VERACITY IN GAMING
VERACITY IN GAMING
Ayuo Kawase
Editor in chief of AUTOMATON
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet make NPC trainers more distinct than ever before
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s variety of unique trainers has been getting a lot of attention online from fans. Especially all the different student trainers.
Splatoon 3 to let players reset their rank and wipe away their debts
Nintendo has revealed the patch notes for Splatoon 3’s upcoming Ver. 2.0.0. This update will add the ability for players to purposely reset their rank. It should result in less players being trapped in Splatoon 3 debtors’ prison.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet seem to use the same RNG seed under certain battle conditions
Rumors regarding the RNG (random number generator) seed being fixed in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet under certain battle conditions have been circulating among players.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s strange Poké Balls lying in doorways are distracting players
A strange phenomenon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet where random half-buried Poké Balls appear on the ground is being reported by players. A common pattern is to see these Poké Balls sitting at the entrances of rooms.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet surpass 10 million units sold in just 3 days, a new record for Nintendo consoles
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have announced that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have sold over 10 million units worldwide in just three days, with over 4 million of those in Japan alone.
Masahiro Sakurai’s cat video proves to be popular, surpassing the views of recent game-related videos
Game creator Masahiro Sakurai released a video about his cat to his YouTube channel and has been receiving an impressive number of views and likes, while even surpassing his recent videos about game development.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s newbie hunter is beating down new trainers and gaining attention online
One of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s NPCs (Paco) has been earning a reputation online in Japan. The trainer appears in an area accessible early in the game, luring players in with kind words before mercilessly crushing them.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are peppered with complaints about performance
Pokémon Scarlet and Violethave been released on November 18. The ambitious new titles incorporate a variety of brand-new features, but shortly after release, there has been a flood of reports concerning performance issues.
Splatoon 3: Unofficial ranking and matchmaking service Splarate goes live in Japan
An unofficial ranking and matchmaking service for Splatoon 3 called Splarate is now available in Japan. Splarate aims to fill the void of players looking to match with opponents closer to their skill level through Private Battles.
Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka arrested on suspicion of insider trading
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors office has announced the arrest of game creator Yuji Naka on suspicion of insider trading. While Naka was employed at Square Enix in 2020, he reportedly knew that Dragon Quest Tact was being jointly developed by Square Enix and Aiming. Naka reportedly purchased 10,000 shares of Aiming before this information was made public.
Splatoon 3’s Pokémon Splatfest saw 80% of top players using the Sloshing Machine or Splash-o-matic in Japan
Splatoon 3’s Splatoon x Pokémon collaboration Splatfest has come to an end and the Splatfest Top 100 results were released as well. Based on usage from top ranking players, it looks like the Sloshing Machine and Splash-o-matic put in work in Japan.
Splatoon 3’s blue ink causes visibility issues for many players during the Splatfest
Splatoon 3 is holding a new Splatfest to celebrate the impending release of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. However, not long after the Splatfest began, many players began to report that the blue ink was making things difficult to see.
Indie dev promotes Japan’s “Village of Dolls” with a free game
In The Rural Village of Nagoro is a short adventure game based around the story of a real-life person named Tsukimi Ayano. The titular village of Nagoro is famous for the large number of human-sized dolls that are placed all around the town, which is how it got the nickname "Village of Dolls.” Ayano happens to be the person who created all of these dolls.
A 2D version of Dark Souls III was pitched to Bandai Namco. Artist reveals what could have been
Artist Thomas Feichtmeir revealed an image for a 2D version of Dark Souls III, stating that the proposed project was planned to be a Metroidvania title. Now that it is no longer under NDA, Feichtmeir has posted a visual made for the project to their Twitter.
Nintendo to establish a joint venture company with DeNA called Nintendo Systems
Nintendo has announced the upcoming establishment of Nintendo Systems, a joint venture company being made alongside DeNA who are involved with the development and operation of Nintendo’s Nintendo Account system.
Konami’s murder mystery sim CRIMESIGHT gets a price cut as the player count dwindles
Konami Digital Entertainment has cut the price of CRIMESIGHT, which is now available on Steam, from $19.99 to $9.99. CRIMESIGHT reached a peak player count of 555 players just after launching and has since been moving forward with a double-digit player count.
Pokémon GO’s newly added Zorua ends one player’s years long “Pikachu only challenge”
A Pokémon trainer who set out to only catch Pikachu in Pokémon GO has seen their self-imposed challenge come to an unfortunate end. The trainer thought they had captured another Pikachu only for it to reveal itself as Zorua.
RPG Developer Bakin users are making action games even though it’s sold as an RPG creation tool
SmileBoom released their game creation tool RPG Developer Bakin to Steam Early Access. RPG Developer Bakin boasts that anyone can use it to make an RPG without programming knowledge, but according to SmileBoom, users have been using it to pump out action games.
Splatoon 3 sees a rise in boosting services that grind on your behalf for real money in Japan
Boosting service providers looking to earn real money by playing Splatoon 3 on behalf of other players and the sites that facilitate these transactions are being viewed as a problem on social media in Japan. When it comes to having someone boost your account, both the person lending the account and the person playing run the risk of breaching the terms of service.
Splatoon 3’s Ultra Stamp is about to get a lot better despite receiving no buffs or nerfs
Splatoon 3's Ultra Stamp is about to get a lot stronger with Ver. 1.2.0 even without the weapon receiving any buffs or nerfs. That’s because the weapon apparently had numerous bugs which are about to be fixed.
Splatoon 3’s latest update nerfs Sloshing Machine, squashes Ultra Stamp bugs
Nintendo has released the patch notes for Splatoon 3’s Ver. 1.2.0 update which nerfs the Sloshing Machine and squashes Ultra Stamp related bugs. “This update focuses on adjusting some weapons, improving several features, and fixing bugs that relate to battles.”
Japanese horror game Noroware Cycle announced with a terrifying trailer
Japanese horror game Noroware Cycle announced with a terrifying trailer. The game takes inspiration from PlayStation 1 cult classics like Twilight Syndrome and Yuuyami Doori Tankentai and the influence can certainly be seen in the setting and game mechanics.