epicJRPG.com brings you a summary of JRPG news from around the web for April 4th, 2013, including Keiji Inafune's latest comments criticizing the Japanese games industry, including his statement that Japanese devs “don’t know what to do or how to do it”.
Also in this update, stories about an interview with Drakengard 3 producer Takamasa Shiba, a feature using Persona 4 as an analogy to discuss high school nostalgia, game length and testing the boundaries of what it means to be a Japanese role-playing game, and details on enhancements coming to Million Arthur, Square-Enix’ new free-to-play Playstation Vita title.
TNS: Expedition 33 was the wake-up call Square Enix needed, telling it turn-based RPGs are still popular, but that shouldn't have been the case.
True, but if it does get it through their thick skulls, then that works.
Although, the Dragon Quest 1 + 2 HD remakes will be turn-based and (the worst kept secret) Final Fantasy IX remake should be turn-based I would imagine. Let's see if any newer games go turn-based too.
DQIII HD Remake was turned based and very successful. Then there was a really obscure turn based game came Balder's Gate 3. I heard it might have done well.
It won't get through to them though, despite E33's success, they still won't risk going fully turn based for their big budget projects simply because they are still in the mindset that it needs to be action combat to appeal to the mainstream audience. I hope I'm wrong but don't underestimate just how stubborn Japanese execs can be
Ya'll are hyping up Expedition 33 too much. Reminder that FF XVI sold 3 million in a week and it took Expedition 33 approximately a month to get to that (33 days to reach 3.3 million).
While it is true that Sqaure Enix has moved away from turn based games compared to how they were in the past, there is a good reason for it.
Older gamers will know this but during the ps2 era, we were flooded with turned based games from Japanese studios and this created a form of fatigue back then going into the next generation.
When Square released FF13, they received heavy criticism for making the game turned based like every other FF game and not doing enough to innovate. This is why they made FF15, FF7 Remake and FF16 have real time combat. It gave the series a fresh spin and has brought in new fans to the series.
I personally would be happy with either turned based FF or the real-time combat version we see today.
Dang wish I saw your post before I made mine because we definitely feel the same way lol
Yeah hit the nail on the head but its like ww2 games we get hundreds of them then a decade of nothing and people start missing them i think we're going to start seeing them return
Claire, dragon quest even yakuza have seen turn based return
Only need to look at their own game DQ 11 approaching 10 million to show there's a market. And that's not as big of a name as FF
Another article about Expedition 33 and Square Enix and turn-based games? This is starting to sound like propaganda.
The game didn't sell because it's a turn-based game; it sold and is enjoyed because it's a really freaking good game that released completed at a good price without gamer drama attached to it. No Mtx, no wait-until-it's-patched, minimal bloat, a self-contained story, no multiplatform BS. Just a solid original game that absolutely nails what it intended to do.
Maybe try actually listening to the fans who have supported the series for decades. This habit of ignoring your core audience just to chase people who were never interested in Final Fantasy in the first place makes no sense. And when that approach fails, doubling down on it is beyond baffling.
The battle system has never been the main reason non-FF or non-JRPG players stayed away. Gutting the series’ identity to chase a broader market doesn’t attract new players. It just alienates the loyal ones.
Keep going down this road and we’ll end up with Final Fantasy Fortnite abomination or a F2P Battle Royale game.. Oh wait…
Do not miss the Final Fantasy IX lottery commemorating its 25th anniversary and see the new merch release by Square Enix.
I’m hoping Xbox Showcase will be where the Remake gets announced… freaking all this stuff with FF9’s anniversary and still nothing on the Remake…
Square Enix announced its financial results and the continued strategy for the Medium-Term Business Plan that will span two more years.
Seems spot on to me, during the previous generation they were pretty dominant.
This generation only the bigger studios from Japan have been releasing games.
And half of those were more westernized, hopefully we'll see more Japanese games with the coming generation.
Even if they are downloadable titles (and priced accordingly of course).
Not enough diversity IMO, too much of the same happening in the gaming industry at the moment.
*Keiji Inafune says Japanese devs don't know what to do or hot to do it. Is Japanese. Doesn't get irony.*
Nothing new to see here folks, just the same thing he's been saying since he was still with Crapcom.
Change is a scary thing. It happens to all of us. Scared of Dantes hair. Scared of Castlevania going 3D, scared to make something other than adventure games disguised as rpgs.
I feel the only true rpgs would be Skyrim and Fallout, at least in this gen and something more than likely most have played.
Witcher was great but essentially its also an adventure game with rpg elements.
Mass Effect was a like a book that the player creates with elements that the devs have giving you. Its your story within reason.
The truest form of RPG that I can imagine would be Neverwinter Nights, since you can create a tabletop type experience but as you know these kinds of games require massive amounts of dedicated players to experience them correctly.
Dragon's Dogma was a step in the right direction however.
It is a complicated process to try and breakout into new territory and remain profitable.
To much financial risk with a a group that is as fickle as the wind blows.
Look at Tomb Raider. S-E calling it a loss at 3.5 million sold.
Thats pretty scary business.
I think if gamers where more inclined to buy something new and be more accepting this kind of thing would be such an issue.
all the japanese had to do was keep doing what they do best. instead many of them changed what they do and try to be americans. just because american shooters sale 10 million doesnt mean your rpgs will day one and they dont need to. Had they made the games people asked for ff 7 remake, kingdom hearts 3, megaman, etc they would have alot more success and sales. persona devs should been started on persona 5 and it should be out by now.
no one asked for ff online mmo that bombed, no one asked for dmc reboot, no one asked for or wanted a lot of the games that bombed.