[QUOTE=Vamphuntr]Like someone already said in the thread there's more than meet the eye for decisions like this. They still need a team to market it and a team to prepare the logistic work for the distribution across stores.[/QUOTE]
Nintendo doesn't reinvent the wheel every time they publish a game. They have staff and resources for marketing and distribution already in place, all they'd be doing is adding these games to the mix.

[QUOTE=lunchwithyuzo]Nintendo doesn't reinvent the wheel every time they publish a game. They have staff and resources for marketing and distribution already in place, all they'd be doing is adding these games to the mix.[/QUOTE]

Unless the teams are busy with other games (lol) or preparing the launch of WiiU?

[QUOTE=Allan Holdsworth]NCL (ie Nintendo of Japan) releases many games that sell sub 50k, and those include development costs that are much higher than localization. NoA is just lazy, or they didn't think it was necessary to release anything as the Wii was doing record numbers. The situation chaged now, though.[/QUOTE]Sure. But don't forget the costs of marketing. If you look at triple A titles development and marketing costs are often divided 50/50. Not saying it should cost millions but still.

In the end it all comes down if the game will make a profit. I'm not arguing that NoA is lazy or stubborn because they are but I do believe they have valid reasons for these titles.
I'm more surprised that NoE is releasing them then NoA isnt.

Also I don't think NoA will accept the European localization or voice acting if they sound too European. At least it wouldn't surprise me. Of course this is only a valid reason if they use "European" voice actors.

You may say that is bullshit and it is, but unfortunately that is the entertainment industry.

[QUOTE=Foffy]Mother 3 came out in 2006, and by that point the GBA was dead outside of Japan. It's understandable that they avoided the game when the last major GBA game was Minish Cap, and if you're not counting the US, that was a 2004 title.[/QUOTE]

That's not really true, actually -- I mean the point that there might have been rights issues with some of the music probably is, but about the GBA, actually the GBA lasted the longest in North America. NCL (Nintendo Japan) basically told NOA in late 2006 that they wanted to kill off the GBA in North America, because it'd been two years since the DS launched and the DS was still sort of in the GBA's shadow even two years after its release. And that is why Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team, at the end of 2006, was the last first party release for the GBA, early 2007's Nintendo-published release of Final Fantasy VI Advance excepted.

Third party games continued to be released for GBA in the US through '07, but Nintendo had dropped it and the DS did indeed finally take over. So because it was a 2006 Japan release, basicaly to get Mother 3 out here it'd have had to have had a quick turnaround from its Japanese release to its US one, and Nintendo hadn't exactly done that to say the least.

But remember, they did release Tales of Phantasia GBA in 2006 in the US, so they did release one RPG that year on the system even if it wasn't the one people wanted the most... but that was a port of a years-old title.

Anyway, if Nintendo had been planning to release it here all along they could have released Mother 3 here, but they hadn't, they'd given up on the series here (note how Mother 1+2 GBA also didn't come over). That there wasn't much time between its release and the end of the system's life did make its release here less likely, for understandable reasons, but I don't think I'd say it made it impossible.

[QUOTE=Bel Marduk]Even so, I doubt the games, at least Xenoblade and The Last Story (not sure how much PT is really hyped) would sell less than 100k minimum.[/QUOTE]
They would.

Easily.

JRPGs with brand recognition on platforms starved for them often max out at 100k.

[QUOTE=Cow Mengde]I made a video trying to spread the word on youtube.

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqV_P25_O4A[/url]

Hopefully, others will do the same and make their voices be heard on youtube as well.

Also, does anyone have an account on the IGN forums? Maybe you can contact the guys who started operation rainfall and show them my video, and ask to include a video campaign as well?[/QUOTE]
I'll post it up on the thread
Edit: I also PMd MightyMe (creator of Operation Rainfall) about it as well.

I think they won't localize the game unless they can guarantee at least 100k sold.

And i think that's just for a text localization.

A few thousand gaffers are not going to make nintendo bring this to the states. More so when the wii software numbers being this bad.

[QUOTE=Vamphuntr]Unless the teams are busy with other games (lol) or preparing the launch of WiiU?[/QUOTE]
Limited resources isn't a great excuse for passing over Xenoblade or The Last Story when they're spending them on games like Super Fossil Fighters and Fortune Street. Nintendo only has 4 more Wii releases for the entire second half of the year, it's not like they're exactly being spread thin.

What if they bring it over and the we find out the translation sucks?

lol

What bothers me the most with NoA is not that they don't release certain titles but more that they dont give a real reason why they won't do it.

It is always a vague marketing monologue about the state of the market and pointing to other titles and making vague promises.

It is how a parent treats his child when he/ she doesn't know the answer to a question.

Wow, Monado/Xenoblade is now the #1 game on Amazon. Damn.

Keep it up, everyone! :D

[QUOTE=hiro4]What bothers me the most with [B]NoA is not that they don't release certain titles but more that they dont give a real reason why they won't do it. [/B]

It is always a vague marketing monologue about the state of the market and pointing to other titles and making vague promises.

It is how a parent treats his child when he/ she doesn't know the answer to a question.[/QUOTE]

Isn't it very clear that the game will not sell enough to cover the localization?

[QUOTE=lunchwithyuzo]Limited resources isn't a great excuse for passing over Xenoblade or The Last Story when they're spending them on games like Super Fossil Fighters and Fortune Street. Nintendo only has 4 more Wii releases for the entire second half of the year, it's not like they're exactly being spread thin.[/QUOTE]

Yeah but like others have said all of these factors are linked together and it all boils down to profits. NoA is a big company and MUST have financial and market analysts to help them decide about localization. I really doubt the "lol they suck and are lazy argument" represents the truth.

With Fortune Street they are banking on the Mario Party crowd and the Mario characters in the game.

That YT video is informative, but man the voice has got to go. Sorry bro. And it doesnt help to say a game is "ok maybe its not that good, but it could be fun"

[QUOTE=hiro4]Sure. But don't forget the costs of marketing. If you look at triple A titles development and marketing costs are often divided 50/50. Not saying it should cost millions but still.

In the end it all comes down if the game will make a profit. I'm not arguing that NoA is lazy or stubborn because they are but I do believe they have valid reasons for these titles.
I'm more surprised that NoE is releasing them then NoA isnt.
[/QUOTE]

NoA never markets their lesser games to begin with. The only real money they would spend on bringing these games over would be involved in the actual distribution. And they could easily limit the print run to an amount that they know would cover costs like Atlus does.

[QUOTE=Lord-Audie]Isn't it very clear that the game will not sell enough to cover the localization?[/QUOTE]

The localization that's already done?

Sure.

[QUOTE=hiro4]

Also I don't think NoA will accept the European localization or voice acting if they sound too European. At least it wouldn't surprise me. Of course this is only a valid reason if they use "European" voice actors.

You may say that is bullshit and it is, but unfortunately that is the entertainment industry.[/QUOTE]

DQ8 was essentially all British. FF12 had a large portion of British voice actors. For JRPGs I think this is a silly argument.

For those interested in doing street art in front of Nintendo's offices on the targeted date, it's being organized here:

[url]http://www.facebook.com/pages/Operation-Rainfall/212751422093743[/url]

It's legal to do so right? If so, I'll add it to the OP.

[QUOTE=Lord-Audie]Isn't it very clear that the game will not sell enough to cover the localization?[/QUOTE]
I want a crystal ball too.

[QUOTE=IAmtheFMan]DQ8 was essentially all British. FF12 had a large portion of British voice actors. For JRPGs I think this is a silly argument.[/QUOTE]

All of these are not Nintendo games though. It was rumoured that they even had an American dub ready for Disaster Day of Crisis.

[QUOTE=ShockingAlberto]They would.

Easily.

JRPGs with brand recognition on platforms starved for them often max out at 100k.[/QUOTE]
MH3, TOS2 and Fire Emblem all did pretty well. Granted that was all awhile ago, but with the right sort of push I could see XBC or TLS doing decent numbers yet. Plus they might help build some base for DQX.

JRPGs haven't really been doing well anywhere, but these aren't exactly bog standard JRPGs either.

[QUOTE=IAmtheFMan]DQ8 was essentially all British. FF12 had a large portion of British voice actors. For JRPGs I think this is a silly argument.[/QUOTE]Oh I agree it is silly. But in the movie industry some actors are told that they shouldn't tell that they are from Australia, because then the chance that they would get the part will drop considerably. Which is just as silly.

[QUOTE=Vamphuntr]All of these are not Nintendo games though. It was rumoured that they even had an [B]American dub ready for Disaster Day of Crisis.[/B][/QUOTE]
What? What for? The game was released with an american dub.

[QUOTE=Mockingbird]For those interested in doing street art in front of Nintendo's offices on the targeted date, it's being organized here:

[url]http://www.facebook.com/pages/Operation-Rainfall/212751422093743[/url]

It's legal to do so right? If so, I'll add it to the OP.[/QUOTE]
Honestly, it sounds illegal. As that would be some sort of vandalism, would it not?

[QUOTE=Lord-Audie]Isn't it very clear that the game will not sell enough to cover the localization?[/QUOTE]Yeah that is what I said before also, but also depends on if they have to redo the already done localization.

Also I'm not exclusively talking about Xenoblade but in general and about titles like Last Window, Another Code and Disaster.

[QUOTE=ShockingAlberto]They would.

Easily.

JRPGs with brand recognition on platforms starved for them often max out at 100k.[/QUOTE]

ToV and ToS: Dawn of the New World both sold past 100k. So did Lost Odyssey. So did MH3 (if you consider it an RPG) and DQ IX which both had good marketing. Demon's Soul is also a biggie that received a lot of praise and attention and sold much more than 100k despite it being niche. It really shouldn't be that hard for these games to cross that mark either.

My problem is not just that we didn't get these games. It's that while we didn't get them, they were pumping out Dragon Quests like no one's business and other third party franchises like that, and marketing them so they became successes.

They can market if they want to, people. They made DQ actually kinda popular on the DS and Layton exceed everyone's expectations. They can make Xenoblade/The Last Story/Pandora's Tower sell. They just have to TRY though.

[QUOTE=Jaded Alyx]What? What for?[/QUOTE]

It was planned at one point and they pulled the plug...

[QUOTE=Vamphuntr]Yeah but like others have said all of these factors are linked together and it all boils down to profits. NoA is a big company and MUST have financial and market analysts to help them decide about localization. I really doubt the "lol they suck and are lazy argument" represents the truth.

With Fortune Street they are banking on the Mario Party crowd and the Mario characters in the game.[/QUOTE]
Who said "they suck and are lazy"? All I'm saying is resources pretty clearly aren't any issue looking at Nintendo's means, history and lineup.

And Fortune Street is going to bomb hard. I'm sure Nintendo's only pushing it out to keep things good with Hori, it's a purely political release.


[QUOTE=Vamphuntr]All of these are not Nintendo games though. It was rumoured that they even had an American dub ready for Disaster Day of Crisis.[/QUOTE]
The European release used the American dub, there's is no UK dub for Disaster. And NOA redid the dub once even because they weren't satisfied with it.

[QUOTE=Jaded Alyx]What? What for?[/QUOTE]

Probably because they planned on releasing it...and then didn't. It probably had to do with the fact that they did shit to promote it's European release and it did badly.

[QUOTE=Lord-Audie]Isn't it very clear that the game will not sell enough to cover the localization?[/QUOTE]
It already is localized. I guess whoever posted it, AceBandage I think, is correct, and the main reason is that it doesn't fit NoA's "Disney image". It's not based on an established Nintendo IP and not casual. But if that's really the case, Nintendo should consider copying Disney even further and establishing their own "Touchstone"...

[QUOTE=IceDoesntHelp]Honestly, it sounds illegal. As that would be some sort of vandalism, would it not?[/QUOTE]

Don't know. Maybe putting up posters would be better. That way people over the net can contribute their art too.

I seriously wish you guys luck, but I just don't care about these.
[QUOTE=Busaiku]Why does everyone focus on the Wii games and ignore quality DS titles like Last Window or Soma Bringer.[/QUOTE]
Why do people ignore quality Wii games like NPC: Pikmin 2 (already localized) and Another Code R? Because people hate Cing and don't care that they died, apparently. Pikmin 2 is just baffling, though. Not enough profit margin at $30? I guess the NPC games sold poorly in general, though.

[QUOTE=lunchwithyuzo]
The European release used the American dub, there's is no UK dub for Disaster. And NOA redid the dub once even because they weren't satisfied with it.[/QUOTE]

It's even more stupid then. Why did they do the dub in America?

[QUOTE=Phoenix_Apollo]Probably because they planned on releasing it...and then didn't. It probably had to do with the fact that they did shit to promote it's European release and it did badly.[/QUOTE]
The game was released in Europe with the american dub though...

[QUOTE=Mockingbird]Don't know. Maybe putting up posters would be better. That way people over the net can contribute their art too.[/QUOTE]
That would be a safer way around the cops. Seriously we don't want to be known as "the campaign that vandalized a parking lot, and didn't win"
I really disagree with the parking lot thing, but that's just me.

[QUOTE=Bel Marduk]ToV and ToS: Dawn of the New World both sold past 100k. So did Lost Odyssey. So did MH3 (if you consider it an RPG) and DQ IX which both had good marketing. Demon's Soul is also a biggie that received a lot of praise and attention and sold much more than 100k despite it being niche. It really shouldn't be that hard for these games to cross that mark either.[/QUOTE]Did ToS sell over 100k?!
Color me surprised. It thought it bombed.

Also ToV and LO were on the HD consoles where "hardcore" gamers are apparently more likely to spend their money on these kind of titles.

MH3 and DQIX had a massive marketing campaign behind them. Don't think they would ever do it for a niche title like Xenoblade.

Last story on the other hand. They could easily sell it as the newest title from the creator of FF. Then again FF isn't what it used to be :p

I wonder what the break even number would be.

[QUOTE=Vamphuntr]It's even more stupid then. Why did they do the dub in America?[/QUOTE]
Because it was going to release here originally too.

I've heard different reasons for it's cancellation (casual/classic image concerns at NOA, game quality being below par, floods in the midwest around the time of planned release) but I have no idea what's legitimate or not.

[QUOTE=wsippel]and the main reason is that it doesn't fit NoA's "Disney image". It's not based on an established Nintendo IP and not casual. But if that's really the case, Nintendo should consider copying Disney even further and establishing their own "Touchstone"...[/QUOTE]
It really isn't.
When Nintendo's released stuff like Samurai Warriors 3, Sin & Punishment Star Successor, and Glory of Heracles just last year, there are clearly other reasons that are more important.

[QUOTE=hiro4]
MH3 and DQIX had a massive marketing campaign behind them. Don't think they would ever do it for a niche title like Xenoblade.

[/QUOTE]

Yeah it helped DQ IX a lot. DQ V and VI on the other hand bombed mega hard since they had no marketing campaign.

[QUOTE=hiro4]Did ToS sell over 100k?!
Color me surprised. It thought it bombed.

Also ToV and LO were on the HD consoles where "hardcore" gamers are apparently more likely to spend their money on these kind of titles.

MH3 and DQIX had a massive marketing campaign behind them. Don't think they would ever do it for a niche title like Xenoblade.

Last story on the other hand. They could easily sell it as the newest title from the creator of FF. Then again FF isn't what it used to be :p

I wonder what the break even number would be.[/QUOTE]

I asked someone for NPD numbers for ToV and ToS a while ago. ToV sold 144k and ToS 138k.

Okay, I have a question.

Let's say okay, Xenoblade got greenlit for an NA release. After all, the preorders and that helped.

But then instead of announcing The Last Story or Pandora's Tower, they announce that they'll bring Disaster: Day of Crisis over instead. After all, it's supposedly the US dub in the UK version. Plus, it's great for cross-promotion.

I know this is not too possible, but stick with me. What if this happens? Would people get upset because it's not TLS/PT they see in that list, or will they accept Disaster like they should? This is honestly something to prepare for. We keep hyping this up and up, and assuming Nintendo actually pulls through for us, we have to be prepared if they don't announce everything we're pushing, or announce something a little different but something that follows along the same lines, like Disaster.

Whatever we do, we can NOT let the response be overwhelmingly negative. We can't. We have to accept it as it comes, guys. We gotta say "alright, we'll bite" and support their decision no matter how they choose to follow our requests (if at all).

Even if this turns into just a bunch of DS releases, we still have to accept it and support it, otherwise they might never fall for this again.

[QUOTE=Busaiku]It really isn't.
When Nintendo's released stuff like Samurai Warriors 3, Sin & Punishment Star Successor, and Glory of Heracles just last year, there are clearly other reasons that are more important.[/QUOTE]
I think Golden Sun DS bombing hard last fall likely didn't help the JRPG cause at NOA either. And it had a decent advertising push too.

[QUOTE=hiro4]Did ToS sell over 100k?!
Color me surprised. It thought it bombed.

Also ToV and LO were on the HD consoles where "hardcore" gamers are apparently more likely to spend their money on these kind of titles.

MH3 and DQIX had a [B]massive [/B]marketing campaign behind them. Don't think they would ever do it for a niche title like Xenoblade.

Last story on the other hand. They could easily sell it as the newest title from the creator of FF. Then again FF isn't what it used to be :p

I wonder what the break even number would be.[/QUOTE]

Massive is a strong word. I guess it could be seen as that since Nintendo does nothing majority of the time if it isn't Wii Fit and Mario. When they do sometimes it's midnight advertising when no one will see the ads. I fully expect Nintendo of America to screw up advertising Skyward Sword. What happen with MH3 and DQIX were normal advertising if only on the low side of things. Nothing compared to what you see Sony, Microsoft,and other publishers doing when they are trying to push important games. Even then both sets of advertising were bad in the end as they did nothing to explain the games or showcase why you would want to play them.

[QUOTE=lunchwithyuzo]Because it was going to release here originally too.

I've heard different reasons for it's cancellation (casual/classic image concerns at NOA, game quality being below par, floods in the midwest around the time of planned release) but I have no idea what's legitimate or not.[/QUOTE]
Come to think of it, didn't the Japanese release have american VA to begin with?

[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6UR3UVB4U8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6UR3UVB4U8[/URL]

I think the most likely scenario if this works is 98% of the pre-orders being pulled from Amazon and Nintendo never localizing a Monolith game again.

Not that it would be too different from the way things work right now, I suppose.

[QUOTE=lunchwithyuzo]I think Golden Sun DS bombing hard last fall likely didn't help the JRPG cause at NOA either. And it had a decent advertising push too.[/QUOTE]

Yeah this a valid point. I had no idea it bombed that badly since I had trouble finding a copy at launch.

[QUOTE=Vamphuntr]All of these are not Nintendo games though. It was rumoured that they even had an American dub ready for Disaster Day of Crisis.[/QUOTE]

Yeah no shit they're not from Nintendo. The point was in response to whether or not "European" accents would be acceptable in a game. My point is that JRPG's in general are not exactly catering to the Dudebro crowd so they'd be perfectly acceptable.

Look we can bounce back and forth about whatever excuses Nintendo can come up with to avoid localizing this. It can be the cost of localization. It can be the European voices. It can be that it's too Japanese. It can be that the fucking chicken that they sacrificed to Yamauchi spurted blood in an pattern of a grave omen spelling D-O-O-M if they tried to sell this game in the States; IT DOESN'T MATTER.

The Core Nintendo faithful are fed up. That's what this campaign is about. We don't care about excuses at this point. We are doing everything have our voices heard. If it works, great. If not, nobody can say we didn't try.

[QUOTE=lunchwithyuzo]I think Golden Sun DS bombing hard last fall likely didn't help the JRPG cause at NOA either. And it had a decent advertising push too.[/QUOTE]

I think this could be a case of who they were advertising it to. I recall seeing ads for it during kids shows. Shows where I assume the target market weren't playing RPGs at all do to various reasons and if they were they had their time taken up with Pokemon. NoA's marketing in general is horrible. It's like outside of casual games they have no clue what to do or how to sell their own games. This is something they brought upon themselves because they pretty much embraced that market when the Wii started selling like crazy and washed their hands in regard to everyone else. The titles that do well like Brawl, Mario, etc do well the face of that because of their branding and history with fans. Not because Nintendo of America actually pushed them.

The NoA of the N64 and Cube era is gone. Those that were able to advertise and push Nintendo games on those systems I believe are no longer there and they weren't replaced by anyone. There is a big void that has been there ever since the Wii launched and Reggie showed up.

[QUOTE=Mockingbird]For those interested in doing street art in front of Nintendo's offices on the targeted date, it's being organized here:

[url]http://www.facebook.com/pages/Operation-Rainfall/212751422093743[/url]

It's legal to do so right? If so, I'll add it to the OP.[/QUOTE]
Doing stuff on their parking lots on their property? I'd say a big no. Doing something in the sidewalk or on the street just outside? Awesome.