The character customisation is insane!

several streamers atarted to upload the beta gameplay of Capcom's MH:Wild. Just like this one guy

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tUgANXbZ24U

Edit: For character creation in around minute 02:30

Points to note:

-Seems they used bodytype, no gender route😒

-On the positive side, there is no pronouns bs

Taro Yamada the representative of Freedom of expressions association of Japan. Recently announced on their twitter-

On October 29, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) published its "Concluding Observations on Japan's Ninth Periodic Report."

This was prepared following a face-to-face review of the "Ninth Report on the Implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women," which was held on October 17th.

In this final opinion, Concerns were expressed that "pornography, video games, manga and other animated products may incite violence against women and girls based on gender or sexual orientation."

It further recommended "effectively implementing existing legal measures and monitoring programs to address the production and distribution of pornography, video games and animation products that reinforce discriminatory gender stereotypes and reinforce sexual violence against women and girls."

However, the government (the Cabinet Office Gender Equality Bureau and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) has confirmed the content of the face-to-face screening, but no questions were asked about "manga, anime, and games." Despite not being checked during the face-to-face screening, the company expressed its concerns.

This one-sided content denies the freedom of expression in manga, anime, and games, and calls for them to be cornered through legal action and surveillance, which is extremely unjust.

Tldr - UN set up a meeting on 29 October about how to eliminate violence and discrimination against women and girls based on their gender or sexual orientation. They started off with porn but included whole japanese media such as anime manga and games and sneakingly added anime manga to censor and ban those by making laws. Currently they are not disclosing any information about guidelines and proposal and Japanese media is in danger rn and requies urgent action.

Freedom of expressions association is trying their best.

Source - https://x.com/yamadataro43/status/1851290494669930984

I am of the generation that grew up with GI Joe and He-Man cartoons. Because of U.S. broadcasting requirements (to be considered "educational" programming) they would append each show with the cornball PSAs that today are fondly remember, rather than resented, even if they were a bit goofy and obvious, and frankly a bit of a virtue signal.

This is for two reasons: 1) People could generally agree that kids playing with downed power lines or huffing paint thinner was a bad idea 2) It wasn't part of the show itself, much less the canon or the characters. Doc and Lady Jaye were just taking time to tell kids hey, nobody touches you where you don't want, tell an adult if they do.

Why can't video games (or shows these days) set aside their "message" for a bona fide PSA? I would really have zero problem if BioWare felt "You know what, our values on pronouns are such that we want to use our characters and platform to advocate for them." And if they cut a PSA that ran on YouTube, or even along with the credits in these games: "Hey folks, it's Dirk Ironhammer here. Thanks for going on this adventure. We succeeded because we're a bunch of different people who support and respect one another. Respecting differences is more important than ever ..." Sure, it might be a little telegraphed, but it's nowhere near the cringefest of Taash's completely anachronistic story arc as regarding her gender whatever identity.

You want to pull a Bharv, BioWare/Firewalk/Red Thread, do that.

Interesting they keep editing the tag(s) of this "game".

With the release of Dragon Age: Veil Guard, early indicators suggest that the game may not hit the sales numbers needed for a blockbuster success. Here’s a breakdown of why current projections and social media reactions could impact profitability:

1.	Sales Needed vs. Estimated: Given the AAA budget likely allocated to Veil Guard, it would need to sell 4-5 million units to break even. This target accounts for high production costs and a significant marketing budget. However, early indicators, including in-game player counts and initial reception, suggest that 1-3 million units within the first year may be more realistic—falling short of what’s required for a major franchise release.
2.	Platform and Marketing Costs: With a typical unit price of $60, 3 million units might generate $180 million in gross revenue. However, platforms like Steam and consoles take up to 30% in fees, reducing net revenue significantly. Combined with high marketing expenses, a 3 million unit sale could leave the game well below its break-even point, highlighting the need for stronger initial sales to cover these costs.
3.	In-Game Player Counts: The game peaked at 57,000 concurrent players by noon on launch day, with estimates of 60,000-75,000 for prime hours. High-profile RPGs usually target 100,000+ concurrent players on day one to ensure strong early momentum. These lower numbers could indicate that the game may not generate the high sales needed for profitability.
4.	Social Media Backlash: Social media reactions reflect mixed sentiment, with many fans disappointed by the shift to a lighter, “Pixar-like” aesthetic and limited player agency in storytelling. The addition of modern identity elements, like customizable pronouns, has also led to polarized discussions, impacting broader appeal and likely reducing the game’s reach among traditional fans   .

In summary, without stronger adoption, Veil Guard may struggle to meet the 4-5 million units needed for profitability, likely achieving closer to 1-3 million units in sales due to platform fees, marketing costs, and mixed fan reception.

Note: from Chat GPT conversion I had with it

He has a news show for gaming that comes out every Wednesday, Thursday afternoon (in my country) if its late.

Its evening now as I write this and still nothing.

I think him and his team are dealing with a hail storm of attacks because of the veilguard review which by the way has got 1.6 million views right now, 7 times more than alot of the reviews he does on other games.

Given how connected this guy is within the industry (judge at the game awards chosen by jeoff Keighley apparently) and given how much access he gets with early builds he gets flown in to check out and what not, ( he was one of the early Veilguard players that got super early access to the game), this review has probably gotten him in some hot water especially given how many people on our side and beyond have referenced it.

I could be wrong and it could be nothing but I do think the wokies and their devs are cracking down on any dissent right now

In light of Veilguard's release and the posts from the past few weeks asking about Metaphor, I wanted to give my perspective, having played around 80 hours of Metaphor.

Metaphor is a highly political game because its core theme revolves around a fantasy world with multiple races, deeply rooted issues of racism, a social hierarchy of "superiors" and "inferiors," and a believable world built on its own set of rules. Sounds super "woke," right? But it’s not like that. The cast is diverse, but not to check boxes. Each character has their own motivations, storylines, good qualities, and, importantly, flaws. There's no push for everyone to be "equal"; instead, it’s about recognizing and respecting differences. In fact, it openly critiques the idea of equalizing everything to avoid offending anyone. And above all, it never forgets it’s a game with the main goal of being fun. It doesn't shove a message in your face. The world-building is consistent, and it stays true to its own setting and rules.

With that, I think it's clear why Veilguard falls short in comparison. Here, characters don’t serve the story; they're one-dimensional representations of their "diverse" traits, and that’s somehow supposed to be more important than the looming apocalypse threatening their world. It’s not just immersion-breaking; it’s maximum cringe. Veilguard forgets it’s a game, and worse, it loses sight of its own fantasy setting and world-building.

TLDR : Metaphor is a game that brings diversity in a way that keeps its focus on entertainment rather than preaching inclusivity, whereas Veilguard does the opposite.

Side Scrollers Podcast segment

(Because the thumbnail was being flagged by reddit as NSFW and hiding the post)

Unlike any other big game that's come out in recent years, Veilguard feels like the companies behind it (whether willingly or at the hand of some activists, I don't care) have decided to go absolutely, 100% all-in on the propaganda, forced PR and access journalism, in a very clear make it or break it push.

1. If they make it, this will send a clear message to all other publishers and studios who were on the fence about "chuds and incels" and will confirm to them that stubborn "non-modern" consumers can be brought to heel with enough millions poured into the astroturfing.

Please remember the golden rule of branding, marketing and PR: Perception beats reality. Veilguard doesn't need to be objectively good to set an example for other franchises. It only needs to feel good or be remembered as good in the consumer's mind, based on initial review scores and PR.

2. If they don't, they're going to pull a Victoria's Secret, where they went in full woke and condescending, had Megan Rapinoe and an entire cast of smug diverse-inclusive women-men strutting about in lingerie; they got laughed at and sales plummeted. As a result, everything was scrapped, they got the Angels back and everyone pretended that nothing happened.

If Ea/BioWare pull a Victoria's Secret and it works, the cycle will repeat soon enough.

For the love of what Dragon Age used to be, Veilguard needs to be memed long and hard enough that it becomes part of internet history. I can only hope that Taash's writing will have a similar impact to Andromeda's "my face is tired" moment.