SNK Execs On Game Piracy, Sony Approval Issues 48
Thanks to SPOnG.com for its interview with SNK's Yoshihito Koyama and Shinya Morishita about the veteran developer/publisher, with topics including the death of the classic Neo Geo MVS cartridge system ("There is no reason why the system could not be used now and in the future... we have not been held back by the hardware platform we use. The main problem is the pirates"), and the scale of the piracy that prompted it ("We released King of Fighters 2003 in Japan. Within two days we were seeing copied versions of our [cartridge] from China hitting the open market across Asia... Our game [ROMs] have also been spread across the Internet, another reason why enhanced hardware technology will help us.") Eurogamer also has another SNK interview, similarly conducted on the occasion of SNK's European publishing deal with Ignition, which talks PlayStation 2 game approval issues, mentioning: "With Sony you have to think about SCEA [Sony America] approval because they don't like 2D games, but SCEE [Sony Europe], they accept 2D games for release, but SCEA say 'no, they must be 2 in 1', or something like this."
Pride and Prejudice (Score:1)
Doesn't this just confirm what many of us already knew. The industry has a congenital hatred towards 2D games, despite the fact that a good 2D romp like metal slug has no counterpart in the 3D world. So this means that SCEA think of only
Re:Pride and Prejudice (Score:5, Insightful)
This mentality amongst (particularly young) gamers drives me nuts. I have nephews who won't even play a game if it was released last year. If a game is good, it doesn't stop being good over time.
Re:Pride and Prejudice (Score:1)
Re:Pride and Prejudice (Score:1)
Me, I've got my trusty old Dreamcast patched into my 20" SVGA, with Ikaruga superglued to the drive spindle. Whenever the little inlaws waltz over to point and laugh, I just smack them in the teeth with the controller, all without breaking my 40-chain combo.
Only shitty games come branded with an expiration date.
Re:Pride and Prejudice (Score:1)
If you're interested in Ikaruga, you might like this ikaruga fansite [ikaruga.co.uk], where there are scoreboards, discussion forums, and replay videos of experts playing each level.
There are also some Radiant Silvergun videos [ikaruga.co.uk].
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Re:Pride and Prejudice (Score:1)
Re:Pride and Prejudice (Score:1)
Re:Pride and Prejudice (Score:2)
Unless you are asking for quirky games that aren't very good?
Re:Pride and Prejudice (Score:3, Insightful)
I am impressed by your high game quality standards. Viewtiful Joe has to be a pretty bad game to get a weak 92% in Gamerankings [gamerankings.com].This clearly indicates that the game is no good.Sony's US refusal to distribute VJ had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the game is a 2D side scroller, as TFA says.
I guess somebody will have to tell the guys at Capcom that if they want to be able to sell their PS2 games in NA they better start learning from the companies that made Big Motha Truckers [gamerankings.com] and Army Men:Green R [gamerankings.com]
Re:Pride and Prejudice (Score:2)
Re:Pride and Prejudice (Score:2)
SCEA (Score:3, Informative)
I mean, SCEA declined to distribute Vib Ribbon, Wipeout Fusion, Dropship... It's not just 2D games they reject, it's just about anything that isn't a FPS or movie tie-in.
Maybe they're right from a commercial standpoint; maybe Joe Sixpack is only interested in playing Unreal Syphon Quakesplitters 3. But it's pretty sad for gamers.
Re:SCEA (Score:1)
Re:Pride and Prejudice (Score:2)
Re:Pride and Prejudice (Score:1)
Of course, every previous time Mike Hawk has said its a problem with SCEA some jerk comes along and tries to dispute it. Once again, Mike Hawk is right and you all are idiots.
Re:Pride and Prejudice (Score:2)
Besides Serious Sam, the new Ninja Gaiden, most of the Dynasty Warriors series, etc., etc.
Rob
Piracy really did kill the Neo Geo (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Piracy really did kill the Neo Geo (Score:5, Insightful)
$50 a game is expensive, but reasonable. No?
-rami
Re:Piracy really did kill the Neo Geo (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Piracy really did kill the Neo Geo (Score:2)
Re:Piracy really did kill the Neo Geo (Score:2)
New arcade games (whether they go into an existing hardware system like Neogeo or Naomi, or not) simply have never cost $50, and they never will. To expect otherwise is ridiculous.
American frugality (Score:2)
Amusingly enough, it sounds awfully similar to the
Re:American frugality (Score:1)
So, when you want the latest King of Fighters, you either import it and mod your console, or you have to wait for SCEA to approve it, and you end up with a 2-in-1 pack that's been censored.
SNK Piracy and Piracy in General (Score:2)
I do wonder though, how many people download their roms and play via emulator who would simply never buy their games because of the cost.
Re:SNK Piracy and Piracy in General (Score:2)
Of course, none of that excuses all the piracy.
Re:SNK Piracy and Piracy in General (Score:2)
Re:Naomi-based AtomisWave is a ROM based Dreamcast (Score:2, Informative)
RAM: 16MB
video RAM: 8MB
sound RAM: 2MB.
[source: GameFAQs]
The Atomiswave has...
Main RAM : 32 MB
Main Memory : 16 MB
Graphic Memory : 16 MB
Sound Memory : 8 MB
And the NAOMI has...
Main Ram : 32 megs
Main Memory : 32 MByte
Graphic Memory : 16 MByte
Sound Memory : 8 MByte
[source: System16.com]
Now, I don't know what's the difference between "Main RAM" and "Main Memory", that's just what the site says... can anyone clarify?
Well, anyway. It is clear that the hardware is very similar, but not the
Re:Naomi-based AtomisWave is a ROM based Dreamcast (Score:2)
I personally don't think the problem for porting the games to the Dreamcast comes from RAM size differences - going from the fast loading speed of a cartridge to a suboptimal CD-R speed would be the real issue that would require software
Nintendo Seal of Approval, All Over Again (Score:4, Interesting)
The SCEA is clearly doing the same thing, "if we don't like your game, you can't distribute it". How about letting *THE PUBLIC* decide if they like a game by purchasing it (or not). I prefer 2D games over 3D games, as the game-play tends to be better. Consequently I sold my PS2 a long time ago, and purchased a GBA SP.
Quit telling me what I want, let me decide for myself.
The funny thing about all of this is that the game makers are putting up all the risk, and they *still* have to pay Sony for each game sold. Why does Sony *not* want additional income?
Perhaps the SNK people should release an "un-approved" disc. If the SCEA takes them to the courts, SNK may have legal precedent on their side.
Re:Nintendo Seal of Approval, All Over Again (Score:2)
Re:Nintendo Seal of Approval, All Over Again (Score:1)
Re:Nintendo Seal of Approval, All Over Again (Score:1)
I think you need to look that case history up. Tengen lost, for not having a valid license to release Tetris in the US (the
Re:Nintendo Seal of Approval, All Over Again (Score:1)
Re:Nintendo Seal of Approval, All Over Again (Score:1)
After looking around a bit longer, and some refreshment of my memory, this link:
http://www.nesplayer.com/features/lawsuits / tengen. htm
pointed out that Tengen was a spin-off of Atari, and directly related to the Atari lawsuit I mentioned previously. Additionally, many arti
Re:Nintendo Seal of Approval, All Over Again (Score:2)
Piracy, or economics? (Score:2)
Re:Piracy, or economics? (Score:2)
The piracy their speaking of is not like here in North America. Down in asia the pirate "Sell" the pirated goods. Copies of the roms and the hardware sell for some none zero sum in a
Re:Piracy, or economics? (Score:1)
Choices... (Score:2)
$30 and more than one credit, would have sold me.
Re:Choices... (Score:1)