Tag: Japan - Page 14
News Japanese Sales Charts: New Vita Titles Fail to Drive Hardware
Demon malaise
In the past, it’s been pretty easy to attribute the PlayStation Vita’s commercial woes in Japan to the platform's worrying lack of software. After all, whenever a new title has arrived, the system’s sales have almost always spiked. Worryingly, that wasn’t the case this week. Despite netting two major new releases in dungeon...
News Resident Evil: Revelations' Collector's Edition Tells the Time
Also breaks the bank
If you’re in need of a suitable timepiece to accompany your overpriced Leon S. Kennedy themed jacket, then look no further than Resident Evil: Revelations’ Japanese collector’s edition. The premium bundle includes a US Agency watch sporting the BSAA logo. It’s based on the same design worn by protagoni
News Japan's Most Desired Console Is the PlayStation Vita
Moral victory
The system may be locked in a constant conflict with the bottom half of the Japanese hardware charts, but it turns out that local consumers want to love the PlayStation Vita after all. A recent Famitsu magazine survey discovered that more than 64 per cent of readers are eager to snap up the struggling hardware, a sample greater than...
News New PS3 Super Slim Colours Strut Their Stuff in Japan
And maybe overseas, too
A couple of custom PlayStation 3 Super Slim colours will hit the console catwalk in Japan next month, platform holder Sony has announced. The newly unveiled 250GB Garnet Red and Azurite Blue systems will launch on 28th February in the land of the rising sun, and will set you back ¥24,980 ($279). Interestingly, the consoles...
News Capcom Arcade Cabinet Turning Back Time in Japan
Acceptable in the 80s
We’ve never quite understood the fascination with using modern hardware to emulate ancient experiences, but it’s big business – and now Capcom is looking to get into the lucrative market. Chatting in the latest issue of Famitsu magazine, the publisher has revealed Capcom Arcade Cabinet, a free application for the...
News The Box Art for the PlayStation 2's Last Ever Game Is a Bit Plain
Scribble time
It looks like an infant armed with a tub of crayons designed the cover for Final Fantasy XI: Seekers of Adoulin. The title – which could well be the last PlayStation 2 game ever released – is due out on 27th March in Japan. It’s the fifth expansion for Square Enix’s popular online adventure, and marks the MMO’s tenth...
News Sony Ceases PlayStation 2 Shipments in Japan
End of an era
It’s the beginning of the end – but not in the way that the Mayans predicted. After almost 13 years on the market, the iconic PlayStation 2 is finally starting its transition into the console retirement home. Reports coming out of Famitsu magazine suggest that Sony has ceased shipping the system to Japanese retailers today, meaning...
News Japanese Sales Charts: PSP Topples Newer Sony Systems
You can’t keep a good platform down
The aging PlayStation Portable has reaffirmed its relevance by outselling the PlayStation 3 and Vita in the Japanese sales charts this week. Sony’s classic handheld sold 65,859 units during the tracked timeframe, and had two titles in the top five. Both One Piece: Romance Dawn and AKB1/149: Love Election sold...
News PlayStation Vita Celebrates Its First Birthday in Japan
Reports claim D:ream performed at the party
Somewhere in the corner of Sony’s main Tokyo office are a gaggle of glum looking executives sat around a sombre looking PlayStation Vita cake. Exactly twelve months ago, the handheld released in the organisation’s home territory amidst much expectation. But despite a huge turnout at launch, sales have...
News Japanese Sales Charts: Yakuza 5 Conquers the Competition
Like a dragon
Yakuza 5 landed a devastating blow on all of the other new releases in Japan this week. The latest title in SEGA’s seedy series registered 356,757 sales, which was enough to score it a spot at the summit of the region's charts. The hotly anticipated sequel sold more than the combined total of the top three Wii U launch games – but...
News Famitsu Teases Surprising Metal Gear Solid Reveal
Phantom pain
Famous Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu is teasing that there will be “something surprising for Metal Gear Solid fans” in its next issue. The timing is obviously intriguing, considering the much discussed Phantom Pain trailer was released last week. Online sleuths managed to uncover a slew o
News Phantasy Star Online 2 Will Render Fewer Foes on Vita
Shape shifter
Phantasy Star Online 2 is coming to both the PC and PlayStation Vita – but publisher SEGA has had to make some concessions in order to get the MMO running on Sony’s handheld. First and foremost, the portable version will render fewer enemies on screen than its static counterpart. In addition, map sizes will be reduced to...
News Special Metal Gear Rising PS3 Adds a Splash of Blue
Cut and take it
We think it’s safe to say that custom console redesigns just don’t work as well with the PlayStation 3 Super Slim. Previous hardware bundles for Yakuza 3 and Ni No Kuni have prompted stunning new styles – making this Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance tie-in look bland by comparison. The console – due out on 21st February in...
News Sony Celebrates Soul Sacrifice Release Date with Vita Bundle
Worth an arm and a leg
Soul Sacrifice is by far the PlayStation Vita’s most important exclusive in Japan. As such, it’s not especially surprising to see the platform holder lavish the title with its own hardware bundle. Announced alongside the title’s controversial release date, the special edition will include a gorgeous crimson console, a...
News Soul Sacrifice Sets Up Major Clash with Monster Hunter 4
Fighting for the heavyweight title
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan is either really brave or very stupid. The publisher has announced the Japanese release date for PlayStation Vita exclusive Soul Sacrifice – and it just so happens to fall in the same month as its main competitor Monster Hunter 4. The title's set to release on 7th March...
News Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Shoots Down Japanese Sales Charts
Hottin' up
Japan may be quite introverted with its video game tastes, but it does enjoy the odd first-person shooter. That’s evidenced this week by the surprising sales numbers for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, which managed to shift a whopping 197,350 units on PlayStation 3 alone. In fact, it was a good week for Sony’s home console in general,...
News Rub Pretty Ladies with Compile Heart's Latest Vita Game
Subtle as a brick
You might not want to play Compile Heart’s latest PlayStation Vita title on the train. The so-called card game – entitled Monster Monpiece – sees you rubbing the system’s front and rear touch panels like... Well, we’ll leave that to your imagination. The full title will feature 40 different virtual girls to grope, each...
News Phantasy Star Online 2 Travels to Vita on 28th February in Japan
MAGnificent
SEGA’s ambitious free-to-play MMO Phantasy Star Online 2 will spread its wings to the PlayStation Vita on 28th February in Japan. The game will be available as a complimentary download from the PlayStation Store, and will share online servers with the PC version. A closed beta for the handheld release will begin in January, with...
News Sony Promotes Western Titles at Japanese Gaming Event
Around the world in 20 games
When it comes to gaming tastes, Japan can be quite introverted. While it laps up franchises such as Dragon Quest and Monster Hunter, it tends to let the most popular Western brands languish on store shelves. That’s something that Sony’s aiming to change with its annual ‘World Game Project’, a consumer event which...
News Assassin's Creed III: Liberation Drags Vita Out of the Danger Zone in Japan
Kiss from a rose
It’s been a recurring theme that whenever software actually launches for the PlayStation Vita in Japan, the system gets a huge boost. That’s remained true this week, with Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation pulling the platform out of the danger zone. The handheld adventure was accompanied by a couple of new colours, which...
News Sonic the Fighters Sours the Japanese PSN This Month
Hedgehog haymaker
SEGA’s atrocious anthropomorphic fighting game Sonic the Fighters will invade the Japanese PlayStation Network on 28th November, the company has announced. It’ll be joined by fellow Model 2 brawlers Virtua Fighter 2 and Fighting Vipers on the same date. The publisher has yet to announce a Western release date, but all three...
News PlayStation Vita Slumps to Its Saddest Defeat Yet in Japan
Hide behind the sofa
The PlayStation Vita is a stunning system with some great games, but it’s becoming more and more difficult to overlook the platform’s commercial problems – especially overseas. While we still believe that it’s too early to pull the plug on the handheld, the situation in Japan is not looking good. In fact, it’s gone...
News Katamari Damacy Is Rolling onto the Japanese PSN Soon
The King of All Cosmos
Namco Bandai’s oddball PlayStation 2 title Katamari Damacy is rolling onto the Japanese PlayStation Network next week, the publisher has announced. The game – which sees you collecting objects by piloting an ever-expanding ball across a slew of different environments – will be available from 21st November in the land of...
News Check Out Metal Gear Rising's Slick Special Edition
Style guide
You’ll be able to purchase Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance in a variety of guises in Japan next year. Konami has announced that the title – which will launch as a PS3 exclusive in the region – will be available in vanilla, Premium Package, and Premium Package Konami Style editions overseas. The Premium Package will set you back...
News Japanese Sales Charts: PlayStation 3 Sales Surge
Like a disease
A cavalcade of anticipated software – combined with the release of the new Super Slim hardware model – pushed the PlayStation 3's sales over 42k units in Japan this week. The bump still wasn’t enough to topple the unstoppable Nintendo 3DS, but it came within striking distance. Resident Evil 6 was the platform’s biggest new...
News We're Not Sure What to Think of This Yakuza 5 Branded PS3
Garish, perhaps?
The Yakuza franchise has a history of prompting some pretty spectacular PlayStation 3 bundles – but this latest redesign isn’t to our tastes. The custom console comes with a gold DualShock 3 controller, a copy of Yakuza 5, an 8GB USB drive, and a beach towel. Yeah, we don’t get the significance of the towel either. It'll...
News We Recommend You Watch This Japanese PS3 Commercial
Surprise
Sony’s Japanese branch always releases the best PlayStation commercials – after all, it’s not been that long since the company opted to promote the Vita with the dulcet (and utterly irrelevant) vocal tones of Shigeru Matsuzaki. This brand new PS3 Super Slim spot isn't quite as catchy – but we urge you to stick around for its full...
News Silent Hill: Downpour Drenches Japan on 8th November
Gloomy outlook
Publisher Konami has forecast an 8th November release date for Silent Hill: Downpour in Japan. The title launched in Europe and North America earlier this year to a mixed critical reception. The game will release as a PlayStation 3 exclusive overseas, presumably due to the lack of interest in the Xbox 360 platform. Silent Hill:...
News Vita Sales Have a Welcome Boost in Japan
Getting back into the rhythm
There's been a fair share of doom and gloom around Vita recently, with one consistent source of bad news coming from the Japanese charts. Thankfully, this week represents a reverse in the trend, with Sony doing well in the software chart and seeing a revival for its handheld in the hardware stakes. In the software...
News Japan's Getting Another Free PlayStation Vita Game
This one has cat things
The PlayStation Vita may be struggling to secure big software releases, but it’s certainly not lacking free-to-play games. Hot on the heels of yesterday’s Guardian Hearts Online announcement, GameArts has revealed yet another free title for the shiny new handheld. Picotto Knight is a four-player online side-scrolling...
News EX Troopers Boosts into Japan on 22nd November
High octane
Capcom’s fascinating Lost Planet spin-off EX Troopers is set to glide onto Japanese store shelves on 22nd November, the publisher has announced. There are currently no plans for a Western release of the intriguing anime-inspired PS3 title, which boasts co-op multiplayer and a gorgeous cel-shaded visual style. Yeah, we're pretty bummed...
News Free Online RPG Guardian Hearts Online Strolling onto Vita
Pay as you go
Lumines Electronic Symphony developer Q Entertainment has announced that it's bringing its free-to-play RPG Guardian Hearts Online to Japanese PlayStation Vitas this month. The title – which is currently only available for mobile platforms – is “a sprite-based, command-driven RPG where you hire other players as your NPCs”...
News Sony Japan Promo Video Pushes HD Collections
Back to life
What does a pretty Japanese lady applying make-up have to do with the recently announced Yakuza 1 & 2 HD Edition? Well, yeah, we suppose there’s a metaphor in there – but either way, it’s still a strange way to kick-off a trailer designed to promote a handful of upcoming PS3 re-masters. The video includes footage of the...
News Japanese Sales Charts: PSP Hits a Home Run
Out of the park
There are eight PSP titles on this week’s Japanese sales chart. The ageing handheld proved that there's still life in its elderly legs by outpacing the Vita by a few thousand units. We’re not sure whether that’s a sign of the PSP’s continued relevance, or the dismal state of Sony's latest platform. Still, despite the sheer...
News Mystery Dungeon Shiren 4 Wanders onto PSP
What a rogue
Chunsoft's roguelike dungeon RPG Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 4 is making the trip over to PSP in Japan this October. The game originally came out on Nintendo DS a couple of years ago, but now it's coming over to Sony's handheld as Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 4+. That all-important extra symbol is for the three new...
News God Eater 2 Is Still in Development for PSP
Yup
It’s been a while since we last got a look at Namco Bandai’s Monster Hunter-inspired handheld sequel, God Eater 2. Many assumed that the title had switched platforms to Vita (or 3DS), but according to a feature in this week’s Famitsu magazine, it’s still in development for PSP. There have been a few changes since the game’s last...
News Take a Closer Look at the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Hori Pad
Stick it
Namco Bandai has released a larger shot of Hori's upcoming Tekken Tag Tournament 2 arcade stick. The peripheral will hit shelves on the 13th September, the same day as the game's release in Japan. It will retail for ¥14,800, which roughly translates to £122. Will you be picking one up?
News There's Going to Be Another Earth Defense Forces Game
Insect armageddon
Not content with the upcoming Earth Defense Forces 3 Portable for PlayStation Vita, D3 Publisher has announced a fourth entry in the popular bug bashing series. The sequel – which is currently only confirmed for Japan – was revealed via a teaser website overnight. While the title is unlikely to skip on a Western release, the...
News Japanese Sales Charts: Vita Struggles Once Again
Treading water
The PlayStation Vita sold just 11k units in Japan last week, despite a minor resurgence the period prior. The release of the crystal white hardware variation had catapulted the relatively new system beyond recent disappointment, but with no new notable titles on the horizon, the portable plummeted back towards below-par pastures. To...
News Soul Sacrifice Features AI Support Characters
Forever alone
Sony’s upcoming Monster Hunter-esque Vita exclusive Soul Sacrifice is designed to be played with other people. But the dark fantasy title will also boast a single-player mode, allowing you to progress alongside AI allies. When alone, you’ll be able to bring two computer controlled party members with you. One such character is...
News Japanese Sales Charts: White Vita Boosts Numbers
Woah ho ho ho
The release of the crystal white PlayStation Vita in Japan didn’t do a lot to improve the ailing system’s sales, but it did push the platform back above the 22k units threshold. The handheld was actually the second best selling console of the week, with Nintendo’s 3DS way out in the lead. Pokémon continued its rule of the...
News Tokyo Jungle Surpasses 200,000 Sales in Japan
Pomeranian power
It turns out there is a sizeable audience for niche titles. Sony has announced that the brilliant Tokyo Jungle has already exceeded 200,000 sales in the region – a sum which is wholly unexpected for a game of its, well, unusual nature. The figure takes into account the title’s digital and retail sales, and is correct as of 22nd...
News PlayStation 2 Classics Announced for PS3 in Japan
Play beyond
While those of us in the West have been happily lapping up PlayStation 2 content via our PS3s for months, Japan has been forced to wait in the sidelines. Well, until now anyway. SCEJ held a special press event overnight dedicated to revealing the expansion of its “Game Archives” line. The PS2 Archives will open on 25th July,...
News Watch This Ridiculous Japanese PlayStation Vita Commercial
Erm
Sony has revealed its latest PlayStation Vita commercial for Japan. The campaign – which was teased earlier in the week – shows local celebrity Shigeru Matsuzaki strumming an acoustic guitar while a Crystal White PlayStation Vita obscures his face. The commercial then closes with the tagline “it’s getting interesting”, which boasts a...
News Japanese Sales Charts: PlayStation Vita Dips Again
Boing boing
Last week’s exceptional PlayStation Vita performance was a one-off it seems. With the excitement surrounding Persona 4: The Golden now restored to a reasonable level, the handheld plunged to just 13k units. Not horrific, but far from exceptional either. One hypothesis for the Vita’s relatively sluggish week centres on the imminent...
News Sony Launches Mysterious Ad Campaign Across Japan
What?
Sony’s launched a new line of baffling promotional PlayStation posters across Japan. The confusing images – which feature the face of celebrity Shigeru Matsuzaki – are being erected in train stations across the country. The platform holder promises that all will be revealed on the 28th June. That just so happens to be a big day for the...
News Japanese Sales Charts: PlayStation Vita Awakens
Everything's golden
Earlier in the year, Sony flagged June as a potentially big month for the PlayStation Vita. Following last week’s minor resurgence, it looks like the platform holder was right on the money, as the release of Persona 4: The Golden has propelled the handheld into a promising position for the first time in months. The Atlus...
News Japanese Sales Charts: Tokyo Jungle Strides to Summit
Vita sales increase
Sony’s bonkers PlayStation 3 exclusive Tokyo Jungle roared to the top of the Japanese sales charts this week, beating out fierce competition from Dragon Quest Monsters on 3DS. The baffling post-apocalyptic adventure rounded up sales just north of 110k units to secure the number one spot. Elsewhere, PlayStation Vita exclusive...
News Sony Promises PlayStation Vita Game Heaven Improvements
Learning lessons
The first PlayStation Vita Game Heaven received a lot of negative feedback. The well publicised Japanese event was conceived to stimulate interest in Sony’s struggling handheld, but ended up irritating followers due to its pre-recorded format and lack of surprises. Sony Japan CEO Hiroshi Kawano has promised that the next Game...
News Final Fantasy III Port in Development for PSP
We know
The PlayStation Portable continues to be a prominent system in Japan – perhaps to the detriment of the recently released PlayStation Vita. Furthering the predicament, Square Enix has announced that it is working on a port of Final Fantasy III for Sony’s debut handheld. The PSP port will feature enhanced graphics and the ability to play...
