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pedrocasilva

Fragile Dreams

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Thats a healthy score, so i'm happy. As happy as i can be with no european release for this title.

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31 out of 40 is pretty decent, this had better come out over here (or at least the US and I can import, haha)... is there a petition thing for this to get a western release? It wasn't till people started making their voices heard that Namco decided to bring Tales of Symphonia and Baten Kaitos to the Gamecube in Europe, originally we weren't getting them if I remember correctly

 

EDIT: I found this petition but doesn't look to be very active... but hey if you don't try nothing is certain to appen

http://www.petitiononline.com/fragile1/petition.html

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Famitsu scores really make no sense, it's hardly the testament to quality that er, IGN or Gametrailers are, if you follow that stuff.

 

But yeah, this looks interesting. I'll pick it up cheap, or something.

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I'll pick it up cheap, or something.

 

And with these very words, you cement Namco's decision.

 

At least try to sound excited.

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Famitsu have awarded this a 31 out of 40. Haven't been able to find a copy of the actual review to see what they said about the title but that's a pretty good score.

 

Reviewers scores: 8, 8, 8, 7.

 

- Main story is 20 hours long, more than 30 hours with the side stories.

- The story and characters are well presented and make for an oppressive atmosphere.

- This game will touch your feelings directly.

- No way to lock-on or to "change the direction of the flashlight" [not sure what they mean]

- The Wiimote is appropriately used as a flashlight, it simply is the operability that is lackluster.

- You'll need to get used to switching points-of-view.

- The hints are difficult to understand

- The particularly refined style is magnificent. However, the controls, battles and overall gameplay aren't very well executed.

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I really hope they see the light and release it in the West and specifically in Europe. The Japanese developers are becoming a bit lazy with releasing in the West, more so in Europe than America, and I would just love to play it. Simple as.

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This has to come out in the West, it's going to flop hard if it relies on just Japan sales 0_o.

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It'll probably do worse in the West but I hope they ignore that because I know there are a lot of people who are looking forward to this in the West and so it would be a crime if they didn't give us the chance to buy it. I certainly would. Still, if they don't, I'll just follow through an buy a Japanese Wii and the game.

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It'll probably do worse in the West but I hope they ignore that because I know there are a lot of people who are looking forward to this in the West and so it would be a crime if they didn't give us the chance to buy it. I certainly would. Still, if they don't, I'll just follow through an buy a Japanese Wii and the game.

 

It'll sell alot better in the west, that doesn't mean it needs to sell well though.

 

But yeah it won't be Japan exclusive I'm sure, no one makes a new IP like this and then keeps it in just Japan... Europe though? Might depend on USA performance.

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I really want this game :)

And therefore I hope it will come out at least in the US because in that case I for sure would import it but I wouldn't import it from Japan because for a game like this I really want to understand everything (story and such things) and as I understand nearly no Japenese...

 

Btw.: I think that the environment looks especially nice - even more so if I think about that this is a Wii game.

However, I think the character's hair could be a bit more detailed BUT I think this might not be possible with the Wii's hardware, especially the resolution limit and even without this minor detail the game still looks nice.

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OMG, i thought it was awesome before, but now understanding what they are saying makes it seem even more awesome now that I have an idea of whats going on. God damn this better get a release over here.

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It sold 16k first day in Japan.

 

And although you really couldn't have expected much higher... you can't help but say ouch.

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Ouch, I expected atleast 50k+ on the first day. Certainly hope it picks up though. Don't want the lack of sales in Japan to effect a potential release elsewhere.

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Oh dear, Scamco. Maybe you'll have to cover your costs elsewhere...

 

Now heres a man thats dying for Pacman Party Collection. :indeed:

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16k is okay in Japan, specially considering how slow the year starts.

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16k is okay in Japan, specially considering how slow the year starts.
and first day on a non-established franchise that wasn't marketed agressively.

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16k is pretty bad, looking at 50k life MAXIMUM and that's being very generous.

 

I always wonder how a company like Namco will take it. Will they feel they HAVE to port it to stand a chance at recouping costs, or just write it off as a flop and get rid of it from their memory for good.

 

It does surprise me though, third parties just can't sell software on the console in Japan, unless its from Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest. Not sure if Fragile was ever the type of game to sell big though :/.

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The top thirty games in Japan, from January 12th to the 18th are...

 

01. Wii de Asobu: Mario Power Tennis (Wii) - 57,000 / NEW

02. Megami Ibunroku: Devil Survivor (DS) - 55,000 / NEW

03. Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm (PS3) - 44,000 / NEW

04. Dissidia Final Fantasy (PSP) - 29,000 / 848,000

05. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 27,000 / 332,000

06. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS) - 25,000 / 1,594,000

07. Fallout 3 (PS3) - 24,000 / NEW

08. Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode (DS) - 23,000 / 667,000

09. Wii Fit (Wii) - 22,000 / 3,177,000

10. DS Uranai Seikatsu (DS) - 20,000 / NEW

 

16k isn't bad for Japan, its just average. I'm sure it will sell way more than 50k.

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IGN's Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon Hands-On

 

Fragile is another one of those Japanese releases where it's pretty clear that someone in the marketing department decided to stick the word "RPG" on the box for sales purposes. Your character levels up, but aside from that, there's really nothing RPG about the game.

I'm actually not sure how to describe Fragile, as it's such a unique experience. However, in my five hours of play time with the Japanese import, which just saw release on Thursday, I've come to see what may be an overall flow to the game.

 

Within the first few minutes of starting play, you learn of main character Seto's goal: to make his way to a red tower far to the east. There, he'll apparently be able to find another person. This is a big deal, because aside from Seto, the world appears to be populated by nothing but ghosts.

 

Seto heads out from his home (actually an observatory) and almost immediately encounters the white-haired heroine, Ren. He appears to fall for her, so when she heads off on her own, his goal becomes to reunite with her.

 

I'm currently in pursuit of Ren, and my adventures have taken me to an abandoned subway, an abandoned amusement park, and, most recently, an abandoned hotel. The key word is abandoned.

 

Seto does manage to make new "acquaintances" in all these locations, though. His first encounter is with P.F. (Personal Frame), a computer that attaches to Seto's back and provides guidance. Later, he counters Kurou, the guy in yellow and purple who looks like he's from a Persona game.

 

There's a common theme with all these encounters. Rather than sticking around through the end of the game, the sub-characters usually part ways after a bit, usually accompanied by a lengthy farewell that suggests they won't be coming back.

 

Regardless, you get a good chance to get to know the characters. This can be done directly through dialogue, notably with P.F., who talks with an awful lot of personality for a computer. Other characters reveal their background more gradually through items that you find scattered about. Take these items to a bonfire -- the game's equivalent of a save point, where you can manage your inventory and purchase items -- and you'll get to hear a dialogue sequence involving the item and usually offering insight into the current character.

 

It might be surprising to learn that Seto keeps on encountering other characters as he explores a ghost world. With all these interesting personalities to interact with, how could be possibly be lonely? You'll have to figure that out for yourself.

 

The event sequences for these character encounters have been a bit over the top, with lots of crying and forced emotion. It's total bait for a laughable localization unless handled with extreme care. Regardless, if there's one thing that's making me stick with Fragile, it's to find out who Seto will meet next and how the story will develop. Outside of the item memory sequences, the game does some interesting things with flashbacks and camera work to help tell the story. It's kept me involved for the first few hours.

 

This is particularly surprising because when it comes to any area where you're doing anything with the controller, Fragile has some serious issues that would normally turn me off a game quickly.

 

The control scheme in Fragile is set up similar to how one might make an FPS on the Wii, with the Nunchuck analogue stick moving your character around and the Wiimote being used pointer style to control your viewpoint and rotate your character around. You can't look up and down unless you lock yourself in place and switch to a first person viewing mode, but this isn't too much of an issue.

 

The control and camera systems work fine in wide, expansive, enemy-free areas. But get into a situation that demands precision, and the shortfalls become clear. When attempting to navigate tight corridors, like the isles of a library for instance, the camera appears to get confused about what you're pointing at, resulting in some headache-inducing stuttering as the view snaps back and forth. Getting in close with an enemy also makes things tough, as it's hard to keep moving enemies in your view.

 

With a variety of weapons, each with unique combo attacks, Fragile's battle system had potential to be at least passable as far as adventure games go, but the poor controls make combat more a game of luck than skill.

 

Thankfully, combat appears to be de-emphasized in comparison to the the adventuring parts of the game, at least during the first five hours. I have yet to encounter a lengthy "dungeon" sequence where I had to fight hoards of enemies. And while I have taken a number of cheap hits from enemies, I haven't gotten close to dieing yet; I haven't even needed to use a health item once (although your life is automatically restored at a bonfire). I presume the difficulty was balanced to make up for the control shortcomings.

 

All of this could change as the game progresses. But I'm satisfied with Fragile staying just the way it is. A unique story and interesting cast of characters has kept me playing this far and will hopefully keep me playing until Seto finally makes it to that red tower far to the East.

 

 

Time to remove the (RPG) from the title?

 

Ken @ XSEED Games:

we have indeed received a lot of requests for Fragile. We'll look into it, but being able to actually license it or not is another matter entirely.

 

[email protected]

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