Lunar on Gamecube/PS2

[Monde Luna]

I'm sure this must have been discussed before but I was just wondering if any of you know why LDS wasn't released on gamecube or PS2 rather than the DS. Don't you think the sales would have been higher if they went that route? I know I would have rather owned LDS for the gamecube compared to the DS; i'm just glad to see another Lunar after so many years though.

[drumlord]

I'm not so sure sales would be higher. The GC has a relatively small userbase, many of whom have given up on the console anyway. Everybody's just waiting for Zelda and then they'll be done. The PS2 is so flooded with titles and even still has more on the way that Lunar could easily get lost amongst them. Plus, with such a heavy focus on next gen right now, a Lunar on current gen would be ignored.

Putting it on the DS gives it a reasonably high user base that still has the DS fresh on their minds and wants new games. Plus, the development cost of doing a DS game pales in comparison to a home console title, so in the situation that a GC/PS2 Lunar would outsell a DS Lunar, the net profit would still not be as great.

[GhaleonOne]

I'm also noticing that here in the US at least, the gimmick of "first RPG on the DS" is actually helping anticipation for the game. It may work out well for them in this regard.

[Lunar Eclipse]

I'm not so sure sales would be higher. The GC has a relatively small userbase, many of whom have given up on the console anyway. Everybody's just waiting for Zelda and then they'll be done.

I'd have to disagree there. Tales of Symphonia did extraordinarily well on the GC by North American non-Final Fantasy RPG standards. Even though the console is RPG starved, it seems that, oddly enough, it has a respectably large RPG crowd. In my opinion, the main reason that it's not on one of the major consoles is to justify the continued use of something similar to the older graphical style. They're probably using it as a stepping stone for future installments in the series, assuming there will be any.

[Kizyr]

An RPG on one of the major consoles would require tons of development, pretty 3D graphics, and all that other junk to make it successful. After getting this much information about the game, it's pretty safe to say that the DS was its best bet. It wouldn't be able to survive barring drastic changes (which might suck away from the storyline) on the PS2 or GC. KF

[GhaleonOne]

A GameArts console RPG is what Grandia III was for. Hopefully after Genesis/DS does well enough for Four Heroes, and the two of them together does well enough for a console Lunar III when the next generation hits.

[drumlord]

I'd have to disagree there. Tales of Symphonia did extraordinarily well on the GC by North American non-Final Fantasy RPG standards. Even though the console is RPG starved, it seems that, oddly enough, it has a respectably large RPG crowd. In my opinion, the main reason that it's not on one of the major consoles is to justify the continued use of something similar to the older graphical style. They're probably using it as a stepping stone for future installments in the series, assuming there will be any.

Tales of Symphonia came out over a year ago. At that time, there was no DS or PSP as a possibility for a new game and next-gen was not the only thing on people's minds in regards to home consoles. Many people are saying it is a mistake to have Zelda on the GC instead of the Revolution, let alone having a Lunar on GC. Just because it might seem to fit the userbase doesn't mean it would be a sound business decision.

[Lunar Eclipse]

I'd have to disagree there. Tales of Symphonia did extraordinarily well on the GC by North American non-Final Fantasy RPG standards. Even though the console is RPG starved, it seems that, oddly enough, it has a respectably large RPG crowd. In my opinion, the main reason that it's not on one of the major consoles is to justify the continued use of something similar to the older graphical style. They're probably using it as a stepping stone for future installments in the series, assuming there will be any.

Tales of Symphonia came out over a year ago. At that time, there was no DS or PSP as a possibility for a new game and next-gen was not the only thing on people's minds in regards to home consoles. Many people are saying it is a mistake to have Zelda on the GC instead of the Revolution, let alone having a Lunar on GC. Just because it might seem to fit the userbase doesn't mean it would be a sound business decision.

But the Revolution has backwards compatibility, so I don't really see how that affects it. People will still be able to play any games that come out late in the GC's lifespan on their brand new Revolution.

[Erroneous]

If I'm not mistaken, didn't they say the DS has something like the GBA cables connecting to the GC? but in terms of the DS connecting to the Revolution?

[Lunar Eclipse]

If I'm not mistaken, didn't they say the DS has something like the GBA cables connecting to the GC? but in terms of the DS connecting to the Revolution?

Yeah . . . I think there's been talk of DS/Revolution connectivity. I don't think anything's been confirmed, though.

[Monde Luna]

An RPG on one of the major consoles would require tons of development, pretty 3D graphics, and all that other junk to make it successful. After getting this much information about the game, it's pretty safe to say that the DS was its best bet. It wouldn't be able to survive barring drastic changes (which might suck away from the storyline) on the PS2 or GC. KF

Doesn't Lunar have a large enough following to where it wouldn't matter about 3D graphics and the like to make it sucessful? I guess I just hate to think that graphics have taken over the gaming community. Everything is the icing on the cake now, nobody likes the filling.

[Kizyr]

Doesn't Lunar have a large enough following to where it wouldn't matter about 3D graphics and the like to make it sucessful? I guess I just hate to think that graphics have taken over the gaming community. Everything is the icing on the cake now, nobody likes the filling.

I wish. That's not the case, though. RPGs on a major console won't get noticed anymore unless the graphics are up to par. A story can have excellent graphics and a good storyline, particularly if it uses the enhanced visuals to better convey the story. But, a good storyline doesn't correlate with high sales anymore... so it takes more than that for a console RPG to succeed.

Lunar: Dragon Song could definitely keep the same story and enhance the graphics incredibly, with voice acting, cinema cutscenes, and the works to improve the way the story's told. But, that would require a lot more time and work than was available to invest in it... And for a series that hasn't had a truly 'new' installment since 1996, it's too much of a risk to involve that much effort.

On the other hand, if Dragon Song does very well, and a planned Four Heroes game likewise does very well, it could lead eventually to a true Lunar 3 for any of the major consoles. KF

[Silver Phoenix]

Considering the next evolution of consoles is a year away, or even sooner considering Xbox 360, they wouldn't want to spend the time or resources focusing a new Lunar on any of the present consoles. I would hope they are already working on storyboards for the next game, but they would utizilize the abilities of the newer systems to draw their focus. If they're going to go with the more lifelike versions of characters again, I would rather they appear more like Toshiyuki's designs and not go with Enix type characters. Watching the videos, the characters kind of remind me of a Grandia look. The first game anyway...

[Erasculio]

Ideally, I would love to see the game about the Four Heroes on a console. Don't ask which one, though, since the last console I ever owned was the Sega CD (not counting the PlayStation I just bought, used and full of holes, so I could play the Lunars), and so I'm outdated when it comes to what the newest generation is.

By the way, is anyone else wondering how well Dragon Song has to sell for us to see a continuation of the series? If it sells very well on the DS I think the continuation would be on the DS itself, so the new fans don't have to buy a different system. If it sells more or less, I think the next game would still be released on the DS, since it's a lot cheaper than making games for anything else. And if it sells worse than that...We likely won't see a continuation. But I admit I have no idea about what's the standard reaction to "non fanboy" (not FF and alikes) RPGs.

Erasculio

[Rune Lai]

I doubt anyone will really "know" what Ubisoft and Game Arts' threshold will be for the game to be considered successful. After all, Shadow Hearts: Covenant sold around 70-80k units and was as far as I can tell a financial disaster for Midway. Yet if Atlus sold that many copies of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, they'd probably consider it a success. It all depends on development costs and overhead costs specific to that company. Midway is a big company with lots of overhead and SH:C required a lot of voice acting. Atlus is a small company with little overhead and SMN:T had no voice acting at all. (The reason Atlus games are so darn hard to find is that they deliberately make small print runs to avoid having retailers sending them back gobs of unsold merchandise. It's better to underestimate demand and do a second print run than to overestimate and wind up with an excess of product.)

I think if Lunar: DS breaks 100,000 units in the US I would consider that "good" (based on the conceit that Ubisoft is a big company with lots of overhead), but that's by no means a magic number.

[Spirit Icana]

In this day and age, Lunar: DS can break the 100,000 mold in the US if word of mouth carries (Katrina will have a say in the game's sale performance). Lunar: DS currently has very little advertisment going for it (may pick up by Mid-September), but the hype barometer has been going up; if Gamespot's DS traffic is anything to go by.

Lunar: DS is the first traditional RPG coming to the Nintendo DS, so many eyes are wondering here. I think the Nintendo DS can spread some light on this franchises future given that the game is good and ready to feed hungry American mouths.

[drumlord]

Katrina won't have any noticable effect on Lunar's sales. It comes out almost a month from now. I could see it affecting sales if Lunar came out last week, but it isn't going to affect any video game sales a month off.

[Spirit Icana]

Katrina won't have any noticable effect on Lunar's sales.

"Noticable" is the keyword.

[drumlord]

Would you rather I put in signifigant? Worth noting? If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say Katrina might drop sales by a few hundred units. And that's still a might. Katrina didn't kill all of the southeast or remove it from the country. In a month, most people there will be just as likely to buy or not buy Lunar as they were if Katrina didn't happen.

[Angelalex242]

I think it's kind of a pity it won't be on the PS2, cause then I wouldn't have to buy a new system.

Kind of annoying, really, when a series bounces around between platforms.

But that said, people in business usually aren't stupid, and they'll go where they can see the biggest profit margin for themselves. That must've been, after a comparitive analysis, on the DS.