Capcom and the importance of niche

Recently, I picked up both Lost Planet 1 and 2 for Xbox 360 because I am currently obsessed with the film Pacific Rim and I just wanted to play the only games that would get me as close to that kind of world, both in style and action. I Started with Lost Planet 2 and... I'm more in love with this game than I have ever been before. I've played and gotten rid of it once already, but now I just can't get enough of it. The reason? I just love the insane gameplay. Before, I wanted more realistic and fluid games that felt like movies, but now I can appreciate this series, especially after Pacific Rim turned me into a screaming 10 year old. It's over-the-top, it's intense, the sound design makes everything feel epic, there are monsters the size of small countries trying to kill you and never before have I squealed with delight when a rocket came whizzing past my head as I dived over a ledge. Like Pacific Rim, Lost Planet felt like it had the budget and design of a massive blockbuster, but the fun factor of a Saturday morning cartoon. Looking back on it now, I'm surprised Capcom decided to, ironically, outsource the IP to a western developer in an attempt to appeal to the western gamer. From the looks of things, Spark Unlimited turned the game's campaign into the same scripted, triple A nonsense that's so uptight with being played a specific way, that it would rather sacrifice player interaction than, god forbid, let us play the bloody thing.

I haven't played the 3rd game, but from what I've seen and heard the story was the best thing about it. I didn't like the direction the gameplay was going in: Lost planet 3 looked like it was trying to be Resident Evil while Resident Evil (if you've seen the last boss fight with Leon, you'll know) was turning into Lost Planet. Though I didn't play Lost Planet 3, I have seen plenty of gameplay videos and reviews. I like the concept of having your own personal mech, but I didn't like how the gameplay looked linear and story-driven, so I didn't get it. However, I can appreciate the developer giving the series a more engrossing sense of plot. It's wonderful for people who play games for story and character interaction... it's not so great for people who just want to shoot giant monsters in the face with a gun that's 3 times their body weight. The question I've been pondering is will this series ever be allowed to fall back into its niche charm?

That's right, I said niche. Lost Planet 2, like plenty of Capcom IP, is a niche product. It's not for everyone in terms of accessibility, nor will it ever reach Call of Duty levels of popularity... and that's OK. It's FINE. SWELL. HUNKY-DORY. I don't need it to sell like Call of Duty. I don't need it to play like Uncharted. I don't want it to look like Dead Space 3. Capcom is ruining its IP by sacrificing what makes each game unique, just so they can make them bigger than they need to be. They did it with Resident Evil and now they've done it to Lost Planet. By all means, update the gameplay and work on the problems (like the horrible split-screen co-op)! Do what you need to in order to make the game feel better under the thumb, but you don't need to destroy a building's foundation just to polish the windows.

Games like Lost Planet will always find their niche, and Capcom should be using that to differentiate the game from the bigger, more-mainstream games. Don't shed those charms in a vain attempt to try and blend in with them and feed off their success as a knock-off product! After Capcom became obsessed with getting that Call of Duty dollar, now the concept of "moderate success" is as foreign to them as "a game without dlc". This is a problem the entire industry needs to shake: a game doesn't have to make hundreds of millions in profit just to be a success. Market and budget your games accordingly, you wouldn't throw billions of dollars into the marketing and development of a survival horror game would you? Of course not, because you know for a fact that that game will not make that kind of money back. Why? because it's going into a NICHE market. It's not going to warrant a Call of Duty marketing campaign because it's not going to make Call of Duty money. But, just because it's not making Call of Duty money, doesn't mean you toss the whole bloody thing out the window. The beauty of niche games is that they appeal to very specific, dedicated gamers. And, with many successful niche properties, Capcom will not just guarantee consistent revenue, they'll also be able to cover for the failure of a large game with the moderate success of many smaller ones. This is something they've probably been doing already, just not effectively. Regardless, I hope companies like Capcom realize the importance of allowing niche games to thrive as niche products.

Recently, we've seen a resurgence in former Capcom developers who're developing what look like spiritual successors to the same games that, thanks to Capcom, have either lost their way or otherwise become dormant. Shinji Mikami's "The Evil Within", though my hype for it has died down a bit after seeing Lunar Software's "Routine", looks like it has its heart in the right place as a solid horror title. Keiji Inafune's "Mighty #9" is another game from a former Capcom dev, which has seen tremendous support from fans on Kick-starter. If these two games are deemed successful on home consoles (despite not being mainstream, multiplayer shooters), it might send Capcom the message that I'm trying to get across.

I just want another Lost Planet like the old ones ...a scifi Monster Hunter with mechs, is that too much to ask?

[Godmars290]

"a scifi Monster Hunter with mechs, is that too much to ask?"

Considering how obvious such a thing this but has yet to be done, it must be. At least that Xenoblade sequel is coming.

[Suspect1]

dead rising isn't being bombarded with on disc deal dlc and micro transactions who maybe capcoms gonna turn a new leaf you never really do know huh?

[caseh]

'dead rising isn't being bombarded with on disc deal dlc'

Probably as they had to rush it for release, forgot to pop it on the disc. :)

[wishingW3L]

don't confuse people with your twisted definition of "niche". Niche games are stuff that don't cater to the masses and LP series was clearly designed as a straight up shooter catering to the western market but it flopped.

Yakuza series in its very nature outside of Japan would be considered a niche game. The game's an oldschool brawler with an rpg upgrade system, sidequests, open-world, dating-sim, dress-up game and many other elements that would make you go WTF. This is a series that nobody gives it a chance because it's so quirky. Now this is the very definition of niche but LP is a just a failed mass market experiment.

[sweetSWAGGER]

I'm... failing to understand how my definition of a niche game is "twisted"? According to you: a niche game is something that doesn't cater to the masses. EXACTLY, my point. Lost Planet was never a series that SHOULD'VE catered to the masses, but instead to a very specific audience. Perhaps I should've worded that better, my apologies for confusing you.

The point I'm making is that Capcom, like they did to the Resident Evil series, took a game that had a small, devoted fanbase and tried to use it to appeal to the more mainstream gaming audience. The fact that the game failed to do that only proves it isn't for everyone. But, instead of adjusting the size of the game in accordance to its market, they scrapped the whole thing and handed the reigns over to a western developer in a vain attempt to try to crack the mainstream again.

Lost Planet, as a series, is not a game that's going to appeal to a large market. With its Monster Hunter-like gameplay that demands skill and patience, its old-school sense of arcade-style mission structure, its silly and over-the-top Japanese antics, and almost stupidly hard difficulty (even on normal); Lost Planet was destined to be a niche product that only a handful of people would love. Like you said, Yakuza is a niche game outside of Japan. Lost Planet has prove to be the same way; the only difference is that Sega haven't mutilated their series for the mainstream like Capcom has done with theirs (I have a lot of respect for them for that).

This should explain it better than I have:

http://www.egmnow.com/artic...

[CourierSix]

With you all the way! And it shouldn't be to much to ask!