[MatthewB92]

La-Mulana was ESRB rated for Wii 5 months ago. It's E10+. I thought Nintendo also just did away with sales thresholds too? Or does that not apply to Wii/DSi and just 3DS/WiiU?

Wii still has it yea.

[jooey]

Nigoro posted on their blog the other day that Nicalis hadn't responded to any of their messages in four months. Four months. That is completely unacceptable

Where did they say that? Honest question; I want to read it. Is it on the Japanese-language blog?

[@MUWANdo]

I thought Nintendo also just did away with sales thresholds too? Or does that not apply to Wii/DSi and just 3DS/WiiU?

It applies only to WiiWare, IIRC.

[Father_Brain]

La-Mulana was ESRB rated for Wii 5 months ago. It's E10+. I thought Nintendo also just did away with sales thresholds too? Or does that not apply to Wii/DSi and just 3DS/WiiU?

From what I recall reading, that rule was never in place on the DSi Shop. Don't ask me why they didn't change it for the Wii Shop...

[PixyJunket]

What WAS the sales threshold number anyway?

Wouldn't La-Mulana be the kind of game to surely pass that, even at this point? This isn't a crummy mobile phone port, after all.

Sigh. I was really looking forward to this.

[@MUWANdo]

Where did they say that? Honest question, I want to read it.

WiiWare version:
The master data for NOA and NOE was handed to our publisher, Nicalis.
After that, we haven’t received any reports.
So, we have no idea when the release date is determined.

http://la-mulana.com/en/blog/report-2.html

[Dog Problems]

What WAS the sales threshold number anyway? Wouldn't La-Mulana be the kind of game to surely pass that, even at this point? This isn't a crummy mobile phone port, after all. Sigh. I was really looking forward to this.

You can still play it on PC.

[MatthewB92]

Where did they say that? Honest question; I want to read it. Is it on the Japanese-language blog?

http://la-mulana.com/en/blog/report-2.html

Edit:beaten.

[@MUWANdo]

What WAS the sales threshold number anyway? Wouldn't La-Mulana be the kind of game to surely pass that, even at this point? This isn't a crummy mobile phone port, after all. Sigh. I was really looking forward to this.

There's a separate threshold for each region the game is released in, and the threshold itself differs depending on file size, price, etc, but we're talking four-figure numbers here.

[lunchwithyuzo]

I think it only applies to WiiWare. That doesn't excuse them from not changing it though.

BARF! Hopefully Nigoro/Nicalis can do a 3DS or Wii U version instead, with the sales thresholds I can totally understand dropping WiiWare for more attractive platforms then.

[PixyJunket]

There's a separate threshold for each region the game is released in, and the threshold itself differs depending on file size, price, etc, but we're talking four-figure numbers here.

I thought so. With Xenoblade and TLS sparking some core Wii audiences again, that should be an easy number to hit, espeically for a game like this.

What's the cost/harm in releasing it now? It's already rated.

[Father_Brain]

Is the WiiWare (and PC, assuming it's based on WiiWare) actually any good? I read some impressions on SA last year that reported that Nigoro had stupidly "rebalanced" the game by dumbing down the puzzles and giving the bosses ridiculously large health meters.

[MatthewB92]

I thought so. With Xenoblade and TLS sparking some core Wii audiences again, that should be an easy number to hit, espeically for a game like this. What's the cost/harm in releasing it now? It's already rated.

Well they tried but Nintendo wouldn't let it through with the DLC.

[OnPoint]

It's interesting that we're getting two different stories here.

Nicalis saying Nigoro didn't finish the game/Nigoro saying they handed the finished product in months ago.

[lunchwithyuzo]

I thought so. With Xenoblade and TLS sparking some core Wii audiences again, that should be an easy number to hit, espeically for a game like this. What's the cost/harm in releasing it now? It's already rated.

Looking at the responses it seems like Nicalis and Nigoro might have had a falling out? Maybe Nigoro can find a new western publisher, or even selfpublish like they are on PC?

I dunno, at this point maybe it's better to just hope for a port...

[@MUWANdo]

I thought so. With Xenoblade and TLS sparking some core Wii audiences again, that should be an easy number to hit, espeically for a game like this. What's the cost/harm in releasing it now? It's already rated.

Well if you read what Nicalis just posted and the various blogs from Nigoro, it seems like the big issue holding back the international release was the DLC - or, more specifically, getting the DLC to pass lotcheck, a process Nicalis seems to struggle with every time they release something on a Nintendo platform.

The irritating part is, Nicalis went through this exact same issue with Cave Story WiiWare, where the DLC repeatedly failed lotcheck so they just amalgamated it into the main game. Maybe Nigoro wouldn't let them do that, maybe Nicalis just screwed up, who knows.

It's interesting that we're getting two different stories here. Nicalis saying Nigoro didn't finish the game/Nigoro saying they handed the finished product in months ago.

I think when Nicalis says it took them "two years" to finish he's talking about some agreed-upon release schedule that probably includes a period of time before the game was announced.

Then again, he could have just seriously misjudged the amount of time required to make a game like this. Wouldn't be the first time, evidently.

[Zekes!]

LOL what's the deal with Nicalis

[nincompoop]

Ah well, guess I'll get the PC version when Nicalis releases it in 2016

EDIT - Oh, Nicalis isn't handling the Steam version? Good, I might get to play it by 2014 then.

[jooey]

http://la-mulana.com/en/blog/report-2.html

Oh, right, OK. Well, I linked to that already, and here's what it says at the beginning:

Hello everyone! We are sorry for no update for 4 months. 　 A lot of things happened in the last 4 months, but we still don’t have anything to release officially.

That's really the only thing about "4 months" they mention. It doesn't say "Nicalis hadn't responded to any of their messages in four months."

To be fair, here's what it says after that:

WiiWare version: The master data for NOA and NOE was handed to our publisher, Nicalis. After that, we haven’t received any reports. So, we have no idea when the release date is determined.

All this says to me is that they sent the master to Nicalis with the natural expectation it would go to Nintendo, because that's the process. There's no clear implication that Nicalis didn't. Saying "we haven't received any reports", but not of what or from whom, continues to reveal nothing. Did Nicalis not send the master? Who knows? Assuming they did, did Nintendo take too long to approve it? Who knows? What was the full extent of the "lot of things" that happened in 4 months? Who knows? So I'm left asking, again, why you say "fuck Nicalis" when there's no proof it's actually their fault.

[wsippel]

That sucks. Maybe we can see it on the 3DS or even Wii U.

That would be my guess at this point.

[PixyJunket]

Nintendo should just publish it. It's the kind of game that could put some eyes on WiiWare while they're prepping up Wii U's digital service.

Nintendo of Europe would totally do it, I bet.

[lobdale]

Please god put it on 3DS.

[Herbspicesoy]

Been following their site/blog updates. I feel a bit for Nigoro since those guys seemed really passionate about their game and having it released on the Wii.
Anyways, since PC version was announced I'm not even interested in the Wii version anymore.

[PixyJunket]

Please god put it on 3DS.

Co-signed.

[Alextended]

I wish a better publisher would take over all of these Nicalis-type projects.

.

Who was the publisher for the WiiWare version in Japan? The developers themselves?

And Nicalis couldn't get a mere localisation up in a timely fashion? Cave Story took ages to reach PALand too...

At least it's getting released on some platform over here but I'd rather not support Nicalis, just the developers.

Edit: I'm not saying they should release it on a more or less dead platform at this time, just that they should have released or cancelled it months ago, not after confirming and missing dates, and at least have released the game in some fashion on some platform(s) by now, it's been a year since the Japanese release, while it's a deeper than it looks game it's no Planescape Torment.

[Haunted]

I thought La Mulana released years ago.

[Rash]

Honestly, after waiting this long, it's probably better to release the game on PC for now and wait a bit longer to put in on both Wii U and 3DS. Seems like with the strength of the eShop for mobile titles and the inherent high marketing potential surrounding the Wii U (being a new machine and all), La Mulana would just have a better chance of success on those platforms.

I know that the Wii U will be able to play WiiWare games (obviously), but the point is that they wouldn't have to release the game to a questionable audience now and re-market it later. They could just kill two birds with one stone and market it for both Wii U and Wii (and 3DS hopefully) once the time is right.

[@MUWANdo]

All this says to me is that they sent the master to Nicalis with the natural expectation it would go to Nintendo, because that's the process. There's no clear implication that Nicalis didn't. Saying "we haven't received any reports", but not of what or from whom, continues to reveal nothing. Did Nicalis not send the master? Who knows? Assuming they did, did Nintendo take too long to approve it? Who knows? What was the full extent of the "lot of things" that happened in 4 months? Who knows? So I'm left asking, again, why you say "fuck Nicalis" when there's no proof it's actually their fault.

There's a long history of circumstantial evidence that shows Nicalis are completely inept at managing Nintendo's certification process. Every one of their releases has suffered from it; Cave Story DSiWare failed NOE lotcheck as recently as a couple of months ago, and they've been trying to get it released for over a year now.

I'm not suggesting that Nicalis is the only small publisher who has these issues, but they are uniquely irritating to me because they aren't directly connected to these games in any way - they capitalise on the popularity and reputation of established indie games and then piss away all that goodwill by meddling with and generally botching the releases.

I still remember when they released Cave Story on WiiWare and everyone complained that the sound bugs were present despite being pointed out repeatedly during the lengthy pre-release period, and despite Nicalis saying they'd been fixed when in reality he couldn't even perceive the issue, and then later on he wrote it off as "bitchy nitpicking" by fanboys. The composer had to post clips of the tunes playing correctly on his website before Nicalis would even accept that these technical issues existed. We're not talking minor discrepancies here, either - tracks were totally missing, audio levels were way off, it was a mess.

I fully accept that the WiiWare market is dead (it was dead even when they initially announced this game), and that WiiWare as a platform can be unnecessarily prohibitive to small devs/publishers, and that there was probably miscommunication or differing opinions re: implementation of DLC, but I also maintain that Nigoro would have been better served by basically any other publisher. Again, fuck Nicalis.

[PixyJunket]

The difference is that Nicalis was the one developing Cave Story WiiWare and La-Mulana is being developed by NIGORO.

The problems La-Mulana is having passing certification are on NIGORO. It's just an unfortunate coincidence that Nicalis is involved again.

[@MUWANdo]

The problems La-Mulana is having passing certification are on NIGORO. It's just an unfortunate coincidence that Nicalis is involved again.

If you've read the accounts of other indie publishers like Carpe Fulgur you'll know that getting some of these Japanese indie guys to be flexible on issues like DLC and pricing can be like pulling teeth, so I'm willing to accept that there was probably a difference in opinion regarding how to handle the DLC, and that Nicalis probably wanted to amalgamate it into the main game and Nigoro didn't. That being said, the amount of trouble Nicalis has just passing their own stuff that they have complete control over suggests to me that they have as much to do with these certification woes as Nigoro.

If you wanna hit the bullseye, don't pick the one-eyed alcoholic to take the shot for you. Just saying.

[outlawedprod]

https://twitter.com/#!/nicalis/statu...95291420286978
We've waited, too. We're sorry to have to announce, but we've waited for them to finish the game for over two years.

https://twitter.com/#!/nicalis/statu...16732471652352
If Nintendo says a game isn't ready for release, then it's not ready for release. Called it unfinished or unapproved--whichever you like.

[Gunloc]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

I waited for this game for so long... :(

I hope a Wii U/3DS release is a possibility.

[TheUnknownForce]

And with that, WiiWare is now a dead platform.

I understand Nicalis' issue with releasing the game now. It has been precisely two years or so since the game was first announced, so I am guessing they had a publishing agreement and had to make a call to continue spending resources on it or drop it entirely.

Nicalis was not the developer behind this issue. This was all on Nigoro. Unfortunately, who is to blame is probably a mix of every party. Nicalis might have been focusing too much on its other projects in order to help Nigoro with particular issues. Nigoro is new to publishing a game on a console, period, let alone in the US/EU markets with different certification requirements (not to mention they are also working on a PC version, too). And then there's Nintendo who had draconian requirements for their downloadable service (6000 sales or nothing, <40MB and all that jazz).

As for the four month statement, certification can be a terribly long process. Looking at tweets from Walljump Studios, developer of Liight, it took Nintendo months and months to get the game that had previously failed to pass and ultimately announce a release date. It is possible that Nintendo failed it once again recently, and now Nicalis had to make the call.

Will it come to other platforms now? Other than PC, doubt it. If Nicalis is ending its relationship with Nigoro, it will take another JPN indie publisher to bring it here in another form other than PC. I see NIS and Atlus...and both are perhaps too big to look at Nigoro. Gaijinworks, maybe?

[Zero-Crescent]

As for the four month statement, certification can be a terribly long process. Looking at tweets from Walljump Studios, developer of Liight, it took Nintendo months and months to get the game that had previously failed to pass and ultimately announce a release date. It is possible that Nintendo failed it once again recently, and now Nicalis had to make the call.

And it doesn't help that the Wiiware/VC release schedule has been noticeably slowing down over the past few months. In April, only 1 Wiiware title and 1 VC title were released, same with March. February had 3 WW and 1 VC, and January had 4 WW. It probably won't be too long before it goes down to 1 WW or VC release slot per month, just to stretch out whatever they have until the Wii U launch, and probably to push devs towards the eShop.

[lunchwithyuzo]

Nintendo's Virtual Console backlog is HUGE for NA/EU. They could release 10 games a month until Wii U launch and they'd still have stuff left over.

[BocoDragon]

Well.. Its WiiWare in 2012 :P

I was kinda stunned when I read through the new Nintendo Power, and apparently Retro City Rampage is still scheduled for WiiWare in the future? Wow.

[Dicer]

Well.. Its WiiWare in 2012 :P I was kinda stunned when I read through the new Nintendo Power, and apparently Retro City Rampage is still scheduled for WiiWare in the future? Wow.

I was just gonna ask about this, lol

[BocoDragon]

I was just gonna ask about this, lol

The issue is brand new, so at least as of recent, it's still coming to WiiWare :P

[charlequin]

apparently Retro City Rampage is still scheduled for WiiWare in the future? Wow.

paging stumpokapow to the courtesy bookmaking telephone

[The Hermit]

wow, I`ve been following this game since it was announced, played and loved the PC version and saw some videos of the JPN version... and I still was expecting it.

Hope they port it to eShop at least.

[Esnel Pla]

Well, at least the money I'd be giving to Nigoro doesn't have to be filtered through Nicalis now.

I've lost a lot of faith in Nicalis recently. Between Rodriguez putting his foot in his mouth, NightSky still lacking the HD patch on Steam, and now the cancellation of La-Mulana Nicalis has moved from a position of doujin/indie game great to the exact opposite.

Best of luck to the folks at Nigoro. Let's all hope they find the best way to get La-Mulana out overseas and that it does well.

[Goli]

https://twitter.com/#!/LaMulana/stat...62527187152897
Dayum.

[VideoMan]

Apparently Nigoro just found out. What a mess.

[Gunloc]

Oh my.

[lunchwithyuzo]

WTF?! Poor Nigoro. :/

[Truth101]

That's awful

[spyhunterzero]

Man this confusion sucks for Nigoro. I was really looking forward to this game for quite some time. Hopefully they'll find a solution and bring it here. Would be really awesome if it's for 3DS or Wii U

[Gunloc]

So Nicalis just gave up on getting La-Mulana approved and didn't even tell Nigoro they were being dropped? :/

Hopefully that means that some other publisher can pick it up then.

[BudokaiMR2]

Yeah Nigoro basically got screwed over. :(

Everything I heard regarding their treatment by Nicalis sounded horrible.

[Gameboy415]

Bummer. I'd been looking forward to this for ages.. :(