I couldn't stand it anymore! So I wrote them a letter...

[Ganelon]

*pokes Skyline* I never said that...

[black mariah]

I think that back in the glory days of shmups, the "hardcore" gamers were the majority of the game players.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Funny. If the only thing it takes to be a hardcore gamer is dumping shitloads of quarters into a machine then DDR players are the hardest to ever core.

You seem to have misunderstood me. I simply implicitly noted that I have no idea who you're preaching to since everyone already shares your sentiments. Are you expecting disagreement for something? The "hard truth" as you put it has already been recognized by the shooter community at large for years now.

What exactly is your point? I'm having a hard time finding it.

[Ganelon]

My point was to question who exactly folks here are directing their "laws of business practices" comments towards when nearly everybody seems to already be in agreement that businesses cater to the majority.

[Ghegs]

Sony won't let any company price shooters at high price. I guess 2D means "cheap and budget" to them. Indeed though, the demand for the games from people like us can go a lot higher than what they're currently being sold for in the US. However, it's a moot point to consider when the makers of the largest game base refuses 2D games at regular price.

Trivia time: In Finland R-Type Final was and is still sold as a full-priced title at 59 EUR. Yet elsewhere in Europe it carries a ~30 EUR pricetag.

[Ganelon]

Wow. I can't imagine it selling very well over there...

Oh, and by "Sony," I meant "SCEA and its cronies" of course.

[Nuke]

Not trying to piss off anyone or anything, but this topic reminds me of:

Dear Die Hard.
You rock!
Especially when that guy was on the roof.

-Homer Simpson-

P.S. Do you know
Mad Max?

It's like the only funny bit in the new series

[Sundance]

Incoming form letter.

lol... eeeeeeeeeexxactly!

[dave4shmups]

I'm not a big Sony fan, but I don't understand all the Sony hate around here.

How many shmups have Nintendo or Microsoft allowed on their consoles? Sure there's Metal Slug 3, and 4+5 coming up on the Box, but those don't count as shmups.

I don't like Sony's anti-2D policy either, but the bottom line is that the American PS2 has far more 2D games on it then either the XBOX or the GameCube. So, why aren't people writing letters to Microsoft or Nintendo of America??

[Blue Lander]

There are only a few 2D games for the Gamecube and X-Box in Japan, and there's no reason to think Nintendo or Microsoft aren't allowing them to release in the US.

With the Playstation 2, there's a bunch of 2D games out in Japan, and many of them want to release titles in the US. But SCEA won't let them. That's why people hate Sony.

[Nemo]

I'm not a big Sony fan, but I don't understand all the Sony hate around here.

How many shmups have Nintendo or Microsoft allowed on their consoles? Sure there's Metal Slug 3, and 4+5 coming up on the Box, but those don't count as shmups.

I don't like Sony's anti-2D policy either, but the bottom line is that the American PS2 has far more 2D games on it then either the XBOX or the GameCube. So, why aren't people writing letters to Microsoft or Nintendo of America??

It's not so much that they just don't let many 2D games over, it's the fact that they'll allow any 3D game to be released here, regardless of how bad it is and claim [just about any sprite-based game] can't be released here because of quality control reasons. It doesn't hurt them to allow shmups or any other game to be released here if somone wants to bring it over, but their QC policies amount to their arrogance about 2D games making their system look bad in the "graphics race" with GC and Xbox.

It's all just political nonsense and the topic starter's letter will probably be bulletin board comedy material for Sony execs. if a human actually reads it. You need to pick your battles if you want to have a voice, so it would be wise to target companies that show a remote sense of reponsiveness to their supporters. You might as well have asked PETA to invest stock in your animal-based furnishings and clothing business.

[dave4shmups]

"That's why people hate Sony."

But with a PS2, you can play more 2D games than with either the XBOX or the GameCube, because you have access to the PS1's library. Which is why the PS2 has more 2D gaming then either of the other consoles.

I agree, though, that the letter probably won't get any attention, which is just sad.

I can understand, from a buisiness point of view, SCEA not wanting to release a lot of 2D titles here in the US, but if they, and other console manufacturers are going to adopt such a policy, then they should make their consoles region-free. I've been told that they don't because of piracy, but surely with the technology available today they could find another way around that besides region-lockouts.

[tehkao]

To the gaming business execs, us hardcore gamers are annoying, and they wish we didn't exist.

Sometimes they have to throw us a bone to appease us and shut us up, but most of the time they couldn't give a crap if we're satisfied or not.

"Look we already gave you Gradius V, what more do you want? Now shut up and keep buying Madden for the next 10 years."

[LoneSage]

Dear Sony,
I am fully aware of such titles as Capcom Generations 1: 1942, 1943, Kai, which, in all honesty have not been shown on the market for very long (I just called up Gamestop the other day to ask for the newly released Gradius V by Konami, and they do not have it, nor do they have the original Einhander for PS-one).

The Capcom Generation games were never released in the US.

On top of this, there are many many more Shmups that you have for the PS-one and PS2 that have not been shown in the American Market such as Shikigami No Shiro (Mobile Light Force 2), Thunderforce V,

What, so Thunder Force V was never released in America Yes it was. And I honestly don't care if we got SNS1, since America already received it as MLF1.

Also, in particular, I am a fan of several Treasure and Milestone games such as Ikaruga and Chaos Field, if it would be possible to port those games to PS2, that would be greatly appreciated.

...

Sony does not do that.

If you guys think this letter was a good idea, bad idea, or if they'll even listen to me...well, speak your mind.

You should have revised it a bit more.

[Zach Keene]

The Capcom Generation games were never released in the US.

One of them was, actually. (Hint: it wasn't the 194x collection.)

[Ganelon]

Yeah, you'd know it under a much more common name...

[LoneSage]

Whoa, what? I just searched for it on Google but came up with nothing, what was it called?

[Zach Keene]

Street Fighter Collection 2

In NA Capcom Generation vol. 5 (which had the three pre-Turbo versions of the game) was presented as a sequel to the earlier non-Generation "Street Fighter Collection" which had SSF2T and SFA2.

[Rob]

Mod your system.

[LoneSage]

Street Fighter Collection 2

In NA Capcom Generation vol. 5 (which had the three pre-Turbo versions of the game) was presented as a sequel to the earlier non-Generation "Street Fighter Collection" which had SSF2T and SFA2.

Oh wow, I never knew that...I always thought it was just a regular ole collection. Thanks Zach

[TVG]

SCEE>>>>>>SCEA

seriously, sony of america are idiots, and they dont give a fuck.
DDP not in the us because they dont want tate? wtf...

i see nothing wrong in sony however, they make good TVs, their console has the best games of our current times, and they release some nice budget titles in the europe (with varied quality though, but this has to doo with the companies that do the ports, not sony)