Topic: Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA

Wow, that feedback sounds really impressive. I just started XC2 and keep debating whether to keep going with it or detour to Ys first.....this thread is making that decision quite hard

@Trajan See, speaking as someone who would shill for Xenoblade 2 at every opportunity, Ys and Xenoblade both go towards different goals. Ys's world is more of a Metroidvania with permanent upgrades (hence the constraint, but that's why I also love the progression), Xenoblade is more of open levels at a time you can mostly fully explore at almost any point (which I also really enjoy).

Honestly though, the only problem with the combat imo is that it can sometimes feel unresponsive and clunky with flash dodges/guards. If it was more reliable and not as borked, I'd love it even more. But as of now I only like a lot, not love it.

@NEStalgia They're both pretty different games in progression and game feel. I recommend you play one at a time before moving onto the next. It's like comparing apples to peaches.

Someone on ResetEra is saying the game's Western reception has been pretty good:
"early word is that the switch version is the best-selling sku in the west launch-aligned, and not far behind the ps4 + psv launch last year. it's only been a week, but still. it seems a bit like disgaea 5 complete again."

Source: https://www.resetera.com/threads/media-create-sales-week-25-2...

@JaxonH They're very different.

I'm not terribly impressed with the characters, dialogue, or plot of Ys VIII so far (they're not bad, mind you, just not terribly noteworthy), but the gameplay is insanely fun. It's an exploration-heavy action RPG with lightning fast combat (think somewhere between Kingdom Hearts and Bayonetta) and an almost Metroidvanian structure, where you have to find new gear and rescue survivors (the game takes place on an ostensibly "cursed" island after a shipwreck) to unlock new parts of the island.

If you consider that your character, Adol Christin, almost never seems to talk, it feels remarkably like what you'd get if The Legend of Zelda had been conceived as a JRPG.

Also, the music is catchy as heck! Consider the following field theme:

@NEStalgia Stick with Xenoblade 2, I'd say. Bogging oneself down with multiple JRPG epics can get stressful.

Also, Ys VIII will be fully patched up by mid-July, meaning you'll be able to play the game at its most polished by then (although I've not seen a single issue translation-wise so far, if I'm being honest).

@Ralizah
Much needed, since the Japanese reception was terrible. I don't know what it is about the Japanese audience but it seems they are dead set against supporting Nintendo for multiplats, despite eating up the same exact games on PS Vita and PS4.

But as long as the western reception is good it's going to carry the game because that's where most of the sales will come from anyways.

I think the empty Switch calendar has meant its got a lot more free marketing than it normally would. I saw quite a lot of youtubers, including Gamexplain, give it a full review.
By comparison, hardly anyone reviewed the previous 2 Ys games.

This is a good month in general for JRPGs. Ys VIII, Shining Resonance Refrain, and Octopath. Although I didn't think Refrain's demo was all that good, I'll wait for more gameplay before I pull the trigger, because the beginning is almost always trash compared to the later parts.

@JaxonH I think it's because the Japanese people already got their portable goodness in the form of PSVita, and Ys' fans are almost always Sony's because they always have been in that platform for decades even. (And I think Sony is really crazy in supporting falcom? Like footing the marketing, localizing it into chinese etc)

So for Japanese people, then... yeah, most people would have bought it already since it came out on PSVita, and then on PS4.

@darkfenrir
I do agree with what you're saying, but at the same time I notice a distinct effort to not buy into Switch by Japanese Sony fans. It's getting way more awesome games than Vita ever did, and a healthy pace of quality content too, and all of it looks and runs more like console versions than paired back handheld versions like Vita got.

But I've noticed, the Sony fans in Japan who bought into Vita are not really supporting Switch despite it being all around a more powerful, capable, and attractive device with more games and better versions of those games at that

And Idk if it's just a thing where, they would rather buy a lesser product from Sony than a better product from Nintendo? Idk. But I consistently see subpar sales for JP focused games in Japan on Switch that they eat up on PS4 and Vita all day long. And some of it is day and date, or doesn't even come to Vita. It seems the console loyalism in Japan is worse than in the west.

In the west, fairly sizable numbers of Sony fans bought a Switch for Zelda and Crash and other games they want to play, and likewise a large number of Nintendo fans bought a PS4 for quality exclusives and multiplats. But in Japan there seems to be this stark divide between the two groups. And the Sony gamers arent touching Switch with a 10 foot pole no matter how much better it is than the Vita.

It actually makes you realize the west isnt as bad as it may seem. We see a lot of divide on the internet but in the sales charts, there's a different story being told.

@JaxonH Well... Maybe we'll get better numbers once the games are more day-and-date releases? (I mean on games that were very traditionally on Sony's only)... Maybe like Super Neptunia RPG, not sure.

For the games you said for JP focused games that came on both Switch and PS4 and Vita... what games though? I remember looking at the sales and most of the time, iirc the Switch always come out on top...

Doesn't Japan in general just not buy remasters/remakes that much? Look at Hyrule Warriors. Granted, you could also point to Tropical Freeze and Mario Kart selling well so it's split, but I think that most people that already played it wouldn't be considering double-dipping. Idk man, it still sucks because this game is damn good.

@EvilLucario Yeah, there was a... very long argument in the gematsu sales about that. (It got really heated)

Then again, yeah it's good game, but I view that if there's not much extra... why should one buy the remake/remaster.

Just different taste I guess

@darkfenrir
I'd have to look back, but I've noticed it for a while. Koei Tecmo games are a big one that comes to mind though. It's just a pattern I've noticed where games that the PlayStation fanbase typically gravitates towards in Japan, even sold well on Vita, don't do much at all on Switch. One Piece games also come to mind. It's a very odd situation. Like, just watch JP focused games in the JP sales charts over the next few months and tell me what you think later in the year when we've had a chance to analyze for a while. Like, Valkyria Chronicles 4. That's a series that has always been aimed at PS. And if that game were to release on Vita, it would plug major numbers. But Idk how Switch will fare. It just seems to me that a number of the games people were willing to buy a handheld for when it came to Sony, they are not willing to buy a Nintendo product for, even despite being a far better product with a ridiculously good exclusive line up compared to what Vita saw.

It's not always the case though. Bandai Namco has been seeing success with Dragonball in Japan, for example. But aside from that I can't think of too many Japanese focused third-party games that did all that well on Switch in Japan.

We need the Vita gamers to get on board. Specifically, the Japanese Vita gamers. And I know that may seem odd given it's only sold 5 million units in that country compared to the 30 million 3DS's, and that's true but the Vita gamers provide a valuable market for a different subsets of genres and games. Getting those people to buy in will help provide a lucrative market for these developers to bring those types of games over and actually see viable sales in Japan irrespective of the west. And that's important, because when Japanese developers are confident that they can make money in Japan without the expense of localization, they are more emboldened to bring a game to that platform which, provided it does well, it will ultimately get localized and we will reap the benefits.

@JaxonH Yeah, I would love if both the developers for Vita and 3DS in Japan will move to Switch (and I think the 3DS' ones are starting to?), my taste has almost always been leaning towards Japanese styled/designed games most of the time so that would be a boon.

Hopefully Octopath will have good sales on both West and Japan for now.

@darkfenrir
I think it will. The Nintendo fanbase will buy certain games in innumerable numbers, but usually it needs to be in exclusive to get the fans' attention. And Bravely Default did over a million copies- I think Octopath Traveller will too. I just hope The World Ends With You does as well- that's a really high-quality game that deserves to be played by a modern audience.

Why SE refuses to bring Final Fantasy to Nintendo platforms is beyond me though. They'll bring the occasional spin off but nothing more. Why isn't FFX/X-2 on Switch? Or Final Fantasy XII Remastered? Or Final Fantasy XIII? Heck, even just the PC port of FFVII for goodness sakes? They talk about oh maybe we'll bring FFXV, maybe we won't, oh we're in talks about FFXIV... forget that nonsense. Just bring the easy stuff! Test the market with VII PC port and the X and XII remasters, they are guaranteed to run and they are some of the most critically acclaimed RPG's of all time, so if they don't do well then they would have good reason to not bring any more, done and done, but if they do well it would show there is a huge audience of gamers willing to shell out money for this series who are currently not being serviced properly, and frankly downright ignored.

At $59.99, I doubt it. It's an HD version of a decade old Nintendo DS game.

Maybe if there was still a JRPG drought on the system, but we're going to be drowning in the things soon.

@JaxonH Yeah... multi plats tend to be ignored and it's sad :') Hopefully Shining Resonance will also have good sales on the West, it's been a little hard when 3rd party somehow made a ton of excuses to not sell stuff... orz TWEWY is good stuff, I hope it does well as well. My usual seller still not have the page up though... sad.

I do remember that SE did put FF3 and 4 on DS, as well as Revenant Wings and the spin offs. But other than that... nothing. I'm still hopeful they'll ever put FF9 on Switch.

Anyway I think we should get back to Ys8 topic.

@Ralizah Actually, the price in Japan seems to line it up to $40 game (it's around 4800 yen which is 37 Euro / 43 dollars)

I'm finally getting that weird flickering thing during cutscenes that people have complained about, but it's not constant. Hopefully NISA patches it out entirely.

@darkfenrir Sensible pricing in Japan, huh?

I'm still holding out hope that SE will port the FFXII remaster to Switch.

@Ralizah

They didn't even port to Xbox. Nor with FFX. Obviously still some kind of Sony agreement in place.

@Ralizah
I dont think that'll be an issue. Being a decade old or being a DS game won't matter. What matters is being a nice HD game today that's a full experience. Games get remasters all the time, and most of them are from the last decade. Some sell full price, some don't, but most people (the ones who haven't played it) will judge it based on what it is as if it's a brand new game. If it looks like it's interesting to them they'll buy it. Not that I think lowering the price wouldn't help of course- I do think it would help (when doesn't it, right?). But prices drop. Full price is never forever (unless you're Mario Kart Wii 😁)

The only real problem is, it seems to be more niche with the art style and gameplay style. We'll see though.