VERACITY IN GAMING
VERACITY IN GAMING
Verity Townsend
Automaton West Editor and translator. She has a soft spot for old-school Sierra adventure games and Final Fantasy VIII (yes, 8!). Can often be found hunting down weird forgotten games and finding out everything about them. Frequently muses about characters and lines from Metal Gear Solid and Disco Elysium. Aims to keep Automaton fresh and interesting with a wide variety of articles.
Enjoy life with your custom cat in this quirky, cozy Japanese indie game
Create your own purrfect cat, help people find lost pets and decorate your home in this laidback Japanese life sim for cat lovers.
Cygames’ parent company announces policy on generative AI use
Granblue Fantasy series dev Cygames' parent company explain how they envision enhancing employee creativity through generative AI usage.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 “stress-free” mods become popular with Dragonsplague avoiders
The Dragon's Dogma community in Japan is also divided on the topic of using Dragonsplague mods, with some pointing to Capcom's anti-mod stance
Final Fantasy XIV director Yoshi-P’s Rolex scrutinized (and approved) by fans
Three big names in Japanese gaming have a dinner date, but some users focus in on Final Fantasy XIV director Naoki Yoshida’s Rolex wristwatch.
Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura explains launch of Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts pet product line
SQEX Pets features Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts accessories for dogs and cats, but what's the inspiration behind this line?
Keep calm and escape a dodgy elevator in this cursed Exit 8-like
The Exit 8 inspired horror puzzle game 0th Floor requires you to keep a cool head as you try to escape a cursed elevator and an attacker.
Resident Evil’s environments perfectly captured in real life in… Japanese aquariums?
Resident Evil players are being reminded of in-game locations by Kyoto Aquarium's Jellyfish area, which has serious Umbrella Corp. vibes.
Overcooked makes even Japanese celebrities fear their co-players
Couch co-op cooking game Overcooked can make even the calmest people rage, reveals Rino Sashihara, former member of Japanese idol group AKB48.
Rise of the Ronin’s inclusion of same-sex samurai romances explained
In Rise of the Ronin, you can have same-sex romances with Ryoma Sakamoto and Shinsaku Takasugi, but does this have any historical basis?
Square Enix’s SaGa Frontier 2 Remaster is coming, reveals director
SaGa RPG series director Akitoshi Kawazu asks fans to wait a little longer for the much rumored remaster of Psone classic SaGa Frontier 2.
Konami earns ire of arcade for terminating online service for older machines
One arcade's alleged angry notice at Konami for ending online support for Sound Voltex cabinets from 2020 has gone viral in Japan.
Rise of the Ronin lets you casually chill with the guy who forced Japan’s borders open
In Rise of the Ronin, historical figures like Perry and Sakamoto Ryoma drop by your longhouse- the surrealism is amusing Japanese players.
Genshin Impact and even Chinese erotic games spark localization discussion in Japan
Chinese games like Honkai Star Rail and Ark Knights contain hard-to-translate idioms, prompting discussion on how to localize them into Japanese.
Square Enix’s Visions of Mana is “semi open field,” but what does that mean? Producer explains
Visions of Mana producer reveals how the upcoming RPG will let players explore the vibrant and unique world of Mana like never before.
Visions of Mana devs avoided “westernizing” the identity of Square Enix’s RPG series
Producer Masaru Oyamada explains how Square Enix's upcoming Visions of Mana stays true to the beloved Japanese RPG series' roots.
Japanese gamers notice generation gap when it comes to reselling games
Debates about reselling games have broken out on social media in Japan, revealing generational differences in how people consume games.
Escape an Exit 8-like looping train platform in this free-to-play Japanese browser game
Inspired by The Exit 8, Track No. 9 is a Japanese pixel art adventure game where you must escape a train station by spotting anomalies.
Katamari Damacy composer overjoyed at soundtrack’s 20th anniversary digital release
Katamari Damacy sound director and main composer Yuu Miyake comments on the game's iconic OST being available digitally for the first time.
CLAMP x Netflix anime collaboration adapts Grimm’s fairy tales
CLAMP and Wit Animations' new six episode anime anthology The Grimm Variations debuts on Netflix on April 17.
Former Final Fantasy director: If you’ve never used AI, you’re not suited for game development
Former Square Enix director Hajime Tabata explained why game creators need to be open to new technology like generative AI and VR.
Metal Gear Solid producer reveals the future of the MGS series
Metal Gear Solid producer Noriaki Okamura addresses fan queries as to whether Konami will make a brand new MGS game in the future.
Metal Gear Solid producer addresses Master Collection issues, explains how Delta will stay true to MGS3
In Konami's March 20 YouTube broadcast, Metal Gear Solid producer reveals more about upcoming MGS3 remake Delta, and Master Collection fixes.