×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
NEWS: Gal*Gun Returns Game Cancels Xbox One Version




Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Pokenatic



Joined: 24 Jan 2012
Posts: 579
Location: Neo Venezia
PostPosted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 2:45 pm Reply with quote
Huh, I initially thought when it said that the Xbox version got canceled, it meant any Xbox platform. That it's still gonna be available for the Series S/X digitally but not the One is kinda weird, especially when the launch One is about as powerful as the Switch.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
CrypticPurpose



Joined: 15 Jan 2020
Posts: 340
PostPosted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 3:13 pm Reply with quote
Pokenatic wrote:
Huh, I initially thought when it said that the Xbox version got canceled, it meant any Xbox platform. That it's still gonna be available for the Series S/X digitally but not the One is kinda weird, especially when the launch One is about as powerful as the Switch.

The launch XBO is actually a good bit more powerful than the Switch - there is no hardware reason for this situation, the only thing I can think of is that the XSX version is so terribly optimized that the XBO can't find it properly... which would be *really* pathetic.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
Posts: 4597
Location: New York
PostPosted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 3:24 pm Reply with quote
So it’s just skipping the last generation?

Sounds like a programming issue rather than anything else.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Pokenatic



Joined: 24 Jan 2012
Posts: 579
Location: Neo Venezia
PostPosted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 6:40 pm Reply with quote
Ah, the Series S/X release is also canceled. That makes more sense than just the Xbox One version.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
Lord Vaultman



Joined: 03 Mar 2017
Posts: 810
PostPosted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 7:04 pm Reply with quote
Pokenatic wrote:
Ah, the Series S/X release is also canceled. That makes more sense than just the Xbox One version.

I wasn't planning to buy it anyways but none of this makes any sense. (And on a side note the switch is about on par with the xbox 360 which is still pretty cool for its size.)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
NegativeZero



Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Posts: 94
Location: Melbourne, Australia
PostPosted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 8:40 pm Reply with quote
Lord Vaultman wrote:
Pokenatic wrote:
Ah, the Series S/X release is also canceled. That makes more sense than just the Xbox One version.

I wasn't planning to buy it anyways but none of this makes any sense. (And on a side note the switch is about on par with the xbox 360 which is still pretty cool for its size.)


Reading between the lines here, I took "consistency" in this case to mean that Microsoft wanted the game censored, and thus making it an inconsistent experience compared to the PC & Switch versions. Nothing to do with any technical limitations in the hardware.

Bit of a shame since this game series debuted on the Xbox to begin with.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address MSN Messenger ICQ Number My Anime My Manga
Villain-chan





PostPosted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 10:47 pm Reply with quote
NegativeZero wrote:
Lord Vaultman wrote:
Pokenatic wrote:
Ah, the Series S/X release is also canceled. That makes more sense than just the Xbox One version.

I wasn't planning to buy it anyways but none of this makes any sense. (And on a side note the switch is about on par with the xbox 360 which is still pretty cool for its size.)


Reading between the lines here, I took "consistency" in this case to mean that Microsoft wanted the game censored, and thus making it an inconsistent experience compared to the PC & Switch versions. Nothing to do with any technical limitations in the hardware.

Bit of a shame since this game series debuted on the Xbox to begin with.
Thats how I read it too, censorship. Its the only thing that makes sense in the sitch here. Might I add, i hate censorship and applaud them for caning the XB system vers of the game. Sucks big time for XB owners though, but blame Microsoft if it really is censorship. Censorship just ruins things and is a bully and dictator telling a grown adult they can't see, hear or do something and hence why censorship should be done away with.
Back to top
Rob19ny



Joined: 13 Jun 2020
Posts: 1976
PostPosted: Sat Dec 26, 2020 7:42 pm Reply with quote
You guys really couldn't figure out that this was about censorship? The game was never announced for Series X. The original game was censored by MS. They told Inti to address the problem and it was censored post release. Same situation here, except Inti is sticking to their stance and not censoring it this time, which is the reason for the cancellation. But if you were even up to date in the world of gaming, you'd know that the Xbox version has more than censorship to deal with. If it passed the censorship test, then it would have to sell good enough to justify future releases. Xbox gamers are the reason why Xbox gets the "Japanese games don't sell" motto. They don't buy the games (sales charts and devs have stated this). The 1st Gal Gun on 360 sold 12k in its 1st week. And that was Xbox at its best in regards to Japanese games. The game would definitely do worst now. The only reason it was coming to Xbox is because of Sony being dumb by censoring JP games. I will never understand anyone who says "sucks for Xbox owners" (I explained why).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
I_Drive_DSM



Joined: 11 Feb 2008
Posts: 217
PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 10:23 am Reply with quote
It's so strange having grown up on gaming in the 80s and 90s how Nintendo is now the console company that releases seemingly everything and Microsoft & Sony are now prude towards Asian titles. Also good to know Microsoft and Sony are fine with extreme over-the-top violence and throwing bills at strippers, but not cool with 'cartoon' characters.

I feel pretty bad for PQube considering the work they put into localizing these relatively niche titles. I eventually imported Omega Labyrinth Z after PQube had to cancel it's western release, but that money didn't go to PQube; it went to D3. I'd like to support the developers that take the time to localize these titles but that's difficult to do when they keep getting pressured, while bigger AAA publishers are allowed to effectively release near anything they want.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
90s-shonen-fan



Joined: 28 Dec 2020
Posts: 19
PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 1:10 pm Reply with quote
I_Drive_DSM wrote:
It's so strange having grown up on gaming in the 80s and 90s how Nintendo is now the console company that releases seemingly everything and Microsoft & Sony are now prude towards Asian titles. Also good to know Microsoft and Sony are fine with extreme over-the-top violence and throwing bills at strippers, but not cool with 'cartoon' characters.

I feel pretty bad for PQube considering the work they put into localizing these relatively niche titles. I eventually imported Omega Labyrinth Z after PQube had to cancel it's western release, but that money didn't go to PQube; it went to D3. I'd like to support the developers that take the time to localize these titles but that's difficult to do when they keep getting pressured, while bigger AAA publishers are allowed to effectively release near anything they want.


Though this will not hit XBox, they can still release it on Steam and especially mobile which will allow them to use/reuse most of the work. XBox never really has been known for SSC, which is one of the reasons why the console generally hasn't been a big seller in Asia. Also, it is not prudity but the idea that such content discriminates against women, making women less likely to work in the gaming industry or buy and play the games. Remember Gamergate, for example? Because of this you rarely even see cheerleaders in sports games, "ring girls" in boxing games, "flag girls" in racing games anymore as it is seen as sexist, not because it was seen as inappropriate. So it isn't an example of prudity censorship, which flat out doesn't exist anymore in the west anyway and even if it did then Microsoft as west coast tech company would be far more inclined to challenge that sort of conservatism than follow along. By contrast, Microsoft is VERY sensitive to any accusations of marketing games that are or doing anything else that is considered to be sexist against women.

As for the "throwing bills versus cartoon characters" you are leaving out one major thing: age. The sexism issue aside where SSC depiciting adult women is fine SSC depicting minors absolutely positively will not be allowed by an American company. Making matters worse is that in the west cartoons are generally seen as being for kids, and the modern moe-influenced anime designs often make even adult women look 12 years old. If the content is relatively tame like Genshin Impact then fine, but XBox isn't going to release titles with cartoony covers that preteen boys will be able to fool their parents into buying for them at GameStop because "honest it is just a video game version of that Yokai Watch show on Disney!" but is filled with panty shots of junior high females (and stuff that is much, much worse).


Last edited by 90s-shonen-fan on Mon Dec 28, 2020 4:14 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Yttrbio



Joined: 09 Jun 2011
Posts: 3670
PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 1:45 pm Reply with quote
Or, more briefly, "Our prudishness is for good reasons, not like that other prudishness."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14886
PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 3:46 pm Reply with quote
I_Drive_DSM wrote:

It's so strange having grown up on gaming in the 80s and 90s how Nintendo is now the console company that releases seemingly everything and Microsoft & Sony are now prude towards Asian titles. Also good to know Microsoft and Sony are fine with extreme over-the-top violence and throwing bills at strippers, but not cool with 'cartoon' characters.


I don't think, in this case, that it's because they're "cartoon" characters, but rather that they look underage

Make 'em look "legal," and I don't think they'd have a problem
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
90s-shonen-fan



Joined: 28 Dec 2020
Posts: 19
PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 4:45 pm Reply with quote
enurtsol wrote:
I_Drive_DSM wrote:

It's so strange having grown up on gaming in the 80s and 90s how Nintendo is now the console company that releases seemingly everything and Microsoft & Sony are now prude towards Asian titles. Also good to know Microsoft and Sony are fine with extreme over-the-top violence and throwing bills at strippers, but not cool with 'cartoon' characters.


I don't think, in this case, that it's because they're "cartoon" characters, but rather that they look underage

Make 'em look "legal," and I don't think they'd have a problem


They don't "look" underage. They are underage. If the fandom site for this video game is any indication, many of them are as young as 15 and have character designs/behavior to make them appear even younger. So yeah, this isn't appropriate for the American video game market at all.

That being said, there is a bit of dissonance here, as American "high school teen" movies have had SSC since the 1970s with the characters not only being teenagers but the actors and actresses playing them often being so also. Would a hypothetical video game adaptation of American Pie be allowed on XBox? I know that plenty of stuff far more raunchy but still R-rated and mainstream exists than American Pie but I can't think of any at the moment but for those too the question still stands.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
90s-shonen-fan



Joined: 28 Dec 2020
Posts: 19
PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2020 4:54 pm Reply with quote
Yttrbio wrote:
Or, more briefly, "Our prudishness is for good reasons, not like that other prudishness."


Eh fine I won't argue. I just want to point out that Microsoft is far more likely to care about some types of prudishness than others.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group