500°

Enslaved Couldn’t Beat Heavenly Sword Despite Having a Multiplatform Audience

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was the second game from Ninja Theory. Its first game, Heavenly Sword, was a launch title for the PS3, and performed well on the sales front. Ninja Theory decided that in order to accrue more sales, it would need to make Enslaved multiplatform. However, the wider audience didn’t do much.

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playstationlifestyle.net
Schism204831d ago

Idk how it didnt sell better I mean didnt it go down to like 40 bucks within the first few weeks?

FrankMcSpank4831d ago (Edited 4831d ago )

1. Heavenly Sword was great.
2. Enslaved was mediocre.
3. Ninja Theory pissed off and offended PS3 gamers, then bitched HS only sold 1.7mil.
4. 360 gamers do not generally buy story-driven games.

guigsy4831d ago (Edited 4831d ago )

"4. 360 gamers do not generally buy story-driven games."

What like Mass Effect and Bioshock? Also Enslaved was a massive improvement on Heavenly Sword for me, better story and more gameplay variety.

longcat4831d ago (Edited 4831d ago )

"Idk how it didnt sell better I mean didnt it go down to like 40 bucks within the first few weeks?"

They alienated their existing fanbase with some poorly worded comments while trying to woo an audience that had no real history of having interest in games similar to their offering

ABizzel14831d ago

1. The gameplay was only OK.
2. The graphics were hyped, but weren't as good as they were hyped to be.
3. The 360 audience aren't known for buying hack and slash games.
4. They made Enslaved instead of Heavenly Sword 2.
5. It was a new IP.
6. It felt like a poor man's Uncharted.

There are other reasons, but these are probably the top ones.

ChineseDemocracy4831d ago

I agree with points 1, 2, and 3. Number 4 is just ignorant, not all 360 owners are crazed CoD/Halo fanatics, way to generalize.

I hope they learned their lesson.

kancerkid4831d ago

Well where the hell were the PS3 players who supposedly buy story-driven games? Waiting for it to go down to 5 dollars?

What a shitty, evidence-less generalization.

Focker4204831d ago

I think when they said it had better graphics than Gears 2 and better animations than Uncharted 2, it really pissed alot of people off. Especially since that was obviously not the case. I played it because I enjoyed Heavenly Sword, but no surprise, it was garbage. I managed to make it through the story and immediately traded it in afterwards.

RememberThe3574831d ago

Actually yes, those games didn't sell nearly as well as the more mindless shooters that are on the platform.

Blaine4831d ago

Uh... Am I retarded, or was Heavenly Sword not also a new IP?? Why are people saying Enslaved sold poorer because of that when they're both new IPs?!

Sony fanboys supported Heavenly Sword because it was exclusive. We gave Ninja Theory 1.7 mil sales because they gave us an exclusive. Then they turned around and spat in our faces. So we didn't support Enslaved.

TheDivine4831d ago

Enslaved was better to me also. There wasnt much advertising and more popular games were out around its launch. Heavenly sword sold well because there wasnt much competition on the ps3 at the time. It was a great game also and i love these developers.

bluwulf4831d ago (Edited 4831d ago )

Guigsy,

Like Alan Wake, splinter cell, banjo kazooie.

miyamoto4831d ago

I really feel bad for Mr. Serkis who played Monkey in Enslved.

He was Golum & King Kong in Peter Jackson films FYI. I hope this does not tarnish his portfolio.

kreate4831d ago

@guigsy

"What like Mass Effect and Bioshock?"

they're both shooters.

enslaved is not a shooter.

bangoskank4831d ago

"360 gamers do not generally buy story-driven games."

No, "Lost Odyssey" was not story driven at all. I wish idiots like you would stop demeaning gamers who don't own the same console as you. This is an odd form of prejudice that's rampant on this site. I really can't believe people are this ignorant.

smashman984831d ago

most of the people who buy games arent people who are core gamers most are ppl picking up a game based on the cool factor

with that being said it would help if ninja theory wasnt so narcissistic and if they had more advertising

Lawliet4831d ago

Ninja Theory should just close down their studio. They are becoming the next turd10 who only cares to talk shit and doesn't even care about their fans who supported them. Just because you go multiplat having more userbase that doesn't mean you will sell more.. Just see how many multiplat games couldn't even break 1mln. You will find many!

Biggest4831d ago

"360 gamers do not generally buy story-driven games."

How is that statement untrue, bangoskank? That is how the sales have played out over the years. You can't pick one game and call your point valid in the face of the many games that prove that one game to be a unicorn.

Kon4830d ago

"360 gamers do not generally buy story-driven games." Im loving the stereotypes, keep it up buddy.

ComboBreaker4830d ago

The lesson: Don't release their games on multi-platforms. They sell less.

Next time, release their games PS3 exclusively. They'll sell more.

JoySticksFTW4830d ago

F' NT.

They underhandedly put down ps3 gamers for "low sales" talking about lack of support for HS.

Then they talked crap about Enslaved looking better than Uncharted

Hey, I enjoyed Enslaved. Thought it had a good story, and both the character development and gameplay were good as well.

But really, HS was the better game. Nariko and Monkey are both cool, but HS has more going for it.

MUUUCH better villains, who had their own cool personalities. Not like the mindless, generic slaves and machines of Enslaved.

And HS' Kai was many times cooler than Enslaved's Trip (who needed to be slapped. I said it. "Who u enslaving, beeeotch?!").

Kai actually had cool segments of her own, like sniping missions. Trip just ran away crying, screamed for help, and could sometimes be used to distract the enemy so Monkey could do all of the hard work.

And playstation gamers STILL want to know what happens next after HS' ending. But NT talked crap like it wasn't worth it to make a sequel.

So I say again, F' NT until they learn to shut up and give the same audience that made them somewhat relevant the game they want.

ngecenk4830d ago

couldnt agree more. if only it sticks to ps3 and use the max like it did in hs, it would sold more than this!

sich924830d ago (Edited 4830d ago )

5.people including me had a grudge on them cuz they fked up devil may cry

Ju4830d ago

Yeah, PS3 owners didn't support Enslaved after all that crap talk.

We wanted a much improved HS2 what we got was a downgraded Enslaved. Well, all the reasons you need right there.

Ninja had it on their plate and do what other studios did with V2. Improve it. Like UC-UC2, R-R2 (well, at least engine tech), etc. But instead they bitched around about Sony and what not. Well, bad luck. Might have worked the first time, but this time they have nobody else to blame but themselves.

morganfell4830d ago Show
The Lazy One4830d ago

@"Sony fanboys supported Heavenly Sword because it was exclusive. We gave Ninja Theory 1.7 mil sales because they gave us an exclusive. Then they turned around and spat in our faces. So we didn't support Enslaved."

That's pretty petty.

They "spat in your faces" by making a multi-platform game? They made a good game, and it just didn't sell well. NT is a fine developer, and they'll continue to make solid games regardless of platform I'm sure.

Ju4830d ago

NT made one fundamental mistake - actually this was really good for the industry.

They cut on the wrong end. They thought they could make cheaper (and the probably though a better) game by cutting off R&D.

This is a fundamental misunderstanding how game development works. Video games are no movies. If you want to do something extraordinary, techonlogy is involved. Otherwise it becomes a run off the mill cheat B class game. And this is exactly what happened to Enslaved.

iliimaster4830d ago

get outta my head!!!! lol frank u da man frank woooooooooooo

The Lazy One4830d ago

@"They cut on the wrong end. They thought they could make cheaper (and the probably though a better) game by cutting off R&D."
how do you figure they cut R&D?

"This is a fundamental misunderstanding how game development works. Video games are no movies. If you want to do something extraordinary, techonlogy is involved. Otherwise it becomes a run off the mill cheat B class game. And this is exactly what happened to Enslaved."
I'm sure you know so much about how game development works. How many titles have you shipped? I'm guessing you think every indie game on steam sucks if you actually hold the opinion you've just shared.

It's also a totally generic statement. Really? Technology is involved? WHO KNEW!

This is a fundamental misunderstanding how cell phone development works. cell phones are not land lines. If you want to do something extraordinary, techonlogy is involved. Otherwise it becomes a run off the mill cheat B class cell phone.

+ Show (24) more repliesLast reply 4830d ago
Abash4831d ago

Ninja Theory forgot what a sweet deal it is to have a first party publisher push your game with proper ad support.

user8586214831d ago

but sony didnt promote heavenly sword....

DaTruth4831d ago

Heavenly Sword was on "Heroes" first season and every commercial for PS3, like the one with the weird oil slick that takes shapes! It was probably also on the back of the box!

Tuxedo_Mask4831d ago (Edited 4831d ago )

@DaTruth

I just checked the back of the box my MGS4 80GB PS3 came in and yes Heavenly Sword is on the back of the box.

As for why Enslaved didn't sell as well, I'd wager the fact that it's a new IP, that Castlevania came out the same day, and the fact that NT isn't very good with PR may have had something to do with it. Also, we can't forget about the uproar over their next title, DmC, which was announced before the release of Enslaved.

kreate4831d ago

i actually think enslaved was unintentionally advertised. and advertised very well....

i've seen countless amount of articles that talks about enslaved underperforming in sales.

few of the articles were basically articles pleading with us gamers to go buy the game.

so i went and bought the game cuz the articles said it was such a great game.

after playing the game but never finished it .. i thought it was just "ok"

Ju4830d ago

The only thing I don't understand is why Sony never dropped the price to $39 at some point. It stayed @ $59 forever. But I guess that was after the point NT already broke with Sony and they didn't care any more.

The Lazy One4830d ago

@"i actually think enslaved was unintentionally advertised. and advertised very well.... "

the other 99% of the people who buy games don't read video game news.

Darrius Cole4830d ago

I'm late tot he discussion but I checked the box of my 80GB backwards compatible PS3 and yes Heavenly Sword is on the back of that box.

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Knushwood Butt4831d ago

The game needed more of Andy Serkis going, "Grrrrrrrrr".

Would have topped a mil for sure.

Hoolock4831d ago (Edited 4831d ago )

Im going to be honest as to why I didnt buy it although from all ive heard it was a good game. The simple fact was that after playing the demo it felt like a cheaper, sci-fi version of uncharted. Im quite possibly wrong but the demo did turn me off when i didnt feel like the game had its own strong sense of identity.

Quagmire4831d ago

Yep, your'e wrong. Play it for yourself before you criticize. The demo was nothing in comparison to the full game.

Didn't yo mama eva teach you not to Judge A Book By its Cover?

dragon824831d ago

But he didn't judge the game by its cover. He judged it by the demo that was given to us by the developers. If the demo did not represent the actual game well then it is the developers fault, not his.

Hoolock4831d ago

@Quagmire
I'm glad i'm wrong it would be silly to want a game to be bad and yeh "my mama" did teach me to not judge a book by its cover but sadly I dont have £40 worth of disposal income to spend on a game thats demo I didnt like.

To be more specific actually I felt like the platforming was way too hand holding. It was near impossible to die and also felt really awkward to me when controlling it. Also I wasn't much a fan of the graphic style either. Anyway it's all opinion

RememberThe3574831d ago

I've played the game so I can judge it. It's mediocre. It could have been great, but it didn't have the polish or depth that set great games apart from the rest. I'm glad I rented it, and equally glad i didn't buy it. It's worth playing at least.

nycredude4831d ago

I bought the game and while it would a decent effort, there were many flaws.

1) Definitely had a cheap Uncharted vibe (Quagmire they said themselves Uncharted was one of their inspiration)
2) Graphics were way overhyped (Just another Unreal game)
3) Story was compelling but ending was a little non climatic.
4) Biggest problem gameplay was way too easy! It practically played itself.
5) No replay value at all. (No multiplayer)

smashman984831d ago

if u didnt like the gameplay mechanics for platforming in the demo then ur mind wont change about it later on either

but what i loved about this game wasnt any one thing in particular it was how the game came together as a whole

i love this game

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SkylineR4831d ago

The sad thing is a lot people are missing out on a good game. It's not a great game in the sense of uncharted, but it's still good enough to play.
I'm playing through it atm and its fantastic. Cool story and characters too.
I do find the combat repetitive though.
If there's a sequel, I hope people aren't blind and forgo the game.

Focker4204831d ago

I'm not blind and I will 100% pass if there even is a sequel. I hated the first and just wanted it to be over as soon as possible. I would be embarrassed to recommend Enslaved to anyone.

Man_Among_Mice4831d ago

Actually Skyline I agree with Focker on this one. I played through the entire game and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The platforming was WAY too handholding, the combat was repetitive and the graphics and animations DEFINITELY weren't what they touted it to be. They would have been better off making Heavenly Sword 2 rather than wasting our time with this nonsense.

BrianC62344831d ago

I think Amazon even had a deal for $20. I didn't buy Enslaved. I just can't buy many games lately and so I only buy the games I really want. I bet one reason Heavenly Sword sold so well is the PS3 didnt have many games worth buying when it came out. It was a good game but I guess people thought it was too short. That seems to be Enslaved's problem. Why did Namco have to come out with DLC for the game? They should have made it as part of the game.

dp2774074831d ago

you might be right about people buying the game because there werent as many choices for em, but if the game just came out i'd still buy it...and actually i rebought it just a cpl weeks ago. its still a good game.

DaReapa4831d ago

I agree with dp277407. I didn't purchase the game until the price went down. And it took forever for that to happen. And for a 3 year old game, it still rivals a lot of the mediocrity that's been coming out as of late.

wildcat4831d ago

Heavenly Sword came out early Fall of 2007. There were plenty of games coming out at or around that time! Some examples are: Warhawk, Assassin's Creed, Ratchet and Clank Tools, Uncharted, Call of f*n Duty 4?! To say it didn't have competition is completely untrue!

Vherostar4830d ago

Sold less than a launch title nearly 5 years into a console life and it was multi platform?? That's what you get when you come out and openly talk smack about your loyal followers not to mention make a mediocre game.

Tapewurm4830d ago (Edited 4830d ago )

I liked both titles actually..... felt a little jaded towards Enslaved though, due the the concessions that were made to put it on both systems. Heavenly Sword is still one of my favorite titles for the PS3 and hope that some day a sequel will see the light of day. I feel that Ninja Theory does a great job but, like mentioned in this thread, they alienated a lot of supporters when they made some poorly worded comments and chose to work on a lesser machine (harsh but true..the 360 is the lesser of the two machines) Serving two masters is difficult ..they should stick to what they do best and work on the PS3 platform only.

princejb1344830d ago

as a ps3 owner i didnt not buy enslaved, because they dissed one of my favorite games this gen which is heavenly sword
customers win over clients, activision your next, one day your sales will be so low your gonna stop giving us glitched games

PostApocalyptic4830d ago

Ninja Theory should create Heavenly Sword 2, but just give us jumping and platforming. That's all it missed. Jumping and platforming. I mean, at least to the level of Uncharted series. HS was more linear than God of War! :O So, they need to give us more freedom.

meluvulongtime4830d ago

I picked it up when it dropped to $25 on Amazon. I can't believe it didn't sell like hotcakes at that price. It's a great game, but not for $60. No replay value, handholding platforming, and easy difficulty. Ninja Theory does great making cinematic games they need to work on extending their games, fleshing out their combat more, and adding some replay value. Pretty much all the issues with HS are present in Enslaved. Ninja Theory really has a hard time learning from their mistakes.

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aviator1894831d ago

I just think that the advertising wasn't done right for this game. Games like these deserve and rely on much more aggressive marketing.

theonlylolking4831d ago

I think instead of doing this game. They should have done heavenly sword 2 on the GOW3 engine.

stephmhishot4831d ago

There weren't even commercials in the US for Heavy Rain and it had sold around 400,000 by Aug of last year. At this point it has to be even higher thanks to the holidays.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010...

jack who4831d ago

this is another pointless/useless Comparison Heavenly Sword was a ps3 Launch Title and at the time were only had an hand full of game came out. compare to Enslaved: Odyssey to the West released at a time when block buster games where been released left and right.

Mario184831d ago

Where on planet earth was Heavenly Sword a PS3 launch title?

DFresh4831d ago

Heavenly Sword was not a launch title in the States for PS3 it came out in 2007.
Though I suppose if you live in Europe Heavenly Sword would of been a launch title since the PS3 released in Europe 1 year after the U.S date.
IDK.
Depends how you look at it.

Mario184831d ago (Edited 4831d ago )

Ps3 was released in Europe on March 23rd, Heavenly Sword came out in September

WOMBLE624831d ago

European Playstation 3 launch date was 23 March 2007, 4 months after the US launch. Heavenly sword was released in September 2007 so there was a good 6 months between European Playstation 3 launch and Heavenly sword release and a further 10 months between US Playstation 3 launch and Heavenly sword release.

Just some useful info to save any confusion but still I'd like to say the point does still stand that there were very few major Playstation 3 games available even in September 2007. But to sell 1.7 million units at a time when the Playstation 3 was getting absolutely slated by almost everyone but owners of the console that is impressive and I can't see Ninja Theory's real long standing problem with those figures. I believe if they were to release a Playstation 3 exclusive sequel to Heavenly Sword they would easily hit 3.5 million units and if they were to go multi-plat (not sure if the IP is owned by Sony) which would be a great idea they would top 5 million. Heavenly Sword was a fantastic game but as is mentioned a lot it could have been ever so slightly longer.

silvacrest4831d ago

the install base for the PS3 when heavenly sword was available was really low, i wouldn't be surprised if it was less then half of what it is today

on the other hand the 360s and PS3s combined install base is close to 90 mill at the time enslaved came out

even taking release date and lack of ads into account, the sales figures are pitiful

guigsy4831d ago

They probably should've made the game an exclusive, cause the fanboys would've bought it anyway.

karl4831d ago

omg.. that its soo fucking true!....

it shows how stupid we are as consumers ... i included,

RememberThe3574831d ago

lol Yeah the ten super fanboys on N4G are definitely a worthy demographic for a 20 million dollar game.

karl4831d ago

im sure fanboys only reside on N4G

/s

Focker4204831d ago

Did I buy White Knight Chronicles, MLB The Show, or Yakuza 3 last year?? No. Do you want to know why?? Because I buy games that I want to play. I am a bit of a PS3 fanboy, but that doesn't mean I buy every single exclusive available. Grow up, enough with the immature ignorance.

guigsy4831d ago

Right and you think that your own buying habits totally disproves my point? Please, there are plenty of fanboys out there that will buy a game for the sake of it being exclusive.

hetz154831d ago

I bought White Knight Chronicles and Yakuza 3 lol, just because they are both awesome games!!! (Well WKC is not that awesome, but still a decent RPG. Whereas Yakuza 3 is pure gem)

DigitalAnalog4830d ago

Correction. They should've MADE Heavenly Sword 2. Just look at all the other PS3 exclusive sequels.

-End of Line

redsquad4830d ago

In all fairness, had ENSLAVED been an exclusive (for either system), it probably would have been a lot better.

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120°

15 PS3 Games That Would Absolutely Shine as PS5 Remakes

GB: "With this feature, we talk about 15 games on the PS3 that should be remade for the PlayStation 5."

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kenpachi18d ago

You left out The Darkness games bring those back

fan_of_gaming17d ago

The head of Nightdive Studios has posted that The Darkness is on their list of games they want to do, so hopefully something comes from that

Yi-Long17d ago

Little Big Planet 1 and 2 deserve a mention, IMO.

Good call on Motorstorm, a game released 2 gens ago but still looks and feels so good. Motorstorm 2 and Motorstorm RC were gems as well. They followed up the Motorstorm games with the brilliant Driveclub, which still manages to put modern racing games to shame. Imagine closing down a studio as talented as that ... (!) Incredible.

A little 'arcade-gem' back then was The Last Guy, a top down 'follow the leader' snake-like game where you had to find and lead survivors to safety during an alien invasion, on terrible looking 'Google-earth' maps. Graphics were poor, even back then, but would love that same gameplay with modern maps and graphics.

Street Fighter 4, once it finally had a full roster, was quite good, but it was always an ugly game, sadly. Imagine bringing that back while using the current SF6 engine.

fan_of_gaming17d ago

Good suggestions, I'd be in for
LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet 2
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
Motorstorm: RC

purple10117d ago

God damn I love motorstorm so much

At the time I had a low-mid range sony 40” tv, The latency to the controller was waaaay too high, would to play a modern version

In saying that later I got a 3d lg tv and playing the 3d motorstorm in my bedroom with the environment crumbling around the track, was something special, specially compared to what others were playing at the time, will always remember that

Skuletor17d ago

Some good choices here and Resistance: Fall of Man is my most wanted PS3 remaster/remake. Not sure about their claim it was Sony's answer to Gears of War though.

CrimsonWing6917d ago

I’d rather have sequels than remakes. Look at Dead Space 1 Remake. Would’ve been cooler if we got a new entry and it failed with sales sealing the fate of a sequel rather than just replay the same game and it fail in sales and we never get a new entry.

Remakes are great for things like PS2 and earlier games to really get a crazy new graphical coat, but I think we should ease up on all these remakes and actually do sequels.

fan_of_gaming17d ago

Yeah for sure, sequels would be ideal. But in the current market environment where many big publishers are risk-averse, I'd rather get a remaster or remake that a developer can do on a budget that will be approved, rather than nothing for an IP.

Inverno17d ago

I rather they remaster and port over to PC and current gen all the games permanently stuck on PS360. Those games don't need remakes, they need to be given a chance to live again outside of their confined consoles and then give a few proper sequels. Like Sleeping Dogs, Motor Storm, LA Noir, should get another entry.

fan_of_gaming17d ago

Yeah I'd be fine with remasters of PS3 games too, they don't have to be remakes.

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60°

The 10 worst PC ports that ruined otherwise great video games

From Xfire: "It's not unusual to see the occasional bad PC port, but these ones make the bad PC ports look great in comparison."

Kados1023d ago

To be fair with GTAIV, it was a very CPU bound game, released at a time when the vast majority of PC gamers still believed that the CPU was nearly irrelevant, and that you only needed a good GPU. 95% of "gaming" builds back then were using turds for CPUs.

Giblet_Head1023d ago (Edited 1023d ago )

Ya, 2005-2010 was an interesting period. Entry/mid level CPUs have come a long way since then.

RonsonPL1023d ago (Edited 1023d ago )

The "majority" is still just as dumb as before.The game was simply f...d.
It had micro-stutters and never ever ran properly. People who say otherwise simply couldn't see the microstutter because of their LCD display's blurry motion. It should fly in 85fps or 100fps on fastest CPU back then, but it didn't. It was a buggy, awful port. I had a CPU over twice as fast as what x360 had. A GPU 5x as fast. And I couldn't do anything to make it run perfectly.
I don't know who's fault was this. Maybe it was not the developers alone. Maybe it was because of the drivers and the fact nobody gave a flying f..k about stable, high framerate on a PC game. We've had two different OSes then, and as I pointed out, microstutters were not that obvious on an LCD. There was no Digital Foundry to point such problems out and not many people still played on CRT monitors to be able to notice the problem (in like 2 seconds of playing, seriously, you don't need any tools. It just hits your eyes like a speeding truck)

GTA V continued the tradition. It manages the CPU resources so badly, it basically cannot run at locked 144fps till this day, or even 60fps in stereoscopic 3D mode (so 2x 60fps per second) because it's so dependant on single core performance and because it's so messed up by either port devs or Nvidia (who said they will fix it, then 3 years of promises led to shutting the forums down, which solved the problem in their eyes - no one complains anymore ;)

GTA III port was never optimized for even 60fps, not to mention 100 or 120.
The port of GTA V was hidden in their cabinet for almost 3 years, during which PC gamers were bein lied to about it.

See the pattern yet?
Yeah. They don't give a shit about PC gaming or assume a buggy, stuttery mess is good enough, as long as people keep buying the games.

Actually... to think of it. They didn't make a proper Lemmings game for PC either. There was Amiga version and that's it. Only later on they mercifully released Lemmings: Tribes sequel. Until then PC gamers could only dream about digitized (real recorded audio) sounds and music. So this tradition of shitting onto PC gamers is now 30 years old ;)

100°

Active Quest Episode 117: Star Wars: KOTOR Is Likely Returning, Atelier Firis DX Is Addictive

Joseph, Josh, and Chris go over a striking Sony decision, a Star Wars: Knights of the Republic remake seems to be happening, and local JRPG lover Chris talks about Atelier Firis DX.

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activequestpodcast.com
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