Limited Run Games (producing physical copies of digital games)

[Aussie2B]

From what I've heard, Xeodrifter is something of a test run. If it does well enough, they're definitely going to pursue producing physical copies of other games from the same developer.

[kupomogli]

I noticed they tweeted the indie box, PC retail games, so hoping that we get some similar games that they got. Rogue Legacy, Guacamelee, Axiom Verge, and Dust an Elysian Tail. I still had a chance to purchase Rogue Legacy last week but decided not to, now it's sold out.

Limited Run Games doesn't have a forum, but what I think they should do is create a forum for everyone who's interested in their games to join. They could put a system in place that an IP can't create a duplicate account and only one account per email. The reason for that is I think what they should do is have a poll on a list of games that people are interested in and what games people would want to see the most out of this list. Let's say allow a maximum of three votes for a poll featuring 10-20 games. Then they could take this data to the developers that these games have received such and such amount of interest in their poll and try to get the games people are interested in first over other games. Honestly, while I like the concept and like how quickly they've pushed these games out, most of the games haven't been very good.

The only games I've really been interested in owning is Cosmic Star Heroine and Oddworld New and Tasty. Now if they release do get Sega to allow them to release Yakuza 5 then that'll be a third, but it hasn't happened yet. Everything else I really have little interest in owning other than the games being limited retail releases so with how many games they've released so far and have plans to release in the near future I really hope they pick up with the game quality and start publishing games that people really want.

[Aussie2B]

They do have forums: http://www.mightyrabbitstudios.com/limitedrunforums/

At this point, I think they're releasing anything and everything they can get their hands on. It's not that they don't know what people want or that they're passing on games with more demand. They're already using Twitter to try to show developers that hard copies of their games are wanted. But the bigger name games are harder to get, and the big publishers are less likely to let others handle their IPs, regardless of the fan demand. LRG already got in contact with Sega, and their request to distribute hard copies of Yakuza 5 was rejected. They've asked fans to stop requesting that one since it's a no-go.

What's good/bad/interesting is all a matter of opinion. But what's undeniable is that there's been at least some level of demand from fans for all of the titles released/scheduled thus far. Personally, Breach & Clear isn't my cup of tea, and Futuridium and Volume I'm lukewarm on (the latter mostly because I'm not really into stealth games in general but it sounds like it's good for fans of MGS: VR Missions). Pretty much everything else I find appealing to some degree. Saturday Morning RPG is decent from what little I've played (and I'd play through the whole thing for the soundtrack alone), Oddworld is a PS1 classic, Xeodrifter looks like a decent retro-style Metroid clone (I especially find the hopping in and out of the background a la Virtual Boy Wario Land interesting), Cosmic Star Heroine and YIIK both seem like they could be quality RPGs, and with the EastAsiaSoft games, I'm definitely excited for Soldner-X 2 but not too sure on Lost Sea and Rainbow Moon (I think for the latter two the art style is kinda putting me off but I see potential in them being fun).

[kupomogli]

They do have forums: http://www.mightyrabbitstudios.com/limitedrunforums/

I didn't think of looking at Mighty Rabbit for the forum, never found one on Google so I always thought they did stuff through Twitter only.

[Aussie2B]

I just found the link on the store's main page. I don't even know if it's linked anywhere on the main Mighty Rabbit website.

Since it's starting to get a little tricky for me to keep track of all of LRG's releases and the info associated with them off the top of my head, I decided to add a master list to the opening post. If anybody notices anything wrong, missing, thinks my organization of the info stinks, or if you'd like some info added that I'm not currently accounting for, do please let me know. Of course, I'll update the list as new info is revealed.

[PreZZ]

If i could suggest something to lrg is to create a preorder system and then produce the amount of games needed, i dont care if they produce 25 000 screw the ebay scalpers and people who wont play the games. This way they would make more revenues and satisfy demand. Win win

[kupomogli]

If i could suggest something to lrg is to create a preorder system and then produce the amount of games needed, i dont care if they produce 25 000 screw the ebay scalpers and people who wont play the games. This way they would make more revenues and satisfy demand. Win win

I'm going to keep most sealed if they're games I already own digitally on PS+(like Oddworld New and Tasty, Rogue Legacy if it gets a release, etc,) but I really like the games so I want a physical copy. Ebay scalpers will still make money even on the preorder system. The games will still be rare when they print whatever limited amount of preorders they've received. I don't think they'll do it though. They might not know how people will react towards doing that. I personally don't care what they do, just don't pull a Square Enix and say "we're printing more copies because we suck too much to properly gauge demand. It's only the 15th game in the most popular RPG franchise in the world." I still do think people are hypocrites for bashing Limited Run Games when they thought there was more stock the next day because of cancellations. It's okay for Square Enix to do it, though. Honestly Square Enix shouldn't have announced a number and left preorders open like Prezz is stating LRG should do, they would have satisfied the demand and wouldn't have looked like jackasses doing so.

[megasdkirby]

Picked up both copies. Same as my brother.

Anyone else successful?

[Aussie2B]

Yep, nabbed a pair for myself. :)

If the stock bars are to be trusted, it looks like there's a tiny bit of stock still left (10 minutes and almost the entire first batches are gone, geez). And oddly enough, it seems like the Vita version is selling out slightly faster than the PS4 version. Anyway, if anybody misses out now, don't forget to check back at 6pm EST.

[megasdkirby]

Same thing happened with Oddworld. However, the later sold out almost instantaneously.

As of nearly 20 minutes in, there were still copies available for both platforms, though Vita is the least available.

I wonder how the second batch will fare?

[Aussie2B]

I just mean it's odd in that both versions have identical print run sizes, and the general narrative out there is that PS4 games sell better/have more demand than Vita versions. The PS4 version of Saturday Morning RPG sold out way faster (granted it also had like 520 fewer copies), and they seemed to think Oddworld would have so much more demand on PS4 that they made the print run twice what it was for Vita. It'd be interesting to know just how quickly PS4 Oddworld sold through its first 2500 copies to compare to how quick the 2500 Vita copies sold.

Either way, I'm happy when Vita games do well. :)

[megasdkirby]

Second batch will sell quickly, though nowhere as near as Oddworld.

Question: How hard would it be to obtain a copy of Breach and Clear at a "non scalper" price?

[Aussie2B]

LRG posted a teaser of the stickers for their next couple games today:

https://twitter.com/LimitedRunGames/status/730828064041664512

They include a freebie sticker with every release, and it's become clear that they're picking the colors based on the color scheme of the game. The pink/coral and sky blue one is obviously Xeodrifter, since we know it's up next, and those colors match the game's logo.

But I've been hearing that they're going to do a second release in June that is yet unannounced. Any guesses on the blue and yellow one? I've heard rumors going around that they're going to release Octodad (I assume Dadliest Catch, which is on PS4 and Vita), and the colors would indeed match.

[megasdkirby]

Wish they would release Axiom Verge and The Binding of Isaac Afterbirth...I doubt it, specially the later since it's too new (DLC just released a few days ago).

[kupomogli]

Chunsoft's version of One Way Heroics is getting a western release this summer. It doesn't mntion if this will be retail or if it'll be digital only. If it doesn't get a retail release then this is one I'd be interested in recommending based on my playthroughs of the PC version. It's a very short game but I'd purchase a retail version if available.

*edit*

PC version is very short, the PS4 version is a remake, so it might offer a lot more content.

[kupomogli]

New Cosmic Star Heroine trailer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juKE8FvMky0

Limited Run Games should print a couple thousand more of these as popular as this game is compared to the others. I'm going to purchase atleast two copies of the PS4 version, might purchase two copies of the Vita version. One to play, the other to keep sealed. I might purchase the games and also purchase the game on PSN as well since it's crossbuy.

One of the very few digital games that I'm thinking of purchasing. I've also purchased Hotline Miami 2, but despite looking much better, I was disappointed with how the level layouts were compared to the amazing original and never did finish it. The levels were 90% windows almost, so no longer could you rack up a huge stealth streak score in quick succession, too often you had to pop in and out and lure them to you or go all out with guns blazing because enemies still had near perfect accuracy, but this time they could shoot you through 27 rooms away since every single wall was made of windows.

Zeboyd Games has an amazing looking game with Cosmic Star Heroine, and definitely one of my most anticipated games with how great their four games prior to this one were. The amount of time it's taken to come out and the amount of polish from what we've already seen, I think the game will deliver.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

But wait, doesn't limited run games limit one copy per customer regardless of platform? At most, you should only be able to buy one copy for either PS4 or Vita, let alone four copies total.

[kupomogli]

When they limited it to one copy it was available for a few hours so they removed the restriction. Now I do agree that they should only have one copy of each version per person, but if they no longer have a restriction, why should I limit myself? For the scalpers to just get those extra copies anyways? I'm going to purchase a copy of each because I want one copy of each in my collection, that's a minimum, but as a fan of Zeboyd Games games, I want another one to keep sealed. I could purchase a copy of each sealed and then buy the digital to play, sure, there's a chance I might do that instead, but what happens when I can no longer play the digital copy and I have to break open my sealed copy.

As I've said before, they should just allow everyone who's interested to preorder however many they want months in advance, the preorder be available for a few weeks, this way everyone who's interested in is for sure able to get a copy. Maybe announce that they'll release the preorder copies plus another 1000 copies to purchase for those who don't get to preorder for a second chance.

So anyways, what's everyone's opinion if I purchase an extra PS4 copy and an extra Vita copy to keep sealed if I'm not going to sell them? I'm taking away a potential copy for two other people, but not doing it to be greedy, doing it for collectors purposes. If there weren't as many scalpers as there are, no one would have a problem getting these games. If you ask me, half of the people that are purchasing these are selling them off anyways. 27 copies of Saturday Morning RPG are on Ebay and it was the second game released, as soon as those are sold I'm sure more of them will go up there, and let's not forget all of those before now that have been available for sale as well. If anyone's happened not to get a game that they wanted, it's not because someone decided to get two of each instead of one, it's because the amount of scalpers there are who ransacked the sales, otherwise Oddworld wouldn't have been available for hours after the fact. There's not really as many people that want these as you think, or atleast not as many that are willing to be there at the correct date and time to purchase them.

[The S]

There is a chance we may do Nintendo, but Microsoft is hard to work with this generation.

Bloody hope MS gets on the ball. I'd love for a Battle High 2 A+ disc.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

When they limited it to one copy it was available for a few hours so they removed the restriction.

Are you sure they removed that restriction?

I bought the PS4 version of Oddworld specifically because I was under the impression if I ordered both it and the Vita version, whichever would be the second version would be cancelled. I would have ideally liked to have it on both, but I thought that ever since with Sat Morn RPG, they disallowed this.

I know there's a guy who posts in this thread that is from LimitedRunGames. Please answer this. Am is buying multiple copies of the game - let alone on the same platform - even something that is allowable?

[Aussie2B]

There has never been a restriction on buying one of each platform variant. I ordered Saturday Morning RPG for both PS4 and Vita, and I did the same with Oddworld and Futuridium. The only thing they've cut back on is how many exact duplicate copies you can order. That is, if you can buy more than one Vita copy, or more than one PS4 copy. With Breach & Clear, I believe it was basically a free-for-all, with them only cancelling orders that were really high, like multiple dozens of copies. With Saturday Morning RPG, I believe it started as 2 per platform variant, and then in the second batch reduced to 1 per platform? Something like that. But when copies start selling slowly enough to last for hours, sometimes they increase the number of duplicate copies people can order. It is kind of confusing and sloppy. But, yeah, at a bare minimum, you can always get one copy of each platform variant.

Anyway, they've confirmed Octodad: Dadliest Catch for PS4 and Vita, and it'll actually be coming out earlier than Xeodrifter, which will probably be in July now. Octodad will be on June 19th. I'll update the main post later on.

[Aussie2B]

Okay, opening post updated with new info on Xeodrifter, Octodad, Lost Sea, and Soldner-X 2. Since I'm listing the games by their catalog numbers, Xeodrifter is still listed before Octodad, even though the latter is coming out first. If you check the LRG website, all the games that are listed by me as coming out on July 5th (Lost Sea and both platform variants of Xeodrifter) are actually listed as July 4th on there. I'm assuming this was a c&p'd typo. They've repeatedly said on Twitter that these are coming out on July 5th, and I doubt they're dumb enough to put these up for sale on a big American holiday (granted, Octodad is out on Father's Day, but that's intentional, to match with the theme of the game). If the tweets were mistaken and the July 5th date is wrong after all, I'll update as necessary. Also, another thing to keep in mind, if you add up the print runs for PS4 and Vita, Octodad has the biggest total print run of any LRG release yet, so they're letting people order *2* of each platform variant, for a possible maximum of four copies. Xeodrifter, Lost Sea, and Soldner-X 2 are all still limited to one per platform (one period for Lost Sea and Soldner-X 2 since each is only available on a single platform).

[Aussie2B]

I switched the July 5th releases dates to July 4th after all, since that's what's still on the web store and now they're saying that date on Twitter too. I still think it's a totally bizarre choice. If these were regular retail releases that you could pick up on any day past launch, fine, launch on a holiday, but for games with such a tiny window to order, why would they pick a day when so many people are busy? It's not like Xeodrifter and Lost Sea have any thematic link to the 4th of July like Octodad does to Father's Day. Well, I'll be there at 10am EST to try to order copies for myself, so hopefully I can take care of it then, but I feel bad for people who have to interrupt their grilling or fireworks or whatever with their families to get on at 6pm EST for the second batch.

[Aussie2B]

Limited Run Games has been at E3 and some pretty interesting news is coming out of it. Nuclear Throne was just announced as getting physical copies for PS4 and Vita, but the big news is that Limited Run Games and their parent company, Mighty Rabbit Studios, is in a partnership with Sekai Project. Mighty Rabbit Studios is going to handle porting their games to the Sony platforms, and then Limited Run Games will be doing physical print runs of them. So we're looking at getting games developed in Japan and potentially non-indie games. So far, Fault Milestone One was confirmed as getting a physical print run, but they also announced Rabi-Ribi as getting ported by Mighty Rabbit Studios. Hopefully it's a given that Rabi-Ribi will get a physical print run too. Unlike all the other stuff that's come out or been announced by Limited Run Games, I've actually already played Rabi-Ribi on PC. It's a really fun Metroid-style game, and I think it'd be a great addition to the LRG catalog. I guess for people who find Xeodrifter too short or linear, Rabi-Ribi is a good alternative since it's very open and lasts a decent chunk of time.

[megasdkirby]

Picked up Octodad for PS4 and Vita. Plenty still left.

Seems the LE versions of them aren't selling as fast as they hoped...still PLENTY of them available. No biggie, since it's just a crappy tie.

[Aussie2B]

Octodad: Dadliest Catch is up and going fast, as to be expected. Funny enough, the "Dad Edition" versions with the bonus tie are selling slower than the standard copies, even though there are far fewer copies of the bundles. I guess not many people are interested in spending nearly double to get an extra tie (which aren't even ready yet and will be shipping at a later point separately from the games). I passed on the tie myself, since I'd never wear it and have no men in my life who wear ties more than once in a blue moon either. I did nab a PS4 and Vita copy of the game, though. :)

[shadowman]

Got my copy of Octodad for the Vita. I loved the PS4 port, hoping the Vita version holds up just as well (I never did get to try the Vita version before hand despite it being cross buy).

I do hope that Downwell and Risk of Rain have a chance of getting the LRG treatment. I've been playing both quite a bit lately, and they are brilliant games in their own right, and they are perfect portable games to pick up and play when I have a spare few minutes.

[kainemaxwell]

Wow, what a neat list!

[kupomogli]

I just checked right now and Octodad is still available for the PS4 if anyone has missed it. Kind of proves my point I made previously that not as many people as some think really wants these games, so having the two copies per system availability isn't really hurting anyone.

[Aussie2B]

Well, it's not hurting in the case of this game, which had a combined bigger print run than any previously and also surely has less demand than certain other titles will have. I don't think having some of the copies left two days later is anything to regard as bad or a failure, though. The way things went with previous titles shouldn't be the ideal. It's far preferable if there's enough stock to last at least a few days, and selling through all of the stock in that span still shows that there's good demand. Now, if stock was still available weeks later, or months later, then it'd be a different story.

[kupomogli]

Shovel Knight is getting a limited edition Vita retail release for $24.99. Preorder now if you're interested. The only thing I don't like is that they already know there's going to be two more free DLC for the King Knight, Specter Knight, and the Body Switch option when playing the regular game. Since this game is going to be limited edition, why not wait until the game is going to be fully complete and then release it on the Vita then. It kind of defeats the purpose of why people want physical copies in the first place.

http://www.fangamer.com/products/shovel-knight-for-ps-vita

[SparTonberry]

I have yet to play it but I have the physical 3DS version (which I think was a standard retail print), but so that game isn't complete either?

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Well, the core game is there, but the DLC will still need to be downloaded from PSN.

[kupomogli]

I have yet to play it but I have the physical 3DS version (which I think was a standard retail print), but so that game isn't complete either?

Yeah, the only thing that came out before the release of Shovel Knight was Plague Knight's story, so that's on the disc and cartridge. The other character DLC still hasn't been released(and it's taking a very long time considering how long the PS4, 3DS, and Wii U versions of the game have released,) but now the Vita is getting a limited edition run and they still don't have it done, yet they're still releasing it anyways. I personally would have them hold off on the Vita version atleast until the future content is released so that way the game can be purchased with all available content on atleast one version of the game.

Either Yacht Club Games are going to rerelease a second more complete game at retail to reap those profits as well, or every released copy will be incomplete.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I'll bet that it will be incomplete. The DLC is free, so as long as the servers are active that will be accessible, and should there be a time in the future where Sony abandons PS3 and Vita PSN, I'm sure hackers will find a way to make that stuff available in the same way hackers have made the content that was exclusive to the original Xbox's Xbox Live available.

[Aussie2B]

Since more and more LRG releases are including manuals now, I decided that I want to keep track of which have them on the master list, especially because it's up to the developer to decide to include one or not, so it's not going to be a real consistent thing. I know Xeodrifter will be the first LRG Vita release with a manual, but can anybody confirm if the PS4 versions of Saturday Morning RPG, Oddworld, and Futuridium have manuals or not? I have all three of those on PS4 myself, but since I still have no PS4 to play them on yet, I don't want to open my copies right away, haha. Right now I just want to get the manuals for the already released games accounted for, so don't take the lack of an asterisk as meaning a game absolutely won't get a manual. I'm sure it'll take some time before we have solid confirmation on all of those upcoming games.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I own all of those, but my copies are sealed, and since I was under the impression that you couldn't buy multiple copies, I only have one copy of each game, which I plan to keep sealed.

[megasdkirby]

...but can anybody confirm if the PS4 versions of Saturday Morning RPG, Oddworld, and Futuridium have manuals or not?

Oddworld does not have a manual per se...more like a sheet with the standard warnings that is included with all games. No actual mention of story, controls, etc.

[megasdkirby]

Got all three games: Xeodrifter (Vita and PS4) and Lost at Sea (PS4).

Anyone managed to snag their copies?

[Aussie2B]

The first half of Lost Sea (PS4) and Xeodrifter (PS4 & Vita) have been put up for sale, and they're going fast. The Vita version of Xeodrifter especially. What's weird is that I could've sworn that Lost Sea was one per customer, but now I see that it says you can order two.

Also, I've been quietly adding info to the list in the opening post now and then, and I'm not necessarily going to make a new post for each announcement, so be sure to check that list if you want the most up-to-date info I know about what's being released, when, and if it's got a manual. The biggest news as of late is that Sekai Project announced another one of their visual novels that's getting a LRG run on PS4 & Vita, World End Economica. It's an episodic story with each part sold separately on Steam, but for the physical release, they're packaging all three parts in one.

[megasdkirby]

It was originally one per customer. I guess they realized that they would have too many leftover copies, so they increased the limit to two. It will definitely sell, thanks to scalpers.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I snagged the Vita version of Xeodrifter. It's the only one I was interested in this time. I just wonder when it will actually get here. Limitedrungames takes their sweet time shipping things to Canada. Plus, we're possibly looking at a nation-wide Postal strike that will halt all mail.

[kupomogli]

No offense to visual novel fans, but I don't like the genre and paying the prices for them, it's really as weeaboo as you can get. You're reading text with a still anime image for around five minutes or so, then the still image changes when you're in a different area. These aren't video games and it's pretty much highway robbery that they sell them for game prices. There's a lack of content for it to be a book and they go for several times the price. They're pretty much short animes with literally no budget. This stuff should be sold on DVDs for the fans of the genre, not on video game consoles. Unless it's something where the player has meaningful control, something like old Sierra games, Snatcher, Quantic Dream games, The Walking Dead, this stuff needs to stay off video game consoles. In Japan the Vita and PC get a new release almost daily. We've got quite of few of them in the west too on the Vita and PC. Instead of being known as the RPG console in the west like the PSP(because you're fooling yourself if you think Vita has more retail RPGs than the 3DS,) Vita has made a name for itself as the shitty visual novel portable.

I don't think Limited Run Games is really doing a great job getting the games that people want. For visual novel fans this is probably great, but I guarantee that the large majority of people didn't ask for this. I can guarantee you that there's probably several times more people that have asked for games like Spelunky, Rogue Legacy, Dust, Quacamelee, Hotline Miami(not going to happen, already on disc,) Fez, Transistor, Jamestown, Binding of Isaac, La Mulana, Tim Schafer's HD games, Titan Souls, Salt and Sanctuary and many other well liked games I can't think of off the top of my head than anything that's actually been released. This isn't to knock Abe's Oddysee or Soldner X-2, one of which is a good game, and another that looks like a good shmup game but I highly doubt Xeodrifter was asked over Axiom Verge or Lost Sea was asked over Binding of Isaac for example or even the two games I've just previously listed. If you ask me, it looks like a lot of these releases are which ones they can get the most per copy sold over which ones people actually want. Half of the ones sold were on PS+ and while a lot of the ones I've listed were also on PS+, they're known to be some of the best indie games on the PS4 and Vita.

[Aussie2B]

Um, okay? So don't buy them? The existence of visual novels literally has zero negative impact on you. There are two announced for LRG's catalog so far out out 16 total released/announced games, so they obviously make up only a tiny percentage of the catalog. Those who want non-visual novels have far more to choose from than those who want visual novels from LRG.

People have been clamoring for Japanese-developed games from LRG, so the partnership with Sekai Project is a great thing and will result in games in a variety of genres coming out, even if Sekai Project primarily publishes visual novels. If you don't like visual novels, try Rabi-Ribi. I think it's easily among the best games LRG has lined up so far, and we might not be getting it if not for the visual novels getting released too. Personally, I love visual novels, and I'm looking forward to the Sekai Project releases more than anything else LRG has announced so far. And I know that Sekai Project has had swarms of fans endlessly begging them to port their games to handhelds/consoles and produce physical copies, so the demand is definitely there. Easily more demand than there is for some of the titles that have been released by LRG thus far. You can complain all you want about what LRG has announced so far compared to the games that you want, but a number of games you listed LRG has already confirmed that they can't get, they're working on trying to get, or they may have even gotten already but haven't been able to announce yet because the developer chooses when LRG can announce their releases.

Also, your assessment of visual novels is entirely ignorant and biased. You're perfectly entitled to not liking them, but the so-called facts you're stating aren't remotely true. Character sprites (and sometimes backgrounds) are often animated, and even when not, they usually flip to a different portrait with each chunk of dialogue. Outside of kinetic novels, regular visual novels have "winning" and "losing" conditions, so they are games. Besides, the entire industry recognizes and markets them as games, which holds a hell of a lot more authority than you claiming they aren't games. In Japan, they're usually not even called "visual novels", but just adventure games. I don't know how you came to the conclusion that they're lacking in content compared to books and anime, when they typically have FAR more text and dialogue. It's pretty typical for the average visual novel to take someone dozens of hours to fully complete. Just compare an anime adaptation of a visual novel to its source material, and the anime versions are virtually always like Cliffs Notes versions, as a regular length anime can't hope to remotely cover everything in a visual novel or use even a fraction of its dialogue. And yeah, they're relatively low budget as far as games go, but they're not dirt cheap to make either. Most are fully or nearly so voiced, and hiring all those actors and having them record such a huge script racks up. Besides, the LRG releases will surely be cheaper than a regular retail release, and if you think most of the indie games they've been releasing have huge budgets, you're dreaming. They were probably just as cheap to make as the average visual novel, if not cheaper. And the Vita is the visual novel portable? Gimme a break. You can count the number of visual novels released in English on Vita on your fingers. Anybody who would think that the library is dominated by visual novels clearly has no clue what the US Vita library actually consists of.

Lastly, if you think visual novel fans don't deserve the opportunity to buy games in the genre on handhelds and consoles, if publishers are willing to release them, you can rightly plug off.

[Tupin]

I understand the appeal of visual novels to some degree, but can't fathom why you'd play them on a handheld.

[Aussie2B]

So people can curl up with them in bed or on a comfy chair like they would with a book? PC and handhelds seemed to be the preferred platforms for visual novel fans. People don't seem very big on playing VNs on home consoles. And it's not like you're really gaining anything with home console versions because they don't tend to stress hardware much, so the handheld versions will look and run about the same. The main reason PC is a popular platform for the genre is because they can have adult content then. If all visual novels were all-ages, they'd probably mostly be on handhelds.

Oh, and you can also generally save at any time in a VN, so that makes them very good for playing them on the go while commuting or what have you. For that matter, mobile is a pretty popular platform for VNs too.

[shadowman]

So people can curl up with them in bed or on a comfy chair like they would with a book? PC and handhelds seemed to be the preferred platforms for visual novel fans. People don't seem very big on playing VNs on home consoles. And it's not like you're really gaining anything with home console versions because they don't tend to stress hardware much, so the handheld versions will look and run about the same. The main reason PC is a popular platform for the genre is because they can have adult content then. If all visual novels were all-ages, they'd probably mostly be on handhelds.

Oh, and you can also generally save at any time in a VN, so that makes them very good for playing them on the go while commuting or what have you. For that matter, mobile is a pretty popular platform for VNs too.

Exactly. In the Vita's case the suspend/resume feature is great to do bits of a VN and then jump back into it later (for example - doing some of the investigation stuff in Danganrompa).

On a more general note - I like the genre. Just like any genre, I like certain VN's if they have story's that interest me. So Danganrompa has been a favourite of mine (its a dark and disturbing story, yet I couldn't put it down) and I love the Phoenix Wright series (can't wait for the next PW game to be released this year).

[Satoshi_Matrix]

The thing to remember is they're visual NOVELS. Novels. As in, books. Books have always had the benefit of being portable. Take them outside on the deck in the warm summer evenings. Take them on a train ride. Visit distant relatives and bring a book to read at night. Or simply just read them on the sofa or in bed.

Visual Novels are the same. I don't want to play visual novels on console with a big screen tv. I also don't want to be sitting at my desk on my computer. But my Vita? That's the perfect place for them. I wouldn't want them anywhere else, even mobile or 3DS or whatever. That's why I backed the Muv-Luv kickstarter and chose the deluxe bundles to all be physically on Vita.

[Tanooki]

Probably why the annoying non-localized sequel to Trace Memory didn't appear in the US. First (with Hotel Dusk) are visual mystery novels and great as they are played with the DS held sideways as it's a visual novel.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Kupomogii said a bunch of stuff that I just gotta address. I don't want to fight with you dude, I just want to address what you said. let's be civil.



No offense to visual novel fans, but I don't like the genre and paying the prices for them, it's really as weeaboo as you can get.

Okay. So you don't like them. Fair enough. I don't buy sports games for that reason. As for them being "weeaboo", that's because most visual novels are produced in Japan because that's where they have flurished. The concept of a visual novel is no more "weeaboo" than the concept of a puzzle game, platformer, or anything else; it's a genre, not a country of origin. There are non anime styled visual novels too. It's just that most of the ones you hear about are the ones that get popular, which typically are anime based.


You're reading text with a still anime image for around five minutes or so, then the still image changes when you're in a different area. These aren't video games and it's pretty much highway robbery that they sell them for game prices.

Visual Novels are.....interactive novels. They might offer very little in what would be traditionally defined as gameplay, but they absolutely are videogames. Also, most visual novels are QUITE cheap. especially in comparison to you know, $60 games you see on store shelves. Most of the ones that get physical releases are niche, or not targeted towards the typical gamer. There's been an explosion of otome games in recent years which of course, are made to directly appeal to the female gamer.



There's a lack of content for it to be a book and they go for several times the price. They're pretty much short animes with literally no budget. This stuff should be sold on DVDs for the fans of the genre, not on video game consoles.

It's true that most visual novels are made with shoestring budgets, but I don't see why that matters or why that's even a bad thing. The important things of VNs are attractive UIs, interesting stories and compelling characters. "Budget" as it were is superfulous to that. Also the fact that they can be made on shoestring budgets allows indie developers to hone their craft. Divisity is a good thing, not a bad thing.

As for them being DVDs and not games, well, videogames are the most popular entertainment medium in the world. Visual novels, like JRPGs, tell a story in a more dynamic way than a book alone can. Don't get me wrong I love to read novels, but there's a certain entertainment that comes from visual novels, especially when they're voice acted. It's a lot like following along to a radio play. One of the reasons I like VNs is because they're so easy to get into and follow along with. Sometimes large novels can be intimitating, you know? Visual Novels are more apporochabe, not to mention more portible since they play on the console you have or better still the handheld.




Unless it's something where the player has meaningful control, something like old Sierra games, Snatcher, Quantic Dream games, The Walking Dead, this stuff needs to stay off video game consoles. In Japan the Vita and PC get a new release almost daily. We've got quite of few of them in the west too on the Vita and PC. Instead of being known as the RPG console in the west like the PSP(because you're fooling yourself if you think Vita has more retail RPGs than the 3DS,) Vita has made a name for itself as the shitty visual novel portable.

I don't really see your point. You're bringing up point and click adventure games and seemingly making some sort of conclusion that because the Vita having a steady steam of Visual Novels, that somehow affects your enjoyment of the system. Again, if you don't like Visual Novels, don't buy them. Look at how many shovelware games that the original Wii saw, or how many sports games there are for the PS2. Why should that matter? Just don't buy what you don't like. Also, like I exaplined before, the reason you see so many VNs on Vita and PC is because development costs are low and they don't take all that long to produce. Saying they need to "stay off video game consoles" simply because YOU don't like them is beyond aggorant.




I don't think Limited Run Games is really doing a great job getting the games that people want. For visual novel fans this is probably great, but I guarantee that the large majority of people didn't ask for this.

oy......
1. Limited Run Games themselves wanted to produce visual novels right from the get-go.
2. Yes people DID ask them
3. Developers asked them
4. The number of copies produced will be proportional to the demand
5. the majority of people are confused by the notion of Limited Run Games (i.e selling physical copies of games one can get cheaper and instantly as digital downloads) to start with.
6. If you don't want a particular game Limited Run Games is selling, then just don't buy it!




I can guarantee you that there's probably several times more people that have asked for games like Spelunky, Rogue Legacy, Dust, Quacamelee, Hotline Miami(not going to happen, already on disc,) Fez, Transistor, Jamestown, Binding of Isaac, La Mulana, Tim Schafer's HD games, Titan Souls, Salt and Sanctuary and many other well liked games I can't think of off the top of my head than anything that's actually been released.

This isn't to knock Abe's Oddysee or Soldner X-2, one of which is a good game, and another that looks like a good shmup game but I highly doubt Xeodrifter was asked over Axiom Verge or Lost Sea was asked over Binding of Isaac for example or even the two games I've just previously listed. If you ask me, it looks like a lot of these releases are which ones they can get the most per copy sold over which ones people actually want. Half of the ones sold were on PS+ and while a lot of the ones I've listed were also on PS+, they're known to be some of the best indie games on the PS4 and Vita.


Probably true but it isn't as simple as that. Limited Run Games is a small venture and they work closely with their indie partners. Most of the games you mentioned are from large studios or by people that are notariously difficult to work with. I'm sure that as Limited Run Games grows more notible developers will join them. But it's not like Limited Run Games is turning them down so they can produce the dreaded Visual Novels instead.

Also, consider that Limited Run Games produces games in the ~1800-3500 copies range, most likely because that's the most they produce in a single production run. The whole concept is that it's LIMITED. Putting those much more popular games out would have higher demand and as it stands now, they likely aren't able to increase the volume of their production without worriying about unsold inventory. What happens if a "big name" title gets produced and ~4000 copies go unsold? That kind of thing would spell the end of a venture niche company like Limited Run Games. They have to take things one step at a time.


Kupomogii, I'm not trying to chew you out or anything but some of what you said is really rather ignorant. Maybe you just didn't think it though, or maybe you didn't know. Visual Novels have their fans just as First Person Shooters do, or American football. Or people who like card based games like Magic the Gathering. Or whatever. You should never say something like "this genre here shouldn't exist". Diversity in games is represnitive of diversity of ideas and people in general. It's a good thing. Nobody's saying you have to like Visual Novels. Just try to appriciate the fact other people have different tastes than you do.

[Aussie2B]

I'm trying to wrap my head around how a visual novel on DVD could even be feasible. I think it just goes to show how much kupomogli has no clue what they really are. Visual novels aren't like Dragon's Lair or Sega CD FMV games. What you're seeing isn't a video. The UI, the character sprites, the backgrounds, etc. are all separate, independently functioning elements. When I play a visual novel, not only am I pressing a button to advance every window of text, but I'm selecting options, fiddling around with menus, checking the backlog to review previous text and/or relisten to spoken lines, etc. The idea of trying to make that work with a DVD and all the loading involved just makes me cringe.

Anyway, for a complete change of subject, I'm surprised that Lost Sea is still in stock even now. If you had asked me, I would've expected it to sell out before Xeodrifter, considering it's only on one platform and, if you combine the platform variants, Xeodrifter had more copies total. If I'm not mistaken, it's also a brand new game, not one that's been available digitally for a long time. Well, I'm not complaining. I'm glad people can buy Lost Sea at their relative leisure.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

My guess is he was speaking figuratively. It might have been a case of "these games are so primitive that a DVD player could run them" type statement. You know, that same dismissive statement people make about a calculator having better graphics than Minecraft or Mighty No 9 looking like a really nice N64 game.

[Aussie2B]

Breach & Clear: Deadline was announced as #14 today. They haven't announced a release date yet, but I wonder if they'll end up selling it at the same time as Soldner-X 2. I mean, Rainbow Moon hasn't been assigned numbers yet, and it's due in August, so Deadline's gotta be pretty soon here. I've also heard them talking about selling a very tiny amount of leftover Vita Breach & Clear this month, including some offered in a bundle. They're going to offer a bundle for Deadline that comes with the soundtrack, so I wonder if maybe they'll sell some Vita Breach & Clear copies with that soundtrack, or maybe even bundled with Deadline.

[Bojay1997]

Breach & Clear: Deadline was announced as #14 today. They haven't announced a release date yet, but I wonder if they'll end up selling it at the same time as Soldner-X 2. I mean, Rainbow Moon hasn't been assigned numbers yet, and it's due in August, so Deadline's gotta be pretty soon here. I've also heard them talking about selling a very tiny amount of leftover Vita Breach & Clear this month, including some offered in a bundle. They're going to offer a bundle for Deadline that comes with the soundtrack, so I wonder if maybe they'll sell some Vita Breach & Clear copies with that soundtrack, or maybe even bundled with Deadline.

Soldier X-2 has been delayed from the previously announced July 18th date. Apparently it will launch at the same time as Deadline if all goes according to the new plan. They are also planning on doing a bundle with both the original Vita B&C and the PS4 Deadline and both soundtracks. No word on when or how many for that.

[Aussie2B]

Okay, I updated the list now that we have a date for Soldner-X 2 and Breach & Clear: Deadline, which is July 29. They still haven't even changed the Soldner-X 2 date on the store listing, so I can already picture all the people who will get on the site on the 18th, wondering what's going on. I believe I heard that there are about (or exactly?) thirty bundles with the Vita Breach & Clear that will be available on July 29, so I'm sure that'll be a free-for-all.

[kupomogli]

We've partnered with Limited Run Games to create, well, a region-free limited run of the game in physical form. The game will be launching in September and will be available exclusively via Limited Run Games' official store. We'll be sharing further details as they become available (like a definitive date and time) on our Twitter, and Limited Run Games will be doing the same on their Twitter, too.

For those not familiar with Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice, here's the lowdown:

Join Ogden and the heroes of Westeria in this classic JRPG epic, Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice! Travel through the frozen wastelands of Tundaria, experiencing action-packed battles without random encounters, using spatially aware Area-of-Effect attacks and power moves. Travel by pirate ship, defending against enemies in thrilling ship-to-ship rock monster combat! Defeat oncoming hordes of demons and huge bosses that threaten the entire world of Dragon Fantasy!

"But wait, wasn't this Dragon Fantasy Book II?"

Yes...but there's more to it. Think of it as a remastered version of Dragon Fantasy: Book II (which was originally released for PlayStation 3 and Vita in 2013) Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice is the DEFINITIVE EDITION of the second Dragon Fantasy game. With an extensive list of tweaks, improvements, and changes, including new dialogue (to ensure those who never played Dragon Fantasy: The Volumes of Westeria will be up-to-speed and ready to go), new bestiary (track the monsters you’ve defeated and captured!), new items, new boss, and a difficulty slider to ensure gamers of all experience levels can enjoy the fun, there’s loads to discover whether you’re a new player or a veteran.

http://mtki.co/dragon-fantasy-the-black-tome-of-ices-limited-physical-run/

[Greg2600]

Out of curiosity, is there a reason these releases seem to be Sony systems only?

[SparTonberry]

Are PS4 and Vita still region-free (or at least optional game-specific region-lock)?

Nintendo went backwards starting with the DSi, adding region-lock when they were previously region-free.

No idea about Microsoft.

[kupomogli]

Are PS4 and Vita still region-free (or at least optional game-specific region-lock)?

Nintendo went backwards starting with the DSi, adding region-lock when they were previously region-free.

No idea about Microsoft.

PS4, Vita, and Xbox One are region free. I don't know about 360 games through bc as I don't own one.

[Aussie2B]

Yeah, the PS4 and Vita are region-free, and LRG ships worldwide. That's not why LRG only does Sony games, though. The reason for that is because Nintendo and Microsoft have higher minimum print runs, which basically kills the viability of physical print runs of games like these. LRG is working on it, though, as they do want to release games for other platforms.

Besides Dragon Fantasy: The Black Tome of Ice, the other news is that there's a specific release date for Rainbow Moon now: August 19th. They've also said that Rainbow Moon isn't the only game getting released in August, but I guess it's either completely unannounced thus far or it's one of the games that have no concrete release info. I'm wondering when Cosmic Star Heroine is gonna come out. If they actually stick to the summer release as planned, all they have left is August or September. And I'm personally hoping that LRG doesn't go overboard with the number of releases in September and October since those months are already loaded with games I'm gonna get from other publishers.

[SparTonberry]

Nintendo copying the "indie games on disc" idea?
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/07/nindie_favourites_coming_to_wii_u_disc_under_ninte ndo_eshop_selects_label

[kupomogli]

Nintendo copying the "indie games on disc" idea?
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/07/nindie_favourites_coming_to_wii_u_disc_under_ninte ndo_eshop_selects_label

They've got to do something to make it look like their sh*tty console has games. To make it look like the fanbase hasn't bought into a console that's died within three years and nothing to show. I've bought exclusives that I'm ever so slightly interested in to actually have something on the damn system and I still only have 11 games.

*edit*

What a piece of Nintendo. Hopefully this catches on, probably won't.

If you replace Nintendo with a more fitting word with the company throughout the entirety of their existence, the above would make sense. Okay, a bit of exaggeration :P.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

Regardless of their reasoning, I'm onboard with the concept of putting digital only games on disc no matter who is doing it. Especially compilations as the SteamWorld games would suggest. What I'd really like to see is huge digital only WiiU games like Fatal Frame 5 get a proper disc release. This series could do that, at last. As much as I wanted to, what stopped me from buying Fatal Frame 5 on WiiU was that it was digital only, something like 16 GB, and $60. I'd pay $60 for Fatal Frame 5 if it were physical, but not digital.


The other issue is the WiiU is frustratingly region locked, so even if a bunch of these are great, the European builds are useless to me.

[Greg2600]

So region free is the answer, thanks.

[Bojay1997]

So region free is the answer, thanks.

Not entirely. They have expressed an interest in releasing on non-Sony platforms, including region locked platforms like WiiU. They have said that there are certain barriers to doing so including the fact that their background is in developing games for Sony systems and knowing that procedure for getting through QA and publishing requirements better than other platforms. There are also start-up costs involved with working on other platforms (for example, they had to pay to license specific fonts for Sony releases and other publishers have their own requirements and hoops to jump through). So, I think being region free was part of it, but so is already having games to release on those platforms to get the process started and already knowing the publisher's requirements backwards and forwards. I'm sure as they continue to have success, they will branch out onto other platforms.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I'd personally like to see Limited Run Games do some PS3 releases. There are a whole bunch of really fantasic PSN only games that I would gladly rebuy if I could.

I wonder if that's possible? PS3 games are still in production, they use a standard format, and LRG is already working with Sony.

[Aussie2B]

Apparently in September we're getting two RPGs from LRG, one being Dragon Fantasy and the other is an RPG developed in Japan, which is not only a first for LRG but rules out everything currently on the upcoming list. Should be interesting to see what it is. :)

Edit: Seems it'll be a PS4 game (or maybe on both platforms), so it's definitely not a Vita exclusive.

[Aussie2B]

Soldner-X 2 and Breach & Clear: Deadline have been put up. The bundle including the Vita Breach & Clear went in the blink of an eye as to be expected, the first batch of Soldner-X 2 is already sold out, and Deadline doesn't have much left of the first half. I just went in for regular copies myself, no bundles. Check back at 6pm EST if you missed anything (minus the jumbo B&C bundle; that's a one-time deal, outside of any orders that get canceled and relisted who knows when).

[shadowman]

I only grabbed Soldner, I'm not going for the PS4 games. Glad I managed to get Soldner as I'm a big fan of the digital port for the Vita that was already released. Its a very fun game, and a pretty impressive port (runs silky smooth and looks wonderful).

[Aussie2B]

Looks like most of the listings for the second half went just as fast, if not faster, than in the morning. All that's left now is regular Deadline copies, so I guess we'll see how long those last (they kinda lingered even with the first batch).

Looking forward, LRG said that we're getting a Metroidvania in August. Could it possibly already be time for Rabi-Ribi? But that's still not out digitally yet, without even a release date announced for the digital release. I'd be really surprised if they released the digital versions and the physical print runs all at once, all of a sudden. If not that, then it's gotta be something totally unannounced thus far. I already finished Xeodrifter myself, so I'm down for another, whatever it is, as long as it's decent.

They're also saying that they're going to wait a bit after whenever Cosmic Star Heroine comes out digitally so that any needed patches can be released before they produce physical copies. So even if Cosmic Star Heroine makes it this summer digitally, maybe we'd be looking at autumn for the physical release. I'll leave my release estimate as-is in the opening post until summer is definitely ruled out, though.

Edit: Here is the sticker for the mystery Metroidvania in August:

https://twitter.com/LimitedRunGames/status/759110672252858368

Any guesses? It'd have to be a game with a color scheme in its logo/title art like that.

Edit #2: As I continued to talk to myself here, haha, August's mystery game is proooooobably Shadow Complex Remastered, which would get a PS4 print run only, since it doesn't exist on Vita. Also, for a funny bit of trivia, apparently the original (non-remastered) version of the game came out on August 19, 2009, so it would go on sale with Rainbow Moon on the exact 7th anniversary of Shadow Complex's initial release.

[kupomogli]

Rainbow Moon for PS4 and Vita 3000 copies and each and Shadow Complex for PS4 7500 copies are available August 19th @ 10AM EST for the first batch, 6PM EST for the second batch.

[megasdkirby]

I'm ready for those. Still pissed at the last batch though...the site claiming that items were in stock, and when placed in the cart, automatically SOLD OUT. Happened several times. ARGH.

[Spartacus]

Rainbow Moon for PS4 and Vita 3000 copies and each and Shadow Complex for PS4 7500 copies are available August 19th @ 10AM EST for the first batch, 6PM EST for the second batch.

7500 is a lot of copies of Shadow Complex. I imagine that's the largest production run for LRG so far.
I plan on picking up both games and knock on wood, I haven't had any trouble while ordering yet. But I prefer the PS4 versions over the Vita and it's the Vita versions that seem to go quickest.
I have a Vita and I'm aware it's small library may make it's games 'collectable'. But there's no way I would prefer playing a game on a postcard screen vs a console experience, so my Vita library is pretty much limited to exclusives.



Nintendo copying the "indie games on disc" idea?
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/07/nindie_favourites_coming_to_wii_u_disc_under_ninte ndo_eshop_selects_label


The other issue is the WiiU is frustratingly region locked, so even if a bunch of these are great, the European builds are useless to me.

I wondered if these might get left in Europe too, but Amazon listed the Steamworld Collection available October 11th for both the Wii U and PS4. Nothing on FAST Racing NEO yet.

[Aussie2B]

Looks like iam8bit is looking to get in on LRG's shtick too, with this physical print run of Rez Infinite:

http://store.iam8bit.com/collections/collectors-editions/products/rezinfinite-ps4physicalgame

And it's clear the LRG guys are bitter about it too, because they were working on getting the rights to release the game themselves, so I guess iam8bit swooped in on it. LRG doesn't even want to name the game or publisher, since they don't want to draw any attention to this competitor, which is quite a bit different from, say, the physical Vita run of Shovel Knight, which LRG was happy to promote. In general, LRG seems very friendly with other publishers, and they highlight lots of physical releases from other companies, so iam8bit must've done something really scummy in their eyes.

I wonder how successful this print run of Rez Infinite will be since they're not giving any print run size nor any indication of a cut-off date for orders, so I don't know if it'll have that same kind of "limited" appeal to collectors.

Anyway, getting back to LRG, I'm sure this won't please the visual novel haters, but another Sekai Project VN was announced for a 2017 LRG print run: Narcissu. Actually, I hear it's a kinetic novel, so I don't think there's any player choice at all. Well, either way, I'm looking forward to it.

[Porksta]

Looks like iam8bit is looking to get in on LRG's shtick too, with this physical print run of Rez Infinite:

http://store.iam8bit.com/collections/collectors-editions/products/rezinfinite-ps4physicalgame

And it's clear the LRG guys are bitter about it too, because they were working on getting the rights to release the game themselves, so I guess iam8bit swooped in on it. LRG doesn't even want to name the game or publisher, since they don't want to draw any attention to this competitor, which is quite a bit different from, say, the physical Vita run of Shovel Knight, which LRG was happy to promote. In general, LRG seems very friendly with other publishers, and they highlight lots of physical releases from other companies, so iam8bit must've done something really scummy in their eyes.

I wonder how successful this print run of Rez Infinite will be since they're not giving any print run size nor any indication of a cut-off date for orders, so I don't know if it'll have that same kind of "limited" appeal to collectors.

Anyway, getting back to LRG, I'm sure this won't please the visual novel haters, but another Sekai Project VN was announced for a 2017 LRG print run: Narcissu. Actually, I hear it's a kinetic novel, so I don't think there's any player choice at all. Well, either way, I'm looking forward to it.

And they aren't mentioning shipping as far as I can tell. It ships from UK, I wonder what the cost will be.