VERACITY IN GAMING
VERACITY IN GAMING
Ayuo Kawase
Editor in chief of AUTOMATON
Splatoon 3: Shell-Out Machine gacha rituals become a craze among Japanese players
A new trend of performing what one might describe as “gacha rituals” has been spreading among Splatoon 3 players in Japan. This recent trend involves players performing strange and sometimes very elaborate rituals to improve their chances at pulling a good item.
MapleStory Twitter account apologizes for tweet that some interpreted as endorsing the use of macros
The official Japanese Twitter account for MMORPG MapleStory has apologized for a tweet that was phrased in a way that led to a misunderstanding among some users. "Aren’t there any items that will let me hunt while I sleep?" said the official account.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s new update adds the ability to save party formations
Ver. 1.2.0 for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 adds the ability to save and load party formations, despite not being mentioned in Nintendo's patch notes. There was originally no way to “save” your party formations in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Why did Sega change Yakuza to Like a Dragon? We asked the devs and learned that the title “Like a Dragon 8” isn’t finalized yet
In September, Sega announced three new titles in its Yakuza series: Like a Dragon 8, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and Like a Dragon: Ishin!, although Like a Dragon 8 isn’t a finalized title yet. We spoke with Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio representative to find out why they changed the English title for the series from Yakuza to Like a Dragon.
Genshin Impact collaboration causes Japanese restaurant chain to issue a strong warning about wasted food
Genshin Impact collaboration campaign with Sweets Paradise, an all-you-can-eat restaurant chain in Japan, has gained traction in Japan, drawing attention to bad manners and food loss.
Kirby developer shuts down fanmade card game Chef Kawasaki’s Microbikini
Fanmade Kirby card game Chef Kawasaki’s Microbikini Karuta has been removed from sale. The decision was made due to a request from Kirby series developer HAL Laboratory. Chef Kawasaki’s Microbikini Karuta is a card game that feature illustrations of Chef Kawasaki wearing a micro bikini.
Zelda fans debate how to abbreviate The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in Japanese
Zelda fans in Japan debate how they’re going to abbreviate The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, a sequel to The Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Logic leads to "ティアキン (tiakin)" but many are opposed to the idea.
Splatoon 3’s Hero Mode stage names are parody poems in the Japanese version
Splatoon 3’s Hero Mode stage names in the Japanese version have been a good source of laughs for players in Japan as they parody the poem-like slogans many real estate companies in the country use (マンションポエム/apartment poems).
Splatoon 3 players can’t stop making ridiculous lockers
Splatoon 3’s locker customization feature has become a hot topic on social media. Not only has it been trending for multiple days on Twitter in Japan, but the posts just keep coming. These new lockers are a great feature for laughs or for those of us with a bit more design sense.
Splatoon 3 records highest sales in Japan for any Switch title within the first three days
Nintendo has announced that domestic sales for Splatoon 3 have surpassed 3.45 million units in the first three days since its launch on September 9. “This is the highest domestic sales level for any Nintendo Switch software within the first three days.”
Taimanin GOGO! gives the popular adult series an all-ages roguelike action twist
Taimanin GOGO! is the latest title in the Taimanin series and a roguelike action game featuring chibi style characters. The game’s protagonist is Shinobu Oma, a girl who strongly proclaims she does not want to become a Taimanin. The story starts with Shinobu being transported to another world from modern day Japan.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are getting Auto Battles and fans are welcoming it
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (Pokémon SV) are getting Auto Battles. Pokémon Legends: Arceus added a number of features while in the field to streamline the gameplay, and “Let’s Go!” and Auto Battles seem like a further extension of that.
Salamence is finally back on solid ground in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
A new trailer for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (Pokémon SV) was released and one smaller detail fans didn’t fail to notice was that Salamence was standing on solid ground. From Pokémon X and Y onward, Salamence’s standby animation was suspended in air.
Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts creators launch their Kickstarter campaign after receiving no backing from publishers
A Kickstarter campaign for both Armed Fantasia, a new title from the creator of Wild Arms, and Penny Blood, a new title from the director behind Shadow Hearts, has begun. The campaign is already off to a strong start.
Splatoon 3 shows the town being cleaned up after the Splatfest. A rare sight limited players got to see
The Splatoon 3: Splatfest World Premiere demo event came to an end, but afterwards, there were reports of a rare event that allowed some players to see the hub area Splatsville being cleaned up after the festivities.
Gothic horror RPG Penny Blood announced by Shadow Hearts creator
Penny Blood is a gothic horror RPG set in the 1920s in a world twisted by cosmic horror, malice, and mayhem. Penny Blood is being developed with the involvement of many key staff members from the Shadow Hearts series, including the series creator Matsuzo Machida.
The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate discourse around Steve being too strong is brewing up again
The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate discourse around Steve being too strong is brewing up again after Onin wins a tournament at Super Smash Con 2022.
A small fire reportedly breaks out at Nintendo headquarters’ Development Center
A small fire broke out at Nintendo’s Corporate Headquarters Development Center, NHK reports. Some desks and chairs were partially burned, but no one was injured.
Unreal Engine 5 used to create a Japanese townscape in stunning detail
Unreal Engine 5 was used to create a Japanese townscape in stunning detail. By looking closer at 3D artist Ranjeet Singh's creation, we can start to pinpoint just what region of Japan it might represent.
Sengoku Basara producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi has left Capcom and joined NetEase Games
Hiroyuki Kobayashi recently took to his personal Twitter account to announce that he left Capcom at the end of March and joined NetEase Games. There have been a number of career Japanese game creators moving to the Chinese company NetEase Games recently, including Yakuza series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi.
Square Enix’s The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story gets an update that makes it easier to play
Square Enix has released update v1.0.3 for The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story. The update fixes issues that players had regarding the tempo and replayability of the game.
Mario is showing his nipples off this summer in a proper return to form
Nintendo recently sent their summer greeting email to Nintendo account holders in Japan. And as usual, the email includes an image of Mario. This time having some summer fun with his nipples on display for all to see.