Japanese game pubs jumping from Sony to Nintendo

[7th lutz]

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/27/japanese-game-pubs-jumping-from-sony-to-nintendo/

The biggest third parties in Japan are throwing their support behind Nintendo in a big way. Nacmo/Bandai, Sega and Capcom are all increasing both the number of distinct titles and the number of units ordered for games on Nintendo systems, according to research done by the Nikkei newspaper and reported by Variety Asia. Namco Bandai alone is planning a ridiculous 115 games for the DS and Wii in fiscal 2007, a 109 percent increase. Sony, meanwhile, can expect a 30 to 40 percent decline in shipment orders from the big three, according to the report.

In more potential bad news for Sony, the Variety article off-handedly mentions that "Square Enix ... has no plans to develop titles for the PS3 until sales improve enough to make the steep development costs financially worthwhile." This seems to confirm earlier reports that the company wouldn't release any PS3 games until the next fiscal year starts on April 1, 2008. Deep breaths, Final Fantasy fans. Just remember, patience is a virtue.

I am hoping sony will not be doing any desperate things for advertising like creating website name Iwantaps3forxmas.com just to increase hardware sales.

[heybtbm]

I don't this is a surprise to anyone. However...

As a fan of JRPG's, this is somewhat worrisome. Final Fantasy XIII (and most likely XIV and XV) will be on PS3 no question, but who knows what platform Atlus, Nippon Ichi, etc will develop their flagship titles for? I want next generation RPG's...not prettier Gamecube RPG's. Looking at titles like Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata...this is the future of the JRPG. Not pixelated Wii gimmicky crap. Don't even get me started on DQIX being released on the DS.

[FantasiaWHT]

I don't this is a surprise to anyone. However...

As a fan of JRPG's, this is somewhat worrisome. Final Fantasy XIII (and most likely XIV and XV) will be on PS3 no question, but who knows what platform Atlus, Nippon Ichi, etc will develop their flagship titles for? I want next generation RPG's...not prettier Gamecube RPG's. Looking at titles like Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata...this is the future of the JRPG. Not pixelated Wii gimmicky crap. Don't even get me started on DQIX being released on the DS.

So were you complaining that RPG's weren't going to the graphically superior Gamecube and Xbox instead of the PS2 last generation?

[heybtbm]

So were you complaining that RPG's weren't going to the graphically superior Gamecube and Xbox instead of the PS2 last generation?

The PS2 was never far behind the Gamecube or Xbox last generation (graphically speaking). There was never much of a difference between the three consoles. This generation however, there is a difference...and JRPG fans are going to suffer (relatively speaking of course) because of it.

Besides, graphics are only one aspect of what I consider "next generation". AI, draw distance, music, cut scenes, map layouts, and game world size all will be compromized with a Wii vs. PS3/360 RPG. It doesn't mean the Wii can't pump out some great RPG's, I'm sure it will. But less power will always seem like you're getting less of an experience.

[Poofta!]

as someone who stopped caring about JRPGs around the time when they all became the same... ill tell you not to give up hope. FFVI didnt get released till the psx was a year or two into its life cycle. and seriously, i hope they start releasing these games for the xbox, its there, it sells well, its powerful... why not! (yes i know it doenst sell shit in japan, but thats easier to change than the ps3 sales).

also, companies like atlus, nippon ichi etc never push the graphical envelope, so really it doesnt matter if its on wii or not.i just hope they offer classic controlelr support... i dont see myself waving my hands around for 10 hours straight...


EDIT: wait.. wtf... did you just say there wasnt much of a difference between xbox and ps2 in graphics?! are you fucking kidding me? did you even play games last generation? the graphical difference between ps2 and xbox is about the difference between the wii and ps3.

[heybtbm]

EDIT: wait.. wtf... did you just say there wasnt much of a difference between xbox and ps2 in graphics?! are you fucking kidding me? did you even play games last generation? the graphical difference between ps2 and xbox is about the difference between the wii and ps3.

I was referring to multi-platform releases...essentially games that you can compare directly. Xbox and Gamecube always looked better than the PS2...but not by much.

[notoriusvig]

Graphics don't mean jack anyways. Quite frankly, I'm in full support of more Wii games as it'll give companies more incentive to get creative with their gameplay.

There seems to be a tech gap between the DS and the PSP and I don't see people complaining or DS sales dropping.

[heybtbm]

There seems to be a tech gap between the DS and the PSP and I don't see people complaining or DS sales dropping.
Budweiser also sells more beer than Newcastle. Does that fact make it more acceptable to drink piss (Bud)?

Regardless, we (I) were talking about more than just graphics here...



Besides, graphics are only one aspect of what I consider "next generation". AI, draw distance, music, cut scenes, map layouts, and game world size all will be compromized with a Wii vs. PS3/360 RPG.

[jajaja]

Wait.. wtf... did you just say there wasnt much of a difference between xbox and ps2 in graphics?! are you fucking kidding me? did you even play games last generation? the graphical difference between ps2 and xbox is about the difference between the wii and ps3.

The difference between Wii and PS3 is probly the biggest gap when it comes to power in console history. Xbox was more powerful than PS2 indeed, but i never saw any games that made a "OMG!" difference between Xbox and PS2.



Graphics don't mean jack anyways.

Next Zelda game will look like this:

http://www.videogamecritic.net/images/2600/adventure_plus.png
:p

Seriously, of course gfx matters, else there millions upon millions on researching to come up with new and more powerful hardware for consoles and gaming. You dont need top notch gfx to enjoy a game, but great gfx can enhance the gaming experience alot.

[Lord_Magus]

I wanted to write a long reply about why graphics don't matter that much compared to gameplay etc. but then I realised I have better things to do.

*gets back to playing Etrian Odyssey on the DS*

[jajaja]

Speaking of RPGs for PS3:

http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2007/1202.html

[AMG]

Considering how fast the Wii is selling and how easy it is it develop for, this move seems like a no brainer for 3rd parties.

[Cryomancer]

Do you really need HDMI and Bluray for a Nippon ichi sprite-based Strategy game?

[heybtbm]

Do you really need HDMI and Bluray for a Nippon ichi sprite-based Strategy game?

What's wrong with (finally) getting rid of jaggies? Again, graphics are just one aspect of "next generation", as I've mentioned.

People keep wanting to turn this into the tired old "graphics vs. gameplay" arguement. That's not what I'm talking about.

[FantasiaWHT]

Do you really need HDMI and Bluray for a Nippon ichi sprite-based Strategy game?

No, but a machine that didn't show ridiculous slowdown when playing Odin Sphere would be really nice.

[Cryomancer]

I'm all for making it prettier, sure, but does it have to be THAT much of a jump? Hell, wii can push some pretty decent looking stuff, I don't really see the problem. I suppose DS would be less than stellar, but it's got the biggest install base now, so it's bound to happen at least a little.

edit: actually, i do know where you're coming from now that i think about this some more. ps2 has a lot of decent games (in other regions....) that suffer framerate drops and jaggies do to the hardware...maybe we'll get lucky and the different systems will just get different games altogether.

[mregashu]

Actually, I totally understand the graphical importance of jrpgs. It's a genre that is very story driven, and really not all that gameplay driven. The argument that it's gameplay over graphics makes sense to me, but if the main gameplay element is menu driven than graphics suddenly make a big difference. Just look at the difference in sales between Final Fantasy VII and every Final Fantasy before it (in the U.S., at least).

On the other hand, if the Wii can use it's controls to somehow reinvent the way the jrpg is played, the graphics may not matter as much, and on a personal level may get me to pick up a jrpg again. (I haven't played one since Kingdom Hearts.) I just don't see how that can happen though.

[Fuyukaze]

Next Zelda game will look like this:

http://www.videogamecritic.net/images/2600/adventure_plus.png
:p


I thought that's how all non Sony games looked to you.

[j_factor]

I don't see how jRPGs are possibly demanding enough in terms of AI, map layouts, etc. for the Wii's inferior hardware to be a detriment.

[jajaja]

I thought that's how all non Sony games looked to you.

Hm.. i cant recall seeing you post here before (eventho you have close to 900 posts) and i certainly cant recall having talked to you so what made you think that? Do you know me and i dont know you? Or was this comment that you posted just a very poor attempt to troll?

And what is this "Sony games" you're talking about? Do you mean that all games that isnt from Sony looks like crap just because they doesnt have the Sony logo on them? I would assume that you knew that it doesnt matter which console or which game studio that makes the game as long as it looks great. Do you know anyone who first saw a game and thought it looked great, then they found out that (insert company here) made it and after that thought it looked horrible? Again, i'm not quite sure what you ment with that comment since i dont know you and i dont know how you would know me then.