Author Topic: Gamer narratives that make no sense  (Read 7508 times)

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mormapope

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Gamer narratives that make no sense
« on: January 23, 2021, 02:22:35 PM »
"The Japanese console market is dying"

Meanwhile, the Switch is on track for being one of the best selling consoles of all time, with the best library of 1st party software ever, and Nintendo still has cards to play regarding all their IPs. Was the best selling console globally during a pandemic and things aren't really slowing down.

I guess people equate Playstation with how relevant Japanese software is.  :lol
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Great Rumbler

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2021, 03:13:37 PM »
Remember when people were arguing that home consoles were on the way out in favor of mobile gaming?
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thetylerrob

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2021, 03:19:44 PM »
The Switch is a handheld and an underpowered console. They're saying the console market is dying because Japanese devs are going to have to decide between developing for an old ass Nintendie console or next gen consoles that only westerners have. Mobage have been killing everything anyway so w/e I guess.

HardcoreRetro

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2021, 03:24:30 PM »
"The writing in The Last of Us: Part 2 is good."

Don Rumata

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2021, 03:32:24 PM »
"Naughty Dog makes movies, not games!"

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Human Snorenado

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2021, 03:47:28 PM »
Kojima is a great writer! He's held back by Konami, wait until he's free to do what he wants!
yar

Pissy F Benny

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #7 on: January 23, 2021, 04:23:41 PM »
Death Stranding was the Kojima I want tho :trumps
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Himu

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #8 on: January 23, 2021, 05:38:33 PM »
When people said switch would bomb.

Was a pretty fucking safe bet. Nintendo putting its handheld line up (which always sells) on a console equivalent smelled like money. Anyone with any knowledge in the Japanese market or franchises like Animal Crossing, knew Switch would be as big as it is. Instead you had people like Lager betting me it wouldn't even crack 40k. Gamers rarely have any fucking clue what they're talking about.
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Tasty

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gdi pascal
« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2021, 06:03:02 PM »

Nintex

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #10 on: January 23, 2021, 06:26:07 PM »
"The Japanese console market is dying"

Meanwhile, the Switch is on track for being one of the best selling consoles of all time, with the best library of 1st party software ever, and Nintendo still has cards to play regarding all their IPs. Was the best selling console globally during a pandemic and things aren't really slowing down.

I guess people equate Playstation with how relevant Japanese software is.  :lol
It has to do with Capcom, Square Enix, Namco etc. making their games mostly for overseas markets now.
Nintendo might be selling really well but nobody else is, so that's kinda a challenge they're having.
PS5 is dead in the water in Japan and Sony is allocating more units to the US and EU.

It used to be that you had about 2 or 3 platforms that did well vs. just one system that sells and Nintendo has a limited range of titles.
I think on Sony's part this was just part of their strategy and they will push a revised smaller and cheaper PS5 Slim model more heavily in Japan once the software is there to back it up but will it be fast enough before the bottom drops out of the PlayStation brand in Japan?
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Human Snorenado

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #11 on: January 23, 2021, 06:56:53 PM »
Death Stranding was the Kojima I want tho :trumps

I'm so sorry. Have you had that looked at?
yar

Rahxephon91

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #12 on: January 23, 2021, 07:34:15 PM »
That Cyberpunk 2077 is a bad game.

Himu

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #13 on: January 23, 2021, 08:06:54 PM »
"The Japanese console market is dying"

Meanwhile, the Switch is on track for being one of the best selling consoles of all time, with the best library of 1st party software ever, and Nintendo still has cards to play regarding all their IPs. Was the best selling console globally during a pandemic and things aren't really slowing down.

I guess people equate Playstation with how relevant Japanese software is.  :lol
It has to do with Capcom, Square Enix, Namco etc. making their games mostly for overseas markets now.
Nintendo might be selling really well but nobody else is, so that's kinda a challenge they're having.
PS5 is dead in the water in Japan and Sony is allocating more units to the US and EU.

It used to be that you had about 2 or 3 platforms that did well vs. just one system that sells and Nintendo has a limited range of titles.
I think on Sony's part this was just part of their strategy and they will push a revised smaller and cheaper PS5 Slim model more heavily in Japan once the software is there to back it up but will it be fast enough before the bottom drops out of the PlayStation brand in Japan?

PS5 is about the size of a third of a Japanese apartment. Sony has done nothing to retain Japanese interest. It even changed the accept from circle to cross in Japan. Consoles aren't dead in Japan. Sony has dropped the ball, doesn't make games or consoles for Japanese audiences in the pursuit of a more international market, and Sony's closest competitor - Microsoft - is LOL status in Japan. This leaves Nintendo as the only real option.
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tiesto

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #14 on: January 23, 2021, 10:42:17 PM »
Japanese games were bad in the 360/PS3 era. A few of the biggest series had flops or games that weren't nearly as good as their predecessors (MGS and FF), but there were still tons of high quality and unique games that came out in that era.

Between the crash and the release of the original Xbox, there weren't any good/popular western games on consoles.

Every game needs to be 100+ hours and packed to the brim with side content

Linearity = Bad

Turn based RPGs are only worth playing on portables
« Last Edit: January 23, 2021, 10:47:57 PM by tiesto »
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Don Rumata

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #15 on: January 23, 2021, 11:20:47 PM »
Japanese games were bad in the 360/PS3 era.
It's not that they were bad, it's that they lost dominance compared to the ps2 era, imo.

Potato

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #16 on: January 24, 2021, 01:31:18 AM »
That Call of Duty and GTA games are targeted at adults.

The core audience for those games are teenagers, not adults.
Spud

Tasty

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #17 on: January 24, 2021, 08:37:08 AM »
Japanese games were bad in the 360/PS3 era.

Wonder what Capcom and Inafune were up to that gen...

Let's Cyber

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #18 on: January 24, 2021, 10:24:31 AM »
"Open world games are always boring."
the Switch is on track for being one of the best selling consoles of all time, with the best library of 1st party software ever
to be fair, this was only possible because the WiiU flopped so hard and a lot of the titles were reborn on Switch.

It would have been a travesty if all those great WiiU games had been left to rot on a failed console.
Kojima is a great writer! He's held back by Konami, wait until he's free to do what he wants!
Kojima is the George Lucas of the video game industry. A good idea man that needs others to reign him in and craft his bullshit into something coherent.

 :lucas

tiesto

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #19 on: January 24, 2021, 10:56:25 AM »
Japanese games were bad in the 360/PS3 era.

Wonder what Capcom and Inafune were up to that gen...

The funny thing is, Capcom started off that gen in a good spot, probably the best and most productive Japanese dev. They had a great in-house engine that they were using for all their titles... Dead Rising was one of the first big breakout hits of the Xbox 360 that also felt very 'next gen'... they nailed the retro remakes with Mega Man 9. Street Fighter IV spearheaded a huge fighting game revival. But then halfway through the gen, they totally bought into the whole "Japan is stuck in the past" narrative and proceeded to outsource their games to smaller western studios, with mostly negative results.
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bork

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #20 on: January 24, 2021, 11:08:10 AM »
Japanese games were bad in the 360/PS3 era.

Wonder what Capcom and Inafune were up to that gen...

The funny thing is, Capcom started off that gen in a good spot, probably the best and most productive Japanese dev. They had a great in-house engine that they were using for all their titles... Dead Rising was one of the first big breakout hits of the Xbox 360 that also felt very 'next gen'... they nailed the retro remakes with Mega Man 9. Street Fighter IV spearheaded a huge fighting game revival. But then halfway through the gen, they totally bought into the whole "Japan is stuck in the past" narrative and proceeded to outsource their games to smaller western studios, with mostly negative results.

I agree with you, but they had already been underway with outsourcing games by the time SF4 and Mega Man 9 came out- the latter was outsourced and made by Inti Creates, but they're obviously way more capable than some of the other devs they gave their IPs to.  Even SF4 (and TvC before it) was made by Eighting/Dimps.

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bork

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #21 on: January 24, 2021, 11:09:37 AM »
PS5 is dead in the water in Japan and Sony is allocating more units to the US and EU.

It's not dead in the water -lol- demand there is high.  Sony just doesn't seem to care, despite saying otherwise, and is clearly focusing on other markets first.

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mormapope

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #22 on: January 24, 2021, 11:12:05 AM »
Japanese games were bad in the 360/PS3 era.

Wonder what Capcom and Inafune were up to that gen...

The funny thing is, Capcom started off that gen in a good spot, probably the best and most productive Japanese dev. They had a great in-house engine that they were using for all their titles... Dead Rising was one of the first big breakout hits of the Xbox 360 that also felt very 'next gen'... they nailed the retro remakes with Mega Man 9. Street Fighter IV spearheaded a huge fighting game revival. But then halfway through the gen, they totally bought into the whole "Japan is stuck in the past" narrative and proceeded to outsource their games to smaller western studios, with mostly negative results.

Street Fighter IV is a game I'll always cherish and love. Fighting games as a genre doesn't need Street Fighter, but Street Fighter IV was absolutely the peak of competitive Street Fighter play in both entertainment and talent.

It was the first fighting game where I sink hundreds of hours into, practiced, learned fundamentals and strategy that carries over to 2D fighting games, learning match ups and movesets, recognizing what makes a character's toolset powerful or weak.

Becoming an average player at SFIV was a journey that's been unmatched for me.
OH!

bork

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #23 on: January 24, 2021, 11:23:16 AM »
PS5 is about the size of a third of a Japanese apartment. Sony has done nothing to retain Japanese interest. It even changed the accept from circle to cross in Japan. Consoles aren't dead in Japan. Sony has dropped the ball, doesn't make games or consoles for Japanese audiences in the pursuit of a more international market, and Sony's closest competitor - Microsoft - is LOL status in Japan. This leaves Nintendo as the only real option.

I think it's safe to say that console gaming in general has definitely fallen off over there over the past decade.  That's not to say that it's all doom and gloom, but mobile gaming became way, way more popular as smart phones released.  A lot of game stores (or sections within stores) have shrunk in size or closed, but I don't know if that's because of mobile gaming or because more people started buying digital or buying online instead. 

IIRC while the Switch is a monster over there, it's all Nintendo games that are on top.  Third-party sales aren't anywhere as big (although I bet Monster Hunter Rise will be huge). 

And then with Sony, no idea what they're doing- things changed drastically after they moved their HQ to California and now American management decides what is approved for release in Japan, even if the devs have no plans for their games to be released in English.
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Joe Molotov

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #24 on: January 24, 2021, 11:40:08 AM »
©@©™

bork

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #25 on: January 24, 2021, 11:54:38 AM »
Thinking about it, what games have Sony Japan studios made that have been extremely popular worldwide other than Gran Turismo?   Maybe Hot Shots Golf?  Possibly Parappa?
:thinking
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Mr Gilhaney

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #26 on: January 24, 2021, 12:34:46 PM »
the world loved knack and knack 2

Himu

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #27 on: January 24, 2021, 12:53:52 PM »
That turn based combat is boring or bad.
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Tasty

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #28 on: January 24, 2021, 01:07:10 PM »
I'm just glad Capcom is making good games again. :blessup

Himu

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #29 on: January 24, 2021, 01:18:39 PM »
Thinking about it, what games have Sony Japan studios made that have been extremely popular worldwide other than Gran Turismo?   Maybe Hot Shots Golf?  Possibly Parappa?
:thinking

They used to be known for unique games. Parappa, Intelligent Qube, VibRibbon, Tokyo Jungle;etc. Not worldwide hits but unique shit.
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Himu

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #30 on: January 24, 2021, 01:22:50 PM »
PS5 is about the size of a third of a Japanese apartment. Sony has done nothing to retain Japanese interest. It even changed the accept from circle to cross in Japan. Consoles aren't dead in Japan. Sony has dropped the ball, doesn't make games or consoles for Japanese audiences in the pursuit of a more international market, and Sony's closest competitor - Microsoft - is LOL status in Japan. This leaves Nintendo as the only real option.

Japan had been moving towards mobile gaming for years.  PSP/Vita weren't big enough worldwide for them to keep investing.  Meanwhile Nintendo has been successful mobile for decades, and is only getting bigger.

It's really not them dropping the ball with home console gaming as much as them dropping the ball launching a truly successful mobile platform.  They did well in Japan, but Japan isn't big enough for Sony to invest in something that isn't taking off as much worldwide.

It's why I'm not a big sony fan anymore despite owning over 100+ ps2 games. I was a Japanese game fan and them changing priorities has made me more of a nintendo diehard.

Whatever, gaming is stupid now for the most part.
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Nintex

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #31 on: January 24, 2021, 01:23:39 PM »
Another recent one that didn't make sense was that Keanu Reeves pressured CD Project Red to make Cyberpunk 2077 about his character and storyline and they had to rework the entire game which is why it was released in a less than optimal state. :doge
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Himu

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #32 on: January 24, 2021, 01:36:04 PM »
Well PlayStation is doing incredibly well.   

As is Nintendo;  they are insanely good at their niche (widely accessible games that aren't pushing graphical boundaries.)   

Sony is raking in the dough as being the premiere platform for 3rd parties though.   Their largest chunk of revenue is from DLC/MTX.   And considering their own games aren't heavy on those, that means they are just raking in that money by just being popular for those games.   

It's just kind of hard to describe what they are doing as "dropping the ball" to me.   Japan moved away from home console gaming, and Nintendo is incredibly difficult to compete with in that arena.    It's hard to be everything to everybody, trying to do that is not necessarily a recipe for success.

Dropping the ball per my own tastes. Sony isn't the same Sony I fell in love with. A publisher of unique games has been morphed into western dad gaming bullshit all about feels. It makes me want to barf.

Def not the same Sony that published Rule of Rose or ICO.
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mormapope

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #34 on: January 24, 2021, 01:46:34 PM »
That turn based combat is boring or bad.

To sorta add to this, that for Paper Mario to be good, it needs Thousand Year Door combat. Ive only played a bit of Origami King, but the gameplay is pretty good and refreshing regarding Paper Mario.

Origami King got slammed before release, and it ended up being a game thats equal to Thousand Year Door where it counts.
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Himu

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #35 on: January 24, 2021, 01:48:01 PM »
That turn based combat is boring or bad.

To sorta add to this, that for Paper Mario to be good, it needs Thousand Year Door combat. Ive only played a bit of Origami King, but the gameplay is pretty good and refreshing regarding Paper Mario.

Origami King got slammed before release, and it ended up being a game thats equal to Thousand Year Door where it counts.
I've heard great things about that game.
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Human Snorenado

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #36 on: January 24, 2021, 01:51:44 PM »
Well PlayStation is doing incredibly well.   

As is Nintendo;  they are insanely good at their niche (widely accessible games that aren't pushing graphical boundaries.)   

Sony is raking in the dough as being the premiere platform for 3rd parties though.   Their largest chunk of revenue is from DLC/MTX.   And considering their own games aren't heavy on those, that means they are just raking in that money by just being popular for those games.   

It's just kind of hard to describe what they are doing as "dropping the ball" to me.   Japan moved away from home console gaming, and Nintendo is incredibly difficult to compete with in that arena.    It's hard to be everything to everybody, trying to do that is not necessarily a recipe for success.

Dropping the ball per my own tastes. Sony isn't the same Sony I fell in love with. A publisher of unique games has been morphed into western dad gaming bullshit all about feels. It makes me want to barf.

Def not the same Sony that published Rule of Rose or ICO.

Yeah ICO was all about the gameplay



Your opinion is valid, but you're lying to yourself about what it actually is: Sony isn't making games that hit you in YOUR feels anymore
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HardcoreRetro

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #37 on: January 24, 2021, 02:31:40 PM »
I liked when Cloud did a dance at the gay bar.

kingv

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #38 on: January 24, 2021, 03:31:10 PM »
Well PlayStation is doing incredibly well.   

As is Nintendo;  they are insanely good at their niche (widely accessible games that aren't pushing graphical boundaries.)   

Sony is raking in the dough as being the premiere platform for 3rd parties though.   Their largest chunk of revenue is from DLC/MTX.   And considering their own games aren't heavy on those, that means they are just raking in that money by just being popular for those games.   

It's just kind of hard to describe what they are doing as "dropping the ball" to me.   Japan moved away from home console gaming, and Nintendo is incredibly difficult to compete with in that arena.    It's hard to be everything to everybody, trying to do that is not necessarily a recipe for success.

Yeah, I agree. As games get more and more expensive to make, it sort of makes sense for the companies to lean into their strengths more and more.

Sony has leaned into its western focused exclusives, Nintendo has figured out how to align behind a strong slate of first party Nintendo-style games playable anywhere, and MS seems to be leaning into Xbox as a platform powered by various services playable across multiple devices because this is something they can do more easily than Sony.


Rahxephon91

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #39 on: January 24, 2021, 03:41:35 PM »
I liked when Cloud did a dance at the gay bar.
This isn’t false. It was the best part of the game.

Himu

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #40 on: January 24, 2021, 04:02:58 PM »
Well PlayStation is doing incredibly well.   

As is Nintendo;  they are insanely good at their niche (widely accessible games that aren't pushing graphical boundaries.)   

Sony is raking in the dough as being the premiere platform for 3rd parties though.   Their largest chunk of revenue is from DLC/MTX.   And considering their own games aren't heavy on those, that means they are just raking in that money by just being popular for those games.   

It's just kind of hard to describe what they are doing as "dropping the ball" to me.   Japan moved away from home console gaming, and Nintendo is incredibly difficult to compete with in that arena.    It's hard to be everything to everybody, trying to do that is not necessarily a recipe for success.

Dropping the ball per my own tastes. Sony isn't the same Sony I fell in love with. A publisher of unique games has been morphed into western dad gaming bullshit all about feels. It makes me want to barf.

Def not the same Sony that published Rule of Rose or ICO.

Yeah ICO was all about the gameplay

(Image removed from quote.)

Your opinion is valid, but you're lying to yourself about what it actually is: Sony isn't making games that hit you in YOUR feels anymore

Ico barely has any cutscenes. I don't think it's the greatest but I would rather experience something unique than something sterile and polished even if what I'm playing isn't perfect.

I know you have a hate relationship with ICO but I think you're in the minority about it.

Also, it's not even about feels for me. It's about variety and diversity of content. The same Sony that published ICO also made games like Fantavision and published Demons Souls. You are focusing too much on the game I listed (ICO) than my overall message.
« Last Edit: January 24, 2021, 04:07:29 PM by Cindi Mayweather »
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bork

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #41 on: January 24, 2021, 05:40:25 PM »
Thinking about it, what games have Sony Japan studios made that have been extremely popular worldwide other than Gran Turismo?   Maybe Hot Shots Golf?  Possibly Parappa?
:thinking

They used to be known for unique games. Parappa, Intelligent Qube, VibRibbon, Tokyo Jungle;etc. Not worldwide hits but unique shit.

Right- and then if you look at the western side, you've got mega-hits like God Of War, Uncharted, etc.  Just more wondering if this is what factored into the decision to put 'Murica in charge.

I am right there with you.  I miss all the quirky and unique games we used to get from them on the PS1 and PS2.
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Himu

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #42 on: January 24, 2021, 05:49:40 PM »
Thinking about it, what games have Sony Japan studios made that have been extremely popular worldwide other than Gran Turismo?   Maybe Hot Shots Golf?  Possibly Parappa?
:thinking

They used to be known for unique games. Parappa, Intelligent Qube, VibRibbon, Tokyo Jungle;etc. Not worldwide hits but unique shit.

Right- and then if you look at the western side, you've got mega-hits like God Of War, Uncharted, etc.  Just more wondering if this is what factored into the decision to put 'Murica in charge.

I am right there with you.  I miss all the quirky and unique games we used to get from them on the PS1 and PS2.

well that's what I loved about Sony. They had the Japan side which would do crazy shit like Tokyo Jungle and then you had the western side making Jak and Daxter or God of War or Mark of the Kri. It helped coexistence between two different regions and helps solidify Sony as a company with a wider game portfolio than say, Nintendo or Microsoft. They did everything and they did it well. And now they don't do everything - they appeal to a specific subset of gamers. It's just really depressing as a (former) Sony stan.
IYKYK

who is ted danson?

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #43 on: January 25, 2021, 03:36:39 AM »
#DRIVECLUB

"PC exclusives are all either RTS or MMORPG"

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HardcoreRetro

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #44 on: January 25, 2021, 03:45:45 AM »
I liked when Cloud did a dance at the gay bar.
This isn’t false. It was the best part of the game.

I was talking about Cindi's thing about Sony games.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2021, 04:22:50 AM by HardcoreRetro »

Don Rumata

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #45 on: January 25, 2021, 07:43:43 AM »
Well PlayStation is doing incredibly well.   

As is Nintendo;  they are insanely good at their niche (widely accessible games that aren't pushing graphical boundaries.)   

Sony is raking in the dough as being the premiere platform for 3rd parties though.   Their largest chunk of revenue is from DLC/MTX.   And considering their own games aren't heavy on those, that means they are just raking in that money by just being popular for those games.   

It's just kind of hard to describe what they are doing as "dropping the ball" to me.   Japan moved away from home console gaming, and Nintendo is incredibly difficult to compete with in that arena.    It's hard to be everything to everybody, trying to do that is not necessarily a recipe for success.

Dropping the ball per my own tastes. Sony isn't the same Sony I fell in love with. A publisher of unique games has been morphed into western dad gaming bullshit all about feels. It makes me want to barf.

Def not the same Sony that published Rule of Rose or ICO.

Yeah ICO was all about the gameplay

(Image removed from quote.)

Your opinion is valid, but you're lying to yourself about what it actually is: Sony isn't making games that hit you in YOUR feels anymore

Ico barely has any cutscenes. I don't think it's the greatest but I would rather experience something unique than something sterile and polished even if what I'm playing isn't perfect.

I know you have a hate relationship with ICO but I think you're in the minority about it.

Also, it's not even about feels for me. It's about variety and diversity of content. The same Sony that published ICO also made games like Fantavision and published Demons Souls. You are focusing too much on the game I listed (ICO) than my overall message.
Seems like they want to coagulate money into fewer, bigger projects that appeal to the US (and Euro) market, those experiments, as cool as they were, didn't amount to much in terms of sales, although i'd argue are a solid part of what built Sony's "prestige" image, along side the Last of Us and Dad of War.
So in the long run, shrinking their type of offer may backfire.

But then again console gaming is probably going away in the next few decades, as cloud becomes more and more viable.
Serious, adult oriented prestige experiences is the image they're building, and i don't know if it makes sense for them to deviate from that.

I think if Sony had released Animal Crossing NH, same exact game, it wouldn't have been as successful, because of how it ties in with Nintendo's image, so maybe they felt all those quirky games were just dead weight that no longer worked for their image.



Himu

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #46 on: January 25, 2021, 10:19:54 AM »
Animal Crossing NH's success is due to years of work from Nintendo. Well over a decade. You can't just put Animal Crossing NH on PS4 and hope for success without the work. Also there's potential in it on the PS4 platform. There was a farming rpg released just the other month that was very popular.
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mormapope

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #47 on: January 25, 2021, 11:14:58 AM »
I mean, Stardew Valley has been huge for years. Animal Crossing has a lot more charm and production value than Stardew Valley.

The farming/life genre has grown a lot overtime. Animal Crossing resonates with people more easily, and the type of game it is, releasing that during a pandemic couldn't have been more perfect timing, lol.  :lol
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Himu

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #48 on: January 25, 2021, 11:35:30 AM »
That too, but it ignores Nintendo banked off the good will and hype of New Leaf.
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Don Rumata

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #49 on: January 25, 2021, 11:43:20 AM »
I'm not saying AC hasn't got its merits for selling like it did, my point is the image you build for your company is a big factor, and Sony's Playstation image of console for grown ups (which has always been, but the market evolved what that actually means) probably doesn't include quirky Japanese games and Anime horny titles.


As i said, i think they're oversteering, ending up with a potentially very stale line up, but we'll see.

Raist

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #50 on: January 25, 2021, 12:59:25 PM »
CDPR makes great games.

Don't @ me

bork

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #51 on: January 25, 2021, 02:39:53 PM »
As i said, i think they're oversteering, ending up with a potentially very stale line up, but we'll see.

It's already stale. 



It's a dumb joke, but why is nearly everything they release a "third-person cinematic adventure?"  They're doing better than Microsoft, who has...Forza and the occasional Gears or Halo, but their first-party offerings really fell off in terms of variety IMO.  Guess it doesn't really matter when they're selling so many units.
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tiesto

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #52 on: January 25, 2021, 02:39:58 PM »
Yeah, I'm definitely among the same boat who misses the interesting Sony roster of the PS1 and 2 era. Arc the Lad, Wild Arms, Velldeselba Senki (a steampunk air combat game crossed with an RPG), Parappa, Ico, SOTC, Wipeout, Gunners Heaven, Vib Ribbon, Twisted Metal, Popolocrois, those weird Artdink games that I think they published, Motor Toon Grand Prix, Jak, Sly Cooper, Philosoma, Legend of Dragoon. You had racing games, platformers, RPGs, quirky sims, artsy type games...

A diverse 1st party is probably more important than ever for Sony, since MS was attacked for being "the Gears, Forza, and Halo company" last gen. And now, MS went and heavily expanded their first party, including with lots of devs known for niche games (Obsidian, Ninja Theory). What will happen when people wear on the "3rd person MACHOOR cinematic action game"?
« Last Edit: January 25, 2021, 06:51:32 PM by tiesto »
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bork

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #53 on: January 25, 2021, 02:45:17 PM »
Yeah, I'm definitely among the same boat who misses the interesting Sony roster of the PS1 and 2 era. Arc the Lad, Wild Arms, Velldeselba Senki (a steampunk air combat game crossed with an RPG), Parappa, Ico, SOTC, Wipeout, Gunners Heaven, Vib Ribbon, Twisted Metal, Popolocrois, those weird Artdink games that I think they published, Motor Toon Grand Prix, Jak, Sly Cooper, Philosoma, Legend of Dragoon. You had racing games, platformers, RPGs, quirky sims, artsy type games...

Pour one out for 'em.
 :tocry

Jumping Flash!, Intelligent Cube, Omega Boost, Ape Escape, Patapon...and let's not forget some of the games they initially published in Japan that got released elsewhere by other companies, including Ghost In The Shell, Tenchu, and Devil Dice.  PS1, PSP, and PS2 were on fire.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2021, 02:58:34 PM by bork »
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tiesto

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #54 on: January 25, 2021, 02:46:23 PM »
Japanese games were bad in the 360/PS3 era.
It's not that they were bad, it's that they lost dominance compared to the ps2 era, imo.

Even me, the biggest weeb, can admit the challenges and the reasons why Japanese games lost a bit of market dominance in the 360/PS3 era (consumer move to handhelds, not adapting to middleware and other modern dev trends, the genres they historically excel at lost favor in the west, halfhearted attempts to mimic western trends, console exclusivity for so many games, practically inventing indie gaming with Cave Story and Touhou but never capitalizing while western indie games blew up massively, etc). Doesn't mean they still made some killer stuff. My comment was more referring to the fact you had all these thrift-store brown blazer, scraggly haired, thick glasses wearing hipster indie devs and game journalists loudly proclaiming how Japanese games SUCK and chomping at the bit to declare Japan "dead" and irrelevant and obsolete.
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Himu

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #55 on: January 25, 2021, 02:49:12 PM »
The Sony of today would never make Ape Escape.

Sony might be worse than Sega in letting their properties rot. Actually, they are worse.
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bork

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #56 on: January 25, 2021, 03:04:19 PM »
The Sony of today would never make Ape Escape.

Sony might be worse than Sega in letting their properties rot. Actually, they are worse.

Sony fell off, but that's OK- found that same kind of vibe with PC and Switch. 
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Rahxephon91

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #57 on: January 25, 2021, 09:55:16 PM »
Sony literally published better Japanese games on the PS4 than they ever did on the PS3.  Astro Bot, Gravity Rush 2, and Bloodborne are infinitely better than Genji 2 or Aquanauts Holiday(exaggerating but I don’t think PS3 output was that much better with the list wars)They also bankrolled two Japanese artsy games with Death Stranding and The Last Guardian. Somehow made two Knack games. Let From Software make some VR game about a weird ghost in a European school.

And for all you talk about they just make sad dad games, they also published Helldivers, Until Dawn, The Tomorrow Children, Everybody's Golf, gave Wipeout another chance, Farpoint, Blood and Truth, Firewall, The stupid Playlink stuff, Shadow of the Colossus again, Detriot and David Cage's crap in general, Concrete Genie, MediEvil Remake, Sackboy and fucking Dreams.

Ghost of Tsushima is yeah an open-world game and it's not a game I'm particularly into, but it's also a game with a setting that few developers would ever make a AAA game in. People asked for years for Ubisoft to it, and instead Sucker Punk made a better game than Ubisoft ever would have.

Honestly when some of you guy's talk about Sony, it really does come off as "it's not like how it was when I was a teen so it sucks". Like between retail, vr, and digital Sony has published a wide range of video games. Maybe not everything is to your liking, maybe none of it is. But I think it's untrue to say they haven't put out unique things during the PS4 gen.


I won't argue that there are as many nifty and out there games as the PS2/PS1 gen. Of course not, but then again there are fewer games in general. Games don't take one year to make anymore. They take 2-5 years now. You're going to get less stuff. You're going to get safer things. I'm no Nintendo fan, but despite them having one platform now, it seems they have had fewer games thanks to HD development. Uninformed opinion maybe, but it also seems they've doubled down on established ips more and more as well. These are just part of reality in regards to games today. I’m sure many moves l have led to this. Japan isn't as big of a market. Sony has doubled down on the AAA formula that works. Of course, I think there's a world of difference between  Horizon, Uncharted, God of War, and even say Spider-man. But unlike the other two, they've also invested in VR. Blood and Truth is one of my favorite VR games in general. Farpoint and Firewall are also strong titles that are up there with Alyx in showing the possibilities of VR.

I mean yeah it's not the PS2 and will never be the PS2 again. But I don't know, I really liked the PS4 and I think Sony has been a strong publisher.

Yeah, you can say and it's probably true that Sony of today wouldn't publish Ape Escape. Would Japan even make Ape Escape today? As a fan of even current-day Japanese games who does think things are a bit better now on the console front(PS4, Switch, and yeah PC), this isn't the Japanese game scene of my teens.  The troupes have become more apparent. The waifus are more commercialized. The oatku are more pandered too.  And yet they are also more and more aware of their international fanbase and acting accordingly. I feel like they are also in a midst of change and who knows where they will end up.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2021, 10:47:03 PM by Rahxephon91 »

naff

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #58 on: January 26, 2021, 03:51:46 PM »
i don't see why sony wouldn't publish a game like ape escape now lol. is astro bot not in a similar vein? is demon's souls a safe bet now? psvr was a gamble also, the fisher price headset of vr headsets but goddamn those crazy bastards actually did it. m$ on the other hand has a whole vr ecosystem they pushed without a single mention of xbox support.

can't deny they make a lot of third person cinematic experiences. at least they're all pretty damn good.
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naff

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Re: Gamer narratives that make no sense
« Reply #59 on: January 26, 2021, 03:55:21 PM »
i guess ape escape is a fait bit higher concept than the fairly traditional 3d platformer astro bot is. that first time i played through it in vr though it felt p revolutionary to me. the new non vr title is pretty great too.
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