Written By: Max Mitchelson
Edited By: Mary Joaquin
Welcome to the Weekly Gaming Round-Up!
It’s been another slow week for games, but among the doldrums were a couple of exciting announcements. Save Me Mr Tako is returning to storefronts, E3 2021 will be a free virtual event, and Mihoyo’s Genshin Impact causes controversy.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling on major platforms to not allow Six Days in Fallujah onto their storefronts, and Neo: The World Ends With You is releasing this summer.
Monday, April 5
The charming monochrome adventure platformer Save Me Mr Tako is returning to storefronts after it was delisted in 2020 when developer Christophe Galati parted ways with Publisher Nicalis.
This throwback title replicates the look and feel of classic Gameboy games like Kirby’s Dreamland and follows an Octopus trying to resolve long-standing conflicts between human and octopi-kind. The new release will come with improved physics, level design, difficulty tweaks, quality of life changes, and much more.
Alongside digital versions on PC, Limited Run Games is publishing both digital and physical console versions of the game.
Tuesday, April 6
Despite prior rumors, the Entertainment Software Association announced that E3 2021 is a free digital event from June 12 to the 15.
Publishers like Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Koch Media, Take-Two Interactive, and Warner Bros. Games are already set to present at the convention. After canceling last year’s E3, the ESA says the event has been “reimagined” as an all-virtual event, according to Eurogamer.
ESA President and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis stated, "We are evolving this year's E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable centre [sic] stage for video games."
At the moment, VGC's report about E3 having paywall elements seem to have fallen flat. There has been no mention of an extra fee or “premium package” exclusives.
Wednesday, April 7
On Monday night, #BoycottGenshinImpact and #DoBetterMihoyo began to trend on Twitter, criticizing the popular MMO for long-standing issues with the game.
Though engagement with the hashtags have died down after two days of being in full swing, the hashtags remain persistent in the game's social media presence.
The original hashtag, #BoycottGenshinImpact, began as a response to the rumored delay of in-game content and as criticism of Mihoyo’s use of indigenous people as a reference for common enemies. Eventually, the hashtag softened its approach to #DoBetterMihoyo as most fans have no intentions of dropping the game.
Beyond the initial arguments, criticisms also emerged discussing Mihoyo’s descriptions of two of its darker-skinned characters, an uncomfortable relationship between a child and adult, and account security.
Thursday, April 8
The US-based Muslim advocacy group, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), asked Sony, Microsoft, and Valve, to de-platform the controversial shooter Six Days in Fallujah.
In a press release, CAIR called the game an “Arab Murder simulator.” They criticize the game's well-publicized focus on the bravery of US Soldiers over civilian and Iraqi military casualties and the atrocities the US army committed during the devastating battle.
CAIR Research and Advocacy Coordinator Huzaifa Shahbaz stated, “Video games like Six Days in Fallujah only serve to glorify violence that took hundreds of Iraqi civilians' lives, justify the Iraq war, and reinforce anti-Muslim sentiment".
Friday, April 9
The follow-up to The World Ends With You is releasing on Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch and on the Epic Games Store on July 27.
Titled "Neo: The World Ends With You", the next game in the series that began over ten years ago on the Nintendo DS again features a cast of unique characters in Tokyo’s Shibuya, and now Shinjuku district. Neo focuses on Rindo and a team of others as they are forced to compete in the life or death Reapers game.
Unlike the 2D perspective of The World Ends With You, Neo opts for a full 3D cell-shaded approach, with combat looking more like a traditional ARPG as opposed to unique dual-screen combat of the original.
The new trailer also introduces a number of the new characters and teases some old ones.
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