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[Nirolak]

Neither do I.

If XB2 doesn't do well, I can see MonolithSoft being done with single-player driven jrpgs. They might transition to more co-op structured action adventure games. They have the muscle and experience to pull it off.

They're already hiring for some kind of online action game.

Spoiler

Something to appeal to the Hunting Action audience?

They've definitely publicly said they intend to make more online games as well.

As for the singleplayer titles, I don't think XB2's character art is doing them a huge favor overseas this go around, especially releasing in such a tremendously competitive holiday season.

 

[Man God]

Neither do I.

If XB2 doesn't do well, I can see MonolithSoft being done with single-player driven jrpgs. They might transition to more co-op structured action adventure games. They have the muscle and experience to pull it off.

They made a really competent Diablo clone on DS.

 

[Oregano]

They've definitely publicly said they intend to make more online games as well.

As for the singleplayer titles, I don't think XB2's character art is doing them a huge favor overseas this go around, especially releasing in such a tremendously competitive holiday season.

I'd definitely agree with that. I don't mind the animu aesthetic much but it's definitely has less mass appeal than the relatively realistic look of Xenoblade X. I think they should have kept closer to that style.

 

[Zedark]

Neither do I.

If XB2 doesn't do well, I can see MonolithSoft being done with single-player driven jrpgs. They might transition to more co-op structured action adventure games. They have the muscle and experience to pull it off.

Speaking of which, apparently MonolithSoft are looking for online multiplayer experience according to a job listing: http://nintendoeverything.com/monol...ge-of-online-games-medieval-fantasy-settings/

 

[cw_sasuke]

Assuming the game is good and doesnt release around the DQXI Switch version...i think XB2 will do better than many people anticipate.

XB was great, but a bit too late and the Wii at that point wasnt really the system for these experiences, XBCX was on WiiU, XB n3DS worse looking than the Wii version and limited to the n3DS.

With XB2 the series for the first time hitting a "hot" system about to enter its prime, that might be(come) a essential pick up for fans of that genre. It also doesnt hurt that games like BotW are exposing more Nintendo fans to Open World experiences. If Nintendo can connect those dots when marketing this game i could see it perform well.

But as said it all depends on the quality of the games and when other tales like Tales/DQXI hit the Switch. If it has a month during the Holiday for itself it could be a hit.

 

[Nirolak]

I'd definitely agree with that. I don't mind the animu aesthetic much but it's definitely has less mass appeal than the relatively realistic look of Xenoblade X. I think they should have kept closer to that style.

I don't think the issue is even so much anime as it is like little kid's anime in what is presumably going to primarily sell to like 28+ year olds overseas.

Like this is the face of the game:

I think NNK2 has more of a "family" or "everyone" anime look going on that is a bit easier to pitch widely by comparison, despite also starting a young boy.

I guess I'd make the comparison between Cars and Toy Story as another way of explaining that, where Cars works really well for its target audience, but not as much outside that.

 

[cw_sasuke]

I dont think they are targeting the Skyrim audience with this game.

The character design in the past title always was quite bad in my opinion - the world and monster design in addition to the Gameplay and story (at least for XB1) - were the things that people hooked.

So i dont think that people who are interested in a jPG to begin with will have issues with that style, assuming the rest of the game is good. Stuff like this only becomes a dealbreaker when the game has other mayor flaws.

 

[Principate]

I don't think the issue is even so much anime as it is like little kid's anime in what is presumably going to primarily sell to like 28+ year olds overseas.

Like this is the face of the game:



I think NNK2 has more of a "family" or "everyone" anime look going on that is a bit easier to pitch widely by comparison, despite also starting a young boy.

I guess I'd make the comparison between Cars and Toy Story as another way of explaining that, where Cars works really well for its target audience, but not as much outside that.

I'm still not quite sure why they went for a young kid with funky ads pants as the lead. It's the sorta of design you may pull off with super successful mainstream anime not nothing extremely niche (how many late night anime have you seen star kids).

Even for shounen the most popular Shounen protagonist in Japan or maybe existence is Luffy. The dude started the story when he was 17.

 

[Nirolak]

I dont think they are targeting the Skyrim audience with this game.

The character design in the past title always was quite bad in my opinion - the world and monster design in addition to the Gameplay and story (at least for XB1) - were the things that people hooked.

So i dont think that people who are interested in a jPG to begin with will have issues with that style, assuming the rest of the game is good. Stuff like this only becomes a dealbreaker when the game has other mayor flaws.

Honest question. Do you feel the art and character design had any impact between the success seen with Nier vs Nier Automata?

That's a pretty niche title, which is why I'm using it as an example.

 

[Aters]

I dont think they are targeting the Skyrim audience with this game.

The character design in the past title always was quite bad in my opinion - the world and monster design in addition to the Gameplay and story (at least for XB1) - were the things that people hooked.

So i dont think that people who are interested in a jPG to begin with will have issues with that style, assuming the rest of the game is good. Stuff like this only becomes a dealbreaker when the game has other mayor flaws.

You can't just aim at a specific crowd and be done with it. XB and XBX have shown that such crowd is really small.

 

[cw_sasuke]

Honest question. Do you feel the art and character design had any impact between the success seen with Nier vs Nier Automata?

That's a pretty niche title, which is why I'm using it as an example.

It def. had impact on me since Automata looked more appealing. Im not arguing that XB2 could not benefit from a bit less anime, more mainstream and a older maincast. At the same time i dont think that people who were interested in the series in the past will skip it just because of the artstyle...if the gameplay, world, content etc. still holds up it still will have its audience and anyone who is looking for a meaty timesink J-RPG for their Switch.

The only think ive seen so far from XB2 that really looks out of place are the breasts of the female MC - otherwise the dynamic between the two could be interesting depending on what the story has to offer.

I expect the game to look much more polished when we see it the next time prior to release.

You can't just aim at a specific crowd and be done with it. XB and XBX have shown that such crowd is really small.

You cant ? I dont know what the Xbox has to do with it or what games you are even talking about.
There is alot of XB2 we havent seen yet and im confident in the developer. I wont judge the whole game/project because the MC characters design could be better. I

 

[ggx2ac]

Speaking of which, apparently MonolithSoft are looking for online multiplayer experience according to a job listing: http://nintendoeverything.com/monol...ge-of-online-games-medieval-fantasy-settings/

– Those with much knowledge of trends, pop culture, and entertainment in overseas countries

We've seen this before. So either they need two action planners or the position hasn't been filled yet.

 

[Oregano]

I think the difference IMO is that Xenoblade X would be more likely to capture the attention of a non-JRPG fan. At a glance it has a lot more in common with stuff like Destiny, Mass Effect and now Anthem than it does Tales of or Dragon Quest,

 

[cw_sasuke]

I think the difference IMO is that Xenoblade X would be more likely to capture the attention of a non-JRPG fan. At a glance it has a lot more in common with stuff like Destiny, Mass Effect and now Anthem than it does Tales of or Dragon Quest,

Heh...thats true - especially with the crazy grind of the game it would have done well on Switch. Add in local coop multiplayer and we are good to go.

I still wont count out XB2 - ill at least wait for the next trailer and what the world has to offer. I didnt like the initial trailers but the Treehouse live gameplay demo was pretty neat even if it was rough around the edges.

 

[Man God]

XC2 seems to be going after the Tales audience with their character design. It might work.

 

[ksamedi]

I think the difference IMO is that Xenoblade X would be more likely to capture the attention of a non-JRPG fan. At a glance it has a lot more in common with stuff like Destiny, Mass Effect and now Anthem than it does Tales of or Dragon Quest,

I agree. Xb2 has a stupid main character. It doesnt even make sense for a kid that age to fight huge titans and kill all kinda of beasts. I dont mind myself, as I really liked the first one but if they want to expand they went with the wrong artstyle.

 

[LordKano]

I don't think the game is aiming for a different audience than the original XBC, they just took a popular character designer to avoid XCX criticisms again.

 

[wrowa]

Problem with Xenoblade 2 isn't just the character designs, it also doesn't look anywhere near as ambitious as its predecessors.

Xenoblade 1 wowed people with these wonderful vistas and a kind of open and huge world that we've rarely - if ever - seen in an JRPG before. Xenoblade X went even crazier and introduced things like a full open world and giant mechs.

Xenoblade 2 in comparison doesn't seem very exciting. It's missing the additions of X and goes straight back to Xenoblade's style. But this kind of game isn't as unique anymore as it was in 2010 -- and so far Xenoblade 2 isn't really showing any ambitious ideas of its own. It just seems to be more of the same.

 

[Oregano]

Heh...thats true - especially with the crazy grind of the game it would have done well on Switch. Add in local coop multiplayer and we are good to go.

I still wont count out XB2 - ill at least wait for the next trailer and what the world has to offer. I didnt like the initial trailers but the Treehouse live gameplay demo was pretty neat even if it was rough around the edges.

I think speaking hypothetically about their job postings it would make sense to take Xenoblade X in an action direction. Controlling Mechs would be a lot more fun. They already had online multiplayer too.

 

[Datschge]

I don't think the game is aiming for a different audience than the original XBC, they just took a popular character designer to avoid XCX criticisms again.

The odd thing about character designs in Monolith Soft games is that the designs (illustrations by the character designers) themselves are serviceable actually, but the translation into 3D models is like the worst in the industry. They should just outsource that to FlightUnit.

 

[Aters]

You cant ? I dont know what the Xbox has to do with it or what games you are even talking about.
There is alot of XB2 we havent seen yet and im confident in the developer. I wont judge the whole game/project because the MC characters design could be better. I

I mean Xenoblade Chronicle and Xenoblade Chronicle X. Neither of them sold particularly well, and I don't think Nintendo would just greenlight a big budget RPG to satisfy those one million people.

XC2 seems to be going after the Tales audience with their character design. It might work.

Is Tales audience even worth getting? How many of them out there?

 

[Fukuzatsu]

At a glance it has a lot more in common with stuff like Destiny, Mass Effect and now Anthem than it does Tales of or Dragon Quest,

-my bad, I misread XCX as XC2-

 

[Alrus]

That is a hot take, my friend. "At a glance", one might suppose so, it's in a world of advanced/fantasy tech and in a sense that's similar to Anthem, Destiny, or ME, but past that I don't see fans of those games jumping on this. The style of storytelling is very different (and in this regard MUCH closer to Tales or DQ than anything non-Japanese), and honestly the minute I saw that trailer with the "I love this world because you're in it" and the scandily-clad female lead, I knew this was going to be One of Those Games.

I mean let's be real, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to see this--Xenoblade 2 can be pretty good and even review as "alright for a JRPG", and it still won't sell that well.

He's talking about XBX not XB2.

 

[Fukuzatsu]

He's talking about XBX not XB2.

That makes a lot more sense, I didn't read their post properly. But yes, if a game of this sort had a good chance to do well outside of Japan, XCX seemed like the right model to do it in. Making a new game in a less-realistic art style and more "anime" elements (for lack of a better word, but case in point is the character designs) is basically the opposite of that.

 

[Nirolak]

It def. had impact on me since Automata looked more appealing. Im not arguing that XB2 could not benefit from a bit less anime, more mainstream and a older maincast. At the same time i dont think that people who were interested in the series in the past will skip it just because of the artstyle...if the gameplay, world, content etc. still holds up it still will have its audience and anyone who is looking for a meaty timesink J-RPG for their Switch.

The only think ive seen so far from XB2 that really looks out of place are the breasts of the female MC - otherwise the dynamic between the two could be interesting depending on what the story has to offer.

I expect the game to look much more polished when we see it the next time prior to release.



You cant ? I dont know what the Xbox has to do with it or what games you are even talking about.
There is alot of XB2 we havent seen yet and im confident in the developer. I wont judge the whole game/project because the MC characters design could be better. I

It's not that I expect the game to tank. I just think it will have a notably harder time growing than it might have otherwise under the relatively favorable conditions the Switch provides.

Similarly I think there might be some fatigue among the existing audience given this game doesn't look astonishingly different, so cycling in new people would have helped on that front.

 

[Alrus]

What Nintendo has shown of Xenoblade 2 really isn't very exciting indeed. The trailer kinda failed to show any sort of huge vistas that the series is known for and the character design is kinda busted as always.

 

[Man God]

Is Tales audience even worth getting? How many of them out there?

Probably not.

I think in retrospect if XBX had somehow managed to be delayed a few years and surfaced as a Switch launch title it might have been better received. Same with Tokyo Mirage Sessions to be frank.

 

[Datschge]

XC2 seems to be going after the Tales audience with their character design. It might work.

While character designs are a matter of taste, the facial models so far are such a huge step down compared to usual Tales games that I doubt the Tales audience that cares for the look of character designs in games (which I doubt is a significant percentage anyway) will give XC2 a second look due to that choice.

 

[Fukuzatsu]

What Nintendo has shown of Xenoblade 2 really isn't very exciting indeed. The trailer kinda failed to show any sort of huge vistas that the series is known for and the character design is kinda busted as always.

I mean thinking of the most recent batch of JRPGs (Persona, FFXV, Tales, now DQXI), XC2 has some of the worst character design of recent titles. Also perhaps the most sexually out-there designs of the bunch, which is especially uncharacteristic of a Nintendo-backed joint.

 

[Man God]

While character designs are a matter of taste, the facial models so far are such a huge step down compared to usual Tales games that I doubt the Tales audience that cares for the look of character designs in games (which I doubt is a significant percentage anyway) will give XC2 a second look due to that choice.

They look pretty much exactly like derpy Tales faces in the in game shots. Tales character design looks great in promotional stuff and pretty bad in the actual games. The difference is negligible in my mind.

 

[Draxal]

The above is also part of why we've seen a heavier push into overseas territories (usually China, South East Asia, South Korea, and the U.S.) with Japanese mobile games, because while the Japanese mobile market is gigantic, Japanese mobile companies are real go-getters who want more growth, and they can only do that domestically by taking market share.

Other regions still have strong growth going for them.

I think Cygames and Nintendo are really doing it the smartest (having the same servers domestically/internationally).

 

[ksamedi]

It's not that I expect the game to tank. I just think it will have a notably harder time growing than it might have otherwise under the relatively favorable conditions the Switch provides.

Similarly I think there might be some fatigue among the existing audience given this game doesn't look astonishingly different, so cycling in new people would have helped on that front.

Xbx was a very good start but handled really bad by Nintendo. The potential was huge but Nintendo somehow managed to screw that up. XBX was also forward thinking and could have worked with more online focus but ultimately the Wii U sales held it back significantly. I have a feeling they learned all the wrong lessons. The series really has potential if handled well.

 

[Datschge]

They look pretty much exactly like derpy Tales faces in the in game shots. Tales character design looks great in promotional stuff and pretty bad in the actual games. The difference is negligible in my mind.

Well, if you say so it must be right, in your mind.
In reality they are nothing alike.

 

[Skullwaker]

What Nintendo has shown of Xenoblade 2 really isn't very exciting indeed. The trailer kinda failed to show any sort of huge vistas that the series is known for and the character design is kinda busted as always.

While they haven't shown off much of the vistas in the trailers, the Treehouse demonstration at E3 certainly did.

 

[LordKano]

They look pretty much exactly like derpy Tales faces in the in game shots. Tales character design looks great in promotional stuff and pretty bad in the actual games. The difference is negligible in my mind.

Uh, they do look good in game though ?

And how can people say that XC2 is more sexualized than Tales lol

 

[Nekster]

The treehouse demo of Xeno 2 was great. A lot better than the trailer.

And i don't share the hate towards the main prot design. I kinda like it.

 

[Alrus]

The treehouse demo was great.

And i don't share the hate towards the main prot design. I kinda like it.

I really dislike his clothes, the scuba diving thing makes no sense. Hopefully it's like previous Xenoblade games and you can change them at your leisure.

Other than that it's the same issue as other XB games, the faces look weird, this time they really lack details in a way that makes them look flat.

 

[Mory Dunz]

I really dislike his clothes, the scuba diving thing makes no sense. Hopefully it's like previous Xenoblade games and you can change them at your leisure.

Other than that it's the same issue as other XB games, the faces look weird, this time they really lack details in a way that makes them look flat.

I worry that you can't change clothes since it wasn't mentioned so far and the menu has full portraits with their og clothes....

 

[LordKano]

I worry that you can't change clothes since it wasn't mentioned so far and the menu has full portraits with their og clothes....

Of course you'll be able to change clothes, it's a Xenoblade game. Portraits or not doesn't matter.

 

[Skullwaker]

I actually kind of like the designs more than the ones for Xenoblade X overall. The main character's face and clothes are a bit off, but the clothes can be changed and presumably I can cover his face like in the previous games.

 

[Ōkami]

1. [3DS] Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age - 1409
2. [PS4] Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age - 1179
3. [SWI] Splatoon 2 - 137
4. [3DS] Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire's Conspiracy - 28
5. [3DS] Hey! Pikmin - 25
6. [PS4] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered - 21
7. [SWI] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 21
8. [PS4] Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - 17
9. [PSV] Wagamama High Spec - 14
10. [SWI] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 13
11. [3DS] Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission X - 13
12. [3DS] Sumikko Gurashi: Koko, Dokonan Desu? - 11
13. [PSV] Wagamama High Spec (Moe Game Award Taishou Jushou Kinen-han) - 9
14. [SWI] Arms - 9
15. [PSV] Grisaia no Kajitsu: Side Episode - 8
16. [PS4] Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Legacy - 8
17. [PS4] Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Game of the Year Edition - 7
18. [3DS] Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS - 7
19. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Welcome amiibo - 7
20. [WIU] Splatoon - 6

Preorders
[PS4] Gran Turismo Sport - 89
[3DS] The Snack World - 54
[PS4] New Everybody's Golf - 42
[3DS] The Great Ace Attorney 2 - 41
[3DS] Etrian Mystery Dungeon 2 - 30
[SWI] Monster Hunter XX Nintendo Switch Ver. - 27
[PS4] Nights of Azure 2 - 26
[PSV] Nights of Azure 2 - 26
[PS4] Sen no Kiseki 3 - 18
[3DS] Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journeu Redux - 15
[PS4] Crash Bandicoot: N.Sane Trilogy - 15
[PS4] The Evil Within 2 - 11
[PS4] Star Wars: Battlefront 2 - 11
[PS4] Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone DX - 10
[SWI] Pokken Tournament DX - 10
[PS4] Call of Duty: WWII - 10

 

[wrowa]

I actually kind of like the designs more than the ones for Xenoblade X overall. The main character's face and clothes are a bit off, but the clothes can be changed and presumably I can cover his face like in the previous games.

Judging by the menus and stats shown, it actually appears like these spirit weapons will replace armor entirely.

 

[ZSaberLink]

I think XB2 is in a much better position than XC or XCX.

Xenoblade on the Wii released pretty late in the system's life, so although it sold pretty well I think it would've done better if it was released in the first couple years of the Wii. Xenoblade Chronicles X...was on the Wii U. I would say enough said, but similarly to the original, it released late in the system's life as well.

With Xenoblade 2, it's releasing in the first year of the Switch, and the platform is actually successful. It will also be one of the first major single player experiences on the platform following Zelda in Japan, which is a nice selling point. Not to mention it's on a handheld, which other than the port of the original, the series hasn't done before.

It's not a big holiday title, but it should be a nice mid-range game in between big titles. And hopefully there is one following Mario Odyssey this year. DQXI would be nice.

Xeno X did remarkably well on Wii U in the US at least. Iirc, it sold over 200K in its first month.

Also for an extra holiday title, for Japan, would a Taiko game for Switch suffice there?

 

[frankie_baby]

Dragon quest 1409 for 3ds and 1179 ps4 on comgnet, doubt either version will hit a million

 

[Oregano]

Surprised 3DS is that much higher than PS4 at Comg considering the preorder situation.

 

[Alrus]

Surprised 3DS is that much higher than PS4 at Comg considering the preorder situation.

Report was that orders for the 3DS version increased more in the days leading to the release.

 

[LordKano]

Surprised 3DS is that much higher than PS4 at Comg considering the preorder situation.

That was to be expected : more casuals buying it on 3ds at launch vs the hardcore crowd on PS4 who preorder more.

 

[Mpl90]

1. [3DS] Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age - 1409
2. [PS4] Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age - 1179
3. [SWI] Splatoon 2 - 137
4. [3DS] Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire's Conspiracy - 28
5. [3DS] Hey! Pikmin - 25
6. [PS4] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered - 21
7. [SWI] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 21
8. [PS4] Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - 17
9. [PSV] Wagamama High Spec - 14
10. [SWI] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 13
11. [3DS] Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission X - 13
12. [3DS] Sumikko Gurashi: Koko, Dokonan Desu? - 11
13. [PSV] Wagamama High Spec (Moe Game Award Taishou Jushou Kinen-han) - 9
14. [SWI] Arms - 9
15. [PSV] Grisaia no Kajitsu: Side Episode - 8
16. [PS4] Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Legacy - 8
17. [PS4] Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Game of the Year Edition - 7
18. [3DS] Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS - 7
19. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Welcome amiibo - 7
20. [WIU] Splatoon - 6

Preorders
[PS4] Gran Turismo Sport - 89
[3DS] The Snack World - 54
[PS4] New Everybody's Golf - 42
[3DS] The Great Ace Attorney 2 - 41
[3DS] Etrian Mystery Dungeon 2 - 30
[SWI] Monster Hunter XX Nintendo Switch Ver. - 27
[PS4] Nights of Azure 2 - 26
[PSV] Nights of Azure 2 - 26
[PS4] Sen no Kiseki 3 - 18
[3DS] Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journeu Redux - 15
[PS4] Crash Bandicoot: N.Sane Trilogy - 15
[PS4] The Evil Within 2 - 11
[PS4] Star Wars: Battlefront 2 - 11
[PS4] Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone DX - 10
[SWI] Pokken Tournament DX - 10
[PS4] Call of Duty: WWII - 10

As always, it's better to wait for more retailers to show their rankings, as well as actual charts, but at least Comgnet shows improvements for non-Splatoon 2 Switch games

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 7pt --> 21pt
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 5pt max --> 13pt
Arms - 6pt --> 9pt

 

[Regulus Tera]

Like this is the face of the game:

I'm pretty sure they are gonna plaster anime boob-sword girl on the boxart before they do this dude.

 

[OfficerRaichu15]

Possible chance for Switch software increases?