Tag Archives: Yoko Taro

“NieR:Automata” to be featured on the NHK program “Game Genome” with appearances by Yoko Taro, Takahisa Taura, and Yui Ishikawa

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The episode of Game Genome featuring NieR:Automata with appearances by Yoko Taro, Takahisa Taura, and voice of 2B, Yui Ishikawa, will air tonight at 11:00pm (JST) on NHK G.

Game Genome is an educational program that regards games as a form of cultural and explores the allure of gaming masterpieces. The episode airing tonight will highlight the action RPG NieR:Automata, in which androids, the ultimate weapons of humanity, embark on a mission to reclaim the Earth from machine lifeforms.

Guests appearing on the program include NieR:Automata creative director Yoko Taro, Senior Game Designer Takahisa Taura, and the voice of 2B, Yui Ishikawa.

They will be delving deep into the core of Automata’s story, so beware of spoilers. They’ve claimed that they’ll be discussing the biggest gaming spoiler in the history of the program. This will also be Taura’s first appearance on a television broadcast.

“Yoko Taro is an ass who has no right to be on a show like this, but since it’s Taura’s first time on TV, I’ll try my best to talk with him, although I’m afraid everything will be cut.”

Thanks, Inside Games.

Limited time Japanese sake collab with two famous game creators, Yoko Taro and Hiroshi Matsuyama

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For the adults in the room who are also video game fans, check this out! There will be a limited time collaboration between two well-known game creators, Yoko Taro and Hiroshi Matsuyama, and Izakaya Kuroe to produce these amazing designs for sake bottles!

Here’s a quick shout-out to Yoko Taro and Hiroshi Matsuyama and anyone who might enjoy a traditional adult beverage in Japan known specifically as Junmai-shu sake.

“Junmai-shu [純米酒] can be translated as “pure/unmixed rice sake”, which means that no additives have been added. Additives!? Well, with the exception of regular sake (futsu-shu), where brewers also may add sugar or organic acids to achieve the desired profile, alcohol is the only additive allowed in sake production.”

→ You can read more about this type of sake from the site linked below.

What is Junmai Sake? Sake Guide

▶︎ Yoko Taro / Bukkoro x Tatsutaya Special Junmai sake

Note that this is a special sake made in Nagoya, Yoko’s hometown, and that his wife, Yukiko, created the design on this label.

▶︎ Hiroshi Matsuyama / CyberConnect2 x Kokugyu Jinmai Daiginjo Sake

▶︎ Livestream Program with Yoko Taro and Hiroshi Matsuyama

  • Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 8:30pm (JST)

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SINoALICE “The Very Last Story” Fan Movie Announced

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There still one final surprise for all SINoALICE fans! The team behind the project has made a so-called “fan movie” to tell “The Very Last Story” in the franchise. Check out below for more details!

Since it’s kinda sad for a long-standing mobile game to suddenly end service, the powers that be have come together to produce one last story for the fans: an hour-long ending movie that should wrap-up many of the remaining loose ends.

Here’s the teaser trailer:

We see some interesting things throughout the trailer above, for example both the fairy tale and reality versions of the characters, a really cool revisioning of the battlefield that players know all too well, and some really scary dolls that are apparently rampaging within the Library. Maybe they’re trying to “escape”…

▲ A shot of Reality Alice as she jumps from a building. Remember, all of the characters somehow befell a horrible fate in the real world and apparently “woke up” within the Library, that is, if my memory serves me…

▲ An interesting shot of fairy tale Alice… smiling…? And yes, SINoALICE has used Angelic Script throughout the series as well as the majority of Yoko Taro’s works.

The movie is scheduled to be screened on Friday, February 23 at Shinjuku Wald 9 in Tokyo and T Joy Umeda in Osaka. No specific time was listed.

▶︎ Merchandise and More

▲ Here’s the key visual for the movie with an example image of a clear file that comes with the movie ticket from Movie Walker Store.

▲ Ticket pre-orders are available now through February 22 (or until sold out, I assume!) from the Movie Walker Store. Various goodies will be sold at the venue such as:

  • Character Buttons – 440 yen each (tax included) – Total of 8 types
  • Acrylic Board A – 2,200 yen (tax included)
  • Metal Postcard A – 1,650 yen (tax included) – 5 card set

There will also be a special final broadcast tonight at 9:00pm (JST).

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SINoALICE service ends

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As of 12:00 pm (JST) today, SINoALICE has officially closed all of its servers and ended service for the smartphone game by Yoko Taro, which was first released on June 6, 2017. Six and a half years was still a pretty good run for a grindy gacha game!

Here’s a quick look at some messages from the development team and other fans of the long-running social smartphone game!

“As of 12:00 on January 15, 2024, service for “SINoALICE” has concluded. Thank you very much for your continued support over the past six and a half years since the service began.”
“Thanks to all of you, this isn’t just an end of service, but we were actually able to give it a proper ending. I’m really thankful to you! I don’t know how long “Something that was SINoALICE” will last or the details and specifications, but I would be happy if you could leave the icon in a corner of your home screen for as long as possible.” — Takuto Aoki
“SINoALICE…service has ended. To everyone including administrators and users: Thank you for your hard work.” — Manga artist Himiko (2024.1.15)
“It was a super fun social game! I will never forget the characters! Memories of eternal maintenance, Colo, and events will remain forever!! I’m really thankful!! Many thanks to everyone involved in the development!”

The developers were extremely kind in allowing even casual players who may have stopped playing the game over the years to access a secret area in the game that unlocked the final book entitled “SINoALICE”. After clearing these chapters, users were treated to a short ending movie and a final ranking headstone in proper SINoALICE style.

Famitsu also did an interview with creative director Yoko Taro, which you can read at the link below.

“End of Service: 1/15
The last SINoALICE interview (maybe)
Yoko Taro and other developers discuss “what is the right to terminate the game”.
* Contains plenty of spoilers!
* There is also mention of a secret feature in the game.”

Yoko Taro’s Drag-on-Dragoon 3 Celebrates its 10th Anniversary

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Today marks the 10th Anniversary of the PlayStation3 RPG Drag-on-Dragoon 3 (DOD3), also known as Drakengard 3 in the West, which was originally released in Japan ten years ago today on December 19, 2013. Below you will find a brief appreciation thread to celebrate the occasion.

The anticipation for the release of this game back on December 19, 2013 was crazy. I remember it well, as it was my first real chance to become active in the community to support the works of Yoko Taro, the previous having been the original NieR Replicant/Gestalt released 3 years prior. It was all thanks to my love of that game that I entirely hopped on to the hype train for DOD3.

Drag-on-Dragoon 3 (Japanese) – Opening Movie

With a dark and somewhat twisted story that we’ve come to expect from the mind of Yoko Taro, DOD3 follows Zero along on her quest along with her dragon companion, Michael, to vanquish her younger siblings. Throughout the story, more of this mystery is revealed to eventually conclude in a very by splitting the timeline between the “good” ending in the game and an alternate ending from the novel, which continues the linear progression through the main timeline of the DrakeNieR universe.

It’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed since then, and fans are still anxiously awaiting a possible 4th installment into the franchise.

▶︎ Fan Favorite Moments in the Game

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