Games

[icycalm]

A neat little presentation of Examu's plans for world domination with their wonderful eX-BOARD lineup:

http://www.examu.co.jp/am2008/

Note that what is wonderful is the eX-BOARD -- not the line-up. Arcana Heart 2 rocks, and Daemon Bride looks cool, but everything else the arcades could do without.

[Recap]

I find way more interesting the Otome Crisis port than Daemon Bride, especially in terms of "look". On the other hand, can't wait to see a Baldr Team game in arcade form. It's exactly what these people's titles need -- less "adventure", more challenge and measurement.

[icycalm]

I am more interested in Daemon Bride mostly because it's a brand-new game. I don't like this trend of PC-to-arcade ports, regardless of how much good it may be doing the industry (which is anyway debatable). People should be going to the arcades to play games they can't play anywhere else; when you are porting or remaking something that's been out for years, most of the excitement factor vanishes.

I am really hoping that all these developers who are porting over games now, will later decide to make arcade-exclusive ones. And really, that's the next logical step for them to take, if their ports meet with any degree of financial success -- which is again a dim prospect for many of them, considering how crowded the market is getting (at least for fighting games, which is what most of them are making).

[Recap]

I am more interested in Daemon Bride mostly because it's a brand-new game. I don't like this trend of PC-to-arcade ports, regardless of how much good it may be doing the industry (which is anyway debatable). People should be going to the arcades to play games they can't play anywhere else; when you are porting or remaking something that's been out for years, most of the excitement factor vanishes.

I wholeheartedly agree, of course. But DB's designs horrify me. And the idea of asumming that Examu will never get how wrong they are when it concerns art concepts horrifies me even more.

I am really hoping that all these developers who are porting over games now, will later decide to make arcade-exclusive ones. And really, that's the next logical step for them to take, if their ports meet with any degree of financial success -- which is again a dim prospect for many of them, considering how crowded the market is getting (at least for fighting games, which is what most of them are making).

Well, in the Otome Crisis case, it's all a bit different. The Baldr Team is a somewhat old team which have been making professional (hentai) PC games for years. I don't think they have the arcade market as their focus. It's really a weird experiment and that's why I'm interested.

[icycalm]

I wholeheartedly agree, of course. But DB's designs horrify me. And the idea of asumming that Examu will never get how wrong they are when it concerns art concepts horrifies me even more.

I wonder if my OWN sense of taste will eventually evolve to that point. Currently, I can't see much wrong with the art in either game. Don't you think that, overall, AH2 looks better than the original?

Also, I think I read somewhere (on SRK perhaps) that Daemon Bride was not being made by Examu, but by some other no-name group...

As for The Baldr Team, I really know nothing about them. Have they made any games that you would recommend?

[Recap]

I wonder if my OWN sense of taste will eventually evolve to that point. Currently, I can't see much wrong with the art in either game. Don't you think that, overall, AH2 looks better than the original?

Only slightly. Just a bit better characters/sprites (the new ones).

That game's art problems reside pretty much in the concept itself. And by that I don't mean [only] "the theme" (in case).

Also, I think I read somewhere (on SRK perhaps) that Daemon Bride was not being made by Examu, but by some other no-name group...

Chara designer is obviously different. Sprite artists look the same to me.

As for The Baldr Team, I really know nothing about them. Have they made any games that you would recommend?

"Recommend"... not really. You have the Baldr series which were de-hentaied for the DC and PS2 iterations, though they're still "adventure"-heavy and the action sections are... bland. And you have this, which I find quite unique.