Topic: Ubisoft Announces Raving Rabbids 4

[Stratos]

Missing games of note:

A sequel to the new Prince series, which is a real shame, since the Epilogue ended on a massive cliffhanger;

I thought that was resolved in a DLC pack which had the final ending? Or am I understanding that incorrectly?n All I heard was that the real PoP ending had to be bought as DLC.

I am deeply saddened that no one bought the excellent Rabbids Go Home, a title that for once didn't rely on the tired mini-game collection train of thought, forcing Ubi to likely make Rabbids 4 yet another mini-game collection.

Didn't NPD give it a decent 1st months sales? I thought it got around 70k? Reminds me that I need to get it the next time I buy some games.

[Deguello]

I am deeply saddened that no one bought the excellent Rabbids Go Home, a title that for once didn't rely on the tired mini-game collection train of thought, forcing Ubi to likely make Rabbids 4 yet another mini-game collection.

They aren't "forced" to do anything.  Nobody pointed a gun at their heads and told them to make three party games and then a real one.

[broodwars]

Missing games of note:

A sequel to the new Prince series, which is a real shame, since the Epilogue ended on a massive cliffhanger;

I thought that was resolved in a DLC pack which had the final ending? Or am I understanding that incorrectly?n All I heard was that the real PoP ending had to be bought as DLC.

The "Epilogue" DLC just adds an extra level that takes place after the main ending, which mostly just better sets up the supposed sequel.  Unfortunately, I highly doubt now that we'll ever see that sequel since Ubisoft is made up of cowards who would rather retool the Assassin's Creed series until it actually works and rush back to the Sands of Time trilogy than make a sequel which fixes the issues of their new Prince of Persia series.

[SixthAngel]

Another Rabbids game?  Grind that franchise into the ground a little more, I can still see the ears poking out of the ground.

I thought Go Home was just another mini game fest and completely ignored it until someone here started talking about it.  They really need to do something to actually show its a different kind of game.

[Stratos]

I thought Go Home was just another mini game fest and completely ignored it until someone here started talking about it.  They really need to do something to actually show its a different kind of game.

No Marketing to tell consumers its a different product = Fail

[NWR_DrewMG]

I highly doubt now that we'll ever see that sequel since Ubisoft is made up of cowards who would rather retool the Assassin's Creed series until it actually works and rush back to the Sands of Time trilogy than make a sequel which fixes the issues of their new Prince of Persia series.

To be fair, if Ubisoft were "made up of cowards" they never would have released the 2008 PoP in the first place.  That game was pretty daring.  Removing penalty of dying, having an open world, and the gorgeous, but not mainstream, art style... there was nothing cowardly about that release.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Still cowards.  You CANNOT EMPHASIS ON CANNOT ignore the "revenue safety net" of the all the Petz/Imagine/Vets/derivative shovelware titles they've release this cycle.  My colleagues are researching this, and they number over 100 (all territories, DS + Wii software only) and might be approaching 200 titles already.  And somehow, the only "serious" titles they've managed to release on Wii in 2009 is a localization (Tenchu 4), and movie tie-in (Avatar), and a spinoff of a SPINOFF (Rabbids non-non-game).  Cowards.

And since they've admitted their safety net ("recent Wii efforts") is collapsing, I'm sure their "daring" projects on platforms elsewhere will start feeling an additional squeeze, maybe, become "less daring" as a backup plan?

How 'bout they jump off a cliff.

[ejamer]

It's funny to read ignorant comments from spiteful gamers.
 
Ubisoft offered some very solid games for Wii over the past year.  Dawn of Discovery was an incredible game, but nobody bought it because of lack of effective advertising and cover art that failed to distinguish it from the heaps of shovelware.  Rabbids Go Home was awesome, but I'm sure that enough Rabbids games have been sold that convincing consumers to pick it instead of something more recognizable (ie: Mario) was doomed from the start.  TMNT Smash Up was decent, but didn't take full advantage of the license and was quickly punished by review scores and gamer sales.  Shuan White was a solid title, just like Press Your Luck, Broken Sword, and Tenchu - but of which sold well.
 
No serious games?  Try again.  Some were remakes or sequels or ports... but they were all worth playing.
 
 
That said, I feel that withdrawing support and focusing on annual sequels of popular franchises and low cost development options is a bad approach for Ubisoft to take.  There should be better ways to learn from mistakes than "playing it safe" and offering more of the same junk.  But what do I know?

[KDR_11k]

Dawn of Discovery sold fairly well in Germany AFAIK and that was its primary market (Anno games are always aimed at Germany first, hence the budget price in the US while it was full price over here).

The first Shaun White did fairly well too, the second failed. That one analysis suggests Wii owners don't like sequels.

[BlackNMild2k1]

All Ubisoft needs to announce is BG&E2 for Wii and make sure RS2 is a good game and then everything will be fine for them.

[Deguello]

but nobody bought it because of lack of effective advertising and cover art that failed to distinguish it from the heaps of shovelware.

Take a guess who's responsible for most of that shovelware.  While it is true that real gamers aren't supposed to care about boxarts and advertising and whatever, in general the market does.  UBISoft made for themselves a reputation of bad shovelware, and made no effort to change that despite publishing decent games.

[BlackNMild2k1]

That's not true. They had a Press Release stating that they were gonna have "Nintendo-like quality" for their future releases.



.....oh you said effort.

[Deguello]

I remember that Press Release.  Wasn't it from 2007 or something?  Right before they opened the floodgates of crap?

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

"No serious games?  Try again.  Some were remakes or sequels or ports... but they were all worth playing."

If the games were free or really cheap, it'd be easier to play all these nice things.  But worth BUYING?  not... yet...?  (really, I want Shaun White 2, but releasing a year apart is way too soon for a casual gamer with little time like myself)

There's quite a gap to jump to go from "worth playing" to "worth buying (within the company's acceptable financial reporting window)," and it's still Ubi's responsibility to communicate the "worth" to potential consumers for the decent games they did provide.  I have a couple of these GREAT games, but how can we expect everyone else to know or take interest?  Those games were interesting before I bought them, and great after I finally played them; but I'm a "gambler."  Ubi's gotta deliver in such a way that customers aren't gambling, but Great Scott, they've certainly developed a reputation that sabotages the decent things they do manage to make.