Tag: Japan - Page 62
News Sega Sammy Acquires Atlus Parent Company Index For 14 Billion Yen
Reports suggest purchase will take place in November
UPDATE: It's now been confirmed that SEGA — or rather a part of the company called Sega Dream Corporation — has indeed bought Atlus. It's anticipated that the deal will be wrapped up by 1st November, and the following was in the press release. The Company believes that transfer of Index's...
News Youkai Watch Receiving A New Game in Japan Already
Will it be a sequel or an enhanced version?
Level-5 released Youkai Watch in the Summer in Japan and it looks like the region is set to receive another iteration of the series as CoroCoro magazine has stated a new title is in the works. The 3DS title centres around around a young boy who comes into possession of a special wristwatch that enables...
News Monster Hunter 4 Ships Over Two Million Copies in Four Days
That's just monstrous
So, Monster Hunter 4 is out now in Japan. While Capcom has admittedly had a hard time replicating the success of the franchise in the West, in Japan it's a sure thing, as a dedicated and monstrously large fan-base rarely hesitates to weigh-in on the latest entry. We'll give you one guess what'll be top of this week's Japanese...
News MapleStory: The Girl's Fate Will Be Released in Japan
No news on a Western release just yet
Earlier this year we reported on a new MapleStory title that emerged on the 3DS exclusively to South Korea. MapleStory: The Girl's Fate was published by Nexon in the region but that exclusivity has now been broken as SEGA has partnered with the South Korean publisher to take the game to Japan at some point in...
News 3DS Hardware Sales Continue to Rise in Japan, Wii U Numbers Drop Again
Counting the days to The Wind Waker HD?
Wednesday is Media Create charts day in Japan, which often means more pleasing 3DS news. As we've become familiar with, however, it often means the opposite for the Wii U. In terms of the software chart this week, there are no notable new releases on Nintendo hardware, meaning that some evergreen titles on...
News Taiko: Drum Master Wii U Version Bringing the Beat to Japan in November
Has potential for some serious sales
The Taiko: Drum Master series of games — and there are many — is hugely popular in Japan. The range of releases on multiple systems accounts for that, with five variations released on the Wii alone, three on DS and one on 3DS — releases in the West have been exceptionally rare in comparison. They're such...
News Square Enix Reveals Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call In This Week's Jump Magazine
It's a sequel, not an expansion
Last week we reported that Square Enix filed a U.S. trademark for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call on 27th August, suggesting that the original Theatrhythm Final Fantasy may be getting a re-release that includes all of the previous DLC. This week's Shonen Jump magazine reveals that the company is actually...
News Monster Hunter 4 Will Allow You To Dress Up As Link Through Collaborative DLC
See Mario and Luigi outfits in the full presentation, too
During this morning's Monster Hunter 4 themed Japanese Nintendo Direct, Capcom revealed that the upcoming 3DS title will allow players to obtain costumes from Nintendo's biggest franchises through specific DLC quests. One quest enables you to dress up your Felyne in the famous Mario and...
Nintendo Direct Japanese Monster Hunter 4 Broadcast Coming September 8th
The hunt is almost on
Monster Hunter 4 hits Japanese store shelves on September 15th, but just in case there wasn't enough hype surrounding its launch already, Nintendo is holding a special Monster Hunter-themed Nintendo Direct on September 8th. The video will go live at 8PM JST, 1PM CEST and 7AM EDT. It's going to be in Japanese obviously, but it...
News The Wii U Continues to Struggle in Japanese Charts
The Wonderful 101 departs the top 20 in its second week
The Japanese charts often provide solace for Nintendo, especially with 3DS hardware and software sales continually leading the way. While the portable's hardware performance retains its strong run this week, the Wii U's issues in the market have been brought sharply into focus once again. The...
News Super Castlevania IV Is Whipping The Japanese Wii U Virtual Console Next Week
A 16-bit classic to get your teeth into
Japanese Wii U owners will be able to enjoy what is arguably Simon Belmont's best adventure next week as Super Castlevania IV (or Akumajō Dracula as it's known over there) hits the Virtual Console in that region. The first 16-bit outing for Konami's esteemed vampire-hunting series, Super Castlevania IV was...
News Bravely Default: For The Sequel Has English Script DLC
Could this be the version the west is getting?
Update: The official Twitter account for this title has now confirmed that this expanded, improved version of the title is indeed the basis for the localisation to the West. Original article: Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is coming to the west, but we're still largely in the dark as to when. The...
Video 3D Streets Of Rage's "One Punch" Mode Is Surprisingly Entertaining
Perfect for newbies, too
3D Streets of Rage has just hit the Japanese 3DS eShop — where it's known by the Japanese title of 3D Bare Knuckle — and it features a mode where your character can kill enemies with a single punch. While this makes the game incredibly easy, it doesn't remove any of the enjoyment — in fact, it's surprisingly addictive...
News Rayman Legends is Still a Wii U Exclusive in Japan, Apparently
Hooray
Rayman Legends is out now in Europe, with the North America release on 3rd September, and we think it's wonderful. The concensus around the web to date has generally been that this is a top-notch experience that's unmissable, yet for some Nintendo fans it's still a sore point that it's taken this long to arrive, and that it's also nestling on...
News GungHo Looking To Sell One Million Copies Of Puzzle & Dragons Z On 3DS
Hoping to appeal to kids without smartphones
GungHo's Puzzle & Dragons mobile game is the kind of success story that many development studios can only dream of. It's been downloaded over 18 million times in Japan alone, and generates almost $4 million of revenue every single day. The company is currently preparing a 3DS version by the name of...
News Stardust Amazoness Is The New RPG In Development By Arc System Works
Females only
The latest issue of Famitsu magazine reveals developer Arc System Works — best known for the Guilty Gear and Blazblue series of fighting games — has a new game in development for the 3DS: Stardust Amazoness. The RPG is set for release in Japan on 14th November this year. Players are thrown into Prison Planet, an asylum in which the...
News The Wonderful 101 Struggles In Its First Week At Japanese Retail
Just 5,258 copies sold - a less than wonderful start
The Wonderful 101 is a truly fantastic piece of software, and one of the best Wii U games we've played this year. Sadly, the quality of product hasn't translated into sales, as the game has shifted less than 5,500 copies in its native Japan, according to Media Create's data. Platinum's Wii U...
News Bravely Default: For the Sequel Confirmed for Japan
Think of it as Bravely Default: Flying Fairy 1.5
While it's unclear when exactly it's coming, either late 2013 or 2014 for Europe and North America, Square Enix RPG Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is coming to the 3DS in the West. That's news that delighted fans of the genre that were also charmed by images and impressions of the title, though we now...
News XSEED Admits That Chances Of It Localising Medabots: Dual Are Slim
"We don’t have anyone here familiar with that series"
Publisher XSEED has admitted that it won't be bringing Medabots: Dual to the west. The news follows Natsume's admission that the previous game in the series, Medabots 7, also won't be making the jump from Japan to North America and Europe. When asked about Medabots: Dual on its
News Nintendo Expects To Sell 5 Million 3DS Consoles In Japan This Year
Global sales to hit 18 million in 2013
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has stated that his company expects to sell 5 million 3DS consoles in Japan this fiscal year, contributing to a global target of 18 million units. Speaking at a Capcom event in Tokyo, Iwata backed up his prediction by explaining that 5.5 million 3DS consoles were sold in Japan...
Video The Monster Hunter 4 Opening Cinematic is a Bit of a Beast
Holy moly...
Monster Hunter 4 arrives in Japan on 14th September, which is just over two weeks from now. There are franchise fans in PAL regions and North America that would, we suspect, offer up all-manner of sacrifices for the same deal. As it is, there's been no word on localisation, with Capcom's most recent statements declaring that the title...
News Jam With the Band 3DS Title in Development By Intelligent Systems
Its most recent 3DS game was Fire Emblem: Awakening, just sayin'
Some European DS owners may be fans of Jam With the Band, a colourful music game published by Nintendo that incorporates performing and composing in some rather fun ways; it was never released in North America, unfortunately. Nintendo has now uploaded a teaser site for a new title in...
News Level-5 Announces Wonder Flick, A New RPG Coming To The Wii U In Japan Next Year
Flick 'em up
During Level-5's Vision event today in Japan, the company behind the popular Professor Layton series announced it has a new game in development: Wonder Flick. The title will be a touch-centred RPG and is set for release on the Wii U in Japan in 2014. It will also release on other platforms such as PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3,...
News Team Ninja Still Keen To Continue Wii U Support, But Not With Ports
"I think there are games that would be good for Wii U"
Team Ninja head Yosuke Hayashi has stated that his company is still interested in developing for the Wii U, but it wants to focus on original content — and not ports like Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. Speaking To Joystiq, Hayashi said: Of course, I think there are games that would be good...
News Club Nintendo Japan Gets A Trio of Awesome T-Shirts
Pikmin 3, Wonderful 101 and Wind Waker threads now available
Club Nintendo in North America and Europe has had a few neat little additions in recent weeks, with the Pikmin tote bag and keyrings, but Club Nintendo Japan may have just topped them all with the inclusion of three T-shirts based on some of the latest Wii
News SEGA Genesis Shooter, Steel Empire, to Get the 3DS eShop Remake Treatment
Steampunk shooting
We may have reported this week that the publisher of Kokuga sees "difficult crossroads" for the shoot-em-'up genre in Japan, but that hasn't deterred others from flying into the market. One upcoming release is promising to bring back a side-scrolling shooter from the 16-bit era, as Japanese developers Starfish are preparing Steel...
News Kokuga Publisher Believes The Shoot-em-‘up Genre Faces a "Very Difficult Crossroads" in Japan
"You are not able to make a living on just making shooters"
Kokuga's arrival on the 3DS eShop this Summer was certainly welcomed by shoot-em-‘up fans, especially as Hiroshi Iuchi's name was on the project. As was made clear to us in our interview with G.rev CEO Hiroyuki Maruyama, however, the market for these titles is smaller than it perhaps was...
News Disney Magic Castle Prospers in Japan, Wii U Sales Return to Five Figures
Obon Festival boosts retail results
The latest Japanese sales figures are in, and despite the lack of any major releases the results have brought welcome boosts in software and hardware. This increase in sales is being widely attributed to the Obon Festival (known natively as "Hachigatsu Bon") in Japan, a public holiday that often improves retail...
News The Wonderful 101 Reportedly Shipping Just 30,000 Copies for Japanese Launch
Can our heroes gather up higher numbers?
It looks like The Wonderful 101 will be seeing an underpowered start in Japan with a limited number of copies available at launch. Siliconera is citing Japanese retail blog Sinobi, which is stating that PlatinumGames’ colourful action title will apparently ship only 30,000 copies for its 24th August...
News Game Freak Devs Explain the Origins of Soliti Horse
Just horsing around
When Game Freak teased a new game that featured a franchise popular worldwide, it's safe to say that no-one really thought "that looks like a horse silhouette, so it'll be a horse racing and Solitaire mashup". Yet that's what it is and, perhaps oddly, Soliti Horse looks like a lot of fun. Already released in Japan, its odds for...
News Yakuza 1 & 2 HD Reportedly Sells Less Than 2000 Copies in Debut Week
Oh dear
Earlier this year, as part of a 'SEGA Direct' segment broadcast in Japan, Satoru Iwata and Toshihiro Nagoshi introduced Yakuza 1 & 2 HD, a bundled re-release of the two PlayStation 2 games. A potential problem for this title was that it was already released in the region on PS3 in November 2012, with the very real possibility that most fans...
News New Footage For Medabots: DUAL Blasts into View
Still no news on a Western release
Natsume's Medabots series has quite the following around the world but the games rarely make it outside of Japan, which is a shame. Earlier this year, Medabots: DUAL was announced for 3DS and this adaptation will feature online play and team battles. The developer Rocket Company has now released some in-game...
News Disney Magic Castle Stays On Top in Japan, As the 3DS Rules the Land
Wii U hardware sales narrowly dip into four figures
It's Wednesday, which mean its Japanese charts day, unless it's Nintendo Direct day as it was last week. The news of what's hot in the Japanese game industry has one reliable truth every week; the 3DS continues to out-sell the rest. The software results see 3DS title Disney Magic Castle: My Happy...
News Two More Inazuma Eleven GO Titles Confirmed for Japan
Out of this world
European gamers have become used to slow and steady localisations of Level-5's Inazuma Eleven games, with the lengthy process meaning the region is well behind Japan; football / soccer fans in North America have unfortunately been entirely left out of the franchise. It seems a pity, especially as the main entries are typically...
News 3D Streets Of Rage Will Come With One Hit Deathblow Mode
Bare Knuckle becomes Fist of the North Star?
Sega's 3D Classics range — which has so far only seen the light of day in Japan but is due to hit the west soon — is a selection of the company's past titles adapted for the 3DS console's auto-stereoscopic display. In the games released so far, Sega has made other enhancements — such as extra game...
Video This Monster Hunter 4 Trailer May Be The Best Yet
It must come to the West, right?
Monster Hunter 4 is certainly on some wishlists among the Nintendo Life staff, and we're sure the same applies for a number of 3DS gamers. It arrives in Japan on 14th September, so envious glances are becoming increasingly frequent as we wait for news of potential localisations to North America and PAL regions...
News Iwata: Getting The Attention Of Gamers Is Harder Than Ever
"The ability to pay attention is limited"
Gamers have more distractions than ever before — not only are there three main console makers, but players are also tempted with smartphone, tablet and web-based games, meaning that the amount of time they have to devote to any single title is reduced. Compare this to two decades ago, and most gamers would...
News Platinum: Nintendo's Focus On Perfection Can Be "Unnerving", But They Give "Great Advice"
Director Yusuke Hashimoto and producer Atsushi Inaba talk Bayonetta 2
Bayonetta 2 is currently in development at Platinum Games and is shaping up to be one of the Wii U's most important titles. Gamasutra has been speaking to director Yusuke Hashimoto and producer Atsushi Inaba about the game's path to release, its finely-balanced combat mechanics...
Weirdness These Gaist Crusher 3DS Add-Ons Aren't Particularly Stylish
Lumps of plastic to bolt onto the 3DS? Check...
Not so long ago we brought you the news that Treasure — best known for brilliant titles such as Sin & Punishment: Star Successor and Gunstar Heroes — is working with Capcom on Gaist Crusher for the 3DS. It's a title that'll aim to combine the in-game action with a broader branding effort,...
News Monster Hunter Frontier Online Coming to Wii U in Japan
Based on the trailer, it looks like a lot of fun
It may be an oddity in the series, but for game-starved Monster Hunter fans in the West, the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) Monster Hunter Frontier Online has likely been a source of interest and envy. Considering that so much of the fun in Monster Hunter Tri and Monster...
News Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies Storms to the Top of the Japanese Charts
No objections here
It's Japanese charts time, and there's happy news for Capcom and its release of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, as it surpassed a quarter of a million sales in its debut week. The Wii U news is less positive, with momentum sliding further for the system and Pikmin 3. The software top 20 is dominated by Capcom's...
News Dragon Quest Monsters 2 Remake Coming to 3DS in Japan
Alas, unlikely to come to the West
Earlier in the year a trademark emerged suggesting a Dragon Quest Monsters 2 remake, which seemed likely to be for the 3DS following the success in Japan of Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D. Square Enix has now made it official, unveiling Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Iru and Luca’s Wonderful Mysterious...
News Nintendo Feels That Working On Smartphones And Tablets Would "Decrease Brand Value"
"You can’t get a true feel for Mario on smartphone or tablet"
Once upon a time — year ending March 31, 2009, to be precise — Nintendo managed to post a profit of 555.2 billion yen. Those days feel like a lifetime away now, what with the Wii passing into memory and its successor — the Wii U — struggling to sell in meaningful quantities...
Video The Pokémon Tretta Lab Add-On Makes the Circle Pad Pro XL Look Streamlined
You can't get this monster in your pocket
A little while ago we told you about Pokémon Tretta Lab coming to the 3DS in Japan, an app accompanied by fairly bulky hardware to bring an arcade experience home. It arrives in the region on 10th August, with the app being free but the hardware costing 3,800 yen (approx. £25 / €30 / $38). This provides...
News Nintendo Blames 2011 Tohoku Earthquake For Sluggish Wii U Performance
Natural disaster?
The Wii U's struggles are well documented, and Nintendo has even admitted that a lack of software and poor communication have harmed the system's chances of early success. However, another reason has recently come to light following an interview with Japanese magazine SAPIO. According to Nintendo, the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake is...
News Monster Hunter 4's Insect Staff Weapon Attributes Detailed
Buffs and evolving bugs to feature
Monster Hunter 4 is now less than two months away from release in Japan, with Capcom unsurprisingly ramping up the hype generator for the occasion. Its latest burst of fresh information, as translated from the official website by Siliconera, is focused on one of the two new weapons — the Insect Staff. While the...
News Wii U Finally Hits One Million Sales in Japan
It's a marathon, not a sprint
The Wii U has had a tough opening eight months on the market, which doesn't rule out the system's prospects but, nevertheless, has been a source of disappointment for Nintendo as it's missed various sales targets. While it may not be moving the number of units that the company would hope, it's nevertheless reached a...
News Mario & Luigi Has a Dreamy Japanese Chart Debut, Wii U Hardware Sales Drop by a Third
3DS hardware SKUs occupy both top spots
It's Media Create Sales time in Japan, which is our weekly insight into the best-selling software and hardware in Nintendo's homeland. Once again the 3DS rules the roost, even if last week's pleasing jump in Wii U hardware sales has dropped away in Pikmin 3's first full week in the market. In terms of...
News Nintendo Tops Japanese Software Sales in First Half of the Year
Not a surprise, really
With data for the first half the year now long-since collated, we've gradually been given more information on Nintendo's positives and negatives so far in 2013. One major positive has been the Japanese market, where the 3DS has reigned supreme and a number of software releases have set up residence in the country's top 20...
Video Flipnote Studio 3D Nintendo Direct Sketched Out in Japan
Plenty of in-app footage inside
Fipnote Studio 3D is due to arrive on the 3DS eShop next week in Europe — on 1st August — and early August in North America; it arrives in Japan today. To celebrate the occasion Nintendo has released a new Nintendo Direct video to show off the app and explain its various features. While the video is in Japanese,...
