Capcom Hates You - Breath of Fire VI In Development as a Phone/Tablet Game

Alongside a little under a dozen other titles revealed during a Network Game Conference by Capcom, focusing on mobile and social games, there's one that stands out quite a bit for several reasons.  That title is Breath of Fire 6 and though the title of this post has already spoiled it, this is the same Conference where Monster Hunter Frontier G was announced for the PS3 and Wii U, so there was some modicum of hope interspersed amongst the original few to learn of this.  It was for naught, as Breath of Fire 6 is basically being saddled with everything we don't want out of a game these days - It's going to have an online element, if not an outright online/social focus, it's being made specifically for Smartphones/Tablets and PC as a browser-based game and it's designed specifically for a touch interface.  Plus, it looks like the above screenshot that contains what I can only imagine is the main character, maybe.  You will notice that he does not have blue hair, nor is he currently a dragon.

There has obviously already been feedback because of this and none of it is positive in the least, but, well, I don't think Capcom much cares.  This isn't the first time they've gone full-steam into an unfavorable decision about a much-loved franchise and it likely won't be the last.  A lot of the outrage is much of the same, directed at the expectations and thoughts of the platform as a whole that they're taking this to, and they're not exactly unfounded.  I can't find concrete evidence as to -how- this is going to work (if there's going to be a single-player mode at all, if it's going to be an MMO or an MMO-like, if it's going to be microtransaction-based) but there really aren't a whole lot of examples of Tablet/Phone RPGs with online/social aspects working out well an intuitively to the player's direct benefit, and nobody's willing to give Capcom the benefit of the doubt on their attempt.  Least of all me, really.  I, like most others, can feel my eyes glaze over when I hear "browser-based", because....there's just not a lot of faith there when you don't have anything tangible of the game itself.  Even a download, when it comes to your PC, isn't present because of it being played via your browser if you're not playing it on a tablet or phone.

This won't be the first major departure that the Breath of Fire series has seen, as the last instance in the series was exceptionally polarizing - to the point where people took offense to calling it Breath of Fire 5 in the first place.  I haven't played it myself, but I've heard it likened to a Roguelike which is....interesting, but certainly not a classic Breath of Fire gameplay style.  Still, regardless of the opinion of that, I think everyone is more or less united in the opinion that it was at least a proper try, given its platform and the effort behind it (as well as carrying over BoF-specific things) which is hilariously a little bit of a unifying factor for the community for that game against this new one.  While this could be another case of history repeating itself in regards to we people who play games being afraid of change, it's also important to discuss whether or not there's merit.  There's definitely merit here as much as there was merit to question Dragon Quarter - after all, you can't turn Legend of Zelda into a Third-Person Shooter where Link exclusively uses slingshots, bows and crossbows and not expect people to say that it's not a Legend of Zelda game anymore.  There are certain 'requirements' placed on everything that necessitate their design and deviating too far from those sparks things like these.

According to a Eurogamer update, it's still up in the air as to whether or not the game will come to Western shores, and it's no surprise that people are of a mind to wish that it simply wouldn't.  Regardless, Capcom has done something they honestly can't take back - whether or not we like it, this game, however it turns out, is Breath of Fire 6.  Well, I suppose they could cancel it, they're good at that after all, but I highly doubt they're going to do that, nor are they going to drastically change its scope and platform, nor are they going to simply rename it to something else, -completely- divorcing it from the series in all ways and not just stylistic, gameplay-centric and traditional as it stands now.  Maybe.  To be honest, there's very little information about the game, and even less of it is reliable at this point, but at the very least, this was definitely not a good foot to put forward, and as we know from recent experience, that's all it takes sometimes.

I always like making "Capcom Hates You" posts, they're hilarious in a sad way

Deus Ex: The Fall - Tripping Out of the Gate

Ever since Deus Ex: The Fall was announced as a phone/tablet-exclusive game (as part of Squeenix's questionable business reform methods that basically boil down to "MORE TABLET/PHONE GAMES"), it's been seen as something of a bad idea from every angle that was thought possible.  Anyone with a little sense in their head at least wrinkled their nose in confusion at the prospect of controlling a First-Person Shooter (that wasn't on rails) on a device which only has an input method of a touchscreen if they didn't outright denounce it on principle alone.  Others pointed to the efforts made with Human Revolution which, while mostly good, they did leave a little bit to be desired here and there (which is a known quantity, what with the Director's Cut coming out to fix those bits) as a reason to be wary of this game.  And still others didn't find a problem with the game itself, to the point where they just wanted it on other platforms as well.  With all those, there was one angle that nobody thought of because why would you think of this angle?

When The Fall released last night, people were quick to find out a little quirk that the developers had implemented in the game: If you were playing it on a jail broken device, you couldn't fire a gun.  Of course, the non-skippable tutorial at the start of the game requires you to shoot a gun at least once, so several people were left at a sort of impasse.  They had the game, but they couldn't play it because it requires something that they're not allowed to do.

For the uninitiated, 'jail breaking' your phone basically allows you to toy directly with the workings of the device in ways that makes Apple and everyone else all angry and such.  It is something that has a variety of uses, from simply modifying a thing or two here for purely cosmetic or ease-of-use reasons to, of course, simply pirating the shit out of whatever games you like.  As with simply modifying a device, you have all sorts of people doing it for varieties of reasons - it's the same thing as folks who used to soft-mod Wii's and PS2 to play imported games; they bought the games legally, they had a device that, in theory, was able to play it and simply had to make it so, instead of buying a whole new device that was the exact same thing, but coded to a different region.  Of course, there were also people that modified consoles to play burnt disks, that's just the sort of thing that happens whenever it comes to a simple modification level.

This was of course just an attempt at a sort of 'indirect' anti-piracy measure as we've seen in the past, but the problem was that it very obviously affected people who didn't pirate the game in any way or fashion.  The official App page for the game does say "** Please be aware, the Deus Ex: The Fall play experience is currently restricted on jail broken devices. Do not purchase if you have voided your warranty and have Jail broken your device.", but I cannot definitively say that it -always- said that, even if I am under the impression that it did.  Even if it did, however, it's still pretty much the greyest area one could murk around in at the moment.  Jail breaking, depending on who you ask and in what context, is perfectly legal, even if that does open avenues that are not quite so much.  Denying you the ability to play the game on a device that has been modified, but not denying you the ability to purchase it is the very definition of suspect, and while I don't know piracy rates on Mobile games (though I believe I've heard they're absurdly high), I imagine this sort of thing ended up affecting far more legitimate buyers than pirates.

I personally liken it to people who go into their computers and modify things for performance reasons, perhaps even going so far as to "overclock" certain aspects of it, usually for gaming means.  It's generally not advisable, I'm sure and it voids the warranty (though whether that's technically supposed to be enforceable is up in the air), but it's not an exclusionary matter.  It's not the best example, of course, since it doesn't do anything to the ability to pirate games, but just...roll with me here.  Just imagine a scenario where a game released on Steam, people bought it, and it said "We're sorry, this game isn't playable on PCs with overclocked components." perhaps for the bullshit reason of "This game was designed with X specs in mind" or something like that.  People would lose their shit and rightly so.  There would be no reason for it, just as there's basically no reason for The Fall to be unplayable on jail broken devices, since it doesn't automatically mean anything by that alone.

Thankfully, there's going to be an update coming up soon that will make the game playable for all, but it's a weird bump in the road considering it was completely unnecessary.  It certainly doesn't do Squeenix any favors, either, and they're a company that really needs to have some favors going around at this point in time.  I can't imagine they're the first developer to put this restriction on a game, and they're definitely not going to be the last, but the real issue at hand is whether or not they're going to try it again after this.  They pretty much only focused on the fact that they didn't state clearly enough (read: with big bold letters that you can't miss) that the game could not be played on Jail broken devices, so perhaps they're simply going to make that change next time around?  That wouldn't be the smart move, of course, but when is the smart move ever the Squeenix move?

now just port the damn game to Vita, somebody, anybody

Squeenix Hates You - TWEWY News is iOS Port

I don't think there's really any doubt that this -is- going to be a TWEWY project and with what's being thrown down here, I would highly doubt that it's something as banal as like an iOS port of the game, but I wouldn't quite put that past Squeenix.
                                                                                           -Mogs (August 19th, 2012)

I am wrong a lot.  We have established this several times over and we will continue to do so because I clearly exist on a different plane of existence when it comes to anything resembling sense or sanity.  I pride myself, however, on at least trying to own up to instances where I am completely wrong, as this case was.  I mean, yes, I suggested it was a possibility, and it was always a thought in the back of my head, but it was more one of those "Man, wouldn't it be hilarious if they were dumb enough to make a fuss about an iOS port?" thoughts that you get.  I don't think I really, honestly thought it would turn out this way, but in a way, I'm pretty happy it did.  Blasphemy, I know, but it's not for any reason as you would suspect.  I don't derive a bit of pleasure from seeing people excited and then let down for a game that I don't particularly care about, nor do I derive pleasure from seeing Squeenix squander potential like this, as they've done on several occasions before.

The reason I am okay with this bit is that the iOS version here (Well, versions, plural, since there's separate ones for iPhone and iPad) is clearly designed with only one screen in mind, rather than the DS' two.  Now, it's always nice to have a game specifically catering to the features of the system it's on, so as to clearly identify itself as a game -for- said system, TWEWY's handling is....not ideal.  Having combat on both the top and bottom screens, combat that seems to rely on both screens, requiring you to completely split your focus in a big way seems to really just obfuscate people, like me, who are interested in the game based on the high praise it carries.  And it just serves to make you wonder -how- it got the praise, since it seems the type of thing that one simply does not end up understanding.  Clearly, it is an understood concept to people and when and if I play TWEWY again, perhaps it will sink in, but I doubt it.

The strength of a single screen, however, in my mind at least is the obvious at first:  accessibility.  I don't see how that could be over-complicated any -more- than the two screen design and while it's not directly in-line with the original game, such is the price we pay I guess.  What really matters is just that, however - is it easier to play and enjoy on a single screen?  Because if so, then there might be good money in putting it elsewhere without stopping at iOS.  I'm not sure quite how accessible the game would be with a full-fledged controller in your hands, since the iPad/Phone release retains the touch-screen at least, so a PSN/XBLA version might not be in the cards, but if it were, I doubt very many people would balk at a $20 price-tag.  For me, I wouldn't balk at that price for a Vita version, with the best of both worlds, but that goes without saying and Squeenix aren't going to bother, I'm sure.  Since why would they; it's far easier to just doctor up a version and throw it at a giant pool of people who have, likely, zero interest, than doing up a version and offering it to people who are probably more inclined to purchase it.

Of course, a lot of people just aren't happy that the 'big' TWEWY news is a port of the game they have likely already played on a platform they may or may not have, but probably don't have a good reason to purchase on.  Most people are just never happy when it comes to video game news, but I daresay that these people might just have a point in this one for reasons that I might have stated in the previous sentence.  This move isn't really -for- the faithful, isn't really something that does anything for anybody except potentially draw in new fans for a fanbase that has sat by for four years, waiting with bated breath for something, anything new related to this.  I imagine the inclusion of Neku (TWEWY's protagonist) in Kingdom Hearts 3D wasn't really impressing anyone, so this is still a bit of a far cry from giving them -anything-.  And so, of course, the way it's been handled has been just as haphazard as everything else related to this whole project as a whole.

After a leak that spelled out directly that the site was for an iOS version to release in 2012, Brian Grey who was the lead translator on TWEWY, went on to say something basically to the effect of "There's more".  Specifically, he said: "Before everyone decides the #twewy countdown is over, they might want to wait for the countdown to be over. #moredripthanleak" which, understandably, gave everyone a lot of hope.  False hope, of course, as that was basically everything.  I suppose the soundtrack for the game might go on sale in the iTunes Store as well, but that's really not 'big' enough to sustain itself next to the iOS port job.  Seeing it all painted out in a line now isn't nearly as offensive as hearing about the leak, hearing the reassuring news the same day and then waiting a few days to learn that no, no the iOS thing is basically it.  Certainly not a 'drip' of the leak unless a dam only drips when it's allowing buckets of water to pass through its walls.  Perhaps something else will get announced in short order, or perhaps the other 'big' part of it was simply the fact that as soon as you were likely to hear about it (unless you stay up at all hours of the night like.....well, most of us), you were able to buy it, effectively announcing its launch than it's release date.

This is pretty much all in a day's work for Squeenix, however, so no real surprise in here to be found I think.  I don't mean to belittle them based on a series of hilarious misunderstandings that they clearly hold when it comes to their fanbase and the delusions and hopes they hold, but, well, I don't necessarily -have- to, since they do a nice job of that themselves.  Which is kind of the point I was making here.  As I said, this might be a good thing in the long run if it proves to be a gateway project; a means to get something new and/or original with the IP out on other platforms, just to have it out there, but it's just not there.  There's absolutely no reason anyone has to believe that this is anything more than throwing something else at the iOS market and hoping they buy in droves because it's easy money, what with it being $18-$20, depending on what you buy it on  (which seems arbitrary to me - just two dollars extra for the iPad?  I'm not sure how the costs factor into that at all).  Of course, maybe that's just a bit of conjecture drawn from a similar move to surface just recently.  Who am I to say, really?  In all senses of the word, when it comes to this stuff, I'm merely an observer, but it is a teensy-bit funny, the timing between these two things.