VERACITY IN GAMING
VERACITY IN GAMING
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet trailer predicted because Masuda got a haircut
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet trailer was predicted because series director & producer Junichi Masuda got a haircut. “To know Masuda is to know Pokémon,” says Pulnaref, a fan who studies the words and actions of Masuda.
Learn Japanese etiquette with the novel game Manner Battler Rei
Manner Battler Rei is a short novel game where players can learn about Japan’s intricate ceremonial and business etiquette. The game takes place in a world with Manner Battles, competitions where competitors point out manner mistakes.
Game developers wonder if it’s time to move away from the term “Easy Mode”
Game developer Taro Masuda recently took to Twitter to ask gamers how they felt about the term “Easy Mode” on difficulty selection screens and if it gives them an unpleasant feeling.
After He Was Gone is a tactical RPG without a level-up system
Japanese solo game developer Nono has released the demo version of After He Was Gone on Steam. The game is a tactical RPG that has no level-up system and instead focuses on the use of items and skills.
Genshin Impact’s Ver.2.7 update makes location names easier to read for Japanese players
When playing in Japanese, Genshin Impact contains numerous hard-to-read location names such as 瓊璣野 (Qiongji Estuary) —an issue that’s been rectified with Ver.2.7.
Why are games taking longer and longer to develop? Japanese developers discuss on Twitter
A discussion broke out on Twitter in Japan looking into the reasons why video games are taking longer and longer to develop. Listening to developers involved in making games shows it’s more complicated than simply needing more time or hands on deck to take care of everything.
Nintendo apologizes after sending email about Mario “Kart” Strikers to users in Japan
Nintendo sent an email introducing the Mario Strikers: Battle League First Kick event to Nintendo Switch users, but instead of saying Mario Strikers: Battle League, the email mentioned Mario “Kart” Strikers: Battle League as the game's title. This has drawn attention on social media in Japan.
Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi creates a free company called SQUARE in FFXIV
Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi creates a free company called SQUARE in FFXIV. His title within the free company is executive vice president which happens to be what his title was during his time at Square.
The measures game developers take to help players with arachnophobia
You could say that spiders are a popular enemy in video games. However, there are also cases of developers showing concern for players that suffer from arachnophobia. Games like Grounded, Kill It With Fire, and Webbed provide arachnophobia options for players.
FFXIV’s Black Mage was made too strong in PvP and will be rebalanced after player backlash
Naoki Yoshida, producer and director of Final Fantasy XIV, has released a statement explaining that they went too far with the PvP adjustments made to the black mage job. Black Mage will be rebalanced in patch 6.15, which is planned for release on June 7.
Animator Hanabushi’s Piggy One is being turned into a video game
Animator Hanabushi’s Piggy One is being turned into a video game in collaboration with Unreal Life developer hako life. The game is scheduled to release in 2023.
New board game hotel in Japan provides guests with a murder mystery and Werewolf room
A board game hotel called Mimaru Osaka Namba Station is set to open in Osaka, Japan on June 2. In addition to the over 130 different board games available for guests to play, there’s also a special Werewolf and murder mystery room provided for those wanting to immerse in a whodunit experience.
A thesis about “Babiniku” receives an academic award in gender studies
Swiss anthropologist Liudmila Bredikhina received an award from the University of Geneva in the gender category for their thesis about Babiniku (virtual bishoujo incarnation). This is the first time an academic award has been given for research into the subject of “Babiniku.”
RTS game Colorful Party Wars features a real-life VRChat group and is available on Steam
Colorful Party Wars is an RTS game that features the group Colorful Party who are active on the VR platform VRChat. The game currently only supports Japanese, but there are plans to implement support for English, Korean, and Simplified Chinese in the future.
Elon Musk revealed his Elden Ring build and was thrashed by Twitter users
Elon Musk took to Twitter to unveil his Elden Ring build to the public, but users on Twitter were swift and merciless in their criticism of said build. But is the build itself really that bad?
You can now buy LED gaming chopsticks in Japan
LED gaming chopsticks are now available to purchase in Japan for 580 yen (around $4.50). The gaming chopsticks provide the benefit of being able to light up the inside of your bag of snacks, making it easier to see in a dark room.
A new project from the devs behind God Eater accused of plagiarism, issue an apology
Project Shaz from the devs behind God Eater were accused of plagiarism and have since issued an apology and explanation. Project Shaz is a multiplayer action game announced by TVT, a game studio being led by Toshiyuki Yasui (God Eater, Freedom Wars).
Ys IX gets a performance boost on Steam thanks to Trails from Zero optimization work for Switch
NIS America has released a brand-new update for Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (ver 1.1.3). The patch further improves the overall performance of the game, but what’s really interesting is that it came about as a result of trying to optimize the Nintendo Switch version of The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero.
[Update] Final Fantasy X’s Wakka memes resurface after a YouTube Poop music video goes viral
It has come to our attention that the meme and video discussed in this article contain homophobic content. This sort of content should not be posted while overlooking or failing to critically examine that fact. For that reason, we want to apologize to our readers and anyone who may have been hurt by it.
The “Monster Hunter claw grip” was trending on Twitter in Japan
The “Monster Hunter claw grip” was trending on Twitter in Japan as players waxed nostalgia and talked about how they still use it today for games like Elden Ring and Final Fantasy XIV.
Japanese live streaming platform Mildom sees a mass exodus of its certified streamers
The Japanese live streaming service Mildom is seeing their certified streamers leaving the platform one after another, with one relaying the message that “there will be no certified streamers by August or September.”
New RPG Code Name: Wandering Sword looks strikingly similar to Octopath Traveler
Chinese developer Xiameng Studio has announced the open world RPG Code Name: Wandering Sword for Steam. The visuals of the game may give many gamers a sense of déjà vu because they look just like the graphics in Octopath Traveler.