Capcom squashes Clover, lights out for bright studio
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Oct 12th 2006 at 7:30PM }
Quality doesn't always pay the bills, as Clover Studio found out today. Capcom's Board of Directors has elected to dissolve the promising studio, which was formed in July 2004 and brought us the acclaimed Viewtiful Joe series before unleashing its masterpiece, Okami, just last month (in North America). Clover's latest project, God Hand, was released just this week! Here's Capcom's "Clover Studio Co., Ltd. has met the goal of developing unique and creative original home video game software, however, in view of promoting a business strategy that concentrates management resources on a selected business to enhance the efficiency of the development power of the entire Capcom group, the dissolution of Clover Studio Co., Ltd. has been raised and passed at a Board of Directors' meeting."
But it may not be all doom and gloom. Wired's Game|Life blog reports, via anonymous sources, that the superstars behind Clover have decided to up and make their own independent development studio. So, if Game|Life is correct, then Capcom's dissolution of Clover could simply be because Clover had jumped ship, eager to get out from under Capcom's oppressive thumb and finally make the creative and unique games they'd always dreamed of ... err, wait a second.
[Thanks to everyone that sent this in]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Car2oon @ Oct 12th 2006 7:37PM
Huh.
You make a good game, and your company gets dissolved. Yet companies that make crap like Bulletproof and 25 to life are allowed to exist.
What a world.
jojo29 @ Oct 12th 2006 7:45PM
/Agree
Thats why you should support Sony/Nintendo, as they have embraced small development studios,and have even given 'the small guy' a chance that big companies like MS would just shove to the side in their race to monopolize the market. Don't believe me? Look at Japan, those developer's, small and big, won't go to MS. Ever wonder why?
Just look at the games Sony has let those developer's bring for us: Okami, Shadow of Colossus, Katamari, Ico, etc..
Look at Nintendo with their Brain Age, Zelda...umm wait Nintendo's gems are from their own...
NoHitHair @ Oct 12th 2006 7:45PM
Innovative games don't make money anymore, Car2oon. The majority of today's gamers are those that started on the PlayStation and unfortunately, for the most part, all it takes to draw that crowd in are "cutting-edge" graphics. Unless a studio spends millions of dollars and tens of thousands of man hours getting eyebrow textures correct and meeting a holiday shipdate, they tank. Oh, or if it's a sports game.
God I miss the old days. Psychonauts is the best new game I've played in 5 years and I've had the unfortunate luck of playing many "blockbuster" titles.
One of my best friends is currently attending DigiPen and he says he's taking a class that actually admits and focuses on how gaming has declined into a cookie-cutter industry that despises innovation.
jojo29 @ Oct 12th 2006 7:48PM
/agree NoHitHair
I was brought up during the NES/Sega Master System days, yeah i missed the Atari age:(
ANywhoo been gaming since NES/SMS and I have to say this: Man do i miss SegaQQ
NoHitHair @ Oct 12th 2006 7:52PM
jojo29:
Embrace Sony because of their commitment to independent developers? Really? Would you mind explaining that to the dozens of overseas developers during the PlayStation's height of success who were denied a US port of their game unless it was redesigned in 3-D?
Do you have any idea how many applications for localization were denied because those companies wanted a direct port with only a translation change? Do you have any idea how many RPGs we missed out on because of Sony's belief that American consumers are obsessed with shiny objects and pretty things?
In the end, I suppose it proved true (if NPD sales are any indication), but I can't help shake the feeling that Sony was the one who started that trend in the first place.
Henry @ Oct 12th 2006 7:54PM
It really is a shame when creativity is exchanged for profits. A studio can pile out hundreds of half-assed cliche'd games (which kids will buy in the thousands just because it has a pretty box or is based on a current box-office hit) and survive, while another studio will put thought, energy, time and love into a game to make it a masterpiece just to have the studio demolished because they didnt churn a game out every week.
jojo29 @ Oct 12th 2006 8:03PM
@ NoHitHair
Yes Sony did do all that you said, BUT they also did BRING new developers here as well. Yes they started the"3d" trend but in honesty they HAD too. the Saturn was a 2d POWERHOUSE, the ps1 would not have been able to, nor was meant to compete with it in that format(which to day remains one of my favorite genres, SF/Fighting games should stay 2D(the ones that started as 2d i should say)) Sony promised 3D and thats what they delivered, although they DID bring in some great NON 3D games as well.
jojo29 @ Oct 12th 2006 8:03PM
@ NoHitHair
Plus my first post was meant to be taken lightly:) a joke with a hint of truth:) dammit
reguy @ Oct 12th 2006 8:03PM
sorry to burst the creativity bubble thats going on here but thats business. capcom felt this was the right thing to do. beside those guys can go off and form their own company and see how well they do when capcom isnt paying the bills. lets see jojo, henry, nohithair do you guys even own okami? i know i dont
Seifer @ Oct 12th 2006 8:12PM
Car2oon:
Actually, Genuine Games (the devs behind 50 Cent: Bulletproof and Fight Club) shuttered it's doors earlier this year. Karma does have a way of rebounding, ya know.
Obvious @ Oct 12th 2006 8:14PM
Whoh, there. Calm yourselves.
Truth be told, in this last gen, Sony DID have more 3rd party support. I highly doubt they will continue to reign in this regard, what with their mis-steps of late.
All that aside, it is sad to see Okami's maker get iced... I'm playing Okami now, and it is a very well done action RPG (a little on the cutesy/kid-friendly side for my liking, but a masterpiece nonetheless).
Btw, it's true that Psychonauts was the shiznat. :)
justchris @ Oct 12th 2006 8:15PM
@jojo29, glad you first post was a joke, because while all of those games were made by small studios, those studios were a part of Capcom, Sony, Namco and Sony respectively.
If we want to support anyone for supporting small developers, I suggest Atlus. They actively search for small Japanese developers and localize their games for the US. And they're usually very high quality games.
Brad Lee @ Oct 12th 2006 8:33PM
Viewtiful Joe is one of my favorite games of all-time. I went nuts on that game; beating it on every difficulty. FireLeo was a b*tch on UltraV, but man was it satisfying finally flining the beast into his firey grave. And it was worth it to play as Captain Blue.
@ Reguy
I own VJ1 and VJ2 and EVEN VJ: Red Hot Rumble (despite its suckiness) aaaaaaand VJ: Double Trouble, and my brother bought a PS2 so we could get Okami. I also plan on renting God Hand, though I doubt I'll buy it full price... maybe when its budget priced.
There are some gamers out there who make it a point to buy sleeperhits. The problem with these types of titles and why they don't sell that well is because they are not easy to advertise for (how do you advertise a game without a particular genre?), they are oftentimes too quirky for mass appeal (VJ, Chibi Robo), and sometimes they just have very short play time (Beyond Good and Evil).
The reason why games have become so stagnant is because people buy them. If you played Halo and loved it, you'll likely buy Halo 2 without much question. If you find you like FPS games, you'll likely hunt for more FPS games to add to your library.
Buying any game is always a risk, and so you'll likely stick to certain series you know you'll like and certain genres you know you'll like. Only hardcore gamers who read previews, watch game trailers, and so forth will risk it on quirky, genreless titles without a familiar brandname.
Judd @ Oct 12th 2006 8:51PM
Does anybody know how well these games sold? God's Hand got mixed reviews. Gamespot gave it an 8, IGN gave it a 3(didn't even know IGN had numbers below 6). But according to GameRankings Okami is the 37th highest rated game of all time. Wow! But did people buy it?
shiftup @ Oct 12th 2006 8:55PM
if your wondering why something like this could happen, gather around children and ill tell you a tale.
my friend is a "casual gamer" a.k.a the guy i know that actually bought 50 cent bulletproof. me and my friend went into a gamestop and were looking at used games because he wanted a game cheap. i immediately picked up viewtiful joe 2 which was 10 bucks. He immediately informed my that "you can tell from the cover that it is gay." and instead opted for a game with a busty babe driving a Ferrari (no, I'm sorry to inform you, it wasn't outrun). Although the clerk politely informed him that the game that he lusted for was some sorts of crap, he happily payed the 20 dollars for the game while i was collecting my jaw from the ground, which i had dropped earlier.
the moral of this story: don't judge a b-... game by its cover.
sweethavok @ Oct 12th 2006 8:54PM
Hopefully Capcom will be releasing more titles to the xbox 360, just look at what sucess Dead Rising has had.
striderhayasa @ Oct 12th 2006 8:57PM
@ justchris
Here here for ATlus. those guys are awesome and were bringing over Japanese gaming goodness as early as the Saturn years if not earlier.
@ Nohithair
I feel on the Sony/small developer point. Sony is doesn't have any love for 2D. It's a shame because 2D is still awesome which is constantly being proven time and again. Ahhhh, Saturn and Dreamcast....consoles for the 2D enthusiast. Sega....how I miss thee.
Back on topic. It's a shame because Capcom has really turned heads lately with Okami, Dead Rising and Lost Planet. To dissolve the studio responsible for Okami is suspect no matter how you slice it. But think about who we're talking about here. This is capcom. The same capcom that couldn't count to three for years.
Street Fighter 2
Street Fighter 2 Turbo
Street Fighter 2: Hyper Fighting
Super Street Fighter 2
Super Street fighter 2 Turbo
Capcom isn't innocent when it comes to milking the status quo for all it's worth and then some,
Can someone explain to me what's the point of introducing a new character in Devil May Cry only to have him look similar and fight similar to Dante? Is that supposed to be innovative design in the next gen?
striderhayasa @ Oct 12th 2006 9:00PM
I sent my last post to quickly...sorry
Closing Clover looks like a move to concentrate on more "hit" titles for profitability in the "expensive to develop for" next gen.
fawazr @ Oct 12th 2006 9:13PM
Surprise, surprise-- Saint's Row and Madden the best selling titles in America. Okami headed to bargain bin. Originality and creativity FTL!
shiftup @ Oct 12th 2006 9:25PM
sorry to post again but i was talking to my other friend on aim. this one is a self-proclaimed hard core gamer. his site is kogaming.com. our conversation went like this:
shiftUP82: do you know clover studios?
gamersweek: why?
gamersweek: no i dont
shiftUP82: well they made viewtiful joe and okami
shiftUP82: do you know viewtiful joe?
gamersweek: that game looks stupid
gamersweek: and so does okami
my question is, how did we not see this coming?
Josh @ Oct 12th 2006 9:24PM
As long as their forming their own independent studio, then it doesn't really matter. Who cares who the publisher is? If they can still make good games, then we're not really losing anything.
Konchu @ Oct 12th 2006 9:33PM
Actually its not really fair to say MS doesnt care about "the small guy". Most of thoses example are of Japanese studios and not necessarily small ones. This is hardly because Microsoft is holding them at bay. With XNA and LiveArcade they are really trying to help "the small guy".
Borat @ Oct 12th 2006 9:50PM
This is the reason why I hate people who buy Madden games all the time.
People complain about sequels, but thats all they buy.
kyle @ Oct 12th 2006 9:55PM
The main problem is that in any business industry sales make the rules. Most people that consider themselves gamers (i'm assuming you guys do your posting on a gaming blog) purchase six to ten new games a year. While that sounds like a chunk of change compared to casual gamers who may only ever own two to six games for their system, they outnumber "hardcore " gamers nearly ten to one. And the few games they do buy are almost always a madden, halo, or crash bandicoot reacing.
Those of us with taste in games have become the minority and will have to watch while our hobby slowly degrades into mainstream, sequel laden crap, especially as the newest tartget for some of the game companies is casual audiences. aka people who don't take the time to find a good game.
So as their sales climb we will ultimately lose any influence upon gaming trends.
Vlad @ Oct 12th 2006 9:55PM
As long as the creative team who is responsible for Okami stays together and keeps the dream of creative, original games alive and well (whether that be through their own, new dev studio or whatever) that's fine with me. Capcom's loss.
in terms of innovation, it's nice to think that everyone scrambles for it, but, as many of you have shown, sales figures indicate otherwise. it's the one reason why I'm still a little worried about the Wii. the unfortunately reality is all too often what shiftup pointed out with his IM conversation with his friend. Okami is so gooooooood...
Pag @ Oct 12th 2006 9:57PM
The gaming industry dug its own grave when it comes to creativity. After years of sequels and franchise titles, is it any surprise nobody's left who cares about creativity? They all left to seek other form of entertainment that values it more...
It's like comic books. While the rest of the world has enjoyed comics in a variety of style for a variety of markets (think mangas and European comics), America has entirely focused on franchise super-heroes that sell to male teenagers. Gaming is headed the same way: a few popular franchises all targeted at the same market.
Stylish games like Okami would sell better to adults, but overall the industry isn't even trying to sell to adults (with the exception of casual PC games). Look at movies: teenagers go see, year after year, derivative horror movies because they're young enough for it to seem new. Adults prefer more varied stuff because they've seen the clichés already.
Of course, that's (in part) why so much entertainment is targetted at younger audiences. It's just easier to sell to a less sophisticated market.
Vlad @ Oct 12th 2006 9:57PM
I also want to point out that not all sequals or big-name IPs are crap. Halo 2 is a great game. Final Fantasy games are nearly always great. Metal Gear Solid 3 is great. Splinter Cell 3 is great. so sometimes non-original content isn't totally a bad thing.
No one @ Oct 12th 2006 10:03PM
Microsoft, buy this studio quick. You won't regret it.
Duscrom @ Oct 12th 2006 10:17PM
jojo29 , I think you have it twisted. Sony/Nintendo aren't anywhere NEAR as supportive of new talent as Microsoft.
Think about it, out of the 3 consoles, which one can YOU build a game for right now. Xbox 360. And they give you an outlet to publish. How about Nintendo. Try and get a dev-kit. You need one for the Wii.. and without a name or pub behind you, you won't get that dev-kit. And Sony? They are in the middle of that.
Microsoft, as long as they've been in the console biz, has tried to foster indie dev relationships. For the origonal Xbox, they had the XPK (Xbox Prototyping Kit) and for the 360 there is XNA. Nintendo's idea of an indie developer is a branch off from Square. (The company that made Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles was built from the cash Nintendo had set aside to fund indie dev studios). And even from that, what is the platform that has given sucess to indie devs like Valve, Crytech, Croteam, Epic Software, and so on. Teams that started building games in a garage? Well that's Windows.
Sony and Nintendo, are NOT the places for Indies to go.. if for anything the Japanese culture. In the japanese culture, you don't start your own company. You start work for a company, and you stay loyal to them for life. Not to say our culture hasn't leaked over and there are some start-ups... But as a rule.
All the titles you mentioned were started by Bigname studios internal dev teams. Ico and Shadow/Collosus, were both done By a SECA internal Team, Katamari Damacey, Internal Namco team, Okami, Capcom internal studio. In fact, I think most of the time, this stuff is done by a designer who is finally entrusted with his first project. That's how Ninja Gaiden, Megaman, and Metal Gear started off.
skyrous @ Oct 12th 2006 10:20PM
I'm just getting sick of this obnoxious trend. Small developer makes a splash with big hit game. Large publisher buys small developer citing that the new company is a "good fit" a year later large publisher runs small developer into the ground driving away all talent who shortly there after leave to start ANOTHER small development house. rinse and repeat.
Can't we just skip these stupid steps and let the developers make games?
How many people can cite as their main reason for hating EA being that they bought your favorite game maker and destroyed them along with all those good franshises? For me it was Origin and losing Ultima, Crusader, and Wing Commander.
Sid Mier left microprose after it was bought out and then killed. He start firaxis which was recently bought by take2. Any bets on how long until sid leaves to start another game company?
Even if the original team has started a new company they lose the franchises they built. expect capcom to "mainstream" the next version of these games and turn them into clones of what ever's a hit. example: expect viewtiful joe to be sent back to WW2 and fight in a first person game.
LordBug @ Oct 12th 2006 10:33PM
@ShiftUp - Part of me is curious why he thinks they look stupid. The rest of me wants to beat him for such an amazing lack of art appreciation.
And am I the only one here that actually bought Okami? That's depressing. The game looks great and the gameplay is quite fun. If you're a fan of action RPG games, I really suggest you go get Okami.
jmc9115 @ Oct 14th 2006 10:47PM
I'm not really surprised, but it still really sucks. I never really enjoyed Viewtiful Joe, but Okami was one of the best games I've every played. It was original, beautiful, and had a heartwarming story. It wasn't the same cliched crap that companies like EA and Atari crap out every few weeks. It was something new, and, of course, the company who brought it to us gets kicked to the curb. Gaming will always be unfair, though, because whatever's mainstream's gonna surive.
broseph @ Oct 12th 2006 10:48PM
People spend most of their time on here whining and arguing about console wars, when it's crap like this that's the real problem that facing gamers. Sad.
shiftup @ Oct 13th 2006 12:56AM
i think what put them off of games like okami and viewtiful joe was that they took the games at (face value). what i mean (just in case i dont actually know what that phrase means) that they didnt see viewtiful joe as an exageration of superhero movies, they saw it as one of those movies that the game was making fun of. which is a shame cause its a great game. And i think we know why people arent that excite for okami. its like trying to sell zelda without talking about its legacy.
one more thing. ive noticed that clover games have the same charm as nintendo games (always a plus). at least capcom just fired them and didnt mow them down with a lawnmowers.
justchris @ Oct 13th 2006 10:09PM
Yes, actually, I did buy Okami. Right now I'm focusing on Baten Kaitos Origins though, so I've only gotten a few hours in on Okami.
Anyway, the proxy block at my office seems to have disappeared for the day, so I did some more research. Apparently the original creators of Resident Evil and Devil May Cry, as well as the head of Clover Studios, have all left Capcom within the last year. Also, recently 10 of the 50 people working for Clover also left, the other 40 are being dispersed into existing dev teams at Capcom.
Not sure what those other people are doing, if they just retired or what.
32_Footsteps @ Oct 12th 2006 11:38PM
I'm always mixed on Clover. Okami is their best effort I've seen, but even then it has some serious flaws that keep it from being an incredible title - it's merely pretty good.
However, I think I know what caused Clover to close down - constant delays. Viewtiful Joe was delayed over a year. The second VJ game was delayed several months. Okami was delayed nearly a year and a half. God Hand is the only title they've ever produced that has managed to come within deadline.
Quite simply, they eat up tons of time, and consequently money. They pretty much needed to have every single game be the next Resident Evil to justify their continued existence. They couldn't pull it off, and now the doors are shut.
Figboy @ Oct 13th 2006 12:09AM
Sony may have shunned 2D early in the PS1's lifecycle, but they learned the error of their ways, and the PS1 is full of 2D titles and RPGs(one of them being quite possibly the best 2D action rpg ever: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night).
as for the PS2, you can't expect a system that is meant to be 3D have a library that is predominantly 2D. yes, 2D games are great, but there is so much you can do with 3D. that appeals to developers. i grew up in the early 80's weened on Mario and the like, but i love 3D gaming as much as 2D. the PS2, however, has had it's fair share of 2D games, despite it's 3D purpose. the past is great and all, but gaming has evolved, and we should too.
anyway, Heavenly Sword was originally being developed for the 360. Microsoft didn't want the title. Sony saw the promise in the game, and backed Ninja Theory. i've played Heavenly Sword, and it is indeed very good. also, Ico sold like crap (about 150,000 units. it didn't even qualify for a Playstation Greatest Hits version, which is 500,000 units). instead of dissolving the studio, Sony once again saw the potential and promise in the team. they backed them, and we got Shadow of the Colossus, which did sell enough units to become a Greatest Hits title.
all 3 gaming publishers have the means to support independent developers, and i feel that all 3 of them have the desire to do so, but they are a business afterall. they will make products that sell. it's really up to us whether games like Okami, Beyond Good and Evil, Indigo Prophecy, Psychonauts, Viewtiful Joe, etc do well. our casual gamer friends may not read magazines or go to gaming sites every day. but *we* do. what's stopping any of us from recommending a game to our less informed friends?
for example, i had the demo for Indigo Prophecy from OPM magazine. i played it, and i thought it was great. my friend, who's also a hardcore gamer, had no interest in Indigo Prophecy at all. it wasn't "his type of game." i showed him the demo. he played it, and fell in love with the game. he actually went out that day and bought it. then, he told another of our friends about it, as he wasn't interested in the title also. he played it, and fell in love with it also.
i tell everyone i possibly can about games like Okami, Shadow of the Colossus (i recently had a pretty awesome conversation with 2 other gamers of different ages and nationalities about how kickass Shadow of the Colossus is in an EB Games), Beyond Good and Evil and Indigo Prophecy. a few people i've been able to sell on those titles, a few i haven't.
if we truly feel as strongly about these quality and innovative titles as we do, and we want to see more of it, there are two things we can do when we see that the "Big, mean corporation" isn't doing it's job: 1.) We can purchase the game to show our support. and 2.) scream to the rafters to all our gaming (casual and hardcore; male and female) friends about why this game is so great. they don't believe you? let them borrow it, even if you haven't finished it yet. if it touches them, they'll go out and buy their own copy (like my buddy did with Indigo Prophecy).
while i'm sure Clover will reform in some fashion (whether independent, or bought out by one of the larger companies), it is ultimately up to us to determine the success of the company. if we don't buy their games, they don't get to make more. there will always be a Splinter Cell, Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, etc. it's not going to hurt to wait a week or two to pick it up, and give a new, innovative title like Okami a try, then spread the word if the title is great.
tacoman @ Oct 13th 2006 12:02AM
I hope we still get Viewtiful Joe 3, since besides the side-story DS version, it was meant to be a trilogy. I assume Capcom still owns the rights to it, but I still want it to see the light of day, it'd be so much fun on Wii!
samfish @ Oct 13th 2006 12:45AM
Wow, that's kind of crappy news, isn't it?
I really hope that they somehow have the rights to make Viewtiful Joe 3. VJ 1 and 2 are seriously the greatest games ever to come home and play after you've had a crappy day.
Personally, I'd really like to see Nintendo sign them up to become a second party developer. Talk about your perfect fits. There hasn't been a game studio this good, IMO, since Rare (before they started to suck, I mean)
1up_clock @ Oct 13th 2006 12:53AM
Well, that explains why I felt a great disturbance earlier today, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.
Lekko @ Oct 13th 2006 1:11AM
I also think that the used game industry cuts into indie devs a lot too. Those titles don't get shipped in the same numbers as AAA titles, so when you want an awesome game like Rez, you can't find a new copy, but can find a used one. With only one real option to buy it, you're forced. Besides, on games that you're not sure of because of only word of mouth and such, are you going to pay full price on them? I do, but others may not.
Also: keep in mind the core demographic of gamers. Not every gamer will love SotC (as you've probably found people that love it or hate it). Advertising works wonders for smaller indie games, and just bloats AAA titles.
duscrom @ Oct 13th 2006 5:57AM
Figboy: Actually from what I read, Microsoft droped them (At the time, Just Add Monsters) because of the abysmal game Kung Fu Chaos, which Microsoft published for the Origonal Xbox. And after a review that starts out like....
"Sony and Nintendo have realized something that newcomer Microsoft still doesn't quite get -- Don't release crappy games unless you know they will sell. Nintendo first-party games are easily the best on the system and though Sony releases fewer first-party titles than Nintendo and Microsoft, their first-party fare is generally quite good. Microsoft, on the other hand, has green-lighted and published such mediocre fare as Kakuto Chojin and Sneakers. Whoever keeps giving the thumbs up to these projects needs to be slapped and fired. Microsoft's latest entry into the "games only a third-party company would put out" is Kung Fu Chaos."
You can see why they may not have had so much faith in Heavenly Sword at the time.. at least at the stage when Ninja Theory were prototypeing it.
Dark-Pen @ Oct 13th 2006 6:11AM
Pag:
I disagree. A majority of publishers DO aim at the adult demographic, primarily the 20-30 demographic. Why? Let's face it: the "child gamer" concept died a console generation ago, and was most notable when mortal kombat came out. There are still games directed towards children, as is what Nintendo is trying to do.
Adults don't look for innovative games, they ignore games almost entirely if they havn't been following up to begin with. Not only that, but most adults have jobs, and having a job means no real time or energy to bother looking up what's a good, new, game, and what's not. And while i'm at it, let's not forget that its a common trend for gamers to buy games that aren't unique in the way they play or whatever, therefore, with the factor of lacking time and lacking effort, your average adult "gamer" will most likely buy a sequel or some crappy cookie cutter game than not.
Not all adult gamers are "hard core" gamers. They might be old school, but they're not all liberal and open minded and capable of extending time to play these awesome games. Its my honest opinion that adults generally just stick with what they know, as the years pass, and the same mentality applies to games as well. Tetris? "Yeah." Pitfall? "takes me back..." Super Mario? "I was in college at the time..."
What an adult will do is look at Okami and think japan and how wierd the game will be, and pass it off for something like Burn Out (not that burn out is a bad game), or look at Viewtiful Joe and think how gay it looks, or how it looks to be directed at the child demographic, despite the fact that its a very challenging and enjoyable game.
People buy games based on what they know, as it has been stated over and over in the comments before mine. Nintendo is trying to break that industry habit with the Wii, imho. Even though they're like the king of franchises, they're still trying to do something new and sway from the direction the industry's taking. Hopefully, the message will be taken by society one day, and the idea of trying new games (or better, new things in life) will take hold of America, and we'll reach a time of enlightenment as a people, no matter how short it may be.
Dark-Pen @ Oct 13th 2006 6:17AM
No one:
I agree, microsoft needs to pick up this group, and fast. i may not own a 360, but i know a vy for favor in japan when i see one.
...then again, japanese gamers aren't exactly looking for new types of games to play (damn you rpg game developers!)
J.Goodwin @ Oct 13th 2006 10:14AM
Based on Capcom's statements, what happened is that several of their lead developers left the company in the last four months. The semi-independent studios that they had were folded back into the main stable.
I think this is just a continuation of the trend that we've seen in Japan, where high profile developers with a name that can really be regarded as a brand (Yuji Naka, Sakuragi, Mizuguchi) are leaving their old companies behind because of big company politics (the need for sequels to guarantee profits for shareholders), to gain more creative freedom.
Some are pushed, but a lot of these guys are seeing which way the wind is blowing, and heading out on their own. I regard that as a good thing, because it means that we're seeing more projects that display that kind of "visionary" and unique style that these guys built their names around. Games that they really weren't able to do anymore inside the companies that they left, at least, not exclusively.
Adolf @ Oct 13th 2006 11:45AM
Just wondering why everyone here is so snobby--"You didn't like Psychonauts?--you have NO taste. Either you adore every indie game in the world and hate EA or you are not considred a TRUE gamer." Seriously, why can't an OPINION about a game be valid? I own Viewtiful Joe--it IS gay. When I first saw pics of the game, I thought it looked dumb. But I gave it a chance because there were glowing reviews all over the place and it seemed that the general consensus was pretty good. However, I disagree with the sheeple, it's a dumb game. I don't like it. Am I WRONG? No, it's my opinion. VJ was actually the last straw--I've made similar purchases in the past, based on reviews and word of mouth. Now I don't fall for it anymore, none of these gay sheeple "hardcore" games will ever get purchased again. Okami--looks queer. Psychonauts--ugly-ass art style, no thanks, I don't like collecting games any more (see most Rare/Nintendo games in that last few whatever). Beyond Good And Evil--"Wooo, we're so creative--a GIRL in the lead role of a video game, oooh, look at us, BUT NO VIOLENCE, we can't advocate that because the real world isn't violent at all, lions don't just take down cattle and sharks don't feed in a frenzy--the real world is a peaceful place with chocolate rivers and gumdrop smiles..." Nowadays, any time I hear all this "buzz" for a title that looks dumb to me, I make a special point to stay away. I'm just wondering why it's apparantly WRONG to have an opinion about games?--Gears of War LOOKS cool to me, sorry. They know their audience. I'm a WWII buff, I LOVE WWII. It'd be nice to play as the Germans just once but whatever, I digress. Back to the point, these quirky Jap games don't look cool and aren't fun, to me. I love FPS, fragging is MY idea of a good time. Can I help it if I like violence, shooting, and war-themed games? I like a varied mix of games but these are my favorite. WoW, RPG's, and dorky looking shite don't appeal to me, it doesn't make me wrong. I didn't buy Wind Waker because the art style turned me off (have every Zelda game before that--even the Gold boxed copy of TOOT) and I'm not touching Zelda again until they get away from Tingle and Princess in the title. Sorry if I have a pair--I bought Rez on day one, I love Lego Star Wars, I enjoy playing Katamari with my wife in all it's fruity weirdness, but "too wussy" can be a factor in some cases. Fuck you gaming posers, this industry was built off of twitch games by a mass market. Pac-man, Missle Command, Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros. Without the mass market buying into Atari and NES back in the day you wouldn't have a fucking industry today. Stop whining about EA and the "death" of innovation. This isn't engineering, it's entertainment. You can have your Segway, I'm going to play Advance Wars on the bus and maybe watch Kill Bill on my portable DVD player. Entertainment is derivative, get over it. Everything today is based off of ancient Rome and Greece--sorry to burst your collective wussy game bubbles. Rant off.
NoHitHair @ Oct 13th 2006 9:07PM
Adolf:
Your rhetoric was so reactionary, illogical, ignorant and wholly stupid, that it would be a worthless and extremely time-consuming event to properly respond to your post. Worse, if what you stated is what you truly believe, you embody the exact consumer archtype that has ripped years of potentially amazing gaming from mine, and everyone else's, lives. Thankfully, few listen to the mentally deficient (unless they're in office).
While you obviously enjoy EA and Activision's behind the dumpster ballgags, most of the posts pertaining to this topic by long-lived gamers oppose squarely your pathetic whining rant.
And "Adolf"? Couldn't you have at least attempted a little credibility with your name?
Ludwig @ Oct 16th 2006 12:56PM
Ahhh, some sheep with a myspace profile no less (myspace + ipod == sheeple), starts flinging bloody insults because I happen to like different games than she does. Why no valid arguments but plenty of vitriol? Because my points ARE valid; I guarantee many people would agree with me. Not everyone likes the same stuff, genius, it's called having an opinion. If it's good, it will do well, period. Crap can do well too, but if it's truly good (Halo 2, GTA, Zelda, Pac Man), the masses will come out in droves. Did you ever think that maybe the reason things are popular is because they're considered good by a large number of people with otherwise different views?--I get the feeling you've never smelled a Clam. You can love Sony all you want, they're going down the tubes as we speak. Enjoy the ride to the gutter and say hi to Sega for me when you get there! Bye Bye Sony! "Drop the bomb on Tokyo!!!"
mkahmvet @ Nov 7th 2006 2:31PM
I know this is an old topic, but I kind of agree with Adolf/Ludwig. Why is it wrong to have an opinion, even if it's mainstream? I like several mainstream games (on Xbox/360 especially splinter cell and ghost recon, the prince of persia series, etc.) I abhor sports games, though. Playing demos of the Japanese RPGs (of the one man army type) I can say I will likely never spend a dollar on one. From my experience, having sophisticated tastes (in games, music, movies, food, etc.) doesn't mean you only enjoy underdeveloped indie stuff, but you appreciate a vareity of genres and can recognize artistic quality in whatever form it takes.
As for the dissolution of the developer, enough has been said. Apparantly they didn't have their shit together with release schedules. Even rennaisance artists had deadlines and got shut down if they missed them (i.e. Michaelangelo's unfinished "prisoners" and relocated "Moses.") If the artists behind the titles can regroup and learn to meet deadlines, wherever they are now power to them.
Smokewings @ Nov 13th 2006 3:06PM
Well, while I can see both sides of this... Debate. Truth has to be said. People will ALWAYS go for something they know over something new and innovative. Don't get me wrong, I love titles like Okami and Psyconauts, but at the same time I enjoy Halo 2 and Final Fantasy. What it comes down to is Final Fantasy is comfortable, and while I'll probably hunker down and play Okami before I even get to FFXII, most people wont. As is, most of my friends pages on Livejournal are full of nothing but FFXII and how pretty it is (Honestly I thought that people looked kinda funny) not one of them probably even knows who Clover Studios was. Which is sad cuz most of them try to say that they are hard-core indie gamers. So sad.
But that's how things go. We'll have to get over it and see if maybe another jewel will come out hiding in all the crap we seem to see now a days.