This Week in Games - SaGa's End
Welcome back, folks! We've had a busy week, between Godzilla Minus Zero and the Ocarina of Time remake. Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to enjoy either of them. With Kumoricon this weekend in Portland, OR, I've had to make last-minute preparations for a panel I'm hosting. Past-me knew that taking on a certain game review was going to put me behind. Current-me can confirm it did put me behind. My panel is at least presentable, but I still haven't had a chance to play Ocarina of Time.
SaGa translator passes away
The SaGa fandom is a tightly-knit group. While the games are fairly obscure—or because of their obscurity—the fanbase for those games is loyal. As a result, Neil Broadley was a respected figure among the group. Sadly, this past week, we received news that Broadley lost his battle with cancer.
https://t.co/nJBaYVmnd8
— Neil Broadley, SaGa Localization Director (@SaGa_NeilB) November 6, 2026
Broadley had been the localization director for the SaGa games for almost a decade, including titles such as SaGa: Emerald Beyond, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, and the upcoming Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United. He was also involved in several SaGa-related collaborations, such as the Emerald Diorama DLC for Vampire Survivors. Not just a translator, Broadley was a vocal proponent of the SaGa series, constantly extolling the games' virtues on social media while offering insight into his translation decisions.
The SaGa team was deeply affected by Broadley's loss. Akitoshi Kawazu, creator of the SaGa series, tweeted out his thanks to Broadley, adding, "Enjoy games in peace." Masanori Ichikawa, the series producer, also tweeted out his condolences, remembering Broadley's passion for the series. Kazuyuki Shindo, director of SaGa: Emerald Beyond and SaGa: Scarlet Grace, also tweeted out (translated from Japanese), "Neil, I'll ask you to translate my game again sometime."
Shige, Broadley's partner of 25 years, extended one final request to the SaGa community, urging them to keep supporting Square Enix. "Each one [of their games] is made with the passion of so many people, including Niel and those who carry on his work." He ended his post saying, "When you play a SaGa game he worked on, I hope you remember the warm, loving person behind it."
We extend our deepest condolences to Broadley's family and loved ones, and to the SaGa team. And we hope that Broadley rests easy in the knowledge that he was loved, appreciated, and is sorely missed.
Sega arcade machines offline after major hack
It's a rough time for arcades, even in Japan; the economic downturn has spelled the end for a lot of beloved long-running game centers. It only got worse last week when the ALL.Net service was hacked, leaving many arcade machines unbootable and in the dark.
11/6 9:00現在【ALL․Net、Aimeメンテナンスについて】 復旧に向けて対応を進めておりますが、現時点でサービス再開の目処は立っておりません。 今後も定期的に状況をご報告いたします。次回は11/8(日) 9:00にご報告する予定です。 皆様にはご不便をおかけしておりますことを深くお詫び申し上げます。
— ALL.Netサービス情報 (@allnet_info) November 6, 2026
ALL.Net is an acronym for "Amusement Linkage Live Network." Created by Sega Fave, Sega's arcade division, the service stores and shares player data across a network of machines. Using an IC card, players can also access their data across these machines. The service doesn't just cover Sega games, either; a good number of Bandai Namco machines also connect to the service.
Understandably, if a network connecting so many games goes under, it causes major problems for arcades across Japan. And unfortunately, that's what happened; the service has been dark since the start of the month following a cyberattack. While an update was given on the fifth, as recently as November 10, there is still no word on when the maintenance will end. In the meantime, games across the country are inoperable. Twitter users have reported on the damage across many Japanese arcades. Fans abroad can rest assured: these Japanese machines in North America use NBLine, so they're still operable. Meanwhile, fans in Japan can't enjoy titles like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Last Survivor, Initial D Extreme Stage, or Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 6RR PLUS.
This is an unfortunate consequence of the reliance on digital networks for games; we've seen these kinds of network outages crippling games, like with the myriad PlayStation Network hacks. And while these network outages are bad enough when they happen on a wide service scale for consumers, they're even worse when it hurts arcades across the nation. Reportedly, a lot of arcade owners are very upset about this turn of events, and every day the network is out represents a great deal of lost profits. Unfortunately, at the moment we can do little else but hope the ALL.Net services are restored as soon as possible.
At least the arcade cats still work.
#ALLNet緊急メンテナンスの理由だと思うもの https://t.co/B6Oi977AlD
— ゲームセンターベティ (@gamebetty_nanao) November 4, 2026
1999TOKOYO Building demo
We're going back to a demo today! We got a notification that this game was released earlier this week, and it seemed interesting enough to cover. And while I didn't have time to fully review it, having a demo available on Steam worked out for me. This is 1999TOKOYO Building!
Games set in 1999 are really starting to pile up, it seems. And I can see why: being from an era before smartphones makes it easier to work with dramatic tension. That, and we can all appreciate the aesthetic of old standard-definition VHS recordings. 1999TOKOYO Building definitely leans into that aesthetic; the interface has scanlines, the assets look like old 1990s-era news-report CGI, and even the goofy little commercials you see on television now and then feel like older ads. Taking place over the course of December 1999, you play as Akira. A young man who's lived as a common thief on the streets of Tokyo, he finds himself in the Tokoyo Building early in December. While he tries to use his silver tongue to work his way back out after being caught by the building's employees, he finds he is now incapable of leaving. The employees of Tokoyo Building just straight-up die if they try to walk out. So Akira now spends his time doing odd jobs around the building while also getting to know the other employees.
The good news is that the cast is actually pretty fleshed out. While the demo only covers the first chapter, it's pretty obvious that everyone has way more going on than it seems. Samejima, who oversees the water tanks that keep all the building's fish alive, gives the impression of being a listless airhead... but she's got fangs. The Count is the villain for the local hero show, but also handles the building's expenses... and seems to know way more than he lets on. Meanwhile, the local hero Tokoyo Man is an explosive masked hero dedicated to bringing smiles to children... but he can't be a hero if the show isn't running. And then there's Camellia, a local gothic lolita who loves dolls and runs the local dollhouse... which is the setting of a lot of disappearances.
The first chapter mostly covers Camellia's story. I think that's for the best; at first blush, Camellia is the prickliest resident of the Tokoyo Building—and the easiest way to onboard players into what they're in for. While she's mostly just a local fortune teller and the owner of the local dollhouse exhibit, there is predictably more to her dolls than you'd expect—which you can learn if you stay still in her dollhouse for more than ten seconds. But she has depths as a person; while she drinks bagged tea and only seems to subsist on convenience store sweet rolls, she doesn't mean to push people away. Unfortunately, getting close to Camellia does involve a degree of misdirection—and it's misdirection that will come back to haunt you in short order. But, of course, if you don't like how a tape is going, you can always just rewind it a little...
There are moments where the game becomes a point-and-click game; you'll be forced to examine locations, clicking and dragging the screen to get a better look at the room. There are even a few occasions where these are used for effective frights. There are some collectibles you can look forward to in these scenarios (Camellia's room hid a ton of Christmas decorations, for some reason). But for the most part, you'll be collecting clues for later use. There's also a simple lock-picking mini-game—though the "mini-game" mostly consists of sliding your mouse across the screen in the demo. Annoying pixel-hunting seems to be avoided, so it's mostly headache-free.
1999TOKOYO BUILDING's first chapter is a decent length (about an hour and change). The story is engaging, and the cast is a lot of fun—if the standoffish gothic lolita won me over, there's no telling what the rest of the cast has in store. The full game is only US$10, and on sale for US$8 until November 23. Folks who need a good visual novel definitely should check it out. And if you're still unsure, you can play the demo for yourself!
Let's wrap up with some quick tidbits:
That'll do it for this week. As mentioned earlier, anyone coming to Portland, OR this weekend can swing by Kumoricon. I'll be hosting my History of Japanese Superheroes panel this Saturday at 9:30 am. I look forward to seeing folks there! And if you do come by, bring your 3DS so everyone can exchange Streetpasses. Those still matter in 2026! Everyone else, go watch Godzilla Minus Zero for me in IMAX and report back on the experience of loud kaiju noises rupturing your eardrums. Hopefully, that'll be me someday... Be good to each other; I'll see you in seven!
This Week In Games! is written from idyllic Portland by Jean-Karlo Lemus. When not collaborating with Anime News Network, Jean-Karlo can be found playing Japanese RPGs, eating popcorn, watching VTuber content, and watching tokusatsu. You can keep up with him at @ventcard.bsky.social.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of Anime News Network, its employees, owners, or sponsors. discuss this in the forum |
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