290°

Microsoft Removes Japanese Batman: Arkham Knight’s Page While The Crew JP Beta Is Also PS4 Exclusive

While Microsoft is forced to remove the Japanese Xbox One page for Batman: Arkham Knight, all but confirming that the PS4 exclusive is a rather permanent affair, Ubisoft announces that the local beta for The Crew will be PS4 exclusive as well.

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dualshockers.com
-Foxtrot3536d ago

So much for focusing on the Japanese market Microsoft

Xsilver3536d ago

Im guessing sales for xone in japan were lower than expected awhile saw that coming.

Mr Pumblechook3536d ago

It might not be that Sony paid for exclusives. With the XBO marketshare so low in Japan some publishers might not think it worth the expense of releasing their game.

darthv723536d ago (Edited 3536d ago )

i dont think sales has anything to do with it. the game is still being made for the xb1 outside JP.

Its not the first time this has happened. there are plenty of multiplatform games that received releases outside of a specific territory but within that territory only released on one.

in the US, several games listed as "Only on Xbox" had EU and JP releases on the PS2. It's just business.

NewMonday3536d ago

I smell a bat fragrance coming up.

MightyNoX3536d ago

@Newmonday: Lol, you jest but the Destiny fragrance was brought on by desperation, trying to atleast stay relevant in the US where the majority believe Destiny is a PS4 exclusives.

In this case, I doubt Sony needed to moneyhat Arkham Knight, Destiny or The Crew away from MS. I'd argue publishers would LOSE money for printing discs to sell on Xbox there.

badz1493535d ago

@darthv72

Sales has everything to do with this believe it or not. Porting to a platform cost money and bringing it to Japan means extra cost to translate it and all. So, if the potential is low to begin with, there's little incentive to invest. Business but not money hatting from Sony.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3535d ago
Mega243536d ago

Sony is trying to break Microsoft at Japan, nabbing exclusivities and content. Microsoft needs to step it up!

TheWatercooler3536d ago (Edited 3536d ago )

Sales must have been absolutely abysmal for third parties to pull out their games.

The same will be happening for the rest of the world if Xbone keeps on selling so badly

donthate3536d ago

Unlikely, because the cost of doing all the translations and audio is already done for one platform. The game is released in the West for all platforms, so releasing it in Japan is almost at no cost.

This is likely a deal with Sony to stop MS there.

MS must make some serious inroads with upcoming deals there for Sony to step up their game.

IVanSpinal3536d ago Show
Gamer19823535d ago

Look at Wiiu and third partys. Xbox sold less than wiiu in Japan. Thats ways it all.

Charybdis3536d ago (Edited 3536d ago )

Sony clearly is flexing their mustles in Japan not giving xbox one any room to gain any market share.

GodGinrai3536d ago

I would say it has more to do with the bad reputation the xbox brand has always had in japan, than anything sony is doing.

A lot of japanese people dont even know what an xbox is.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3535d ago
XiMasterChief3536d ago

Seriously why are betas exclusive?

WeAreLegion3536d ago (Edited 3536d ago )

I don't know. You'd think they would want to stress test on all networks. They aren't doing PC or XBO for The Crew. That doesn't make much sense.

Seafort3536d ago

PC closed beta of The Crew has already happened.

I've been in 2 of the betas so far.

WeAreLegion3536d ago

In Japan? I was in the closed beta for The Crew in the US.

2pacalypsenow3536d ago (Edited 3536d ago )

Cus betas are just demos

Baka-akaB3536d ago

I was expecting no XB1 japanese support for some jrpg , fighting games , and japan centric titles released on ps4 ... but i wasnt expecting so many "non niche" ips to avoid a japanese release too on XB1 .

qwerty6763536d ago (Edited 3536d ago )

not surprising. MS needs a complete overhaul for their japan strategy.

come out with a dance central Japanese pop game. re image the xb1 to make it sleek and glossy and stylish

japs love that stuff

invest a little more and land some high quality jrpg games with the incentive to the devs being that MS will bring those games to China to actually make profits.

add an anime app and put some good shows on there.

there MS get to it.

Show all comments (37)
120°

6 Games That Genuinely Deserve A Current-Gen Upgrade

Games such as Mad Max, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Batman: Arkham Knight desperately deserve a modern-day revisit.

thorstein28d ago

Mad Max is underrated. Such a fun game.

Cacabunga27d ago (Edited 27d ago )

RDR2 still looks astounding on PS4 Pro. i cannot imagine how it could look with a next gen upgrade.

JonTheGod27d ago (Edited 27d ago )

Probably not very different.

No idea why this article is highlighting recent beautiful graphically-advanced games and saying they need current gen makeovers. They already look better than most new releases; just compare Arkham Knight and Suicide Squad!

exputers27d ago

I see what you did there.

Yi-Long27d ago

It's obviously never gonna happen since Sony killed the game and studio, but Driveclub. Even in its current state, 10 years after release, it still puts many competitors to shame ...

Demetrius26d ago

I'm not into racing games but yeah I even looked at gameplay of that sometimes

Demetrius26d ago

Mad max ikr! Far cry primal, it amuses me how ubisoft just left ac unity hanging, sadly most of the good staff left from rocksteady while being forced to make that abomination smh

170°

The Crew is Being Removed from Your Ubisoft Connect Account Right Now

The Outerhaven writes: With the closure of The Crew's online servers, Ubisoft has started removing access to the game from anyone who owns it on Ubisoft Connect.

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theouterhaven.net
shadowhaxor33d ago (Edited 33d ago )

Wait. I don't get it. I reported on something that I recently noticed. I did mention in my article that I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't gone to play The Division 2. That said, if this was nearly a week ago, I wouldn't know, as NO ONE REPORTED ON IT! Not IGN. Not Gamespot. Not Kotaku. No one.

You got people here complaining that there are any real gaming journalists and game journalism sucks, but when someone is acting, doing something to make something known to the public about what a company is doing. What do you do? You poke fun at it. What is it that people want? Do you want to complain for the sake of it? Or do you actually want people to do something to make those who aren't in the know aware of the shady stuff that's happening and to sound the alarm?

ravens5233d ago

It's the "oh well" setting in on digital users. They don't care they don't own their stuff for some odd reason. 🤷🏽.

FullmetalRoyale33d ago

Good for you! People sometimes just feel the need to show how little they actually have to say. Very respectful dressing down, btw, which is another thing we need more of.

fan_of_gaming33d ago

I appreciate your article,
- "If this isn’t considered both a “WTF” moment and setting a dangerous precedent, I don’t know what else it would be"
- "it could also signal other publishers that removing games from our accounts would be okay"
- "Maybe those firmly against this digital future have a point after all"
- "This. Is. Fucked. Up."

As someone against an only-digital/streaming future for entertainment content (movies/TV shows/games/books), it feels like talking into a void about the points above on this website, or on Twitter, or with my friends, etc. People don't get it. I'm strongly contemplating whether this will be my last generation of PlayStation & Xbox consoles (I'm confident enough that Nintendo's next system will still support physical media and that their 1st-party games won't have online-required installation or usage restrictions).

Chocoburger33d ago

He is one of the long running trolls of this site, he never says anything positive. Every single one of his posts are either incorrect or flat out stupid. Pay him no mind.

OtterX32d ago

Thank you @shadowhaxor, we appreciate you.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 32d ago
KyRo33d ago

Yet people will sit here and still say that digital is better 🙃

TheSenorCheese33d ago

Welcome to the era where you no longer own your games.

gvrd001933d ago (Edited 33d ago )

I'm so done with Ubisoft, removing games one paid for is a new low...
Bye Ubisoft,
You've done f#c*ed it up !

Chocoburger33d ago

This was me 9 years ago, when I realized all they wanted to make were filler boring games that are packed with micro-trash-actions.

Snooze! Moving on from Ubi-junk!

vTuro2433d ago

I see they're trying their best to surpass Activision Blizzard for being the most hated gaming company. Keep at it, Ubisoft, I believe!

Show all comments (14)
160°

15 Single Player Games That Divided Fans

One way or another, these games provoked strong reactions.

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gamingbolt.com
banger8833d ago

I don't think Days Gone divided fans. For the most part, gamers loved it. It was the reviewers who were divided. Self-loathing racist pieces of shit that took exception to the main character being white. This was a fantastic game, one of the best open-world games I ever played, and I've played them all.

Cacabunga33d ago (Edited 33d ago )

Second you on this.. I had absolute blast playing this game!! Memorable!

TLOU 2 I thought was utter s***.. I still haven’t finished it and stopped about halfway (apparently).

It wasn’t fans divided around The Order, it was a period where xbox fanboys were thinking Rise was a more engaging game so they were spreading a lot of hate..
Today they are hibernating with nothing to play
The Order was short, no denying, but a great game with huge potential

shinoff218333d ago

I enjoyed days gone and last of us 2. PeoPke trippin.

I always thought the order was kinda whack seeming so I never tried it. Id like to now though.

Jon6158633d ago

No thr order was a short, clunky mediocre yet visually stunning game. I thoughts so and pretty much every other reviewer did too.

thorstein32d ago

The Order, where length was a criterion for rating a game, but only this particular game and no others.

Demetrius33d ago

I agree on my 2nd playthrough, ps5 this time

RavenWolfx33d ago

While I enjoy what is there in Days Gone, I mourn what was lost. The first trailers for Days Gone showed a morality system that looked interesting. For example, in the beginning when you are chasing down Leon and after you caught him, you could choose to shoot him or leave him for the freaks. You can see hints of it in other places, like if you catch a bandit unaware sometimes they will disarm and it seems like Deacon had the option to shoot them or let them go (he automatically lets them go).

Crows9032d ago

Whatever...those systems unless revolutionary don't add much...they rarely do in games that do have them.

anast33d ago

For the most part, when it comes to Last of Us 2, incels, homophobes, and closet national socialist types didn't like it. I repeat not all, but most.

Days Gone is a great game and it was attacked by the leftist socialist people that are actually closet fascists. As a great poet once said: "Socialism is the mother of fascism."

The Order got hit from anti-Sony Xbox fans.

Out of these 3, Last of Us 2 stands above as being a work of art. It's still generating a ton conversation to this day.

coolbeans33d ago (Edited 33d ago )

-"Last of Us 2, incels, homophobes, and closet national socialist types didn't like it. I repeat not all, but most."

It's so weird & cringe to see other gamers paint this broad brush of *who* didn't like Part II. Why take the "most who disagree with me are Hitler" type of mentality over game tastes?

-"The Order got hit from anti-Sony Xbox fans."

No other community I've dabbled in - be it social media or gaming forums - has built up such a dedicated defense for The Order like N4G. This attitude fundamentally blows my mind, especially in the face of similar older titles (hello Uncharted 1) that already did a marginally better job at storytelling and gameplay. It almost feels like some N4G group chat made this reflexive defense as a meme and a bunch of posters are still playing along with it. No offense to genuine Order fans, but I simply can't shake that feeling.

Yui_Suzumiya32d ago

Well to be fair, I remember being only one of a few people on this site that actually praised The Order when it for came out and got alot of flack for it. Over time it seems opinions have changed about it.

anast32d ago (Edited 32d ago )

saying something is "cringe" doesn't prove me wrong. You just throw words out and hope they stick. Bring some evidence to prove me otherwise.

I got:

Letizi, R., & Norman, C. (2023). “You Took That From Me”: Conspiracism and Online Harassment in the Alt-Fandom of The Last of Us Part II. Games and Culture, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/155...

You're up. Maybe you can change my mind.

Because NG4 defended it doesn't mean NG4 is the gospel of gaming.

thorstein32d ago

Yeah Yui, it was "the game to hate" at the time. What was bizarre was the, as usual, journalists that were lying about the game and their stories were approved.

It was all clickhate all the time for the Order. I defended it too.

coolbeans32d ago

@Yui

-"I remember being only one of a few people on this site that actually praised The Order when it for came out and got alot of flack for it."

That could've been the case right at release, but you should see more recent opinion articles on here. There's a pretty substantial cadre who defend it on here as being "unfairly tarnished" that I simply don't see elsewhere.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 32d ago
Skuletor33d ago

Most of the backlash against The Last Of Us 2 was people upset that Joel was killed off, simple as that.

anast32d ago

There is that too, but the other groups pilled on too, which increased the numbers. I really don't see why we have to ignore everything but Joel being killed.

Inverno32d ago

I didn't like Part 2 and I'm not any of. The game sold like crazy, it's just hard for people to understand that most found the story to be arse.

anast32d ago (Edited 32d ago )

Prove what I say is wrong. I will need evidence. I didn't not say all. Your exception rule doesn't work. Find evidence that counters mine. So, we can have a real discussion.

Inverno32d ago

There are plenty of legitimate criticism in hours long analysis videos and reddit posts actually critiquing Part 2. The people you're talking about are such a minority, and they attack just about everything because they see the "wokeness" in the most subliminal ways. They're insignificant because the game still sold pretty well, and reviewed well regardless. Keep in mind the game released world wide, and western politics and views can't be applied to every corner of the world. I can agree that Days Gone was attacked, and unlike Part 2, due to these sites being so heavily political biased it did do some damage.

anast32d ago

I am at least showing the group was large enough of a concern for a journal to publish an article.

Where's your evidence?

Crows9032d ago

He's not looking for evidence. Don't bother with him.

Crows9032d ago

The last of us part 2 was bad story wise. Not some nonsense that you speak of...most of the negative people were random...lots of the critical reception from anything other than mainstream journalism thought that the game had huge problems.

Angry Joe and skill up being prime examples of that...unless of course like most socialists out there you wanna just lable people.

anast32d ago (Edited 32d ago )

Where's your evidence?

Crows9032d ago

@anast

Oh geez...Twitter is full of trolls...common sense.
The YouTube critics I mentioned are innocent till proven guilty. And proven with facts not opinions. I gave you evidence of 2 prominent youtubers and yet you ask for more...either you can't read or you aren't looking for evidence.

As far as groups being "large" for journos to get their panties all tied up...well then again you must be extremely gullible. As if we haven't seen thousands of articles claiming players are offended, angry or backlashing based solely on 1 or 2 posts. They love grabbing very specific individuals and using them to represent a much larger base....whatever is convenient to them making the case that gamers bad and journos good.

coolbeans32d ago (Edited 32d ago )

-"saying something is "cringe" doesn't prove me wrong. You just throw words out and hope they stick. Bring some evidence to prove me otherwise."

It doesn't "prove" it, but I have a solid success rate with the term - which seems to be the case here too. With regards to your article, I should break this down into parts:

1.) For starters, bleating for countering "evidence" after brandishing a media analysis paper (or papers) shouldn't be treated as some kind of trump card. That's not to say these researchers did nothing, mind you. Only that expecting counter-ideologies within this field who'll make this specific kind of work for TLOU Pt. II is absurdly demanding on its face. Nevermind the probability of non-progressive types getting the administrative approval being next to nil, but that's another can of worms.

2.) While I have critiques about x or y (some anecdotes being more flimsy than others, GG speculation, etc.), let's say for this argument that it's a solid piece overall. Having read the whole thing, there is literally *NOTHING* that validates the broad brush with which you painted TLOU2 critics in your first comment (speaking as someone who thinks it's a good game). The discussion about alt-fans, anti-fans, etc. does paint an ugly picture about the TLOU subreddit, Twitter users, certain YouTubers, and more; however, there's no positive declaration about TLOU2's critics ending at these particular clusters either. Even if you say "most, not all" in your first comment, that still seems overly broad compared to the text I read. (EDIT: That's not to disregard the nastiness or modest size in its own right.)

It's also worth noting how much of that paper's material is inspecting a pre-/at-release sort of backlash. But the game's been out for several years now. More and more people who AREN'T incels, homophobes, closet Nazis have played it past 2020 and you don't really see this new broad consensus about its accomplishments; in fact, you see more of a continued split over whether or not it deserves such monumental praise. Here's just a few other sub-communities near its release that don't fit your description:

- https://www.youtube.com/wat...
- https://www.youtube.com/wat...
- https://www.youtube.com/wat...

-"Because NG4 defended it doesn't mean NG4 is the gospel of gaming."

Correct, but you're just solidifying my point. Even PS fans elsewhere (social media or gaming forums) don't go to bat for The Order with the enthusiasm and consistency they do here in my experience. That's what makes your assessment of "anti-Sony Xbox fans" so fascinating to me.

anast32d ago

1) Speculation and emotion

2) Speculation and emotion

2a) Might be an argument if you gave me something other than your own opinion and emotions over the subject, but it's left as an anecdote without any real research. By the way, we can't negate the at release behavior, because it fits your narrative. It existed and those groups were involved.

The article is not a trump card and the fact that you seem to think so is more troubling on your end than mine. The article was to see if you could find other people that researched this phenomenon and we can have a conversation, but you still refuse to do this. Instead you wrote a sermon, which is a shame because maybe you had something with point "2a: It's also worth..." But this point still tries to side step actual events.

The final point doesn't solidify anything unless you are trying to solidify your own opinion. Albeit, it is passive aggressive, which is strange.

coolbeans31d ago

-"Speculation and emotion"

I mean... okay? Where am I wrong on 2.) though? Asking for a conflicting media studies research paper on this specific topic is already a random ask, given the environment with which these are made.

-"Might be an argument if you gave me something other than your own opinion and emotions over the subject, but it's left as an anecdote without any real research."

Wait. Just so we're clear: a research paper that focuses most of its attention towards a subreddit and social media comments to Neil Druckmann means you get to sustain your overly broad claims while contrary social media sources that don't exhibit the same kind of "alt-fan/anti-fan" rhetoric can't be counted? Now I feel even more confident in my initial assessment b/c all you're after is just whatever can be found with some accreditation behind it - regardless of quality.

-"By the way, we can't negate the at release behavior, because it fits your narrative. It existed and those groups were involved."

That's the thing: I never said they wasn't a sizable contingent of that either. From the start, my response was just how wild it was to paint *MOST* detractors with such a broad brush. I still don't think I'm off-base in saying it's cringe to just say "most people who shit on x game are closet Nazis or bigots of some sort," especially when your research doesn't really validate that.

-"The article is not a trump card and the fact that you seem to think so is more troubling on your end than mine."

Bro, you literally responded with "Bring some evidence to prove me otherwise.... You're up. Maybe you can change my mind." I don't really see how I'm speaking out of turn there given this and your original comment.

-"The article was to see if you could find other people that researched this phenomenon and we can have a conversation, but you still refuse to do this."

If no other people *HAVE* researched this phenomenon, then I don't see how the next best option is highly-popular sources which counter your original claim. Given that all you're promoting is a media studies paper hyper-focusing on a specific cluster of media, why wouldn't other forms of media work as some kind of substitute? That's not side-stepping events in the slightest.

-"The final point doesn't solidify anything unless you are trying to solidify your own opinion. Albeit, it is passive aggressive, which is strange."

I don't know what that first sentence means, honestly.

Look, I'll just put it like this: try to have a frank conversation about The Order on some other non-N4G gaming forum. There isn't going to be this clean split between 'Sony fans' and 'Xbox fans' that love it or hate it. Ask Sony fans how they'd feel about paying full-price for it and you're not going to get the ardent defenses compared to some of its most popular comment sections here.

anast31d ago

Still no evidence. I ask for you to bring contrary evidence, so maybe I might change my mind, all research can be falsifiable. This is what you are missing. We are thinking in two different universes.

You are writing sermons, which is a waste of everyone's time including yours. Bring some research and we will discuss it. As of now you have only brought superstitions.

coolbeans30d ago

-"I ask for you to bring contrary evidence, so maybe I might change my mind, all research can be falsifiable."

But I literally read YOUR evidence and it doesn't support the broader claims you made at the start. I'm not sure where else to go with that.

-"Bring some research and we will discuss it. As of now you have only brought superstitions."

Bro, leveraging this kind of language is so wild in the face of what you've provided. It's like unless those different communities I linked where fused together in a random media studies paper, you'd magically consider it valid. I don't understand how you're leveraging that, especially when it doesn't fortify your initial claim. You're basically retorting to me writing too much, regardless of the content itself. Just the oddest conversation with you thus far and I don't quite get it.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 30d ago
D0nkeyBoi33d ago

Amazing gameplay, but TLOU2 had one of the worst, most convoluted and uneccessary plots I ever seen in a sequel. Terrible story and the characters were forgettable. I didn't give an F about anyone in the story.

Inverno32d ago

I don't think any of these divided fans, other than LoU2. The rest were either victims of biased reviews or just generally agreed that they weren't as good as they could've been or just overall disappointing.