Which PS3 titles do you own/plan to purchase ?

[Voyager2k]

Just curious here :)

I bought my PS3 recently (Starter Pack) and am just wondering what games ppl have/plan to get on average.

Personally I am only interested in exclusives (1st party games for the most part) until next holiday season.

What I have right now is:

Resistance
Motorstorm

Stardust HD
Nucleus
Blast Factor
Flow
Calling all Cars

Games I will buy:

Heavenly Sword
L.A.I.R.
Uncharted
Folklore
MGS4
White Knight Story
Burnout Paradise
GTA IV (most likely)
Warhawk (PSN)

For the 3rd party/multi platform stuff I prefer the 360 versions for the time beeing except for those that are developed on the PS3 and ported to the 360.

I'd like to hear (read) what games you guys are planning to get for the PS3. If you own both consoles and plan to get 3rd party titles (non-exclusives) for the PS3 I'd like to know why if you don't mind.

[Chris]

LittleBigPlanet

[Voyager2k]

Warhawk JUST got delayed ..... ROFL. Well, only by 2 days but delayed anyway. It's coming out on the 30th now along with the regular PSN update. How very nice of them to release it on my bday. Wondering if I get a free download now ? :)

Someone at Sony must have a hardcore delay fetish or something :-) Them Sonyboys won't take a leak without a couple delays these days it seems. But as long as the additional time somehow benefits the product it's fine with me. Makes reading ps3 fanboy sites so much more entertaining.

[Rossko_UK]

Played Uncharted at Leipzig and it was horrible.

[UKJAY]

Im not buying games for my ps3, just rent blu-ray movies.
I can't even think of any games I would want after littlebigplanet...

[Bleach22]

Warhawk, Killzone, Devil May Cry 4 (Probablys going to have extras on PlayStation I think), MGS4, FFXIII, Kingdom Hearts (If there is another.) and PlayStation Home is what I will definately purchase when I get mine. Along with other obviously.

[nofear360]

Devil May Cry 4 (Probablys going to have extras on PlayStation I think)
You think wrong then. There won't be any advantages for either version ;). I'm getting the 360 version btw.

[Voyager2k]

Just a heads up: Do not buy Warhawk with a fake US account. That is, if you can get funds into your US account which you can't unless your credit card is registered in the US. But even IF you do, PSN copies of Warhawk are tied to the account you bought it with. You cannot share it, you cannot play it with another account on your machine etc. It's locked to one single account.

That's a lot of reasons to buy the import BD version I guess :/ Well, maybe not ... considering the EU PSN release is only €29 ... mmhh.

Played Uncharted at Leipzig and it was horrible.

How so ? Controls bad ? Everything else looked fine to me.

[Messiah]

How so ? Controls bad ? Everything else looked fine to me.

It's was really bad. Really bad animations on the characters. Weird clipping issue's on the water and shore. It was just like Tomb Raider, without a chick, and puzzles.

[Chris]

I'm getting Warhawk

[Voyager2k]

It's was really bad. Really bad animations on the characters. Weird clipping issue's on the water and shore. It was just like Tomb Raider, without a chick, and puzzles.

Very odd. Same build as E3 or maybe an earlier build or just a bad one ? Bad animations doesn't sound like Uncharted at all.

I'm getting Warhawk

So am I :) I just kinda planned to buy the US version today but Sony pooped on my pancake :-( Now I'll have to wait till thursday which is annoying because I could have just ordered it from my US import source and would have it by tomorrow I guess. Very annoying miscalculation on my part indeed :/

But at least Lair's US release was moved up 5 days it seems. Not like I am expecting much anymore (same with Heavenly Sword) considering the very strange review score range on both titles but I am very curious.

I'm thinking the SIXAXIS(tm) shit was a huge mistake. I have yet to see a game where it works good. Using an absolute coordinate system for tilt tracking is just stupid because it keeps you from playing relaxed and comfortable. I can see how that's the easy way out of the dilemma for developers because relative tracking and recallibrating every couple hundred milliseconds is a bitch to pull off right.

Oh well, maybe MGS4 will be the first decent PS3 game after all :P

Btw, I'd still like to know what games you ppl have/plan to buy :)

[Chris]

I'm buying the instore version so I can get this headset....
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41paSc-YkIL._SS500_.jpg
$59.99

[Rossko_UK]

How so ? Controls bad ? Everything else looked fine to me.

Controls were pretty bad, shitty camera angle plus all the stuff Messiah said. Looked slow and cumbersome too. Put me right off of the game.

But I will be getting Warhawk and will also be getting the in-store version for the headset. However that is delayed until sometime in September over here, which is very annoying.

[kidkit]

Nice, I'm mostly the same



What I have right now is:

Resistance (yes)
Motorstorm (yes)

Stardust HD (yes - favourite)
Nucleus (no)
Blast Factor (no)
Flow (no)
Calling all Cars (yes)

Games I will buy:

Heavenly Sword (maybe)
L.A.I.R. (no)
Uncharted (probably)
Folklore (maybe)
MGS4 (yes)
White Knight Story (?)
Burnout Paradise (probably on 360)
GTA IV (probably on 360)
Warhawk (yes + headset)



ratchet and clank (maybe)
Haze (maybe)
Unreal Tourney 3 (hell yea!)


Any multiplatform games with good multiplayer support (cod4 etc) i'll buy on 360, all the gamers i know have 360s

[Voyager2k]

So I got Warhawk today like 5 minutes after they enabled PSN downloads :) Quite a fun game. More so than I expected. The Warhawks "feel" pretty good, the "3rd person on foot" stuff leaves some things to be desired but it's alright. Not like many ppl seem to like to walk anyway :)

If you don't have a headset right now don't worry, hardly anyone talks and there is nothing going on via VOIP. For Warhawk, unless you play superimportant clan teh awezoomnezz seriouz shitz games, you don't need voice chat at all. Think twice about getting it now or waiting another 3 weeks for the store version. Imho it's not worth it and the game is priced very fair at €29,99.

EDIT: Before getting some well deserved (haha) sleep I wanted to let you know that LAIR has indeed been released 5 days early. My copy is already otw so with a lil luck I'll have it Saturday, with bad luck it'll be Tuesday. Ordering PS3 imports costs LESS than buying most PS3 games in stores in Europe btw.

[Rossko_UK]

OK so I too bought Warhawk and..... it's actually very enjoyable. Vyager has said everything already, but if you enjoy Battlefied's multiplayer, then you'll feel right at home here. Good fun, and no lag is so so sweet.

I probably would have been disappointed had I of paid for the retail version (£40), a whole £20 more just for a headset I could get free with a new phone though, so IMO download is definitely the better option here.

[coojo]

i bought LAIR that game is garbage

[Voyager2k]

OK so I too bought Warhawk and..... it's actually very enjoyable. Vyager has said everything already, but if you enjoy Battlefied's multiplayer, then you'll feel right at home here. Good fun, and no lag is so so sweet.

I probably would have been disappointed had I of paid for the retail version (£40), a whole £20 more just for a headset I could get free with a new phone though, so IMO download is definitely the better option here.

WTG Ross :) Look me up and let's go have some fun. 24 player dogfight games are a blast. My favorite right now. This game is getting dangerously addictive.

It's not just good ... it's ... lemme quote Gametrailers here "all sorts of awesome" and then some. It easily beats the crap out of anything you have ever played online and it works for a very broad audience because it contains so many diffrent play styles. From flying Warhawks and dropping bombs, fireing guided missiles, mines, heated dogfights high up in the sky with nothing but machine guns to driving tanks, jeeps, maning AA guns and SA missile launchers to infantry combat using rocket launchers, sniper rifles, knifes, flamethrowers and whatever you can think of.

There is more than enough for every play style, every preference.

Hell, you can have ppl STANDING on the wings of your Warhawk shooting at stuff while you hoover over enemy territory. You can land your Warhawk on some lonely hilltop and get to a perfect sniper spot to take out your enemies anti air guns or you could run them over with a jeep. Get a lucky shot with your tank and take down a Warhawk mid flight ....... everything is possible. And it's incredibly fun.

The best part, however, is .... there is not a single framedrop. Not even a slight hickup, not even with 32 players letting lose all kinds of hell all over the map. The game runs smooth as silk, no matter how intense the action gets.

If you need a reason to buy a ps3, this is it and you won't find a better one for quite a while I guess.

i bought LAIR that game is garbage

Lemme guess, you hate the controls ...... most ppl seem to be unwilling or unable to adjust to SIXAXIS controls. They do work extremely well in Warhawk AFTER you master the extremely steep and frustrating learning curve. I am pretty sure LAIR is similar, even if the controls are worse .... it's a huge adjustment. I hated making the transition in Warhawk but it's so worth it. I'm giving LAIR the benefit of the doubt.

But if you really can't stand the controls, hook up a USB gamepad and have a good time with your analog sticks. LAIR supports that very nicely :)

My copy of LAIR should (hopefully) arrive in a couple hours. I am very curious because somehow I am unwilling to believe most of what's beeing said about this game on the net. You hear good thing from those folks who actually took the time to really learn the controls and I think that is where the problem really is. Most ppl do not have the patience for that anymore.

[nofear360]

It's not just the controls from what I've read on the net. Apparently, the gameplay is VERY repetitive, the story could've been better, the camera is too intrusive (by zooming in on too many things), and the timed missions are too frustrating for their own good.

[Voyager2k]

Game arrived this morning and another nights sleep was cut short (way short). I didn't try it yet. Some other stuff to take care of first. But I will this afternoon.

The camera isn't the problem. From what I understand it's the lockon function that locks on the closest target and not the one you're aiming at. This causes the camera to "spin" around a full 180 degrees in some extreme cases which surely is confusing.

Repetitive gameplay hardly is a problem. The most successfull games out there are nothing but repetitive if you think about it. Think MANY (almost all) RPG's, MMORPG's, Crackdown, every multiplayer game etc. Repetitive isn't the problem. It's how it's executed and what's under the hood that makes "repetitive" good and acceptable.

I think many ppl or even most had very diffrent (high) expectations of LAIR and felt disappointed immediately because it was nothing like what they expected, starting with difficult controls.

Not saying this is good or bad, I am trying to prevent any kind of judgement until I put the disc in, but there are very obvious patterns in all those complaints about LAIR and almost all of it comes down to controls and expectations not beeing met because they are totally off the map.

Timed mission, however, are bad. Always. It's a fundamental game design law .... never put the player on a timelimit in open, dynamic environments. That has never worked well in any kind of game and it never will because, as you say yourself, it causes too much frustration.

Anyway, I'll report back later after I spent time with the game. Fortunately LAIR isn't the only game that arrived today :)

----------------------------///// couple hours later //// ---------------------------------------------------------------

Soooooooooooo ............

I've only spent like 1.5 hours with LAIR and took a close look at everything I could.

For starters, there are TONS of extra's on the disc. Making of, Galleries, Trailers, tons of unlockables and even the Soundtrack ... it's all there. I guess that's what you'd call "Limited Special Edition" if this was an xbox360 game. Seems 50 (25) gigs are good for something after all :)

Music so far is simply superb. Sounds like a mix between Conan, LOTR and ... yes ... I know ... Star Wars with the Conan similarities beeing the most dominant BY FAR. Sound effects in general are very good and match the overall presentation very well. But why do Rhino's sound like Tie Fighters ? :)

Graphics range from good to simply breathtaking and according to the package this game does render in 1080p. Overall the framerate is smooth enough (I'd guess 25fps avg.) but it does take a dirt dive now and then when there is lot's going on.

But most importantly ....... if you've played flow and if you play Warhawk with SIXAXIS controls you'll feel right at home with the controls in LAIR. There is nothing wrong with them at all. It feels exactly like I expected it which surprised me a lot. One should spend time in the tutorial section after chapter one and really learn the controls and what to do with them. Don't forget ... it's huge, heavy dragon .... not a Warhawk so a slight clumsyness is natural and intended. You don't turn on the spot, you don't do loops and corkscrews.

So far the lockon didn't confuse me much. It works well enough once you understand that it requires timing because it locks onto the closest target.

Combat for the most part is very simple with lots of depth should you desire it. It can be as simple as getting into rage mode for some god of war/heavenly sword type cinematic takedowns (kills) or you can choose to duke it out dragon vs dragon with claws, fire and blocking almost like a fighting game would. There are lots of options to choose from.

The most difficult part is probably lining up your dragon with another one to ram it sideways. According to Shane Bettenhausen (EGM) he never got that pulled off and it's one of the reasons why he pretty much raped the game in his review. He should have spent more time learning the controls I guess ...

Technically there is nothing wrong with LAIR. Presentation is top notch. Gameplay may not be the brightest star shining in the universe but it's fun and entertaining once you get into it. Replay value is limited to simply getting better at it and getting better scores. Arcade all the way.

It all depends on wether you can get your head around the fact that you control a damn heavy beast with wings using the SIXAXIS sensor or not.

If you play LAIR, as soon as you finished chapter one, go back to the tutorial section and do them, unlock them all, do them all again. If you don't get used to the controls and what you can do with your dragon you will get frustrated quickly.

UPDATE

I'm now a couple (quite some) chapters into the story and I have to say I am beginning to really fall in love with this game. It's not without flaws tho. The biggest problem is that way too much is going on and it's quite hard to focus on your objectives which will fail if you get distracted for too long. Things can get really chaotic (bridge level, the one you all know from all the videos released during the past year) and there are a lot of things you hardly can beat on the first attempt. You have to learn them and think about how to approach certain situations. Also it sometimes gets hard to see through all the stuff that's moving around. It's kind of a visual overkill. Rage Vision or whatever they call it is supposed to help with that (just found out while reading the manual) and highlight your objectives for you.

Also, you simply can not go all gung ho and guns blazing and expect to get anything done. Most likely you'll end up stuck under some bridge. You need to plan your kills and your flight path ahead of time, you need to think about how to approach certain areas of a level so you can in fact be effective in battle. This is actually very "realistic" considering your mount is dragon with a couple tons of weight and lots of momentum .... there is no quickly dodging, no quick turns other than this 180 move which you won't be using much.

The story so far seems ok, nothing to write home about tho. Better than average for sure and considering it's an action game that is quite an accomplishment but it could be little less cheesy and more twisted. But I'll have to see how things develop. Cutscenes are fine, nicely looking and well executed. Voice acting is very good so far, no reasons to complain. Sometimes the game interrupts gameplay for cutscenes which is a little annoying because it disorients you and takes away your focus and concentration.

Overall I really appreciate LAIR. It's not an easy game and takes practice and some thinking. It has flaws, but those are minor. The reviews this game has gotten are anything but deserved or fair. I have no idea how all this negative publicity came to be (except for the 360 fanboys trolling forums badmouthing LAIR without having ever laid eyes on it).

Oh, and so far the gameplay has been anything but repetitive. The missions were actually pretty fun and nicely varied, very well scripted and narrated.

[Rival24]

I just completed Heavenly Sword and it was a pretty fun ride :) The in-game cut scenes and voice acting are one the best I've ever seen and they really immerse you into the story. The guy who played Gollum was dramatic director for the game and played the role of the bad guy. Graphics are pretty good and the backgrounds you see in the distance were quite breath taking. I finished the story in about 8 hours or so (last two hours spent on the final boss fight :+). Unfortunately it has almost no replay value, you unlock a new difficulty at the end but that's it...

[nofear360]

Oh, and so far the gameplay has been anything but repetitive. The missions were actually pretty fun and nicely varied, very well scripted and narrated.
Very nice review! ;)

I finished the story in about 8 hours or so (last two hours spent on the final boss fight :+).
Ermm ... that's because you suck!

[Voyager2k]

I just completed Heavenly Sword

I hate you! Playing Review copies is cheating (if I am not the one getting them) ...

About Lair, the only real complaint I have about this wonderful game (yes, I said wonderful game because that is what it is) is that it is to damn short considering it's extreme production values and just how cool it is to play.

I finished playing last night already, went through the whole game in like 2 extended playsessions and I usually suck at such games. Once you get the controls the game gets to you and you suffer from the "just one more level" syndrom in a very bad way. Part of that is certainly due to the incredible production values Lair has to offer. Seriously, the soundtrack alone is just epic. It sounds like Star Wars meets Conan, has 54 (!) tracks and is just awesome. That's what you'd find in like 3-4 blockbuster movies. Visual quality is outstanding and even the framerate drops don't really hurt much (and I am one who HATES framerate drops).

I am honestly amazed by some of the levels .... the amount of stuff going on is unbelievable. There are literally thousands (yes, I mean that) of troops on the ground fighting, hundreds of dragons in the air, dozens of ships on the sea and a ton of mantas (like huge flying cargo beasts) flying around and everything just looks incredible and the framerates are still acceptable with all that going on.

You know this feeling when you just saw a damn good movie at the cinema and think to yourself "damn, that was a good one. I wanna see this again soon." while walking out of the cinema completely satisfied ? I felt the same after I finished Lair ...... it was simply breathtaking and epic.

There isn't much replay value unfortunately but I found myself wanting to play many of the missions over and over again simply because they are so damn cool, good looking and sounding.

The game does like to crash sometimes since the 1.92 ps3 update which, according to Sony, does nothing on EU consoles ...... yeah rite. SIXAXIS also seems more responsive, but that might also simply be getting more and more used to it.

EDIT: oh, and before I forget .... there are NO timer missions at all. You are NEVER up against the clock on anything. You are, however, up against enemies who desire to harm you and your friends. And too many of your friends dying means failure.

[Voyager2k]

So I'm hearing from TGS that Naughty Dog improved the controls in Uncharted big time. Still room for improvement but they seem to be getting there.

[Chris]

I'm buying LocoRoco today.

[Rossko_UK]

So I'm hearing from TGS that Naughty Dog improved the controls in Uncharted big time. Still room for improvement but they seem to be getting there.

They need to.

[deaninho]

just bought stranglehold collectors edition, looking forward to the game and watching hardboiled too! :)

[UKJAY]

If I've not mentioned it before - the only game Im really interested in is LittleBigPlanet at the minute, all other stuff I'll just buy for the 360.

[Rossko_UK]

The problem I have with the PS3 is that all multi-platform games are better on the 360. The Achievements add a lot, and the controller is just so awesome. Compared to the PS3 which has no rumble (currently; I am aware that will change soon), and the pad simply isn't as comfortable.

I'll noly be buying exclusive PS3 games for the PS3, such as Warhawk, MGS 4 (or is it?!?!?) and FF XIII (or is it?!?!?!?!).

[nofear360]

MGS 4 (or is it?!?!?) and FF XIII (or is it?!?!?!?!).
How many times do I have to repeat it to you?? Both of those are gonna go multiplatform sooner or later :).

Yes, I know Augustusbot, Bioshock is heading to the PS3 as well :P.

[Rossko_UK]

How many times do I have to repeat it to you?? Both of those are gonna go multiplatform sooner or later :).

Yes, I know Augustusbot, Bioshock is heading to the PS3 as well :P.

But I think since the games were designed for the PS3 in mind, they will be better than the 360 version; how many times have I told you that?!

If the PS3 version comes first, then 6 months later the 360 version comes, I'll definitely pick up both.

[Voyager2k]

The problem I have with the PS3 is that all multi-platform games are better on the 360.

That will change eventually. Just look at Stranglehold for example. It's not by much but it's smoother and has quite a bit more debris. Developers will get there and many will switch to the ps3 as lead platform for NEW (yes, that means projects that won't see the light within the next 3+ years) titles. But right now the 360 is supreme for multiplatform titles, no doubt about that.

and the controller is just so awesome. Compared to the PS3 which has no rumble (currently; I am aware that will change soon), and the pad simply isn't as comfortable.

Funny, I think just the opposite. I like the Sony controllers much better. The 360 controller is huge and heavy (better than the original xbox controller tho) while the dual shock/sixaxxis fits my small hands much better.

How many times do I have to repeat it to you?? Both of those are gonna go multiplatform sooner or later :).

Nope, me am sowwy but THEY (!) won't.

MGS4 will, at some point, in some shape or form, come to the 360. I'm thinking like 2 years later, with a diffrent nametag and quite some changes. Just think MGS Substinence or whatever the first one on xbox was back in the day. That's what will happen.

Final Fantasy XIII, however, will NOT *ever* come to the 360. Not even an off-spin rpg. MAYBE something like Dirge of Cerberus, Chocobo lullabyblah or a much improved tactics remake. But the FF rpg will never be on the 360 (except for FFXI of course) and even some spin-off is extremely unlikely.

There are pretty complex reasons for that, from a business point of view as well as for traditional reasons but just consider that Square is actually releasing two new franchises, one even exclusively for the 360. That's one of the bigger reasons right there and tells you A LOT about their motivation to put the heart of the company on Microsoft's platform.

To be honest, I am almost certain that once XIII in all it's incarnations is out Square Enix might move the core of the franchise (the rpg series of course) back to Nintendo IF Sony fails to push out a significant amount of consoles.

[nofear360]

Square Enix has stated that they are still not sure whether FF XIII will be a PS3 exclusive or not. Nothing is set in stone yet, as they are still in the talks. Having said that, I wouldn't go as far as to say that a FF game will never ever appear on the 360. Everything depends on how well (or bad??) Sony performs this holiday season.

[Chris]

I don't understand why Square would only stick to one company (Sony) without a bribe in the first place. Do they want less money? :?

[Rossko_UK]

Funny, I think just the opposite. I like the Sony controllers much better. The 360 controller is huge and heavy (better than the original xbox controller tho) while the dual shock/sixaxxis fits my small hands much better.


Well apparently the new DualShocks make the Sixaxis heavier; it will be interesting to see how the rumblfied Ps3 pad compares in weight to the 360s.

Still, I love the positioning of the analog sticks so much more on the 360 than the PS3s.

[UKJAY]

Well apparently the new DualShocks make the Sixaxis heavier; it will be interesting to see how the rumblfied Ps3 pad compares in weight to the 360s.

Still, I love the positioning of the analog sticks so much more on the 360 than the PS3s.

Yeah same here, Im left handed and it just seems easier for me. It was the same on the dreamcast controller which is very similar.

http://www.dreamcast-scene.com/images/SegaDreamcastController.jpg

[Voyager2k]

I don't understand why Square would only stick to one company (Sony) without a bribe in the first place. Do they want less money? :?

It's not about money alone. Final Fantasy is a HUGE thing in Japan and very strange things happen in that country when a FF rpg is released. The reasons why FF will never be on xbox or any "western" platform for that matter are very cultural, political AND strange at the same time. It's a loyalty thing between Square, their fans, Sony/Nintendo and it's all very difficult. You could probably get a phd for analysing that topic properly ^^

Square Enix has stated that they are still not sure whether FF XIII will be a PS3 exclusive or not. Nothing is set in stone yet, as they are still in the talks. Having said that, I wouldn't go as far as to say that a FF game will never ever appear on the 360. Everything depends on how well (or bad??) Sony performs this holiday season.

Microsoft is not an option for FF, trust me. It will never happen. Like I said, if Sony completely fails I am sure Square will move the series back to Nintendo.

You'd have a civil war in Japan if Square "sold" FF to Microsoft ....... As much as I'd like to see them going Multiplatform, especially 360/ps3 .... that will never happen.

Well apparently the new DualShocks make the Sixaxis heavier; it will be interesting to see how the rumblfied Ps3 pad compares in weight to the 360s.

Well, the ps2 controllers are not that much heavier compared to the sixaxxis and still much lighter than the 360 heavyweights. So I guess there is justified hope that the dual shock 3 will be quite comfortable. At least for me :)

The one thing I REALLY wonder about is how the hell tilting + rumble is going to work out. That must be a bitch to process and get right considering you'd have to predict controller movement from your rumble code and filter that from the tilt data to get accurate readings.

Oh, and ON TOPIC for a change .......

I'm getting Eye of Judgement. That one looks quite interesting. Especially considering I never played a card battle game before. Anyone else getting that ? Also I'll be getting Folklore this month.

[Chris]

It's not about money alone. Final Fantasy is a HUGE thing in Japan and very strange things happen in that country when a FF rpg is released. The reasons why FF will never be on xbox or any "western" platform for that matter are very cultural, political AND strange at the same time. It's a loyalty thing between Square, their fans, Sony/Nintendo and it's all very difficult. You could probably get a phd for analysing that topic properly ^^


I think that is amazingly stupid. Who honestly would be hurt with an Xbox 360 version other than Sony?

If they're going to be that retarded, why not go full throttle and release Playstation 4, 5 and 6 only in Japan?

[Voyager2k]

I think that is amazingly stupid. Who honestly would be hurt with an Xbox 360 version other than Sony?

If they're going to be that retarded, why not go full throttle and release Playstation 4, 5 and 6 only in Japan?

Final Fantasy is made for the japanese market and originally was never intended to be release outside of japan. The release of a new FF rpg in japan makes the Halo launch look like page 10 footnote news. It's like a holiday with Akihabara (or however you spell that district) beeing overrun with ppl buying copies of the game, and not just one copy ....... they sell tons more in japan than the rest of the world so that market is all that really matters for them. The localized versions of a FF rpg barely cover the cost of localizing them which is why there are such huge delays with international releases.

Going multiplatform, especially going xbox, would be like slapping customers in the face that were loyal to the franchise since the beginning.

In the end it's all about money, but it's the japanese market that matters and not the american or european market.

As Square said themself recently in an interview .... they are trying to improve their international sales because they are not doing so well outside of japan (which is hard to believe) and feel they need to compete more on international markets. That is the reason behind The Last Remnant. Microsoft's warchest (before it got closed for the xbox guys) was the reason for Infinity Undiscovery.

You have to look at this from Square's point of view and with the japanese gamers and market in mind. It does make sense but it's hard to get your head around many things japanese developers do.

[Chris]

Going multiplatform, especially going xbox*, would be like slapping customers in the face that were loyal to the franchise** since the beginning.


*uh, why "especially going xbox"? what does that mean? This is why I find the Japanese market less and less respectable. They worry about who is making what rather than if they're playing a good game or not. Look at the Xbox 360 for a perfect example. Yeah, It's made in America so what? Grow up and buy the console that has some amazing games on it. Don't deprive yourself of the great titles because you're a sheep who can only buy Japanese for whatever stupid reason you've talked yourself into. It's true the Xbox 360 doesn't have a massive collection of RPGs yet, but don't the Japanese gamers like anything other than that? Or is it unpatriotic to play anything that isn't an RPG? Are they all really that close-minded?

**FRANCHISE! not console maker. I still think this is one of the most illogical decisions ever made in the history of video games. Yes, it's disrespectful to Joe Smith in Japan because I got to play FF on the console I bought in America. (Makes total sense.)

Oh, and for the people who say Square won't put FF on the Xbox 360 because it isn't all about the money, don't. Just look how many titles of Final Fantasy they've put out (and are going to put out) on the DS, PS2, PSP and GBA in the last 2-3 years. They aren't giving those all away for free. ;)

I've got an idea for a perfect Japanese game. Let's make a RPG 'game' where you press X every 3 hours to see the next cutscene. Better yet, let's just take out the X button part. Look what we've got. A movie.

[mass9]

lol, Chris, youve been on the war path lately dude. Smoke a bowl. You'll feel better.

moving on.....
I find it quite amusing that I keep hearing about how great the future games will be for the PS3. That future is 2-3 years away though, and by that time, we'll be talking about the next-gen (with the current gen being about 5 years in at that time). Too late to get consoles sold when everyone is looking ahead to the next batch.

Besides, quoting that Sony have exclusives in MGS and Final Fantasy is really getting old. These are two old and tired franchises that are close to being put out to pasture. Yes, Final Fantasy sells consoles all by itself in Japan. Problem, while PS3 instal base is small in North America, its certainly still not large enough in Asain markets to warrant an exclusive, and certainly not large enough to generate a substansial profit for the producing company. While their main parner over the past few years has been Sony, what's to stop a capitalist company from looking after its own bottom line and distributing their IP to as many different outlets as possible? I know that simple economics is dictated by the supply and demand theory, and I can assure that demand would be higher if you open your market to more people. Perhaps not a direct ratio of 1:1, but having 10 million more console owners looking at your product can't hurt, can it? It makes good business sense to get it multiplatform.
Still, after playing through countless versions over the years, I'm secure in saying that I've had my fill of colourful characters, with strange haircuts and stranger choices in clothing.

and Metal Gear never did and never will move consoles. They're fun games, but not for more than once and at most, twice through.

[Voyager2k]

*uh, why "especially going xbox"? what does that mean? This is why I find the Japanese market less and less respectable. They worry about who is making what rather than if they're playing a good game or not.

Chris, right here and with that statement you are proving why western gamers and developers do not understand the japanese market.

As an introduction, hop over to gametrailers and watch the last 2 episodes of bonus round with that import dealer and michel pachter. It's surprisingly good and already tells you a lot of what I've been saying for YEARS about those diffrent market situations.

Japanese gamers usually require a GOOD story, they need a reason to do whatever they do in games and they need REASON for violence.

Japanese developers come up with a story, then decide what kind of game would fit that story and then start iterating prototypes until they get somewhere at which point they start doing the "real work" until they have a final product. The center of the development is always the story, even in a fishing or horse racing game.

Western developers follow a totally diffrent approach. They start with "technical goals", work on engines, effects and all that and in the final stages of development they start thinking about what kind of story they could wrap around their engine to justify (!) as much violence as possible.

It's almost the reverse process compared to japanese game designs and it shows, even with titles like Bioshock or Halo 3 it still shows.

This is also why japanese rpg's are usually vastly superior in story telling, drama and emotional immersion compared to even the best western rpg's which usually resort to violence and action to create drama.

This is why western games almost always fail in japan. They do not make much sense in the eyes of the japanese gamer who demands to know why he should be doing this or that in a game and that needs to make at least some sense (even in the most abstract fantasy way of things) to them.

Look at Gears of War for example. That game is ALL about blood, gore and violence with a wannabe story tacked on. Western gamers don't care why they can chainsaw each other and why there is all that blood and gore to begin with. They just enjoy the violence. Japanese gamers, however, question exactly that. It makes no sense, not even for the (poor) story. Then look at resident evil which is pretty violent too but here the violence makes sense and the games have as much as they need to underline and support the story.

As you can see what it really boils down to is diffrent angles and viewpoints on the same matter. The problem is simply the unwillingness to accept and understand the "other side". American gamers especially (no worries, we europeans are getting there too at lightspeed) are extremely narrow minded and hardly ever tolerate diffrent opinions or even acknowledge that a diffrent viewpoint might even exist.

Japanese developers have been like that for a very long time too but they've learned their lesson over the years and began to "americanize" their games (which none of the fans actually wants).

With all that beeing said it's not surprising that the japanese market has no trust in foreign (read: american/western) brands when it comes to videogames and instead is fiercely loyal to their "local" brands.

It's just how things are in japan and there is nothing Microsoft can do about it. Wether the western market can accept this and move on or not doesn't matter even a tiny bit. And here's the problem ... the inability to accept the facts that make the japanese market what it is.

But it would seem that Microsoft finally realized that and, along with shutting down their first party development efforts, pretty much moves away from the japanese market to cut down costs.

[mass9]

Japanese RPGs usually have no better story than western counterparts.

Jap RPG generic story (fitting for most JRPGs):

- evil dude with mega powers wants control of something
- magic, while once prevelant thoughout the land is now all but gone
- local boy (usually orphaned) is thrust into a world he isn't prepared for
- battle ugly monsters, get better weapons, learn better spells
- CGI cutscenes at every opportunity
- insert love story at 1/3rd point of game
- love interest dies at hands of evil dude with mega powers
- local boy defeats evil dude with mega powers (after enlisting aid of other characters)
- magic restored through the land
- local boy now known as local hero

repeat ad nauseum.......:Z

EDIT: and please, enough with the 100000 word dissertations Voyager2K. Not every post has to be an essay. sheesh!!!!

*my three cents....inflation is a bitch!!!*

[Chris]

Look at Gears of War for example. That game is ALL about blood, gore and violence with a wannabe story tacked on. Western gamers don't care why they can chainsaw each other and why there is all that blood and gore to begin with. They just enjoy the violence. Japanese gamers, however, question exactly that. It makes no sense, not even for the (poor) story. Then look at resident evil which is pretty violent too but here the violence makes sense and the games have as much as they need to underline and support the story.

Do you really care about any story while you're playing online multiplayer? No, you don't. You turn Halo 3 on to go have fun. Not for a 20 minute explination why you just shot a guy with a sniper rifle.

To add. You mention Bioshock, when Bioshock has one of the best stories that's got an amazing amount of immersion. When you play, you're IN Rapture. You're totally in that world, and killing people isn't senseless.

Oh and fighting games in Japan? GREAT STORIES. Not. They still feel like punching other people in the face for no reason. 'Senseless Fists to the face.' They don't have real reasons to fight, but they do because it's fun. The same reason people play Gears of War here.

[Voyager2k]

You keep proving my points Chris :) Stop that please, i would like to provide proof myself ^^

Even after I explained (in too much detail) you still fail to even acknowledge that ppl who live in another culture could possibly have a totally diffrent angle from which they look at things.

You still pray the american gamers mantra and simply assume that every gamer in the world shares the opinion of a generation that grew up engulfed in media violence ranging from movies over games to life mass murders on CNN.

Your (well, our ... europe isn't far behind) tolerance for violence is MUCH MUCH higher than in is in any other country. I have some pretty interesting statistics about that in case you're interested. Not with current numbers tho. Few years old but still valid.

Try to understand that, while you don't give a shit about WHY you're chopping off bodyparts of your friends, other ppl may not be satisfied with a "because I can and it's fucking awesome dude".

Right there is the huge diffrence between american and japanese gamers. Actually, it's not just japanese gamers but using stereotypes makes this a lot easier as long as we all agree that it's a huge amount of shades of grey and not a black&white thingie.

I can understand both points of view on this matter pretty well even tho I prefer the japanese pov. To me story is more important than technicalities and all the blood and gore

And yes, I do care about story in multiplayer. Taking a chainsaw to someone's head "just because I can and it's sooooooo much fun" doesn't do it for me because I do not think that it is fun. I think it's a senseless display of violence that serves no other purpose than entertaining. I want a reason, yes. And a damn good one too. That may actually be one of the reasons why I am not a multiplayer guy at all. I much prefer a good single player experience.

Finishing before mass9 starts counting words and sending me death threats :)

[Chris]

agree to disagree.

[mass9]

Finishing before mass9 starts counting words and sending me death threats :)

"EDIT: and please, enough with the 100000 word dissertations Voyager2K. Not every post has to be an essay. sheesh!!!!"

Hardly a death threat, so please, don't put words in my mouth.
Now, step down from the soap box before you fall and get hurt.
Try to sugar coat it however you want, but games are about escapism, and the stories they tell are usually just a back drop, an excuse, a reason to continue playing. And by the way, the Japanese seem to be quite fond of Devil May Cry, MGS series, Tekken, any number of lame JRPGs all LOADED with violence. Sure, it may not be the Gears chainsaw, but a loaded Colt .45, a well placed kick to the face or a flaming sword can all produce the same results.

[Rossko_UK]

Where's that guy that lived in Japan? Acronym or something, with the an apple as an avatar. He can explain it all and settle this debate!

[mass9]

it seems a lot of members aren't around anymore........;(

[AugustusBot]

Japanese RPGs usually have no better story than western counterparts.

Jap RPG generic story (fitting for most JRPGs):

- evil dude with mega powers wants control of something
- magic, while once prevelant thoughout the land is now all but gone
- local boy (usually orphaned) is thrust into a world he isn't prepared for
- battle ugly monsters, get better weapons, learn better spells
- CGI cutscenes at every opportunity
- insert love story at 1/3rd point of game
- love interest dies at hands of evil dude with mega powers
- local boy defeats evil dude with mega powers (after enlisting aid of other characters)
- magic restored through the land
- local boy now known as local hero

repeat ad nauseum.......:Z

EDIT: and please, enough with the 100000 word dissertations Voyager2K. Not every post has to be an essay. sheesh!!!!

*my three cents....inflation is a bitch!!!*

(i've been busy at work lately, can't troll as much as i'd like to ;) ).
(oh and i find it hilarious that Mass(AMOUNTSOFWORDS)9 was commenting on the lengths of peoples posts.)

Umm. You forgot about machines. Machines were used in the past and are about to be / just now being used again.

But, I prefer this type of storyline, each and every time with new twists and a semi unique story (Cmon, your generalizations are like saying "Sci fi movies are all the same: space + spaceships), to a western rpg which is 99.99% of the time as follows:

*you're one guy, not a team like in jrpgs
*your world is 100% open, leaving you to find a story, if you can, or just hack and slash pointlessly at anything.
*first person.

I like the world map / fight screen style of a JRPG, i hate the "FPS" style of a WRPG. I don't completely hate sandbox games, but at times i find they're a little boring. Give me a story, give me a series of challenges in a row. Don't give me a world map that takes hours to walk across (oblivion) and say 'here ya go have fun.'

I like grinding levels with the traditional Fight / Magic / Item / Run setup. I love working for hours to get that special unneeded item in order to make the next boss encounter easy. I love working for hours to get to that next boss encounter, and being rewarded with a mind blowing cutscene.

I like that i don't have to talk to every townsperson for 15 hours per town in order to get a story / game progress (KOTOR).

bla bla bla. WRPG blow, JRPG rule. I'm an american. I liked the saws in Gears of War. I hate the booklike nature of Mass Effect. I played Warcraft. I prefer games where it's slowed down a bit and each decision is considered, like a chess match. Don't get me wrong, I love FPS too. Racing games suck. America. FUCK YA!

I wish more JRPGs would come out , i'd definitely buy them, as opposed to being on the edge like with Uncharted. I hear uncharted is short, but is supposed to be played through multiple times in order to get everything. This would only entice me if it was like older Resident Evil games or Dead Rising, where each time through you can maybe get a little bit more of the puzzle.

freedom costs a buck o five.
read my wall of ramble.

edit: oh ya i almost forgot. your complaint about the ps3 controllers analog position is valid, tho myself i dont really care one way or the other about it. however, complaining about the weight of the controller... you're fucking idiots in my book. first off, it's not even noticeable whether its light or heavy after 5 minutes of gaming, and second, if i imagined myself playing an extended session of maybe 8 hours straight... even though like i said its not noticeable either way... theoretically i'd definitely prefer to hold a lighter object in my hand as opposed to a brick. retards.

[Rossko_UK]

Actually I too think the lightness of the controller is a valid complaint. It feels cheap and plastic-y. I game on my 360 a lot and although it's heavier, it's a comfortable heavy that I never feel is breaking my wrists. There's something wholly satisfying about holding a meaty controller over an incredibly light one.

[nofear360]

Actually I too think the lightness of the controller is a valid complaint. It feels cheap and plastic-y. I game on my 360 a lot and although it's heavier, it's a comfortable heavy that I never feel is breaking my wrists. There's something wholly satisfying about holding a meaty controller over an incredibly light one.
I wholeheartedly agree.

[Chris]

Actually I too think the lightness of the controller is a valid complaint. It feels cheap and plastic-y. I game on my 360 a lot and although it's heavier, it's a comfortable heavy that I never feel is breaking my wrists. There's something wholly satisfying about holding a meaty controller over an incredibly light one.

MEATY!

[AugustusBot]

Actually I too think the lightness of the controller is a valid complaint. It feels cheap and plastic-y. I game on my 360 a lot and although it's heavier, it's a comfortable heavy that I never feel is breaking my wrists. There's something wholly satisfying about holding a meaty controller over an incredibly light one.

to each their own i guess.
The weight of the controller is 100% irrelevant to me.

[mass9]

Mid-late summer this past year, I remember reading something about a PSN store downloadable game called "Pain".
The object of the game is to load a character into a giant slingshot type contraption, and send them flying through the air, trying to inflict as much pain/damage as possible, with extra pionts for style etc....

Anyone hear anything more about this?

[UKJAY]

wow now that sounds like my kinda game...heard nothing though

[mass9]

"Pain" at last summer's E3 (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/804/804013p1.html)

it looks like a lot of fun.

[Voyager2k]

Early December. <--- short version extra for you.