Are You An Okami Fan?

PlayStation 2 fans may recall a little title called Okami, it’s an action adventure game developed by Clover Studios and published by Capcom. The original Okami title received fairly high reviews by many popular game sites, although there were a few flaws, the receiption seemed well received.

Clover Studios was closed after the release and all the intellectual properties went back to Capcom, the company that funded the studio, leaving Capcom responsible for future sequels.

Christian “Sven” Svensson said “I think we need a lot more people buying the current version before we seriously consider a sequel”. A harsh statement on the game’s combined sales figures, perhaps, but also probably an accurate one. (Kotaku)

This is the sound of a developer not so happy with prior performance and finding it too risky to try for a second title. Although many sequels outshine their parents there is some truth to the fact that slow selling parents will create slow selling sequels, there is something to be said about learning form past experiences.

The game had good reviews, isn’t it worth trying to make a second game based on that? Maybe people just aren’t jazzed about Japaense folklore, myths and legends as the basis for a game.

0 thoughts on “Are You An Okami Fan?”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Post

Episode 420: Light It UpEpisode 420: Light It Up

The number of the episode does not escape notice from the podcast crew, especially a week before April 20. Aside from that, much is made of the release of Dark Souls III, which T.J. Denzer enthusiastically enjoys. The despicable firing of Alison Rapp is also noted from the unaired podcast recorded last week.

This week’s news includes:

  • Former head of Rockstar North sues developer, alleges $150M in unpaid royalties
  • Oculus apologizes for Rift shipment delay, taking steps to speed delivery
  • The Nintendo NX might include Wii U ports
  • Forbes claims Nintendo NX will likely output 4K

Let us know what you think!

Episode 352: Get Ready for E3 AgainEpisode 352: Get Ready for E3 Again

It’s the last podcast before E3 2014 starts on Monday. Jonah is still ravaged by the flu, while Paul’s ghost haunts the podcast.

The news this week includes:

  • Watch Dogs sells 4 million in first week
  • Xbox One getting 34 new apps
  • Sony discontinues the PSP in Japan
  • Take-Two CEO skeptical of Oculus’ broad appeal

All this and Listener Feedback as well as a new Question of the Week: “How much info do you try to glean from E3 reports?”

For whatever reason, the file is not working. To listen to the podcast, use this player:

EA Feels The 310 Million Dollar DaggerEA Feels The 310 Million Dollar Dagger

Halloween is a scary time of year, no less when you’re posting a $310 million net loss. EA CEO John Riccitiello sees “weakness” at retail in October and we’re betting this isn’t the end of the road of sorrow for game publishers around the globe.

Electronic Arts isn’t unfamiliar with bad times and we’re sure to see them make constant adjustments to their headcount, game releases and press as the economy goes into a bit of a slump. Although the game industry won’t see as big a hit as the financial market, everyone is going to watch their spending during slower economic times.

That slowness is a red flag for the mega-publisher, which says it’s “proactively making cost adjustments now.” One of those adjustments is the axing of some 600 EA employees across the globe. (Kotaku)

Last year Electronic Arts lost a “small” $195 million during the same time, not exactly a gold star on the financial records but it sure looks better than this loss. A few games may crumble under the economic pressures, Tiberium for example, but let us not forget the good times! EA posted some nice figures for Spore, Madden NFL 09, Warhammer: Age of Reckoning and Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.

So, they mixed a few sequels with a few new franchise hits and gave gamers some pretty hot titles for the year. Of course, hot titles in our hand do not always translate to positive revenue in theirs.