Microsoft acted as patron for games such as this until it became easier to just throw moneyhats at Activision for timed-exclusivity of CoD map packs!

Sony Follows Microsoft to the Bottom in the Exclusive Content Racket

The fifteenth day of the eleventh month has come and gone, and with its passing has ushered in the beginning of a new console generation [no, we do not count the Wii U]. With a new console generation comes new console strategies – Microsoft has already revealed their hand with a reliance on television and NFL licenses, and now the pieces of Sony’s console strategy are also starting to come together, and the results are not entirely to one’s liking.

In order to effectively differentiate a new piece of hardware the vendor thereof must be able to depict it as being capable of functioning in ways that competing devices cannot, and the easiest way to do this is to secure some exclusive content that cannot be accessed on any other platform. Throughout the last generation Sony appeared to favour utilising company resources in order to secure wholly exclusive titles for the PS3, while Microsoft for their part quickly dispensed with acquiring entire titles outright in favour of purchasing exclusivity [or timed-exclusivity] of select chunks of content. The effect that this approach has is to effectively compromise the gaming experience that owners of the competing platform are able to have with the titles that they paid sixty dollars for, while at the same time doing very little to positively differentiate the character of one’s own gaming platform. Sony also did this last generation, but only [seemingly] as an afterthought.

This time around Sony appears to have gone after exclusive content in a very concerted fashion. The PS4 version of Assassin’s Creed 4 is set to feature sixty minutes of platform exclusive gameplay, with Ubisoft’s Watchdogs also in line to receive some manner of unspecified exclusive content. Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes is also set to receive an exclusive mission which will see players take on the role of the PS1 iteration of Solid Snake in all his low resolution polygonal glory, while the PS4 release of Diablo III will see the introduction of all new mechanics. Meanwhile, PS4 owners will be granted first access to beta testing for both The Elder Scrolls: Online and Bungie’s Destiny. In all there are twenty publishers/developers who have signed on to deliver exclusive content to the PS4.

While one finds it morally indefensible to deprive someone who has paid full price of the content that is due them, that alone is not reason enough for consternation [they are Xbots after all]. Rather, it is because this approach only subtracts value for a competitor, rather than creating anything of positive value for one’s self – in short, it involves spending money in a way which will not produce anything of value for gaming.

A more regular roster of Japanese releases may ease the burden of the JRT.

Sony Supports the Localisation of Japanese Content

Sony are currently standing at the dawn of a whole new console generation with the launch of their PS4, while at the same time also supporting a hendheld system that is not doing so well in the sales department. On top of that their PS3 is still a going concern at a time when Sony will be looking to transfer the bulk of their support to the PS4. All of these platforms require content and bribing publishers for exclusive mission packs does not look to be capable of picking up all the slack, which is why it is most important that Sony be able to fully leverage the content that already exists for their platforms.

It is with this in mind that Sony established what they refer to as the third-party production team, a group dedicated to maximising the amount of regional content that is able to be localised into foreign markets. When individual gamers harangue Sony staff with their release-begging it is often intuitive to think that their wishes are being consigned to the waste paper basket of no fucks given, yet according to Sony’s Adam Boyes third-party productions director, Giovanni Corsi, has been monitoring social media and Sony blogs in order to compile a list of Japanese content that Western gamers would like to see given a local release – a list that is topped by the PSP releases of Final Fantasy Type-0 and the newest Suikoden title, along with the PS3 release of Yakuza 5, and a possible port of the Dreamcast’s Shenmue games.

“When we started the third-party production team, it was born out of necessity. We had a lot of publishers and a lot of content that had come out for various platforms and various territories that weren’t necessarily coming to our territory, platforms we’d love to see them on.

The key is to bring people that are fans of certain content great stuff. So if people are fans of Japanese content, you can imagine that’s a place we’re putting a lot of effort into. People who are fans of the Vita, you can imagine we’re putting lots of effort into that.”

The obvious candidate for Sony’s localisation efforts is Final Fantasy: Type-0, as the series already has a fanbase which numbers in the millions. The Vita may not be doing so well right now, but a PSN release of Final Fantasy: Type-0 might well provide the push that many PS4 owners need to pick up a Vita for subsequent use in remote play. It would make a lot of sense for this to be one of the titles that the third-party production team is working on, especially considering that Shuhei Yoshida tacitly suggested earlier in the year that something was being done on this front. At any rate, one considers a team dedicated to the localisation of Japanese content to be a thoroughly worthwhile endeavour, and something which stands to positively differentiate Sony from their rivals.

BAN THIS SICK FILTH!

Australia Requires a Molyneux Set of Ratings Guidlines

Upon the implementation of Australia’s very first R18+ rating for video games the celebrations were decidedly short-lived, as it quickly became evident that the misogyny-obsessed and utterly incompetent Gillard government had implemented some utterly arcane and borderline unworkable guidelines when it came to the depiction of female sexuality. Until now one of the most absurd casualties of these heavy-handed guidelines was Atelier Totori Plus, an anime-based game that had been determined appropriate for children under the previous ratings regime, yet earned an R18+ rating for sexual violence under the new botched legislation. Well, as it turns out Fable: Anniversary [the HD remake of Fable] is the newest game to be added to this absurd list.

While one finds it utterly delightful that Fable has been determined as being unsuitable for children of any age, it has nevertheless been designated as such on the most appallingly nonsensical grounds. One curio present in the Australian ratings system with respect to depictions of fornication and drug use, is that they are held to be many times more disagreeable in instances where their occurrence results in a reward for the player. Thus, if a Grand Theft Auto player avails themselves of the services of women of negotiable affections, only to have their health replenished, then this is something that is frowned on by Australia’s dour ratings guidelines.

It is the Grand Theft Auto scenario which appears to have been applied to Fable, only the sex in question consists in its entirety of the screen fading to black, while the player reward is nothing more than the birth of an in-game heir! Yes, that is right, Julia Gillard and her hopeless, bumbling thralls have succeeded in classifying the actual biological purpose of engaging in sexual intercourse as being objectionable contraband – to the extent that a more gratuitous sex scene could have been included in the game while incurring less of a ratings-penalty, provided that the game did not reward the player with the biological fruit of his loins. The original Australian rating of Fable was ‘M’ [the equivalent of America's 'T' rating], the HD re-release of Fable: Anniversary has been rated R18+ for “Sexual activity related to incentives and rewards” because idiocy. Sometimes one truly despairs.

PAX 2011

It is that time of the year again already, Lusipundits. No, it is not time for Lusipurr.com’s Oliver Motok to take his annual bath in the creek outback, but rather for gamers to once again descend on the Washington State Convention & Trade Center for 2011′s Penny Arcade Expo! PAX 2011 sees intriguing offerings on the part of Lusipurr.com’s oft featured Japanese publishers, albeit with a surprising lack of Japanese software on their books.

Square Enix

The Eidos side of the Square Enix business is leading from the front this year with the largely well received Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which launched in North America this week. The theme of Western developed sandbox RPG goodness continues strongly with the first person zombie masher, Dead Island, which is fast approaching its impending release on the sixth of September. Square Enix’s high profile line-up is then further augmented by the inclusion of their own promising shot at redemption for the Final Fantasy XIII project, with Final Fantasy XIII-2 to see a Western release in the new year, whereupon players may enjoy such luxuries as towns, shops, and NPCs.

Wakfu Characters

Square Enix will also be looking to showcase some of their lesser known titles with the presence of French developer Ankama’s MMORPG for PC and Mac, Wakfu, which is currently undergoing Beta testing. Wakfu will then be joined by American studio n-Space’s multiplayer-centric 3DS RPG, Heroes of Ruin, which will see release in the first quarter of 2012. Finally, Square Enix have indicated that PAX 2011 will see the announcement of a new title being developed in partnership with Airtight Games, during their exclusive panel on the 27th of August. The project is being headed by Creative Director Kim Swift, who has previously worked on Portal and both Left 4 Dead games. The new project is described by Square Enix as “quirky“.

There will also be plenty of Square Enix swag available at PAX 2011, with a release party of sorts being thrown for Deus Ex: Human Revolution in the Diller Room, where gamers may indulge in food and drink, win exclusive swag and prizes, and sample the game via Eyefinity stations set up in partnership with AMD. Additionally, Square Enix’s “Word to Your Moogle” tour is set to stop over at PAX for its duration. Gamers will be able to sample Final Fantasy XIII-2, and will subsequently receive an envelope containing an alphabetic letter which they will be able to combine with fellow attendees in order to win fabulous prizes including: “Word to Your Moogle” Tshirts, discounted merchandise at the Square Enix shop, and signed copies of Final Fantasy XIII-2!

Trine 2

Atlus

If Square Enix’s internally developed content was scant, then Atlus’ output can best be described as nonexistent – unsurprising given the recent release of Catherine by the Persona team. Happily Atlus’ showing will be little weakened by this absence, given the publisher’s strong showing of niche titles, among which is ACE Team’s follow up to Zeno Clash, Rock of Ages. The game is described as a tower defense game with additional ball rolling mechanics (along the lines of Monkey Ball), and is fast approaching its August release date over PSN, XBLA, and Steam. Rock of Ages will be joined by Trine 2, the sequel to Frozenbyte’s well received platformer, which was recently enjoyed by Lusipurr.com’s own Ashley ‘Thea’ Polio, who gave it a glowing review. Finally, Atlus will be showcasing the latest entry in SNK’s venerable fighting series, King of Fighters XIII, a staple series of the ailing arcade scene for the last decade, and a title which looks set to release during October of this year on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles.

House of the Dead Overkill

Sega

Speaking of relics from the arcade era, Sega is to be out in force for PAX 2011, showcasing a robust line-up of franchises both new and old! The biggest game on Sega’s floor this year is undoubtedly Gearbox’s sci-fi themed FPS,Aliens: Colonial Marines, which is set to launch in calendar year 2012 on virtually every system known to man. Fans of Sega’s Japanese development efforts are also to receive the sci-fi shooter treatment with the Yakuza Team’s forthcoming squad-shooter, Binary Domain, which is to be released on the Xbox 360 and PS3 in February 2012. Sega fans looking to mark Sonic’s 20th anniversary are also in luck with Sonic Team’s Sonic Generations, a game which will allow players to tackle stages using either ‘classic’ (2D) or ‘modern’ (3D) mechanics – the game is to see release on the PS3, Xbox 360, and 3DS in October of this year.

Fans of arcade style on-rails zombie shooters are to be well catered for with AM1′s Kinect exclusive, Rise of Nightmares – the title made by the same people responsible for House of the Dead 1-3 looks set to release in September. Not to be outdone, PS3 owners are also set to receive exclusive on-rails zombie goodness of their own with Headstrong Game’s House of the Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut, a HD port of the well received Wii title, featuring exclusive levels and Move support – it is to be released this October. Griptonite Games’ newest sequel to Sega’s long dormant Shinobi series is to make an appearance, providing some much needed action-adventure to Nintendo’s beleaguered 3DS handheld in November. Finally, rounding out the list is Avalanche Studios’ topdown vehicle shooter, Renegade Ops, which will see release over PSN, XBLA, and Steam in September.

Elder Scrolls Skyrim

Bethesda

For fans of Bethesda’s seminal Elder Scrolls series (not to be confused with Minecraft developer Mojang’s new game titled Scrolls) there is little question of what is going to be one’s personal highlight of the Penny Arcade Expo. Director Todd Howard will be taking to the stage of the Unicorn Theater in order to speak at length on his newest title, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which is to release in November 2011 – in time for the busy holiday period. Howard’s demonstration is to kick off at 3:30pm on Saturday the 27th of August, and attendees are to receive a horned plushie helmet, as featured on the large hulking brute seen in Skyrim’s public relations media. Also on show at Bethesda’s PAX booth will be id Software’s post-apocalyptic FPS with RPG and racing elements, Rage. The game will herald the long awaited debut of the id Tech 5 engine when it releases in October. Finally, Bethesda will be hosting a video demo of Human Head Studios’ interesting looking cyberpunk FPS, Prey 2 – the title will be releasing in March of next year.

Kid Icarus Uprising

Nintendo

Nintendo are making their way to PAX 2011 with their 3DS heavy-hitting holiday titles in tow! First on the menu is Super Mario 3D Land, a game which many Nintendo fans are tipping to reverse the fortunes of the ailing 3DS when it launches in November. Completing the one-two-punch is the ninth entry in Nintendo’s hallowed Mario Kart series, the illogically titled Mario Kart 7, which will be released in December. This line-up is bolstered by the classic N64 remake, Star Fox 64 3D, which is to be releasing in September. Also making an appearance will be Nintendo’s airborne TPS, Kid Icarus: Uprising, which has been given a vague holiday 2011 release date. Rounding off Nintendo’s 3DS showing will be The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Pokedex 3D (both of which were released back in June) – along with the aforementioned Shinobi and Sonic Generations, both of which will also be present at Sega’s booth.

With Nintendo’s 3DS taking centre stage, things are beginning to slow a little on the DS front, with naught to show at PAX but Square Enix’s monster capture RPG, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2, along with Nintendo’s own sinister sounding stylus based franchise outing, Kirby Mass Attack. Both games are due out in September.

Kirby's Return to Dreamland

Finally, on the Wii front Nintendo will obviously be leading with the highly anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which will finally be seeing release in November. They will also be featuring their follow-up to the well-received Kirby’s Epic Yarn, known simply as Kirby’s Return to Dream Land, due out in the Autumn of 2011. Nintendo will be showcasing the long-running Japanese electronic board-game/game-mascot crossover series, Fortune Street, which will be making its Western debut during the fourth quarter of the gaming calendar. Finally, the last ‘game’ on Nintendo’s PAX list is an unnamed entry in their Rhythm Heaven series, so look forward to that making a big impact at the expo! Beyond this there is no mention of the Operation Rainfall titles which began making their European debut during this past week. While PAX would no doubt make for a perfect venue wherein to stage a surprise announcement of Monolith Soft’s popular Xenoblade Chronicles or even Mistwalker’s The Last Story, one would nevertheless be ill-advised to hold one’s breath while waiting for Nintendo of America to listen to their fans.