[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Destructoid - How Persona 4 fared when it comes to sales

Probably one of the best RPGs ever and certainly not as full of plot-holes as some "masterpieces" are. Any surprise the Persona series is joining the handheld gaming ranks now? Or Valkyria Chronicles? Or Dragon Quest?

I'm probably partially preaching to the choir here, but seriously, go buy those games. They are awesome and different and you will like them. At least get VC and Persona 4, I don't think DQ is hurting SE any.

And go get Demon's Souls. Its not really an Atlus game, but Atlus USA decided to be awesome and publish it over here and that's really all they can do until Atlus Japan decides to invest in next-gen consoles, right now, its not worth it to them.

Sega is sitting on a pile of RPGs that look interesting, too, but they're wary to bring them over to America. I mean, here's Sega finally doing something right for a change that doesn't involve the fucking hedgehog and the really great shit they're doing is getting ignored. They are currently in the beginnings of becoming a formidable RPG force again, seriously, support them.

Feba go put Persona 4 at #1 on your list... or I'll find all your cookies and steal them.

[Malacite]

It just doesn't pique my interest BBQ :/

Maybe if I could find one @ the video store to rent, but I honestly just wasn't enticed at all by any videos I've seen.

[Viciouss]

Persona 4 came out really late in the PS2's lifespan. Yes I know the PS2 is still going strong, but most consider God of War II to be the finale for the PS2. That doesn't mean Persona was a bad game, but by the time it came out, most people had moved on to next gen, or didnt have PS2's that worked anymore. This isnt the first time its happened, other examples of games that didnt fare well in sales but were still good - Majora's Mask and Perfect Dark for N64

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally Posted by Viciouss

Persona 4 came out really late in the PS2's lifespan. Yes I know the PS2 is still going strong, but most consider God of War II to be the finale for the PS2. That doesn't mean Persona was a bad game, but by the time it came out, most people had moved on to next gen, or didnt have PS2's that worked anymore. This isnt the first time its happened, other examples of games that didnt fare well in sales but were still good - Majora's Mask and Perfect Dark for N64

Actually, "most people" didn't start moving to next gen til recently, as the price of entry was a bit too steep, so that reason doesn't really add up. People either got Wiis, 360s or clung to their PS2s since Sony wasn't giving much of an incentive to get a PS3 before the drop to $300.

[Feba]

see, that's the thing, Persona 4 is so late in the PS2's lifespan that most people just aren't engaged anymore-- they're either the people who aren't going to be playing hundred hour long RPGs in the first place, or they're gamers who've moved on to other platforms. At this point, PS2 games are almost a hassle for me, especially since the potential for backwards compatibility (and thus my ability to actually play them) gets grimmer all the time. Plus, Atlus isn't exactly shy about rereleases and ports-- I'd much rather wait for it to come out on Wii or PSP. That, combined with the fact that it's $40 is just getting to be a bit much. Partially because it's on the PS2, which as I mentioned is a clearly aged system with plenty of downfalls now, and partially because it's getting to be near a year old with no signs of a price drop.

tldr:
* It's on a platform which is a bit of a disincentive to buy it on
* Based on previous experience with similar games (P3F especially), it is likely to either be released on a platform which is better for me OR to be widely available at bargain bin prices eventually. (I saw dozens of P3F boxes marked to $10)

That, combined with my backlog, and the fact that it isn't portable (PSP's portability would make it much more tempting; I loved P3F but I just don't have hours to sit grinding in front of a TV anymore) just makes it somewhat inconvenient to buy. Of course, BBQ, if you want to get me a copy I'll happily take it.

[Malacite]

To this date, Perfect Dark is still my favorite FPS.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Its not a "next gen/last gen" thing - that's a bullshit argument. It transcends the tech argument because current gen games see the same problem. Its why the Valkryia angle is worth harping on.

Okami, there's another good example. No console future for now.

Its not a terrible situation for me as these games move to a format I prefer, but even so, there's the risk some small time developer out there that's not like Atlus is going to close up shop because people do nothing but go buy the latest fucking zombie shooter over a really good, unique title.

We live in a day where Warren Spector has gone from making Deus Ex and Thief games, to a Mickey Mouse game. Not saying it won't be interesting, if anyone could make it awesome he's your guy, but its kinda sad he has to do this now when the IPs he created go to waste in the hands of Crystal Dynamics.

[Feba]

yeah, it is. Is a lot of it a cultural thing? yes-- most people do not have any interest in dungeon crawling dating sims I am sorry. But a lot of it is that even people who WOULD be interested in it aren't because of two things: 1- They NEVER SEE IT. If I'm looking at PS3/Wii/PSP/DS games, when am I going to see something about Persona 4? Maybe in a few months, I play P3P and wonder what else is in the series, but there simply isn't a lot of demand out there anymore for PS2 news, and the PS2 shelf is not placed front and center anymore. 2- Even if they do see it, again, the convenience factor.

A lot of it is also probably gaming technology getting too advanced for its own good. VC and Okami have definite followings as you mention, but it's not financially feasible to produce a game that would be popular on home consoles. Even if you did, it would likely be JP ONRY; there's a much larger precedent over there for last-gen (or worse) quality games being sold at bargain bin prices out of the gate than there is in the US (all I can think of is Space Channel 5 on PS2 and Tank Elite, really), shovelware aside. And hey, if a series CAN survive on portables (As it looks like Atlus is transitioning to or at least using as an additional source of income, as well as plenty of other publishers), why not? IIRC Valkryia is getting a PSP game, and there's Okamiden on DS.

I really wouldn't be surprised if we see games go along the routes of movies-- we get to the point where even the fairly well off simply CANNOT produce action-genre titles that perform well because they don't have the money to afford the big sets, special effects, crews, and so on. But on the upside of the Gaming-Hollywood, we get the emergence of a brilliant indie field; obviously we've always had this with homebrew and independent game development, but if we get to the point where we have a few big gun titles and a lot of smaller developers, we could see a LOT of creativity, not to mention more of a willingness (read: demand) from content controllers (Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and Apple) to permit MANY more things with their hardware. Apple is already pretty loose with the App store, Microsoft's XNA is heading on this path, and Nintendo is clearly pretty lenient with publishers on DS (Imagine Lawsuitz). Sony is about the only one that's militantly big-label centric, which isn't really surprising considering they are a big label.

[Callisto]

I think the first poster on that article kinda had the best point...I'm not sure where some people get $300 a month to dump on keeping up with console releases, I myself can't really afford to pick up a new title more than once every few months, which is one of the main reasons I do still play FFXI regularly. Even if it was a great game Atlus games in general are kinda niche, and people shouldn't be too shocked that it didn't sell well in the middle of a huge economic slump where luxury expenses are getting eliminated for many people.

[Pai Pai Master]

Breaking News: Niche title sells poorly, fans point fingers

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally Posted by Pai Pai Master

Breaking News: Niche title sells poorly, fans point fingers

Next up: Sandbox sequel appeals to lowest common denominator, sells millions, gamers wonder why new original games don't happen anymore, then go shoot some space zombies.

[Efrankb]

OMG is right.
The entire Persona series is pretty dope, and we should be buying these games, even if we dont get around to playing them for a while.
Basically, our purchasing of the game is the only real representation that we have as gamers, and in particular, rpg gamers.
I dont want to be stuck playing GTA 13 or Halo ODSTDRPGWTF. The best way to keep that from happening is to buy those niche titles and show the industry that there are other type of gamers present.
Not to oversimplify the issue, but it is just that simple.

Peace out.

[Icemage]

Not guilty.

I own Persona 4 for PS2.
I own Valkyria Chronicles for PS3.
I own Eternal Sonata for PS3.
I own Persona for PSP.
I own Cross Edge for PS3.

I'm considering buying Demon's Souls for PS3.

What more do you want from me?


Icemage

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally Posted by Icemage

Not guilty.

I own Persona 4 for PS2.
I own Valkyria Chronicles for PS3.
I own Eternal Sonata for PS3.
I own Persona for PSP.
I own Cross Edge for PS3.

I'm considering buying Demon's Souls for PS3.

What more do you want from me?


Icemage

No problems here, sir, as you were.

[Ziero]

I only have VC myself, and plan to get Demon Souls, but I don't know anything about the rest of those games. I'm assuming they're all jrpgs, in which case I'm not too upset over missing out on them. However I do sympathize when a niche, cult-following game that you feel is better then bigger titles sells poorly. I've been an Armored Core fan since the original PSone days, ever since I first played the sample disc that came with that Playstation magazine I bought. An incredible action game with a highly in-depth customization system and some down right epic, hair pulling-ly hard, yet oh so satisfying fights, yet it has a fairly small core fan base and sees very little in terms or sales. It always manages to squeak out a sequel every few years, but it's just a relatively unknown game to the majority of gamers.

But niche games will always have niche sales, despite the quality of the game in question.