"Lost Odyssey" a catalyst to sell millions in Japan & tens of millions in Europe?

What impact will "Lost Odyssey" have?

  • Lost Odyssey has a great chance of selling a lot of XB360's in Japan & Europe

    Votes: 46 41.8%
  • The PS3 is going to crush everything at the Tokyo Game Show.

    Votes: 64 58.2%

  • Total voters
    110
Demo Impressions:

Well, I have seen the demo of Lost Odyssey in action. The game is so very grown-up and pieced together with such seamless virtuousity that I really don't know what to say. I'm impressed as I've ever been with a videogame. It is beautiful. I'm about as excited about it now, as a fully functioning (really), independent adult, as I was excited about Final Fantasy VII as a college student, as I was about Final Fantasy IV as much younger man. I look forward to this game.

Seeing (and playing) is believing, and I am a believer in Lost Odyssey. My immediate judgment is a belief that it will sell this console to at least a million Japanese gamers. And Microsoft must think so too –it’s going to make sure this game is everywhere. It will be featured most prominently at the company’s booth at Tokyo Game Show, and, if its promise to host all show-floor demos on Xbox Live holds true, that should mean this game's demo will be available for download next Wednesday night.

In addition, Sakaguchi proudly announces in the interview that the demo will be packed in with the issue of Famitsu released on October 20th. Quite auspicious -- just two weeks before the Xbox 360 price drop and three weeks before the PlayStation 3 launch. I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft announced at Tokyo Game Show that Blue Dragon was being released on the same day as PlayStation 3.
http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3818&Itemid=2
 
More impressions, this time from Che over at GAF:

So I checked out the first 15 action-packed minutes of the nearly hour long Lost Odyssey TGS demo yesterday and I was completely blindsided by how f'ing awesome this game looks and feels (in the emotion stirring sense).

I don't know if this game is going to "steal TGS" or sell a million Xbox 360s in Japan, but goddamn it is an impressive piece of work that will turn a lot of heads. Takehiko Inoue's art direction has taken on a maturity that goes even beyond his work in Vagabond, and seeing it in motion in both the CG and real-time graphics makes me think that his future isn't in manga but rather in 3D and games.

But what really got to me beyond the FF-style combat vs. like 1000 enemies and seamless integration of real-time and CG graphics is the way Lost Odyssey conveys a sense a mystery around its main character (who apparently is immortal). I walked away from the demo immediately wanting to know more about the game's scenario -- hero, villains, f'ed up world, everything.

I haven't played a J-RPG and haven't wanted to play one since... shit, I can't even remember, and now I suddenly can't wait for Mistwalker to finish the damn game. :p
 
I really would like some quality JRPG's and the PS3 looks like it's heavily oriented towards shooters and racing games.
I'd say there's few traditional JRPGs, sure, but it's far from all racers and shooters.

dodo3 said:
It's not possible to sell millions in Japan if the console hasn't sold a million to begin with.
It is if you sell millions of consoles to go with the millions of games sold ;)
 
The sad truth of the game market (everywhere) is that it takes more than a game just being good for it to sell, and likewise, it takes more than a game being bad for it to sell poorly.

Good games bomb all the time, especially if they aren't on the latest and greatest system (in japan, most stuff that isn't on DS currently is doing pretty poorly, even fantastic games, which is pretty sad) -- Lost Odyssey could be one of the best RPGs ever made and it likely won't make as big of a difference as a person would think. While I'm pretty excited for it, I'd still bet my house on the fact that Japan as a whole will continue to not really care.
 
The sad truth of the game market (everywhere) is that it takes more than a game just being good for it to sell, and likewise, it takes more than a game being bad for it to sell poorly.

Good games bomb all the time, especially if they aren't on the latest and greatest system (in japan, most stuff that isn't on DS currently is doing pretty poorly, even fantastic games, which is pretty sad) -- Lost Odyssey could be one of the best RPGs ever made and it likely won't make as big of a difference as a person would think. While I'm pretty excited for it, I'd still bet my house on the fact that Japan as a whole will continue to not really care.

Shenmue anyone ?. I hope this time things go better...
 
The sad truth of the game market (everywhere) is that it takes more than a game just being good for it to sell, and likewise, it takes more than a game being bad for it to sell poorly.

Good games bomb all the time, especially if they aren't on the latest and greatest system (in japan, most stuff that isn't on DS currently is doing pretty poorly, even fantastic games, which is pretty sad) -- Lost Odyssey could be one of the best RPGs ever made and it likely won't make as big of a difference as a person would think. While I'm pretty excited for it, I'd still bet my house on the fact that Japan as a whole will continue to not really care.

I dunno about Japan, but with the hype this game is getting I expect extremely good sales WW, if it actually as good as they say then multi-millions.
 
I dunno about Japan, but with the hype this game is getting I expect extremely good sales WW, if it actually as good as they say then multi-millions.

It's funny. Not here but at other certain Xbox sites all you hear in the Japan threads is we don't need Japan JRPG's suck blah blah blah. Now this game is getting hype and suddenly all of those same people are now fans of the genre talking about how this game is going to rule. Rather amusing if you ask me.
 
LO does look promising. but the issue I see with it comparing it with a jagurant like FF is based on pure popularity and familiarity.
you see, even though Sagakuchi and Yuimatsu are behind the title- which definitly turns heads- the game is still brand new on a system that sold very badly over there (and Europe as well?).

I can only think of DQ to go head to head with FF as they are both very huge and successful. there could be other RPGs that are much better than the two combined, but again, I am talking about pure market success and reputation. for instance; imagine a totally new soccer game called "Soccer Now" being compared to WE or FIFA. the media will love to hype such new names against established ones, but the masses won't likely jump ship that easily. I say LO needs at least a couple of very successful sequels to start being compared to the likes of FF or DQ. this is like how Forza could now go "head-to-head" with GT- as the press like to put it.

also, keep in mind that SE will have not one but two next-gen FF games to show for on PS3 that aren't sequels and with different gameplay and settings. one of them will have its very first in-game footage showing, so you have your excitement and anticipation there. the other FF game will have new footage as well.

LO could be the RPG of the decade, but it is just simply not recognized or known at all. I think Rogue Galaxy (PS2) will give it a run for press coverage. the advantage for LO is that it is "next-gen" on an underdog platform.

generally speaking, I think many agree that PlayStations are the home of RPGs (JRPGs to some of you ;) ). think what will happen later when the next DQ, Kingdom Hearts, etc. get announced (most likely as PS3 exclusives). I don't think RPGs is the genre one should hope to take away from PS3 this fast- even if that may be the only hope for the 360 in Japan.

the same could be said about new commers like Resistance, Naughty-Dog's new game, Red Steel, etc. will sweep away their respected genre.

what do you all think?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It's funny. Not here but at other certain Xbox sites all you hear in the Japan threads is we don't need Japan JRPG's suck blah blah blah. Now this game is getting hype and suddenly all of those same people are now fans of the genre talking about how this game is going to rule. Rather amusing if you ask me.

All I've ever seen is superficial stereotyping of the XBOX user base by others who claim that there's no market for JRPG's on 360.

Check any fan sites and people have been excited about this game for over a year, blue dragon as well, any time there is even a hint of screens for these games you get looong threads about them. Sure, many might argue that the prefer westen RPG's, I do, and XBOX has by far the best selection of those, but you shouldn't take that to mean they don't don't like JRPG's as well.

It's obvious the XBOX userbase enjoy's RPG's, Morrowind did well, KOTOR did extremely well, Fable did great, Oblivion is one of the top 3 games out right now for 360. It only makes sense that these same people would enjoy a good well crafted JRPG, and I've personally never understood the argument that XBOX users have no interest in JRPG's just because they're from japan. Judging by the hype LO and BD are getting, that argument is false and the audience has always been there, they just haven't been given any good games, until now.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm rooting for this guy just because of how badly he was treated at SE.

Doesn't hurt how amazing Blue Dragon, Lost Odysee and CryOn sound so far ;)
 
LO does look promising. but the issue I see with it comparing it with a jagurant like FF is based on pure popularity and familiarity.
you see, even though Sagakuchi and Yuimatsu are behind the title- which definitly turns heads- the game is still brand new on a system that sold very badly over there (and Europe as well?).

I can only think of DQ to go head to head with FF as they are both very huge and successful. there could be other RPGs that are much better than the two combined, but again, I am talking about pure market success and reputation. for instance; imagine a totally new soccer game called "Soccer Now" being compared to WE or FIFA. the media will love to hype such new names against established ones, but the masses won't likely jump ship that easily. I say LO needs at least a couple of very successful sequels to start being compared to the likes of FF or DQ. this is like how Forza could now go "head-to-head" with GT- as the press like to put it.

also, keep in mind that SE will have not one but two next-gen FF games to show for on PS3 that aren't sequels and with different gameplay and settings. one of them will have its very first in-game footage showing, so you have your excitement and anticipation there. the other FF game will have new footage as well.

LO could be the RPG of the decade, but it is just simply not recognized or known at all. I think Rogue Galaxy (PS2) will give it a run for press coverage. the advantage for LO is that it is "next-gen" on an underdog platform.

generally speaking, I think many agree that PlayStations are the home of RPGs (JRPGs to some of you ;) ). think what will happen later when the next DQ, Kingdom Hearts, etc. get announced (most likely as PS3 exclusives). I don't think RPGs is the genre one should hope to take away from PS3 this fast- even if that may be the only hope for the 360 in Japan.

the same could be said about new commers like Resistance, Naughty-Dog's new game, Red Steel, etc. will sweep away their respected genre.

what do you all think?

i think this game will benefit from the Team Ninja effect. Being one of the few AAA RPG on the system, big fish in a tiny little pond, should make sure it succeeds. Whether it will shift people over from FF, doubtful, but a game of this calibre certainly can't hurt.
 
Can you expand on this more? Or direct me to a post which explains it? You've gotten me intrested.

After the first FF movie that pretty much bombed and hurt Square quite a bit financially (part of why it's now Square Enix -- Sony bought quite a bit of stock to help financially too), Sakaguchi got more or less "fired", except without actually being fired. He couldn't head any more projects and was stuffed away in an office in Hawaii doing who knows what (probably a decent job, but someone like him most likely would much rather have been making games). From my understanding, job security in a lot of big Japanese companies is pretty much gauranteed (for the higher up people, at least), and you get shifted around if you do badly rather than being fired.

On another related note, Matsuno is no longer at Square/Enix either -- I'm very curious where he's going to go, since he's probably the best that Square had, if you ask me (FF tactics, FF 12, Vagrant Story, etc.).
 
On another related note, Matsuno is no longer at Square/Enix either -- I'm very curious where he's going to go, since he's probably the best that Square had, if you ask me (FF tactics, FF 12, Vagrant Story, etc.).

That Tim Rogers guy seems to indicate he's now working with Cavia, not sure what system he's developing for, but it is possible he's working on Cry-On for 360.

Yasumi Matsuno, who left the Final Fantasy XII project after an illness incurred when large numbers of his key staff walked out to join Sakaguchi, showed up at the Nintendo Wii unveiling Wednesday in Tokyo, to preach about how much he loves the system. He loves the way the controller works, and how it can be used to express nuances deeper than, say, first-person-shooting. He announced that he is designing a game for the system.
...
Rumors earlier this year pointed to Matsuno's involvement with Cavia, a little studio beloved for its workmanship by many quirky hardcore gamers. I have observed Cavia with great interest, lately, and have prescribed, above all else, that it hires someone with narrative and dramatic flair. I believe Matsuno to be a perfect fit.

Of note is that Cavia falls under the AQ Interactive umbrella of developers, which also includes Hironobu Sakaguchi's Mistwalker. This means, if Matsuno is working there, he's tangentially working with Sakaguchi again.

Sakaguchi had previously called Matsuno the most talented man in the Japanese games industry.
 
After the first FF movie that pretty much bombed and hurt Square quite a bit financially (part of why it's now Square Enix -- Sony bought quite a bit of stock to help financially too), Sakaguchi got more or less "fired", except without actually being fired. He couldn't head any more projects and was stuffed away in an office in Hawaii doing who knows what (probably a decent job, but someone like him most likely would much rather have been making games). From my understanding, job security in a lot of big Japanese companies is pretty much gauranteed (for the higher up people, at least), and you get shifted around if you do badly rather than being fired.

On another related note, Matsuno is no longer at Square/Enix either -- I'm very curious where he's going to go, since he's probably the best that Square had, if you ask me (FF tactics, FF 12, Vagrant Story, etc..
That was only a rumor, no ?
 
Could be considered one, there hasn't been any official word from SE or Matsuno that I've seen... though I'd consider it more or less a reality at this point.
Why ?

And this poll is quite shitty , I ain't voting.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top