all-in-one' retail...
News Yokai Watch 2 Maintains Dominance as Hardware Sales Fall in Japan
Home console sales continue summer decline
In last week's Media Create chart results for Japan, Yokai Watch stormed the charts with 1.3 million sales. A combination of the growing popularity of Level-5's franchise and the decision to release two versions helped it surpass the lifetime sales of its predecessor in just one week. As expected, Yokai...
News PS Vita Owners Can Now Give Their Handheld That Vital Nintendo Feel
Super Famicom case available in Japan
As much as we adore the 3DS, we're not too proud to admit that the PS Vita is a seriously great handheld, despite what its relatively dismal western sales figures suggest. It's home to some amazing big-name releases and indie titles, and if you already own one but don't feel it's Nintendo enough, we've got the...
News Japanese Video Site Niconico Live Streaming Hyrule Warriors Tomorrow
Footage of new characters in action?
We've already had news regarding new additions to the Hyrule Warriors roster, and tomorrow Japanese video sharing site Niconico will be live streaming footage of the game — presumably showing these fresh combatants in action. The event will take place at 9PM Japanese time, which is 1PM if you're based in
News Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Release in Japan Sees New Circle Pad Accessory
Vaguely resembles a Wavebird if you squint
Thanks to console accessories manufacturer Hori, the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL are about to get even bigger in Japan. To celebrate the upcoming release of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Hori is releasing the Extended Slide Pad Controller, a grip controller-style accessory that places a second circle pad...
Matters of Import Opa-Opa Returns In Fantasy Zone II Double
The best port of a port of a remake of a Master System game ever?
Before we start talking about Fantasy Zone II Double, a little history lesson is in order: yay back in 1987 Sega released Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa on the Master System. This was an all-new home exclusive sequel to the previous year’s arcade hit
News This Pokémon Food Looks Too Good to Eat
Pokénom-nom
Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction — more accurately known as Pokémon XY The Movie - The Cocoon of Destruction & Diancie in Japan — arrives in theatres in the country this weekend, on 19th July. Japan loves Pokémon at the best of times, but with the movie's imminent release there are a variety of special...
News Nintendo Dominates List of Top-Selling Games in Japan for 2014
Mario Kart 8 is in fourth place, success for third parties on 3DS
Just this week we've learnt that, in its launch week alone, Yokai Watch 2: Ganso / Honke has become the top-selling game in Japan for 2014 to date, an outstanding achievement for Level 5's dual release. It's also reflective of a year of modest overall sales, but Nintendo has still...
News New Fatal Frame Will Be Spooking The Wii U In Japan This September
Photo finish
Nintendo and Tecmo Koei have lifted the lid on a new Fatal Frame title for the Wii U, which is due to arrive in Japan on 27th September 2014. In a special presentation which featured Nintendo's own Shigeru Miyamoto, the game's Japanese title was revealed to be Zero: Nuregarasu no Miko (Zero: The Black Haired Shrine Maiden). As before,...
Video Returning To Rainbow Skies with Fantasy Zone II Double
Twice the fun or double the trouble?
After a brief break with the excellent 3D port of racing classic Outrun, M2 has turned its attention back to shooters with this release of Fantasy Zone II Double in Japan, a neat little compilation of the previously Playstation 2-exclusive System 16 remake of the Master System game Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of...
News Yokai Watch 2 Sells a Whopping 1.3 Million Copies in Launch Week, Boosts 3DS Sales
Wii U sales drop again, but retains top home console spot
The latest Media Create chart results are in for Japan, and they bring an extraordinary début week for Yokai Watch 2, along with a boost in 3DS hardware sales and another dip in the equivalent Wii U figure. To begin with software, Level 5's Yokai Watch 2 — released as separate Ganso and...
News Golden Sun: The Lost Age Hitting Japanese Wii U Virtual Console Next Week
Western release should be on the cards
We've already seen the excellent Golden Sun on the Wii U Virtual Console, and next week Japanese players will be getting their hands on the equally brilliant sequel. Golden Sun: The Lost Age was originally released on the Game Boy Advance in Japan in 2002 (and a year later in North America and Europe) and...
News The NES Story Began On This Day 31 Years Ago
We are Family (Computer)
31 years ago today, Nintendo Co., Ltd. released the Famicom console in Japan, an event which would herald the beginning of the firm's wildly successful relationship with home video games. Hitting store shelves at 14,800 Yen (around $145 / £84 / 107 Euros), the system wasn't an instant hit with the Japanese public. Sales...
News Yo-Kai Watch 2 On Course For A Phenomenal Début Week of Sales in Japan
Set to be first million-seller in Japan this year
Earlier this week we brought you some comments from Level 5's head honcho, Akihiro Hino, outlining the formula for the success of Yo-Kai Watch on 3DS. The first title had a reasonable but modest start in Japan, before the accompanying anime series boosted its popularity and took it beyond one million...
News Final Fantasy Explorers Is Hitting Japan This Winter
Still no word on a western release, though
It has been confirmed in today's Japan-only Nintendo Direct that Square Enix's new 3DS RPG Final Fantasy Explorers will be hitting Japanese stores in the winter. The four player title is intended as a stepping-stone into the world of RPGs and will boast famous creatures from the history of the esteemed...
News Nintendo Direct Confirmed For Japan on 11th July
Focused on 3rd Party 3DS Games
Just days ago we outlined key areas and details that can still be revealed in upcoming Nintendo Direct broadcasts this year; there's plenty of ground that the big N can still cover post-E3. Of course, the Nintendo Direct fever is back up and running in Japan already — not only has there already been a Yokai Watch 2...
News 3DS On Top As Wii U Remains Highest Selling Home Console in Japan
Mario Kart 8 passes half a million physical retail sales
The latest Media Create chart results for Japan are in, and they continue the trends established over recent week in terms of hardware and software. There are certainly yet more positives for Nintendo, albeit against a backdrop of modest overall industry sales in the company's homeland. The...
News Japanese 3DS Owners Can Enter Sega's Fantasy Zone Again Next Week
Another Sega 3D Classic inbound
We may not have been blessed with 3D Fantasy Zone here in the west yet, but lucky Japanese players will be able to get their hands on the sequel when it launches on the 3DS eShop next week. 3D Fantasy Zone II will be released on July 16th for 762 yen, including tax. The package includes the arcade version, the Master...
News Stand-Alone Kirby Fighters And DeDeDe's Drum Dash Headed To The Japanese 3DS eShop
Both feature new content, both out this month
Those of you wise enough to have purchased the rather excellent Kirby: Triple Deluxe will be aware that the mini-games included with the title — Kirby Fighters and DeDeDe's Drum Dash — are jolly good fun, and stand-out releases in their own right. It would appear that Nintendo agrees, because the...
News EarthBound 20th Anniversary Figures Seeing Release in Japan
The third coolest set of figures you can buy
While the Famicom RPG Mother is celebrating its 25th anniversary (a fact Starmen.net is honoring throughout the month), its Super Famicom/SNES sibling Mother 2, known as EarthBound in the West, is turning the big 2-0 this year in Japan as well. To commemorate two decades of EarthBound, toy company Takara...
News Dragon Quest X Is Now Adventuring Onto 3DS
Still no word of an overseas release though
We've lamented before on Square Enix's baffling decision to keep Dragon Quest X a strictly Japan-only affair, and now it appears that fans outside Japan have another format to direct their frustrations at with the announcement that the game will hit Japanese 3DS' on the 4th of September this year. The...
News New Converse X Super Mario Bros. Shoes Are Stepping Into Japan
Yours for just over $200...
Gamers with a love for all things Nintendo often customise and create their own shoes and clothing to show off that dedication in public, but there are definitively fashionable and expensive options available. These Converse X Super Mario Bros. shoes are a prime example. These aren't the first special editions from...
Nintendo Direct Yokai Watch 2 Gets Its Own Broadcast in Japan
Play the 'figure out what's happening' game
Although it's said to be on the way to the West, we're yet to receive firm release details on Yokai Watch, the 3DS title from Level-5 that's enjoying continued success in Japan. That success has certainly been assisted by the accompanying anime series, with the brand as a whole capturing the imagination in...
Wearing shades indoors, naturally
Unless you're really keen on Japanese rock music, the name Gackt might not mean that much to you, but take it from us — he's a big name in his own country. Gackt — real name Kamui Gakuto — found fame as a member of the band Malice Mizer, and since going it alone has gained the male soloist record for most top...
News The Denpa Men Are Going Free-To-Play In Japan
A reaction to low sales in the west?
The next entry in the popular RPG series The Denpa Men will be a free-to-play title. Denpa Ningen no RPG Free! will launch in Japan on July 23rd, and will feature items which can only be obtained by spending real-world cash. Aside from the teaser trailer below and the rather spare website, we don't have any more...
Matters of Import Genso Suikoden Card Stories - Konami's Other Trading Card Game
Suikoden 2 on GBA? Sort of
Konami is certainly comfortable with the popular and profitable Trading Card Game genre, their Yu-Gi-Oh series reportedly selling in excess of twenty-two billion cards all over the world since it was first launched. The digital equivalents have always been warmly welcomed on Nintendo hardware too, stretching all the way...
First Impressions The Thieves And The 1000 Pokémon Steals Its Way Onto 3DS In Japan
But is it Robin Hood or Dick Turpin?
We've taken a look at The Thieves and the 1000 Pokémon before, but now the free eShop title has been released in Japan we can share some more info and screenshots of this delightfully bonkers little game. You start out by picking one of the three initial Pokémon from Pokémon X and Y, and then you basically...
News Iwata's Approval Rating Rises While Miyamoto's Drops Slightly
Small shifts across the board
The results from Nintendo's AGM are in, and as we already know, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata isn't going anywhere — his approval rating has actually risen over the past year by 3 percent. Last year, his rating was 77.26 percent, but this year's figure is a slightly better 80.64 percent. However, this rise was...
News Miyamoto Thinks That Nintendo Are in a Genre of Their Own
“I really think there needs to be a Nintendo genre"
Legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto recently did an interview with the LA Times where he discussed Nintendo's focus on creating games which entertain, as opposed to simply trying to be "cool". He even went on to say that Nintendo should have a genre of their own. Nintendo isn’t one...
News Satoru Iwata Reigns Supreme in Annual Shareholders Meeting
Business as usual
Nintendo's 74th annual general meeting (AGM) for shareholders took place today in Japan and we can confirm that Satoru Iwata has retained his position as Nintendo's president. Iwata of course was not present at today's meeting due to his recovery from recent surgery. We are yet to learn what this year's investor approval rating...
News Pokémon Art Academy Sneaks Top Spot in Japanese Charts as Console Sales Dip
3DS still top, Wii U remains as number one console
It's time once again for the Media Create Japanese chart results, and this week tells a tale of modest sales across the board. Though the numbers are low Nintendo still has plenty to cheer. Pokémon Art Academy makes its début this week and sneaks into top spot, narrowly out-selling more...
News The Nintendo 64 is Now 18 Years Old in Japan
Finally old enough to run Conker's Bad Fur Day
Time flies when you're having fun, especially for those of us who grew up spending excessive amounts of time playing GoldenEye 007 and Mario Kart 64. That's because the Nintendo 64 was released a whopping 18 years ago today in its native territory of Japan. Released on 23 June 1996, the N64 served as a...
News Food-Focused RPG Adventure Bar Story Is Munching Its Way To The 3DS
Smartphone hit crosses over to Nintendo's handheld
Adventure Bar Story is one of the most unique smartphone RPGs we've seen in quite some time, and developer RideOn Games has confirmed that it is bringing the game to the 3DS — in Japan, at least. The game places you in the shoes of a tavern owner who is resisting a hostile takeover from a rival...
News Capcom and Treasure Team Up Again for Gaist Crusher Sequel
Don't hold your breath for a Western release
Back in January, we took a look at Capcom's Gaist Crusher. Developed by renowned Japanese game studio Treasure, the title — perhaps most accurately described as Diet Monster Hunter — is part of a multimedia franchise spanning manga, anime, and a line of collectible toys. Gaist Crusher met with a...
Fines and prison terms introduced for the former
One challenging reality that faces gamers, and the press, is the sexualised portrayal of children in some games and anime from Japan. Though some examples can occasionally be seen in Western products, it's an issue prevalent in Japan due to different laws and attitudes in the country. Recent examples...
News Mario Kart 8 Claims Top Spot in Japanese Charts, Wii U Remains as Number One Home Console
3DS top overall, Yo-kai Watch keeps on going
Nintendo's enjoying a run of pleasing sales-related headlines right now, with the recent NPD results for May showing strong performance for Mario Kart 8 and a related bump in Wii U sales, in particular. The latest weekly Media Create charts for Japan are out, and they continue the positive trend, albeit...
News The New Taiko Drum Master RPG Has Some Interesting Crossovers
Monster Hunter, Yo-kai Watch, The Idolmaster, and a peary strange mascot
Banking on the huge popularity of crossovers in Japan, Bandai Namco's Taiko Drum Master: Don and Katsu's Great Space-Time Adventure features a number of interesting tie-ins. The gameplay itself features a crossover as well, blending the tried and true rhythm genre with classic...
Video Robot Battle Action Is On The Cards In This Gundam Try Age SP Trailer
Almost five minutes of footage for this forthcoming 3DS title
We reported a while back on the 3DS port of Gundam Try Age, an arcade title which mixes massive robots with strategic card battling. An impressively-proportioned trailer has now been issued for the game which not only includes a rather overenthusiastic voice-over, but also details the...
News Final Fantasy Explorers Official Website Opens
Another beautiful 3DS RPG to preorder
It may be plastered with "coming soon" placeholder boxes and "to be confirmed" text where we were hoping for release dates, but what little there is on the freshly-opened Final Fantasy Explorers Japanese website offers a tantalising glimpse into what could be another great 3DS RPG, and hopefully a fun...
