Tag: Japan
Feature The Mysterious Absence Of A Famicom Gem On Switch
Castle's in the air
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 Link who decades on remains at the vaunted heights of gaming’s all-time greats, the protagonist of this bygone classic never even got a...
Review Batsugun Saturn Tribute Boosted - 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,...
Japanese Charts Etrian Odyssey Origins Sees Strong Debut, But Nothing Troubles Zelda: TOTK
The winner by Far(on)
We have got our first look at this week's Japanese charts from Famitsu (via Gematsu) and despite a number of strong debuts, nothing was able to kick The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom from its top spot, selling another 78,602 copies this time. Putting Zelda aside, however, we are left with a chart list that is full of...
Japanese Charts Nintendo Cleans Up As Zelda Continues To Dominate
Raking in the Ninten-dough
The latest Japanese charts are in and, to the surprise of absolutely no one, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has once again topped the pile with a further 148,482 sales, bringing its current total up to 1,515,673. This puts the game comfortably ahead of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which managed 8,373 sales to land it...
News Sonic Co-Creator Yuji Naka Could Face Over Two Years In Prison
Veteran developer admitted to insider trading
Former Sega and Square Enix developer Yuji Naka could face a prison term of two years and six months in relation to the insider trading trial held in Tokyo, Japan, as reported by denfaminicogamer (thanks, Time Extension). In addition, Naka may be fined 2.5 million JPY along with a surcharge
News Dillon's Rolling Western & Kirby Developer Vanpool Shuts Down
"We have decided to disband"
In some surprising news, it's been discovered Vanpool, the independent Tokyo-based development team behind the Dillon's Rolling Western series, has shut down. As of 31st May 2023, the studio is no longer in operation. It shared an official statement on its website confirming this. Here's part of a translation:...
Random Japanese Zelda Fans Steal Copies Of TOTK By Working As Delivery Assistants
The true villains of Hyrule
In the run up to the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, hype amongst fans had understandably reached fever pitch. Now, while most of us were quite content to replay Breath of the Wild again or simply sit in the corner of a room and rock back and forth for hours on end, two individuals in Japan were...
News Creatures Inc. Undertakes A Significant Change In Leadership
Update: Hirokazu Tanaka to remain as 'Creative Fellow'
Update [Tue 30th May, 2023 12:00 BST]: Creatures Inc. has confirmed on its official website that Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka has retired from his previous position as President and will continue to work with the company in the future as a Creative Fellow. It has also confirmed that Tsunekazu Ishihara...
News Charity Pokémon Concert To Be Held In Japan With Global Livestream
All proceeds going to Pokémon With You organisation
Do you love Pokémon music as much as us? Yeah? Well good, because a special Pokémon-themed concert will be held in Japan on August 10th, 2023 by the NHK Symphony Special Orchestra (thanks, Serebii). Taking place at the Pacifico in Yokohama, Japan, tickets will be priced at 3,000 JPY with all...
Japanese Charts Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom's Strong Sales Continue Into Week Two
Fuse for thought
This week's Japanese charts are now in from Famitsu (via Gematsu), and it has been yet another stellar week for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — what a surprise! Despite not having quite as many sales as it did on its debut, Link's latest still managed to shift a nonetheless impressive 247,689 copies this time around...
News Nintendo Japan To End Repairs For Wii U When Current Parts Inventory Runs Out
Get booked in soon
Nintendo's Japanese support service has announced that it will be ending repair support for the Wii U. When exactly? Well, that really depends on when its current parts inventory runs out. The announcement was made on the Japanese Nintendo Support Page, confirming that the period of holding repair parts for the Wii U has now...
Feature Nintendo's Satellaview Blazed A Trail For Today's Season-Based, Ephemeral Games
Total BS-X
The most considerable game industry development in the last decade has been the rise of live-service games. When MMOs first launched, the idea of an always-online game was considered a novelty, but today most AAA studios are making live-service titles, and most non-live-service games from those companies have online features. The modern...
Japanese Charts Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Dominates, Surprising No One
Tears of joy
The latest Japanese charts are in, and to no one's surprise, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has come out on top this week. Not only that, but much like the the UK, Breath of the Wild has also benefited from a tasty boost in sales to come in at number three. Elsewhere, the only non-Switch game this week is
News Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Is Japan's 7th Biggest Game Launch Of All Time
ScarVi still holds the crown
After Nintendo announced that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sold an astonishing 10 million copies within its first three days of sale, it was clear that we'd start to see more instances of the game reaching incredible milestones in various global regions. This time it's Japan's turn, and according to Game...
News Hori Unveils Brand New Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Products
Update: Split Pad Pro & Adventure Pack confirmed for the West
Update [Sun 14th May, 2023 01:30 BST]: Hori has now confirmed the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Split Pad Pro and Adventure Pack will launch "this fall" in the Americas, Europe, and Australia. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition Split Pad Pro will set you back $59.99 USD (or...
Feature A Visit To '84 Hashi', Tokyo's Secret Nintendo Staff Bar Now Open To You
Eiji Aonuma? “Drinking buddy.” Shigeru Miyamoto?...
There’s no shortage of fascinating Nintendo-related places to visit in Tokyo. You could explore shops for boxed Famicom games, sit down and eat a Kirby burger, or play Punch-Out!! in its original cabinet at a retro arcade. Yet one attraction was hidden from Nintendo diehards for years. A...
Random Japanese Orchestra Performs Two-Hour Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Concert
With a little TOTK to finish
The Breath of the Wild soundtrack might have been something of a departure for the Zelda series with its grand themes and sweeping scores replaced by something a little more subtle, but there are still some top-notch tunes to be heard in there. Many of us have been listening to the soundtrack on repeat in the run-up to...
News Mario Movie Breaks Multiple Records In Japan's Opening Weekend
The movie has now crossed $1 billion at the global box office
The Mario Movie finally made its debut in Nintendo's homeland last week and it's got off to an incredibly strong start. According to a report by 4Gamer.net (via Nintendo Everything), the movie banked around $13.5 million in its opening weekend and had made around $16 million in total by...
Random Web Series 'Cube-Shaped Pokémon On Cubie Island' Gets Adorable Second Episode
Pi-cube-chu
If you are after a little smile today, then look no further than the adorable second episode of Pokémon's official web series Cube-Shaped Pokémon On Cubie Island. Episode one was released on the company's Japanese YouTube channel just a few weeks ago (you can check it out here) and with each lasting around 90 seconds, you don't have...
Japanese Charts Minecraft Legends Comes Out On Top After A Quiet Week
Cuphead also debuts in top ten
The latest Japanese charts are in from Famitsu (via Gematsu) and this week sees Mojang's latest foray into the world of strategy games taking the top spot as Minecraft Legends pulls in 13,490 sales from its debut (a very low number to be in first place, compared to what we have seen in recent months). Last week's...
News Alear Tops Fire Emblem Engage 'Popularity Poll' In Japan
Who is your favourite character?
Back when Fire Emblem Engage was released on the Switch at the start of the year, the Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream ran a poll, asking fans who their favourite character was in the latest release. Now, after two months, the final rankings are in! Thanks to a translation (via Serenes Forest), we've got the "top...
Round Up Every Game Announcement Exclusive To Japan's Indie World Showcase (April 2023)
See what the West missed out on
Nintendo held a surprise Indie World Showcase this week - sharing all sorts of announcements, but did you know there was also one in Japan? While they're often quite similar, this time around the Japanese one contained a lot of different announcements. If you were wondering what was revealed during Japan's broadcast,...
Random New Pokémon Anime Ad Takes Over Shibuya's Digital Billboards
A big screen event
The newest Pokémon anime series, Pokémon Horizons, has finally kicked off in Japan and The Pokémon Company is ensuring that everyone knows about it. Following the Japanese hour-long series premiere, a special promo was played across multiple digital billboards in Shibuya, showcasing a boatload of clips for the episodes to come...
News Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Switch Download Card Shows Off New Characters
Another official reveal
If you're eager to see more of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it seems we've got another official reveal. Download cards for the game are now appearing at stores in Japan, and they happen to feature some new screenshots. If you squint hard enough, you can see two new characters that haven't been properly...
News Nintendo Uploads Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom 'Main Theme' Song
Have a listen
Marketing for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is well and truly underway, and as part of this, Nintendo has now launched the Switch title's official website in Japan. Perhaps the highlight is the fact you can now listen to the main theme song in full. Many have already extracted the audio file: There are also a handful of...
Rumour The Internet Goes Wild Over Supposed Persona 3 Remake Gameplay
Jet Set Radio also spotted
If one Persona game is positively begging to be remade, then it's probably the 2006 entry Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3. A port of Persona 3 Portable made its way to the Switch earlier this year alongside Persona 4 Golden, but when you compare the third game to the later entries in the franchise, it's undoubtedly starting...
News Nintendo Offering Refunds On Wii U And 3DS eShop Credit In Japan
No plans to offer in the west so far
Nintendo is offering to reimburse players who don't wish to transfer their Wii U and/or 3DS eShop credit to Switch, following their closure at the end of March. This has only been announced for Japan so far. OatmealDome shared and translated the announcement from Nintendo's official Japanese Twitter account, and...
News SNK Announces The King Of Fighters XIII Global Match For Nintendo Switch
"The pinnacle of 2D sprite-based fighting is back"
At EVO Japan 2023 this weekend, SNK announced it would be releasing The King of Fighters XIII Global Match for the Switch. It's released a teaser trailer, which you can view above (warning: flashing lights). This new version will include overhauled rollback netcode and improved online...
News New Trailer Gives Us Our Best Look Yet At The Pokémon Horizons Anime Series
It's definitely more Pokémon
The Pokémon Company has revealed another trailer for its upcoming Pokémon anime, unveiling the project's name for the first time, too: Pokémon Horizons. Sounds neat, right? The new series ditches perpetual 10-year-old Ash Ketchum for newcomers Liko and Roy as they encounter characters like Friede, Captain Pikachu,...
News Project EGG Could Bring MSX, PC-98, And Neo Geo Titles To Switch
From Wii retro specialists D4 Enterprise
D4 Enterprise has revealed that it's bringing games from its online digital storefront, Project EGG (Engrossing Game Gallery), to Switch in the future. The retro games distribution service acts as a place to play officially emulated rereleases of older Japanese PC, arcade, and console games. Announcing the...
News Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon Double Pack Physical Switch Release Announced
Coming to Japan this July
Inti Creates has announced it will be releasing a double pack of the Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon games. It will contain the first game and Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 and is officially titled Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Chronicles. The catch at the moment is that it's only been confirmed for Japan - with...
News A New Pokémon Distribution Event Has Been Announced For Japan
Unlock a special Pikachu
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet has been running Tera Raid Battle events and even some item distributions like no tomorrow, but unfortunately, there's not been quite as many gifts and Pokémon giveaways. If you happen to be located in Japan though, there'll soon be a "special Pikachu" at Pokémon Centers and Pokémon Stores...
Random This New Pokémon Model Lets You Create Your Own Slowpoke Circle
Nibbling away
If you've ever wanted a Slowpoke summoning circle or a Slowpoke crown, well then, we have the toy for you. Bandai has revealed it's releasing a plastic Pokémon model for Slowpoke, and it can latch onto other Slowpoke toys by biting their tails. Shared by PokéJungle on Twitter, the plastic model (from Bandai Spirits via the Bandai...
News Resident Evil's Most Popular Character Revealed In Famitsu Reader Survey
Leon is best
Capcom's survival horror series Resident Evil has been back in the headlines recently due to the upcoming release of Capcom's Resident Evil 4 Remake. In the lead-up to this launch, Japanese publication Famitsu has put out a call - asking readers to nominate their favourite Resident Evil characters of all time. They've now released the...
News Atelier Ryza's First Game Is Getting Its Very Own Anime Adaptation
Arriving in 2023
Ahead of the launch of Atelier Ryza 3 on Switch next week, game developer Gust has announced the first game Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout will be getting its very own anime adaptation. The Japanese animation studio Liden Films (Senyu, Goblin Slayer) will be taking on the responsibility of adapting the 2019...
News Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Wins 'Best RPG' At Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2022
Splatoon and Pokémon also recognised
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has taken out the 'best RPG' category at the Famitsu Dengeki Game Awards 2022. Multiple other first-party Nintendo titles were nominated with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet winning 'best scenario' and 'best character' and Splatoon 3 receiving best action game. Unsurprisingly, The Legend...
News Nintendo Reveals Limited Edition Golden Power-Up Band For Super Nintendo World
Coming to the Japan park later this week
As part of the Super Nintendo World experience, Nintendo has a special Power-Up Band that interacts with everything around the park. There's already a variety of different colours available and soon there'll be a "limited-edition" one joining the line-up at Universal Studios theme park in Japan. Yes, just...
News New Pokémon Anime Stars Are Getting Their Own Manga Series
The Torchic has truly been passed now
Japanese manga magazine CoroCoro Comic has given us the first look at a brand new Pokémon manga which will feature the stars of the new anime season, which kicks off on 14th April in Japan. Shared on Twitter by @MangaMoguraRE, the colour cover depicts the two new Pokémon trailers — Liko and Roy — along...
News Surprise! Fire Emblem Engage's 'Wave 3' Expansion Pass DLC Is Releasing Soon
Update: Here's a first look
Update #2: Nintendo's official Fire Emblem Twitter channel has shared some new footage of the Wave 3 DLC coming to Fire Emblem Engage later this week. Here's a look at Chrom and Robin in action: Update #1: Confirmed for other regions: Original story: Switch got off to a strong start
News Latest Pokémon Anime Trailer Gives A Closer Look At The Series' New Protagonists
Coming to Japan on 14th April
The Pokémon Company has today revealed a new trailer for the upcoming Pokémon animated series (above) which will see the recently-introduced Liko and Roy stepping into the lead role that was formally held by Ash for the past 25 years. As well as reconfirming the series' Japanese release date of 14th April, the latest...
News Yuji Naka Appears To Admit Guilt Over Insider Trading Case
Trial now in session at Tokyo District Court
Yuki Naka, the former head of Sonic Team, is now standing trial at the Tokyo District Court over charges of insider trading after an investigation at Square Enix. The creator had allegedly invested in development companies based on information gained prior to it being made publically available, thus...
News Atlus Cancels "Final" 3DS Game Sale Ahead Of eShop Closure
Sorry, Japan
The 3DS eShop is scheduled to shut down this month, and in response to this, publisher and developer Atlus (known for series like Persona and Shin Megami Tensei) was planning on hosting one "final" sale on the platform in Japan. Instead of going live today, yesterday the company announced it would no longer be happening. It apparently...
News Capcom Ending Resident Evil 7 Cloud Rental Service On Switch
The joys of the cloud
While in most cases you're required to buy a cloud game outright on the Nintendo Switch, over in Japan, there are certain cloud releases that can actually be rented. Resident Evil 7 (known as the Biohazard series in this region) happens to be one of them, but it seems this offer will soon be removed from the local Switch eShop...
News Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Nintendo Ad Teases New Master Sword Details
Link's legendary sword returns
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release is fast approaching and while we won't be publishing any major spoilers or leaks here on Nintendo Life, we are still sharing officially released materials. The latest one comes in the form of a translated Nintendo ad in the latest issue of Japanese publication Famitsu...
Random Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Gummies Will Let You Eat Chuchus
Chuchu-y
What's a better promotional tie-in than sweets, hey? Bandai knows that, and it's releasing some The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom-themed gummies in May in Japan to celebrate the release of the highly anticipated game. But they're not rupee-shaped or even Triforce shaped, oh no. They look just like Chuchu (via Tokyo Game Life on...
News Miyamoto: "Other IPs" Like Splatoon Were Considered For Super Nintendo World
But it was "easier" to focus on Mario
Before Super Nintendo World decided on its Mario theme, there was apparently some discussion within the Japanese video game giant and Universal Studios about "other" Nintendo-themed IP being incorporated into the park. Speaking to Polygon, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto mentioned how Splatoon was one of the series...
Random Japanese Museum Wants To Reunite People With Their Lost Game Cartridges
Family-com reunions
Here's some balm for your soul on this Thursday morning: there's a museum in Japan that aims to reunite people with the Famicom games that they once owned (via Kotaku). Did you ever scribble your name down on an old game cartridge or box, only to sell it later on? You might just find it at the Named Cassette Museum in Tokyo...
News New Splatoon 3 Art Book Makes A Splash In Japan Next Month
Update: Pre-orders are now open
Update [Thu 16th Feb, 2023 09:45 GMT]: Pre-orders for both the artbook and the soundtrack are now live over on PlayAsia. If you're looking to grab one or both of these check out the links below, and read our original story for more info. <products id="22409"> <products id="22410"> Original article...