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[Cosmonaut X]

No.
Kiki Trick, week 5. 2012.

Heh, was just about to say

Nintendo have released plenty of DS and Wii games that have underperformed or bombed, so it would hardly be unusual for them to see the same happen with KI. However - and duckroll's analysis aside for a moment - they are clearly pushing KI a lot harder than most of the titles that cratered, with early promotion, regular detailed updates, top billing in the Nintendo Direct just passed, tie-in anime etc. etc.

It's clearly not in the same league as something like Zangeki no Reginleiv, in terms of importance to the company, but whether the push they're giving it will pay off is totally up in the air right now.

 

[duckroll]

While I understand your point, this thinking also assumes that the majority of the core fanbase will be turned off by the style and animation of the game, and this is a huge generalization to make, especially since the admittedly vocal online fanbase is only a small portion of the complete fanbase.

It's obvious Nintendo wants this to succeed, but we'll see if the disconnect is as jarring as you are expecting it to be.

I agree with your points. I'm not saying my viewpoint is the only one, or the one which represents the absolute reality. Obviously I cannot say for certain whether the game will sell well or not, but that is my impression based on my own feelings as well as judging from how the general reaction to the game is after each new trailer or presentation.

I feel it is a point that is worth discussing if we are to assess the potential success or failure of the game though. Every viewpoint that is reasonable is valid, and nothing can be taken for granted.

It's a Nintendo game. When was the last time Nintendo game sold badly on Nintendo system? Somewhere in dark era of Gamecube?

Kid Icarus will sell like bananas.

I am only going to count the games which are actual Nintendo long-time franchise brands, and this is an incomplete list, but here's a look at low selling Nintendo games on Nintendo systems in Japan for DS, 3DS, Wii:

< 100k
Advance Wars: Dual Strike (DS)
Metroid Prime Hunters (DS)
Star Fox Command (DS)
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
Metroid: Other M (Wii)
Donkey Kong Barrel Blast (Wii)
Pilotwings Resort (3DS)
Star Fox 64 3D (3DS)

< 200k
Super Princess Peach (DS)
Yoshi Touch & Go (DS)
Wario Land: Shake It! (Wii)
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii)

< 300k
Donkey Kong Jungle Climber (DS)
Link's Crossbow Training with Wii Zapper (Wii)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)

 

[Kazerei]

What's the word on the street this week? Did Theatrhythm get a big new shipment?

 

[twentytwo22]

What's the word on the street this week? Did Theatrhythm get a big new shipment?

No, it still isn't really available anywhere, it seems. Amazon says they are getting more on March 1st.

 

[disco]

Kid Icarus is a huge gamble. I don't think anyone has any idea what it'll do.

 

[matmanx1]

Complete speculation and idle chat here so dismiss this post if it suits you. I'm sure Sony would love to have the Vita selling higher numbers and a quicker rate of adoption among the Japanese. I'm also sure that Sony is well aware of what kind of games the Japanese want. They certainly know what sells in Japan and what games drove the PSP and are now driving the 3DS.

We can sit here and wonder why Sony didn't do better with the Vita launch in terms of appealing to the Japanese audience but it's obvious that at some point Sony decided it needed to get the PSV out of the door and conceded that it either couldn't get those key Japanese titles in time for the launch or was unwilling to make the kind of investment needed to get them.

We also have to take into account that the PSP is still very much alive and kicking in Japan and Sony is making significantly more money on the PSP ecosystem than it is on the PSV. Unlike Nintendo who really wanted (and succeeded) in killing off the the DS so that the 3DS would be the only kid in town Sony needs the PSP to stick around for awhile and rightly so wants a smoother transition to the PSV.

I really think Sony wants to use this time to build share in the rest of the world and to really build up the PSV outside of Japan where the PSP is effectively dead. I think it's not a great intellectual leap to think that if the PSV were to get it's own MonHun title that greatly increased Japanese sales would automatically follow. It would be as close to a sure thing as anything in the gaming business.

Outside of Japan, however, I don't believe there is a single game that will push the PSV into the stratosphere (no, not even CoD although I believe a great version of that game would certainly help) and it's outside of Japan where Sony is really going to have to "prove" the PSV and keep investing in new titles and advertisements to help the machine break in and gain traction. In other words, I believe Sony is somewhat conceding the Japanese market with the PSV for now in order to focus elsewhere. Either because Sony is unable to do anything about the current situation in Japan or because they believe there's a greater ROI to be had by investing elsewhere or maybe both. Like I said earlier though, this is just my speculation.

 

[Sammy Samusu]

No, it still isn't really available anywhere, it seems. Amazon says they are getting more on March 1st.

Manufacturing problems? That's the only explanation...

Does it use 4GB cards?

 

[Skiesofwonder]

No, it still isn't really available anywhere, it seems. Amazon says they are getting more on March 1st.

MARCH 1ST?!?!?!?

Square Enix really messed up on this one. The one fricken time they under-supply....

 

[Brainiac 8]

It's a Nintendo game. When was the last time Nintendo game sold badly on Nintendo system? Somewhere in dark era of Gamecube?

Kid Icarus will sell like bananas.

There have been plenty of Nintendo games that sold poorly.

@Duckroll: Agreed, it will be interesting, especially since Nintendo is promoting KI hard. I mean, it's the first attempt by the studio they specifically created for Sakurai to keep him at Nintendo. So there is a lot riding on this for both Nintendo and Sakurai.

I know that I plan on buying it, but I have wanted a new Kid Icarus for years. Many modern gamers though, have no clue who he is. It is interesting though and definitely worth discussing.

 

[Kazerei]

No, it still isn't really available anywhere, it seems. Amazon says they are getting more on March 1st.

Yikes. I wonder if Theatrhythm will even chart next week.

 

[Cosmonaut X]

Sniped long but interesting post

I don't know about you, but I'd consider conceding your strongest territory in favour of trying to succeed in territories where your last handheld floundered a completely arse-headed plan, especially when success (for Sony) is going to be dependent upon third parties and not upon internal studios who you can control and direct on your timetable.

 

[charlequin]

Outside of Japan, however, I don't believe there is a single game that will push the PSV into the stratosphere (no, not even CoD although I believe a great version of that game would certainly help) and it's outside of Japan where Sony is really going to have to "prove" the PSV and keep investing in new titles and advertisements to help the machine break in and gain traction.

That's really the trouble, though. The Japanese market is unquestionably open to the idea of the Vita, given the success of handhelds there: it's a question of whether the specific intersection of pricing, functionality, and software is appealing enough to win over buyers (and all three can be continually improved over the system's life.)

Whereas I think it's pretty arguable that the US market isn't interested in a product like Vita at all and just about no combination of plausible offerings will actually make it a huge hit there.

Given a situation like that, it would make a lot more sense to focus on Japan and try to make a system that every Japanese developer wants badly to be on board with than to focus overly on a less receptive market.

 

[Dalthien]

We also have to take into account that the PSP is still very much alive and kicking in Japan

Except it really isn't. It is now below 15k in hardware per week, and falling. And by mid-late summer, the software ecosystem will be completely dry as well. Not to mention that PSP software had a very lousy holiday season that just passed. PSP still has a bit of a pulse, and still has some decent software coming the 1st half of the year, but it is now quite far removed from "very much alive and kicking".

I really think Sony wants to use this time to build share in the rest of the world and to really build up the PSV outside of Japan where the PSP is effectively dead.

Which would have made the most sense strategically - but that's not what they did. If that was their strategy, then they would have launched Vita in the Americas and Europe this past Christmas, and pushed Japan off until March, or maybe even June 2012. And to be honest, if that was their real strategy, then they should have been ready to launch alongside 3DS in North America and Europe, not a year late. PSP has been dead in the west for multiple years now. There was no excuse at all for giving 3DS a year headstart in the west.

So while I see the merit in your suggested strategy - it certainly doesn't seem that Sony saw it that way.

 

[SmokedMeat]

It's just frustrating.

I mean, with the 3DS, we knew well before hand what Nintendo could and would bring to the table to propel the system.
And then they go and secure all these big Japanese franchises from third parties.

With Sony... They announce a few good, but no where near big, games and call it a day.
I just... don't understand what their strategy here is. Just like I never got their PSP strategy.

I love how some gamers act as though 3DS and Vita launched at the same time. The frickin' Vita just launched, and there's talk that Sony's called it day?!

Calling it a day is what Nintendo did after the 3DS launch, where they had nothing big from March 2011- Novemeber 2011. Now that the system finally has a few games, you're going to start talking shit about Sony's performance? Really?
Calling it a day is what Nintendo has done with the Wii. How's that release schedule looking compared to that of PS3?

 

[Chris1964]

Calling it a day is what Nintendo did after the 3DS launch, where they had nothing big from March 2011- Novemeber 2011. Now that the system finally has a few games, you're going to start talking shit about Sony's performance? Really?

With 3DS we knew from February what Nintendo and third parties would release the following months or year and the importance of these games. What are these games that Vita will get in 2012 and rise its software and hardware sales? Monster Hunter Vita?

 

[Sadist]

Calling it a day is what Nintendo has done with the Wii. How's that release schedule looking compared to that of PS3?

Wii U

 

[Nairume]

I love how some gamers act as though 3DS and Vita launched at the same time. The frickin' Vita just launched, and there's talk that Sony's called it day?!

Calling it a day is what Nintendo did after the 3DS launch, where they had nothing big from March 2011- Novemeber 2011. Now that the system finally has a few games, you're going to start talking shit about Sony's performance? Really?
Calling it a day is what Nintendo has done with the Wii. How's that release schedule looking compared to that of PS3?

There is a difference you are ignoring. Even though first party releases were kind of thin, we basically knew the whole time that two gigantic heavy hitters were coming at the end of the year, and that remakes of two of the most beloved Nintendo games were also going to be hitting during the interim.

We are at around the same point in the year when we knew all this about the 3DS, and the Vita doesn't really have that yet. It doesn't exactly paint a positive picture when you don't really have that many people rushing out to make the investment and Sony isn't really doing a great job in saying "it's okay, your investment is totally going to pay off."

 

[guek]

I love how some gamers act as though 3DS and Vita launched at the same time. The frickin' Vita just launched, and there's talk that Sony's called it day?!

Calling it a day is what Nintendo did after the 3DS launch, where they had nothing big from March 2011- Novemeber 2011. Now that the system finally has a few games, you're going to start talking shit about Sony's performance? Really?
Calling it a day is what Nintendo has done with the Wii. How's that release schedule looking compared to that of PS3?

Why are you trying to criticize nintendo's current treatment of the wii when we're talking about portables? That's a completely different topic with completely different rationalizations.

Nintendo gambled with the 3DS launch. I don't think that's the same as what Sony is currently doing right now. Nintendo left the first 6 months up to 3rd parties because they thought it might be good for 3rd party relations. The results were disastrous, but that's not because nintendo walked away from the system. It's not like we didn't know they had key software in the works from day 1. Who knows, maybe they launched early because they wanted to get as much of a leg up on the Vita as possible and they were forced to rely on 3rd parties as a result.

Things are a little different with Sony. Ace's point is that we knew of a rough roadmap with nintendo from the very beginning. What Sony has planned for the rest of the year is very unclear and doesn't instill a lot of confidence. I agree though that we should adopt a wait and see approach before declaring Sony to be completely incompetent. The way vita has been marketed isn't very reassuring at all though.

 

[beril]

Calling it a day is what Nintendo did after the 3DS launch, where they had nothing big from March 2011- Novemeber 2011. Now that the system finally has a few games, you're going to start talking shit about Sony's performance? Really?

For what it's worth even during that period, which no one will deny was a severe drought and a huge miscalculation from nintendos part, the 3DS got two 200k selling games and one 500k game. I'm not sure there's any game announced for vita yet with a chance to reach 500k other than possibly FFX

 

[Anth0ny]

It's a Nintendo game. When was the last time Nintendo game sold badly on Nintendo system? Somewhere in dark era of Gamecube?

Kid Icarus will sell like bananas.

Zelda 3 months ago? lol

I think Kid Icarus will bomb, tbh. Sakurai, get to work on Smash Bros. Now.

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

I may have changed my mind a bit on Kid Icarus. I don't think it will bomb anymore - if it does badly at first it might pick up enough legs to make sure it's not an outright failure, due to word of mouth and the substantial multiplayer elements.

But it's really up to Nintendo to make sure the flavor of the game is well communicated. It's a very broad game, with many parts that seem disparate on paper. 3D motion-focused action with rail shooter segments? RPG-like equipment management involving streetpass and spotpass? Online battles? How does it all fit together? I bet a demo would make waves. The videos are pretty much chaos but I bet if you let people control the experience it would help a lot.

 

[timetokill]

So what we have here is game design and systems targeting older core gamers, and presentation and art which appeals to younger kids.

I think this is only half-true.
Specifically, I don't think the game design/systems are targeting "older" gamers.

When I was a kid and way into videogames, Kid Icarus would be exactly the kind of thing I'd love. Frenetic action, lots of cool weapons and abilities, fast-paced, etc. I think a lot of kids are into that kind of stuff. Maybe my range for kids is larger -- but I think on the upper end of kids, like from 7-15, this is a game that looks crazy and fun.

It sometimes feels to me like people forget that they would play games like this when they were young kids.

That said, I do agree with you that Nintendo is going to have a hard time marketing this successfully. I think the key difference is not so much that the gameplay isn't suitable for kids, it's that the gameplay does not seem to be "playful" like the presentation/art is. But playful should not be thought to be a kids domain. Smash Bros. is extremely playful in both art and gameplay but it's a game that appeals across large age groups. Same with, say, Angry Birds -- very playful gameplay and presentation, but it's obviously popular with older players.

Calling it a day is what Nintendo did after the 3DS launch, where they had nothing big from March 2011- November 2011. Now that the system finally has a few games, you're going to start talking shit about Sony's performance? Really?
Calling it a day is what Nintendo has done with the Wii. How's that release schedule looking compared to that of PS3?

The difference with the 3DS and the Vita is this:
3DS: "When are the good games coming?"
Vita: "... Uh, are the good games coming?"

3DS has the benefit of inevitability. You know it's going to sell millions, you know it's going to get support. You know the awesome blockbuster games are coming because Nintendo is making them. It's going to get Mario soon, it's going to get Zelda soon, it's going to get Monster Hunter soon, it's going to get Animal Crossing soon, etc. etc.

Vita, on the other hand, is not so lucky. There's a genuine question of the long-term viability of the platform and if third parties, which are Sony's bread and butter, are going to commit to the platform.

As for the Wii release schedule -- the Wii has its successor coming out this year. Let me know what the PS3-exclusive release schedule looks like when PS4 is due out later that year.

 

[guek]

Zelda 3 months ago? lol

I think Kid Icarus will bomb, tbh. Sakurai, get to work on Smash Bros. Now.

I think it'll break 800k worldwide, 1mil if we're being very optimistic. It'll probably hover around 200k in Japan.

But then again, I never make predictions and are usually off by a considerable margin when I do

 

[djplaeskool]

There is a level of uncertainty in each company's future in one aspect or another that will make this an interesting conference year. More so than in past years, methinks.

 

[Castor Krieg]

With 3DS we knew from February what Nintendo and third parties would release the following months or year and the importance of these games. What are these games that Vita will get in 2012 and rise its software and hardware sales? Monster Hunter Vita?

The difference with the 3DS and the Vita is this:
3DS: "When are the good games coming?"
Vita: "... Uh, are the good games coming?"

FFS, stop with this retarded argument already. "We knew bla bla bla". Fact: first 6 months of 3DS were more barren then a fucking Gobi desert.

Yes, good games are coming to Vita? You know why? Because it is one of two flagship products in Sony's most profitable division, that's fucking why.

 

[duckroll]

FFS, stop with this retarded argument already. "We knew bla bla bla". Fact: first 6 months of 3DS were more barren then a fucking Gobi desert.

What's retarded about the argument? There is nothing retarded about it. Yes, the 3DS had a pretty barren first 6 months. That's not what anyone is denying. But even before the 3DS was released, there were many high profile titles which were announced and would be coming in the future. That is also a fact. It is a problem that the Vita does not even have that right now, and it is worrying.

Yes, good games are coming to VIta? You know why? Because it is one of two flagship products in Sony's most profitable division, that's fucking why.

What is this based on? Can you name any of them? Can you source this claim? If not maybe you are the one who should shut up about the "retarded argument".

 

[Spiegel]

Whereas I think it's pretty arguable that the US market isn't interested in a product like Vita at all and just about no combination of plausible offerings will actually make it a huge hit there.

Yeah. It's pretty sad seeing how western developers don't believe that there's a market for Vita because if they don't see the point, they are not going to make games.

PlayStation Vita Thoughts - D.I.C.E. 2012 (Bioware, Insomniac, Rocksteady, Epic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWz9zr7jG3U

A video about the vita has more iphone/ipad/smartphone mentions than vita mentions. And there are basically zero positive comments about the handheld.

This is one of the reasons why I'm not planning on getting a Vita until we have a better picture of its future. I love the hardware but I have never seen this apathy towards a console from the industry before.

 

[jonno394]

Yes, good games are coming to Vita? You know why? Because it is one of two flagship products in Sony's most profitable division, that's fucking why.

Calm down bro, I think what he's trying to say is that with the 3DS we all knew that there would eventually be Mario games, Zelda games, nintendo first party titles etc, that is a given.

WIth the Vita there is no given, there is no guarantee that any of the other big Sony titles will launch on it, they are highly likely due to the push that Sony is giving the vita, but there is no guarantee.

 

[Castor Krieg]

What is this based on? Can you name any of them? Can you source this claim? If not maybe you are the one who should shut up about the "retarded argument".

I'm really getting the idea you love to argue for the sake of it. Sony's most profitable division is the gaming one. Together with PS3, PSV is their flagship product they want to push, PS4 is not out for at least 12 months (and even that first months will be bad as always with new hardware).

So what exactly are you not getting? Or do you really think Sony has fallen so low they will just kill such a high-profile product?

 

[bigtroyjon]

lol

Sony's most profitable division

Do people actually believe this is true?

 

[zero_suit]

FFS, stop with this retarded argument already. "We knew bla bla bla". Fact: first 6 months of 3DS were more barren then a fucking Gobi desert.

Yes, good games are coming to Vita? You know why? Because it is one of two flagship products in Sony's most profitable division, that's fucking why.

How is it a retarded argument? Nintendo always had big 1st party titles up its sleeve; Sony doesn't.

 

[Kazerei]

I don't think the negative outlook towards the Vita is unfair. The 3DS's first two months were much better than the Vita's first two months in terms of both hardware and software.

 

[Nairume]

If it is a flagship system, why aren't they rushing to get their flagshipinternal teams working on games coming out in the next year? Where are the flagship third party games? Again, by this point for the 3DS, we had a good idea on where they were.

 

[guek]

PlayStation Vita Thoughts - D.I.C.E. 2012 (Bioware, Insomniac, Rocksteady, Epic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWz9zr7jG3U

A video about the vita has more iphone/ipad/smartphone mentions than vita mentions. And there are basically zero positive comments about the handheld.

That's a very disheartening and pessimistic video :-(

 

[duckroll]

I'm really getting the idea you love to argue for the sake of it.

I'm not arguing, I am discussing. Something you don't seem interested in because you dismiss totally valid opinions and people who are discussing topics using facts and sources. That's what mature adults do, while children just slap each other and go YOU ARE A POO POO FACE DURR.

You know what your problem is? You don't actually seem to like having a discussion about a subject, but you like to phrase your comments in a way where it makes your argument look good or it makes you look smart or informed. That's fine, everyone wants to look good. But when you're informed that you are wrong, or that your claim has no merit, instead of continuing with a discussion and amending your points to acknowledge that there is a possibility that you're mistaken, you tend to just stop responding and run away instead.

It is annoying when you do that because it makes spending time debating a subject with you pointless and a waste of time. Discussions are meant to draw out multiple opinions and facts so people can learn sometime from someone else's experience.

By dismissing anything you do not like to hear and hand waving, you are limiting your potential to learn anything new.

By not responding to corrections you are disrespecting people who have taken the time to try to improve your knowledge on a subject.

By being rude about any of this, you show how little respect you have for other people, and make it different for anyone to really respect you or your continued presence in such discussions.

I'm have a very difficult time seeing any worthwhile contribution you have in this thread and beyond.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

I'm really getting the idea you love to argue for the sake of it. Sony's most profitable division is the gaming one. Together with PS3, PSV is their flagship product they want to push, PS4 is not out for at least 12 months (and even that first months will be bad as always with new hardware).

So what exactly are you not getting? Or do you really think Sony has fallen so low they will just kill such a high-profile product?

You're arguing for what they need, not what is. They've already released the Vita version of their biggest PSP first-party success, so it's not like they didn't start out with their big gun.

 

[Sadist]

I'm really getting the idea you love to argue for the sake of it.

But he is right.

At this point and moment in time, Vita's future looks very shaky. I don't want it to be, but it is what is at this point. It's not about the hardware, but the software. The only "big" title in the forthcoming four months is Persona 4 the Golden. Sony is not doing a great job of reassuring current or possible Vita owners of it's future with big titles.

 

[JJConrad]

The main problem I see with Kid Icarus is that there's a very serious appeal disconnect between what the game is, and what the franchise is.

The game wants to be a rail shooter + third person shooter + serious competitive multiplayer with tons of customization and weapons. And the entire game is filled with layers of gameplay and lots of complex systems. The presentation is meant to be cinematic and cool, with lots of flashy bosses and dynamic shit.

All of this appeals pretty strongly to core gamers who play a lot of serious games like this, across many genres ranging from shooters, to RPGs, to versus games.

Yet at the same time, this is a Kid Icarus game. The franchise doesn't have much brand strength, it was never one of the more popular classic Nintendo franchises, and it is really, really kiddie. This game retains much of that. It is kiddie, it is childish, and there's nothing here which really appeals much to older gamers because it looks childish and stupid.

Something like this generally doesn't appeal to older gamers, and lacks the "all-ages" sort of appeal that Mario and Zelda has because it is not as simple as Mario, and it is not as variable as Zelda. There is a fixed specific story in Kid Icarus, and it's basically "Greek Mythology for 12 and under". It probably does appeal to kids and those who watch Saturday morning cartoons though.


So what we have here is game design and systems targeting older core gamers, and presentation and art which appeals to younger kids. It's this sort of disconnect which I find very troubling about the game. I have serious issues getting interested in it at all, and I'm not alone. The question is whether a concept like this can even be successfully marketed at all. I don't believe it can, and I feel that it would have been smarter if Nintendo made a new IP with Sakurai from the start, if they wanted a game which could appeal to and target older core gamers.

Instead they made a game which might be too complex and too "deep" for children to be interested for long, and at the same time too unappealing for those who might be interested in the game design to be interested.

It sounds like you think it'll be huge hit with the Kingdom Hearts crowd.

 

[duckroll]

It sounds like you think it'll be huge hit with the Kingdom Hearts crowd.

As someone who actually plays the games, I would say that KH games tend to appeal to a teen audience who find stuff like Final Fantasy to be "cool" and "awesome". The tone and narrative is very different from what they're doing with Kid Icarus, although I won't blame anyone for thinking otherwise if they're not actually interested in the series. It also shows when usually half the Disney stories used for the major games are from classic movies which younger children these days might not even be familiar with, or from live action movies which have wider appeal across demographics.

Another thing which sets KH apart from this is that at the base, KH is an action RPG. It is not a genre which is popular only with older audiences in general, but something that all-ages can enjoy. Very similar to the base gameplay that Zelda and Mario has. This isn't true with rail shooters or third person shooters, where almost the entire genre is filled with games which appeal only to those over a certain age group. We have seen even Nintendo have trouble getting an audience with Starfox these days.

 

[NateDrake]

But he is right.

At this point and moment in time, Vita's future looks very shaky. I don't want it to be, but it is what is at this point. It's not about the hardware, but the software. The only "big" title in the forthcoming four months is Persona 4 the Golden. Sony is not doing a great job of reassuring current or possible Vita owners of it's future with big titles.

Exactly. The software for Japan is weak & nothing is system driver at this point or for the foreseeable future. Plenty of time to change & make big announcements, but if E3 is lacking any substantial PSV announcements, aside from expected Sony titles ie GoW or whatever, then cause of concern shall rise.

Right now Nintendo is making sure they have killer software to make the 3DS the prime handheld in Japan like they did with DS.

 

[Anth0ny]

The game wants to be a rail shooter + third person shooter + serious competitive multiplayer with tons of customization and weapons. And the entire game is filled with layers of gameplay and lots of complex systems. The presentation is meant to be cinematic and cool, with lots of flashy bosses and dynamic shit.

Shhhhhhh, this is a good problem to have! Maybe Sakurai is finally learning? Hopefully this will carry over to Smash 4.

 

[grimshawish]

lol

Do people actually believe this is true?

Even if it is - the state of Sony means it could still be loss making!!!!

 

[extralite]

It sounds like you think it'll be huge hit with the Kingdom Hearts crowd.

If he does he's not the only one. If I'm right KI U and KH might even share a staff member. Brawl and KH did.

Problem is, KH3D is out just a week later.

Anyway, this could appeal to a semi-large segment of Smash Bros. players. If Sakurai can get them on board despite this featuring only one mascot (and a minor one at that) and despite the shift from fighting to shooting, it could be a anywhere between a low end of 200 000 and million+ like Smash. If the multiplayer appeals to the Smash Bros. crowd. Since Smash Bros. is not even really a fighting game, as it is too original for that, its fans might be open minded enough for this original shooter experience as well.

Despite the "kiddy" style duckroll's commenting on, this is a more mature interpretation of the Nintendo universe than Nintendo's own work, with more high end visuals and massive voice overs and story. Basically all the criticism that is repeatedly thrown at Mario or Zelda, why still no voice overs, same old tropes as in the 80ies, are dealt with in KI U. That won't make it sell better than those franchises (since in actuality Mario reaches much older gamers than the ones who call themselves mature) but it caters to the kind of people who are on the fence between Nintendo and Sony. The ones who want to continue to buy Nintendo but are ridiculed for being too kiddy by the "mature" Sony fans.

What worked for Smash Bros. could work for KI U as well. It's the only chance it has really. But I think the main goal with this game is to keep young core Nintendo fans happy. And since a lot of former Sony gamers will move to 3DS together with franchises like MH and KH it might also succeed to fight the kiddy image of Nintendo releases. Because suddenly the same people will buy KH and KI U.

Or it might fail miserably, if duckroll's assessment of KI U being too kiddy proves right.

Also, I think the multiplayer shares a few things in common with Dissidia as well. But faster paced and 3:3 instead of 1:1.

Anyway, I think it's halfway there bridging Miyamoto audiences and Nomura audiences.

 

[Chris1964]

Yes, good games are coming to Vita? You know why? Because it is one of two flagship products in Sony's most profitable division, that's fucking why.

Your logic is killing me.

 

[Kenka]

FFS, stop with this retarded argument already. "We knew bla bla bla". Fact: first 6 months of 3DS were more barren then a fucking Gobi desert.

Yes, good games are coming to Vita? You know why? Because it is one of two flagship products in Sony's most profitable division, that's fucking why.

 

[Ignis Fatuus]

Sony's most profitable division is the gaming one.

What the fuck am I reading.

 

[jman2050]

When was the last time gaming was Sony's most profitable division? 2005? Before that?

 

[Psychotext]

Sony's most profitable division is the gaming one.

What are you smoking, and can I have a HUUUUGE portion of it?

~$5bn in losses over the last 5 years says shut the hell up. Their financial services division also says GTFO for good measure.

 

[Brainiac 8]

I'm really getting the idea you love to argue for the sake of it. Sony's most profitable division is the gaming one. Together with PS3, PSV is their flagship product they want to push, PS4 is not out for at least 12 months (and even that first months will be bad as always with new hardware).

So what exactly are you not getting? Or do you really think Sony has fallen so low they will just kill such a high-profile product?

PSP Go proves that they just might.

 

[gkryhewy]

I'm really getting the idea you love to argue for the sake of it. Sony's most profitable division is the gaming one. Together with PS3, PSV is their flagship product they want to push, PS4 is not out for at least 12 months (and even that first months will be bad as always with new hardware).

So what exactly are you not getting? Or do you really think Sony has fallen so low they will just kill such a high-profile product?

You seem very emotionally invested in the Vita right now, across a bunch of threads. Yes, it's a great piece of hardware, and lots of people hope it does well so that they'll have games to enjoy on their shiny hardware. On the other hand, many Sales-Agers find the disconnect between obviously polished hardware and dubious software prospects both jarring and interesting. I would suggest you not engage in Sales-Age if you can't discuss these things dispassionately.