[CF] Blazblue CENTRAL FICTION: News and Gameplay Discussion

[Steve-Fiction]

17 minutes ago, pokemonblaze234 said:

I have always thought of Es being a Nanase like character if she would ever become playable.

That Izayoi j.A tho

Sent from my ONE TOUCH 4015D using Tapatalk

She at least has a Nanase Style projectile in her arsenal (from the looks of it).

[Volt]

18 hours ago, Toxin45 said:

neat can't wait for the two dlcs so why was Terumi an unexpected character again?

Because Hazama stepping in for him was a thing back in CS. Even when it really needed to be Terumi, they just slapped his Unlimited form and called it a day. Then Terumi was announced and no one knew the Six Heroes' plot to get Terumi out of Hazama, leading him to be an unexpected character.

[Doctrine Dark]

Just wanted to ask this question here, since I know most of you have a far better grasp of the Blazblue scene than I do: is there any incentive for ASW to continue releasing Blazblue on PS3? I'm personally glad that they're still doing it, but I had a strong feeling that it'd be be a current gen exclusive like most other games. Is the player-base actually higher on PS4 or PS3? About the same? 

[Volt]

2 minutes ago, Doctrine Dark said:

Just wanted to ask this question here, since I know most of you have a far better grasp of the Blazblue scene than I do: is there any incentive for ASW to continue releasing Blazblue on PS3? I'm personally glad that they're still doing it, but I had a strong feeling that it'd be be a current gen exclusive like most other games. Is the player-base actually higher on PS4 or PS3? About the same? 

They simply have no incentive to not release it for the PS3. They've been doing it since CT, so all the framework has been done and tested on the PS3 since the beginning. The PS4 version is the one that is mostly fan-service so people could upgrade their consoles without worrying. Don't have any player-base numbers though.

[Doctrine Dark]

Makes sense. I wonder if there'll be a Legacy Controller option on the PS4 version. That'll be the main thing influencing my decision. With crossplay most likely being in, I wouldn't even have an issue getting the PS3 version.

[Zedar90]

7 minutes ago, Doctrine Dark said:

Makes sense. I wonder if there'll be a Legacy Controller option on the PS4 version. That'll be the main thing influencing my decision. With crossplay most likely being in, I wouldn't even have an issue getting the PS3 version.

Revelator has it, so there is a chance CF will also have.

[MoneyD90]

19 minutes ago, Volt said:

They simply have no incentive to not release it for the PS3. They've been doing it since CT, so all the framework has been done and tested on the PS3 since the beginning. The PS4 version is the one that is mostly fan-service so people could upgrade their consoles without worrying. Don't have any player-base numbers though.

IMO.Depends if it's cost effective to make sure each new game still works on a old console and then you have test for compatibility issues. Ie: PS4 not getting messages from PS3 players or everyone showing up as a 4 when you know this dude is really a 0 connection. IMO they should just drop PS3 and move on to PS4 so more focus is placed on netcode or other improvements like how GG is getting better graphics. However, I agree that I don't have any actual numbers for me to really say if enough ppl are still playing on PS3 to make production/etc worth it.

[Luminos564]

20 minutes ago, MoneyD90 said:

IMO they should just drop PS3 and move on to PS4 so more focus is placed on netcode or other improvements like how GG is getting better graphics. However, I agree that I don't have any actual numbers for me to really say if enough ppl are still playing on PS3 to make production/etc worth it.

In Blazblue's case, this is not a smart idea. Profit-wise anyway. The series started on the last gen consoles (PS3 and 360, but we'll focus on the former) and despite the declining numbers as the series aged (I blame all the Extend versions) the vast majority of their players is still on the last gen console. To ignore them and focus solely on PS4 would simply kill their numbers further. I admit, I bought the PS4 version of CP Extend because I upgraded a while ago, but even now the sales for the PS3 version outsell the PS4 one. I do recall someone once posting the sales figures at the time but for the life of me I can't seem to find the actual data.

However, I do think the series can focus on the PS4 after CF is finished. Or maybe if Guilty Gear does it with the next instalment. It's a matter of timing I think, because while the PS3's era is more or less done, it still has enough dedicated players on it that have not upgraded to the newer model. But maybe in a year or 2 they will.

[Ogiga99]

8 minutes ago, Luminos564 said:

In Blazblue's case, this is not a smart idea. Profit-wise anyway. The series started on the last gen consoles (PS3 and 360, but we'll focus on the former) and despite the declining numbers as the series aged (I blame all the Extend versions) the vast majority of their players is still on the last gen console. To ignore them and focus solely on PS4 would simply kill their numbers further. I admit, I bought the PS4 version of CP Extend because I upgraded a while ago, but even now the sales for the PS3 version outsell the PS4 one. I do recall someone once posting the sales figures at the time but for the life of me I can't seem to find the actual data.

However, I do think the series can focus on the PS4 after CF is finished. Or maybe if Guilty Gear does it with the next instalment. It's a matter of timing I think, because while the PS3's era is more or less done, it still has enough dedicated players on it that have not upgraded to the newer model. But maybe in a year or 2 they will.

I seem to recall Mori saying at one point that he wanted to have the series (or at least all of Ragna's story) be contained on the PS3 in one generation. Outside of sales it also seems like a dick move to force players to upgrade just to get the finale of the (current) story, especially when the PS3 is powerful enough to handle the game making it not a technology issue.

[MLSTRM]

15 minutes ago, Ogiga99 said:

I seem to recall Mori saying at one point that he wanted to have the series (or at least all of Ragna's story) be contained on the PS3 in one generation. Outside of sales it also seems like a dick move to force players to upgrade just to get the finale of the (current) story, especially when the PS3 is powerful enough to handle the game making it not a technology issue.

Also continuing to make versions of the game on PS3 means that it's a lot easier for tournament organisers to keep running the game, since they don't have to move away from PS3 setups and somehow source a large number of PS4's just yet (Although Guilty gear is starting to make that transition with Revelator and Evo this year)

[Danaiden]

1 hour ago, Luminos564 said:

I do recall someone once posting the sales figures at the time but for the life of me I can't seem to find the actual data.

Digged a bit around and the first week sales, which are considered quite important in Japan, were for BlazBlue: CP Extend 15,550 units for the PS3 version and only 7,589 units for the PS4 version, though take into account of that these are only retail sales, no downloads. (Source: http://www.4gamer.net/games/117/G011794/20150428149)

I couldn't find any sales for the US or Europe, but we can take the amount of ratings in the PSN store as an standpoint and according to the ratings in the US and EU Playstation Stores, the PS4 version steamrolled the PS3 ones.
US: PS4: 959 ratings ; PS3: 53 ratings
EU: PS4: 412 ratings ; PS3: 27 ratings

Be aware that these ratings are not very reliable because it is way easier to give one in the PS4 store and because of the social media things people tend to rate more often.

[pokemonblaze234]

Not releasing CF on PS3 would have just been them giving up free money 

[MoneyD90]

7 minutes ago, Danaiden said:

Digged a bit around and the first week sales, which are considered quite important in Japan, were for BlazBlue: CP Extend 15,550 units for the PS3 version and only 7,589 units for the PS4 version, though take into account of that these are only retail sales, no downloads. (Source: http://www.4gamer.net/games/117/G011794/20150428149)

I couldn't find any sales for the US or Europe, but we can take the amount of ratings in the PSN store as an standpoint and according to the ratings in the US and EU Playstation Stores, the PS4 version steamrolled the PS3 ones.
US: PS4: 959 ratings ; PS3: 53 ratings
EU: PS4: 412 ratings ; PS3: 27 ratings

Be aware that these ratings are not very reliable because it is way easier to give one in the PS4 store and because of the social media things people tend to rate more often.

Interesting. Wonder if that's still the case now with more games being PS4 and Xbox1 only now. But some valid points were made based on locking ppl out and it's not like Blaz is really even close to pushing a console's ability in the graphics department. Hopefully they fixed some of the compatibility issues when the game comes out..

 

AND for the love of god stop spreading the release date between JP and NA/EU sooooo much. 6+ month is WAY too long for competitive game.

[Volt]

6 minutes ago, MoneyD90 said:

Interesting. Wonder if that's still the case now with more games being PS4 and Xbox1 only now. But some valid points were made based on locking ppl out and it's not like Blaz is really even close to pushing a console's ability in the graphics department. Hopefully they fixed some of the compatibility issues when the game comes out..

 

AND for the love of god stop spreading the release date between JP and NA/EU sooooo much. 6+ month is WAY too long for competitive game.

Make that a year and a half gap. Sure, they need the sweet arcade money to pay for the console release, but the Japanese get direct access to the core of the game in the Arcades.

I still wish they could release some sort of beta or demo with just the training mode and maybe vs just so we could practice too, the gap is way too large for a competitive game.

[Ogiga99]

33 minutes ago, MoneyD90 said:

AND for the love of god stop spreading the release date between JP and NA/EU sooooo much. 6+ month is WAY too long for competitive game.

That's an unfortunate side-effect of BlazBlue having such a massive story. Chrono Phantasma took 5 months because translating and dubbing it 26 Arcade runs and the 20 hour+ Story Mode extends the localization process a lot (could you imagine how much more it would have taken if they had included Library Mode). If it was mostly just battle dialogue and menus we would have gotten it in no time (the original Japanese version of CP had the english voices for gameplay) but the story increases the amount of work exponentially. Central Fiction has 95 Arcade runs (more if we factor in any currently unannounced characters) and it's story is said to be 1.3 times longer than Chrono Phantasma so there is a LOT to translate. Hopefully it won't be as bad because Aksys seems to have gotten its footing a little more and in general people are realizing that it's a good idea to let localization begin as early as possible and not wait for the Japanese release. Plus Persona 4 Ultimax only took a month for a NA release despite having a sizable story so who knows.

I hate to say this as an answer because it can sound condescending but, unless you play on Xbox One, if you don't care about the story and only want the gameplay you could consider importing the game. The game will probably still have english battle dialogue if you prefer the dub and the menus can be easily navigated without knowing Japanese. It's not ideal but it's still an option.

[Volt]

4 minutes ago, Ogiga99 said:

That's an unfortunate side-effect of BlazBlue having such a massive story. Chrono Phantasma took 5 months because translating and dubbing it 26 Arcade runs and the 20 hour+ Story Mode extends the localization process a lot (could you imagine how much more it would have taken if they had included Library Mode). If it was mostly just battle dialogue and menus we would have gotten it in no time (the original Japanese version of CP had the english voices for gameplay) but the story increases the amount of work exponentially. Central Fiction has 95 Arcade runs (more if we factor in any currently unannounced characters) and it's story is said to be 1.3 times longer than Chrono Phantasma so there is a LOT to translate. Hopefully it won't be as bad because Aksys seems to have gotten its footing a little more and in general people are realizing that it's a good idea to let localization begin as early as possible and not wait for the Japanese release. Plus Persona 4 Ultimax only took a month for a NA release despite having a sizable story so who knows.

I hate to say this as an answer because it can sound condescending but, unless you play on Xbox One, if you don't care about the story and only want the gameplay you could consider importing the game. The game will probably still have english battle dialogue if you prefer the dub and the menus can be easily navigated without knowing Japanese. It's not ideal but it's still an option.

It's not condescending at all. Competitive players need to have as early access as possible, if you can't go to Japan and play in the Arcades, the next best option is importing the digital copy in whatever console you can. Then later, if you want that plot, get the standard release for your favorite console. It's what people have been doing for years. Not the best option, but somewhat lessens the gap. Nothing to be ashamed of. That's why I said a Training Mode Demo released alongside the arcade release would be good for the players, but it would mess the cash flow necessary to get the console release, since we know that the Arcade is Arc Sys bread and butter in terms of raw cash.

[FKGunBlaze]

@Zedar90 Any images of ES' Crest?

[Zedar90]

1 minute ago, GunBlazer said:

@Zedar90 Any images of ES' Crest?

No, the closest one to it is the one on the scan.
There would probably be a chance for it if the console version of CF had a website, but it doesn't have one currently.

[ThatHiroGuy]

They're still releasing it on PS3 because it's still popular over in Japan. I'm not sure if they'll do the same over here, though. Games like Tales of Zestiria have foregone the PS3 release in the states, because of how quickly we adapt new consoles (PS4/XBone popularity).

[MLSTRM]

16 minutes ago, ThatHiroGuy said:

They're still releasing it on PS3 because it's still popular over in Japan. I'm not sure if they'll do the same over here, though. Games like Tales of Zestiria have foregone the PS3 release in the states, because of how quickly we adapt new consoles (PS4/XBone popularity).

Revelator is still getting a PS3 release, so I'd be surprised if they didn't put CF on it also, unless of course it's going to be another year before it comes over, in which case things might change a bit.

[Airk]

13 hours ago, ThatHiroGuy said:

They're still releasing it on PS3 because it's still popular over in Japan. I'm not sure if they'll do the same over here, though. Games like Tales of Zestiria have foregone the PS3 release in the states, because of how quickly we adapt new consoles (PS4/XBone popularity).

???

I am playing Zestiria on my PS3 right now. Well, not RIGHT now, but I'm in the middle of a playthrough.  Not sure what you are on about.  I am unaware of any games that released for PS3/PS4 in Japan and only for PS4 stateside.  That seems silly.

But yes, PS4 has weak market penetration in Japan relative to the PS3 - of the 36 or so million PS4s sold worldwide so far, like 2 million have gone to Japan.  The PS3 had 3 million in 2009.  That's why you are seeing so many cross-generation titles.

[Zedar90]

11 minutes ago, Airk said:

Not sure what you are on about.  I am unaware of any games that released for PS3/PS4 in Japan and only for PS4 stateside.  That seems silly.

Not only though(since they added steam release), but Dragon Quest Heroes had only a PS4 release in NA while it had a PS3 release in Japan.
Also the upcoming Star Ocean 5 release is PS4 only in NA while it will have a PS3 release in Japan.

It happens that the PS3 release gets cut, but I don't think they will do it with BBCF.

[Danaiden]

22 minutes ago, Airk said:

I am unaware of any games that released for PS3/PS4 in Japan and only for PS4 stateside.  That seems silly.

Nights of Azure, also known as Yoru no Nai Kuni. It was available on PS3, PS4 and PSVita in Japan, but only the PS4 version was released in the US and Europe. They likely didn't released the PSVita version because the performance on it was disastrous (the FPS often dropped under 20 in fights with many enemies) but I have no idea why they didn't at least released the PS3 digitally. Maybe because of the same reason or they knew that the majority of their customers already switched to the superior console.

[NeoStrayCat]

Yeah, considering Aksys' stance on physical releases, I wouldn't worry about that, considering, Aegis of Earth, which was their latest title, released on PS3, PSV, and overseas only [US/EU, no JP] PS4 release.

So, yeah, Aksys is awesome in that way, although, just hope the keep it that way still. (Unless otherwise noted.)

[ThatHiroGuy]

14 hours ago, Airk said:

???

I am playing Zestiria on my PS3 right now. Well, not RIGHT now, but I'm in the middle of a playthrough.  Not sure what you are on about.  I am unaware of any games that released for PS3/PS4 in Japan and only for PS4 stateside.  That seems silly.

But yes, PS4 has weak market penetration in Japan relative to the PS3 - of the 36 or so million PS4s sold worldwide so far, like 2 million have gone to Japan.  The PS3 had 3 million in 2009.  That's why you are seeing so many cross-generation titles.

I forgot about Zestiria, I should know better.

There's a lot of games that are going by this trend lately, coming from Japan. People have already given examples, I just forgot Zestiria was actually released on PS3 stateside. I want to believe that there's little precedent for them to forego a PS3 release here, but we'll see.