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spudlyff8fan

spudlyff8fan

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Well, with the merger of Bandai Games and Namco, does anybody see a brighter future for random anime license games? We won't see it immediately, since Naruto are just going to be translated versions of a completed games, and Cowboy Bebop is probably completed. But down the road, a year or two from now, does anybody think that anime games will become something that will be desired?
 
You're talking about the company that's released dozens of bad "modern" pac-man games. You're talking about the company that's making a Curious George game licensed from the movie. Dead to Rights. Death by Degrees. Nightmare of Druaga. An upcoming Snoopy game. Tekken 4. Hello Kitty Roller Rescue. Street Racing Syndicate.

Or did you think that every game Namco makes is a winner?

Not to mention the hyperbole in the "half their games" part of your statement.
 
How in the hell is that hyperbole? They're two companies now merged, it isn't as if Bandai is a one-game-per-year company, they put out a helluva lotta games.
 
I think anime games have a very long way to go before they become good on a regular basis. And I mostly blame anime fans, because they are so loyal to their favorite franchises that they will buy the games even after they are warned by internet reviews, magazine reviews, and TV reviews about how much a certain game will suck. Instead of realizing a game based on some anime show is terrible, they take an honest review as some kind of disrespect towards them and anime as a whole. Somehow, someway, they don't see that if they stop buying crap, developers/publishers will stop making crap. So until game makers feel they have to make better content in order to sell, I believe they'll just continue to cut major corners to make a quick buck.
 
BCampbell said:
You're assuming that half of the games they produce will be based on anime.
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It isn't an assumption. Half their games will be put out by the Bandai half of Namco-Bandai. But I won't get into how Bandai is making independent games.
 
spudlyff8fan said:
It isn't an assumption. Half their games will be put out by the Bandai half of Namco-Bandai. But I won't get into how Bandai is making independent games.
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Wow, so you know all of the games that are going to be put out by Namco in, say, 2006? Can you like, list them for us, so we can see that half of them are based on anime licenses? I didn't know you knew so much about the industry, you must be really tight with people over there at Namco.

And Maverick put his finger exactly on the issue above. Publishers can get away with making half-assed games based on licenses (beyond anime licenses), knowing that they will still sell a certain number of units to the fans no matter how good or bad the game is. Dragon Ball Z Sagas is a great example. The fact that there is a guaranteed consumer base encourages mediocrity; they only have to make the games good enough to not completely turn the fans off from buying the next one, and there's no reason to spend lots of extra money making them really good because of diminishing returns.

I think tehre also may be an insular effect; those outside of the direct fan base are hesitant to try the games because they aren't familiar with or don't like the anime, no matter how good the game may be. I know that I'm not buying a Dragonball Z game, regardless of how awesome people may tell me it is. Because of this, even if a developer/publisher tried to put out a great licensed game, they may not be rewarded for it because people outside of the fan base may not be willing to pick it up as they would something more general or "original" (in the sense of being created strictly for the game and not licensed from another media).
 
In 2006, Namco-Bandai plans on releasing...

Me and My Katamari
Tekken 6 (assuming PS3 does come out in 2006)
Ridge Racer 6
Baten Kaitos 2
Xenosaga DS
Tales of Phantasia
Tales of Eternia
Tales of Legendia
Curious George
Poker PSP
Frame City Killer
Bount Hounds PSP
Hellgate
Stargate
Warhammer
Tamagotchi DS
Gundam (PS3)
Gundam (Current Consoles)
Gundam DS
.hack//GU 1
.hack//GU 2
.hack//GU 3
.hack//Fragment
Naruto Clash of the Ninja
Naruto Clash of the Ninja 2
Naruto Ninja Council
Naruto RPG
Digimon World 5
MS Saga
Duel Masters 2 (GBA)
Duel Masters (DS)
Cowboy Bebop

Among others. And yeah, I do know that much about the industry, and I don't know anybody at Namco. I just need to use Google. Maybe you should check it before you say I'm wrong?
 
Well, you're wrong if you think those are all of the games Namco is releasing in 2006. And even if it were, you'd still be wrong that half of the games are based on anime licenses. So you're actually doubly wrong there. Maybe you chould check before you assume you're right?

Of course, you didn't really say much in this thread anyway. I mean, your contribution was simply "you think Namco is just gonna wing it and let half their games suck?" Not much of a rebuttal. If you actually have something yo say in response to any of the points brought up here, you're more than welcome to! Of course, you could just keep lording your supposed knowledge over everyone, and we can keep the status quo of nobody really caring what your opinion is. Your choice!
 
Actually, interesting as this thread has been, I have (by the power of Google, and other internet resources) found that the following information IS correct, and that it will happen in 2006. The merger will result in the company assuming the new name of BANCO. As this new games creating powerplayer moves forward with its merger, it aims to increase awareness of its lesser properties by releasing crossover titles which they hope will appeal to more gamers. One such title that BANCO is hoping will be a big seller in '06 is "Curious Caliber". It will be a crossover of both the Curious George and Soul Caliber licences. Apparently, the game will consist of George setting out to find the remaining pieces of the Soul Edge, curious about why these fighters battle year after year with the same goal. Unfortunately, a leak in the story says that George, after asking Asteroth (curiously of course) why he has a big pulsating (insert female genatalia reference here) in the middle of his chest, is decapitated by the gigantic axe of the humorless fighter, and proceeds to spend the rest of the game as the new furry pelt portion of Asteroth's awesomely large loin cloth. Shortly after this happens, the man in the yellow hat becomes unlockable, and his story arc finds him on a trail of revenge to reclaim his simian friends pelt from spending an eternity next to Asteroth's (apparently) ample, and sweaty, crotch. He also wants the Soul Edge. In conclusion, 50% of BANCO's merged games WILL NOT be anime licences, but only time will tell whether they WILL BE any good either. And don't even get me started on what I found out about Tekkengotchi....
 
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I was just posing a yes or no question to you, but you can feel free to bitch all you like. You're becoming more and more of a disappointment when it comes to my earlier impressions of you...

Also feel free to say how wrong I am without saying in what way.
 
Okay, I was being unnecessarily harsh there. Let's back up, and I'll give your question a fitting answer.

spudlyff8fan said:
So....you think Namco is just gonna wing it and let half their games suck?
Click to expand...

No.

But as for:
spudlyff8fan said:
does anybody think that anime games will become something that will be desired?
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Desired by whom? They'll always be desired by the fanbase. But as I said earlier, I think that licensed games have more going against them than just quality issues. There could also be a resistance by non-fans to pick up the games, even if they're good. If these licensed games do get better, maybe we'll see if that's true or not.
 
Ok Bandai is known for pumping out crappy anime games, with the ocassional good anime game. Just about every anime game that has come out in the US is a rehashed 2 year old Japanesse game. I would assume (since its fairly inexpensive) that Namco will do the same to the anime titles. That, I am certain of. The only game I am excited about in that lineup is Hellgate London. which will be super awsome.
 
Man I don't really care about the rest of what you guys are talking about but "Me and My Katamari"? YAYAYAYAY

The fact that yet another Katamari game will be coming out in the future pretty much made my day!
 
It's the same key with getting a book published. Take two different concepts: one is a strong idea but is about a story that has never been done before, one is based on an extremely popular anime series. The anime game gets it. Even if the storyline sucks. Even if it is slapped together to take advantage of a surge in popularity of the anime series.

What matters to the developers is money. Will they take a risk on something that MIGHT make them money and they may have to spend uber-bucks to promote, or will they make something that's guaranteed to sell at a minimum of cost (using fewer or less expensive artists etc. and spending less time on it)?

The answer: If they have to choose between the two, it will always go to the sure thing. Period. No board of trustees, or whoever makes the decision for a particular company, is altruistic enough to go for the riskier product. It's the same thing with movies and books. A sequel to a majorly popular book or movie will get made instead of a new concept. How many sequels are bad?

Expect poor quality from games based on popular series. However, if it is a new idea or based on a little known anime book or movie series, it might be spectacular.
 
Then again, on the other side of the coin, you have the "popular=good" crowd. Dragonball Z is popular? Well then it must be good! By extension th egames are good because the show is good because it's popular! These are the people who will tell you "millions of people can't be wrong." It all depends on what you consider good. To a fan of a particular series, any game in that series will be good beacuse it further connects them with characters and settings they love. They don't care as much about the critical aspects that the rest of us do. It's exactly the same issue as my low rating of Shadow of the Colossus. I didn't get the same things out of it that lots of other gamers did. With a game like Dragonball Z Sagas, a fan of the series gets more out of it than lots of other gamers do.

And that's okay. I don't want to see publishers stop making games that appeal to a small segment of the market just becaise I don't think those games are good. I also don't want to see the market flooded by them, but I don't think we're in danger of that.
 
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