PS3 set to be an RPG haven, tons of them in production for the system

[Mondain]

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

The most recent issue of Dengeki PlayStation includes a feature about RPGs on PlayStation 3. The feature is headlined by two-page scopes on Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and Last Remnant, as well as Level 5's Shirokishi Monogatari (White Knight Story).

Since Level 5's first PlayStation 3 title was only 10% complete when it debuted at last year's Tokyo Game Show, the magazine asked company president Akihiro Hino about the game's status. While Hino wouldn't provide a specific date, he said, Level 5 would soon be able to show "various things" to the gaming public. The final product's visual quality apparently will be on the same level as the graphics shown in last year's trailer movie. Hino is promising new elements hard to imagine from the trailer. During a Q&A session last year, he had singled out the following three elements as the key concepts behind Shirokishi Monogatari: Being a hero, a new sense scale, and a new battle system. In addition to those three concepts however, there seems to be another, secret concept. Hino wouldn't give away any details, saying only it will surprise a lot of fans.

According to Dengeki PlayStation, a total of 15 RPGs (including the aforementioned titles) are currently in development for PlayStation 3 in Japan. Gust, Nippon Ichi Software and Takuyo confirmed to the magazines that development of their respective PlayStation 3 RPGs is well under way. The following four titles are also mentioned in the feature: Hudson's untitled action RPG, Rengoku The End of the Century, Bandai Namco Games' untitled RPG and Project D from Michael Soft.

Last but not least, the magazine's editors also conducted a short survey among developers of PlayStation 3-based RPGs. Asked about how they aim to use the system's online component, respondents mentioned digital distribution of additional items or dungeons after a game's release, distribution of demos, fixing of bugs, and game design with an online premise. Furthermore, developers apparently believe PlayStation 3 will not only help evolve the RPG genre visually, but also allow for new ways to play games.

[Mondain]

these take a lot of time to craft, there're loads of assets to make, it's always been that way

and it's even worse because of the level of quality needed for a next-gen game... no wonder we've not heard about a lot of them as of yet

[etiolate]

Isn't Japan not allowed to create that many bombs?

[tiesto]

This sucks, I'd rather not buy a PS3... but looks like I'm gonna have to. I mean I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to play Project D from Michael Soft!!!!!

[MrAngryFace]

How about games NOW PS3?

[Himu]

This article has to be bullshit. Then again it's rpgfan, and I love rpgfan. WHO TO BELIEVE.

[Mr. Gundam]

This article has to be bullshit. Then again it's rpgfan, and I love rpgfan. WHO TO BELIEVE.

Why does it have to be bullshit?

[Himu]

Because rpgs are a genre with traditionally high production values, and since ps3 is failing in NA and Japan it makes me curious. Does the ps3 have the AUDIENCE to support rpgs when most rpgs are pretty much NICHE?

[Mr. Gundam]

A guy over on GAF bought the magazine and confirmed it's validity.

I may be picking up this issue later. Will post if anything interesting to be found... assuming there is anything new interesting.

It's a bit sad to see SCE's situation. They have... *signed up* DPS to do a series of 'PS3 special feature articles' which appear in every issue. To the astute reader these unfortunately are really damage-control operations. Like assurances, and re-assurances, and re-re-assurances that 'good stuff are really, really coming'. We'll see how they live up to these words, but as of now, SCE is in fire-fighting mode in DPS.

Slight OT: (*)
It's very painful to see the blindingly obvious lack of PS3 games that are attractive to the Japanese majority audience. When you see the majority of the PS3 features section filled with articles about Call of Duty, Rainbow Six Vegas, Motorstorm, Resistance, Heavenly Sword, Lair, etc.

OT:
As a result of (*), it's also quite obvious that SCEA and SCEE have been hard at work getting good software and dev/publisher support from their respective regions since way before the early pre-launch days. SCEJ's record in comparison is rubbish. Seeing this further convinces me that Kutagari really deserved to be replaced - especially comparing against the fruits of SCEA and SCEE's labours. It's quite obvious that some very necessary duties have not been performed at SCEJ.

So I picked up DPS #391 and took a look at that article. Additional Info:

*Last Remnant*
Nearly all the production, design and team leads came from Romancing Saga:MS. They are still aiming for a simultaneous US/Japan release. (Sorry no mention of Europe ) Scenarios are completed for the Japanese language.

*Shirokishi Monogatari (White Knight Story)*
Hino likes Kamen Rider and Mobile Suit Gundam, saying that these were the major inspirations for this game. (Interestingly no mention of Ultraman.) Now that he mentioned it... I wonder if 'White Knight' is an inspirational spin-off of MSG's 'White Devil'. He points out the story isn't the usual simple 'good guys triumph over bad guys'. The relationship between the White Knight and the rival Black Knight isn't just a simple good-vs-evil opposition. And the man who transforms into the Black Knight does have interesting motives. (The MSG inspiration is quite obvious here.)

Because rpgs are a genre with traditionally high production values, and since ps3 is failing in NA and Japan it makes me curious. Does the ps3 have the AUDIENCE to support rpgs when most rpgs are pretty much NICHE?

So according to that logic, they'd go to the Wii. And NONE of us want that.

[Cheebs]

So according to that logic, they'd go to the Wii. And NONE of us want that.

yet more than likely they WILL go to Wii. Year one they went to PSP then a year later switched to DS since DS took off far more than PSP did. It will be the same situation on consoles, I mean why put RPG's on PS3 when there is no own who owns a PS3 who wants them? PS3 is failing worldwide BUT is failing "worst" in Japan so the support it gets will likely be western focused.

[Himu]

I actually EXPECTED the majority of the niche rpgs to appear on the Wii. I mean, SMT and Suikoden on ps3 and 360? lol. I WISH, but it ain't happenin'. They're not popular enough for that shit.

[futami]

Because rpgs are a genre with traditionally high production values, and since ps3 is failing in NA and Japan it makes me curious. Does the ps3 have the AUDIENCE to support rpgs when most rpgs are pretty much NICHE?

if the games are there, people will buy the system.

duh.

and the 360 isn't faring well in japan or europe, doing only decently in na.

the ps3's only problem is that it needs all these games to arrive soon.

2007 and early 2008 look PHENOMENAL for the system.

people are willing to pay $600 for the system, so long as the GAMES arrive.

the lack of games is the only thing keeping them from forking over that money.

[Cheebs]

I actually EXPECTED the majority of the niche rpgs to appear on the Wii. I mean, SMT and Suikoden on ps3 and 360? lol. I WISH, but it ain't happenin'. They're not popular enough for that shit.

Yeah. It takes time as well. PS2 was RPG baren for it's first year. But the jappafaggish niche rpg's will very likely be on Wii.

Like after that Gundam game came to PS3 they said they were shifting focus of Gundam games to Wii. These niche japanesey franchises will be Wii dominated.

[Cheebs]

Because rpgs are a genre with traditionally high production values, and since ps3 is failing in NA and Japan it makes me curious. Does the ps3 have the AUDIENCE to support rpgs when most rpgs are pretty much NICHE?

if the games are there, people will buy the system.

duh.

and the 360 isn't faring well in japan or europe, doing only decently in na.

the ps3's only problem is that it needs all these games to arrive soon.

2007 and early 2008 look PHENOMENAL for the system.

people are willing to pay $600 for the system, so long as the GAMES arrive.

the lack of games is the only thing keeping them from forking over that money.

360 has a fantastic lineup yet is not selling Due to $400 price tag. Anything above $300 for a video game system is seen to be way too expensive for the average consumer.

[futami]

Because rpgs are a genre with traditionally high production values, and since ps3 is failing in NA and Japan it makes me curious. Does the ps3 have the AUDIENCE to support rpgs when most rpgs are pretty much NICHE?

if the games are there, people will buy the system.

duh.

and the 360 isn't faring well in japan or europe, doing only decently in na.

the ps3's only problem is that it needs all these games to arrive soon.

2007 and early 2008 look PHENOMENAL for the system.

people are willing to pay $600 for the system, so long as the GAMES arrive.

the lack of games is the only thing keeping them from forking over that money.

360 has a fantastic lineup yet is not selling Due to $400 price tag. Anything above $300 for a video game system is seen to be way too expensive for the average consumer.

360 is the follow-up to a system that tanked.

ps3 isn't.

[MrAngryFace]

360 is great. The only thing I play on my PS3 is MLB 07 and VF5. One of those games will soon no longer be an exclusive. Other than that I use my PS3 for upscaled ps2 games. Cant spin that scenario into a positive no matter how good you are Futami. Unless of course you want to continue bringing up things that dont actually matter

[Vizzys]

Ive noticed Mondain is pretty unbiased.

He posts positive ps3 news and negative 360/wii news most of the time.

Unbiased total.

[MrAngryFace]

Yeah, he's like Fox News

[futami]

360 is great. The only thing I play on my PS3 is MLB 07 and VF5. One of those games will soon no longer be an exclusive. Other than that I use my PS3 for upscaled ps2 games. Cant spin that scenario into a positive no matter how good you are Futami. Unless of course you want to continue bringing up things that dont actually matter

i've never denied the ps3 is lacking in a compelling reason to own it.

looking at its 2007 release schedule in the fall/winter, along with 2008, that's going to change.

the release schedule is as good as what we see arriving on the 360 within the same period.

remember, the 360 didn't have much worth owning for months.

dead rising?

give me a break.

i own a 360.

i don't own a ps3.

i won't own one until this fall, when the games starting flooding in.

fact of the matter is, there are more games in development for the ps3 than the 360.

and that's all that matters.

[Himu]

remember, the 360 didn't have much worth owning for months.

Oblivion, GRAW, and others were releases mere months after 360's release and 360 had a worth while fall 2006 line up. ps3's only got 2-3 worthwhile exclusives though. There is a significant difference.

[Cheebs]

What great exclusives are there for PS3 this fall (don't pull the gaf move and list imports and downloadables)? MGS4 and FFXIII are 2008.

[Mondain]

urgh, Cheebs, calm down with the crappy trolling of every Sony thread, I have no preference for either the 360 or the PS3, but all this constant doom and gloom of yours is pretty perplexing

I don't know why I write this since you're simply going to blindly shoot down everything that isn't explicit anti-Sony gloating, but anyway...

off-hands I know that Hot Shots Golf 5 will be released in like October, and will have a shot at the spot of 2007's GOTY

I will even get the japanese version in late July-- this and Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix are probably the only two games I'll buy this year

but then I'll play a crapload of PS3 titles and plan to have lots of fun with them-- Heavenly Sword, Lair, Ratchet & Clank, Uncharted, Folklore, Haze, Time Crisis 4, some of what Sony has in stores for PSN, and a huge chunk of multiplatform gaming goodness

[Mr. Gundam]

What great exclusives are there for PS3 this fall (don't pull the gaf move and list imports and downloadables)? MGS4 and FFXIII are 2008.

Uncharted? Ratchet and Clank? Folklore? They all look fun to me.

You don't like the PS3, we get it, and I have no problem with that. Stop trying to rain on our parade and let us have our fun, too. Can't we seriously all just get along? I know that's too much to ask for GAF, but I figured we're better than that here (or maybe not). 

[MrAngryFace]

Look at me. Im Futami. I name popular titles and follow it up with 'Give me a Break' as if thats actually a serious value judgement.

I OWN a PS3 and dont like owning it all that much. VF5 is on X360 soon in a superior form and there's two other ways I could own MLB 07. Upscaling is nice but so far its not delivering. For 600 bux it needs to be wizbang a few months out of the gates.

[Mr. Gundam]

I respect your opinion, MAF, I really do. It's always well thought out and informed, and you don't have knee-jerk responses to people liking stuff.

August 10th (birthday) can't come soon enough, when I'll be all about both the PS3 and 360, just in time for Blue Dragon.

[MrAngryFace]

I want HSGOLF 5 SO BAD!

Plus MLB 07 The Show PS3 IS good, inside sinker ftw

[Mondain]

games with endless replay value are worth more than others because they offer more entertainment

Uncharted is probably going to be great, but it probably won't last much longer than fifteen hours

whereas Hot Shots Golf 5 will still be fun to replay in a few years

[MrAngryFace]

I played the fuck outta Hot Shots PSP

dunno if im importing, I have a bad backlog anyway cause of .hack a thon

[Cheebs]

You don't like the PS3, we get it, and I have no problem with that. Stop trying to rain on our parade and let us have our fun, too. Can't we seriously all just get along? I know that's too much to ask for GAF, but I figured we're better than that here (or maybe not). 

you realize I plan to buy a PS3 despite my hate, right?  Uncharted gives me a Indiana Jones vibe, which I like. But Naughty Dog hasn't released a decent game in nearly 5 years so I am a bit worried.

I am a whore and when a price drop (or two) happens, I am there. Hey, I bought the Saturn and Virtual Boy, I need to keep the precedent up.

[bud]

white knight story has some amazing artworks




if it looks anything like this then omg

[Mr. Gundam]

That artwork reminds me of Nausicaa. Plus, the WKS video from last year's TGS was pretty sweet.

[Mondain]

dunno about White Knight Story... the trailer was definitely impressive, and gave the impression of playing something like a real-time version of say, a Lodoss War anime episode

the thing is that, Level 5 are technically incredibly skilled, but their stories and characters just SUCK

it's generic anime storytelling of the WORST kind

but it will probably be a solid, worthwhile game no matter what, that's built on the foundations of Rogue Galaxy's real-time fighting engine, which worked pretty well

[futami]

What great exclusives are there for PS3 this fall (don't pull the gaf move and list imports and downloadables)? MGS4 and FFXIII are 2008.

what great exclusives are coming to the 360?

mass effect is gone, pushed to 2008.

bioshock?

no better than uncharted or ratchet or killzone 2.

the only thing coming to the 360 is halo 3, and i'm not interested in halo.

[MrAngryFace]

Guess what futami, im not interested in PS3 lololol. I can do it too!

[Mr. Gundam]

what great exclusives are coming to the 360?

Blue Dragon? Lost Odyssey?

They're enough to make me buy a 360.

[Himu]

Mass Effect;etc. etc.

[Mr. Gundam]

Not to mention Cry On, Infinite Undiscovery, Culdcept Saga.

Cry On and IU are apparently coming, but they're still vaporware as far as I'm concerned. One screenshot of IU, as impressive as it was, doesn't do much.

And Culdcept Saga does nothing for me.

[Himu]

gta4 exclusive content, crackdown, dead rising;etc. etc.

[Mr. Gundam]

gta4 exclusive content, crackdown, dead rising;etc. etc.

I'm sure they're fun if you like that kind of thing, but Crackdown and Dead Rising bored me. I really thought I'd dig DR, too.  :'(

[Himu]

Fable 2, Operation Darkness, Katamari (?) ;etc. etc.

[Mr. Gundam]

Cry On and IU are apparently coming, but they're still vaporware as far as I'm concerned. One screenshot of IU, as impressive as it was, doesn't do much.

And Culdcept Saga does nothing for me.

That's cool and I totally understand. But for me, the only RPGs on PS3 that are worth looking forward to are FFXIII and WKS. The rest of that "RPG haven" list is vapourware too.

Oh, I agree. But, I have no problem admitting that I bought my PS3 because of Square-Enix. That, Gundam Musou and region free games, were enough for me to plunk down $600.

[futami]

Cry On and IU are apparently coming, but they're still vaporware as far as I'm concerned. One screenshot of IU, as impressive as it was, doesn't do much.

And Culdcept Saga does nothing for me.

That's cool and I totally understand. But for me, the only RPGs on PS3 that are worth looking forward to are FFXIII and WKS. The rest of that "RPG haven" list is vapourware too.

ok. there are more rpgs in development for the ps3 than there are for the 360.

what's your point?

hell, there are more games in development for the ps3 than there are for the 360.

you ps3 haters are fucking pathetic.

a broken record of unsubstantiated hate.

[Beezy]

ok. there are more rpgs in development for the ps3 than there are for the 360.

what's your point?

My point is there aren't. I don't know why you think there are actually. Oh yeah, I know why. Because you fall for the same shit that SCE feeds you and the other "gatekeepers".

What does gatekeepers mean?

[Himu]

Wait. Mass Effect pushed to 2008?

[bud]

Wait. Mass Effect pushed to 2008?

that's for europe only atm. it's still for august or something in the us

[Shuri]

THIS WINTER...

A RELUNCTANT YOUNG REBEL



HIS SPUNKY MAGICAL PRINCESS GIRLFRIEND OR MAYBE NOT GIRLFRIEND WE DONT KNOW!


HER CUTE  CREATURE (AVAILABLE SOON IN PLUSH, PVC KIDS AND ACTION FIGURES SOON CHECK YOUR IMPORT SITE FOR DETAILS)


AND THEIR STEALTHY, DARK AND TROUBLED NINJA FRIEND (that will get killed the last tier of the game after an emotional speech)



ARE LOST IN A FUTURISTIC WORLD


WHERE MAN HAS KILLED MOTHER EARTH


AND DENIED THE GODS


RULED BY AN EVIL QUEEN OF DARKNESS WHICH WILL TURN OUT TO BE A RELATIVE OF THE MAIN HERO OR HIS GIRLFRIEND


WILL THEY FIND THE MYSTERIES BEHIND HER POWERS AND WILL BE THEY BRING BACK PEACE BETWEEN HUMANS AND THE PLANET?


WHAT DANGERS WILL THEY FACE IN OUTDATED TURN BASED COMBAT?!



FIND OUT THIS WINTER WHEN YOU WILL BUY $GENERIC_JAPANESE_RPG_NUMBER AVAILABLE SOON!@

[tiesto]

Shuri - sounds good, certainly better than generic Western RPG #283788 - let's set another game in a Tolkien ripoff world, design characters out of Conan the Barbarian concept art rejects, add thousands of pages of text and millions of dialogue trees, add 250+ hours of "content" (most of it being walking back and forth over a dull and lifeless world), and tack on a cheesy good or evil morale system to make it looks like you have more of a choice than you actually do.

And fuck the haters, turn-based combat fucking owns. (Hell, I will take any kinda combat over the rubbish Jade Empire combat system!)

[Himu]

lmao Shuri

Post was on point. Except turn based combat rocks.

[Mondain]

uh, what sort of game in any given genre, or any work of fiction for that matter, isn't borrowing a pre-established set of standards or cliched story arcs and characters from dozens and dozens of other games that preceded it? we're not at a point where it's possible to re-invent the wheel

staleness is in the eye of the beholder

[Himu]

There's nothing wrong with that, as long as all the stories in that genre don't all play out the same way.

[The Sceneman]

Shuri - sounds good, certainly better than generic Western RPG #283788 - let's set another game in a Tolkien ripoff world, design characters out of Conan the Barbarian concept art rejects, add thousands of pages of text and millions of dialogue trees, add 250+ hours of "content" (most of it being walking back and forth over a dull and lifeless world), and tack on a cheesy good or evil morale system to make it looks like you have more of a choice than you actually do.

And fuck the haters, turn-based combat fucking owns. (Hell, I will take any kinda combat over the rubbish Jade Empire combat system!)

QFT.

[Mondain]

as long as all stories don't all play out the same way? uh... how differently can they go? how many ways are there for a writer to make a script that keeps the player hooked for 30-40 hours?

just how many methods are there to tell the tale of an epic coming of age? it's probably been laid out in a book for the first time in an early medieval novel like Perceval, the Story of the Grail, and then everytime that someone makes a tale like that it uses the same structure that has been adopted for 800-900 years of literature

when you think about it, it's just hard as hell to make a work of fiction that people will respect, it's way too easy to belittle such material

and then I guess that you could say that all the RPGs coming from Japan feature young teenagers, but, these games will sell on consoles, where the typical buyer is basically a teenager... so you can't make a game that's commercially successful unless your audience has a character that it can easily identify itself to

[Powerslave]

I hope the PS3 won't be a suckfest of shitty fucking distinguished mentally-challenged rpg's like the PS2.