Too Niche?

[scott]

I was doing some reading on Pandora's Tower and a few places were saying things like "it's too niche to be localized" and such. Honestly, is there really that big of a problem with niche games? I mean without niche games, we are stuck with the same old stuff over and over. And fans of said niches feel like gaming has left them behind.

I know that's how I feel with SHMUPs. They were a staple of arcade gaming and had their place in home gaming, but now it's hard to find anything that's released here for the genre. A lot of us have been left with importing, and then you can only import region free games, unless you want to go through the hassle of buying a second system or modding an exisiting one.

So really, is being a niche game really a problem?

[desocietas]

What makes that particular game "niche"?  FYI, I haven't yet looked at that link you posted up re: Pandora's Tower

Definitely nothing wrong with niche, but sometimes I get confused over what they mean by niche.  Is it because it's quirky somehow (ex. Contact) or heavily layered in terms of gameplay that it might not be very accessible (ex. The World Ends With You)?

Or is it a genre thing? Like how some RPGs are almost solely first-person dungeon crawlers thus not being "right" for all RPG fans.

If anything, I think the move towards digital titles (as much as I hate it sometimes) opens up some opportunities (especially for more "independent" developers) for some games that wouldn't work on a mainstream level.

[disgaeniac]

I'm prolly the wrong one to ask/give an opinion on "niche" games...

...*Because*...

The word "niche" (to me, at least:) is more of a 'pro' IMHO than it is a 'con' for most games 

[darko]

Random SHUMP plug --------> BioMetal on the SNES!!!!!

[soera]

I dont think its a problem for the people who actually play those games ... but moreso for the people who make/sell the games. If the niche market for a certain game is pretty small in the area they are releasing it for, the sales are horrid. When that happens, the chance that the same company is going to release another game along the same lines is pretty much slim-to-none.

Its one of the arguements of the Sqenix has delayed on bringing DQX here. They simply dont think its going to reach the crowd to make it worth it for them as it is in Japan. The niche market is good if the crowd is there. FPS for example. Thats a niche that has a huge following.

Shmups are probably just victim of the companies that make them have moved on to bigger and better sellers.

[sin2beta]

Second wat Soera wrote.

You have some publishers that will chance and specialize in niche games. These releases will be done in very limited runs due to not wasting money on adverts, left over stock, etc. This is why ATLUS games can be hard to find. However, ATLUS seems to be getting out of niche status a bit.

Sega does extremely limited runs of DS games. I was aware of Infinite Space. I wanted Infinite Space. I looked for Infinite Space when it came out. I still had a heck of a time tracking it down.

A lot of niche titles also get imported which is a reason they are not brought over. The XBOX 360 is a fantastic shmup console. Most are never localized but almost all of them are made region free. This is a niche genre that most publishers stay away from because fans know how to import and there is little difference in the releases if it is localized.

[kimimi]

With niche games you're basically hoping that a slice of a slice of gamers will buy your game and when something has a significant amount of dialogue to translate publishers would have to put a lot of time and money into a project that might not sell.

It's not that companies don't want to bring these titles over, just that often the risk (in terms of money spent vs. profit generated) is too high.

[jcalder8]

I agree with what others have said, it's the cost to the company that is the problem. This is one of, if not the only, thing that I am hoping changes with digital releases. Smaller, niche games will be easier to get world wide releases since you won't have to pay for packaging or manuals.

[disgaeniac]

For what it's worth...~90% of my personal faves would be called "niche" by many

[insektmute]

In my experience, the market for niche games is pretty shaky territory whether you're a publisher or player. On the industry side, localization companies like XSEED, Atlus, Aksys, NIS, etc. basically bet the farm on every game they produce, and in most cases, they're probably lucky just to break even, apart from those oddities that shatter sales expectations like Catherine.

For players, it's a constant scramble to prioritize games, get what you can afford before it goes out of print (due to low print runs, limited distribution, etc.) and the prices skyrocket. Case in point: I desperately want a copy of Muchi Muchi Pork/Pink Sweets, but wasn't able to pick it up when it was still available. Now that it's relavitely tough to find in most import shops, I'm faced with trying to track down a copy for as much as $120 or more... which is more money diverted away from anything new coming out.

[scott]

Case in point: I desperately want a copy of Muchi Muchi Pork/Pink Sweets, but wasn't able to pick it up when it was still available. Now that it's relavitely tough to find in most import shops, I'm faced with trying to track down a copy for as much as $120 or more... which is more money diverted away from anything new coming out.

Same here. I found out about that game way too late. And now it's ridiculously priced! I've resigned to never being able to pick it up, mainly because I can't see myself paying $120+ for it anytime soon.

[jobocan]

Case in point: I desperately want a copy of Muchi Muchi Pork/Pink Sweets, but wasn't able to pick it up when it was still available. Now that it's relavitely tough to find in most import shops, I'm faced with trying to track down a copy for as much as $120 or more... which is more money diverted away from anything new coming out.

Well if you don't mind the "best of" version: http://www.play-asia.com/Muchi_Muchi_Pork_Pink_Sweets_Cave_Best_Version/paOS-13-71-br-49-en-70-5u8b.html

[insektmute]

Well if you don't mind the "best of" version: http://www.play-asia.com/Muchi_Muchi_Pork_Pink_Sweets_Cave_Best_Version/paOS-13-71-br-49-en-70-5u8b.html

I definitely do not mind when it comes to imports. Totally hadn't noticed this had been announced, and it's still region free! I know what I'm pre-ordering when I get home Mucho thanks for pointing it out.

[jobocan]

Well if you don't mind the "best of" version: http://www.play-asia.com/Muchi_Muchi_Pork_Pink_Sweets_Cave_Best_Version/paOS-13-71-br-49-en-70-5u8b.html

I definitely do not mind when it comes to imports. Totally hadn't noticed this had been announced, and it's still region free! I know what I'm pre-ordering when I get home Mucho thanks for pointing it out.

No problem, I saw you mention the game and then I remembered that I had it pre-ordered so... yeah

[scott]

Omg omg. I'm pre ordering!