Princess Waltz is next. Really?

Visual Novel Community Archive, 2000-2009
#1

I’m surprised by this. I would have assumed that Cosplay Fetish Academy would be next due to it presumably having the widest appeal due to it being a pure sex romp.

After downloading all of the pics for Princess Waltz from (removed by moderator), I really don’t think it will sell well once initial reviews are out. It’s very heavily focused on the card battle sections with less focus on the hentai elements.

I just think that “Waltz” will be like Snow Drop was where there was a lot of demand from the hardcores on this board, but the vast majority of h-gamers will ignore it for its emphasis on non-h elements.

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#2

Wasn’t Yume Miru Kusuri successful? That’s a story intensive title. I think you’re also overlooking that Princess Waltz has the “first class” eroge presentation. Not that other PP titles aren’t good looking, but there’s a marked difference between most of the current PP lineup and Princess Waltz: it has all the bells and whistles.

Bling-Bling gets people’s attention: just look how Final Fantasy 7 helped transformed console RPG’s from a “niche market” into a mainstream one. Not saying that Princess Waltz will make eroge mainstream - just that people more interested in pretty effects will find this one as more attractive than the common lineup. For example the paper dolls just don’t sit there, with only facial expressions changing: they move around and shift body postures.

An English review for the game is already out there. :wink:

#3

lolWUT? The card battle segments are a pretty damn small fraction of the game. It’s mostly pure story. Lots of fun, with comedy, seriousness, battles… while not on the same level as Bullet Butlers or Ayakashibito, I’m damn sure people will enjoy this. Plus it’s nice to actually get a modern-looking eroge for a change. No offense to fantastic titles like Kazoku Keikaku, but the game was made in 2001 and it shows (alright, the voiced one was made in 2002, but it didn’t update the CGs)

And, besides, it’s not the raw amount of H that sells a title. Kana sold very well, and I can assure you Princess Waltz contains more ero than Kana does =P It’s a variety of factors, including how damn spiffy the thing looks. Princess Waltz had that in spades.

#4

PW is definitively one of the most anticipated release of PP.
Just look at this poll viewtopic.php?f=14&t=4888
You can see that (after Family Project) it will be a hit.

I’m waiting to see Cosplay academy too, but sexromps are behind games with a “story” (Kana, Snow Sakura, YMK, …).

#5

I’m wondering… Have the PP ever mentioned how well their games did? Like which is their best selling title or any vague numbers on sales numbers? I’d find that kind of information VERY interesting. I wonder how often their games’ sales reach the 4-digit mark and if there ever was a title that reached the 5-digit mark. I mean, regular game companies do release those numbers and I think japanese eroge companies do the same, so can we get that tiny lil treat too? Would it help if I begged? :smiley:

#6

Personally, I think Princess Waltz will get better acclaim than Family Project. My belief is that fewer Western erogamers are as aware of PW as they are FP (what they’re getting in the whole package). FP is mushy, but PW is mushy and full of action. There’s a reason why Naruto does better than Oh! My Goddess… and Naruto isn’t even mushy (well… except for Hinata)! :wink:

#7

I don’t think “having the widest appeal” has anything to do with release order. Rather, I think it has more to do with when the title was acquired and how much alteration (translation, programming, etc.) has to be done to the title to have it ready for a western market. I’m not sure what the exact acquisition order of the games is, but looking through my mail history at the JAST newsletter, Professor Cherry, Princess Waltz, and Family Project were all announced in the July 16, 2007 newsletter. Cosplay Academy wasn’t announced until the October 30, 2007 newsletter.

#8

Yep, PP has tried to move towards a “first come, first serve” mentality. It helps to avoid projects languishing for several years the way many of their early projects did.

Put it this way – setting aside that some of the fact have been questioned … Assume your description is correct. If that really meant we should delay Princess Waltz, then by extension we should also delay Family Project. And not just until after Cosplay Academy – they should get delayed until after the Moero series is all done. And then that next game (the one with the futanari, I forget the name).

By which time, Peach Princess will have added new licenses for games to their upcoming portfolio. Oh, well, guess it’s time to delay Princess Waltz – again – to focus on the new new titles. The game eventually comes out 4 years later.

Call me crazy (“you’re crazy”) but this sounds like a way to doom the game before it’s even out – aren’t self-fulfilling prophecies fun? :smiley:

Basically, proposing that this or that game be delayed because it won’t sell, is more or less no different from saying it should be cancelled.

#9

Furthermore, with respect to:

Actually, I think H-gamers ignored Snow Drop because it wasn’t very interesting. However you look at it, it wasn’t very popular in Japan either - one of Will’s weaker titles, I think. Adding more H to Snow Drop wouldn’t have fixed it. Princess Waltz IS a good title, and PULLTOP are good at writing high-quality eroscenes if Haruka ni Aogi is any indication.

#10

hopefully it +won’t be much longer for waltz can’t Cosplay Fetish Academy, Cat Girl Alliance, and Raidy II

#11

No. The fact they did such a high-profile price drop and have continued to hype it up in the e-mail newsletter indicates that sales have been below expectations and they’re desperate to move product.

#12

Those are three games I have no interest in and won’t be buying.

And I am someone who prefers games that are story focused.

Princess Waltz and Family Project appeal to me. The rest on the upcoming release list do not.

#13

Looking forward to Cosplay Academy and Downhill Night 1 (seems to be the most H-oriented of the three), and Raidy 2 (tons more h-scenes in this one). Won’t be getting Cat Girl b/c of the hermaphrodite aspect.

#14

Actually, with the dozens on dozens of emails I’ve gotten from PP, I always thought Peter hypes EVERYTHING in his newsletters: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Just look at Water Closet. I wouldn’t use the newsletter as an indicator. :stuck_out_tongue: Besides… constant mentioning of a title in advertising does not mean its a poor seller. Squaresoft wouldn’t stop raving about FF7 for half a decade. There’s three different releases of it for Lord’s sake. :roll:

And while you have a point that a price drop in something indicates poor sales, it also can be a market strategy to motivate a high selling product to sell even better by lowering the price after a few runs: especially after you’ve earned back the costs of investment. Bookstores do it (Best Seller’s Club), as do console games (Sony Best Hit’s). Since PP doesn’t announce their sales or earnings, I think only PP personnel can answer the question of how well or how poor Yume Miru Kusuri did. But if Water Closet wasn’t a loss… A company that’s also “desperate to move product” usually won’t restock or continue production of a title after the warehouses are empty. Checkout Himeya Shop for example.

I’m going to give PP the benefit of the doubt, and wager that YMK was more of a success than a failure.

#15

Actually i don’t see the game lay heavily on the card battle element. This actually create more adventurous/RPG feeling to the game (which, some of you may have know, is my favorite). It makes playing the game more like an atual game than just reading a book. Still got some good ol’ visual novel interface:
(image taken from Narg’s site)
I just hope the card battles are not too challenging that they become an obstacle for the player to enjoy the story, or else PP would have prepared a strategy guide (lol, other professional game companies always have this lil’ useful guide for us).

Okay, done with the serious talking, now comes some sarcasm: watching stats like Agility/Weapon/Armor in the card battles really really makes a RPG maniac like me have an erection :lol:

#16

There’s two difficulty modes for the card battles. An easy mode and a normal mode.

Easy mode is so easy, the game practically lets you win. In fact, I’m sure thats the case. The final card battle in easy mode is a cakewalk.

Normal mode is a challenge. Sometimes you can only win through sheer luck.

Basically people who just want to see the story, will play Easy mode. People who want a challenge will play normal mode. I played the game through easy mode my first time through, then tried it on normal mode the second time around. Never finished that second time around… but I suck at card games. :stuck_out_tongue:

I also want to point out that Kaneda (the girl in the middle) is perfection. Everyone loves Kaneda. No exceptions. :smiley:

#17

We’ll see about that, i like glassed girl anyway :smiley: And i’m always up for challenge, that is what true gaming means :lol: Maybe the game will unlock a Hard mode if you finish the Normal mode. If that was the case, bring it on, that is what hardcore truly is

Lol, or maybe my definition of “hardcore” just seem to be too different to people?

#18

Naw… there’s only an easy mode and normal mode. No hard mode - even when the game is beaten on normal mode. I asked around on 2chan.

People will still spread the rumor though. :stuck_out_tongue:

#19

I’ll be buying multiple copies of both Princess Waltz and Family Project (Voting with your dollars is better then whining about release orders after all). I wont be purchasing any of the sex romps.(Unless it’s proven that they contain a great deal of humor and have a decent plot.)

#20

Downhill night series doesn’t seem like sex romps to me. Or is it? At least this one isn’t :slight_smile: