Shmups on the 360

[dmauro]

Yes, I haven't tested it with my HRAP, but it works really well with my PSX padhacks!

I think I'm gonna order another one of these. Should I just order one for you as well?

[FortNinety]

If you could, that would be awesome. Though I gotta ask... PSX padhack? Do I have to do anything similar?

Also, how much are they? If they're not much, I might ask for two, since I might have two sticks eventually.

[FortNinety]

My main man McWhertor always gets the info that truly counts...

http://kotaku.com/5370354/cave-wants-to-bring-its-manic-shooters-global

... Capcom Vs. Cave? YES.

[dmauro]

I think I paid $23 + $7 shipping for my adapter.

[dhex]

i'd drop some dosh for solid pc ports of some of cave's offerings.

[dmauro]

You're more likely to see them on Mame first.

[FortNinety]

Seems kinda weird, considering how strong the shump scene is so strong on the PC side, thanks to Kenta Cho and Touhou Project, no?

[dmauro]

I could be wrong, but I think the PC market in Japan sucks.

[FortNinety]

Considering how no one is into FPSs and MMOs, I think you're pretty much right.

[isfet]

aren't MMOs rather popular all over?  or is that a misconception?

anyhow, yea, more Cave shooters available to US customers makes a lot of sense.

and to be honest, i've never heard a reasonable argument as to why Japanese companies region-lock their games.  aside from some possible vague kind of nationalism or something, no response to the question ever really makes sense.  which leads me to believe there has to be some reason that these companies can't state (like pressure from above or something like that). 

otherwise, what reasonable excuse could they have for not wanting to sell more copies of a game?

[loopback]

well depending on who is publishing the games, the further up the food chain you go, the more you want to lock down who can get at what.  Both from a profit point of view (controlling where your stuff goes & can be played) and from a quality point of view.  Localization/globalization is a big deal, and if they want to make sure their stuff doesn't turn into All Your Base level horrible translation, they probably keep it locked down that way as well.

[dhex]

otherwise, what reasonable excuse could they have for not wanting to sell more copies of a game?

my wild ass guess:

cave-style manic shmups are already a niche, and one whose enthusiasts are stereotype as, for better or for worse, being given to bouts of fancy a la the calm of the icy, to pick an obvious example. spending a lot of time and money on localization, marketing, etc wouldn't make a lot of sense if you're going to undermine part of your own draw.

plus, how many copies of, let's say, a donpachi pack would really sell in america? 30k? 50k? 10k? 5k? i'm betting closer to 5 to 10k total. having to do a decent retail box version would be nearly out of the question, even if it was a cheap ass printing and retailing at nearly $29.95. direct download would make more sense, but may lack the romance.

i may be entirely wrong, but that seems plausible to me.

[isfet]

i think everyone is misunderstanding what i wrote (or thought i wrote).  i totally understand why a company like Cave won't localize most of their games.  what i don't understand is why they not only don't release the games in the US, they also put a region lock on the games that prevents them from being played on US 360s.  that's a conscious choice they've made, as it isn't automatic.  the fact that Mushihimesama Futari will be region free is a phenomenal first step, but i never quite understood why any of their games were region locked in the first place.

[dmauro]

They like to hold out in the hopes of getting more cash later (see Senkou). I wonder if the current economic situation has anything to do with this decision, or if there are simply enough people clamoring for their games over here.

[FortNinety]

This pretty much blows...

http://kotaku.com/5382083/dont-expect-maniac-shooter-ketsui-on-xbox-360-anytime-soon