Enough of E3, let’s talk about other games! #2013

Atelier Escha&Logy (PS3)

The pressure is increasing rapidly as we are less than two weeks away from the launch of project Atelier 15. Atelier Escha&Logy will give the choice between two main characters, conscientious Logy and energetic Escha. The battle system sees further changes as well, as you now have 6 characters on 2 rows! As a direct sequel to Ayesha, it will feature popular characters from the previous installment such as Wilbell, Marion and Linca.

Conception II (PSVita/3DS)

Conception 2 is a curious UGO (Unindentified Gaming Object) in which you have to make children (!) and tackle treacherous dungeons with your «family». Of course, you will be able to pick your loved one during dating sim-like sequences. The battle system seems a bit dull, but rather nice graphics and remarkable character design may very well make up for that.

Fairy Fencer F (PS3)

Crazy project in which star designers Tsunako (Hyperdimension Neptune) and Amano (Final Fantasy IX) work side by side, Fairy Fencer F is SRPG under the newly constituted label Galapagos RPG. Galapagos having been made «especially for hardcore JRPG fans», I’m dying to know what its first game will look like.

Exstetra (PSVita/3DS)

In this recently announced JRPG, you play as Ryoma, the chosen one in the fight to save Tokyo after the Apocalypse. To do that, he will have to kiss (!) pretty girls known as «Prisma Knights» so as to awaken their powers. Any resemblance with another existing game is purely accidental.

Liberation Maiden Sin (PS3)

After its success as a shoot’em up on 3DS, Liberation Maiden makes a striking debut on PS3 as… a dating sim! It’s not about saving the world as Shoko, but making her fall for you. The game will also feature a story that reveal what happened to the world after the first episode. A strange idea by Japanese developer 5pb (famous for similar adventure games) and greenlit by Suda51 himself. Let’s hope it plays as good as it looks.

Is it the end of the line for Hatsune Miku Project Diva?

Tough I told this many times, let me say again that I love Project Diva f and the project Diva series, which I discovered last summer. I invested 10’000¥ in that game, in particular for the beautiful DLC that added songs from the PS3 versions. That blew me away : my brain had to make an internal update of the definition of «beautiful» after seeing Senbonzakura.

Therefore, when I learned that Sega was preparing a sequel to the 3DS iteration Project Mirai, which is not even remotely as good as Project Diva, I was far from happy. The publisher had never failed to deliver a Project Diva each end of year before. Driven by rage, I took my phone to give them a piece of my mind.

Still, I should have known. The PR guy wasn’t enthusiastic when the first Diva f numbers were published. And two days ago, Sega gave the final ones. They shipped 390’000 Project Diva f (PSVita) + F (PS3) in Japan (probably crossed the 400K mark with digital purchases). The grand total of the Hatsune Miku games (Project Mirai included) is of 1.8 million games shipped. According to GAF, Project Diva f shipped 220K, Diva F 160K. Both are nearing the end of their shipment, because Diva f hit 200K as of end of 2012, and Diva F is currently around 155K sold. The 1^st Project Mirai had 2 shipments and sold 150K in 2012. If we extrapolate, 1800K – 400K Diva f+F – 200K Mirai = 1.2 million PSP games shipped between 2009 and 2011. That means that it took one PSVita game + one PS3 game to equal the sales that PSP games used to acheive. Diva f like Diva F are each way more costly than a 3DS game, hence Sega greenlit Mirai 2.

This triggers serious questions. When even its second-best selling game can’t meet the objective, how can PSVita survive on the market? Will publishers find any interest to deliver the ultimate experience when spin-offs make more profits? Are we going towards lesser quality because of the bearish market? Bad business news are rife those days. SquareEnix’s western games are a gigantic failure that burned millions. The newest God of War, Gears of Wars and Darksiders bombed, and many more stories point towards the end of the current economic model. Next gen is around the corner, can developers keep up? Will gamers foot the bill? Won’t publishers have to cut in their budgets? Will they be still eager to surprise us while it’s the the less innovating games (CoD, FIFA, Mario,…) that make the most money? All this with the rounds of applause from the press which on the top of that often give lectures on innovation and indies. Their hypocrisy is sickening.

Those questions then find a direct illustration in the little world of Hatsune Miku games. What can I do? Unless Mirai 2 bombs hardly, Playsation versions seem out of the agenda. There are rumors of new DLC, but the official silence spells doom on the Project Diva series. I played 15 minutes to snap this screenshot, 15 minutes and yet it’s utmost delight.

Tonight, I am no longer angry. I’m just sad. Of this sadness that draws all your strengh, by which you can’t move forward or even turn on a game. After Valkyria Chronicles, losing Project Diva would far too harsh…

Senran Kagura or the successful shift to Vita

By leaving 3DS for PSVita, the Senran Kagura series saw sales skyrocket despite the much smaller user base. In just 2 weeks, Senran Kagura Shinobi Versus has sold nearly as much as the two previous episodes combined. Marvelous AQL’s newest brawler sold 120’000 copies in Japan across digital and retail in only a few days, while the latest 3DS one had achieved «only» 70’000. The PSVita version has been flying away from shelves with 93% sell-through, making it impossible to find in numerous locations. Marvelous was quick to issue a 2^nd shipment early in the following week. Will Bayonetta 2 be able perform that well in the opposite direction? Nothing sure…

Anyway, this great success shows the greater awareness of Playstation players to this kind of game. But the reason also lies in this system itself, which unlike 3DS, is region-free. Otakus all around the world who had to hold back importing the 3DS versions can finally access this digital sexual liberation and import en masse for their western Vitas. Marvelous said they were happy with the Rune Factory 4 sales on 3DS (140K in 6 weeks), but Senran Kagura on PSVita sells way much faster still. Same happened with Hatsune Miku Project Diva f, which sold twice more at launch than the 3DS Project Mirai (and actually, even the almost identical Project Diva F on PS3 sold more too). In short, the large install base of 3DS means nothing, because 3DS owners in Japan are bent on Animal Crossing, mario or Fantasy Life, ignoring the rest. Developers are taking notes.

PSVita made a surge to 62’543 units sold in the wake of the price cut. Last week, sales further increased to 63’581, beating 3DS! The simultaneous release of Soul Sacrifice and Tales of Hearts R sure helped, but the odds were around 45’000 units. This same week, Sony systems accounted for 58% of the market, Playstation software shot up to 75%! Even more in value, because PS3/PSVita/PSP game cost more in average. Publishers take more notes. After several months of 3DS reign over the Japanese market, releases on Sony systems gradually outnumber 3DS hits in the top of the charts. The winds of change have started to blow in Japan, and they may well sweep the specter of Nintendomination.

No miracle for Professor Layton on 3DS

One year ago, I was telling you how the success of Professor Layton had been slowly waning. True, the first one was a major hit, and the series still belong to the high-seller club. But the transition to 3DS has obviously been difficult.

Having launched with 3DS in Japan, Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracles (5^th of the series) suffered from Nintendo’s failed strategy at that time. Vgchartz estimates that it sold only half of The Last Specter and Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney low initial sales suggest a downward trend in its home market. The game does seem to have legs but is likely to remain below the average of both series. The Mask of Miracles benefits from a cheaper digital version on the e-shop to gain further sales. Nothing at stake though, because the upcoming 6^th installment will be the last one.

However sad it wight be, our time cracking Layton’s cases are soon over. The latest game didn’t drive hardware at all in the US, as sales are as poor as last year. In Europe, the series’ biggest market, the 5^th Layton did only one third of what The Last Specter sold during the Christmas period. Everywhere and although it remains one of the biggest games on the system, the Layton series keeps losing ground.

It can mean only one thing : casual gamers that had come on board with DS haven’t upgraded to 3DS. To this audience, Professor Layton as well as video games were no more than a fleeting trend in which there is no reason to invest 170€ again. For their kiddies, the obvious choice will be mario. Layton’s misfortune illustrates how difficult it has become for Nintendo to go beyond mario. Nevertheless, Satoru Iwata is aware of that and seems ready to tackle the challenge of diversity. The large promotion campaign around Fire Emblem and future releases such as Project X Zone or Rune Factory 4 tend to show that guenuine efforts are being made.

That leaves only faithful fans of the Professor, who buy all the games day one and are craving for more. Let’s hope that PlvsAA and the 6^th Layton at least cross the borders and reach them.

My favorites games of 2012 (GoTY 2012)

Rules reminder : I’m picking from the games I’ve played in 2012, even if they were released in 2011 or if they’re yet to be announced in the West.

Best action game

Liberation Maiden (3DS)

I’ve always wanted to experience the action scenes from Evangelion in video game. With Liberation Maiden, no need to search further. This shoot’em up is a nearly exact transcript of the legendary anime. True, not the same scenario, not the same characters, a rather short story, but the spirit of Evangelion is here : the ferocious aliens, the awesome sound, the non-stop action. All those priceless things you can get for only 8 euros.

Runner-up : Senran Kagura Burst (3DS)

Best shooter

Call of Duty – Black Ops II (PS3)

Although Call of Duty did poorly with Modern Warfare 3, Treyarch made the wise choices to turn the situation over. An innovating campaign and a reborn quality multiplayer make Black Ops II the king this year.

Runner-up : Call of Duty – Black Ops Declassified (PSVita)

Best fighting game

Dead or Alive 5 (PS3)

Dead or Alive 5 deals a powerful blow to a competition mostly asleep at the wheel. At last effort is rewarded and improvisation useless. The gameplay is complex, even too complex, but the competition is sane and the noobs have been driven away. Graphically outsanting, with high value and a flurry of adorable characters, DOA5 takes the crown, and for a long time.

Runner-up : none

Best strategy game

Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS)

Like every time, it’s hard to resist to Fire Emblem once you have it whithin your reach. The clever gameplay is further enhanced by the support system and the unit management has some amazing surprises. CG scenes are beautiful and the art direction the best to date.

Runner-up : none

Best puzzle game

Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney (3DS)

True, PlvsAA won’t melt your brain like past episodes did. But its breathtaking story and lovable characters make up for the lesser difficulty settings.

Runner-up : If I were in a sealed room with a girl I would… (3DS)

Best RPG

Atelier Meruru (PS3)

Atelier Totori made history imho, and only logical that its sequel would take the title if it lives up to it. Actually, Atelier Meruru does even better in music, gameplay, management, battles, character design… Seldom did I feel such self-fulfillment with one game.

Runner-up : Tales of Xillia (PS3)

Best Music

Project Diva f (PSVita)

Let’s get this straight : it’s gonna be hard for any game to compete here as long as Hatsune Miku is in the place. Not when brilliant composers like the vocaloid god Wowaka delivers such goodness as Unhappy Refrain.

Runner-up : Project Diva Extend (PSP)

Best game no one bought

たっち，しょー Love Application (PS3)

Love Application literally crashed in Japanese charts. The audience for dating sim has never been that high so it might have been OK. Anyway, the amount value and fun crammed is this game is more than worth the few thousands yens.

Runner-up : Hyperdimension Neptune Victory

Best game you might never play

Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (DS)

The title I chose last year in this category, Final Fantasy Type-0, still hasn’t made it west. Released in Japan last year, Ace Attorney Investigations 2 probably won’t be luckier and might well end up being the only title in the series to skip the west too. A real shame when you think it’s the most brilliant Ace Attorney so far.

Runner-up : Shining Blade (PSP)

Most disappointing

SoulCalibur V (PS3)

An abysmal campaign and a dismal multiplayer. That’s all I could think of this 5^th iteration of a series had enjoyed so much. Everything that made the glory of the past ones, including characters and gameplay, has been reshuffled for the worst as armies of noobs increasingly took the power.

Runner-up : Ciel no Sourge (PSVita)

Most innovating

Gravity Daze (PSVita)

Mastering gravity. That’s what Gravity Daze is about. This game achieve the outstanding performance of having a unique, exhilarating and yet simple gameplay. Add to that an art direction that is one of the best this year, and you have the ultimate must-have on PSVita.

Runner-up : The Unfinished Swann (PS3)

Best graphics

Tales of Xillia (PS3)

A small step for the PS3, but a giant leap for the Tales of series. Tales of Graces F, which wasn’t exactly ugly, is merely a sketch of what awaits you in Tales of Xillia. Never had the anime style been so detailed, seldom could you enjoy such a flurry of colors and light.

Runner-up : Gravity Daze (PSVita)

 Game of the year

Atelier Meruru (PS3)

Can the Atelier series win for the second year in a row? YES! You do have one of the finest management-strategy-RPG ever. Characters, battles, music, side-quests, everything is as good as it can get. With games like these, there are no such things as eating or sleeping : Atelier Meruru nurtures your soul to delight.

 Project Diva f (PSVita)

 Tales of Xillia (PS3)

 Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS)

Review – Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney

Two long years after the fateful TGS 2010 trailer, the cross-over of the two most brilliant minds of the DS is a last in my 3DS.

Graphically speaking, Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney (PlvsAA) is impressive. That said, it doesn’t seem to apply to the most important characters because Layton & Luke look odd, and Phoenix seem rather inexpressive at times. On the other hand, NPCs are astonishingly detailed and Mahone looks like she comes from a Ghibli movie. The excellent CG scenes further add to the overall quality. In fact, I just had the impression that 3DS had finally entered the portable next-gen, proof that it can make technical wonders when developers don’t go into useless thrift. PlvsAA is also an outstanding achievement in level design, story and characters.

PlvsAA takes the best of both franchise to deliver high-class, fun and cuteness at the same time. The more you progress in the story, the more you will admire Level-5 genius narrative. The story is fascinating and each end of chapter has such a big suspense that you can’t stop playing. The four characters end up in a medieval city haunted by witchcraft. In this world, reality is fiction, and fiction always become reality. The scenario is so full of mysteries that the very end of the game actually has some trouble explaining all of it. The last trial end up being a tiring series of explanations, rather than the climax we are accustomed to in Ace Attorney. The end of the game can also seem a bit naive, even though I was pleased this way. The story in whole was nonetheless coherent.

As for the gameplay, fans will clearly lament the low difficulty settings. The puzzles are middle-school level and will disappoint those who fancy scratching their heads and keep their hint coins in their purse. The trials are a bit more demanding but the game keeps guiding you way too often. At some point you can’t even think by yourself. Your evidence list is short (5 to 10 items) and hint coins are available. PlvsAA introduces a new feature : you now cross-examine multiple witnesses at the same time. They often contradict or argue with each other, thing that you’ll have to learn to dig out the truth. They won’t hesitate to jump from the terraces if they have something to add. Sorting all this confusion can be tricky at times and makes the judiciary part particularly entertaining. As for the «VS» part, there is a short scene that feels like it without ever being convincing. It almost feels as if Level-5 had re-wrote the game entirely, because many sequences from the first trailer never appear in the full game.

Those drawbacks do make the experience far less good than it should have been, but this unique cross-over remains solid entertainment for 30 hours, thing you seldom have on 3DS. Also, it should be noted that more difficult puzzles will come as free DLCs during the following weeks.