Gaming in Japan. Reviews, Walkthroughs, News

The first installment in the iconic Konami rhythm game series, Dance Dance Revolution, is making a comeback in the form of a mini emulator console that just went on sale. The release of this tiny arcade cabinet replica is coming just in time for fans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of the best-selling Konami franchises.

Street Fighter 6’s final Year 1 DLC character, Akuma, is one that fans have been looking forward to for some time. The fan-favourite series veteran is set to close out the game’s first wave of DLC fighters sometime this spring, and Capcom has now announced a specific release date for his arrival.

Japanese publishing giant Capcom has increased its financial outlook for the financial year ending March 31st, 2024.

Guilty Gear: Strive downloadable content character Slayer will launch on May 30 for $6.99 / 880 yen or as part of Season Pass 3 for $24.99 / 2,750 yen, Arc System Works announced. He is the final additional character for Season 3.

Tekken 8 downloadable content character Lidia Sobieska will launch this summer as part of the game’s Season 1, Bandai Namco announced.

If it weren’t enough to see Bandai Namco announce free updates and new story content for Tekken 8 this year, it also outlined its roadmap for Season 1 DLC fighters. After Eddy Gordo, the next DLC character is one that should be familiar to Tekken 7 fans – Lidia Sobieska. Check out some teases of her power below.

Nintendo is said to have pushed the launch of its next-generation console, with reports from earlier this year claiming that the successor to the Nintendo Switch would be released in early 2025. Little is known about the Nintendo Switch 2, but the console will likely retain the hybrid design of its predecessor and is expected to come with a larger screen. Now, new details about Nintendo's upcoming console have reportedly surfaced.

During EVO Japan 2024, Bandai Namco released a new trailer showcasing upcoming updates for Tekken 8. A new balance patch will be available this Spring, but fans can expect several free post-launch updates. Check out the trailer below.

Bandai Namco has a lot in store for Tekken 8 fans this year, starting with a new balance patch this Spring. While a new stage and Photo Mode will go live this Summer, perhaps the most intriguing announcement is a new Main Story chapter launching this Autumn for free. Check out some teases from it in the Season 1 trailer.

SNK has released a new trailer forFatal: Fury: City of the Wolves, announcing the addition of Marco Rodrigues to the roster (voiced by Earl Baylon in English and Kenichirou Matsuda in Japanese). As a practitioner of Kyokugen Karate, he made his debut in Garou: Mark of the Wolves, so a return only makes sense. Check out some of his moves below.

Stellar Blade has launched to huge acclaim this weekend, but not every fan is delighted with Shift Up’s PS5 debut. Eagle-eyed players spotted some changes to a couple of costumes in the final product, prompting accusations of censorship from publisher Sony. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time the Japanese giant has requested changes in PlayStation games, as more titillating cutscenes in titles like Devil May Cry 5 were inexplicably edited on PS4 in the past. This decision was later reversed.

Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP, an upcoming remaster of the hack-and-slash Xbox 360/PS3 title from famed game designer Suda51, might finally receive a proper reveal in the near future, according to a recent tease from the developers behind the project. The long-awaited re-release of the cult classic action game will hopefully shine a new light on this overlooked title and lead to more remasters of other hidden gems from Suda51 in the future.

Early footage of Bushiroad Games and Eighting's upcoming Hunter X Hunter: Nen X Impact has shown off its character select screen, suggesting that the game will have a rather small roster of 16 characters. Hunter X Hunter: Nen X Impact was first revealed at the start of 2024, with many fans excited about seeing a licensed 2D fighting game based on the long-running manga. The reveal trailer confirmed that a mix of fan favorite heroes and villains would be playable in the upcoming game, along with the game being a tag team fighter like some of Eighting's past works.

SNK confirmed that Marco Rodrigues is making a grand return to the roster of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves after his last playable appearance nearly 25 years ago. Fatal Fury's comeback was welcomed, as the series hasn't had a new entry in over two decades. This Fatal Fury revival was first announced at EVO 2022, which later got a teaser trailer at the 2023 EVO tournament. SNK then fully revealed the game as Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, along with some members of its roster and a release window of 2025. With the series having been out of the spotlight for nearly 25 years, some fighters from the game's roster will be coming back, like Marco Rodrigues.

Cards for the have been printed in both English and Japanese since 1998, but not all cards are created equal. The card flipping market has always existed to some extent. But it's taken off in recent years, catapulting some of the rarest cards to astronomical prices. As a result, many collectors have looked into buying Japanese cards, which, much like their English counterparts, can become precious collectibles in their own right.

Iman Vellani is the kind of movie star whose enthusiasm, humor, and openness radiates off the screen and feels positively incandescent in person. The 21-year-old actress, best known for her role as Kamala Khan in 2022’s Ms. Marvel and 2023’s The Marvels,is unabashedly open in sharing her love of all things MCU-related, from playfully debating the finer points of canonical continuity with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige to co-writing a Ms. Marvellimited series with Sabir Pirzada.

Party action game Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash will launch for PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam on August 30, publisher Cygames and developer Arc System Works announced.

Shōgun, the limited TV series based on the historical-fiction novel by James Clavell, quickly asserted itself as one of this year’s best new series, thanks to a captivating cast of characters and a stirring performance by lead Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Toranaga.

Hearken to this, my fellow retro gaming sickos: Nintendo is finally catering to our very unusual tastes with the latest updates to the Nintendo Switch Online retro game library. This time, we've gotten a pair of N64 games that I'd wager you've either never heard of or entirely forgotten up until this moment.

Marco Rodrigues will be a playable character in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, SNK announced.

A Pokemon Emerald player and artist stated that they are painting the entire map of the Hoenn Region, and shared five paintings they have created so far on social media. The Pokemon fan artist stated that they were halfway done with turning the Hoenn region into paintings, and other fans complimented them for their ongoing effort and for depicting Pokemon Emerald in their art.

Bushiroad Game and Eighting have released a brand-new trailer for Hunter X Hunter: Nen X Impact, confirming two more playable characters for its roster: Machi Komacine and Uvogin. This licensed fighting game was first announced last December, with a reveal trailer for Nen X Impact released at the start of 2024. The reveal trailer gave a brief look at the game's roster, confirming six playable characters off the bat, along with a sleek anime art style.

MAGES. has announced The Quintessential Quintuplets: Gotopazu Story 2nd for PlayStation 4 and Switch. It will launch in 2024 in Japan.

Some of the biggest names in the manga industry are working together on revamping a huge project for one of the best-known manga publishing companies, Shueisha. It is not a typical kind of manga story, though, but something altogether different. This special anthology doesn't tell an original story but is meant to be educational, as it turns historical figures and events into a manga to help people learn about history.

Nintendo has revealed a new line of merchandise based on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The new Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom items, which include apparel, accessories and novelties, are available in Japan via Nintendo's online store, as well as stocked physically in Nintendo's superstores in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto.

PlayStation 5 owners who are looking for the next game to play or are searching for titles to add to their collection should check out the offers in Best Buy’s PS5 game sale. With games that span across all genres and prices that start at $10, you wouldn’t want to miss the bargains here, and we’ve picked out our favorites to help you make a quick decision on what to buy. Feel free to browse through the dozens of PS5 games that are available in the sale, but you’ll still have to act fast because there’s no telling until when these discounts will stay online.

Publisher Bushiroad Games and developer Eighting have launched the official website for Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact, revealing details on playable characters Gon, Killua, Leorio, Kurapika, Hisoka, and Netereo, as well as the battle system. New screenshots and character trailers for Gon, Killua, and Hisoka were also released.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door's Switch remake has kept in the beloved Fire Emblem Toad, despite previous trailers suggesting he had been removed.

GameStop has revealed an exclusive retro gaming-themed bonus for fans who wish to pre-order the upcoming Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door through its storefront: a free slip case based on the GameCube version. The upcoming release of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on Nintendo Switch is one of Nintendo's most highly anticipated releases. It is a long-awaited remake of one of the series' most beloved games, bringing the game from the GameCube to the Switch, adding a number of quality-of-life tweaks and remastered graphics.

Shinji Mikami, the esteemed director of iconic games like Resident Evil (1996) and The Evil Within, has finally opened up regarding his decision to leave Tango Gameworks, the company he founded. Given Tango Gameworks' recent rise to fame with the release of the critically-acclaimed game Hi-Fi Rush, Mikami's sudden departure from the studio was seen as surprising by many, but fans now have a proper explanation from the famed developer himself.

The Nintendo Switch 2 could still hit the market in 2024, according to a newly emerged report. The notion of this possibility even existing appears to run contrary to a number of recent reports on the next-generation Nintendo console.

A collection of five Phoenix Wright games - including some of the greatest visual novels of all time, in my opinion - is about to be discontinued on Steam, making it slightly less convenient to pick up the original Ace Attorney trilogy and its recent prequel games. That’s the bad news. The good news is you’ve got a month’s notice - and it’s on sale for the next week or so.

The Switch versions of Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1, Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation, and Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3: V Generation will launch digitally in North America and Europe on May 21, publisher Idea Factory International announced.

Veteran video game developer Shinji Mikami has opened up about his departure from Tango Gameworks in a new interview.

Total shipments and digital sales for the PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC (Steam) versions of Witch on the Holy Night have surpassed 200,000 units, publisher Aniplex and developer TYPE-MOON <a class=«link-external» href=«https://twitter.com/mahoyo_game/status/1783805123866857688?ref_src=» https: rel=«noopener» target="_blank">announced

The version 2.2 update for Honkai: Star Rail, dubbed “Then Wake to Weep,” will launch on May 8, developer miHoYo announced.

Roguelite deduction adventure game The Detective Reaper Invites will launch for PC via Steam on May 25 for $9.99, publisher PLAYISM and developer Shizu Kano Umi announced. It will support English, Japanese, Traditional and Simplified Chinese language options.

Shadow of the Ninja Reborn will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam on August 29, publisher Natsume Atari and developer Tengo Project announced. It will support English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese language options.

Publisher FuRyu and developer Nastume Atari have released the second official trailer for dark action RPG REYNATIS.

The frame rate for the upcoming Nintendo Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is 30 FPS. This modern rendition of Intelligent Systems' beloved 2004 RPG is set to be released on May 23.

An artist has drawn Demon Slayer main protagonist Tanjiro Kamado teaming up with several iconic characters from Game Freak's beloved Pokemon franchise. The two Japanese media properties are often seen together in fan art.

A talented Pokemon fan has created Ghost-type versions of Magikarp and Gyarados. The two monsters have received all sorts of makeovers from artists.

The latest free GT7 update introduces the Gran Turismo-exclusive ŠKODA Vision Gran Turismo all-electric car alongside two other vehicles, new World Circuit events, and more.

Nintendo has still yet to unveil the successor to the Switch, but the Japanese company’s next-gen console continues to be the subject of rumours and leaks. A new report published by Spanish outlet Vandal has now also allegedly revealed new details on the upcoming console.

Previews for the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake seemingly confirm that Vivian will be canonically trans in the English release, something that was controversially removed from the original game.

Stellar Blade is out today, and fans can finally play the full game to see what all the fuss is about. If you didn't get a chance to try the demo or just wanted to go in fresh, it is worth knowing that the half-second input delay when parrying or dodging is a feature, not a bug, as the game's director recently explained.

There's still a chance for the Nintendo Switch 2 to launch this year. Exactly two months ago, the Japanese publication Nikkei wrote that March 2025 was the most likely release window for the new console as it allowed Nintendo to produce enough consoles to sell to consumers.

Resident Evil 9, the next entry in the CAPCOM survival horror series rumored to sport open-world features, has apparently been delayed internally and may skip its 2025 release window.

Publisher PROTOYPE and developer Key have announced planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet & Snow Globe for Switch. It will launch on June 27 with English, Japanese, French, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese language support.

Cross-play is now available for “boss rush” cooperative online action game TrinityS across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam, publisher Phoenixx and developer Indie-us Games announced.

Inti Creates has announced Inti Creates Gold Archive Collection for Switch. It includes Mighty Gunvolt, Mighty Gunvolt Burst, and PuzzMiX on one physical cartridge. It will launch on August 20 in Japan for 3,278 yen.

Publisher Bushiroad Games and developer Eighting have released the the first official trailer for three-on-three fighting game Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can redeem three free Overwatch 2 skins until June 19. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the most expensive tier of Xbox Game Pass, and Microsoft often adds various benefits for subscribers. These benefits allow subscribers to redeem in-game content across different titles like Overwatch 2 and free trials for several subscription services.

Gran Turismo 7 has been freshly updated to version number 1.46 on PS5 and PS4, with the update adding a new car to the game you won't find anywhere else: the Škoda Vision Gran Turismo. Designed entirely around the Polyphony Digital racer, it's Škoda's first appearance in the franchise and is seen as a «visionary study of a single-seater, all-electric racing concept car».

First announced in 2022, the next-gen version of Fallout 4 is finally here — and it's no coincidence that its release roughly aligns with the arrival of Amazon's Fallout series. The post-apocalyptic property is once again a big deal — almost a decade after Fallout 4's original release — and so we want to know if you're returning to the wasteland this weekend.

Bandai Namco has announced a new action RPG in the form of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Chronicles. Based on a popular fantasy light novel series, the upcoming Bandai Namco title is scheduled to reach PC and consoles in summer 2024.

Daeri Soft’s latest RPG, Crystal Knights, has officially hit Android and iOS globally. It’s a real-time online idle RPG that’s free to play. Daeri Soft is known for other mobile titles like the simulation game, Cat Garden – Food Party Tycoon, and another RPG The Witch’s Knight.

Following its release in Japan in December 2023, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War is now set to launch globally. Userjoy just dropped an announcement that Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War Global will be hitting mobiles on May 29th. And pre-registrations are open now.

From the Green Bay Packers’ Jamaal Williams and the Seattle Seahawks’ John Reid to the New Orleans Saints’ Cameron Jordan and more, the NFL is packed with players who are just as passionate about anime and manga as they are about football.

As we near the end of April, the fighting game scene truly begins to heat up. From April 27 to 29, the best of the best will gather in Tokyo to crown an Evo Japan champion. Then, players will gather for the world’s premier fighting game event, Evo 2024 in Las Vegas. Through the PlayStation Tournaments: Road to Evo program, players can compete at home and join online competitions for a chance to win a trip and showcase their skills at Evo 2024 in Las Vegas.

Nintendo and its fans usually get a long pretty well, with the Paper Mario franchise being an unusual bone of contention. For many years Nintendo has stubbornly attempted to dial down the quirky stories, unique characters, and RPG elements that defined early entries in the series, much to the chagrin of a particular cadre of fans. As perhaps the last true RPG in the series, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has taken on a certain symbolic importance to those spurned fans even though it was never a particularly big hit, selling fewer than 2 million copies on Gamecube.

Japanese anime, manga, and games are popular in Japan, but Western media also has its place in Japanese pop culture. One of the most popular companies in the country is Disney, and Disney characters, movies, and theme parks are beloved by a huge number of people in Japan. Disney spans across ages, genders, and walks of life in modern Japan, with all kinds of different fans.

Cygames has detailed the new content coming in updates 1.2.0 and 1.3.0 of Granblue Fantasy: Relink. In addition to adding two new characters to the robust cast of Granblue Fantasy: Relink, the updates bring improvements to existing characters, bug fixes, and new quest additions.

Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment and developer SHIFT UP have released the launch trailer for Stellar Blade, which is due out for PlayStation 5 on April 26.

Honkai Impact 3rd v7.4, Invitation to the Mad Banquet, serves a banquet of exciting content, new battlesuits, and story revelations.

The allegedly cut ending of Assassin's Creed Mirage, which was set to make the series' already incredibly complicated meta story even more complex, is probably nothing to worry about according to Ubisoft.

Famitsu has published its estimated physical game software data for Japan for the week of April 15, 2024 to April 21, 2024.

Japanese esports organization CAG Osaka has uploaded a 13-minute gameplay video of Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact ahead of its playable debut at EVO Japan 2024 this weekend.

The version 1.2.0 update for Granblue Fantasy: Relink will launch on April 26, followed by the version 1.3.0 update in late May, publisher Cygames and developer Cygames Osaka announced.

Publisher Bandai Namco and developers ZOC and Monkeycraft have announced action RPG That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Chronicles for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC (Steam). It will launch on August 8 worldwide.

Publisher Entergram and developer Asanoha Factory will release the PlayStation 4 and Switch versions of post-apocalyptic boy meets girl visual novel Memento Memoria: The Abandoned Neverland on August 29 in Japan, the companies announced. The PlayStation 4 version will be available physically for 3,278 yen and digitally for 2,970 yen, while the Switch version will be a digital-only release.

Facepunch Studios has announced on Steam that it's removing 20 years' worth of Nintendo-related workshop items for its sandbox game Garry's Mod to comply with the Japanese company's demands. Earlier this year, an X user with the name Brewster T. Koopa posted that a group of trolls was filing false DMCA claims against the game to get Nintendo add-ons removed and to get add-on makers to shut down. The perpetrators allegedly used a fake email to impersonate Nintendo's lawyers to send DMCA takedown notices. Facepunch Studios said in its new announcement, that it believes the demands legitimately came from Nintendo and that it has to respect the company's decision and start taking down items related to its IPs.

As an Assassin's Creed girlie, I enjoyed Assassin's Creed Mirage, a pared down (but still big game, which is really just proof of how bloated AAA games have gotten, but I'll stop because it's not time to take my personal bugbear for a walk) Ass Creed game that was closer to the simplicity of the older games in the stab 'em up stealth-action series. Yesterday creative director Stéphane Boudon and art director Jeal-Luc Sala took to Reddit for an AMA, and in response to a question about plans for Mirage DLC, Boudon said no - but that they have ideas for more stories for Basim.

Assassin's Creed Mirage launched in October last year, offering a pared back, back-to-the basics experience reminiscent of older games in the series. The action-adventure title from Ubisoft took players to 9th-century Baghdad, putting them in the shoes of Basim Ibn Ishaq, a street thief who joins the Hidden Ones and rises through the ranks to become a master assassin. While there's no word on if the franchise will revisit the character again, Assassin's Creed Mirage creative director has said that the team has ideas about where Basim's story could go.

The latest sports game by 2K, NFL 2K Playmakers, is now out on Android. The game lets you build your very own dream teams using card collections of hundreds of NFL superstars. If you have a penchant for sports or card gaming and are ready to hit the virtual gridiron, keep reading!

Compile Heart has released a new trailer, information, and screenshots for “motorcycle action” game Neptunia VS Titan Dogoo, which introduce some of the game’s unique dogoos, “Compulsion Shots,” and customization.

Capcom has raised its full-year earnings forecast after new and older games sold well during the 12 months ended on March 31, 2024.

Almost 20 years after its original release, Mother 3 has still never been officially released outside of Japan. Nintendo has never offered up a concrete explanation as to why that is, and for some reason, it continues to taunt those of us who would give them vast amounts of money for an official US release. Mother 3 was recently added to Nintendo Switch Online, but only on Japan, and the plushes revealed to mark the occasion are now available to pre-order.