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Denver, 11:02 PM
Sun Nov 29
8 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/26/09
It would be interesting how far Pokemon Heart Gold/ Soul Silver will eventually sell overall as the original Gameboy Color version sold nearly eight million copies in Japan. It has five million copies to go.
While not a game published by Nintendo and whose sale "legs" are not as impressive as the Nintendo stalwarts, Level 5's Inazuma Eleven 2 Fire/Blizzard contines to stay in the Top 10. If it continues to have solid sales for the next few months, it may reach one million copies or reach closer to it.
Finally, next week will be interesting as high profile games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Phantasy Star Portable 2 will be released. Interesting enough, Famitsu did not review the latter game in its recent issue. Will it receive the same score as Dragon Quest IX and Monster Hunter 3, games whose reviews were published a week after they went on sale but received 40/40 scores?
11/26/09
I understand the formula is working well, which is why I actually enjoyed it when I was playing red/green/blue, but can they at least try something new? Instead of fire/grass/water, which most of them young 'uns probably wouldn't get the reference anyway, can we have like may be 6 elements to choose from at start? May be a variation to the wild pokemons I can catch at start? May be some dodgy old man wouldn't give me free pokemon if I get into his van? How about something NEW?
I am fine with companies milking their franchise actually, but only if they actually put in the effort to give it an illusion of 'new'. Pokemon, however, after skipping like... 3 generations of it? I couldn't see anything new.
Oh, I know about the pokemon contest, taking ingame picture of your lovely pikachu for the n-bloody-th time, and all that crappy gimmicky stuffs they added in... But I guess minigame is all it takes to get people to find the game 'new' these days.
11/26/09
The Fire/Water/Grass starters are to help beginners understand the idea of pokemon types by introducing them using the simple Rock, Paper, Scissors idea.
For low level areas, you want the players to fight weaker pokemon, which end up being the normal/flying/bug pokemon types. You could use the same argument on WoW or any other RPG game in general for it's repetitive low level mobs.
The idea is to play Pokemon and deliver a different end game. That's what a sequel's purpose is. Do you complain that in Modern Warfare 2 you start off with a gun instead of something new like a slingshot?
11/26/09
However, from a fiscal perspective, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have zero impetus in doing so simply because the handheld iterations are as strong as ever.
Therefore, I am content with finding entertainment from non-Pokemon franchises rather than wishing for changes that will likely never come to pass.
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11/26/09
The old timers :) so all dragons are charizards to me :) all the rats are pikachu's and everything else ...well you know what .
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Thats not even mention the even LONGER wait Europe has.
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11/26/09
But centre is stupid. Theatre isn't, but centre is.
11/26/09
Japan is no longer relevant to the gaming industry.
The Japanese gaming audience refuses to evolve, instead they keep buying rehashed sequels one after the other. They stick to what they know and never beyond that. This rot has already started to show in the JRPG genre as western style RPGs have basically replaced them.
I find it hard to even name 1 JRPG that I've enjoyed more than Fallout 3 or Dragon Age. Funny thing is that the most well-received "JRPG" is the western styled Demon's Souls.
Perhaps this problem is endemic to their aging population and low-birth rates.
11/26/09
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11/26/09
No, that's not what I am arguing. Look at JRPGs: culture aside, they were very well received in the West last generation. We were saturated with so many good titles. But we moved beyond the archaic party and combat systems that have been rubber stamped over and over again so many times they are now synonymous with JRPG. The global audience wants more.
Look at Dragon Age's combat system. It's superbly done. If you don't know what I'm talking about you need to give it a go. Even Fallout 3's simplistic VATS system changed up combat in an RPG.
11/26/09
11/26/09
Some people still prefer it, but I'm sure they'll grow out of it.
11/26/09
I'm curious.
If I may, regarding "sticking to what you know," do you play Bethesda RPGs (e.g. Fallout 3) or Bioware RPGs (e.g. Dragon Age: Origins) often?
While Bethesda and Bioware, laudably, are both willing to experiment with the games they make, both companies also, to some extent, "play it safe" with the kinds of games they make. And if I may say so, I really don't blame them.
"We are what we repeatedly do [and this often extends to the quality of our work as well as the nature of our work itself]. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." -- Aristotle
My point is not that Fallout 3 is "Oblivion with guns," or that Dragon Age is a re-skin of Baldur's Gate, or that Mass Effect is a re-skin of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, or that I don't want to see innovation within the gaming industry, or even in a particular company, or even in a particular series. My point is that just as people can please themselves with sequels and remakes, companies can re-use "motifs" and yet do amazing things with them. Not every "franchise" is a cynical moneymaking ploy.
11/26/09
There is something to be said though how no Western title or character can seem to be on be on top in Japan, yet Japan created franchises are hugely popular worldwide, such as Mario, MGS, Zelda Final Fantasy. Maybe they've just been established for so long.
11/26/09
We've been buying Wii Fit, Wii sports resort, etc for several months solid.
We buy in FIFA like clockwork, and MW2 predictably has stuck in the charts.
And I think when Heart Gold n Soul Silver hit, they too will be high on the charts.
Dragon Age is good and polished, but come on, age old story of evil sweeping across the land, elves live in forests, humans are jackasses, dwarves live in mines.
And then we cast our eye on shooters. Or sports games.
Of course because they don't buy Western games, conform to western gaming culture, then they are irrelevant. How narrow minded.
11/26/09
US is no longer relevant to the gaming industry.
The US gaming audience refuses to evolve, instead they keep buying rehashed sequels one after the other. They stick to what they know and never beyond that. This rot has already started to show in the WRPG genre as eastern style RPGs have basically replaced them.
I find it hard to even name 1 WRPG that I've enjoyed more than Tales of Vesperia or The World Ends With You. Funny thing is that the most well-received "WRPG" is the Eastern styled Fallout 3 (vats = Chrono Trigger).
Perhaps this problem is endemic to their shitty schools and high crime rates.
I CAN DO IT TOOOOOOOO.
11/26/09
Over at Kotaku Japan:
後の週には公然の秘密断言するアメリカ1週間で最も売れたゲームを見て：
アメリカは、もはやゲーム業界に関連しています。
アメリカのゲームの観客進化する代わりに、彼らは他の後に続編1の焼き直して買い物を続けるを拒否します。彼らは、そのことを超えて知っていることに固執する。この腐敗はすでにWiiスポーツなどのFPSジャンルを見るには、基本的に置き換えられて始めている。
11/26/09
The world ends with you is better than every single western rpg that has come out since..ever. MY OPINION IS UNCHANGEABLE
11/26/09
Trust in Kotaku not to agree with you on some points but differ in others in a semi-decent matter, but instead to swoop in like a fever of stingrays, all trying to make you look like a douche/asshat in the most clever way they can think of.
As for all the "reskin" arguments, I find them rather shallow. They're not reskins. They're more of genres really.
11/26/09
11/26/09
Wow, a few of you guys are taking this quite personally. That's just my take on it, feel free to debate me and show me how I am wrong but please don't insult me.
@dracosummoner:
Thank you for giving me a serious response.
You make a good point. I guess it's just that in Japan in seems like either games sell poorly or they sell like crazy. And the ones that I see selling like crazy tend to be reiterations like Dragonquest, Pokemon, and Dynasty Warriors copies by Koei.
11/26/09
Which we're pretty damn similar to your own. But because I disagree with yours, then apparently its not a serious response.
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11/26/09
I'm sorry, but are you sure it was I that said a whole nation was irrelevant to the industry? I thought that was AdHominem, or did I miss something?
Anywho, that was another point I was trying to make, sorry -- Bethesda and BioWare aren't just "re-skinning" old games and calling them new.
11/26/09
"Look at Dragon Age's combat system. It's superbly done."
I was wondering how this would turn out (I still haven't played the game). I couldn't get into what I played of Baldur's Gate I or II, or Neverwinter Nights, or Planescape: Torment (which I still finished) -- at least to the simple extent of the combat. I enjoyed making decisions and learning about the game worlds and whatnot. From what I've seen of Dragon Age's system, it does seem to be a little more "hands-on," if I may.
11/26/09
The people who complained about Fallout 3 having a real-time combat system didn't "grow out of it," but I think you're right inasmuch as the tech limits are concerned.
Let's see ... Fallout 1 and 2, which were turn-based but allowed characters to target specific body parts on enemies, both came out before Deus Ex ... did any shooter before Deus Ex have a limb-based health system? I don't remember.
11/26/09
But I guess our opinions differ.
Your reasons of Japan being irrelevant with buying 'the same shit' extends to western markets too. But of course I point this out, so your argument falls apart so you cry foul.
You know what?
FFXIII will be one of the best selling games in Japan in two weeks.
When it hits the west next year, It'll be one of the best selling games too (especially as FF's tend to be in the top 5 best selling PS titles, its practically guaranteed)
Which I guess shows that Western gaming is quiet fine with JRPG's to be lapping up the 14th game in the series.
Hey, COD is only upto 6 and folks are pointing out its growing restiveness, well the FPS genre as a whole.
Dragon Age I find a curious choice for championing your cause of Western gaming.
It uses a hundred years old tolkiensque story, tried n tired inventory, levelling up and morality system. And curiously the combat is a mix up of ME's pause n shoot, WRPG's action bar and FFXII's gambit system.
DA:O is as clichéd and generic as they come. It's the pinnacle of WRPGs on all front. However no matter how generic n clichéd it is, its an awesomely great game. However it doesn't seem to be causing you to cry foul of the NA games market being irrelevant.
Demon Souls is also an odd choice, it kinda proves to that the Japanese market is willing to try out new stuff and experiment. I've yet to play it, but what exactly seems to make you define it as a WRPG (despite it not being a Western game)
All countries fall foul of buying the same games, making the same games, and all countries produce some gems' and experiment with new systems and such.
Saying that Japan as a whole is irrelevant is narrow minded, wither you like me calling it that or not, thats what it is.
11/26/09
Don't single out Japan.
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11/26/09
either it's japan's expatriate community, or 15 japanese gamers have finally become open to non-japanese ips.
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11/26/09
Halo 3 finished first the week it came out in Japan back in 2007.
[www.gamasutra.com]
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Shoot, thats a poor debut for R&C: A Crack in Time, I thought that series was a bit popular in Japan, that game deserves better.
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Where do they get their ideas from?
11/26/09
Nintendo would be one of those.
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I was just commenting on that paradyme, I do love me some pokemon though.
11/26/09
Not exactly, a lot of people complain about it. Or bat eyelashes
11/26/09
OMG Nintendo is AWESOME! 300+ Mario Games is not AT ALL MILKING!! He belongs in every single one of those game!! And releasing 50 Pokemon games is the exact same as thing as ND's 4 Crash games and 2 Uncharted games!
Happy?
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Mario games are generally quite different from one another though.
11/26/09
Here's hoping they won't break compatibility again...
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11/26/09
It works indeed, and it's brilliant, but yeah - I don't think anyone could really defend it from the accusation of it having not enough progression since the first game, that's the biggest problem.
It's a vicious cycle though, they can make little changes and updates and as you can see, it still sells by the truck-load. If people stopped buying them so much, we'd have probably had a fully-fledged 3D home-console version years ago. But I don't see the trend breaking any time soon.
11/26/09
but basically its more popular on handheld, handhelds are more popular today and Nintendo make more money this way. but one day. ONE DAY
11/26/09
Tell me about it, been dreaming of such a thing for years now!
11/26/09
Would love to see Pokemon get back to it's roots, even if it meant taking the original 151 and mixing in some crazy plot like the TV series had. Some people might groan at the TV series being brought up, but it sure as hell was more interesting than the actual games (though, love them I do).
@Slagathorian: Surprising as it is, Nintendo milks series about as much as people want them to. Remember the 64 days? People wanted more than just one 3D Mario Adventure/Platformer game. And for the first time in a long while, we're getting the desired "MOAR 3D MARIO." On top of that, compare the releases of the 'main' Pokemon games to other series, such as Final Fantasy, and you'd find it's about the same these days. Anyone who's paid attention knows that Pokemon is actually spreading out into different territories, reviving the popularity rogue-like, introducing twists on Pokemon, like Ranger, and even going hack-and-slash with Rumble (which so far is my favorite so far).
Oh yeah, and I don't think that guy needs to 'calm down.' He was kinda being sarcastic, but hey, maybe he was rabid, or suffering from extremely high blood pressure.
11/26/09
Actually if were talking about Pokemon games with a proper story Emerald did this wonderfully, its story felt properly 'epic' and its the only one to truly pull it off that way
11/26/09
I actually don't even typically catch all the Pokemon, just the really awesome or cute ones, which I search fervently for after I first see them in a trainer battle. Would imagine that I'm not the only one?
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11/19/09
I wonder is that a new game or remake.
Either way can some developer take note and get it localized for us, please!
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11/13/09
It only makes sense, I suppose. Perhaps most of the games that come after are simply trying to capitalize on its success. #thejapanesesoftwarechart
11/13/09
11/12/09
Bayonetta was just taking a few days off, and here's a picture i took of her on Monday as evidence...yeah she's loves to draw attention to herself.
So have some faith McWhertor, i'm sure that she will do better next week...hopefully ^_^ #thejapanesesoftwarechart