VERACITY IN GAMING
VERACITY IN GAMING
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.
Sekiro player clears “one controller, two screens (two copies)” simultaneous run
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an action-adventure game by FromSoftware that’s considered difficult even when just playing normally, but one player has now cleared the game while playing on two screens simultaneously with one controller.
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.
R-Type Tactics I・II Cosmos gets a Kickstarter for the development of additional content
Granzella has started a crowdfunding campaign to fund the development of additional content for the upcoming R-Type Tactics I・II Cosmos. R-Type Tactics I・II Cosmos is a remake of R-Type Command and its Japan-exclusive sequel R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate in one package.
Former Square Enix employee arrested on suspicion of insider trading
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office has announced the arrest of a former Square Enix employee on suspicion of insider trading. According to Nippon TV NEWS, they are suspected of purchasing stock in Aiming before it was officially announced that the company would be working on Dragon Quest Tact.
JR EAST Train Simulator’s official Steam release arrives along with some new routes
East Japan Railway Company (JR East) has officially released JR EAST Train Simulator on Steam. JR EAST Train Simulator is the official train driving simulation game from major Japanese railway company JR East.
pixiv to ban transactions on its services regarding certain content including incest and bestiality
pixiv's Service Master Terms of Use will be updated on December 15. The update will apply to certain transactions on services such as BOOTH, pixivFANBOX, and pixiv Requests. pixiv lists content such as sexual exploitation of minors, incest, and bestiality, stating such content goes against the rules and policies of international credit card companies.
The Koopa Troopa Dance from New Super Mario Bros. Wii is now a TikTok meme
The “Koopa Troopa Dance” appears to be one of the latest trends to hit TikTok. This new meme originates from New Super Mario Bros. Wii where Koopa Troopas will dance along to the background music no matter what situation they’re in.
RTA in Japan Winter 2022 includes a one-million-cookie speedrun tournament of Cookie Clicker
The schedule for RTA in Japan Winter 2022 has been released. RTA in Japan is a biannual speedrunning event that was first held in 2016. The upcoming winter event will run for six days, from December 26 to 31 (JST), and will include 80 speedruns.
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.
Browser-based bubble simulator Bubbles is drawing attention for its realistic bubble physics
Bubbles is a simulator that lets players make, touch, and play with bubbles right in their web browser. It was made by saharan who is developing numerous projects while studying as a graduate student at Tokyo University.
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.
Sword Art Online-style fan-made app launcher is praised by users on Steam
SAO Utils 2: Progressive is a customizable 3D app launcher for PC inspired by popular light novel and anime series Sword Art Online. It has proven to be a very popular tool, both in terms of its Sword Art Online-style design and its practical use.
Metroid Prime devs once had to cool a GameCube in a freezer to test a hardware bug
Former Retro Studios member Zoid Kirsch has been looking back on his memories from the development of Metroid Prime and is sharing a number of stories on social media. One of the stories that is drawing a lot of attention is about the time they had to put a GameCube dev kit in a freezer.
Like a Dragon 8: More celebrity cameos revealed on a Japanese radio program
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio representative Masayoshi Yokoyama has revealed that Utamaru of RHYMESTER and Risa Unai, would be appearing in Like a Dragon 8.
Sonic Frontiers looks to be garnering favorable reviews from players
Since the release of Sega’s Sonic Frontiers on November 8, the game has been having a strong showing on platforms like Steam and Twitch.
Arcana of Paradise -The Tower- launches April 20. A deck builder from the director of Lollipop Chainsaw [Update]
Arcana of Paradise -The Tower- is a deck building survival adventure game. The game takes place in a tower that lies at the very end of the world. Atop this tower live 20 children, but life there is harsh, and in order to survive, the children decide to embark on a journey down the tower.
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.
New Monster Hunter mobile game being jointly developed with Tencent subsidiary
TiMi Studio Group and Capcom have announced that they are jointly developing a new mobile game in the Monster Hunter series. Like the majority of Monster Hunter games, it will be a hunting action game where you take on powerful monsters.