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[Chris1964]

Original plan for Rayman Origins was simultaneous release of PS3, PSV and 3DS versions but Ubisoft eventually will release only the first two this Thursday.

 

[Sadist]

Original plan for Rayman Origins was simultaneous release of PS3, PSV and 3DS versions but Ubisoft eventually will release only the first two this Thursday.

Just like in the west. I wonder why they pushed it back in all regions btw.

 

[donny2112]

The fact is, if the 3DS got a better third-party support than the DS had for it's first year, it's because of the all life DS third party support. GBA third-party support was pretty bad, so it was difficult for the DS at the begining. But now the 3DS got lot of DS sequels (Level 5 games, Harvest Moon, Love Plus).

Good point! PSP was coming off of PS2, so it had top-tier third-party support from the beginning. GBA wasn't heavy in third-party support, and DS started off with mainly GBA-type third-party support, too. It was DS's strides in third-party support that have allowed 3DS to start off with the improved kind of third-party support that it has.

What a glorious mess of a post!

 

[charlequin]

That is quite true, sales suggest that Tales does best on home consoles, or rather on the home console of choice.

Right. And the home console of choice for Japan has been Playstation for some time now, and (given what info we have) will in all likelihood continue to be PS4 next generation. In that environment, it certainly makes sense that Tales would be "sticky."

Still, PSP Tales did better than not just DS Tales, but also than Tales on all other home consoles of its gen.

Sure, but this kind of relative measure is less useful than actually looking at what the sales caps are. PSP Tales games generally did 150-300k, while Tales games on the less successful systems did 150k-200k, and Tales on the core consoles tended to fall in the 350-700k range. The vastest success of handheld Tales comes in below even Legendia for total performance.

When I say loyalty it may draw up images of fanboyish behavior that indeed is limited to forums and, well fanboys, but being anime and not exactly targetting kids, Tales has a higher amount of nerd fans than say Dragon Quest.

I know what you mean; it just still isn't accurate. People have been using fannish preference to try to explain future sales in MC threads for years and it's never worked out. The amount of brand loyalty that exists to manufacturers (as opposed to software franchises) is just too insignificant to be tremendously relevant.

so far the Tales fanbase seems convinced that Sony better delivers on those expectations.

But that's the exact thing. Why did this topic come up today? A discussion of Tales performance on 3DS and Vita. Now, the titles in question performed pretty badly overall on both, but Abyss 3D did noticeably better than ToIR despite being a nothing-added port instead of an upgraded remake.

If this were really a question of in-advance assumptions about Sony consoles, you should expect the opposite: people making it happen for the Vita Tales game, just because they pre-judge the Vita to be a better platform for the series. That that didn't happen fits much better with the idea that individual platform factors are a lot more important.

I guess what you're saying is, if Nintendo was to launch a hardware again that can compete visually with the next PS (maybe even outdo it) and does it early enough, from a position of being the market leader even, Tales would do better on it than on PS4.

Well, I think it's a bit more complicated, but sure. If Nintendo were looking to compete directly on the same level, and they delivered a desirable platform, and they built the right ecosystem (which means swaying over the Nippon Ichis and Gusts on the low end and the big SE franchises on the top end, all of which have noticeable fanbase overlaps and therefore should support one another's sales) then yes, I think Tales could do better on their console (but all of this stuff is incredibly implausible.)

I think the 3DS/Vita situation is more interesting. If Vita is a better Tales system on the fundamentals, but it's also just not a successful system in Japan... what happens? My contention would be "Handheld Tales declines overall, but it's more successful on 3DS than Vita; and it picks up steam on 3DS if other core RPG properties with userbase overlap also take off on 3DS."

And you can't tell me that KH didn't do worse than expected

Oh, KH definitely sucked it up.

 

[Chris1964]

Just like in the west. I wonder why they pushed it back in all regions btw.

Pushing it back this time isn't very far from cancelling it.

 

[lwilliams3]

Right. And the home console of choice for Japan has been Playstation for some time now, and (given what info we have) will in all likelihood continue to be PS4 next generation. In that environment, it certainly makes sense that Tales would be "sticky."

Actually, it will be interesting to see if the next-gen Sony console will maintain that momentum. One major factor on why Sony was able to maintain third-party support was due to gaming companies underestimating the popularity of the Wii at the beginning, and overestimating the power of the Sony brand. When it was obvious that the PS3 was not going to be as successful as the PS2, game companies have already invested so many resources for the HD console games that many decided it was best to continue making games for the PS3/360. The different architecture and lack of power of the Wii did not make it a good investment to port down games to the Wii, and this resulted for the Wii to have a general lack of third-party games despite its popularity, moreso than any other region.

For the next gen, some Japanese companies that are putting out PS3/360 titles may decide to move to the Wii U due to development costs and more confidence of the console being successful. Console gaming development in Japan generally struggled this generation, so I do not believe alot of them will push the PS4 tech high enough for their games to be unportable to the Wii U.

 

[electroplankton]

Actually, it will be interesting to see if the next-gen Sony console will maintain that momentum. One major factor on why Sony was able to maintain third-party support was due to gaming companies underestimating the popularity of the Wii at the beginning, and overestimating the power of the Sony brand. When it was obvious that the PS3 was not going to be as successful as the PS2, game companies have already invested so many resources for the HD console games that many decided it was best to continue making games for the PS3/360. The different architecture and lack of power of the Wii did not make it a good investment to port down games to the Wii, and this resulted for the Wii to have a general lack of third-party games despite its popularity, moreso than any other region.

I would not say Sony was able to maintain anything; I mean, on the third parties side, PS3 has surely the best position, but it is far, far away from PS2 period.

 

[Chris1964]

Actually, it will be interesting to see if the next-gen Sony console will maintain that momentum. One major factor on why Sony was able to maintain third-party support was due to gaming companies underestimating the popularity of the Wii at the beginning, and overestimating the power of the Sony brand.

PS3 strong third party support at its first years happened because of 360.

 

[Bruno MB]

I would like to ask Gaf a question about MH3G:

Thanks to the bundle, but also to its popularity, MH3G was able to sell 76K during march, and could reach 1.3 Mil after 4 months from its release.
In your opinion, how could it perform from now on?
I think that the 1.5 Million mark is quiet sure, but what about the 2mil mark?
Plus: will Capcom release a "budget/thebest/reprint" version of it?

Monster Hunter 3G is keeping pace with Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land so nothing suggest it will suddenly stop selling. In its lowest week sold 16,414 units, Monster Hunter 3 on Wii never had a week over 10,000 units after its 7th week. While 1.5 million is a lock, 2 million looks like its ceiling without a budget version.

Monster Hunter 3G is having a better trajectory than Monster Hunter Portable 2nd, the only Monster Hunter on PSP without a Best version since Capcom released Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G.

Week 1

Monster Hunter 3G - 471,055
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd - 746,313

Week 16

Monster Hunter 3G - 24,651 / 1,289,794
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd - ? / 1,255,353

Monster Hunter Portable 2nd, released on February 2007, after its 7th week didn't have a week with over 12,000 units sold until December 2007 (holiday effect).

So I don't know if Monster Hunter 3G will hit 2 million milestone , but it will end up with a total figure closer to 2 million than 1.5 unless Capcom releases its budget version before the end of the year.

An another question: do you have details about the performances of the different SKUs released for each episode on PSP in Japan? I would like to compare MH3G "basic sku" (no reprint) with the Portable episodes, in order to understand if and when Capcom will release the budget SKUs reprint for this title.

[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable (Capcom) {2005.12.01} - 668,964
[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable (PSP The Best) (Capcom) - {2006.08.03} - 290,904
[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable (BEST Reprint) (Capcom) - {2007.04.26} - 162,736

[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (Capcom) {2007.02.22} - 1,720,397

[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (Capcom) {2008.03.27} - 2,452,111
[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (BEST) (Capcom) {2008.10.30} - 1,110,614
[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (BEST Reprint) (Capcom) {2009.12.24} - 592,747

[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (Capcom) {2010.12.01} - 4,502,446
[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (PSP the Best) (Capcom) {2011.09.22} - 221,439

 

[Wazzim]

There are still millions of people playing MHP3rd, they'll probably only jump in when a new game comes out.

 

[charlequin]

For the next gen, some Japanese companies that are putting out PS3/360 titles may decide to move to the Wii U due to development costs and more confidence of the console being successful.

Let's just say I consider this scenario pretty unlikely. I don't see any reason to believe the Wii U will be buoyed by a significant casual-market success like the Wii was and so far there's even less indication of third-party Japanese support than there was with Wii early on.

I think the most likely scenario is that consoles will remain marginalized overall in Japan but PS4 will be more reasonably priced at launch and therefore be able to cement itself as the singular console of choice early on due to weak competition from the other two console makers.

 

[Father_Brain]

Actually, it will be interesting to see if the next-gen Sony console will maintain that momentum. One major factor on why Sony was able to maintain third-party support was due to gaming companies underestimating the popularity of the Wii at the beginning, and overestimating the power of the Sony brand. When it was obvious that the PS3 was not going to be as successful as the PS2, game companies have already invested so many resources for the HD console games that many decided it was best to continue making games for the PS3/360. The different architecture and lack of power of the Wii did not make it a good investment to port down games to the Wii, and this resulted for the Wii to have a general lack of third-party games despite its popularity, moreso than any other region.

For the next gen, some Japanese companies that are putting out PS3/360 titles may decide to move to the Wii U due to development costs and more confidence of the console being successful. Console gaming development in Japan generally struggled this generation, so I do not believe alot of them will push the PS4 tech high enough for their games to be unportable to the Wii U.

For pretty much these exact reasons, I think charlequin is a bit off base in being dismissive of the possibility that Wii U might become the dominant next-gen console in Japan for both casual and core gaming. Either way, it'll be pretty damn fascinating to watch how things play out at E3 and the 18 months thereafter.

Let's just say I consider this scenario pretty unlikely. I don't see any reason to believe the Wii U will be buoyed by a significant casual-market success like the Wii was and so far there's even less indication of third-party Japanese support than there was with Wii early on.

There's certainly reason for skepticism here (Kojima's comments, Nintendo's past less-successful attempts at casual software), but there's so much secrecy surrounding Wii U software that I think it's premature to reach either conclusion at this point.

 

[Diablos54]

Let's just say I consider this scenario pretty unlikely. I don't see any reason to believe the Wii U will be buoyed by a significant casual-market success like the Wii was and so far there's even less indication of third-party Japanese support than there was with Wii early on.

I think the most likely scenario is that consoles will remain marginalized overall in Japan but PS4 will be more reasonably priced at launch and therefore be able to cement itself as the singular console of choice early on due to weak competition from the other two console makers.

Have we heard anything on this, or do we just have to wait till E3 or something?

 

[Nirolak]

Have we heard anything on this, or do we just have to wait till E3 or something?

I think the only comments we have so far are Ninja Gaiden 3 from Tecmo Koei, Sonic and Aliens: Colonial Marines from Sega, Dragon Quest X up port from Square Enix, a Tekken game from Namco Bandai, Kojima saying Project Ogre won't be on the system, and Square Enix saying Tomb Raider won't be on the system.

I may be forgetting something from the initial unveiling.

 

[Bruno MB]

After the experience with Nintendo 64, Gamecube and specially Wii I can't see any reason to think that Wii U will have a decent Japanese third-party support.

 

[Nirolak]

If development costs are an issue, honestly I don't see why they wouldn't just stop making console games and move over to the 3DS or social/mobile games.

That's going to have a much better install base if you don't want to remain in the console arena.

Also, half of the Japanese developers that make console games seem to put up PS2+ graphics on the HD systems as it is, so I don't think changing hardware power would actually effect costs much, if at all.

 

[charlequin]

There's certainly reason for skepticism here (Kojima's comments, Nintendo's past less-successful attempts at casual software), but there's so much secrecy surrounding Wii U software that I think it's premature to reach either conclusion at this point.

Well, I'm willing to shift my position. This is how I see it with the facts on the ground now, but we have two consecutive E3s to get through before we have enough information to make a final judgment. My position in, like, April of 2006 was that Sony was going to trivially stomp everyone when their system shipped. I don't think my actual reasoning was wrong there; I just didn't foresee the black swan pricing the PS3 wound up saddled with. If Nintendo overdeliver and Sony underdeliver, there's definitely room for a shift. (I honestly can't imagine even a wildly unrealistic scenario in which Microsoft becomes a player in Japan.)

Also, half of the Japanese developers that make console games seem to put up PS2+ graphics on the HD systems as it is, so I don't think changing hardware power would actually effect costs much, if at all.

Right. The archetypical Japanese PS3 game is already basically Wii+ assets rendering in HD, sooo... I'm not sure why future console development wouldn't just continue to design games around Wii+ assets. That might open up certain approaches (Wii U + PS4 multiplat release) that won't be as viable for Western games, but I definitely don't think the Wii U is necessary to help Japanese devs keep costs down.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

PSP top 10 through the end of 2005:
1 Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee SCEJ 399161
2 Dynasty Warriors Koei 286187
3 Ridge Racers Namco 273521
4 Monster Hunter Portable Capcom 261778
5 World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 Konami 202176
6 Tales of Eternia Namco 193458
7 Nou Ryoku Trainer Portable Sega 185199
8 Mahjong Kakutou Club Konami 127972
9 Ape Escape Academy SCEJ 127679
10 Metal Gear Acid Konami 118553

After the experience with Nintendo 64, Gamecube and specially Wii I can't see any reason to think that Wii U will have a decent Japanese third-party support.

By the time Wii launched, PS2 had already been replaced and it had no giant games left, nobody knew Nintendo was going to be a bigger deal than Sony in home consoles and it wasn't the expected norm for even games like Final Fantasy to be multiplatform. I think that makes enough difference that Wii U's first year should manage some games that will be a bigger deal than DQ Swords, RE Umbrella Chronicles, or DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 2.

 

[extralite]

Sure, but this kind of relative measure is less useful than actually looking at what the sales caps are. PSP Tales games generally did 150-300k, while Tales games on the less successful systems did 150k-200k, and Tales on the core consoles tended to fall in the 350-700k range. The vastest success of handheld Tales comes in below even Legendia for total performance.

I think we can agree on fans preferring non-portable main line Tales. Still PSP is the number 2 Tales system this gen after PS3. Symphonia may have sold more but then the series wasn't spread over 5 systems.

I know what you mean; it just still isn't accurate. People have been using fannish preference to try to explain future sales in MC threads for years and it's never worked out. The amount of brand loyalty that exists to manufacturers (as opposed to software franchises) is just too insignificant to be tremendously relevant.

They're one factor of many. When it comes to Tales it seems to be a significant factor. It was also cited to predict PS3 and PSP Tales sales, with success.

But that's the exact thing. Why did this topic come up today? A discussion of Tales performance on 3DS and Vita. Now, the titles in question performed pretty badly overall on both, but Abyss 3D did noticeably better than ToIR despite being a nothing-added port instead of an upgraded remake.

If this were really a question of in-advance assumptions about Sony consoles, you should expect the opposite: people making it happen for the Vita Tales game, just because they pre-judge the Vita to be a better platform for the series. That that didn't happen fits much better with the idea that individual platform factors are a lot more important.

Vita's install base is so low that it should impact ToIR sales. The hardware is too expensive to be sold by a game its fans would rather see on PS3. Where I mistakenly thought the remake was headed.

About Wii U casual success: Wii Sports U, Wii Fit U, both should at least partially recreate the success of Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit+. Which was considerable.

I also think the expected one year head start over PS4 should give Wii U versus PS3 a chance to repeat 3DS versus PSP, given the right price and software support. Dragon Quest X will certainly help.

The PS4 will have to fight the downward spiral Sony systems have trended since the PS2. Each consecutive system did worse than the predecessor.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

About Wii U casual success: Wii Sports U, Wii Fit U, both should at least partially recreate the success of Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit+. Which was considerable.

I can definitely see that the impact of direct followups will be less successful than the originals, but yeah, considering Wii Sports Resort and Wii Party have sold about 100K each this year and usually remained in the Top 30, it's not like they're yesterday's news either.

I also think the expected one year head start over PS4 should give Wii U versus PS3 a chance to repeat 3DS versus PSP, given the right price and software support. Dragon Quest X will certainly help.

Yeah, I've wondered about the similarities of the ->3DS/Vita shift and the ->WiiU/PS4 shift as well. Though home PlayStation doesn't have that One Huge Brand that will make such a big difference to see show up on Wii U.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

If development costs are an issue, honestly I don't see why they wouldn't just stop making console games and move over to the 3DS or social/mobile games.

That's going to have a much better install base if you don't want to remain in the console arena.

Also, half of the Japanese developers that make console games seem to put up PS2+ graphics on the HD systems as it is, so I don't think changing hardware power would actually effect costs much, if at all.

Right, but maybe some games (FF, MGS, RE) don't translate well to a handheld in sales potential since they focus on cinema and need a console. They would be best served on home consoles, but may have to deal with rising costs if they switch to more powerful consoles.

 

[lwilliams3]

PS3 strong third party support at its first years happened because of 360.

True. Microsoft helped Sony in that regard.

I also think the expected one year head start over PS4 should give Wii U versus PS3 a chance to repeat 3DS versus PSP, given the right price and software support. Dragon Quest X will certainly help.

Good point. Unlike last gen, Nintendo's console will come out before the other next-gen consoles, so that can give Nintendo some time to get support together in order to avoid the situation that the Wii fell in.

 

[LOCK]

Well, I'm willing to shift my position. This is how I see it with the facts on the ground now, but we have two consecutive E3s to get through before we have enough information to make a final judgment. My position in, like, April of 2006 was that Sony was going to trivially stomp everyone when their system shipped. I don't think my actual reasoning was wrong there; I just didn't foresee the black swan pricing the PS3 wound up saddled with. If Nintendo overdeliver and Sony underdeliver, there's definitely room for a shift. (I honestly can't imagine even a wildly unrealistic scenario in which Microsoft becomes a player in Japan.)

I actually see a parity of game releases for the Wii U and the PS4 in the future, with both receiving exclusives of some brands. This can only be beneficial to Nintendo .

 

[extralite]

Yeah, I've wondered about the similarities of the ->3DS/Vita shift and the ->WiiU/PS4 shift as well. Though home PlayStation doesn't have that One Huge Brand that will make such a big difference to see show up on Wii U.

If something like "3DS gets the major PSP franchise" were to repeat itself on Wii U it would have to be FFXV. Or FFXIV maybe. It all depends on how well DQX will do.

People saying that Wii U will be the next Dreamcast might turn out to be right. But a Dreamcast with support from publishers and trust from consumers might actually do very well. Multiplatform titles on DC/PS2 weren't that bad on the DC side. If the difference in power between Wii U and PS4 turns out to be just as little as between DC and PS2 then a Nintendo console launching first, from an already solid first place previous gen, should do extremely well.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

If something like "3DS gets the major PSP franchise" was to repeat itself on Wii U it would have to be FFXV. Or FFXIV maybe. It all depends on how well DQX will do.

XIV is I think a pretty safe bet. We know Square Enix already has plans for a Wii U MMO. We know they want as large a userbase as possible for XIV so they get that subscription money flowing. We know their previous MMO FF was the first in modern times to end up on a second console, and the only reason XIV hasn't already been planned for X360 is that apparently MS is less willing to let the rules be bent now than when they wanted XI.

XV is hard to say anything about at this point, though unless it's a PS4 game with the aim being to top XIII's FMV in real-time I'd guess it's pretty likely.

Still, while Monster Hunter accounts for about 1/5 of all PSP software sales, Final Fantasy is something more like 1/15 of PS3 software sales so it wouldn't be nearly as big a deal on its own.

 

[Mario007]

If something like "3DS gets the major PSP franchise" were to repeat itself on Wii U it would have to be FFXV. Or FFXIV maybe. It all depends on how well DQX will do.

Actually if anything FFXV will not come to Wii U. If the rumours are to be believed PS4 and X720 will be the top dogs with Wii U trailing again. FF as a franchise puts a heavy emphasis on the graphics and really, every 3D FF game that came out was the best looking game of its time. Hell, FF 13, for all its hate, still looks better than most of the games that came out last year or even this year. I remember RPGSite docking 10% of their review score for the xbox360 version simply because the graphics in an FF game are so significant. Add to that Square's obsession with having Advent Children-like graphics, Wii U simply isn't a good fit.

I'd say we'll see whether FF will be multi-platform for Xbox and PS or simply PS exclusive depending on Versus' and FF X HD performance.

 

[bigtroyjon]

Actually if anything FFXV will not come to Wii U. If the rumours are to be believed PS4 and X720 will be the top dogs with Wii U trailing again. FF as a franchise puts a heavy emphasis on the graphics and really, every 3D FF game that came out was the best looking game of its time. Hell, FF 13, for all its hate, still looks better than most of the games that came out last year or even this year. I remember RPGSite docking 10% of their review score for the xbox360 version simply because the graphics in an FF game are so significant. Add to that Square's obsession with having Advent Children-like graphics, Wii U simply isn't a good fit.

I'd say we'll see whether FF will be multi-platform for Xbox and PS or simply PS exclusive depending on Versus' and FF X HD performance.

Good post, I watched SNL tonight and was left unsatisfied so I needed a good laugh. Thanks.

 

[Mario007]

Good post, I watched SNL tonight and was left unsatisfied so I needed a good laugh. Thanks.

Care to at least try to debunk what I've said? (and no believing blindly in Nintendo is not an acceptable answer)

 

[bigtroyjon]

Care to at least try to debunk what I've said? (and no believing blindly in Nintendo is not an acceptable answer)

No need to debunk, your post history pretty much confirms you used Mario in your username as an attempt to hide your Sony shilling.

Edit- I'm really interested to know your previous banned username on GAF btw.

 

[Mpl90]

No need to debunk, your post history pretty much confirms you used Mario in your username as an attempt to hide your Sony shilling.

Edit- I'm really interested to know your previous banned username on GAF btw.

Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnn.

 

[Aostia]

PSP's first year is abysmal, it doesn't compare at all. First musou launched with 60k, later musous performed well.

So I remember correctly.
I mean: I don't think that the actual "good but not stellar" third party results are an obstacle to get "PSP-style" support, as I read in some previous post, because also PSP needed some time to let some games perform as good as we know perceive/remember

I agree instead about the fact that the main difference in third-first party support from DS and 3DS is based on DS successes in the last generation.

PSP top 10 through the end of 2005:
1 Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee SCEJ 399161
2 Dynasty Warriors Koei 286187
3 Ridge Racers Namco 273521
4 Monster Hunter Portable Capcom 261778
5 World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 Konami 202176
6 Tales of Eternia Namco 193458
7 Nou Ryoku Trainer Portable Sega 185199
8 Mahjong Kakutou Club Konami 127972
9 Ape Escape Academy SCEJ 127679
10 Metal Gear Acid Konami 118553

Thansk to you too, very useful numbers to make that comparison. I confirm my sensation about 3ds-psp first months of life on the market.

 

[Aostia]

Monster Hunter 3G is keeping pace with Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land so nothing suggest it will suddenly stop selling. In its lowest week sold 16,414 units, Monster Hunter 3 on Wii never had a week over 10,000 units after its 7th week. While 1.5 million is a lock, 2 million looks like its ceiling without a budget version.

Monster Hunter 3G is having a better trajectory than Monster Hunter Portable 2nd, the only Monster Hunter on PSP without a Best version since Capcom released Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G.

Week 1

Monster Hunter 3G - 471,055
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd - 746,313

Week 16

Monster Hunter 3G - 24,651 / 1,289,794
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd - ? / 1,255,353

Monster Hunter Portable 2nd, released on February 2007, after its 7th week didn't have a week with over 12,000 units sold until December 2007 (holiday effect).

So I don't know if Monster Hunter 3G will hit 2 million milestone , but it will end up with a total figure closer to 2 million than 1.5 unless Capcom releases its budget version before the end of the year.



[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable (Capcom) {2005.12.01} - 668,964
[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable (PSP The Best) (Capcom) - {2006.08.03} - 290,904
[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable (BEST Reprint) (Capcom) - {2007.04.26} - 162,736

[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (Capcom) {2007.02.22} - 1,720,397

[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (Capcom) {2008.03.27} - 2,452,111
[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (BEST) (Capcom) {2008.10.30} - 1,110,614
[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (BEST Reprint) (Capcom) {2009.12.24} - 592,747

[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (Capcom) {2010.12.01} - 4,502,446
[PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (PSP the Best) (Capcom) {2011.09.22} - 221,439

Thank you very much for all these info!
I agree with your statement looking at all this numbers.
I'm curious about capcom's next moves on this franchise, we'll look forward!

 

[Mario007]

No need to debunk, your post history pretty much confirms you used Mario in your username as an attempt to hide your Sony shilling.

Edit- I'm really interested to know your previous banned username on GAF btw.

Haha, my real name is Mario so that's why I used mario as my username, dude. Sorry to debunk your fanboy theory.

True that I have spoken pro Vita in many threads, but thats only because I think it's a great piece of tech (I don't actually have it though). True that I've spoken against 3DS sometimes, because Nintendo dropped the ball softwarewise with it (still a great piece of tech and I have it with me, bought it on Day 1 actually trading-in my DSi which makes me, wait for it, a 3DS Ambassador). In fact the sole reason for registering here was so that I could ask people if I should buy Zelda or Tales of Abyss for my 3DS (didn't know you couldn't create threads as a Junior here so I never asked the question but since then bought Abyss and I am enjoying). So really no fanboy here at all.

Now debunk my FF theory please. I'd love to see you logic it out, since everything I've said makes perfect sense if you know FF history. It's almost as if I was to say that DQXI won't be released on a console with the largest userbase, close to the end of the console's life cycle.

 

[AdventureRacing]

Actually if anything FFXV will not come to Wii U. If the rumours are to be believed PS4 and X720 will be the top dogs with Wii U trailing again. FF as a franchise puts a heavy emphasis on the graphics and really, every 3D FF game that came out was the best looking game of its time. Hell, FF 13, for all its hate, still looks better than most of the games that came out last year or even this year. I remember RPGSite docking 10% of their review score for the xbox360 version simply because the graphics in an FF game are so significant. Add to that Square's obsession with having Advent Children-like graphics, Wii U simply isn't a good fit.

I'd say we'll see whether FF will be multi-platform for Xbox and PS or simply PS exclusive depending on Versus' and FF X HD performance.

What reason would they possibly have to take the series back to being exclusive and throwing away millions of potential sales in the west?

I'm not sure i buy the graphics thing. It's not like PS1 or PS2 were graphical beasts, i think it's pretty obvious why they got FF games and it isn't because of graphics. The PS3 was just the logical choice as they thought it would continue the domination of the PS1 and PS2. The very first console where sony didn't dominate FF went multiplatform straight away (and that was even with the 360 tanking in Japan).

I'm not saying i think the next FF game will be on wii U let alone exclusive but i think your reasoning for this is very flawed.

Now debunk my FF theory please. I'd love to see you logic it out, since everything I've said makes perfect sense if you know FF history. It's almost as if I was to say that DQXI won't be released on a console with the largest userbase, close to the end of the console's life cycle.

Did you also predict that the mainline DQ series would go to a handheld? Or that DQXI would release on 2 different platforms/gens (isn't it supposed to be releasing on wii/wii u i can't remember now). Not that the DQ and FF series are comparable anyway. DQ is basically at its peak right now so there isn't much need to change. The FF brand is suffering big time.

 

[slaughterking]

Final Fantasy IIIr on DS may have sold more units worldwide than XIII-2. It definitely did in Japan; and seeing how the franchise is at its absolute low point and SE is/was completely overwhelmed with the current gen of HD consoles it may not be the worst idea to rethink the way they approach the franchise.

 

[Sammy Samusu]

Now debunk my FF theory please.

Square is a business company and they want money, not reviews saying how pretty Final Fantasy is.

*waiting for FFXV PC?*

 

[Mario007]

What reason would they possibly have to take the series back to being exclusive and throwing away millions of potential sales in the west?

I'm not sure i buy the graphics thing. It's not like PS1 or PS2 were graphical beasts, i think it's pretty obvious why they got FF games and it isn't because of graphics. The PS3 was just the logical choice as they thought it would continue the domination of the PS1 and PS2. The very first console where sony didn't dominate FF went multiplatform straight away (and that was even with the 360 tanking in Japan).

I'm not saying i think the next FF game will be on wii U let alone exclusive but i think your reasoning for this is very flawed.

Oh I completely agree with you, that's why I said Versus' and FF X HD's performance will be the determining factor. If they manage to get enough sales for themselves then it's an indication at the audience they're targeting stuck with sony rather than went with microsoft. I honestly wouldn't have thought Versus thus will stay exclusive even, up until they announced X HD being Ps3/Vita exclusive, i.e. no xbox360 support. I think they are testing out the audience.

However, I do think that graphics are very important. I mean just look at Versus and the amount of graphical refreshes Nomura has talked about. Square has a vision of making AC-type of graphics and they will not give up (kinda like before they were chasing after Spirit Within graphics). FF games have been associated with great graphics, music, battle and story.

Also notice I am not disputing XIV being on Wii U. It probably will be, hell it'll probably come to Xbox 360 and maybe even Vita (if it can run it). That is because an online game needs the largest audience it can get.

Having said that, thanks for engaging in the discussion as opposed to other posters here.

Did you also predict that the mainline DQ series would go to a handheld? Or that DQXI would release on 2 different platforms/gens (isn't it supposed to be releasing on wii/wii u i can't remember now). Not that the DQ and FF series are comparable anyway. DQ is basically at its peak right now so there isn't much need to change. The FF brand is suffering big time.

DQ 9 going handheld actually fits my theory. It was the most sold console (handhelds do qualify as consoles) and it came at the end of its licecycle. DQ X is coming at the end of Wii's lifecycle as well.

Now granted, the two twists i.e. that DQ would skip on handheld in case of DQ9 and that DQ10 would be on Wii U probably could not be predicted. But both can be explained, with DQ 9 being on probably the most successful gaming machine ever and DQ 10 coming so late in Wii's lifetime (with Wii's software sales almost dead) that Square decided to up-port it to Wii U.

 

[Mpl90]

The first thing SE need to rework with FF is how to tell the story. They need a brand new approach, where they consider how Western games obtain to fascinate audience with the story of their games, the way the story is told, even some themes they deal about...and rework all of this imprinting the Japanese difference that can be seen and appreciated.

I mean, the good Japanisation of the good things coming from Western games / tendences / themes, in order to appeal to both parts of the world... just like they used to do time ago but not now, due to the lack of appeal of their way to tell stories.

 

[Chris1964]

DQ 9 going handheld actually fits my theory. It was the most sold console (handhelds do qualify as consoles) and it came at the end of its licecycle. DQ X is coming at the end of Wii's lifecycle as well.

DQIX didn't come at the end of DS lifecycle and it would come out earlier if they hadn't found that major bug.

 

[BishopLamont]

Actually if anything FFXV will not come to Wii U. If the rumours are to be believed PS4 and X720 will be the top dogs with Wii U trailing again. FF as a franchise puts a heavy emphasis on the graphics and really, every 3D FF game that came out was the best looking game of its time. Hell, FF 13, for all its hate, still looks better than most of the games that came out last year or even this year. I remember RPGSite docking 10% of their review score for the xbox360 version simply because the graphics in an FF game are so significant. Add to that Square's obsession with having Advent Children-like graphics, Wii U simply isn't a good fit.

I'd say we'll see whether FF will be multi-platform for Xbox and PS or simply PS exclusive depending on Versus' and FF X HD performance.

Its not even the fact that you think FFXV might be PS exclusive, its the fact that you think Versus and FFX HD performance on the PS3 has anything to do with it. Just because FF is cinematically driven, doesn't mean SE will be stupid and make it exclusive again, this is not the PS2 or PS1 era, and it definitely doesn't mean only the most powerful system will get the game.

I think part of the reason (a minor one) Versus is taking so long is that its coming to the 360 also. SE would be pretty stupid not to or Sony moneyhatted them.

lol @ that review having to do with anything also.

 

[Mandoric]

If Nintendo overdeliver and Sony underdeliver, there's definitely room for a shift. (I honestly can't imagine even a wildly unrealistic scenario in which Microsoft becomes a player in Japan.)

If they could support a platform for a whole generation, rather than just two years and then cut their losses, that'd be a nice start. An X360 that got enough advertising and software support to stay Vita-tier through '09 and '10 probably would have been able to build on Kinect and last year's western game boom.

On the other hand, that first generation they take it seriously will suffer hard, because the Japanese market have learned to sell their Xboxes used ASAP before the price collapses due to lack of upcoming software.

 

[Mario007]

Final Fantasy IIIr on DS may have sold more units worldwide than XIII-2. It definitely did in Japan; and seeing how the franchise is at its absolute low point and SE is/was completely overwhelmed with the current gen of HD consoles it may not be the worst idea to rethink the way they approach the franchise.

You can't compare FF III's sale on DS, a game console that almost everyone has, at the height of FF's fame with nostalgia with XIII-2, a game that no one wanted. I mean I can say that Type-0, a new game and a spin-off, pretty much sold the same as XIII-2 in Japan.

Also Wii U will be a HD console with about the same power as the current gen, if rumours are to be believed. Now that might make porting Crystal Tools easy for it. Having said that, though, Crystal Tools is the very reason why Square is in so much shit right now. That engine took too long to make and is so unstable at FF XIV and Versus had to heavily modify it for their purposes. As opposed to this we have luminous, which is targeted at next gen consoles (by which I mean next-gen power-wise since already at least a support for DirectX11 is needed for that engine) which is getting developed by Square. It seems easy to draw the conclusion that next FF game will be on the more powerful consoles.

Note that doesn't mean FFXV will not be on Wii U. If Wii U truly is power enough to compete with PS and Xbox than it very well may be.

Square is a business company and they want money, not reviews saying how pretty Final Fantasy is.

*waiting for FFXV PC?*

But to be honest, that's like saying, in a scenario where Naughty Dog is Square Enix, that Uncharted 4 might be on Wii U simply because it will generate more sales, even if they don't push the graphics forward and they will, thus, generate more sales. They wouldn't, because Uncharted is a graphics heavy franchise and because ND actually wants to push graphics forward. That's the same with 1st Production Department at Square.

Also the PC example is great. If Square was only interested in sales then it would have released FF XIII and XIII-2 on PC since Crystal tool supports PC porting and/or development too.

 

[BishopLamont]

But to be honest, that's like saying, in a scenario where Naughty Dog is Square Enix, that Uncharted 4 might be on Wii U simply because it will generate more sales, even if they don't push the graphics forward and they will, thus, generate more sales. They wouldn't, because Uncharted is a graphics heavy franchise and because ND actually wants to push graphics forward. That's the same with 1st Production Department at Square.

Also the PC example is great. If Square was only interested in sales then it would have released FF XIII and XIII-2 on PC since Crystal tool supports PC porting and/or development too.

Yes they would, they definitely would.

 

[Mario007]

The first thing SE need to rework with FF is how to tell the story. They need a brand new approach, where they consider how Western games obtain to fascinate audience with the story of their games, the way the story is told, even some themes they deal about...and rework all of this imprinting the Japanese difference that can be seen and appreciated.

I mean, the good Japanisation of the good things coming from Western games / tendences / themes, in order to appeal to both parts of the world... just like they used to do time ago but not now, due to the lack of appeal of their way to tell stories.

I agree, they need some new writers (or just let Nojima to write all FF stories) and they need to take Toriyama away from it all. But they should not look at the west, that's what they're doing now and it's not working well. They need to stay true to their Japanese approaches that got the series popular in the first place and it is what fans are look for. That doesn't mean they only have to J-Pop themes though, obviously. Just look at FF 12.

DQIX didn't come at the end of DS lifecycle and it would come out earlier if they hadn't found that major bug.

It came in 2009 in Japan and 2010, which is pretty late in DS's life. It's only a year away from 3DS's launch. And by that time the new software on DS has started to die out (now obviously I'm excluding Pokemon from that).

Its not even the fact that you think FFXV might be PS exclusive, its the fact that you think Versus and FFX HD performance on the PS3 has anything to do with it. Just because FF is cinematically driven, doesn't mean SE will be stupid and make it exclusive again, this is not the PS2 or PS1 era, and it definitely doesn't mean only the most powerful system will get the game.

I think part of the reason (a minor one) Versus is taking so long is that its coming to the 360 also. SE would be pretty stupid not to or Sony moneyhatted them.

lol @ that review having to do with anything also.

It definately will have something to do with. I've stated above why I think so. After all FF sells better on ps3 than xbox360, which is a known fact (even in the US or UK despite advertising the games as Xbox 360 only). I think they are trying to figure out will the additional expenditure of porting/co-developing the games to xbox be equal or lower to the potential sales on the xbox. If Versus or FF X HD turn profit on a single platform then it could tell us a lot about where the franchise will end up on.

Versus was stated to be a ps3 exclusive by Nomura himself. he said he likes to develop only for one platform and take all the advantages of that platform. The reason why it's taking so long is simply because of the Crystal Tools fuck up. The game only entered full production a year ago.

That review shows you how FF (and RPG) fans view the appeal of aesthetics and graphics of the FF games. I mean Versus is set to have a camera mode simply because Nomura is so confident of having brilliant graphics in his game (and this is coming from a guy that did KH series, which have a lovely art style and look very nice but are by no means top-notch...well maybe apart from BBS and DDD which push their respective systems)

 

[Mario007]

Yes they would, they definitely would.

No they wouldn't. The whole appeal of those games is the way they look and the story they tell. Having lesser graphics in the next instalment would probably cause a huge outrage here.

Also look at all the comments on DQX around the internet, people laughing about how it looks worse than DQ8 and are bashing it.

 

[Chris1964]

It came in 2009 in Japan and 2010, which is pretty late in DS's life. It's only a year away from 3DS's launch. And by that time the new software on DS has started to die out (now obviously I'm excluding Pokemon from that).

It's almost 2 years not 1, no one cares when it was localized. 2009 was strong for DS new releases, definetely not the end of its lifecycle. That was 2011.

Also look at all the comments on DQX around the internet, people laughing about how it looks worse than DQ8 and are bashing it.

I'm not sure you understand the reason DQX is bashed.

 

[Mpl90]

No they wouldn't. The whole appeal of those games is the way they look and the story they tell. Having lesser graphics in the next instalment would probably cause a huge outrage here.

Also look at all the comments on DQX around the internet, people laughing about how it looks worse than DQ8 and are bashing it.

...DQX is bashed due to being an MMORPG instead of a classic RPG. It's a completely different reason.

 

[mclem]

(I honestly can't imagine even a wildly unrealistic scenario in which Microsoft becomes a player in Japan.)

Next system gets rebranded "MSX-BOX". Japan goes wild.

Okay, maybe not.

 

[lunchwithyuzo]

FFXV will probably be a PS3/360/WiiU game. I just hope Kawazu's team does it.

 

[Pureauthor]

At this point my interest in the next mainline FF is primarily in seeing what they do to pull the series out of the death spiral they set it on.