3675 replies to this topic

[Smiter]

Yoshinori Ono, the producer of the Street Fighter series has been rushed to hospital, after collapsing from exhaustion:

http://kotaku.com/58...to-the-hospital

Hopefully he will get plenty of rest now and make a full recovery!

[Gravenimage]

Yoshinori Ono, the producer of the Street Fighter series has been rushed to hospital, after collapsing from exhaustion:

http://kotaku.com/58...to-the-hospital

Hopefully he will get plenty of rest now and make a full recovery!

Whoa some game developers take their job so seriously and get caught up without any break to take a rest. They should know they're human and not mindless machines I wish Mr. Ono that he gets well and take plenty of rest. Anyway back on topic besides me and Phantom999 has anyone gotten Tales of Graces f for the PS3 the game is truly awesome and they say the PS3 version is way better than the Wii version.

[Darth Krypt]

Anyway back on topic besides me and Phantom999 has anyone gotten Tales of Graces f for the PS3 the game is truly awesome and they say the PS3 version is way better than the Wii version.

I looked into a few reviews and there's kinda mixed opinions on this. I think it's just normal for those casual gamers but its great for JRPG fans. I'm going to get this rather than FFXIII-2 once my exams are done 2 months from now since I'm a big JRPG fan.

[Gravenimage]

I looked into a few reviews and there's kinda mixed opinions on this. I think it's just normal for those casual gamers but its great for JRPG fans. I'm going to get this rather than FFXIII-2 once my exams are done 2 months from now since I'm a big JRPG fan.

Definitely buy this game over XIII-2. I like XIII-2 but Graces is WAY better.

Edited by Gravenimage, 24 March 2012 - 12:48 PM.

[No WhereMan]

Whoa some game developers take their job so seriously and get caught up without any break to take a rest. They should know they're human and not mindless machines I wish Mr. Ono that he gets well and take plenty of rest.

As screwed up as this might sound, I'm actually happy to hear something like this. Not that I want the person involve to suffer physically nor do I want their life to be in danger, but I think it's impressive that there are people that are that dedicated to the quality of their product that they risk personal harm to themselves. I mean regardless of what you guys may think, he's doing this for us, the consumer. He's sacrificing his family life (probably), personal time, all to make sure we are entertained. In a way it's very noble for someone to go to such lengths to make sure, he can produce the best product he can muster.

Anyway, I hope he gets well and whatever he was working on, is tremendously profitable for all the sacrifices he's made.

[Dreamer]

'Survival horror' market too small for Resident Evil, says Capcom producer

Some long-time Resident Evil fans might long for the "good old days" of the franchise, when early games in the series were deliberately-paced, nerve-wracking explorations into a "world of survival horror." Today, the series' emphasis is on action that rarely lets up.

But while there are those who'd love to see a return to classic Resident Evil gameplay, the market for that style -- "survival horror" -- just isn't viable enough to warrant the biggest investments, Capcom's Resident Evil: Revelations producer Masachika Kawata told Gamasutra in an interview.

"Especially for the North American market, I think the series needs to head in that [action-oriented] direction," Kawata said. "[Resident Evil's primary games] need to be an extension of the changes made in Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5.

"RE4 started in that direction, and RE5 kept going in that direction," he said. "And I think that especially for the North American market, we need to keep going in that direction, and take that a step further. And that's exactly one of the reasons that Revelations is the way it is," he said.

While Revelations -- released on Nintendo 3DS earlier this year -- does have more of a tilt towards the action-oriented gameplay seen in Resident Evil 4 and 5, it manages to mix in the slower, creepy pace of earlier installments for a nice hybrid of gameplay styles.

But if the rising action trend of Resident Evil 4 and 5 continues, don't expect this year's big budget console (and eventually PC) game Resident Evil 6 to follow suit.

Acknowledging that he does not work on the upcoming numbered sequel, Kawata compares survival horror game sales to the best-selling video game franchise Call of Duty, a military FPS whose last installment sold 6.5 million units in its first day.

"Looking at the marketing data [for survival horror games] ... the market is small, compared to the number of units Call of Duty and all those action games sell," he said. "A 'survival horror' Resident Evil doesn't seem like it'd be able to sell those kind of numbers."

But, Kawata said, "I can't really speak for Resident Evil 6, but I don't think that it necessarily has to go all the way in that [action-heavy] direction, the Call of Duty direction. It doesn't have to be a straight up shooter. But my impression is that Resident Evil 4 and 5 aren't shooters, per se."

There are still opportunities though, for Capcom to explore the purer "survival horror" gameplay outside of the series proper, Kawata added. "So we have our numbered series, and we can say we have a more adventure-oriented version, like a Revelations-style game. And we also have Operation: Raccoon City, which is a third-person shooter.

"So I think that by extending the market in this sense, we can still have the numbered titles keep their identity about what Resident Evil is supposed to be, but still expand and hit other markets as well."

Despite the determinations brought about by Capcom's market data, Kawata said, "If you're going to be selling a game based on its good gameplay, then you don't have to worry about the market in which it will be sold." Instead, he said, it's the marketing surrounding a game that has to be tailored for different audiences, in order to appeal to players of specific territories.

"If we're going to make games that sell based on quality content, they should be able to appeal around the world," said Kawata. "That might be obvious, but that's why Grand Theft Auto IV, Skyrim and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare also sell in Japan, because their gameplay is interesting."

Source

I..I don't know what to say about this.

Edited by Dreamer, 24 March 2012 - 08:20 PM.

[shadow_Uzumaki]

Despite my personal aversion to horror games in general, I doubt moving to fast-paced survival horror isn't the way to go. There's still a lot more people eager to return to the old school RE games in the "good old days." It's not survival horror if you're not feeling tense and not have that paranoia of what's coming around the corner.

Look at the first Dead Space, that was a survival horror and it profited and won acclaim, there's still market for that.

[Mik3]

Well the co-op is fun enough for people to keep giving them all their money. I thought RE 5 was ok, but I was disappointed. Dead Space was much better, and Dead Space 2 was phenomenal. They made it bigger, added more action and set piece without overdoing it and was still creepy. They are much better at survival horror, the RE franchise is now an action/adventure series and its a shame.

[dl316bh]

I forgot about that. Yeah, that probably rings true. It really seems odd, since most modern Nintendo consoles have backwards compatability with the previous generation, but I guess I really don't understand how the average consumer thinks. Or the industry I guess.

We have a habit here in America of practically forgetting the previous system exists once a new one comes out. All our gaming publications essentially drop most coverage and game sales drop. So they just stop bothering to localize.

That being said, with how insanely well the DS sold, I'd think they'd try to cling onto that for a little while longer. I'm pretty surprised the sequel to that last Pokemon game is coming to the DS instead of the 3DS. I wonder if that's just because they don't want to upset Poke fans. I'm still baffled by how well those games sell.

Nintendo's really looking to push the 3DS, for one thing. For another, they just don't take backwards compatibility into account. Not usually, anyways.

The Playstation 2 is the major exception that proves the rule; even here we were getting new PS2 games - regardless of the fact that most of them were ports of the big next gen titles - up until a year ago. That system has been insanely popular.

Hmm, I didn't know it was that bad. My experience with the PSP was pretty limited, but I enjoyed the little I played of it. Hopefully the Vita can garner some more interest over here.

I absolutely adore my PSP, but not necessarily for the "out of the box" reasons. It's relatively powerful as far as these things go and pretty versatile. Therefore, it's able to handle all sorts of emulators and crap that others really can't; the DS can do a fair bit, but its horsepower is surprisingly limited to the point where it couldn't even do SNES games properly.

For some reason, the system never really caught on over here. This is despite the fact that Sony put some gaming muscle behind it, with top franchise entries on the system. It just floundered and I'm not entirely sure why. We don't get localizations anymore, it seems.

In contrast, from what I've heard it's literally the system of choice in Japan. Handheld or otherwise. It's apparently quite common to see people carrying a PSP around and the system continues to get triple A titles there. Monster Hunter was making huge waves over there a year or so ago while the system was already clinically dead here.

I thought RE 5 was ok, but I was disappointed.

RE5 was kind of a joke. It played decently enough - and it's all worth it for boulder punchin' - but aside from the use of zombies you could be forgiven for forgetting it's supposed to be an entry in a horror game franchise. They forgot that whole "terror" part. Even RE4 managed to be tense and suspenseful; RE5 didn't even bother.

Thankfully, we have Dead Space to take up the mantle.

Edited by dl316bh, 25 March 2012 - 12:36 AM.

[Darth Krypt]

I absolutely adore my PSP, but not necessarily for the "out of the box" reasons. It's relatively powerful as far as these things go and pretty versatile. Therefore, it's able to handle all sorts of emulators and crap that others really can't; the DS can do a fair bit, but its horsepower is surprisingly limited to the point where it couldn't even do SNES games properly.

I totally agree with you. I love my PSP and it was a part of me for a long time before smart phones were popular. I used it for everything; music, videos and games. I have played the gameboy, NES, SNES, Genesis and even the PS1 on it. And its portable. How can you not love this handheld system?

[Super Boom]

Nintendo's really looking to push the 3DS, for one thing. For another, they just don't take backwards compatibility into account. Not usually, anyways.

The Playstation 2 is the major exception that proves the rule; even here we were getting new PS2 games - regardless of the fact that most of them were ports of the big next gen titles - up until a year ago. That system has been insanely popular.

I guess the PS2 example crossed my mind earlier. That system sold so well, I feel anyone would have to make an exception before abandoning it. Last time I checked, the DS was only a few million behind the PS2 in overall units sold during its lifetime, and was really the best-selling handheld console ever made.

But I guess different rules apply to different companies, or just different products. I think Nintendo will still produce sporadic DS games for a little while, but I doubt it'll be for more than another year or so. But even that might be a conservative estimate; so far the only new 1st/2nd party developed DS games I've heard about are Pokemon B/W 2.

I absolutely adore my PSP, but not necessarily for the "out of the box" reasons. It's relatively powerful as far as these things go and pretty versatile. Therefore, it's able to handle all sorts of emulators and crap that others really can't; the DS can do a fair bit, but its horsepower is surprisingly limited to the point where it couldn't even do SNES games properly.

For some reason, the system never really caught on over here. This is despite the fact that Sony put some gaming muscle behind it, with top franchise entries on the system. It just floundered and I'm not entirely sure why. We don't get localizations anymore, it seems.

This might be speculation on my part, but I think it might be that handhelds are geared more towards the casual market over here. There are a ton of exceptions obviously, but I think the average handheld gamer over here is more concerned about software than hardware. Homebrew's a great plus, but again, I don't think that really appeals to the average fan. Heck, I didn't even know there were emulators out for the DS and my phone until a few years back, and even then I didn't bother. I've had too many bad experiences with homebrew.

Anyhoo, I loved how music, videos, and internet browsing were all available on the PSP when it came out, but the game library just never really made me want to spend money on it at the time. I'm glad the 3DS (or whatever iteration before; I skipped every DS in between the Phat and the 3DS ), has included all that, for the most part. I never seem to get tired of annoying my brother with All That Remains songs that sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks covers. I can't believe how much use I've gotten out of that Music Edit feature.

In contrast, from what I've heard it's literally the system of choice in Japan. Handheld or otherwise. It's apparently quite common to see people carrying a PSP around and the system continues to get triple A titles there. Monster Hunter was making huge waves over there a year or so ago while the system was already clinically dead here.

Wow, that's amazing. I don't really know anything about the Japanese market other than what I've read on Sales wikis, but I've seen PSP's make enough cameos in random manga/anime that I'm sure that rings true.

Though I do wonder, do handhelds generally do better over there? From what I gather, the DS seems to have pushed even more units in Japan, and the 3DS has already broken sales records. Sometimes I wonder if some fans just buy every iteration of handheld that comes out.

Edited by Boom...Winning, 25 March 2012 - 05:40 PM.

[dl316bh]

I totally agree with you. I love my PSP and it was a part of me for a long time before smart phones were popular. I used it for everything; music, videos and games. I have played the gameboy, NES, SNES, Genesis and even the PS1 on it. And its portable. How can you not love this handheld system?

I really have no clue man. I think it might have something to do with the fact that people generally associate handhelds with Nintendo, hence why any handheld not made by them has a tough time penetrating our market. Which is really a shame, as while the DS is also an amazing system, the PSP is so much more versatile, especially since people cracked it wide open and installing anything is a snap.

It's a crying shame the system never caught on big over here.

But I guess different rules apply to different companies, or just different products. I think Nintendo will still produce sporadic DS games for a little while, but I doubt it'll be for more than another year or so. But even that might be a conservative estimate; so far the only new 1st/2nd party developed DS games I've heard about are Pokemon B/W 2.

I think the DS has another year or two of life left in it, yeah, but I think Nintendo is going to start ramping down on it before too long. They're trying to transition to the 3DS and all. There are still things on the horizon but this time next year I think the news stream will start to slow to a trickle.

This might be speculation on my part, but I think it might be that handhelds are geared more towards the casual market over here. There are a ton of exceptions obviously, but I think the average handheld gamer over here is more concerned about software than hardware. Homebrew's a great plus, but again, I don't think that really appeals to the average fan. Heck, I didn't even know there were emulators out for the DS and my phone until a few years back, and even then I didn't bother. I've had too many bad experiences with homebrew.

That's the thing though; the PSP wasn't starved for software. High caliber series made appearances. I mean, we had a Kingdom Hearts title, Final Fantasy, Lunar Silver Star got a full remake release, Star Oceans first couple games finally made it over here, Assassins Creed, God of War, the system had Half-Minute Hero. To be honest, the PSP was the system of choice if you're into RPG's at all.

Wow, that's amazing. I don't really know anything about the Japanese market other than what I've read on Sales wikis, but I've seen PSP's make enough cameos in random manga/anime that I'm sure that rings true.

I believe the first time I became aware of it was an editorial in a gaming magazine, talking about how video gaming in Japan has changed. Hearing about the Monster Hunter craze solidified it. That game is supposed to be super popular over there; the Japanese love them some Monster Hunter.

The Japanese tend to like Sony in general. Nintendo's popular, but not quite as much, I believe (something interesting to note is that Metroid, while beloved here in America, is a blip on the radar in Japan and apparently, while they like it, Legend of Zelda is not worshipped like it is over here). They hate Microsoft, though; neither system got anywhere over there.

The Japanese can be interesting to hear about.

Edited by dl316bh, 26 March 2012 - 04:32 AM.

[Super Boom]

That's the thing though; the PSP wasn't starved for software. High caliber series made appearances. I mean, we had a Kingdom Hearts title, Final Fantasy, Lunar Silver Star got a full remake release, Star Oceans first couple games finally made it over here, Assassins Creed, God of War, the system had Half-Minute Hero. To be honest, the PSP was the system of choice if you're into RPG's at all.

Ah, I see. I've never owned the system personally, but I have a few friends who owned PSPs and would oft complain about their small game libraries. Neither are big RPG fans, so that might shed some light on that.

And though it might be a quibble, I'm not sure if I agree that it was the "system of choice" for RPGs per se. The DS got the long awaited Golden Sun sequel, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Chrono Trigger enhanced releases (first time releases for a lot of Americans), and of course DQ9 was released on it, which was a big deal, since the last canon entry was on PS2. I'm sure there are plenty more I'm too sleepy to name, but it seems like it was a pretty tight competition for RPG fans.

The Japanese tend to like Sony in general. Nintendo's popular, but not quite as much, I believe (something interesting to note is that Metroid, while beloved here in America, is a blip on the radar in Japan and apparently, while they like it, Legend of Zelda is not worshipped like it is over here). They hate Microsoft, though; neither system got anywhere over there.

The Japanese can be interesting to hear about.

I agree with pretty much everything here, or at least it seems pretty consistent with what I've heard. Though I guess 'popularity' is the part that confuses me a bit. Nintendo outsold Sony by around 2:1 this gen on both console and handheld markets in Japan. The Wii is understandable, since the appeal is different, but PSP being a more popular handheld over there surprises me a bit. Is it more popular among the average Japanese consumer in general, or were you referring to the general gaming audience?

Oh, and thanks for the info, LOL.

[shadow_Uzumaki]

Might also be because Pokemon was released for the DS. Lots of my peers still love dem Pokemanz.

[Gravenimage]

For those who are eagerly waiting for the PS4 to be release next year I hate to be the bringer of bad news but think again people.

http://games.yahoo.c...-200015017.html

[Darth Krypt]

For those who are eagerly waiting for the PS4 to be release next year I hate to be the bringer of bad news but think again people.

http://games.yahoo.c...-200015017.html

The PS3 is still doing well so I don't mind.

[Gravenimage]

The PS3 is still doing well so I don't mind.

Same here I love my PS3.

[Fliss]

For those who are eagerly waiting for the PS4 to be release next year I hate to be the bringer of bad news but think again people.

http://games.yahoo.c...-200015017.html

Good. It took me years to finally get a PS3 and I'm still enjoying the fruits of my labor. I hope the PS4 goes away for a looooong time so I don't have to worry about owning an obsolete game station again.

[shadow_Uzumaki]

For those who are eagerly waiting for the PS4 to be release next year I hate to be the bringer of bad news but think again people.

http://games.yahoo.c...-200015017.html

RUMOR.

Even if they are building a PS4, I hope they don't make that same mistake of removing backwards compatibility that they did in the PS3, otherwise, they'll lose a lot more money than they did with PS3.

[Fliss]

RUMOR.

Oh hallelujah. I really hope Sony doesn't release a new generation console any time soon.