This off-topic discussion is for gaming-related topics outside of my LPs, such as new video games or other gaming-related subjects, like D&D. However, I still don't want this to turn into random discussions about current events or politics. To keep things organized, I'll create a new Off Topic Discussion every month, so it doesn't get too cluttered.

My free time has opened up, so I've decided to re-open this forum, since I can moderate it better, myself. Let's not get into flame wars this time, please. I do not want to foster that kind of atmosphere around here. Thank you.

Have fun!

Should we inform DarkBlaze6 that these are back? It seems he left as soon as these got canned.

YES!!!!!
i missed this forum :D
thanks hc for bringing it back

just on time too since im getting xenoblade next week AND seeing the distant world concert so now i have where to brag ^_^ (aside from FMT)

Just something that came to mind. I've seen a lot of reports on all these major developers losing tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Does anyone know how or why that's happening? I know the economy is down, but they should have adapted to it by now, either by cutting costs, producing fewer games, or producing ones that give a better return on investment. I know a lot of them have changed their business model to take advantage of microtransactions, but that doesn't seem to be helping very much. Maybe lower production value games are the future, but with all the low-grade iphone games being dumped on the market, I wonder if it's going to be another video game crash?

well there was the earthquake in japan that made many japanese companies lose millions of dollars
other companies - i have no idea

I wonder how much they lost from that will make a long-term impact? Sure $100 million sounds like a lot, but if you're a major player in a multi-billion dollar industry, maybe a temporary loss like that isn't such a big deal.

I think the release of MW3 may help with the developer. We all know those games are overly-popular.

That's the weird thing. I've heard a lot of these major developers are losing big-time, despite selling 5+ million copies of a major hit from their primary series. They're not stupid. They have to know what their return on investment is. I can't see how if their major titles are doing so well, that the sum of their other, less costly titles can so greatly overwhelm that. I guess it must be the earthquake.

Considering Nisa is still raising money to help with the Earthquake
I'd say it hurt big time

Pretty glad this topic is back again. Here's hoping the same thing doesn't happen again.

Anyways, so Nintendo isn't the only company that lost money? Huh, that's strange. I suppose the earthquake could be the reason for this or something.

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I was going to mention this in one of my post on another thread, but since this place is back...

I recently bought a few things game related that I was hoping to get for quite a while now. Those items are:

~ Chrono Cross
~ White Knight Chronicle Strategy Guide
~ 8GB PSP Memory Stick

I'm pretty much playing Chrono Cross none stop ever since I got it along with Final Fantasy Tactics. As for the 8GB memory card, I got it not only because my other memory card got corrupted, but also to see if that was the problem I'm having with the PSP. Naturally, it isn't.

I've been getting lost in Ys 1 after the third town :P
Still can't find where I'm supposed to go

Also this http://www.screwattack.com/news/nintendo-s...iced-profit-3ds

I'd say I'm on the know about gaming news, and I have a few tidbits about why some gaming companies are in a financial downturn. Let's start with Nintendo.

Nintendo grossly underestimated their competition against the Apple products in terms of handheld gaming. More and more people are starting to pick up a tablet or a phone that is capable of these $0.99-$4.99 games. It seems like the mentality has shifted in the last few years in the consumers to be able to play a quick session of some addicting game (i.e. Doodle Jump, Angry Birds) on the cheap. Less people are looking into getting a dedicated handheld gaming device with games that are $39.99 and have several hours worth of content.

Nintendo also overestimated the potential popularity of the 3DS based on the DS success of the last few years. Truth be told, the DS did not have a very good launch. In fact, the 3DS has already beaten the DS in terms of units sold in a comparable "launch window". However, Nintendo was really banking on people wanting to upgrade from the DS to the 3DS which really isn't happening as quickly as they wanted. That's mostly due to: the amount of DS models Nintendo put out (DS, DSLite, DSi, DSiXL), the start up cost of the 3DS (quickest price drop in Nintendo history), and the lack of amazing software on the 3DS, even 7.5ish months after release.

Nintendo is also at that point where one console is being phased out for another. The Wii fad has been over for a long time - most of the great Nintendo first party titles are out, with Zelda ending it all on the 20th of this month. Now there will be a huge gap until the Wii-U comes out, and I guarantee you that will be a whole different can of worms.

I could go into a bunch of other developers - like THQ's Kaos studios being closed down after the development of Homefront even though that game sold a couple of million copies. I just may do that, but perhaps a little later when I've got my thoughts together. I just happened to remember everything I read about Nintendo this past year and why they're losing a ton of money.

Has anyone here played Okamiden? If so, how long is it?

Yeah, Nintendo's problem was unveiling and releasing the 3DS too early. It was too pricey (even though I still got one day one) and really didn't have a good launch line-up. I have three games from the launch, which is usually a sign of a good line-up if a customer got three games, but it was because there weren't any games coming after the launch for awhile, so I bought new games. Despite that, games are still low for the 3DS. They should have waited one more year to release it, or at least 6 months. The Vita at this point already beats them on game reported to be out and it hasn't even been released yet.

The WiiU just doesn't sound great to most people. You can see this as stocks dropped, although guess it was to be expected anyways. The Wii is a fad that ran out and some people really never got into. They should have seen this and I think they should have scrapped the Wii idea altogether and just make a new system from scratch instead of the WiiU.

And, of course, more third party games. Can't stress this enough.

As for other game companies, I would think the problem is on production costs. Does anyone know how much money it takes for graphics and design for a game like Modern Warfare 3? I'd really like to know to see just how much money is spent on graphics alone.

You would think that major gaming companies would either take current economics into account for their high-end games, or simply not make them altogether. It seems like no amount of good sales on such games can compensate for the cost of making them. That's just basic budgeting.

On the bright side, perhaps this economy will force gaming companies to create mid-budget games and find actually creative ways of entertaining their target market, instead of relying on pure graphics.

=o new Off Topic discussion! :D :D :D

*tacklehugs everyone*

Thats something with a lot of games now that I dislike, the game designers think that Graphics alone will sell a game. Sure it may help, but you also need good game mechanics and good plot. Lets look at Kingdom Hearts.

Since KH1, they have used the same graphics unless the game was on a handheld (excluding the PSP) and the game still sells a lot of copies. Thats because the game mechanics are easy to control and get to used to. And the plot is also entertaining, but at the same time easy to understand.

We can only hope. Gamers these days are too excited by pretty graphics. Hell, I am too. I loved the view of the Sunleth Waterscape in FF13 when you look over the cliff.

http://youtu.be/Dhwyp1SJsls?t=7m13s

However, I'm not reliant on graphics. It's why I love playing handheld games and older games still. Game developers have to focus on graphics to please their audience in order to make games good in people's eyes.

eh, focusing on graphics isn't necessarily bad, you just gota make sure their -really- good if you go that route, and do it on PC, and only for really high-end PC's. That way those of us with beefy rigs can pat ourselves on the back and brag about how awesome we are. No but seriously, for a shooter..you really can get away with nothing but graphics, because the shooter formula is very simple to begin with. RPG's..eh, not so much

Thing is, people say they want better graphics, and the devs listen. This is -bad-, because people don't want better graphics, they want better aesthetics and art direction. Look at El Shaddai, for example. When gamers say they want better graphics, that's what the devs focus on, and we get our brown games with very good textures. It does seem to be getting better, though.

Off topic is back. That was a surprise.

Anyway I've been doing the WORLD in Tactics Ogre, And i recently got Dark Souks.

STAY OUT OF MY FOREST *grows aggressively*

HC did you upload any documents for your LP of Chrono Cross?
I want to start playing this game soon and could use the help

Also OFF TOPIC IS BACK!!!!!!

cue Dragoon spam :P

No, I never uploaded my notes prior to creating these forums. Besides, I made changes to them as I made the LP.

I've actually been grinding there. 2000 souls a pop is awesome :P.

Ah all right...looks like i'll be playing along to the LP then!

Yeah... While it won't happen anytime soon for some reason I feel Nintendo will go the way of Sega. I know I don't have enough money to buy every game console like I used to because lolschool, and an almost total lack of third party games and systems like the Wii have made me very uninterested in Nintendo, and wanting to just stick with a gaming PC and Playstation 3 this generation. I'm completely uninterested in the Wii-U from what I've seen, and I have my old DS which is good enough for me right now because there isn't enough to justify a 3DS in my opinion.

I know it's a little bit controversial, because some people actually love it, but I also cannot *stand* how Nintendo treats their franchises. It's pretty important because a lot of the only real worthwhile games on their systems to me have always been first party titles, and all they seem to love to do is release the same games over and over staring the same intellectual properties using gameplay that is roughly the same as games from over ten years ago that have updated graphics and maybe a new gimmick or two. Like with Zelda, I really loved Wind Waker and had some hope but then they come out with Twilight Princess and it's an graphically updated version of Ocarina of Time. On that note, one of their biggest sellers was Ocarina of Time for the 3DS because they love to sell the exact same game to people over and over. And it's not just every now and then with Square-Enix doing that remake of Final Fantasy 4 for example. It's either ports or cloned gameplay coming out constantly as if their whole philosophy is to sell games by triggering nostalgia. I'm sure the games are still fun but like I said I don't have a lot of expendable income like I used to, and I'm totally uninterested in games I've basically already played. The chances are very likely that unless I'm extremely impressed I won't buy a Nintendo home console again, and they're also losing ground in the handheld department with me. Also, speaking of their home consoles, making their new system called the "WiiU" was probably not the best idea. Kind of sad because I really want to like Nintendo, since I grew up playing PC and Nintendo games ever since I was a like four or five, but they just aren't the same anymore.

This console generation was a little depressing across the board actually. I'm also probably never buying a Microsoft console again because I had to replace my Xbox 360 TWO times due to red ring of death crap that happened due to their faulty hardware. I am probably locked in on the Playstation/PC set up for the foreseeable future.

On the bright side, while there's certainly problems going on in the PC gaming industry, recently released games like The Witcher 2 give me hope there's still a lot of good exclusives to it, and the new Deus Ex game was an extremely good sequel to a video game I love and play so much I had admittedly sort of unrealistic exceptions for what a good continuation of the series would be. I'm also currently addicted to Starcraft 2 and will hopefully be to Diablo 3. Valve is also still around, even though I'm still waiting on that Episode 3 for, what is it, four years now?

On the JRPG side there still seems to be some quality games being released too. I just started playing Final Fantasy XIII, and while I admit I can see a lot of the flaws people are pointing out, it's still a pretty fun game with a a pretty fresh(ish) combat system. I'll probably pick up XII soon if I can since I skipped that one too.

I still have hope and as a whole try to look at it all very positively. I can say though that if I had to sum up everything that seems wrong with the industry right now I can do it in one single, symbolic picture.

5$ that in 3 years the smartphones gaming market will be mostly abandoned like the wii is after the casual players (not gamers) will find something else to hype about just because it's shiny and new

ASTOUNDING!

What caused you to bring them back, H.C.?

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Just two heads up's.....

-If people start attacking me again, I will not hesitate to leave The Kingdom for good.

-If DarkBlaze comes back, I will not hesitate to leave The Kingdom for good.

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Just to make things clear....

Now then, back to a happy-excited moment! :lol:

News on The Dragoon (This is an update on my gaming life in between leaving The Kingdom, and returning. I haven't shared this, because there was no off topic place to do so...)

-I am playing Final Fantasy VI (III) again...

-I am currently learning to program. (And at this time, I'm really freaking bad at it) and, I'm trying to use this skill to make a PC Game. It currently doesn't have a permanent name. But this is why my member title is "President of Dragoon Inc." ...I'm trying to form a gaming company....But have very little luck because of the slow progression of my game, and I am still just a teen....with no money....

-On the side, Dragoon Inc. (A.K.A. Dsilink, Erzie, and I) are working on making a Minecraft adventure map. It's going to be really huge, and it might be a little complicated, but I think it should be pretty fun.

-I finally got Pok'emon Black. However, I'm playing it blind. (And actually prefer it that way, it keeps everything exciting, and difficult, so please, don't give me any advice)

-I am now 15. Woopty-freakin'-doo, that doesn't effect me much.....

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So, that's about all I have to say.....

it was very nice of you to tell me before annocing it :rolleyes:

speaking of which about a week or two ago game freak registered the domain name pokemon grey! :D

Yay the off topic board!
Yeah not much for video games I'm interested in not much a caught my attention. I do understand why Nintendo does do what they do they make easy money from this it business. I oddly have had no problem with my xbox 360 and I have had it for almost two years though I didn't buy much for it ( I got about maybe 5 games.) and I could never get a PS3 it ended up being too expensive with school in the way.

Did you buy your Xbox 360 kind of recently? I heard they helped fix the hardware issues in newer models, and my two systems that broke were near launch.

And you will keep playing until you like it like the rest of us.

....or we'll all hunt you down in real life! :P

And i live in the same state as you Dragoon. It won't be that hard.

I got it around December about two years ago I think they fixed it before that I'm not sure. It does make no sense why they tried to market it so early. The Wii and PS3 didn't come out until the next year.

Well, glad this topic's back, and I have learned to NEVER fall asleep while playing a handheld, particularly while you're in Tartarus in P3P, yup Death murdered my whole party.

Join the club.

Who the Hell falls asleep playing a video game? :blink:

It must have been one HELL of a boring game..... :unsure:

He was probably playing it late at night. I'm almost had it happen a couple of times.