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[BrokenSymmetry]

Great interview. The very first sentence of the interview

These days the kind of games that are selling well are things like Brain Training [Brain Age] and simple games -- not the action titles -- it's a little bit of a pity that those kinds of games are what's selling. I didn't join the game industry to develop those kinds of games.

is probably what a lot of game developers are thinking, but you seldom here them say it so openly.

 

[KiticanaX]

Technically as in the omision of online play, lack of 60fps, or other features which Tekken lacks in comparison to DOA? Because those are the only tangible differences that can be stated as a fact.Balancing and combat system fall in the category of opinionsunles you reverse engineer the source code and can show me "technically" how is that the combat in Tekken is better than the one in DOA.

I'm done with this conversation. As far as what DoA is more unbalanced to amongst Tekken as in characters, combos, etc.....well everything. Ask the fighting community about which is better you'll get some interesting responses.

Great interview. The very first sentence of the interview



is probably what a lot of game developers are thinking, but you seldom here them say it so openly.

I agree however how is this different between sports and licenses that were *actually still are* dominating the Western charts. Very seldom do the best things that sell are actually the best in quality in a medium.

 

[Dalthien]

(Regarding the Wii) There's certainly been a dearth of quality software releases overall, and Futatsugi's not wrong in saying most of the stuff that is out isn't selling too well in Japan aside from a handful of games.

But at the same time, I think that's pretty normal for any console in its start -- they all take a while to shake out and find the software they need to thrive. And that's exactly what Yukio said, too.

Your comments make a very good point. Unfortunately, Yukio was a bit more erratic with his comments. He did mention that Nintendo is undoubtedly trying to steer the Wii in the same direction as the DS in terms of having a breadth of quality software available by the 2nd and 3rd years of the system.

However, he leaves himself open to questions about his understanding of the broader market with some of his other comments.

His comment about only Brain-Age type of software selling well is fairly ludicrous. The only example he gave of 'real games' that have performed well recently was Monster Hunter Portable. There are numerous examples just in the past couple years of action, rpg, sports, adventure, etc. titles selling extremely well. NSMB, Mario Kart, Pheonix Wright, Kirby, Professor Layton, Dragon Quest Monsters Joker, FFXII:Revenant Wings, Yoshi's Island, Pokemon, Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Jump Ultimate Stars, Mega Man Star Force, Wii Sports, Zelda: Twilight Princess, DQ Swords, Super Paper Mario - they've all topped (or will shortly) 500k for current generation systems. And it is probably safe to expect many other titles to shortly reach that mark, such as Tales of Innocence, DQIX, Super Mario Galaxy, Professor Layton 2, FFVII: Crisis Core, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, etc.

The point is that there are many games other than Brain-Age type software which are selling very well in Japan. So Yukio's comment was either disingenuous, or his time with Microsoft caused him to focus so intently on the X360 market that he might have lost touch somewhat with the broader market in Japan.

Another example of an odd comment from someone in his position was when he made this comment about the Wii, "The software isn't selling that well, because people don't play it any more, so they don't buy new software any more. That's the current situation."

Again, it's just out of touch with the industry at large. Enterbrain just reported (Link) that at the end of June, the Wii had the highest attach rate (after 7 months on the market) of any system in Japan since 1996. And considering that the high attach rate was in conjunction with the superb hardware sales of the Wii, it makes the software sales even more impressive. So it just makes it bizarre to see him trying to portray the Wii software sales thus far in a negative light. Just a quick glance at the home-console software market (current gen) (Graph) shows the overwhelming success of Wii software vs. X360 or PS3 software to this point. Even removing stuff like Wii Play and Big Brain Academy leaves the Wii far, far ahead of its competitors.

All in all it was a good interview, but it seems like Yukio was clearly focused on the niche X360 market that he was catering to for the past few years, and his comments about the Wii have more to do with personal likes/dislikes than they do about the broader gaming market in Japan at this point.

 

[ethelred]

His comment about only Brain-Age type of software selling well is fairly ludicrous.

Well, that isn't quite what he said, though. Let's look at his exact quote:

These days the kind of games that are selling well are things like Brain Training [Brain Age] and simple games -- not the action titles...

He said Brain Age and simpler games. It seems like people are trying to narrow the focus of his words in an exaggerated way when they interpret his quote down to just a third of what he actually said.

Now, you've gone on to list quite a few games that have sold well, but most of them could be classified as simple, non-complex games (whether they're casual or non-games or not). That's not a negative, by the way; there's nothing inherently wrong with more simplistic game design (a category RW, PW, DQS, SPM, Wii Sports, MK, NSMB all fall into). But he's specifically noting that in the context of a decline in a very particular type of software sales: hardcore non-simple (complex) action games. None of the examples you listed can be said to fall into that category. Monster Hunter, though, does.

What's more, Yukio even goes on to explain why he perceives this decline to be happening in terms of a shift in gaming attitudes in Japan -- that part was, I thought, the most interesting piece of the whole interview. But in the process of talking about that, he also explains even more about the contrast he's looking at -- and it basically boils down to a difference between pick up and play experiences versus hardcore experiences requiring the player to commit huge amounts of time.

When he says "I didn't get into the industry to to develop those kind of games," the best way to understand his definitions framework is to look at the games he did develop (like Panzer Dragoon, Panzer Dragoon Saga, or Phantom Dust). Monster Hunter has a lot more in common with those three than the titles you listed out.

 

[NolbertoS]

Great Interview. Phantom Dust was one of the fav games for the Xbox and Nintendo fanboys need take a chill pill. We all know that once you beat a Nintendo game, you get bored of it, like any other game, and it's worse cuz of the Nintendo's refusal to provide something similar to XboxLive on the Wii.

Now back to the interview, it's a damn shame that MS shut down there Internal Japanese development, but it was a given, since the Xbox brand is pretty much going to end up dead last in the console race over there. I use to think that MS could have a chance with JRPG's by Sakaguchi-san, but now I know that no matter if the Father of DQ or FF create a game for MS, it's still not going to sell anymore Xbox360's in Japan. MS should just buy a major Japanese publisher if they ever want to gain a solid foothold over there.

 

[Kafel]

and now for the controversy maker:
(...)

They'll play it this end of year.

 

[Dalthien]

When he says "I didn't get into the industry to to develop those kind of games," the best way to understand his definitions framework is to look at the games he did develop (like Panzer Dragoon, Panzer Dragoon Saga, or Phantom Dust).

I don't have any problems at all with this statement. Everyone is entitled to their own preferences, and it would be a shame for him to force himself to work on projects for which he did not possess a great passion.

He said Brain Age and simpler games. It seems like people are trying to narrow the focus of his words in an exaggerated way when they interpret his quote down to just a third of what he actually said.

I suppose a lot of it comes down to interpretation. 'Simpler' games could cover a breadth of different meanings, and nearly all of the games that I listed are similar to traditional gaming styles that go right back to the very roots of the industry. So I wasn't applying the term 'simpler' in the same manner that you did, because in one sense he is arguing that gaming tastes in Japan have shifted in a new direction, and yet nearly all of the titles which I listed hearken back in one way or another to the early days of gaming. And they all still sell very well. Focusing more on his 'not action games' statement - many of the titles I listed could also well fall within a subgenre of the 'action' category.

Of course, it is entirely possible that your interpretation is exactly what he meant, but that the translation left something to be desired in the actual interview. The interview as written in english leaves a lot to be desired. But yeah, your take on his meaning of 'simpler games' and 'not action' games may very well be correct.

What's more, Yukio even goes on to explain why he perceives this decline to be happening in terms of a shift in gaming attitudes in Japan -- that part was, I thought, the most interesting piece of the whole interview.

I agree. I also thought that this was the most interesting part of the interview.

 

[Link]

Great interview. The very first sentence of the interview



is probably what a lot of game developers are thinking, but you seldom here them say it so openly.

I don't see anyone stopping developers from making those kinds of games on the DS and/or Wii, which is why I find it to be a flawed view. They act like their "real" games won't sell, when there's been nothing to prove that to be the case. Quite the opposite, actually.

 

[Tiktaalik]

I agree with what Futatsugi says about portable games. They're definitely more much more popular now and a lot of developers that haven't made portable games before are having to adopt to them.

 

[pswii60]

The way I view the market is that these days is that game players are more into portable machines than consoles. But from research we've done, we found that people aren't using their portable machines on the go. The time they spend using these portable machines the most is when they're at home. Back in the days we played games in front of the TV, we would commit to the game for hours and we'd play, but these days kids have a lot of things they want to do, they want to go on the Internet, they want to watch TV, do a lot of stuff, so they can't commit that much time in front of the TV, play their game a little bit, do something else, then maybe play later again. So the style of gaming has changed. But developers that make games these days are from the generation that grew up sitting in front of their TV, putting in hours to a game. So the developers mind and the player's mind might not by synchronized.

I think developers actually just need to ensure you can save at any point, so if you do get distracted, you can quickly save it and move on.

The problem with games like Blue Dragon, Dead Rising, Rainbow Six etc, is that you have to get to the next save point before you can quit - which is more difficult in this day and age.

However, I think all three console manufacturers have hit this issue on the head already. Definitely MS with XBLA focussing on quick-play, stop-gap casual games - perfect for a quick gaming fix on those busy days. Also Sony with PSN to some extent so far. And Nintendo both with the VC and quick saving, or many of their retail games which seem to be focussed on short bursts.

Really though, we just need to see a good mix. But the advantage of having internal storage and wireless controllers is that you don't even need to get off the sofa now to play a game. You just whack the button on your controller and choose an XBLA/PSN/VC game - you don't need to grab a controller or insert a disc.

 

[vesp]

Phantom Dust successor news pleeeeaaaaassseeeeeee.

 

[Kafel]

I don't see anyone stopping developers from making those kinds of games on the DS and/or Wii, which is why I find it to be a flawed view. They act like their "real" games won't sell, when there's been nothing to prove that to be the case. Quite the opposite, actually.

In fact their """"real"""" games still sell.

It's just that """"non-games"""" sell at a larger userbase, so they sell more.



But this attempt at changing the reality of the videogame market for MS purpose was funny.

 

[Error]

he is right, Aside from MP3 and uhhh SPM the Wii has barely seen playtime here I think I used it a couple of times to play GC games.

then again the DS was the same in its first full year, which is exactly what he said too. good interview dude obviously knows his shit.

 

[ziran]

Interesting interview.

I enjoyed the Panzer games, though, with the exception of Saga, I always considered them relatively 'simple'. Obviously depth was there, but I thought they were nothing like Monster Hunter, so I don't think his game making ability is completely lost in the main gaming audience of today, however he sounds like he wants to push gaming in a more hardcore direction so his concerns understandable.

The shift in gaming in Japan is dramatic, and many of these old fashioned developers are going to have difficulty. I'm happy gaming has become simpler, it's for the better imo, but clearly this kind of change is a traumatic experience for some.

As for MS in Japan, what a mess! It sounds like they've pretty much given up at this stage, which isn't surprising.

 

[duckroll]

I think when Futatsugi says "simple" the real meaning is lost on many people. No, the Panzer games are not complicated, and they are not feature-infested games with tons of subsystems and menus and what not. But that's not what he means. He means that games that require reflexes and skill to play are no longer as popular. By simple, he's referencing how most games are now pretty much by the books. Anyone can play them, and it's more about "fun" than excelling at a game.

 

[ziran]

I think when Futatsugi says "simple" the real meaning is lost on many people. No, the Panzer games are not complicated, and they are not feature-infested games with tons of subsystems and menus and what not. But that's not what he means. He means that games that require reflexes and skill to play are no longer as popular. By simple, he's referencing how most games are now pretty much by the books. Anyone can play them, and it's more about "fun" than excelling at a game.

Barrier to entry and appeal have changed but skill, in the sense of dexterity, still has a big presence in many hugely popular DS and Wii games. People need challenge.

 

[ThirdEye]

Phantom Dust successor news pleeeeaaaaassseeeeeee.

Have you read the fucking article? He's pissed off indefinitely and all Sakaguchi crap are eating up the Microsoft fund.

1UP: Did Microsoft stop supporting internal development altogether? Is that why there hasn't been a Phantom Dust sequel?

YF: There's no more internal development in Japan. Lost Odyssey, that title used to be Microsoft's title. It was Microsoft's idea, and was begun as an internal project. But after we started Microsoft decided that we weren't going to do internal development any more, so we gave the concept over to FeelPlus, and sent all of the people who were working on it internally over to FeelPlus.

1UP: So FeelPlus is all former, internal MSG members?

YF: Well, currently, only about a quarter of the people are former MSG members, since FeelPlus had to bring in a lot of people to work on the game, but it's sort of like that.

1UP: And AQI [AQ Interactive] is just producing the title? I'm a little foggy on how AQI is involved exactly.

YF: Ray Nakazato, formerly of Microsoft Game Studios, at AQI is producing and looking over Lost Odyssey with FeelPlus. AQI owns FeelPlus.

1UP: So basically you would approve a concept and then hand it off to individual producers to manage?

YF: So Microsoft is like a game development investment company. It's not necessarily actively involved with the development. For example, Microsoft U.S. may have invested in this title, and they'll ask us "Do you think this game is worth the investment, do you think we'll make our money back?" And then we give our reports, like "We think this is a good investment" and give our report on the game. Then the developers will create the game, so Microsoft isn't so involved in the development that much. But during the development of 99 Nights it was a little better. I was able to be involved with the development, so it was more fun. But with Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, no one could say anything to [Hironobu] Sakaguchi. Nobody could go up to Sakaguchi and say "This part sucks, you have to change this." So, we just had to watch what he was doing and report that back to the U.S., so my real feeling is that I'm just tired of this, it's time to move on.

 

[Jonnyram]

I pretty much agree with everything the man says. The state of the industry is kind of sad on the whole, but there are still parts that shine and keep me hooked. I think his thoughts about the 360 and Wii are spot on, and yeah, Japan is handheld central right now :/

 

[vspectra06]

He makes Dead or Alive. Tekken sucks.

He bases his game off of Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 4 comes to his platform. Devil May Cry sucks.

Umm, he never said DMC sucks. :lol He even stated he liked DMC1 and it had some sort of influence on NG, but even then NG plays completely different from DMC. It was Hayashi who made Sigma that had bad comments about DMC4.

 

[pswii60]

Have you read the fucking article? He's pissed off indefinitely and all Sakaguchi crap are eating up the Microsoft fund.

There was an interview Blim posted a while back that discussed this in more detail.

Basically, MS had to close down the internal development studios because of employment issues. Basically, all MS employees have to meet standard codes of conduct - ie they have to have certain basic skills, do certainly hours, wear certain clothes, and require a particular basic salary. As most decent game developers/designers/etc (being arty types) didn't necessarily meet these criteria, it was becoming impossible for them to recuit the right people.

As a result, they decided to outsource all development instead - and FeelPlus was created. I can't find that interview, but it was posted on GAF a few months ago.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

What a waste of talent, MS. Fools. At least Futatsugi will be directly developing again and it looks guaranteed to be an X360 game to me.

 

[MCD]

Well, he sure didn't help much with 99 nights.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Well, he sure didn't help much with 99 nights.

Well, after playing all the way through that game earlier in the year (finally), I think that game was fucked by simply being rushed out for release too early. It lacked a lot of polish. It didn't help that MS sat on it, not doing a thing to really fix some of the obvious crap in the meantime, between the Japanese and and European/NA release dates. That's something that seems to be the case with Blue Dragon's screen tearing, too. MS needs to put more money/time into releases after they've been initially released in Japan and things have been pointed out to be issues, large or small. That, or they have to sit on their releases longer period.

 

[Dark Octave]

Read the part about how he was pretty disgusted by what he eventually ended up doing at Microsoft and so left.

Or read... any of it, actually, because it's a pretty honest, personal, and insightful interview. Stop trying to write off a very influential and knowledgable guy's opinions just because he's saying something you don't like or because you think you've found a way to pinpoint some deep innate bias.



I played Super Paper Mario earlier in the year, but aside from that... nothing but Virtual Console. There's certainly been a dearth of quality software releases overall, and Futatsugi's not wrong in saying most of the stuff that is out isn't selling too well in Japan aside from a handful of games.

But at the same time, I think that's pretty normal for any console in its start -- they all take a while to shake out and find the software they need to thrive. And that's exactly what Yukio said, too.

And on top of the lack of quality in the beginning, everybody knows nothing really comes out between January and September, besides a few sprinkles here and there. People really need to chill and give these systems time. Even the 360 had us starving for new games for the last eight months with only a few decent titles released this year so far. They are just now starting to trickle in. It'll always be like this too. I think we just need to learn to make our holiday game flood stretch through the whole 'next year game drought', because as long as there is a Christmas, it'll be the same pattern every year. 1st quarter = starve, 2nd quarter = starve, 3rd quarter = starve, 4th quarter = FLOOD! Wash, rense, repeat.

 

[MCD]

Well, after playing all the way through that game earlier in the year (finally), I think that game was fucked by simply being rushed out for release too early. It lacked a lot of polish.

It had the potential, it just needed a better execution and like you said, more time.

 

[KINGMOKU]

This is another case of who is this guy and why should we care what has to say again?

Not at all. This is a case of an awesome developer, out of touch with reality, not a shit-ball developer, clinging to the fame a 10+year old game, that he thinks somehow gives him clout within said industry.

This man is awesome, and should be respected, but his thought pattern is worrisome to say the least.


Devs need to accept the new reality, and soon.

 

[itsme]

whining whining whining whining
A perfect former SEGA employee.

:lol :lol :lol Agreed. BTW he's solution for 360 problem seemed to imply just jump the boat since nobody buys console games any more...another sign of model former Sega employee.

 

[besada]

Jesus Christ what do you people want me to do!?

Hari-Kiri

 

[itsme]

I think when Futatsugi says "simple" the real meaning is lost on many people. No, the Panzer games are not complicated, and they are not feature-infested games with tons of subsystems and menus and what not. But that's not what he means. He means that games that require reflexes and skill to play are no longer as popular. By simple, he's referencing how most games are now pretty much by the books. Anyone can play them, and it's more about "fun" than excelling at a game.

I agree there. The biggest difference between Wii games and PS3/360 games are [when they're made well], Wii games are for short burst of fun that you can enjoy in small chunks, whereas 360/PS3 games are more for "experiences" providing atmosphere and you're-there-sort-of pseudo reality.

Personally, I prefer 360/PS3 ways, but I can see why Wii way works out, either.

 

[Llyranor]

About Phantom Dust, I haven't tried it yet. Is there a substantial singleplayer element, or is it really for the mp?

 

[guldakot]

Stand by your opinion Sorry completely posted out of context :/ I just want another Panzer game, dont care if its wiimote 6 axis, or dual analog!

 

[KeithFranklin]

and most of us are thankfull for it, i think ?

Nope a whole new class (or maybe an old class that only cares about Nintendo) on GAF wants WiiFit, WiiSports 2, WiiPlay 2, etc.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

He doesn't work for Microsoft anymore. These aren't PR-tainted opinions.

I agree with the guy, honestly. My Wii has only been on like 4 or 5 times this year.

Probably the worst leading console of a console generation in recent memory IMO. No one ever said this about the PS1, PS2, NES or SNES.

 

[duckroll]

Probably the worst leading console of a console generation in recent memory IMO. No one ever said this about the PS1, PS2, NES or SNES.

Or maybe people did, but after it all got good people forgot? Only time will tell...

 

[Tiktaalik]

Probably the worst leading console of a console generation in recent memory IMO. No one ever said this about the PS1, PS2, NES or SNES.

The Wii really is the most similar to the DS it seems. Though people tried to make big deals out of games like Yoshi's Touch n' Go, the DS didn't really get started until around the time that Nintendogs came out, and that was about a year after it's release. After then there was quite a number of good games, and the next holiday season had a flood of great titles. I feel like the Wii is like this too. Not much at all to play all year, but then the great Mario Strikers title comes out and hints at what to come, and then shortly after Metroid Prime hits and gamers have something to care about.

 

[ethelred]

Probably the worst leading console of a console generation in recent memory IMO. No one ever said this about the PS1, PS2, NES or SNES.

No, I'm pretty sure that every console had fairly shitty lineups in their first year. Damn, man, come on out of the memory hole -- no console launches with the quality of its extended six year library. They all take time to build up, for developers to find the right way to develop for the machines, and so on.

The SNES kept selling huge even after the PSX launched for a reason -- it was still getting really good games, and the PS1 wasn't so much. I mean, you had games like Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, and Lufia 2 competing with... Beyond the Beyond.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Probably the worst leading console of a console generation in recent memory IMO. No one ever said this about the PS1, PS2, NES or SNES.

Ehn, I sort of felt the same way about the PS2's first year. Sony was a lot more transparent about the good shit coming than Nintendo's being, though.

 

[duckroll]

No, I'm pretty sure that every console had fairly shitty lineups in their first year. Damn, man, come on out of the memory hole -- no console launches with the quality of its extended six year library. They all take time to build up, for developers to find the right way to develop for the machines, and so on.

The PSP had the best launch in every region ever, out of any console or portable. And look where that got it!

 

[Luckyman]

This guy is awesome.

 

[Joust Williams]

No, this really IS the worst one. I'm not going to front and say I remembered NES launch, but didn't it launch in the US with SMB? That alone makes it better. But it's not even that. Expectations have risen with each generation. The PS2's first eight months were not the greatest, but it was still better. Plus you KNEW stuff was coming.

I suppose it depends on who your friends are, though. Of my circle of friends, no one is interested (in a good way) in it and only one has one (and we give him crap about it). He has Zelda, Wii Sports and Wii Play and has probably spent about 10 hours total with the system. I'm not lying/trolling when I liken it to a Britney Spears CD or something along the lines of "WTF is buying them all?"

I will *probably* get one some day, but I can never pull the trigger because while I love getting things when they come out, I know I would just regret it.

 

[ethelred]

No, this really IS the worst one. I'm not going to front and say I remembered NES launch, but didn't it launch in the US with SMB? That alone makes it better. But it's not even that. Expectations have risen with each generation. The PS2's first eight months were not the greatest, but it was still better. Plus you KNEW stuff was coming.

I suppose it depends on who your friends are, though. Of my circle of friends, no one is interested (in a good way) in it and only one has one (and we give him crap about it). He has Zelda, Wii Sports and Wii Play and has probably spent about 10 hours total with the system.

I will *probably* get one some day, but I can never pull the trigger because while I love getting things when they come out, I know I would just regret it.

So... have you even played it or some of the praised games for it? Otherwise your "no, it really is the worst ever" falls a bit flat, don't you think? Ah well, it's good to see you're keeping an open mind at least.

I had a PS2 and a PSX both near launch. And the Wii's first year lineup has pretty much been on par with them.

Ehn, I sort of felt the same way about the PS2's first year. Sony was a lot more transparent about the good shit coming than Nintendo's being, though.

Don't forget the ever-popular Dreamcast criticisms/comparisons -- why get a PS2 with its spectacularly bad library when the Dreamcast has so much awesome?

But you're right, Sony was more upfront about the stuff that was coming, and that's the thing that's really killer about Nintendo -- they've steadfastly refused to lay any but a couple cards on the table about 2008 and beyond; nothing to really set people's expectations about what's to come or what to look forward to. That's the thing that really pisses me off about the machine.

 

[Drek]

Correct.

The Wii had almost ZERO third party support when it first came out. Then it sold well and then you saw Zack and Wiki, Kings Story, New VanillaWare, That SEGA Dungeon Crawler, Tales of Symphonia 2, Nitrobike, Trauma Center: New Blood, etc.

The developers just started to make games on it a month or two after it came out and that isn't including developers that had to wait LONGER to see if the "traditional" or "core" games would sell such as Sonic and the Secret Rings and Resident Evil 4 Wii. Luckly those sold above expectations.

You REALLY want to consider Capcom as supporting the Wii when with Zak and Wiki when all their major titles, like RE5 and DMC4, are now going to be on PS3, 360, and PC? No Wii version, even for RE5 despite the previous game being on the GC.

And wake me up when "that SEGA Dungeon Crawler" carries any real weight as an upcoming game.

Every system has 3rd party exclusives, just because you can list a handful of them doesn't mean the Wii is suddenly getting this big 3rd party push.

His comment about non-games being the only thing that sells DOES make him sound like an idiot. Don't we say that about everyone else who makes such an absurd claim?

Phantom Hourglass sells, New Super Mario Bros. sells, Pokémon DP sells, DQ Monsters Joker sells, Layton sells, Yoshi's Island DS sells, Crystal Chronicles RoF sells, MKDS sells, etc.

And the fact that all of these games are DS matters for shit - besides the non-games, that's all that sells consistently. If he can't make a good selling action game, it's his fault - I don't see the directors of any of the above games having ANY trouble at all making popular traditional games (PH will end up as the best-selling Zelda in the past two generations, New SMB is the second best-selling Mario game in Japan, Pokémon DP is bound to outpace RuSa, DQMJ did way better than DQM3, Layton was huge and a very cool logic game, YIDS is a sequel to a popular platformer and did very well, CCRoF is on its way to outselling the first, and MKDS just might manage to outperform all MK games combined in the last two generations if it goes at this rate).

Oh, and I forgot to mention how Gyakuten Saiban 4 is the best-selling Ace Attorney game ever made in Japan, meaning that average sales for the series went UP after non-games became more popular.

Great, so just make games for Nintendo or Square Enix, primarily from within established franchises, and you'll see good sales. That shouldn't be hard for every developer in the industry to do.

Also, Phoenix Wright isn't too different from the point and click adventure games on PC that were basically the start of the whole "non-game" thing. It fits right in with Brain Age and Nintendogs as basically the electronic version of a choose your own adventure book with only one actual path to go through. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the series, but its not the least bit surprising that they sell better now with the market moving towards the "non-game" style of successful titles.

I get what Futatsugi is saying, and honestly I think it all stems from something many developers currently feel, that there is no room left in the industry for their creative expression. The DS and Wii are wildly successful, but as far as a home for 3rd party content its not a whole lot better than the GBA or GC were. Nintendo dominates and 3rd parties can occasionally hit on one or two successes, but not with any real regularity. The only exception is Square Enix, who has nearly as devout a following of fans as Nintendo and an equal willingness to exploit their big name IPs.

Meanwhile Sony and MS are having their own little pissing match with systems that require insane budgets to develop on, basically requiring you to be one of the big boy publishers or directly supplied by one to have a legitimate shot at success.

A public comment about this frustration from a former SEGA employee, where the last battlefront of creativity v. marketability took place, is just that much more telling. He went from working in an environment where Panzer Dragoon was respected and his efforts were fully endorsed for a handful of sequels despite never seeing mainstream sales success to not even being guaranteed a worldwide release of his 1st party Xbox title.

To summarize, the industry is largely creatively bankrupt. And as long as every choice hinges on "can we make crazy profit" it'll never change.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

The PS2's first eight months were fucking awful. It wasn't until GT3 came out in June '01 that the system was worth anything other than being a glorified DVD player and PS1 upscaler. As you said though, they were a lot more transparent about the good shit coming, which helped. With the way Nintendo does things, the good stuff might be around the corner, or might be years off, and they wouldn't bother to tell us either way.

 

[duckroll]

But you're right, Sony was more upfront about the stuff that was coming, and that's the thing that's really killer about Nintendo -- they've steadfastly refused to lay any but a couple cards on the table about 2008 and beyond; nothing to really set people's expectations about what's to come or what to look forward to. That's the thing that really pisses me off about the machine.

Strangely enough, MS is suffering from the same problem. They have a crazy lineup this holiday season, but beyond that they seem to be refusing to discuss anything outside 2007. It's really weird, because Sony has a few offerings here and there this year, but they seem to be really focused more on what is to come.... weirdness.

 

[Joust Williams]

So... have you even played it or some of the praised games for it? Otherwise your "no, it really is the worst ever" falls a bit flat, don't you think? Ah well, it's good to see you're keeping an open mind at least.

Sure, I have played it. Those games plus Excite Truck. The point is that there is nothing compelling that says "Buy Me". Which makes it the worst ever. The games that get the most praise on THIS board are what? ET (which I thought was one of the worst racing games I have ever played--and I play a lot), Zelda (eh), Godfather (which I have already played), RE4 (ditto) and MP3 (Part one was good in 02, two bored me to tears, three--??)

Not sure what else I need to play now.

 

[Error]

Ehn, I sort of felt the same way about the PS2's first year. Sony was a lot more transparent about the good shit coming than Nintendo's being, though.

yeah I remember only buying Onimusha because there was nothing else (oh but it was a sweet game at least)

oh I bought Dark Cloud because I needed a game to play on the system when I bought it.

 

[Haunted]

oh my, the first page of this thread is making me embarrassed to be a Nintendo fan. Panzer Dragoon is an amazing series, Phantom Dust an amazing game. There's no need to try to trash-talk or discredit this man. Just disagree with his opinion and move on.


Good thing this thread turned to a more serious discussion on the second page.



oh, and there was some junior disrespecting Itagaki? I hate that last batch.

 

[duckroll]

My first PS2 game was Bouncer.

 

[Topfuel]

Strangely enough, MS is suffering from the same problem. They have a crazy lineup this holiday season, but beyond that they seem to be refusing to discuss anything outside 2007. It's really weird, because Sony has a few offerings here and there this year, but they seem to be really focused more on what is to come.... weirdness.

So why do MS have to discuss 2008 in 2007?

 

[Error]

My first PS2 game was Bouncer.

it looked nice at least