Latest news with #Ishizaki
SoraNews24
5 days ago
- Sport
- SoraNews24
Yakko Welsh Onion Tossing World Championships held in Kochi Prefecture
Don't play with your food, unless it's a competitive sport. Every year, the strongest competitors in Kami City, Kochi Prefecture, gather to determine who has the grace, might, and dexterity to throw a Welsh onion as far as possible. This year will mark the eighth Yakko Welsh Onion Tossing World Championship in which 60 men, women, and children will put their ability to propel produce to the test. Sure, that might be a little small to call a 'World Championship' but if the MLB can do it, so can they. The sport itself is certainly easier said than done as Welsh onions, or 'negi' as they're known in Japan, are very long and flimsy, making them very ill-suited as projectiles. The local variety known as yakko negi is especially wobbly with a thickness of only half a centimeter (0.2 inches) and length of 60 centimeters (two feet), with a very small white section where its center of gravity normally would lie. ▼ A news report on the Yakko Welsh Onion Tossing World Championship These technical hurdles didn't dissuade the competitors from giving it their all in this event designed to help revitalize and repopulate the area. This year it was held at the Saoka District Community Center, formerly known as Saoka Elementary School before it closed due to a lack of children. Each contestant was able to select two yakko negi and throw each one from a 65-centimeter-high (26-inch-high) platform to see who could send it the farthest within a designated playing field. In the men's division, defending champion and world record holder Koji Ishizaki blew his competition away and secured his fifth title with a throw of 16.56 meters (54.3 feet). Despite the win, it was a personal disappointment for Ishizaki to not beat his own World Record of 17.83 meters (58.5 feet). The 34-year-old former high school baseball player and SDF member also once held a Guinness World Record for longest thrown garlic chive at 15.88 meters (52.1 feet) at a similar competition in Konan City of the same prefecture. However, his record was broken by Australian Oscar Lynagh, a serial Guinness Record attempter who threw one for 18.60 meters (61 feet) in Melbourne. Ishizaki is far from giving up and shares his wisdom with everyone in the hopes of bringing the record back to Japan. He says the key is to find the straightest possible onion with a firm core that extends far up into the leaf area. Also, many people might be tempted to put a spin on their Welsh onion, but Ishizaki recommends keeping your wrist locked and throwing it as if just pushing it forward. Ishizaki loves Welsh onions, leeks, and chives in his off-time and often buys them at the market, where he can further appreciate their physical properties as well as their taste. ▼ Ishizaki demonstrates his throw. In the women's division, Sumika Kondo won with a throw of 13.36 meters (43.8 feet) and in the children's division Yuto Tamura, who also happens to be Ishizaki's nephew, won with a 13.10-meter (43-feet) throw rivaling the adults. The Saoka Area Regional Development Promotion Council said they understood why some people might find food-throwing competitions inappropriate but felt it was the best way to get the world to know about yakko negi and where it's grown. If you're reading this in another country, then mission accomplished. Source: Asahi Shimbun, KUTV, Guinness World Records Featured image: ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
In its 3-player push, Elden Ring Nightreign boss admits FromSoftware "kind of overlooked and neglected the duos aspect," but is considering it for "post-launch support"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Elden Ring Nightreign is a PvE gauntlet designed for teams of three, and it really encourages matchmaking, though there is soft balancing to accommodate solo play despite the unavoidable risks of going it alone without buddies who can revive your downed corporeal form by lovingly hitting it with swords. The idea of playing with exactly one other friend, however, kind of got lost in the mix. You either drop in alone or the game gives you a team of three. But director Junya Ishizaki says FromSoftware hasn't abandoned squads of two. Speaking with IGN, Ishizaki explains the lack of dedicated duo play in Nightreign. "The simple answer is that this is simply something that was overlooked during development as just a two-player option, so we're very sorry about that," he says. "As we said before, we set out to make this a multiplayer co-op game for three players, balanced for three players, so that was the main focus and it's at the core of Nightreign," he continues. "Of course, I myself as a player understand that and often want times where I'm just playing myself, so this is something that we considered from the start. And so we did put a lot of effort into creating this experience that was playable for solo players in as much as the rules and new systems allowed." While "we kind of overlooked and neglected the duos aspect," Ishizaki says "this is something that we are looking at and considering for post-launch support as well." For the time being, the only post-launch updates confirmed for Nightreign are the contents of its DLC, which includes new characters, bosses, and map biomes. From Ishizaki's comments, it sounds like player feedback could inspire more granular updates aimed at specific gameplay experiences, including a more bespoke two-player run. So, can you play Elden Ring Nightreign solo? Yes, with some asterisks. One way that Nightreign numbs the sting of solo play is "a self-revive feature" that you can find out in the map, Ishizaki told IGN. It's a limited life raft, but anything is better than going down, dying alone, and losing a hard-earned level on respawn. Ishizaki previously said that even when playing in a team – especially, I'd imagine, if you're matchmaking with random players – you may end up taking on some enemies solo since you and your teammates "don't have to babysit one another" and can explore at your own pace. And as a solo player, rather than mathematically scaling enemies down, it seems enemy AI is adjusted so you don't get dogpiled quite so heavily. I'd expected bosses, which will corral players together, to feel pretty tanky alone, though, and it certainly feels like Nightreign is best experienced as a group. In my Elden Ring Nightreign hands-on preview, my team found more success staying together and doing some dogpiling ourselves, but that's much easier to plan with a premade team. FromSoftware warns "the same strategy won't always work" in Elden Ring Nightreign, which is bad news for me because I used the same strategy in all the Souls games.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"We didn't start off by saying, 'let's aim to build a roguelike'": Elden Ring Nightreign director says FromSoftware wasn't really aiming for a roguelike feel, it just kind of happened
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Elden Ring Nightreign offers a unique roguelike twist on the Souls genre we all know and love, but it turns out that the devs at FromSoftware didn't set out with that exact term in mind when they began creating it. Asked about whether the term "roguelike" came up a lot internally when speaking in an interview with GamesRadar+, Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki tells us that while "a lot of our team members and developers are familiar with these games and how they work," he doesn't "feel like they are an axis for how we base these projects and how we branch out the gameplay ideas." Rather, this came after "a lot of feeling out the gameplay and the structure." Ishizaki explains: "We didn't start off by saying, 'let's aim to build a roguelike,' or something, a game that features a lot of random elements. It's not necessarily a jumping off point for the game design, is what I'm trying to say. It was more the result of a lot of feeling out the gameplay and the structure, and figuring out what the best solution to a certain problem was or what made sense in terms of where that particular gameplay element was headed at the time. "So these are, again, quite serendipitous elements, but they are more answers or solutions to problems than actual game design templates or axes, if you will." Regardless, the final result sees Nightreign as a refreshing take on FromSoftware's brutal action RPG formula. In fact, producer Yasuhiro Kitao recently acknowledged that it has "some peculiar aspects," and is thankful that so many fans have already "bravely jumped into this world." While you're here, be sure to check out our Elden Ring Nightreign review, as well as our roundup of other upcoming new games for 2025.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elden Ring Nightreign Day-One Patch Makes Important Changes Ahead of Official Release Date
Elden Ring Nightreign's release is just hours away, and publisher Bandai Namco has detailed its day-one patch, which makes some important changes to the game. Patch 1.01 is out now, Bandai Namco said, with the multiplayer spin-off set to go live on May 29 or May 30, depending on your timezone. Check out the Elden Ring Nightreign global release times for more. The patch, Bandai Namco said, improves 'handling' of playable characters, makes balance adjustments, tweaks text, adds character scenarios, and adds to the soundtrack. There are bug fixes in there, too. 'This update brings gameplay and stability improvements to ensure an optimal experience for your first steps in Limveld,' Bandai Namco said. You'll know you have the latest version of the game on launch day if you see 'Ver. 1.01' displayed on the bottom right of the title screen. In IGN's recent interview with Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki, the development lead discussed the choice to lean on solos and trios as the core experience options. When asked why there's no option for a pair of players to drop in together without a matchmade third player, Ishizaki said it was overlooked. "The simple answer is that this is simply something that was overlooked during development as just a two-player option, so we're very sorry about that," said Ishizaki. "As we said before, we set out to make this a multiplayer co-op game for three players, balanced for three players, so that was the main focus and it's at the core of Nightreign. "Of course, I myself as a player understand that and often want times where I'm just playing myself, so this is something that we considered from the start," Ishizaki continued. "And so we did put a lot of effort into creating this experience that was playable for solo players in as much as the rules and new systems allowed. So in putting all our efforts into that aspect, we kind of overlooked and neglected the duos aspect, but this is something that we are looking at and considering for post-launch support as well." So if you're playing with just your favorite duos partner, be ready to accept a random third into your lives. Who knows? You might match up with someone pretty good at the game. Check out these crucial Elden Ring Nightreign tips and tricks we put together from the network test — and keep an eye on the IGN Nightreign wiki for plenty more guides when the game launches. Elden Ring Nightreign update 1.01 patch notes: Improved handling of playable characters Soundtrack addition and adjustments Text adjustments Balance adjustments Added character scenarios Bug fixes Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ or confidentially at wyp100@
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elden Ring Nightreign's Massive Steam Launch Tarnished by 'Mixed' User Reviews Over Lack of Duos Co-Op, Voice Chat
Elden Ring Nightreign has enjoyed a massive launch on Steam, but the excitement was tarnished by a 'mixed' user review rating. FromSoftware's co-op spin-off saw an incredible 313,593 peak concurrent users on Steam overnight, enough to make Elden Ring Nightreign one of the most-played games on Valve's platform. But it also came with a number of negative reviews (67% of the reviews are positive so far), most of which point out Elden Ring Nightreign's lack of duos, or two-player co-op, and voice chat. Elden Ring Nightreign drops players into the shifting lands of Limveld, exploring and fighting for survival either solo or in groups of three. There is no way to play two-player co-op. As explained in IGN's Elden Ring Nightreign review: "Let's get the most important caveat out of the way first: if you are hoping to tackle Nightreign entirely solo, and are anything less than a hardcore Elden Ring player that actively seeks out ways to make that already difficult game even more challenging, Nightreign isn't for you. Yes, there is technically a single-player option, but it is so poorly balanced that I would be shocked if it isn't patched and adjusted within the first month of release. And this is coming from someone who lives and breathes these types of games." We've got plenty of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you take down all the eight Nightlord Bosses, and if you're wondering how to unlock the two locked Nightfarer Classes, check out How to Unlock the Revenant and How to Unlock the Duchess, plus How to Change Characters. In IGN's interview with Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki, the Nightreign lead developer discussed the choice to lean on solos and trios as the core experience options. When asked why there's no option for a pair of players to drop in together without a matchmade third player, Ishizaki said it was overlooked. "The simple answer is that this is simply something that was overlooked during development as just a two-player option, so we're very sorry about that," said Ishizaki. "As we said before, we set out to make this a multiplayer co-op game for three players, balanced for three players, so that was the main focus and it's at the core of Nightreign. "Of course, I myself as a player understand that and often want times where I'm just playing myself, so this is something that we considered from the start," Ishizaki continued. "And so we did put a lot of effort into creating this experience that was playable for solo players in as much as the rules and new systems allowed. So in putting all our efforts into that aspect, we kind of overlooked and neglected the duos aspect, but this is something that we are looking at and considering for post-launch support as well." This means that if you're playing with just your favorite duos partner, you have to accept a random third into your game. Playing trios is very much what Elden Ring Nightreign is built some players are unhappy with the situation. 'Elden Ring co-op, but not really,' reads one negative Steam review. 'You need three people, two isn't allowed. And why? Because. How can something like this happen? I'm deeply disappointed and thought about a refund.' 'No duo option, had random people join to just run off and do their own thing,' reads another negative review. 'Let me duo with my mate…' 'If you don't have two other friends to play with in voice chat, don't waste your time,' another negative review said. 'Game is Elden Ring, but 3p, and the solo queue is abysmal (queuing up to play with randoms). Without VC it's super hard to coordinate where to go, where chests/consumables are, trying to drop items for teammates, etc. Even though I really love Elden Ring and roguelites in general as well as Nightreign's syle of gameplay, I wouldn't see myself ever playing this game again without friends in VC, or if 1p experience wasn't as hard as a 'level 1 Elden Ring any% speedrun.' 'I think no matter how good you are at the game, it doesn't matter if you're bad at teamwork, especially in an environment where communicating is close to nonexistent (pins in a punishing fast-paced PvE game isn't it lol).' The voice chat issue keeps cropping up. Here's another negative review: 'Impossible to make progress without voice chat. If you have three friends you can talk to and play regularly, you will have a great time, the connection is smooth, the map is full of events and the game loop is very interesting. 'However I am a 41-year-old man and I don't have friends to regularly play this with, let alone two others (you need three people to go in as a team, two won't work either). 'Even if they bring voice chat in the game (I'm not sure how there isn't one at the moment) you won't really enjoy this as much as if you were trying to fight with buddies, as your responsiveness with randoms will affect how you feel about your game a lot. 'Playing it solo queue with randoms is hard, it's hard to communicate, it's hard to share items, it's hard to discuss tactics or decide on the next area to farm, it's just hard. 'TL;DR, if you don't have two more friends you can group up with regularly, it's not fun.' As Ishizaki suggested in our interview, duos is something FromSoftware may add to Elden Ring Nightreign in the future. Until then, you're faced with solo or three-player only. Ahead of the launch of Elden Ring Nightreign, FromSoftware warned PC gamers that they may experience framerate drops if they're using "the latest graphics cards." In a vague note to fans included with Elden Ring Nightreigh's day-one patch notes, FromSoftware said it was investigating the cause, and suggested those affected drop the graphics settings down from the default "High" to "Medium" or "Low" and lowering the screen resolution, as well as installing the latest drivers for your graphics card. Check out these crucial Elden Ring Nightreign tips and tricks we put together from the network test — and keep an eye on the IGN Nightreign wiki for plenty more guides when the game launches. Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ or confidentially at wyp100@
