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Bravely Default Outsells Lightning Returns FF13 in the US

Error

Jealous of the Glory that is Johnny Depp
Why did SE USA pass on Bravely Default?

Talk about dumb as fuck decisions, what is wrong with that company? Reminds me on SCEA passing on Demons Souls.
 

Hcoregamer00

The 'H' stands for hentai.
Brace yourself for chapter 5.

I am in chapter 5, I don't get the hate except the difficulty spike.

That was horrible, I went from being overpowered to being way underleveled.

Why did SE USA pass on Bravely Default?

Talk dumb as fuck decisions, what is wrong with that company? Reminds me on SCEA passing on Demons Souls.

SE's decisions have been baffling as of late, even a longtime fan such as myself find myself confused by their horrible corporate decisions. Though much of my hatred stems from the mobile focus that SHOULD be on the 3DS and PS Vita instead :(
 

Anustart

Member
Brace yourself for chapter 5.

I wasn't ready. I did the fake ending and called it good, sold it soon after.

The whole Brave/Default system is basically an illusion. Random encounters have way more hp, and the only time you have to manage your bp is during boss fights. In hindsight it's really not that special :/
 
it's not bad enough to ruin the game, some of you guys.....



you're an edgy comment

:p



Basically this. There's some hyperbole going on here. Of course the so called chapter 5 and following is a decrease in quality... but come on, if you listen to some people they make it like it litterally kills the game or even represent half of the game which is even remotely true.
 

GuardianE

Santa May Claus
From the way people are talking, is Bravely Default Chapter 5 like the Mass Effect 3 ending or something? Because really that'd be the only thing that could come close to ruining a game for me.
 

Hcoregamer00

The 'H' stands for hentai.
From the way people are talking, is Bravely Default Chapter 5 like the Mass Effect 3 ending or something? Because really that'd be the only thing that could come close to ruining a game for me.

No, just make sure to level grind and you can power through it very quickly.

I actually like chapter 5 and are taking my sweet time in this chapter *GASP*
 

ZeroX03

Banned
From the way people are talking, is Bravely Default Chapter 5 like the Mass Effect 3 ending or something? Because really that'd be the only thing that could come close to ruining a game for me.

It's not exactly a big screw you like ME3's ending (which I didn't mind tbh), it's more of a story event that affects gameplay. No big spoilers, but tagged it just in case:
you basically have to repeat the same four dungeons and bosses four times in a row to get to the true ending. It's very repetitive and hurts the pacing. You can turn encounters off and do it in two hours or so with a high level party, but it's a pain.
 

mrpeabody

Member
This says far, far more about where the Final Fantasy series is these days than it does about Bravely Default. For a new IP with no marketing, 200k is a very respectable performance. For an FF with a number in the title it's a disaster.

What will Square learn from this? Probably nothing. Both games will get new installments that are pretty much more of the same.
 

HawthorneKitty

Sgt. 2nd Class in the Creep Battalion, Waifu Wars
This says far, far more about where the Final Fantasy series is these days than it does about Bravely Default. For a new IP with no marketing, 200k is a very respectable performance. For an FF with a number in the title it's a disaster.

What will Square learn from this? Probably nothing. Both games will get new installments that are pretty much more of the same.
no marketing mmhmm.
 
From the way people are talking, is Bravely Default Chapter 5 like the Mass Effect 3 ending or something? Because really that'd be the only thing that could come close to ruining a game for me.
It's bad in a different way. The last chapters of BD feel like they ran out of money so they recycled assets, and strung together unconnected scenes continuity be damned just so they could ship the game.
 

GuardianE

Santa May Claus
no marketing mmhmm.

Comparatively speaking, Lightning Returns was marketed much more heavily than Bravely Default.


And thanks for the impressions from people about BD Chapter 5+. I'll have to just see it for myself, but I don't necessarily have huge issues with things weakening towards the end as long as the finale doesn't subvert the entire experience that came before it.
 

Hcoregamer00

The 'H' stands for hentai.
This says far, far more about where the Final Fantasy series is these days than it does about Bravely Default. For a new IP with no marketing, 200k is a very respectable performance. For an FF with a number in the title it's a disaster.

What will Square learn from this? Probably nothing. Both games will get new installments that are pretty much more of the same.

Nah, Bravely Second looks like the series gets a little more darker.

Hopefully it makes up for the original games mistakes, as in difficulty spikes and flat "tales-like" skits. At least add some more personality and fun to it like the tales games.

It's bad in a different way. The last chapters of BD feel like they ran out of money so they recycled assets, and strung together unconnected scenes continuity be damned just so they could ship the game.

If you are not into it, you can just consider the end of Chapter 4 the end of the game.
 

Shinta

Banned
This says far, far more about where the Final Fantasy series is these days than it does about Bravely Default. For a new IP with no marketing, 200k is a very respectable performance. For an FF with a number in the title it's a disaster.

What will Square learn from this? Probably nothing. Both games will get new installments that are pretty much more of the same.

If I saw this as SQEX, I'd take away from this, "invest more in mobile." Japanese PS4 numbers just took a nosedive too.

And that's basically exactly what they're doing when they talked about "region specific content." Their portable and mobile focus is more on Japan now.

Their console focus is more on the west, which means action RPGs and Eidos games, and probably including PC now in their releases. Most just didn't seem to realize LR already does a lot of what the western market wants now, because they didn't play it (difficult, action RPG, open world, no tutorials, very non-linear, heavy customization options).
 

terrisus

Member
Hopefully Square-Enix takes the right message from this.
We need more games like Bravely Default, and less junk like the Final Fantasy games have been for the past 15+ years.
 
Comparatively speaking, Lightning Returns was marketed much more heavily than Bravely Default.


And thanks for the impressions from people about BD Chapter 5+. I'll have to just see it for myself, but I don't necessarily have huge issues with things weakening towards the end as long as the finale doesn't subvert the entire experience that came before it.

There's almost no unique content past the 4th Chapter and we're talking about a game with 1 town per chapter.
 

FluxWaveZ

Member
No, just make sure to level grind and you can power through it very quickly.

I actually like chapter 5 and are taking my sweet time in this chapter *GASP*

I wonder if you'll also like chapter 6 and chapter 7 just as much.

I'm glad so many people have criticized what the game becomes as of chapter 5 (even though I enjoyed chapter 5 myself). Pulling something like that in Bravely Second would be "unacceptable."
 

Beth Cyra

Member
Hopefully Square-Enix takes the right message from this.
We need more games like Bravely Default, and less junk like the Final Fantasy games have been for the past 15+ years.

Yes because 200k sales of a Handheld game should totally say they should ignore the 40 million units they've sold since FF VII.

Look I get some fans love BD, but the game has tons of issue just as 4 Warriors of Light before it. LR and the FF XIII games aren't what I want for the future, but jesus neither do I hope for it to be dominated by BD either.
 

antonz

Member
I have reasons to doubt that but either way... Good on BD, more localizations coming our way :)

Nintendo has done surprisingly well on the digital side of things. Nintendo owners seem to be more willing to make the jump for digital titles regardless of all the bitching on forums stating otherwise
 

Videoneon

Member
Nah, Bravely Second looks like the series gets a little more darker.

Hopefully it makes up for the original games mistakes, as in difficulty spikes and flat "tales-like" skits. At least add some more personality and fun to it like the tales games

Regarding the skits, talk about unfulfilled potential. So many of them are weak.

This game is good though, and the more opportunities Square has to dissuade themselves from smothering their fans with Lightning, taking chances on some of retro-styled works (which they didn't totally do as far as localization and development was concerned, but whatever), and rethinking strategies on franchises in general, the better.
 

Dark_castle

Junior Member
Yes because 200k sales of a Handheld game should totally say they should ignore the 40 million units they've sold since FF VII.

Look I get some fans love BD, but the game has tons of issue just as 4 Warriors of Light before it. LR and the FF XIII games aren't what I want for the future, but jesus neither do I hope for it to be dominated by BD either.

It's terrisus. Don't bother. This guy hates all PS1 onwards RPG probably minus a select few. He also hate Xenoblade Chronicles. Go figures.
 

Beth Cyra

Member
It's terrisus. Don't bother. This guy hates all PS1 onwards RPG probably minus a select few. He also hate Xenoblade Chronicles. Go figures.

Honestly can't say I'm a fan of Xenoblade either, so I'm kinda with him on that one.

Still I hope for better then both Bravely and FFXIII for XVI and beyond.
 

terrisus

Member
Yes because 200k sales of a Handheld game should totally say they should ignore the 40 million units they've sold since FF VII.

Look I get some fans love BD, but the game has tons of issue just as 4 Warriors of Light before it. LR and the FF XIII games aren't what I want for the future, but jesus neither do I hope for it to be dominated by BD either.

But, at least Bravely Default was an enjoyable game, whereas all those others weren't.
And I'm including 7 in that group as well

Yeah though, I suppose expecting them to completely abandon all of that is rather unrealistic.
As long as we can get more games like Bravely Default as well though, I'll be happy.

It's terrisus. Don't bother. This guy hates all PS1 onwards RPG probably minus a select few. He also hate Xenoblade Chronicles. Go figures.

Hey, there are plenty of RPGs on the GBA and DS that I love.
 
Yes because 200k sales of a Handheld game should totally say they should ignore the 40 million units they've sold since FF VII.

Look I get some fans love BD, but the game has tons of issue just as 4 Warriors of Light before it. LR and the FF XIII games aren't what I want for the future, but jesus neither do I hope for it to be dominated by BD either.

It's pretty obvious this conversation is being dominated by people who haven't played both (or even either) games.
 

Dark_castle

Junior Member
Honestly can't say I'm a fan of Xenoblade either, so I'm kinda with him on that one.

Still I hope for better then both Bravely and FFXIII for XVI and beyond.

You can be not a fan of Xenoblade, but downright hate it? I just don't see why one would be.

But I do agree about your second sentence. I myself am a long time fan of turn-based JRPG, but after playing FFXII: IZJS and then Xenoblade, along with massive, open world RPG like Dragon's Dogma and The Witcher 2, I just don't wish to see Final Fantasy going backwards. FFXV is shaping up to be precisely what I personally desire for Final Fantasy to move forward. An ambitious open world-ish Action RPG with heavily emphasis on free form, interactivity and exploration.

After XV, I'm fine with them steering directions to a different end. Something purely turn-based like X or evolution of XII could work.
 
Ok, Nintendo gives us the BD number. Where are we getting the LR number including digital?

Kagari has access to certain NPD numbers. This "BD sold more than LR" thing is coming from what she said.

You are free not to believe it as it's not confirmed officially, but a lot of what we accept as usable NPD numbers come from leaks, so it's weird to draw a line in the sand on this one.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
It's pretty obvious this conversation is being dominated by people who haven't played both (or even either) games.
LR seems to be the proxy for the boogeyman that is modern FF (take your pick, XIII series, FFs since X, FFs since VI, etc)

Which is funny because it's open world, gameplay focused, relatively coherent in its storytelling.. It's really not representative of any trend in FF lately, aside from continuing the XIII mythos + Lightning (and even in that respect it's making me appreciate those silly characters more than ever)

BD also appears to be a banner for old schoolers who have been bitter since VII.
 

Shinta

Banned
It's pretty obvious this conversation is being dominated by people who haven't played both (or even either) games.

Both games sold almost exactly the same amount, to a small niche audience. People are splitting hairs over something in the range of 30k sales or less, considering that no one here seems to know what LR's digital sales are, and BD came out a week earlier.

Talk about fighting over nothing. The battle for the future of FF is determined by less than 30k sales? That's a joke. People are so eager to put down LR, they don't even notice that both games didn't sell particularly well.

SQEX is looking at a much bigger picture than this. Don't get me started on the content of the games. I got both day 1 and I've enjoyed them both (I'm one of the rare people on here that owns and has played both). But I definitely prefer one of them over the other.
 

terrisus

Member
You can be not a fan of Xenoblade, but downright hate it? I just don't see why one would be.

But I do agree about your second sentence. I myself am a long time fan of turn-based JRPG, but after playing FFXII: IZJS and then Xenoblade, along with massive, open world RPG like Dragon's Dogma and The Witcher 2, I just don't wish to see Final Fantasy going backwards. FFXV is shaping up to be precisely what I personally desire for Final Fantasy to move forward. An ambitious open world-ish Action RPG with heavily emphasis on free form, interactivity and exploration.

After XV, I'm fine with them steering directions to a different end. Something purely turn-based like X or evolution of XII could work.

A game having a turn-based battle system is not "going backwards." It's a design choice - and one I like very much.
 

Skilletor

Member
All is well in the world.

Both games sold almost exactly the same amount, to a small niche audience. People are splitting hairs over something in the range of 30k sales or less, considering that no one here seems to know what LR's digital sales are, and BD came out a week earlier.

Talk about fighting over nothing. The battle for the future of FF is determined by less than 30k sales? That's a joke. People are so eager to put down LR, they don't even notice that both games didn't sell particularly well.

SQEX is looking at a much bigger picture than this. Don't get me started on the content of the games. I got both day 1 and I've enjoyed them both (I'm one of the rare people on here that owns and has played both). But I definitely prefer one of them over the other.

You don't think these are great sells for a handheld rpg? I think it's great. A new IP sold, what, a total of around 500k worldwide with what was probably a fraction of the budget of LR? lol.

Okay then.
 
Ah, I'm glad to hear this. Bravely Default had its fair share of flaws, but I found it a heartfelt throwback to those good old JRPG roots.

I just wish the XIII series had started off with Lightning Returns' combat. I might have been able to enjoy it if it had.
 

GuardianE

Santa May Claus
Both games sold almost exactly the same amount, to a small niche audience. People are splitting hairs over something in the range of 30k sales or less, considering that no one here seems to know what LR's digital sales are, and BD came out a week earlier.

You're ignoring the size of each platform's consumer base, marketing budget, and development budget of the two games. Also the fact that one is from an established IP vs. a new IP. I wouldn't call LR a niche game. I certainly don't think Square-Enix considers it to be one.
 

Shinta

Banned
You don't think these are great sells for a handheld rpg?

Not really, no.

I'd like to get the second game, so I hope Nintendo is pleased with it. As the platform holder though, they have more in mind then individual game sales. Each one builds up to someone's tipping point in getting a 3DS.

Also the fact that one is from an established IP vs. a new IP. I wouldn't call LR a niche game. I certainly don't think Square-Enix considers it to be one.

The sales is all I look at when determining how big the audience is. The sales of these games are almost identical in the US at least.

XV will be much bigger obviously, but that doesn't mean LR seems to be catering to a niche audience. The sales speak for themselves really.
 

Dark_castle

Junior Member
A game having a turn-based battle system is not "going backwards." It's a design choice - and one I like very much.

My bad, actually wanted to say, 'classic JRPG with random encounter turn-based battles with simplistic, pre-rendered background and old school world map system'.
 

terrisus

Member
My bad, actually wanted to say, 'classic JRPG with random encounter turn-based battles with simplistic, pre-rendered background and old school world map system'.

Which is exactly what I wanted.
Hopefully it did well enough to get Square-Enix to focus more on games like that.
 
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