RPGCast - Episode 137: "I Want My Casino"

[sabin1001]

RPGCast - Episode 137: "I Want My Casino"

Dragon Quest IX is here! We talk all about its lack of gambling options as well as the NIS America press event. In addition, Cavia, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Dragon Age make the headlines this week.

You can find the links to all our stories on delicious: http://delicious.com/rpgamer/137

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Download BadgerLord's song here: Electric Happyness

[MasterChief]

First off, I'm honored to have made you guys somewhat uncomfortable with my email. Always a goal of mine. I would hope there's more to women gaming than Sims 3 and free website games that only really serve to distract people from work (you know you do it too, so don't lie ). Sims is a pretty strange one too, since EA's released a TON of Sims console games, but they've never caught on quite like the PC. Wonder why that is.

As to casual games, I find them an interesting phenomenon. The first in a type does extremely well, then after that, you get nothing. I remember how absolutely mind-blowingly well Carnival Games did, but none of the games in that type - including several attempts by CG publisher Take-Two - did nearly as well, almost all fading into obscurity. In music games, there's Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and everything else is a minor niche. Just Dance did great, and continues to sell pretty well in Europe, but I can't help but wonder if Just Dance 2 is going to do well. It's such a hit and miss market, and it must drive publishers absolutely batcrap insane trying to figure it out. As to Nintendo having several end-of-year best sellers, they've ALWAYS done that, because of their well-tended brands. You're always going to see Mario and Pokemon in those lists: it's just part of the advantage of having over 20 years of nostalgia. They don't really need to try that hard anymore.

[Clix]

Sims is a pretty strange one too, since EA's released a TON of Sims console games, but they've never caught on quite like the PC. Wonder why that is.

Because they really, really, really suck. They strip out so much of the fun of the real versions on the PC by drastically limiting an already fairly limited life simulator.

[Nergal]

RIP cavia

NIER was amazing, and the first Drakengard game was insanity incarnate (in the best of ways). Really sad to hear they're gone. I hope more gets done with the NIER/Drakengard continuity. It's too interesting to die

[SiliconNooB]

D: Not Cavia ...

[MasterChief]

Yeah, I gotta agree, Cavia closing down does indeed suck. They developed Bullet Witch, one of my early fave 360 games.

[pcaballe]

Never got to try bulletwitch, definitely going to check it out next time I'm on amazon. Oh, hey Paws(or sabin) what server do you guys play Sword on?

[sabin1001]

We play Sword on Orpesia.

I'm Ruckuso, but don't log on much lately. Firemyst is Mysthorn. Paws is something I can't remember.

[Paws]

My old family is Hibou. The one I'm doing the new quests on is Kotka. Right now I'm having problems logging on and staying on, so you won't see me on much.

[SeraphimKitten]

Happy Birthday, Paws! I would totally draw you a picture, except I have no art skills. Also, I don't think my Canadian is fluent enough to draw it in French and English.

[Macstorm]

To reply to Strawberry Eggs, yes the DS market is oversaturated in that it is hard for publishers to get key shelf space with brick-and-mortar retailers. There are just too many crappy DS games flooding the market. It's not RPGs that have become the problem, it's the other crap. RPGs sadly don't sell tons by default, so smaller titles aren't worth it to most if it's not going to sell really well.

I can't speak to the publishers, but from those that I've talked with they just don't see enough profit to be worth bringing over DS games. So to answer her question, sadly the flood of DS RPGs we've seen over the past couple years are over. Just look at the smaller PSP games that people might not buy at retail, those games are not seeing a retail release and just going to PSN. They can't do that with the DS.

Replying to what Manny is saying, it's the smaller DS RPGs that people want. There are lots of little titles that have been middling in Japan that we've seen make it over in the past few years, but no longer.

[emech]

So persona had what, 10 days as the best portable rpg of the moment before DQ came and rolled it? No wonder developers are reducing port over numbers when even the best quality titles have maybe 14 days to make their impact.....

[jcservant]

Pretty much. LOL. Well, I got both. I'm playing DQ and my wife is playing P3P.

[Paws]

Yes and no. It's two different systems and the cross-over demographic is probably not that huge between the two games. I got both myself, as they were gifts.

[Macstorm]

I bought, played, and loved Persona 3 Portable. Dragon Quest IX... no time soon.

[risingsun]

Chris, Mikel, Phil, let's see your 10 picks from your back catalog so the community can vote.

[Nyx]

I think Mikel should finish up Ar tonelico, FF13 and Persona 3, but that's just me. :P He's as bad as Chris for starting and stopping games!

[lithorose]

I would think the primary value of a game console for a woman that doesn't play video games is to keep the other members of the household busy. And it doesn't seem to have caught up with a lot of people yet that 40% of gamers are women. That's only 10% lower than the proper proportion between the sexes.

[MasterChief]

I would think the primary value of a game console for a woman that doesn't play video games is to keep the other members of the household busy. And it doesn't seem to have caught up with a lot of people yet that 40% of gamers are women. That's only 10% lower than the proper proportion between the sexes.

The problem with saying that is that the ESA likes to include people who play flash games at work or people who do the whole solitaire thing. That statistic is useless to the people trying to sell games to people. :P

[Macstorm]

I think Mikel should finish up Ar tonelico, FF13 and Persona 3, but that's just me. :P He's as bad as Chris for starting and stopping games!

Worse, Chris finished Persona 3 (and P4?) and FF13.