By Torture

It has been a while since I wrote my last piece. I got sick of waiting for some divine inspiration, and just figured I’d comment on some things that are going on. There aren’t many developments happening, but some major things have taken place in the last month or so. We all know what’s in the news, and I’m sure many of us have opinions and ideas. I am going to comment on recent events, and cover some news we couldn’t fit into the news coverage. With that said, I will not delay any more...let’s get to the issues.

System Sales
Despite being involved in a web site for the NGP, a system which I enjoy very much, I am not blind to the facts. I’ll be honest...in Japan, the sales aren’t good. Neo Geo Pocket isn’t a popular handheld in Japan, but things can possibly change. Sales are not a reflection of quality, as we all know the NGP is a quality handheld. Sales are a reflection of popularity, so Playstation and Gameboy will enjoy good sales. But lower sales may not just be about popularity, but it may perhaps be a reflection on the state of the industry. Sales seem down across the board. Bandai’s ever mysterious portable, the Wonderswan enjoyed some strong sales initially, and some solid weekly sales. But unit sales have dipped sharply and have only recovered slightly. Dreamcast was in huge demand, but supply problems and a game drought caused sales to trail off. Sega admitted supply problems at the wrong time caused sales to fall short of potential at launch. N64 isn’t faring well either. Despite the sales surge thanks to Zelda, sales seem to have returned to very low numbers, thanks to the lack of good follow up titles, a problem that has plagued Nintendo for years. The economic situation in Japan may be contributing to lower sales. I think it was Next-Generation Online who commented how the situation in Japan is an obstacle for the Dreamcast. If that’s the case, people seem less willing to buy game related goods, and the game industry may not be as impervious to economic situations as the game companies would have us think.

Territorial Popularity
I don’t quite know what it is about the state of gaming in Japan. I will admit, I’m not familiar with the trends there, or what is popular. I just find the lack of success of both the Dreamcast and Neo Geo Pocket baffling. Yes, there are reasons. For the Dreamcast, there has been a recent game release stall. NGP’s trouble in the market may have to do with the selection of games. Based on what I’ve observed, the most popular portable games in Japan seem to be growth sims, or games of that nature. I have no problem with the growth, dating, love or life sims in Japan, and I’d eventually like to try them when I can understand what is going on, but I don’t like how they are dominant in the portable scene, especially when the portables have more power. NGP’s library shows how SNK is treating it much like any other console, by giving it fighters, platformers, puzzle games, and sports. It also has a growth sim. But compared to other portables, it lacks the popular portable games. Gameboy has Pokemon, among others. Wo nderswan has Beatmania, and Densha De GO, which Gameboy also has. Many of the popular titles though, can easily be made as a simple keychain game. There have been Pokemon handheld games and Beatmania standalone hendhelds. The portable systems are capable of much more, and despite having more, NGP seems more popular as an import system, than it is in Japan. Wonderswan may have great success in Japan, but it is a risk for importers, and if it does make it out here, it will need a major adjustment to its game library.

New Releases
We have just experienced one of the best release dates yet for the NGP as far as games go. May 27th saw the release of Fatal Fury First Contact and Metal Slug First Mission, two of the most polished NGP games yet. Metal Slug was a highly anticipated game since the announcement of an SNK portable machine. It has been a long wait, but well worth it. But I’m not going to rant and rave about them, as that is what the review section is for. But games like these are a good sign of the quality titles awaiting us in the coming months...like the recently released Samurai Showdown, or Big Tournament Gold, which is looking very cool.

US Release
After some frustrating delays, SNK finally released the Neo Geo Pocket through its web site. But, SNK delivered, and the delay seems to work out better for SNKUSA. I don’t quite know what the reason for delay was, but having Slug and Fatal Fury ready for launch was a good move. Not only were they two anticipated games, but they offer consumers more choices. Following right up on the heels of the unit’s release is Samurai Showdown 2, game that garnered much critical acclaim before it’s release. Hopefulyl we’ll be hearing much about this title very soon. So far, for those who have taken the plunge love the unit. That does not surprise me at all, because I recall receiving both versions of Neo Geo Pocket, and each time I was extremely impressed. I was surprised at how small it is, how sharp the screen is, and how good it is with graphics and animation. NGP packs some major power, and seems to win over people open-minded enough to give it a shot. It’s too bad that convincing people to try something new and unpopu lar is going to be very hard.

The Electronics Entertainment Expo
I wonder how many people truly expected much from SNK at the last E3 show. SNKUSA does not have the initiative or power that the Japanese branch has. That’s why a web sale of the NGP for the informed, hardcore gamers is a good idea. That’s also why SNK’s game presence here is weak, as they do not publish games. But SNK did show of Sacnoth’s Koudelka, a game I have watched the progress of long before the mainstream American sites started to cover it. Many people in the media have nothing but compliments for this game, and SNK showing it off and trying to find a publisher for it in the US is a good step, and perhaps could be a sign that SNKUSA will be more active in the future.

NGP was of course the major attraction at SNK’s booth at E3. Sector:NGP editor, Substance J was at this past E3, and he says that people seemed very interested in NGP, and impressed at how good the software was for it. People had a different, more serious attitude about it, and its titles than for Gameboy. Again, NGP seems to win over those willing to give it a shot, and it won people over at E3 with its power and killer games. It was so impressive that it has been highly praised in post-E3 media coverage. It’s good that the media is taking the time to acknowledge the NGP and how good it is. But the praise for the unit is surprising, even to me. We all know that the Dreamcast was the dominant part of E3, at least as far as the console side goes, but the NGP earned the runner up prize for best console hardware. On top of that, Samurai Showdown 2 seems to be a favorite of many showgoers. Gaming-Age gave Samurai Showdown 2 an honorable mention as game of show. Dango, of Gamefan, gave Samurai Showdown 2 the secon d place spot for game of show, as well as giving Metal Slug the tenth spot. Game of show is usually a title earned by modern titles, using more powerful game hardware. For a portable game to even be considered as best of show is an amazing feat.

All in all, SNK did a good job gaining interest, as well as good press at E3. It was a great way to head toward the new launch date, as SNK’s media coverage prior to the event was not very substantial. This media reaction is yet more proof of what we already know: that the NGP is a very high quality game machine with some of the best software around. All in all, I am pleased by E3. Dreamcast did well, which I like, and the Neo Geo Pocket made its presence known in a major way.