Gaming in Japan. Reviews, Walkthroughs, News

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.

Falcom has released new information and screenshots for The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki – Farewell O Zemuria introducing characters Van Arkride, Agnes Claudel, and Bergard Zeman, as well as the story, settings, and new battle system elements.

Compile Heart has released the first information and screenshots for roguelike RPG Death end re;Quest Code Z, which is due out for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Switch on September 19 in Japan.

Nintendo has released a five-minute overview trailer for the Switch version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

Fallout fever is sweeping the globe at the moment, as the TV show has convinced everyone to pick up the series again. Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 are benefiting from massive influxes of new and returning players, and it now seems like Magic: The Gathering is also feeling the love too, with the recently released Fallout Universe Beyond decks projected to be the "best performing" Commander set ever released.

Polyphony Digital has just released the 1.46 April update for Gran Turismo 7. The free update is headlined with three new cars, two of which debut all-new manufacturers for Gran Turismo 7, alongside new Café menus, World Circuits events, and more.

Nintendo is known to be highly protective of its IPs, and its latest takedown request has targeted Garry's Mod, forcing the sandbox game to remove 20 years worth of content that contains Nintendo related workshop assets. Fans of the Super Smash Bros. gaming circuit and various sandbox titles are highly familiar with Nintendo shutting down games with DMCA takedowns. With Nintendo now requesting all of its assets to be removed from the Garry's Mod section of the Steam Workshop, fans are lamenting the impending loss of community content.

Death end re;Quest Code Z, formerly known as Death end re;Quest Code:Zion, will launch for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Switch on September 19 in Japan for 8,580 yen, the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu reveals. It will also be available in 10,780 yen and 16,280 yen limited editions.

All the content coming in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone's Season 3 Reloaded update has been revealed in detail, including MW3's new Multiplayer maps and modes along with new Zombies content, Warzone's new killstreak and public event, and Warzone Mobile's Golden Week. The major Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 update arrives on May 1.

Assassin's Creed Hexe, which is currently a code name and is set to launch after the Japan-set Assassin's Creed Red, is the subject of a new report from Insider Gaming, which claims the title is aiming for a release in 2026. You'll apparently be playing as a female protagonist called Elsa, who comes equipped with supernatural abilities. One of which is said to be the ability to control cats, with footage sent to the outlet supposedly depicting a chase sequence where the player distracts guards by taking control of a feline.

Kazuma Kaneko, whose career as a character designer at legendary JRPG studio Atlus has spanned almost four decades, has officially left the company. Kaneko has joined COLOPL, a developer and publisher headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, where he will work on a new IP.

Just yesterday, we brought you word that the upcoming PS5 exclusive, Stellar Blade, would be released in all regions entirely uncensored, including Japan, which developer ShiftUp seemed especially pleased with. An executive at Electronic Arts Japan has called out what they see as a double standard with the Japanese Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO), stating that «I find this hard to accept.»

Sony announced the day one patch for Stellar Blade will remove an unintentional reference to a racist slur. While initial reviews for Stellar Blade lauded Shift Up's action-adventure game, one particular image taken from a review copy highlighted a likely accidental but problematic graphic in the game.

Both Minecraft Java and Bedrock Editions have received a new update that introduces armadillos, new wolf variations and more.

[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for the end of Shōgun.]

SEGA has released a new trailer, information, and screenshots for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble introducing the game’s new multiplayer battle modes, through which players can race and roll with two players locally or up to 16 players online.

Death end re;Quest CodeZ, formerly known as Death end re;Quest Code:Zion, will launch for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Switch on September 19 in Japan for 8,580 yen, the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu reveals. It will also be available in 10,780 yen and 16,280 yen limited editions.

Neowiz, the publishers of Brown Dust 2, have decided to tweak the age rating for the game in South Korea. When April 25, 2024, hits and maintenance starts, Brown Dust 2 will require players to be 19+ to dive in. Despite this jump in Brown Dust 2 age rating, the rest of the world won’t see this shift.

Rudel Inc. just kicked off the launch of Blue Lock Project: World Champion on Android. It’s a soccer sim game inspired by the popular anime Blue Lock. If you were one of those players who jumped in during the pre-registration phase, get ready for the awesome in-game goodies waiting for you.

The man suspected of being responsible for threats that led to the cancellation of Nintendo events in Japan has been charged.

Metaphor: ReFantazio might not be a Persona game, but developer Atlus is keeping up a trend solidified by its beloved JRPG series by making its user interface absolutely gorgeous, and fans say it's a great example of why UI designers deserve to be paid generously.

Metaphor: ReFantazio won't have any romance options whatsoever, in a stark contrast to past Persona games.

No Rest for the Wicked's director has cited Baldur's Gate 3 and Hades 2 as examples of how early access launches can be fantastic, and said releasing in early access is "one of the best decisions we could've made."

A creative Pokemon fan has come up with two original Mega Evolutions for Darmanitan. Custom designs are common in the beloved Japanese media franchise's community.

Some cool skins in Arknights are heading your way. After the Chinese servers, the ‘City Rider’ skin collection will soon drop for the global server. Yep, these outfits first popped up between November 11th and 19th in 2019 exclusively in China. Keep reading to know more about the Arknights City Rider series outfits.

Assassin’s Creed Codename Red is the series’ next mainline instalment, but we also know what’s next after the Japan-set game. Alongside Red, in 2022, Ubisoft also announced Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe, a game that, as per reports, is set in Central Europe and focuses on the witch trials during the 16th century. Now, new potential details on the title have emerged courtesy of a report published by Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson.

PUBG’s original Erangel map is returning with “nostalgic” graphics and old-school balancing for two weeks only, Krafton has announced.

Atlus game fans are looking forward to Metaphor: ReFantazio, but the game is going to be missing a common mechanic of Persona games that players enjoy: building romances with NPCs. While the mechanic may be missed, it's another indication that Metaphor: ReFantazio and its Shin Megami Tensei and Persona predecessors do differ, despite their similarities.

Sting has announced Dokapon: Sword of Fury for Switch. It is a remastered version of the 1998-released PlayStation title of the same name. It will launch on August 1 in Japan for 4,620 yen.

Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Switch Online has added Extreme-G and Iggy’s Reckin’ Balls to its catalog, Nintendo announced.

Pokemon Sleep and the Hyatt Hotel Corporation have partnered to create a Pokemon Sleep-themed room for fans to stay in. The entire room, in addition to the hotel's menu, have been customized as a way of celebrating the first anniversary of the Pokemon Sleep app.

For some time now, we’ve known Ubisoft has two big Assassin’s Creed projects in the works – the more traditional Japanese ninja and samurai epic Codename Red, and the more experimental Codename Hexe. In development at Ubisoft Montreal, we know Assassin’s Creed Hexe will be a “different type of game” with a dark witchcraft-focused storyline and perhaps a more linear structure, but beyond that, we haven’t heard much about what’s cooking.

Assassin's Creed Hexe's protagonist will possess magical abilities, such as a way to possess cats, and to manage some form of fear system, according to a recent report. Assassin's Creed Hexe has only received a teaser trailer so far, leaving much to the rumor mill and speculation, but it seems to take place during the 16th-century Witch Hunts of the Holy Roman Empire.

has a lot of memorable characters, from the main party members to NPCs on the sidelines. Not every person who appears in the game is necessarily a winner – any charm points that Chadley might have are hard to appreciate when he won’t stop popping up on screen – but it’s hard to call any significant figure bland. The problem of overuse isn’t exclusive to Chadley, however, and even more engaging characters do sometimes wear out their welcome by the time the credits roll.

Stellar Blade's age rating has prompted a senior Electronics Arts official to throw shade at Japan's Computer Entertainment Rating Organization. The regulator recently attached a CERO D classification to Stellar Blade, which some industry watchers found surprising.

The new expansion set for the is almost here, and many beautiful Secret Illustration Rare cards have been revealed. is due to be officially released on May 24, 2024, with 167 cards in the main set plus many more secret cards whose numbers go above the set number. For, many of these include references to the recent video games' DLCs, and .

FX’s Shōgun is the best show of the year by some margin. The impeccably crafted period piece builds out complex and memorable characters and an impressive portrait of Japan at the turn of the 17th century, and every decision — down to the smallest details — reflects the clear artistic intent and spirit of collaboration behind the series.

SNK has released a fighting guide for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves ahead of EVO Japan 2024, outlining all the mechanics players should know. The REV System is the central focus, but there’s also the return of Just Defense and Hyper Defense from Garou: Mark of the Wolves.

The latest 18.0.1 system update for the NintendoSwitch has addressed a known network issue. A previous patch released in late March made tweaks to the handheld's Sleep Mode, and added Korean language support for the introductory video of the console's parental controls.

Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox

There are many reasons to look forward to Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, Atlus’s enhanced version of its acclaimed 2021 RPG. However, one of the biggest wildcards is perhaps Yoko Hiromine. The new character isn’t just essential to the story – she’s also controllable during combat.

With EVO Japan set for April 27th to 29th, SNK has released a new guide for those checking out the Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves demo. The sequel to 1999’s Garou: Mark of the Wolves features several new and returning characters, plus new mechanics like the REV System.

Microsoft launches compact AI model for content creation; Adobe to launch full AI image generation in photoshop; India leads global GenAI adoption, investment surge expected: Report; Scientists develop 'Toxic AI' to train safe chatbots- this and more in our daily roundup. Let us take a look.

Veteran Atlus artist and character designer Kazuma Kaneko has left the Japanese company. Kaneko departed in 2023, ending a tenure that lasted 35 years, joining Tokyo-based publisher and developer COLOPL. He revealed the same in an official interview recently published by his new employer.

’s box office numbers continue to stay strong past its fourth weekend, allowing it to become the third biggest MonsterVerse movie to date.

The next project from the Final Fantasy XVI developer, Square Enix's CBU 3, will likely be more lighthearted, as Yoshi-P seems to be done with dark fantasy for the time being.

Reviews are in for the latest upcoming day-one Xbox Game Pass game, and they're largely positive. It looks like JRPG fans that are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass will be in for a treat when the newest addition to the catalog gets added on April 23. Microsoft has been on a bit of a roll recently when it comes to supplying subscribers with a steady stream of quality games, and this only continues that trend.

An executive of Electronic Arts Japan has criticised the Japanese video game ratings board for allowing upcoming action game Stellar Blade to be released uncensored while EA's own Dead Space was banned in the country.

A Destiny 2 player, with the use of the game's cosmetic system, was able to transform their Hunter into Slave Knight Gael from Dark Souls 3. Fashion is an important element of the popular shooter, and it has even led to the creation of a dedicated sub-community.

Stellar Blade for PlayStation 5; SAND LAND for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, and PC; Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC; and SaGa Emerald Beyond for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, iOS, and Android are the highlights of this week’s Japanese video game releases.

Ugh, I do not have the energy to feed the Maw this week. Sometimes the creature manifests as a proper monstrosity, with B-movie prosthetics and sound effects, and sometimes, it's more of an... unfathomable annoyance, like a nose that won't stop running, or a single player game that requires an internet connection. In either case, the Maw must be sated, and fortunately, there are quite a few appetising video-or-computer games out in the next seven days, with at least one behemoth landing on Friday.

Metaphor: ReFantazio, the new RPG by the team behind Persona 5 among other RPGs, officially has a release date. In a special showcase streamed Monday, Atlus revealed that Metaphor will be out October 11, putting it squarely in the holidays.

Metaphor: ReFantazio will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store on October 11, publisher ATLUS and developer Studio Zero announced.

Compile Heart will reveal a new title in its “Galapagos RPG Evolve” brand on April 24 at 7:30 p.m. PT / 10:30 p.m. ET, the developer teased.

A recent job listing on Santa Monica Studio's website hints at a new God of War game in development. The God of War series capped off the Norse saga with 2022'sRagnarok, which was followed up with 2023's free-to-play Valhalla DLC, both of which set up plot lines for future games.

The long-awaited streaming release date has finally been revealed—though U.S. viewers will be left waiting a little while longer. Toho’s acclaimed Academy Award-winning Kaiju movie is finally making its way to smaller screens via a subscription model, and Amazon Prime Video subscribers in Japan will be able to stream the film very soon.

The Clash game mode is just one of the new features to come to Overwatch 2 with Season 10, though the arrival of the Hanaoka map for this mode coincides with the temporary removal of the classic map Hanamura due to an issue that wrecked the level's geometry and made it completely unplayable. Although Hanamura doesn't appear in regular Quick Play or Competitive playlists, along with all other Overwatch 2 maps that are part of the old Assault game mode, these levels have nonetheless existed in the game since launch and are accessible via either the Arcade game mode or through custom games.

Single-player life simulation game Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game will launch digitally for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC via Steam this fall, publisher Private Division and developer Weta Workshop announced. It will support English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Turkish, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese language options.

Stellar Blade will receive an "uncensored" release in all regions, according to developer Shift Up. This was just announced in a tweet and specifically mentions that this includes the Japanese release, meaning that all of the content in-game will be the same regardless of where you buy it from

Aniplex has just spilled the beans on a new Madoka Magica game, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra. Yep, you heard it right, they’re bringing the magic of Madoka Magica once again as a game. Are you a fan of the anime like me? Then, keep reading!

Wizards of the Coast has announced that a very special collaboration will be taking place later this year, as it has been revealed that to celebrate the recently released Outlaws of Thunder Junction set, Magic: The Gathering will be crossing over with the popular anime series Cowboy Bebop. There are five cards in total in this collaboration, each one an alt version of an existing card, but with new art based on the anime's intro sequence.

Ratalaika Games, in partnership with Masaya Games and Shinyuden, will release classic action platformer sequel Cyber Citizen Shockman 3: The Princess from Another World for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch on May 3. Wishlisting is now available via PlayStation Store.

The general manager of EA Japan has criticised the Japanese ratings board for what he believes are discrepancies in the way Dead Space and Stellar Blade have been rated.

Stellar Blade will be uncensored in all regions, it’s been announced.

If you were concerned that the PS5-exclusive Stellar Blade, out 26th April on PS5, might run afoul of Sony's censors, fear not. Developer ShiftUp is advertising that the game will remain entirely uncensored in all regions, including Japan.

The highly awaited of is all set to air at a different time than its usual release time on. The change has occurred as tvN will broadcast the Korea Republic vs Japan match in the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024, which will take place on Monday, April 22, 2024, at 10 p.m. KST.

Hatsune Miku: The Planet of Wonder and Fragments of Wishes is now available for Xbox One and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store for $27.99, developer Crypton Future Media announced.

Publisher Aniplex and developers Pokelabo and f4samurai have announced Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra for iOS and Android. It will launch in 2024 in Japan.

Microsoft has announced that its ID@Xbox Digital Showcase will return next week on April 29. The showcase is a dedicated platform for highlighting upcoming indie games heading to Xbox consoles and PC, promising a smattering of new announcements as well as updates for existing ones.

In a recent revelation at the Black Hat Asia conference, security researchers unveiled a cunning cybercrime scheme exploiting Apple Store Online's 'Someone else will pick it up' feature. This exploit has reportedly netted criminals over $400,000 in just two years.

Since its release in January, Bandai Namco’s has been a monumentally successful addition to the long-running fighting game franchise. In just its first month of sale, the game managed to sell over 2 million units worldwide. Some critics have even declared as being one of the best fighting games of all time. For 30 years, has stood as a pillar in the fighting game space, along with other well-renowned series', such as and.