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General discussion (archive)What is Japan's problem with PC games?(79 posts)(79 posts)
(79 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted June 26, 2014
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Crosmando: KOEI sure made a tonne of TBS DOS games back in the day, and remarkably nearly all of them got English releases.
Not just TB, they were grand strategy. The battles were turn-based. But the campaign themselves had as much, or more meat than Paradox grand strategy releases lol
Posted June 26, 2014
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P1na: ...
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Maighstir: Now, I haven't been to Japan, so I cannot speak from personal experience, but media prices seem quite insane. I doubt those were collector's editions you were seeing. I remember reading about how a DVD with, say, two episodes from an anime series costs equal to what I'd have to pay for a whole season or two here.

The freedom of the PC platform is why those porn games are there (console makers won't accept such games for their platforms, and there's no ruler over the PC), and those games are likely why most publishers stay clear of the PC (they don't want to get associated with the "porn" platform).
Now that is not true. I haven't been to Japan either, but I can assure you there are tons of sexually graphic visual novels for consoles. I see people freaking importing those games here. It's the fact console manufacturers require certain standards for these games to be released, hence why those visual novels on consoles are also a bit more expensive than the PC ones.
Posted June 26, 2014
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Crosmando: KOEI sure made a tonne of TBS DOS games back in the day, and remarkably nearly all of them got English releases.
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cw8: Not just TB, they were grand strategy. The battles were turn-based. But the campaign themselves had as much, or more meat than Paradox grand strategy releases lol
Yeah I think I have one called Genghis Khan on my DOSbox/Dfend playlist for whenever I get to playing it.
Posted June 26, 2014
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihon_Falcom
Company people seem to have forgotten about.

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cw8: Not just TB, they were grand strategy. The battles were turn-based. But the campaign themselves had as much, or more meat than Paradox grand strategy releases lol
Romance of the Three Kingdoms still lives, but only musous make their way to the west.

With the change from TK to KT (Prioritisation shift to Koei games like it's supposed to be) maybe things will change. Maybe.
Posted June 26, 2014
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P1na: Snip
Nether isn't regionally restricted here. That said, there are some indies that are, like NyxQuest.
Kingdom's of Amalur isn't available because 38 Studios didn't want to sell it in Japan on PC. The funny thing is, the console release the arranged only happened after they went belly up. Kinda serves them right. EA games in general aren't available because Valve won't negotiate a contract with EA Japan.

A few years ago you used to be able to find several stores in Akihabara which dedicated a couple of floors to import PC games. These days there's one left and it's reduced to two shelves hidden behind the Xbox 360 games.Why? The short answer is Steam. Valve's IP blocks on activating keys kinda killed their business.

The games which are left have high prices for one of two reasons: 1 - They were imported and the customer pretty much foots the import costs. 2 - It's a local release and the publisher has set an RRP of Open Price. So stores can charge whatever they please and that's usually $100+.

Then even when we do get a game here on Steam from a Japanese publisher, don't expect a fair deal. Take Yaiba. It got a significant price cut today in all regions except Japan. Where the US is now paying $30, we are still expected to pay $71. Publishers simply don't want PC gaming to become popular here. They go out of their way to marginalise it.

And now you know why I am so grateful that GOG will refuse to sell games if they can't be sold worldwide. I'm sick of being told my money isn't good enough. Or when it is, that I should pay more just because.

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HijacK: Now that is not true. I haven't been to Japan either, but I can assure you there are tons of sexually graphic visual novels for consoles. I see people freaking importing those games here. It's the fact console manufacturers require certain standards for these games to be released, hence why those visual novels on consoles are also a bit more expensive than the PC ones.
Nope. Console versions will not have sex in them. Sex is one thing that CERO always demand censoring of. Hell, Sony even demanded the cover of X-Blades be toned down as the main character wasn't dressed enough for their liking. And Sony are the most open to adult content on the system; just no outright nudity or sex. Implied nudity is okay, such as when it's obscured from view by magical clouds of smoke...

The PC is different as the eroge market is not under the purview of CERO but under their own ratings system; the Ethics Organization of Computer Software. In fact, PC games don't need to be submitted to CERO at all, which is why EA can claim that Dead Space was banned in Japan (it wasn't, they never submitted it to CERO in the first place) and happily sell it uncut on Origin at the same time.
Post edited June 26, 2014 by bansama
Posted June 26, 2014
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bansama: Why? The short answer is Steam. Valve's IP blocks on activating keys kinda killed their business.
Regional locks are among the worst things of all that DRM bullshit. People go out their way and spend a lot of money to import games because local stoes don't have them and then they are prevented to use them by fucking locks. And using a proxy poses the risk of losing your entire account.
Posted June 26, 2014
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Yrtti: Romance of the Three Kingdoms still lives, but only musous make their way to the west.

With the change from TK to KT (Prioritisation shift to Koei games like it's supposed to be) maybe things will change. Maybe.
Not anymore. They mentioned RTK 12 as their last Three Kingdoms strategy game. RTK 12 had real-time battles, and it's not really well received.
Posted June 26, 2014
The only thing you can do is make a twitter account and tweet about all the outrage , hoping the publishers or someone important notices it
here is a example
https://twitter.com/bansama
Posted June 26, 2014
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P1na: Funny, things like manga seem to be half the price I would have to pay on a Spanish shop. And when I bought the original Dragon Ball in Basque dubs, it costed about 5€ per episode. So yeah, compared to that, I don't see such crazy prices. And I'm saying that BGII on a shop was more expensive than a brand new game like Watchdogs. That is too weird no matter how I look at it.
As basque, Im say to you that here ALL is overpriced, except salaries, that are between the lowest of Europe (but the prices & tases are between the highters).
Posted June 26, 2014
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cw8: I've played High Seas Trader and Pirates! I still prefer Uncharted Waters 2 :D
Hehe!
I haven't completed my first run of HST yet, I think it's a great game, but a bit too easy with standard rules (especially if you play an english trader) and lacking of challenge in the end game. Setting the game during a century is way too much, it should have been 25 or 30 years, and with some scenarios from 1650 to 1750. Then it would have been an excellent game.

And there is something I would like to see in that kind of games, I don't know if Uncharted Waters includes for instance: I would like to see exploration in Terra Incognita (like in Europa Universalis), doing official missions (sabotage, creating outposts, attacking settlements, official exploration campaigns including botanists and naturalists in the crew, and so on)...

I don't know if there is a game including that, at the vessel level, not a grand strategy game for once.
Posted June 26, 2014
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bansama: snip
Nope. Console versions will not have sex in them. Sex is one thing that CERO always demand censoring of. Hell, Sony even demanded the cover of X-Blades be toned down as the main character wasn't dressed enough for their liking. And Sony are the most open to adult content on the system; just no outright nudity or sex. Implied nudity is okay, such as when it's obscured from view by magical clouds of smoke...

The PC is different as the eroge market is not under the purview of CERO but under their own ratings system; the Ethics Organization of Computer Software. In fact, PC games don't need to be submitted to CERO at all, which is why EA can claim that Dead Space was banned in Japan (it wasn't, they never submitted it to CERO in the first place) and happily sell it uncut on Origin at the same time.
Then what can the game Criminal Girls could be classified as if not graphic? The things that game shows, while not nudity, aren't extremely sexually lenient.
Posted June 26, 2014
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Yrtti: Romance of the Three Kingdoms still lives, but only musous make their way to the west.

With the change from TK to KT (Prioritisation shift to Koei games like it's supposed to be) maybe things will change. Maybe.
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cw8: Not anymore. They mentioned RTK 12 as their last Three Kingdoms strategy game. RTK 12 had real-time battles, and it's not really well received.
Whoever decided to pollute my RTK with real time battles deserves to be stabbed multiple times and disembowelled.
Posted June 26, 2014
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HijacK: Then what can the game Criminal Girls could be classified as if not graphic? The things that game shows, while not nudity, aren't extremely sexually lenient.
From what I've seen of it, I'd call it tame by local standards. CERO apparently agrees as it's only rated D. If it were objectionable it'd get a Z rating.

And there in is another discrepancy you'll notice once being here for a while. Home grown games get a more lenient treatment. Western ones with content of similar standards will automatically get a Z rating - adults only, should be displayed on shelves out of reach of children and of clearly labelled as adults only.
Posted June 26, 2014
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Huinehtar: And there is something I would like to see in that kind of games, I don't know if Uncharted Waters includes for instance: I would like to see exploration in Terra Incognita (like in Europa Universalis), doing official missions (sabotage, creating outposts, attacking settlements, official exploration campaigns including botanists and naturalists in the crew, and so on)...

I don't know if there is a game including that, at the vessel level, not a grand strategy game for once.
In Uncharted Waters, you explore the whole world, not just the Carribean or Europe. You can go up to the Arctic, China, Japan, India, Africa etc. There are ports all around the world and there are native villages which you can make discoveries and sell them like discovering durian in South East Asia or the Great Wall in China. For ports, you can make investments to make the port offer more unique ships and cannons. Like getting Junk ships off Asia and powerful Full-Rigged Ships off Antwerp. Sadly, you can't attack settlements. You do get the chance to get jobs to chart the unknown world and they pay you.
You have 6 different characters around Europe to play as, each with their own character and storylines which makes the game even more unique.
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cw8: Not anymore. They mentioned RTK 12 as their last Three Kingdoms strategy game. RTK 12 had real-time battles, and it's not really well received.
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k1bell: Whoever decided to pollute my RTK with real time battles deserves to be stabbed multiple times and disembowelled.
I would bite them on the shoulder so bad like Luis Suarez and make sure the meat falls off.
Though I think the top concern now is we probably won't even see any more RTKs, they're more concerned about spamming the very banal Dynasty Warriors series.
Post edited June 26, 2014 by cw8
Posted June 26, 2014
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HijacK: Then what can the game Criminal Girls could be classified as if not graphic? The things that game shows, while not nudity, aren't extremely sexually lenient.
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bansama: From what I've seen of it, I'd call it tame by local standards. CERO apparently agrees as it's only rated D. If it were objectionable it'd get a Z rating.

And there in is another discrepancy you'll notice once being here for a while. Home grown games get a more lenient treatment. Western ones with content of similar standards will automatically get a Z rating - adults only, should be displayed on shelves out of reach of children and of clearly labelled as adults only.
You can't blame them for wanting to support Japanese devs. This goes beyond gaming and into world wide economics.
Post edited June 26, 2014 by HijacK
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This is my favourite topic
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General discussion (archive)What is Japan's problem with PC games?(79 posts)(79 posts)
(79 posts)