Live Interview with Aksys Games tonight @ 9:30 pm EDT

[njiska]

Hey forum,

Tonight Meancode and I will be conducting an interview with Aksys Games, LIVE on Blog Talk Radio. The primary focus will be on Death Smiles and Aksys Localization plans with many of the questions supplied by the members of this forum.

In addition to Death Smiles we're hoping to talk about some other Aksys released shmups and maybe get some information on how viable Western shmup releases really are.

Location: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gaming/201 ... layer-chat.
Time: Tuesday June 22 @ 9:30pm EDT (Archive available at about 11:30 EDT)

Hope some of you decide to tune in.

[MathU]

You should ask them to localize Illvelo now that UFO failed miserably.

[mesh control]

Definitely will tune in.

[meancode]

We are live here in about 10 minutes.

[dan76]

So, just to confirm - MBL ver1.1 is on the disc? Playable on J360's?

Been listening... but the whole MBL thang got confused.

[apple arcade]

can someone summarize?

[njiska]

So, just to confirm - MBL ver1.1 is on the disc? Playable on J360's?

Been listening... but the whole MBL thang got confused.

It is.

Essentially all DLC will be on disc with the expection of full voice.


If you guys have any follow up questions, we can pass them on to Cherie and try to get you answers.

[originalz]

Not a bad interview, I was actually surprised that she was fairly knowledgeable with the games. I do think that they overdo the whole "look at this wacky-ass Japanese game we're bringing over! Let's try to use memes to the point of embarrassment!", but I suppose it's nice to see them actually care about the game and content. Aksys kind of reminds me of the old Working Designs in that aspect.

[meancode]

So, just to confirm - MBL ver1.1 is on the disc? Playable on J360's?

Been listening... but the whole MBL thang got confused.

You can play the US release of BlazBlue on a J360. But I will ask to make sure.

Also, it is a shame we did not see this question in the live chat. As we took quite a bunch of questions from there

[cj iwakura]

Sorry I missed this. I would have deluged them with questions about Shikigami III.

[njiska]

Not a bad interview, I was actually surprised that she was fairly knowledgeable with the games.

You have no idea. Before the show we had a rather detailed discussion about candy cab and electrocuting ourselves with faulty monitors. Really was a treat,

[Shuurin]

Essentially all DLC will be on disc with the exception of full voice. If you guys have any follow up questions, we can pass them on to Cherie and try to get you answers.

I am somewhat curious why full voice couldn't make it to the disc? Do they plan to offer it as DLC on US xbla or they couldn't get the rights to that single piece of DLC for some reason? I doubt disc space was an issue. You can also toggle it on/off in options, so for those whom it would particularly grate on it can be disabled. Just have it off on default.

[njiska]

Essentially all DLC will be on disc with the exception of full voice. If you guys have any follow up questions, we can pass them on to Cherie and try to get you answers.

I am somewhat curious why full voice couldn't make it to the disc? Do they plan to offer it as DLC on US xbla or they couldn't get the rights to that single piece of DLC for some reason? I doubt disc space was an issue. You can also toggle it on/off in options, so for those whom it would particularly grate on it can be disabled. Just have it off on default.

I don't know the reasoning, but from what Cherie said it looks like there's no DLC planned for the game. It may have been CAVE's decision.

[system11]

Did you ask them why it's US only? This is a huge issue - as many as half of our users are not in the US.

[meancode]

Did you ask them why it's US only? This is a huge issue - as many as half of our users are not in the US.

In not so many words, It's the way the industry works.

I am going to take an educated guess here and say it is very likely to do with the distribution deal with Cave.

[system11]

Did you ask them why it's US only? This is a huge issue - as many as half of our users are not in the US.

In not so many words, It's the way the industry works.

I am going to take an educated guess here and say it is very likely to do with the distribution deal with Cave.

Not a real answer, I want details. Were they offered the option of covering Europe too? If so why didn't they? Etc.

We're getting screwed as usual by regioning.

[dan76]

Yeah, I can't believe the whole region locking thing didn't get mentioned. Not only for europe, but for those of us who have a J360 and would probably pick a copy up if we knew the situation. Seriously, I don't see why small companies putting out niche titles aren't a bit more open about these things. As to the interview itself, it seemed as if you were struggling to find things to ask about..? - quite a few awkward pauses. I'm sure a quick scan of the DS thread here or at cavestg would have given you more questions (and also highlighted the importance of region locking).

I'm not complaining - any info/exposure for this game is a good thing and it was good to hear someone talking about DS who obviously knew a fair bit about it. Some of the previews that are surfacing for the U.S. release are a joke.

e.g:
http://www.justpushstart.com/2010/06/10 ... mpression/

[Zero Gunner]

Did you ask them why it's US only? This is a huge issue - as many as half of our users are not in the US.

In not so many words, It's the way the industry works.

I am going to take an educated guess here and say it is very likely to do with the distribution deal with Cave.

Not a real answer, I want details. Were they offered the option of covering Europe too? If so why didn't they? Etc.

We're getting screwed as usual by regioning.

Aksys is a US based publisher....why would they license the game for Euro release? This is silly and all you're going to get (at best) is a comment along the lines of "our license is for the North American market". I get what you're hoping for...you're hoping they'd say something about they only have the NA license because so-and-so has licensed it for Europe. But it's kind of silly to expect a US-based company to license/region-free a game for Europe or a European publisher to do the same for the US market. Plus if the game does well in NA that gives Cave a base to work from for other regional licensing so why would Cave allow a US publisher to potentially dip into their ability to sell the game in Europe or elsewhere?

[njiska]

Look it's like this:

- We we explicitly solicited some in the DeathSmiles thread. Though we weren't able to ask all of them, we took the questions we though would be most interesting to our audience. Truth is we had only planned for a 30 minute interview and we had a lot of material to cover so a lot got cut. We didn't expect Cherie to be there for a full hour.

- We chose not ask about localization because quite frankly it's a pointless question. Aksys is a US Localizer, not developer. They have to buy the rights to the property they're localizing and they buy them for the region they're releasing in. None of the games Aksys has released have been region free and everyone knows that CAVE is all about the region locking. They've sold Aksys the US distro rights, not the EU rights, not the JP rights. There is no doubt in my mind the game will be locked to the US region. Especially since it has fully discrete title ID and leaderboards. Everything is segregated.

Zero Gunner hit the nail on the head.

- If you guys really want it I will ask Cherie for an official comment and post it in this thread. That's not a big deal.

[dan76]

Well to be honest that was the whole point of this thread - not what you or I think, but what someone who actually is involved with the localization knows about. From what I've read some of their other games have been playable on J360's - a moderator on their own forum stated that it would be the case with DS - now it turns out that this is probably not the case... Some clarity would be nice given the opportunity.

[meancode]

To clarify, the SECOND part of my statement was my educated guess as to WHY.

I have been told by Aksys, officially in an email, on the record, that the North American version of Deathsmiles is region locked. To be absolutely specific:

Hey Ken, We're only 360 coded ‘A’. Which means it’s only for our side of the ocean.

When I asked further in an IM conversation, I got

I feel bad about it but it's just one of those things

I hope that clears things up. My original opine was about it likely being a distribution deal, and I stand by that OPINION and anyone who is shocked that a game like this is in fact region locked - especially on this forum - needs to go get their noggin checked out.

Yes, Europe is getting screwed on the region coding. Just like North America gets screwed on the region coding of how many Japanese titles, and European ones for that matter. I have imported countless European PS2, Gamecube etc games from Europe after shaking my fist in the air and asking "Why?"

You all are in luck. I caught Cherie before she left the office. About the North American region coding.

I wish I knew the answer...

I think I might know but this is Cherie logic not what Aksys has told me.

And when I pushed about it being part of a the distribution deal:

yes that and that there are voices done by populor voice actors

and we can't afford them

and if their voices carry over that would be lawsuit

so we dont have the rights to those voices

so yeah thats the reason

Which, by the way for those of your playing at home, is the reason why that pre-order bonus voice DLC is not included in the North American disc.

As for Europe, when I asked about distribution of the game:

Thats all up to Cave

we dont deal with PAL at all thats a whole other jungle

So there you go. I will have this all written up and published soon, but I wanted to give you guys the scoop. Because you are the people who care the most about it all. Also about Europe she says they don't do Euro releases (which was just pointed out) and to go ask Zen United.

[meancode]

Yeah, I can't believe the whole region locking thing didn't get mentioned. Not only for europe, but for those of us who have a J360 and would probably pick a copy up if we knew the situation. Seriously, I don't see why small companies putting out niche titles aren't a bit more open about these things. As to the interview itself, it seemed as if you were struggling to find things to ask about..? - quite a few awkward pauses. I'm sure a quick scan of the DS thread here or at cavestg would have given you more questions (and also highlighted the importance of region locking).

I'm not complaining - any info/exposure for this game is a good thing and it was good to hear someone talking about DS who obviously knew a fair bit about it. Some of the previews that are surfacing for the U.S. release are a joke.

e.g:
http://www.justpushstart.com/2010/06/10 ... mpression/

Well that is BlogTalkRadio for you. We are not in a room recording. You can't believe how much it helps to see the person you are interviewing. We had a fair bit of questions written up to be honest, and we even took more from here. But we ended up taking even more from the chat room which consisted of people from here and Dustloop - which was pretty nice. That was the reason for some of the pauses.

So yea, we did not plan on it being an hour long. 30-45 minutes tops, but we did not have a time constraint and wanted to get in more questions from the chat room.

Region locking was not on our shot sheet pretty much because we ALL knew the reason why. And unfortunately no one in the chat room brought it up. I wish we did or the chat room did. It is the only thing I wish the interview had and was the first thing I said after the show "damn we should have asked that."

[supergrafx77]

Damn......It was blogged on the Aksys site from the main admin that the US DS release would work on Asian consoles, and thus JP one's I would have assumed and now they are keeping it locked solely to US, and not NTSC-J as well? I guess I should cancel my preorder then from Amazon this weekend. That really sucks since I just got the JP slim from NCSX for Ketsui, DSIIX, ect...which cost me a bundle, and was planning on just selling the elite. Well, fuck it, I'm still going to sell the elite and Aksys can kiss my ass now. I understand not globally making the title region free, but not to make it NTSC-J compatible is retarded due to it having been out for so long and would further increase sales for it's faceplate, almost full content, ect... Very dumb. My money is going directly to CAVE, or whatever JP publisher pushes Cave's stuff. Very bad PR to state the fact that it would work with NTSC-J and then a couple days from release, and not even officially, state/whisper that it isn't? Jesus fucking christ!

[dan76]

Damn......It was blogged on the Aksys site from the main admin that the US DS release would work on Asian consoles, and thus JP one's I would have assumed and now they are keeping it locked solely to US, and not NTSC-J as well? I guess I should cancel my preorder then from Amazon this weekend. That really sucks since I just got the JP slim from NCSX for Ketsui, DSIIX, ect...which cost me a bundle, and was planning on just selling the elite. Well, fuck it, I'm still going to sell the elite and Aksys can kiss my ass now. I understand not globally making the title region free, but not to make it NTSC-J compatible is retarded due to it having been out for so long and would further increase sales for it's faceplate, almost full content, ect... Very dumb. My money is going directly to CAVE, or whatever JP publisher pushes Cave's stuff. Very bad PR to state the fact that it would work with NTSC-J and then a couple days from release, and not even officially, state/whisper that it isn't? Jesus fucking christ!

+1.
There is no sense in locking it to U.S. only, and regardless of who's decision it was, Aksys should've been clearer. Anyhow, enough of all this... grumbling.

[apple arcade]

Damn......It was blogged on the Aksys site from the main admin that the US DS release would work on Asian consoles, and thus JP one's I would have assumed and now they are keeping it locked solely to US, and not NTSC-J as well? I guess I should cancel my preorder then from Amazon this weekend. That really sucks since I just got the JP slim from NCSX for Ketsui, DSIIX, ect...which cost me a bundle, and was planning on just selling the elite. Well, fuck it, I'm still going to sell the elite and Aksys can kiss my ass now. I understand not globally making the title region free, but not to make it NTSC-J compatible is retarded due to it having been out for so long and would further increase sales for it's faceplate, almost full content, ect... Very dumb. My money is going directly to CAVE, or whatever JP publisher pushes Cave's stuff. Very bad PR to state the fact that it would work with NTSC-J and then a couple days from release, and not even officially, state/whisper that it isn't? Jesus fucking christ!

I have a theory that it will work on NTSC-J consoles. let's just wait and see.

on their forums it states it will work on asian consoles but not NTSC-J consoles. ...aren't they the exact same though?

[Van_Artic]

Also about Europe she says they don't do Euro releases (which was just pointed out) and to go ask Zen United.

so it's all to Zen united if they want to release the game in Europe
let's hope for the best within this and next year

[Taylor]

Aksys don't even release Arc System Works titles in Europe. Yes, I know it's just a partnership, they're not explicitly related, but clearly they're not involved with anything but the NA market. Same thing every thread.

Was this the Fanime talk where Aksys and Mori put down Guilty Gear?

[njiska]

on their forums it states it will work on asian consoles but not NTSC-J consoles. ...aren't they the exact same though?

No, they are independent regions.

[StarCreator]

on their forums it states it will work on asian consoles but not NTSC-J consoles. ...aren't they the exact same though?

No, they are independent regions.

I have no problem believing this as far as XBL goes, but nothing I've read leads me to believe there are more than three software region codes...

[njiska]

on their forums it states it will work on asian consoles but not NTSC-J consoles. ...aren't they the exact same though?

No, they are independent regions.

I have no problem believing this as far as XBL goes, but nothing I've read leads me to believe there are more than three software region codes...

Hmm that is true, i can't find anything to back more than NTSC, PAL and NTSC-J. The systems are discrete but it looks like the region isn't. My bad.

Still it's possible something may have changed since that forum post.