It's a thread! (Games discussion, etc.)

[JG]

Also, SquareEnix is getting a flareup they didn't predict after yesterday's Direct. We all knew gender type was a choice in the old DQ3 game, and I was pleased to see they had four different poses or clothing types for the NPC so you wouldn't end up with two of the same gender and vocation looking like twins.

But then they went on to show hair color and voice changes, which are also great additions. However, they didn't think globally enough to realize that showing choices for body type, voice, and hair color without skin color is not racially sensitive to many western fans, and now they've got a PR problem on their hands. This is not something they can just overlook or claim to have forgotten, because they've had skin color choices before in games like DQ9 and Builders 2. They need to show a screenshot of skin color changes this week or drop everything else and get developers and graphic artists fixing it before the demo launches. They just can't launch this game in the west with several customization choices except skin color without significant backlash - something they can't afford with this 7 million unit sales moonshot they're aiming for.


But weren't they creating a new Atelier leading lady every year or two for a long time before doing the Ryza sequels? It just seems like developers have gone back to doing what they were before rather than suddenly changing directions without reason.

[Moge]

There hasn't been any controversy from what i've seen from the customization aspect. Would be nice to alter skin color, but i would think most DQ fans are already happy that this remake is above and beyond what they showed initially. If the game were fully 3D, then perhaps people would start raising their pitchforks and torches over the low customizability.

Awesome Direct. The Haunted Castle remake and Capcom Fighting Collection 2 announcements took me by surprise. Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is really the one i've been waiting for as someone who has put a crazy amount of hours into Capcom vs SNK 2 in my youth. Also i'm very happy to see Capcom dropping most of their Dreamcast arcade library into the collection. Crazy amount of value in this collection of games that haven't revisited since the turn of the millenia.

Side note, it blows me away that we're getting not one but two retro remakes this week: Shadow of the Ninja and of course Haunted Castle.

[JG]

No Atelier Ryza.....  ._.

I LOVE Reisalin Stout....... and NOT seeing her as the main character breakes my heart so much.......Yumia DOSENT look bad but... Reisalin Stout had the SPUNK, energy, and so much of a growth (Also GIGA HOT) that I saw as the FACE of the games.

WILL give Yumia a chance but dont think she would match Reisalin at all.

By the way, Direct said "Early 2025", but earlier today Nintendo of Japan pegged it to March 21.

[JG]

Comparison of PS5 Pro prices, including disc drive add-on, at today's exchange rates. In Europe, its over twice the cost of regular American disc model.

[Moge]

That price is bonkers

Well, with that outta the way, i get more confused with each passing month at the direction Sony is taking its console business. These half-step consoles aren't what the majority of gamers want.

[JG]

Well, with that outta the way, i get more confused with each passing month at the direction Sony is taking its console business. These half-step consoles aren't what the majority of gamers want.

Especially when said half step is to do the things the console touted it would do in 2020 and failed to deliver on. For example, in the upper right corner of all PS5 boxes until recently, there are labels for "8K" and "4K 120". I think a handful of games do 4K 120, but most running 4K only get 30 or 60fps and those running 120fps are usually 1080p or 1440p. Even the brand new Astro Bot, touted as the most advanced game for PS5 yet doesn't do 4K 120: its dynamic resolution jumps between between 1440p and 4K at 60fps. And video I saw earlier said not a single 8K game exists yet though the boxes said 8K on the front until recently.

A lot of people are calling out Sony as frauds for misrepresenting original PS5 capabilities, then asking an additional $780 (USD) to get the performance promised four years ago.

[JG]

Japan Game Awards 2024 Results:

Minister of Trade and Industry Award
Playstation

Breathrough Award
Exit Eight

Movement Award
Tsuika Game

Awards of Excellence (up to 12 can be awarded, 11 this year)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Street Fighter 6
Final Fantasy XIV
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
Super Mario Bros Wonder
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
Like a Dragon 8
Persona 3: Reload
Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
Unicorn Overlord
Dragon's Dogma 2

Best Sales Award
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
(3.75M copies in Japan)

Special Award
Street Fighter 6

Game Designers Award
Viewfinder

Grand Award (Game of the Year)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom


Future Division awards (ie, most anticipated) get announced Sunday.

[Moge]

2023 games for a 2024 award? I can understand if the games were released in December, but TotK came out in the first half.

Very pleased to see Lunar getting remasters. Seems like they'll be using the Working Designs translations, which are love it or hate it for so many. I don't mind them for the most part, although a lot of that NPC dialogue is really out there, but i heard they'll be going over the old translations and making some adjustments, so i'm pleased.

We really have reached the point where graphics aren't the be-all-end-all of selling game consoles. Seeing those side by side comparison shots of vanilla PS5 and PS5 Pro games, yeah, they're not gonna convince the vast majority of gamers. Sony is clearly in desperate need of more games. Not indie games, but games that will demonstrate the system's power.

[JG]

This confused me at first two but it makes sense if you consider that the eligibility period probably isn't a twelve month period, as this would greatly penalize games released right toward end of period. Most likely 15-month rolling period.
And most likely April of last year to July of current year period, as Japanese fiscal year for most companies is April-March. Thus a game released April, May, or June of a given year isn't eligible for current year award, but is for next year, thus they can better gauge how many sales its made.

What you said about the graphics is exactly why Sony is foolish to make a PS5 Pro. Cerny apparently believes that developers want to tap as much power as possible, which is only a half-truth. What they really want to do is sell games, which means the PS5 Pro is a red herring. Now developers have to do exactly what Cerny doesn't want them to do, and develop the game in such a way to do a fidelity thing for PS5 Pro players and a performance thing for PS5 players. So not only does PS5 Pro not solve the problem, it makes it worse. (As did PS4 Pro before it.) And to make matters worse, if developers are STILL going to be making PS4 games into 2026, then now you have at least three layers of graphics modes for some games (and maybe four if they do PS4, PS4 Pro, PS5, and PS5 Pro), and that's not even considering 2026 is probably when we'll hear about the PS6. Potentially five concurrent platforms?? This is why Sony's messed it all up.

Astro Bot and Ghost of Yotei certainly add to a weak lineup of games that improve a lukewarm reaction to the PS5 and maybe finally get people to move off PS4 and only PS5 like Sony wants, but Sony's got to their part too and not jump overboard on PS5 Pro and not continue to tinker or support the PS4 platform with new operating system updates every month or two and new software still two years away.

Between the Concord abandonment (and apparently nearly half billion dollar loss), PS5 Pro PR flop, and bizarre commitment to support PS4 for a few more years, Sony gaming has unquestionably had the worst month they've ever had - even worse when they shot for the moon with that $599 PS3 launch price.

[Moge]

Valve recently made a statement that they have no intention of releasing a Steam Deck 2 until there's a large enough leap in tech. I appreciate that they're in no rush to devalue the original Steam Deck. Having bought one this year, i'm satisfied for the most part with its power.

[JG]

Yeah, that's smart of Valve.

They don't want to have to make 'compatibility levels' where games could be playable on SteamDeck 2 but not on Steam Deck 1. Or weird things happen in one but not the other. Plus they still have a ton of existing games to go through to try to improve for SD1 or encourage developers to improve. (For example, Dragon Quest Builders 1 cuts off background audio when suspended and resumed from sleep mode, though normal PC doesn't.)

They probably also don't want to get into the habit of phone manufacturers or Meta Quest, where new versions release so often prospective buyers just shrug their shoulders and decide to wait for the next iteration, leaving lots of older versions to be sold below cost after new ones arrive, requiring latest versions to be sold at premium to make up for it.