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.
Japanese players mourn the impending loss of Animal Crossing, Mario Kart 7 online modes
Splatoon and Animal Crossing New Leaf are some of the 3DS and Wii U online modes that Japanese players will miss when servers shut down.
Super Mario Maker’s hardcore players have just one fiendish level to beat before server shutdown. Can they do it?
Team 0% are a level away from clearing all 41,113 user-created stages in Super Mario Maker before Nintendo’s Wii U online servers shut down.
Tales of series, Dragon Quest illustrator Mutsumi Inomata passes away
Character designer and illustrator Mutsumi Inomata, who worked on the Tales of Series, Dragon Quest, Tekken and City Hunter, has died aged 63
Rise of the Ronin aims high with 5 million plus sales target
Can Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja achieve their sales goals with "Ghost of Tsushima-like" new IP Rise of the Ronin?
Rise of the Ronin devs reveal details about game’s action, influence of Ghost of Tsushima
We find out how Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja's open world action RPG Rise of the Ronin will immerse players in Japan's turbulent history.
Final Fantasy Tactics director wants you to play Unicorn Overlord
Final Fantasy Tactics director Yasumi Matsuno recently took to X to encourage people to play Vanillaware’s tactical RPG Unicorn Overlord.
Street Fighter’s Chun Li gets a new statue in Nara, Japan – here’s why
A crowdfunded bronze statue of Chun Li now graces Kashihara in Nara, symbolizing the connections between Capcom, Street Fighter and the city
Gojo Satoru’s voice actor awarded Most Valuable Seiyuu
Japan's 18th annual Seiyuu Awards recognized voice actors in Jujutsu Kaisen, Oshi no Ko, Frieren, The Witch from Mercury, and FFXVI.
How Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s open world is inspired by games like the Witcher 3 and Ghost of Tsushima
How Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's open world skillfully incorporates elements from the Witcher 3, Ghost of Tsushima, and Horizon Zero Dawn.
Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu finds recent game music “boring” – here’s why
Final Fantasy series composer Nobuo Uematsu discusses how composing game music has advanced over the years, and gives his thoughts on AI.
Final Fantasy VII devs initially disliked One Winged Angel, series composer reveals why
Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu revealed that final boss battle theme One Winged Angel wasn't well received by his colleagues at first.
Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto receives lifetime achievement award
Shigeru Miyamoto accepted a lifetime achievement award at Japan's 29th AMD awards ceremony, reflecting on his long career at Nintendo.
Japanese animator’s first monthly wage is barely over $100
An inbetween animator working in Japan's anime industry revealed how shockingly low starting wages are, eliciting mostly supportive responses.
Samurai swordfight your way through historic Japan in this immersive tale of soul-shifting revenge
In gorgeous pixel art action adventure AMEDAMA, take a samurai sword-wielding, atmospheric journey of revenge through rainy Edo period Japan.
Japanese learning game Shashingo met with rave reviews and requests for more
Shashingo: Learn Japanese with Photography is praised by Steam reviewers as a fun game for picking up and remembering everyday Japanese.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s moogles feared for soulless gaze, accused of catfishing
Moogles are a staple of the Final Fantasy series but the cute mascot character's appearance in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is disturbing people
Steam’s last-minute ban of R18 visual novel attracts criticism of unclear ruling
Indie dev Argent's R18 visual novel Order Us! was banned by Steam 3 days before release due to an unspecified character appearing underage.
Uma Musume Pretty Derby creator supports retired racehorses in Japan
Cygames, creator of cute girl horse racing anime & game franchise Uma Musume Pretty Derby, is thanked for helping real ex-racehorses in Japan.
Shin Theme Park: Inside the Japan-exclusive remake of 1994’s cult classic management sim
How Shin Theme Park on PlayStation 1 and Sega Saturn put a fresh Japanese twist on UK developer Bullfrog's original 1994 release.
In FFVII Rebirth, Cloud is no longer able to rifle through Tifa’s underwear drawer
We look at how the Japanese version of FFVII Rebirth handles the deletion of Final Fantasy VII's most infamous item- Tifa's underwear.
“Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is God-tier” Japanese fans give their first day impressions
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth players in Japan share their first impressions on the game's high degree of freedom, vast side content & fun combat.
Want to launch a hit anime? Have a longer first episode
Recent popular Japanese anime series like Demon Slayer, Oshi no Ko and Frieren have had extended first episodes, giving them more time to hook viewers.