Video Game News and Miscellany

I've been saying this for years in regards to iPad and iPhone becoming the next evolution in gaming: no, they won't, because they don't offer the same level of control and comfort than playing on a PC or console does. How am I supposed to play a flight sim game with a pad? How about a fighting game? How about an MMO? The only adequate solution to playing something like WoW on a tablet would be to hook in a keyboard and mouse, which makes the tablet a glorified laptop. Oculus Rift has the same problem: it's not making the game PLAY better.

This isn't to say that phone and tablet games can't be good or don't have their place, but PC and consoles are simply better at providing a complete experience.
 
I've been saying this for years in regards to iPad and iPhone becoming the next evolution in gaming: no, they won't, because they don't offer the same level of control and comfort than playing on a PC or console does. How am I supposed to play a flight sim game with a pad? How about a fighting game? How about an MMO? The only adequate solution to playing something like WoW on a tablet would be to hook in a keyboard and mouse, which makes the tablet a glorified laptop. Oculus Rift has the same problem: it's not making the game PLAY better.

This isn't to say that phone and tablet games can't be good or don't have their place, but PC and consoles are simply better at providing a complete experience.
But Squenix says phone games are the way of the future and look how well that's worked out for them.
 
But Squenix says phone games are the way of the future and look how well that's worked out for them.
They continue to make tons of money off of them in Japan? Mind you, this is a short term gain/long term loss, but Square can't get it's head out of it's ass.
 
Mobile games just sell better than console/PC titles in Japan. I would imagine it's the reason you didn't see a Monster Hunter release for WiiU this time around.
 
Mobile games just sell better than console/PC titles in Japan. I would imagine it's the reason you didn't see a Monster Hunter release for WiiU this time around.
Portable stuff does do better in Japan, but Monster Hunter is usually associated with handhelds. Ashburner's said a few times that PSP owed much of its success to Monster Hunter, and it can be surmised that's losing the franchise is part of the Vita's problem.

Square-Enix's problem is less "we want to do only mobile" and more "we want to do only mobile but have no idea what we're doing."
 
Portable stuff does do better in Japan, but Monster Hunter is usually associated with handhelds. Ashburner's said a few times that PSP owed much of its success to Monster Hunter, and it can be surmised that's losing the franchise is part of the Vita's problem.

Square-Enix's problem is less "we want to do only mobile" and more "we want to do only mobile but have no idea what we're doing."
Basically this. Even with Persona 4: The Golden, the Vita is struggling to find an audience. The 3DS has stolen it, almost explictly because they are getting Monster Hunter.

What you need to remember about Japan is that virtually everyone has lengthy commutes to work/school because of how the country is built. This means you'll have people with 1-2 hour commutes everyday with nothing to do except play mobile games. This is the sole reason the mobile game scene is so big in Japan. However, mobile has always been dominated by one or two big dogs. Right now, it's Monster Hunter, Puzzle Dragons, and the weird battleship waifu game. Square only has one game in the top 25 anymore. They need to get back to basics.
 
It's really a shame about the vita. It's a great system from a hardware perspective. It's a joy to use, had great online capabilities, can easily minimize a game to multitask with a browser or manage your friend list, it's great. There's just nothing to play on it.
 
It's really a shame about the vita. It's a great system from a hardware perspective. It's a joy to use, had great online capabilities, can easily minimize a game to multitask with a browser or manage your friend list, it's great. There's just nothing to play on it.
Well.. You can stream ps4 games to it...
 
It's really a shame about the vita. It's a great system from a hardware perspective. It's a joy to use, had great online capabilities, can easily minimize a game to multitask with a browser or manage your friend list, it's great. There's just nothing to play on it.
That depends, how's the emulator scene?
 
That depends, how's the emulator scene?
It's still locked down, they haven't been able to crack it too terribly much, and as soon as they find a crack ti gets locked back down again (and they game that's used for the crack is taken off the ps store)
 
That's why sales are weak.

What's the go to handheld for emulators these days anyways? I love my PSP2000 but want something with a bigger screen.
 
That's why sales are weak.

What's the go to handheld for emulators these days anyways? I love my PSP2000 but want something with a bigger screen.
For 3DS, an obscure game was discovered to have an exploit. I don't know if Nintendo stopped its existence, but the price skyrocketed once its console-cracking potential was discovered.
 
It's really a shame about the vita. It's a great system from a hardware perspective. It's a joy to use, had great online capabilities, can easily minimize a game to multitask with a browser or manage your friend list, it's great. There's just nothing to play on it.
There's a couple JRPGs for Vita that look interesting to me: Ys Memories of Celceta, and Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines, which comes out next month, I think.. But I'm not going to buy a system for 2 games.
 
The Ys series is a lot of fun, and always a well-put together game when you dive into it. Falcom's brought the best ones to Steam, but I really wish they'd add more, especially Celata and Ark of Napishtim.
 
Shovel Knight's first stretch goal is well underway and will be free DLC.

Also, the PS3, 4 and Vita versions will have a special Kratos boss fight.
I'd avoided playing Shovel Knight a third time until one of the stretch goals came out because I was under the impression it would still largely be the same game even when playing as other characters. What I'm reading there suggests a lot of retooling into a very different experience. Looking forward to it.
 
Double Fine has begun releasing the previously backer-exclusive behind the scenes documentary on the making of Broken Age. Honestly, I recommend it for anyone who thinks the decisions they did were just to make more money. It provides really great insight into game development and shows how not everything goes as planned.

Here's the first episode. Looks like they have the first three episodes on there so far:
 
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Considering it sounds like the DLC is almost a whole new game, I'm not really that worried about it. I bought the game, but I didn't back it, so I don't mind waiting.
 
Considering it sounds like the DLC is almost a whole new game, I'm not really that worried about it. I bought the game, but I didn't back it, so I don't mind waiting.
Same here, I totally don't deserve this.

But Frank did back it, and if I was in his place, I'd be wondering what the hell was taking them. Now we know--Kratos!
 
The EA cycle continues.

Buy famed developer, force them to make shitty design choices, shutter them closed after newest game is a disappointing.

RIP Maxis.
 
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