Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2

[Klyde Chroma]

And on that note, I will proudly express I am also enjoying the ever-loathed Atelier Rorona at the moment

Wait, what?  Since when was Atelier Rorona loathed?  Sure it's not a perfect game (Totori was a big improvement) and the style isn't for everyone, but loathed?!  I thought it was a pretty good game.  RPGFan gave it 85%...that doesn't sound like loathing...

Naturally not everyone hated the game.... fact is, I find RPGfan to have a great sens-ability about JRPGs then most other sites and sources... hence the reason I like this place oh so much..... but it doesn't take much digging to find other reviews of this title that are as low as 3/10...

And on the fanservice complaint note... I totally agree. Its the sole reason I've never really developed a taste for any comical anime really... HOWEVER I will overlook any comedy in poor taste for the art and when it comes to these types of titles the art can't be beat... Lovely pastel to bright color palettes and over-the-top-elated-sounding tunes fill this genre to the brim and I gladly drink every drop of the splendor... super inspiring stuff for me... I dare say I would have never pursued a career in art, had I not discovered anime and JRPGs.

[TiamatNM]

I decided to give this one a shot and see how I like it.  I don't own any Idea Factory games or anything Compile Heart has done.  I know their stuff generally gets slammed in reviews but yeah, I'm gonna give it a shot. 

[ZeronHitaro]

Last I checked Trinity Universe and Neptunia did 'average' in the reviews. The thing I've noticed about IF/CH is they started off pretty crappy but unlike most game companies have actually learned from their mistakes and improve bit by bit with each game. Only downside to that is they improve at such a slow rate it's taken them all the way to Neptunia to produce anything playable, IMO. XD

[Kevadu]

Where did you check?  Neptunia has an average of 45 on Metacritic...

[ZeronHitaro]

Not very many places honestly. This was some time ago and outside my immediate memory; I really don't even know who the 'mainstream' reviewers are. Typically I only look around niche sites like this one that garner more to my tastes since I learned a long time ago that people who review all forms of gaming tend to be unfairly biased against RPGs in general. *shrugs*

[Bill]

Last I checked Trinity Universe and Neptunia did 'average' in the reviews. The thing I've noticed about IF/CH is they started off pretty crappy but unlike most game companies have actually learned from their mistakes and improve bit by bit with each game. Only downside to that is they improve at such a slow rate it's taken them all the way to Neptunia to produce anything playable, IMO. XD

They've been in business since 1994. Two decades of crappiness. That's more than enough time to hone the craft of game-making, yet they continue to pitch snake oil.

I don't see much reason to believe that they're interested in anything beyond superficial, band-aid fixes. The thing about IF is that they jump from one dubious niche to the next. For much of their run, they targeted gamers who got off on the notion of being super hardcore.....in short, people who were dumb enough to buy broken, poorly designed/programmed games (but were intentionally esoteric and difficult to comprehend to appeal to appeal to one's ego) for the sake of bravado.

When that market dried up and players caught on, they turned to the moe/otaku audience. Lots of crossovers and fan service to keep customers coming in. Once again, it's the same story in terms of poor product quality and superficial improvement.

If history is any indication, they'll just switch niches and employ their usual MO when moe fans stop buying.

[cj_iwakura]

Yeah, I remember their earlier PSP games almost had my interest(since I heard those SRPGs were Dragon Force-esque), then the dire reviews scared me off.


Then they went moe, and then suddenly, $$$$.

[Klyde Chroma]

Well tomarrow is the day for this lovely NIS gem! While I didn't polish off the first, I think this is going to be one I start up anyhow.... I think thats the first time I ever did that (played a sequel before completing its predecessor that is..), but this looks ALOT better than the first to me.... Anybody else grabbing this tomarrow?

oh and quickly....

Yeah, I remember their earlier PSP games almost had my interest(since I heard those SRPGs were Dragon Force-esque), then the dire reviews scared me off.


Then they went moe, and then suddenly, $$$$.

Dragon Force freakin' rocked man.... Its been sooo long... that game absolutely demands my attention again someday....

[Dice]

I thought Rorona and Neptunia were luke-fucking-coldly received.... Not like either game did much to stand on it's own two legs amongst other RPG greats.  Otaku liked it, but they fucking like anything that has big eyes, bright colours, and has "moe" referencing anything but a man's name.

The game's were cute, I guess.  But aside from a little lark and some easy entertainment in the same mindless stream as MTV provides, can someone actually say these games were "outstanding"?

Quite frankly, I'm surprised this one is actually coming here.  Didn't the the market or reviews or sales were strong enough for the first to warrant the sequel.

[Eusis]

I think Rorona was generally regarded as good, but not great, and either way was outclassed by its sequel by most accounts. Neptunia's reception seems to range from lukewarm to completely awful.

[Kevadu]

The first Neptunia got terrible reviews, but it actually sold really well here.  Better than in Japan.  I think even NISA didn't expect it to sell so much.  I'm not sure there even would have been a sequel without the international sales.  So go figure...

Rorona did OK critically, but I don't think its sales were anything special.  But why are we talking about Rorona here?  It was a fine game for what it was (which was mostly about resource and time management, not traditional RPG stuff).

[Dice]

..actually sold really well here.  Better than in Japan. 

Proof or I won't believe it.  Plz don't like VG Charts or whatever that shitty site is.

[Cyril]

..actually sold really well here.  Better than in Japan.

Proof or I won't believe it.  Plz don't like VG Charts or whatever that shitty site is.

He's right.  NISA sent out a few Prinny Bombs thanking everyone for their support and the great sales of Neptunia.  Not to mention it was:
1. Sold out of NISA's store well before release, they had to order more special edition copies.
2. Reprinted, twice I believe.  This alone means it did well enough to meet and exceed their expectations. NISA, Atlus, Aksys, so on don't print more copies than they need to.
Source for one of the reprints:
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/11/18/hyperdimension-neptunia-reprinted-game-alone-is-30/
They sent a Prinny Bomb out about this, too, you can go look at their history.

Keep in mind that these smaller companies don't need hundreds of thousands of sales for it to be a critical financial success.

[Dice]

http://www.siliconera.com/2011/11/18/hyperdimension-neptunia-reprinted-game-alone-is-30/

I lol'd when I saw this comment from that link...
   

kupomogli 3 months ago
Needs to be reprinted for $1.  Then it'd be worth it... as a coaster.

[Nel]

A younger, teenage me would have bought that game. But I've learned over the years to not be fooled by pretty anime box art. XD