ISSUE 12 — 3 March 2019
by Shahan Ahmed and Dale Hurst
Top Story — POKÉMON SWORD AND SHIELD VERSIONS: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
The next generation of Pokémon has been announced! Pokemon Sword and Shield will be part of the core series (unlike Let’s Go Eevee and -Pikachu) and will be available late-2019 on the Nintendo Switch.
The three new starters have also been shown off in the announcement trailer. They are:
Scorbunny – A Rabbit Pokémon that is always running about, bursting with energy.
Sobble – A somewhat timid Water Lizard Pokemon that shoots out attacks as it hides itself in the water.
Grookey – A mischievous Chimp Pokemon that is full of boundless curiosity.
Sword and Shield will be set in a region called Galar. It is loosely based on the UK and promises to include many environments including “idyllic countryside, contemporary cities, thick forests and craggy, snow-covered mountains”.
Fans are already making tons of artwork of the new games. One example being the new starters depicted as Game Boy sprites. Regarding the starters, a fan has also pointed out that they look strangely similar to the Powerpuff Girls!
A lot of jokes are also being made in relation to the game taking place in British-inspired location. As the game seems to start you off in the fields of Scotland, Scottish fans have been making phonetic dialogue for the female protagonist. A voice actor has even gone ahead and voiced some.
Shahan’s Opinion: The new region looks pretty picturesque! I initially liked Scorbunny most out of the starters but the anxiety-ridden chameleon is really growing on me. It all depends on the final evolutions of course.
Dale’s Opinion: At first glance, I’m quite excited. Haven’t enjoyed a home console Pokémon game since Colosseum! I can usually make a decision about which of the starters I’d choose, but it’s quite difficult this time around. And as for the UK-inspired setting, there had better not be any British stereotypes in there. Old-fashioned slang and so on will not be appreciated!
ISSUES ESCALATE BEYOND GAMING FOR DEVOTION
Red Candle Games, the Taiwan-based indie developer who made the award-winning game Detention, have recently released their second game Devotion. It hit the #1 position on Steam’s Top Selling chart with thousands of positive reviews, giving it an ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ overall rating. The Chinese gaming community were loving it just as they did with their first game.
The Rising Political Tension
However, things start to take a turn for the worse. Certain art assets were discovered in-game that were deemed insulting by Chinese gamers. Talismans that insult mothers, as well as a political insult that brings up the comparison between the Chinese President and Winnie the Pooh.
There is also a name from a pre-launch ARG event that has been interpreted to mean the citizens of mainland China and the game is allegedly cursing them. This is dangerous as it is a time of great political tension between Taiwan (an island with its sovereignty being a major topic) and China (who view Taiwan as a province and part of their “One China”.)
On 23rd February, the review-bombing on Steam started, crashing the overall rating down to ‘Mostly Negative’. The same was done to their first game Detention. Chinese streamers and Internet personalities have changed their opinions to negative ones after hearing about what’s been discovered and talked about. Red Candle Games was considered to be politically attacking the Chinese president and people. What’s more, Chinese gamers felt backstabbed after supporting the dev and their games.
Devotion was delisted from Chinese Steam store and all mention of Steam, Devotion and Red Candle Games were removed from Chinese gaming forums completely. Afterwards, as more of Taiwan heard of the incident, Taiwanese gamers were hostile and mocked Chinese gamers. The situation continued to grow from a gaming issue to a major political one in which the general public that knew little about the dev or the issue started sharing their opinions.
Devotion’s Current Status
As of writing, the game is still not available on Steam. It was taken down to fix technical issues that are causing crashes, as well as to conduct another complete QA check. The team have also said they will check for unintended materials again so focus can be back on the game itself when it returns. Check out their official statement here.
If you want to know more about the situation, Spiel Times have made an impressive report attempting to cover the different perspectives (Chinese, Taiwanese and neutral) on the story.
Shahan’s Opinion: It’s a shame this is happening with Devotion. It is an amazing game that will resonate with fathers/parents in general. It’s also an incredible insight into Taiwanese culture as was their first game.
BOWSER IS PRESIDENT AS REGGIE STEPS DOWN
Reggie Fils-Aimé has made the decision to retire from his position as President of Nintendo of America as of April 15th 2019, having been with Nintendo for 15 years. He left a message for all Nintendo fans on the Nintendo of America Twitter.
He will be succeeded by current Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Doug Bowser.
Yes. His surname is Bowser. While Reggie was loved by many who are sad to see him go, Nintendo fans couldn’t help but make the same jokes on social media regarding the fact that Mario’s nemesis has taken over the company.
Shahan’s Opinion: Not only did Reggie represent Nintendo at events with plenty of charisma, he was truly a gamer himself. He’ll be missed.
THQ NORDIC APOLOGISES FOR 8CHAN AMA
The publisher was invited to do an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on 8chan, a site that has been delisted by Google multiple times in the past. To put it into perspective, the site broke away from 4chan for being too full of censorship.
The AMA proceeded to include plenty of offensive content and questions, some of which the publisher’s employees actually responded to. Examples of what could be found in the AMA include racial slurs, Hitler references, pornography and much more.
Hours later, the PR and Marketing Manager Philipp Brock made a statement on Twitter, apologising and taking full responsibility for the decision to do this AMA. This has understandably caused damage to the publisher and developers who are owned by THQ have said they are ashamed to be associated with them as their reputations may be tarnished as well.
Shahan’s Opinion: Another gaming industry PR disaster. How does a PR manager not know anything about a site they’re going to do an AMA on? I feel sorry for the innocent devs who will be linked to this incident.
RED DEAD ONLINE’S FIRST MAJOR UPDATE
Rockstar has released a new update for the Red Dead Online ‘Beta’. It brings new clothing, weapons and emotes but no new missions. It also has new features that attempt to tackle the griefing issue. This includes changes to player blips, parleys and feuds as well as changes to the law and bounty system. Weapon balances have been implemented and yes that includes changes to the Varmint Rifle. Check out IGN’s RDR2 wiki to see the full list.
However, many fans are not happy. One in particular has translated Rockstar’s update and how it comes across to the community. One of the points it makes include how they’ve backpedalled and made it harder for players to make in-game money and therefore promoting their micro-transactions. Read it here.
Shahan’s Opinion: I loved Red Dead Online but soon ran out of things to do. I’m honestly disappointed with how it’s being handled and I hope Rockstar manages to breathe new life into it as I am not impressed with its current state.
CYBERPUNK 2077 CONFIRMED FOR E3 2019 SHOWING
CD Projekt Red have revealed on Cyberpunk 2077’s official Twitter that the game will have a showing at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. Will there be a release date? We’ve come a long way from the teaser trailer at the beginning of 2013.
An adaptation of Cyberpunk 2020, a 1988 tabletop game by Mike Pondsmith, the highly anticipated game is set in Night City of the Free State of North California, a futuristic dystopia that continues to perpetuate the American dream.
You play as a mercenary named V, who can be greatly customised. From their gender and stats to their clothing and backstory. If you want to know more there’s the trailer from E3 last year as well as 48 minutes of alpha gameplay, which looks amazing as is but the devs are saying it’s still not indicative of the final product!
Shahan’s Opinion: This is without a doubt at the top of my list of anticipated games. I can’t wait!
GLOSSING OVER…
Anthem Tops UK Sale Chart in First Week…
…But with only half as many copies sold as BioWare’s last game, Mass Effect: Andromeda. This stat is all the more disappointing, given that Andromeda in turn sold only half as many copies in its first week than its own predecessor, Mass Effect 3. Hopefully this won’t be a pattern BioWare continues to follow in future…
Second Anniversary to Horizon Zero Dawn
And with this milestone comes another — Horizon Zero Dawn has hit the 10 million copy mark. Twice the reason to celebrate.
PS Vita Production Ends in Japan
They have been going since December 2011, and now it’s time to say goodbye to the PS Vita. Shipments for the final two models being produced in Japan ended on Friday 1st.
Warp Point Weekly 