For fans of the Professor Layton series, it should come as good news that both an anime series as well as a new game will be out in 2018, Level-5 has confirmed. Simon Waldron, senior vice president of marketing and licensing of Level-5 shared further details regarding Level-5’s plans for the future in September’s issue of License Global Magazine.

The new anime will contain 26 episodes, however it isn’t first anime adaption of the series. The previous one was Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva from back in 2009. Additionally, Simon Waldron shared information about Level-5’s plans for its other franchises. For one, we will be seeing a reboot of Inuzuma Eleven titled Inuzuma Eleven: Ares which will feature a retelling of the original story with slight changes. As of now, we do not know what platform the game will be available on, but a Switch release looks likely.

Yo-Kai Watch’s third season will be premiering across North America and Europe in early 2018. Finally, Level-5 had recently launched a brand new IP titled Snack World and they’re looking to bring over the game to the West.

Thanks, Animenewsnetwork.

ReCore

Keiji Inafune and his team at Comcept haven’t exactly had the best year so far with Mighty No. 9 flopping miserably. However, with former Bungie writer Joseph Staten and Armature Studio aboard on ReCore, it’s hard to not get excited about this futuristic platformer/shooter. If anything, ReCore feels like a proper spiritual successor to the Mega Man legacy (namely Mega Man Legends). Time will tell if the $40 title, priced for the “value” it offers, will actually set our collective hearts aflutter when it releases on September 13th for Xbox One and Windows 10.

FIFA 17

You can’t fault EA for trying new things with its FIFA franchise. Each iteration has a number of different improvements and enhancements and this year’s FIFA 17 is no different. However, along with additions to Ultimate Team, FIFA 17 will also include Journey mode. This story-based campaign will follow footballer Alex Hunter from the amateur level all the way up to the Premier League. It’s out on September 27th for North America and September 29th in Europe for previous and current gen platforms.

Forza Horizon 3

Speaking of trying something new, Playground Games is stressing connectivity with Forza Horizon 3. The open world racing game will head to Australia, presenting a large and beautiful outback to explore along with four player co-op support. The twist is that players can join in regardless of being on Windows 10 or Xbox One. Co-op joining is also seamless so you won’t have to re-instance to join friends’ games. With a release date of September 27th, Forza Horizon 3 could once again cement the series as the top-tier racing game of the year.

NHL 17

Last year’s iteration of EA Sports’ NHL proved to be quite the hockey simulator and NHL 17 is looking to continue that trend. Along with Hockey Ultimate Team and improvements to the physics, there will be new World Cup of Hockey and Draft Champions modes, the latter differing quite significantly from HUT.  There’s also the fact that the ECHL’s 27 teams are all playable for the first time. Then there’s the new Creation Zone for crafting your own arena among other things. NHL 17 is out on September 13th in North America and September 15th in Europe.

Destiny: Rise of Iron

Even if it’s not $40 like The Taken King, Destiny’s next expansion Rise of Iron is promising quite the content delivery. Along with lots of new gear pieces across PvP and PvE, Rise of Iron will feature weapon ornaments, new lens filters, new story missions (including post-campaign quests), new artifacts, a new raid and much more. There will also be a new zone with the Plaguelands, a revamped Cosmodrome, three new PvP maps (four if you’re on PS4) and lots of other improvements. Look out for it on September 20th for PS4 and Xbox One.

Dead Rising Triple Pack

It’s not really a new release but there’s still a ton of value to be had in the Dead Rising Triple Pack. This isn’t a collection of all the past Dead Rising titles though. In fact, the Triple Pack actually contains remastered versions of Dead Rising, Dead Rising 2 and Dead Rising 2: Off the Record for Xbox One and PS4. The original Dead Rising will also be releasing for PC via Steam though the other remasters are for consoles only. Dead Rising Triple Pack releases digitally on September 13th but the retail version of Dead Rising is out on September 13th in North America. Dead Rising 2 arrives shortly after on September 27th.

NBA 2K17

Welcome to the jam once again. Visual Concepts’ NBA 2K17 sees the MyGM and MyLeague modes featuring different improvements and more in-depth customization facets. For those interested in the game though, there will be national teams and past greats like the 2016 United States men’s Olympics team. It also helps that the soundtrack has been curated by Imagine Dragons among other artists. NBA 2K17 is out on September 20th worldwide.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

WayForward Technologies blew us away with Shantae and The Pirate’s Curse in 2014 and the sequel Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is finally upon us. Along with featuring the lovable genie and her magical powers, Half-Genie Hero will also allow players to take on the role of Risky Boots, Shantae’s nemesis. Xbox One, PS4, PC, Wii U and PC users can look forward to the game releasing on September 27th while PS3 and Xbox 360 players will have to wait a bit longer.

Yo-kai Watch 2

The sequel to the popular ghost battler will finally be making its way to North America. Yo-kai Watch 2 will include new yo-kai to battle including Legendary yo-kai and promises to have almost 450 different spirits throughout the experience. Like Pokémon, Yo-kai Watch 2 will be divided into two versions – Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls. They’ll both be available for Nintendo 3DS users in North America on September 30th.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2017

What’s this? An upcoming Konami title that everyone doesn’t outright hate? PES Productions’ Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 will mark the return of “not-FIFA” to the world and offers quite the feature set. Along with Real Touch ball control and improved mechanics, there will be a match analysis feature to properly observe your opponent’s moves and the flow of matches both online and offline. Konami has also officially partnered with Liverpool FC and Borussia Dortmund to allow for exclusive content and kits among other things. PES 2017 releases on September 13th in North America and September 15th in Europe.

Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank has managed to hold on to the number one spot in the UK according to the latest Gfk Chart-Track sales.

Despite sales falling by 49 percent and the relatively terrible negative reception to its film, Ratchet & Clank is now Sony’s seventh biggest first party PS4 launch. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 has shot back up to second place thanks to PS4 retailers bundling the recent Eclipse DLC with hardware. Dark Souls 3 is in third place followed by Tom Clancy’s The Division at fourth and EA Sports UFC 2 at fifth.

Lego Marvel Avengers rose from 11th to sixth place followed by Grand Theft Auto 5 and Far Cry Primal. Yo-Kai Watch was the new game of the week but only managed to rank at 14th place. It should be interesting to see how sales pan out next week with Battleborn releasing today and then the week after when Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End releases.

Yo-Kai Watch is finally coming to Europe this spring, after what seems like an incredibly long delay. The Nintendo 3DS game is launching in Europe this April, almost a full year after Nintendo first announced the title would be coming to the west.

This time around the game, which is often referred to as a knock off of the Pokemon brand will indeed finally reach its destination. The big difference between the two franchises is that Yo-Kai are actually some kind of ghosts or spirits, rather than animals and other creatures. In this regard, it actually makes more sense that the people who trap and keep them are able to put them into those little containers.

Yo-Kai Watch is being developed by Ni No Kuni and Professor Layton’s studio Level-5, so you know the game is going to be of a certain quality. Yo-Kai Watch launched in North America last November, and in Japan in 2013. It has since received multiple sequels in Japan, none of which have been confirmed for the west yet.

If you blinked, you might have missed the numerous trailers of 3DS games that Nintendo revealed at E3 2015 during its Digital Event. Luckily, we gathered all the significant announcements into one place.

There was Metroid Prime: Federation Force, which appears to be a co-op title set in the Metroid universe (without Samus Aran or the grim visuals of previous Prime games; a new animated trailer for Fire Emblem Fates; gameplay footage and an official reveal for Hyrule Warriors Legends; Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam which sees a collision between the Mario/Luigi and Paper Mario RPG worlds; a new Animal Crossing title with Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer; and finally, a trailer for Yo-Kai Watch as it heads to the West in Winter 2016.

Other 3DS titles showcased at Nintendo’s event included The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes, a three player co-op title wherein players can customize their outfits and work together in the framework of a bigger quest. What are your thoughts on Nintendo’s E3 showcase for the 3DS? Let us know in the comments.

Though developer Level-5 was talking about a 2015 Western release for its successful 3DS title, Nintendo of America has confirmed that Yo-kai Watch will indeed be heading West this year. The series has already sold 7 million copies in Japan alone since its release.

Nintendo of America executive VP of sales & marketing Scott Moffitt stated that, “Yo-Kai Watch is coming to the US, where a new audience will be able to experience this irresistible franchise for the first time. It doesn’t matter if you’re a kid, parent, fan or fan-in-the-making: everyone will be won over by this charming game.”

Though a firm release date hasn’t been provided, Yo-kai Watch will be out in the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Korea and Latin America. One would assume that it’s only the first game which is being released for the West but stay tuned for more details on the same in the coming months.

Level-5’s Yo-Kai Watch series has managed to sell more than 7 million copies since the first game released in mid-2013. Considering this is a series which has been confined primarily to Japan and hasn’t even reached two years in age – along with being a new IP – that’s no small feat. Sales figures encompass digital and physical sales thus far.

Yo-Kai Watch has a Pokemon-type of gameplay bent to it as the player is tasked with hunting and befriending different “yo-kai” (Japanese for “ghosts). The 3DS touchscreen is used for several purposes, including navigation of the town looking for yo-kai and battling with enemy yo-kai. Like Pokemon, legendary yo-kai exist to befriend.

Yo-Kai Watch currently has two games with the third game to be revealed during Level-5’s Vision 2015 event in April. The first game will be heading to the West but there’s currently no release date. Would you be interested in playing it? Let us know in the comments.