Month: October 2024

More than 21 years after it was originally released, one of the true holy grails of Japanese-only games has been translated into English. Fan translator Hilltop Works, who previously translated cult favorite Square Enix carPG Racing Lagoon, released an English patch for life sim Boku no Natsuyasumi 2 on Thursday. The trailer above celebrates the release, showing off a two minute slice of the game with English subtitles, UI, and in-game artwork.

If you had to compare Boku no Natsuyasumi 2 to other well-known games, it’s most similar to the likes of Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley, but only broadly. You’re not tending crops or doing much at all that feels truly “gamey” in Boku no Natsuyasumi (which translates to My Summer Vacation). You take on the role of a young boy living a month of summer break in the Japanese countryside circa 1975. That may sound mundane, but the series seems to leave a deep mark on those who’ve played it. I’m very excited to be one of those people, soon, thanks to Hilltop Works’ translation. But don’t take my speculative word for it—take it from Tim Rogers’ six hour video:

There aren’t many games that feel truly autobiog…

Something you see a lot in cozy games is a scenario where you move to a small island or a rustic neighborhood, then use your farm or shop to revitalize it, bringing new life to a sweet but neglected little town. Those vibes are definitely present in supermarket management sim Discounty… at least at first. 

In Discounty you’ve been summoned to the quiet little harbor town of Blomkest by your aunt to take over a run-down grocery store. You’ll have to clean the place up, stock your shelves, make deals with local manufacturers, keep your customers happy while getting to know them, and grow your dumpy shop into a beautiful and efficient store. Sounds great!

Watch On

But there’s something else going on in the Discounty trailer revealed today at Wholesome Direct today. The act of becoming a successful businessperson is seasoned with a dash of capitalist dystopia.

“By opening a Discounty franchise, you can transform the most unassuming small town into an attractive regional business hub,” says the upbeat narrator, using the soulless corpo-speak we’ve heard a thousand times in press releases and earnings calls. I get the feeling that opening a charming littl…

Axis Studios, the Scottish animation and VFX company who made the 2011 Dead Island rewinding teaser, is shutting down. Per GamesIndustry, the studio has ceased production on all its current projects, with 162 employees laid off as the company enters administration.

Back in 2011, Axis produced a cinematic E3 premiere teaser that singlehandedly catapulted Dead Island to the forefront of public consciousness. In a slow-motion, rewound sequence, the trailer revealed how a family’s White Lotus-ass vacation met an early, grisly end at the hands of an amassing zombie horde. Even without any gameplay footage, the response at the time was huge. (Zombies weren’t quite as played out in 2011.)

I didn’t end up enjoying Dead Island very much, but I sure as hell bought it and that teaser is to blame. Imitated and parodied countless times since, Axis’s Dead Island trailer left a profound fingerprint on the long-running trope of big budget game reveals pairing gruesome violence with moody, contemplative backing music. Coincidentally, Axis eventually worked on Gears of War, too.

Since then, Axis provided animation and VFX for some of the biggest names in games, h…