Not Getting Much Recognition?

[Para]

I was going through some gaming magazines today and I could not find a single mention of Phantasy Star Portable 2. Even magazines don't even mention the game in the upcoming releases. How bad is that for SEGA?

[Zerothelioneater]

I didn't even know that it was coming stateside until I saw a very small ad for it on the gamestop website. Sadly I don't think there is anything they could do to give this game attention at launch. Seeing how it comes out the same day as Halo Reach.

[Zarode]

I'm starting to think Sega of Japan just thinks this game will not sell at all in the West.

Almost surprised they release it here. It's really sad, honestly.

[Zerothelioneater]

I'm starting to think Sega of Japan just thinks this game will not sell at all in the West.

Almost surprised they release it here. It's really sad, honestly.

Didn't they pull the exact same thing last year? With Phantasy Star Zero coming out the same week as Modern Warfare 2?

[Zarode]

Sometimes riding on coattails is not a bad idea.

[Gigas]

That is really lame and pisses me off. This game is amazing and could and should easily sell very well if it was just given the proper attention and marketing.

[Zerothelioneater]

That is really lame and pisses me off. This game is amazing and could and should easily sell very well if it was just given the proper attention and marketing.

That's why I've been telling everyone I know with a PSP about this game. I've actually been able to interest some people just by telling the about the oh-so-sweet Valkyria Chronicles 2 cross-over stuff that they are doing for both titles.

[Koiwai_Keiji]

That's why I've been telling everyone I know with a PSP about this game. I've actually been able to interest some people just by telling the about the oh-so-sweet Valkyria Chronicles 2 cross-over stuff that they are doing for both titles.

There's a psp kiosk of pspo2 at Penny Arcade Expo 2010, its right next to the Valkyria Chronicles 2 booth. It consists of a big lit sign saying "phantasy star portable 2" and hooked up to a mounted monitor so others can see its gameplay as well. I wish I had a pic, but the convention was so hectic, was trying to see and demo a lot of other games as well.

The SEGA booth was amazing this year compared to last year's; they were showing off vanquish, conduit 2, sonic 4, sonic colors, and yakuza 4. So they are advertising the game, its just not at the intensity of say, Bayonetta.

I think that's fine, because its main audience, the pso and mh community already knows about it. Word of mouth is really the most effective advertising imo. There's a demo out, the psp isn't that popular (compared to DS), and it was one of the most pirated psp games of 2009 (I don't have a link, but there was a news blurb about it). It would be nice to see a tv commercial, but I can see why they prioritize the new IPs like Vanquish and Bayonetta.

[Izuna]

Niche market man, I'm shock you all don't know this.

[pso_crash]

I haven't seen a PS game advertised since PSU came out. I would like to my favorite series get more publicity. I think this genre is gaining more popularity in the west and it would be great is PS gained from it.

[Zerothelioneater]

I haven't seen a PS game advertised since PSU came out. I would like to my favorite series get more publicity. I think this genre is gaining more popularity in the west and it would be great is PS gained from it.

I agree. Like, look at Dragon Quest. A series, like Phantasy Star, is well beloved by the Japanese market, and like Phantasy Star, never really did as well in the western market. With Dragon Quest 9, they had commercials everywhere, and they had the game come out at a time when there was really nothing to buy. I feel that these 2, well made choices, are what really helped pushed sales.

Of course, it still didn't sell well at my local gamestop, Me being the only one to actually pre-order the game, but my community is so one-sided that I really gave up on anything other than NHL at top-tier first person shooters selling well. So I guess my only real worry is having to wait 30 minutes in line to pick up my copy of the game with all the moms buying the new Halo for their kids. :l

[SubstanceD]

Bought 2 gaming magazines this week, neither one mentions PSP2 at all. The game is 'supposedly' out this month and there isn't a single review or preview.

To make matter even worse, I went to my local game store ( called GAME ) and tried to pre-book a copy of PSP2 and the did not have any info on the game at all. Gamestop were slightly better but only slightly, they had a few display out for PSP2 with the words 'Pre-book your copy Now' on them but once again when I tried to do this I was told that there is no info about this game at all on thier system. I'm begining to doubt whether this game will come out in Europe this month at all.

[Izuna]

Bought 2 gaming magazines this week, neither one mentions PSP2 at all. The game is 'supposedly' out this month and there isn't a single review or preview.

To make matter even worse, I went to my local game store ( called GAME ) and tried to pre-book a copy of PSP2 and the did not have any info on the game at all. Gamestop were slightly better but only slightly, they had a few display out for PSP2 with the words 'Pre-book your copy Now' on them but once again when I tried to do this I was told that there is no info about this game at all on thier system. I'm begining to doubt whether this game will come out in Europe this month at all.

GAME sucks, I hate what they did to Gamestation. Amazon says the Street Date is the 17th.

[GeoSword]

So I guess my only real worry is having to wait 30 minutes in line to pick up my copy of the game with all the moms buying the new Halo for their kids. :l

Because their whiny, baby children want everything when it comes out and moms go out and buy them the game just to shut them up, and because all the cool kids are playing it. And these are the same moms who complain about excessive violent video games being exposed to their children. They shouldn't be playing Halo in the first place.

Back on topic, I don't care, I'm gonna go and get my PSP2 while everyone else gets their garbage.

[Ambrai]

Izuna hit the nail on the head earlier, it's a very niche market. Sega realizes they will get a larger return on their advertising dollars by focusing on games that sell better in the Western markets.

PSO is sold here because there is a strong enough following to make a tidy profit from it, and they know that the followers will buy it regardless. Keep in mind the demographic for this game is pretty wide.

Not to mention.... there aren't that many epic games for the PSP, word of mouth is a powerful marketing technique.

[Anon_Fire]

Or maybe it's because SoA doesn't have the funds to make commercials for Phantasy Star.

[ZeroXRaven]

All these people dissing Halo are funny, personally i'm buying both PSPo2 and Halo Reach and hopefully on the same day but I know i'll put more time into Phantasy Star...My point is, kids will buy anything that's popular and just because Halo got really popular and kids buy it doesn't make it a kids game...Halo Reach looks amazing! and honestly the wait for both HR and PS are killing me :(

Futuristic game FTW!!!!!!!

[Izuna]

Or maybe it's because SoA doesn't have the funds to make commercials for Phantasy Star.

SoA doesn't get much ability to do that even if they wanted to, it's all run by SoJ.


All these people dissing Halo are funny, personally i'm buying both PSPo2 and Halo Reach and hopefully on the same day but I know i'll put more time into Phantasy Star...

I've played the first part of Halo Reach, absolutely stunning game. The more harmless things you like, the better.

[ZeroXRaven]

SoA doesn't get much ability to do that even if they wanted to, it's all run by SoJ.



I've played the first part of Halo Reach, absolutely stunning game. The more harmless things you like, the better.

Really? How did you play it?

I have watched some of the videos of campaign and the way it is set up from cenematics to graphics and how open the environments are is seriously amazing....I cannot WAIT!......gosh talking about these games makes me sad lol Sept. 14th where r u???

[Izuna]

Really? How did you play it?

I was supposed to review it, but I have given up on that. I'm waiting for its release so I can play it cooperative with selected people.

[ShinMaruku]

Given how Sega runs things you have nothing to worry about.

[ZeroXRaven]

I was supposed to review it, but I have given up on that. I'm waiting for its release so I can play it cooperative with selected people.

Well dang, i'd give anything to be a reviewer lol

[Izuna]

Well dang, i'd give anything to be a reviewer lol

If you like to receive criticism for the sake of improving your skills, journalism is one thing you'll love. If you wish to spread your beliefs, or the truth, save yourself the stress.

[Zerothelioneater]

All these people dissing Halo are funny, personally i'm buying both PSPo2 and Halo Reach and hopefully on the same day but I know i'll put more time into Phantasy Star...My point is, kids will buy anything that's popular and just because Halo got really popular and kids buy it doesn't make it a kids game...Halo Reach looks amazing! and honestly the wait for both HR and PS are killing me :(

Futuristic game FTW!!!!!!!

To be honest Im buying Halo Reach at launch as well. It just seems silly to be releasing a game like this on the same day. I think it would of been a better idea to hop on the release of that new Kingdom Hearts. Think about it, you walk into your local gamestop and check their PSP selection. As they keep all new releases at the same place, while looking to see if they have the game in, they would probably notice the cover of PSPo2.

Now that is a clever way to give a game with just about 0 advertising some well needed attention.

[JazzJaeger]

honestly, it seems like they are doing this on purpose, not releasing it earlier (Stateside) and very little ads, does Japan hate us? Didnt PSO, PSU, and other Sega games show how much we WANT to buy from them? apparently Sega of Japan hates us because if they are releasing it not only like 9 months after Japan has it but on the same day as the craptastic Halo Reach, then clearly all signs point to that

[OriginalB]

To be honest Im buying Halo Reach at launch as well. It just seems silly to be releasing a game like this on the same day. I think it would of been a better idea to hop on the release of that new Kingdom Hearts. Think about it, you walk into your local gamestop and check their PSP selection. As they keep all new releases at the same place, while looking to see if they have the game in, they would probably notice the cover of PSPo2.

Now that is a clever way to give a game with just about 0 advertising some well needed attention.

Maybe, but generally a game like kingdom hearts also has a following. So that person would still pick up kingdom hearts, and if they're anything like me (a very casual gamer) that would be the only thing they picked up for a while.

[ZeroXRaven]

honestly, it seems like they are doing this on purpose, not releasing it earlier (Stateside) and very little ads, does Japan hate us? Didnt PSO, PSU, and other Sega games show how much we WANT to buy from them? apparently Sega of Japan hates us because if they are releasing it not only like 9 months after Japan has it but on the same day as the craptastic Halo Reach, then clearly all signs point to that

Halo Reach craptastic???

HAHA riiight, try it before you judge...unless you where one of those hackers I doubt u have played it

[ShinMaruku]

Halo is fine and all but call of Duty is better. :P And worry not about what it releases with the game should have a long tail.

[Para]

There's a psp kiosk of pspo2 at Penny Arcade Expo 2010, its right next to the Valkyria Chronicles 2 booth. It consists of a big lit sign saying "phantasy star portable 2" and hooked up to a mounted monitor so others can see its gameplay as well. I wish I had a pic, but the convention was so hectic, was trying to see and demo a lot of other games as well.

The SEGA booth was amazing this year compared to last year's; they were showing off vanquish, conduit 2, sonic 4, sonic colors, and yakuza 4. So they are advertising the game, its just not at the intensity of say, Bayonetta.

I think that's fine, because its main audience, the pso and mh community already knows about it. Word of mouth is really the most effective advertising imo. There's a demo out, the psp isn't that popular (compared to DS), and it was one of the most pirated psp games of 2009 (I don't have a link, but there was a news blurb about it). It would be nice to see a tv commercial, but I can see why they prioritize the new IPs like Vanquish and Bayonetta.

Well I wouldn't be too surprised about PSPo2 at PAX. Phantasy Star has always had a following among Penny Arcade forumers.

[GantzDetainee]

I think the problem is Phantasy Star is lacking some good old advertising campaign.Sega's playing it safe and try as much as possible not to lose money just in case the game didn't do so well stateside(or westernside for that matter) .

[ZeroXRaven]

Yeah I don't even think they originally planned to release the game here and where very IFFY about it. Look at all their past sells from here compared to Japan. This includes consoles and games. America just doesn't have an overall big interest in SEGA's old consoles or their games. Just because say 1000 people are following them like a cult doesn't mean they will make money off those 1000 people....I think they are just sick of losing money from us, but you know in honesty if they would advertise a little more and choose better release dates I am almost positive SEGA wouldn't dominate the North American charts....If they released a trailer of this game that came on almost all local channels and showed everything you could do it could be a system seller so IMO SEGA dropped the ball on this game...

[ashley50]

this game needs some Bald space marines thrown into it that has no connection to the game at all and people will buy it.