Tuesday, February 28, 2012
~ ☆ Group Discussion ☆ ~
Here is a question for all of you, the followers of Operation Rainfall. It has been a long time coming, and we have had quite a lot of success on our journey since the very beginning. It all started on the IGN message boards with original poster 'themightyme' starting something that was lying dormant within us all this time, and with the original push on Amazon with their Monado listing.
We are at a bit of a turning point, and we just wanted to hear what everyone feels about Operation Rainfall and where it is going.
So, to everyone: What do you think about Operation Rainfall's direction? Where do you see it headed? Do you want to see it grow, or should we enjoy our success and games, and move on?
It is really up to the community to figure this out. There are a few people among the staff who have contributed incredible amounts of time and energy for this project. What they need is more community support. Are there more willing and able people to help carry the Operation Rainfall torch into the future?
Our work is definitely not over. If we want to see Pandora's Tower, then we have to work together like never before. This discussion is more about the direction that everyone feels Operation Rainfall needs to go during and beyond that point.
This is mainly a discussion to get an understanding about everyone. What they want to see, and more importantly, what everyone can contribute to help carry this 'organization' further. No longer can Operation Rainfall be carried on the backs of a few; it must be held up as a group, as an organization, and as a cohesive body of members who are willing to support it.
This is a chance for everyone in the community to voice their opinion. This is for everyone to open their mind about what they want to see with this movement. Let out your opinions and views. Don't worry if your idea is good, bad, too practical or too ambitious.
Thanks for participating in this movement. Now, it is time to ponder a little bit about what we all can do. Please comment.
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Certainly there are other JRPGs worthy of attention. I know I will be keeping a close eye on what you decide to do in the future. Cheers, and keep up the good work!
ReplyDeletesomeone has to keep the big N in check, and remind them that they have fans in the Americas that will buy and enjoy good game. After all, games that Nintendo develope/published for both the Americas and Japan on the Wii sold on average 3.9 times better in the Americas than in Japan. Someone needs to point that out, and who better than OpRainfall? You guys have the power and fanbase to do so better than anyone else.
ReplyDeleteAs for games, see this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-_yZvmzLOQ
Fatal Frame 4, Another Code: R, etc. And I know this is relatively new info, but perhaps an American website for that Capcom/Sega/Namco-Bandai 3ds game - i know that there's a japanese teaser site for it, but any news on that site will have to be translated first. It's not a huge deal, but it's a pain to have to wait for a translation, and considering how big it is to have those 3 working together, i want to know what it is ASAP.
Operation Rainfall has had as much support as it has had and has been as successful as it has because there its goal. Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story had received a massive amount of love and interest before their release, and even moreso when importers had their influence. I don't think any other Nintendo game other than Mother 3 has had that sort of support - and if they did, they came out here.
ReplyDeletePandora's Tower is a weak link from what I can tell. There is comparatively little support to it. It seems that if it comes over, it comes over due to Operation Rainfall association and the (assumed for this train of thought) success of Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story in America. If it does not, it is because those two games have failed. It is painfully clear from your own front page poll.
There are many games that I and other people want to see Nintendo release in America. I want Soma Bringer and Zangeki no Regeiv. Others want Mother 3, Disaster, and Captain Rainbow. I'm certain that some of them will generate more interest than Pandora's Tower. But with the question in the air, no English releases for several of these, and the Wii U coming ever closer... what's the point?
I think that the final mission of Operation Rainfall should be to eliminate the need for Operation Rainfall. Nintendo has been a popular company largely due to its habit of going against the grain and doing what no one expected them to do. No one should ask them to change that. But, so often, they provide something brilliant that misses its chance. Just look at Xenoblade in Japan. It was one of the highest titles on Famitsu readers' list of top Nintendo games, yet it was not an extremely successful game. These things deserve a second chance.
For that reason, I think Operation Rainfall should not focus on the release of specific games. Rather, it should try to lend its support to many of these games through pushing for new releases and features on the 3DS Virtual Console and eShop.
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DeleteHere's my suggested goals.
1) Increased release of "cult" games. This seems like something that would appeal to Operation Rainfall members almost by definition. I think many of us would be happy if Nintendo were just to buy Xseed and have them translating and publishing smaller releases on Nintendo's behalf. But that's a heavy thing to ask.
Looking through all the titles that Nintendo has published, it should be easy to find a list of great games that aren't given the attention they deserve. These could be forgotten Nintendo games like Battle Clash, or third-party games they've published like Crystalis. These games could be pushed to Nintendo as a suggestion of the games that players want to see releases of on the Virtual Console.
It would be unreasonable to expect a release of all of them: even three might be a worthwhile goal. The point is to get Nintendo to release these games again and assess if there's still a lack of interest.
It's been said that the development of Sin & Punishment: Star Successor was based largely on the popularity of the game's release on Virtual Console. Many fans would be incredibly pleased to find long-forgotten Nintendo games finally getting a new sequel.
2) Integration of eShop regions. Nintendo's digital releases have also sometimes left American gamers feeling slighted, and that's something that's something that should also be important to Operation Rainfall.
If Nintendo was able to track how many sales were made in which region, is there much else to lose from offering the Japanese eShop to the American consumer? Looking back at the Sin & Punishment situation, what if Satoru Iwata found that a noticable percentage of the downloads of Nazo no Murasame Jo were made with American 3DS'?
Not only are fans given greater access to games, but Nintendo is given the chance to see what titles have potential in which regions. Beautiful!
3) Improved communication with Nintendo, particularly Nintendo of America. There are many passionate Nintendo fans, it seems strange that Nintendo wouldn't be able to hear them in the first place. Obviously the Club Nintendo surveys aren't doing enough.
There are many ways that this can be achieved, so what we have to look at are the ones that are most reasonable. What's most reasonable is probably to better integrate the ways that Nintendo currently allows consumers to communicate with them. Namely, the eShop, Club Nintendo and Nintendo Power magazine.
The 3DS has no convenient way of accessing Club Nintendo. You can use the browser, but there's no way to fill out the survey immediately after purchase. There's no way to to connect your eShop wishlist with your "Intend to buy" games. This is inconvenient, so users are more likely to ignore Club Nintendo and deny Nintendo the information they need to improve their business.
Beyond that, filling out surveys is kind of slow. If the player was, say, given the option of answering two to four yes/no questions for a small amount of Nintendo Coins immediately after purchasing an item on the 3DS, they may be more inclined to participate.
Nintendo Power runs several polls, responds to letters, even shows readers' fan art. Wouldn't Nintendo benefit from integrating that into their eShop? Again, it increases the amount of reader input and information that Nintendo receives. Not only that, but it creates a friendlier shopping environment than Nintendo Week videos can provide.
Operation Rainfall has done great things. This organization has been instrumental not just in getting Nintendo to bring two fantastic RPGs to North American shores, but it has also increased awareness of these great games for an audience that might have otherwise never known what they were missing.
ReplyDeleteThe previous commenter made some great suggestions. As the world moves toward a truly global economy it seems a damn shame to have systems and video players be region-locked. Certainly, some items will perform better in one area than another, but that is no reason to exclude one region or another. A game can't sell, be it well or poorly, in a region in which it is locked out of.
I had Japanese DS and PSP games when those systems weren't region-locked. I used to own a PAL game for my PS3. I own a region-free DVD player that works reasonably well, and I have a small library of PAL movies to go with it. Region-locking is keeping me from enjoying content that I really want--things like Pandora's Tower, Another Code R, Disaster, and so on. Just because a product only appeals to a niche audience in a certain reason does not mean that that niche should be ignored! If systems weren't region-locked, people who enjoy those games could purchase imports from other regions, such as I did on my Nintendo DS. Unfortunately, there's no way to do that for the 3DS without hacking the system.
That brings me back to the future of Operation Rainfall. Asking Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft to stop region-locking their consoles and handhelds might be a bit too much to ask, even though we are moving toward a truly global economy. There is hope for downloadable games, however. Downloadable games present a perfect solution for video game companies to test a market with minimal cost. A digital copy of a game requires no manufacturing, no packaging, no shipping, and does not take up valuable space in a retail store on a shelf. For those of you who are environmentally-conscious, an electronic product has a very small carbon footprint when compared to its physical counterpart.
How could this be used to bring a larger variety of games to different regions? Simple. Nintendo has announced its Nintendo Network and has said that the framework is in place to digitally distribute retail games via its online store. Let's use the Operation Rainfall games as an example. Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story have both been given North American release dates. Pandora's Tower is the least successful of the three games, but Nintendo could potentially profit from it in North America. It is already localized for Europe, which means it is available in a variety of languages, including English. The heavy lifting has already been done. If Nintendo were to offer this game as a download-only in North America, either through the Wii Shop Channel or the upcoming Nintendo Network, it could reach the niche audience in North America that desperately wants this game without having to worry about manufacturing, shipping, and other overhead costs.
Especially with the upcoming Wii U launch, this is a great method Nintendo could use to round out the roster of launch titles (which hopefully will be better than the 3DS's and the Vita's). Offer a good variety of retail releases at launch in various brick-and-mortar retailers, but also supplement that offering with some download-only titles, such as Pandora's Tower or other similar "niche" or "cult" titles. So long as Nintendo has stepped up its quality control (please, no more Ninjabread Man), this strategy could maximize the company's profits on the Wii, Wii U, DSi, and 3DS moving forward.
Ok, that's my two cents, I'm going to stop rambling now.
While I don't have any innovative ideas on how Oprainfall could move forward, I can assure you I will support whatever direction this group takes, even if I lose interest in game we choose to ask for or whatever other goals we may set. I am very proud and astonished with this group and what we have accomplished, and I don't want to see it fail in any way.
ReplyDeleteWhile I knew some think Pandora's Tower may not be worth it, there is still a group of people who would disagree. I also need to add that while originally I had not thought much about PT, after seeing all of the information and the fans who wanted to get that game most, I can easily say that I would buy this game if it gets a NoA release.
It's the dedication of Oprainfall members and gamers all around that make the impossible possible, and I think this group can keep going and achieving whatever it wants to, since it already has a good base of support. Keep on fighting, friends!
The three games you've been campaigning for already had PAL release dates for them, so your campaign was for NA. There will be games in the future that will not get PAL releases either, will Operation Rainfall cover them as well in it's campaign or are it's efforts concentrated directly at NA. I do remember you having a small campaign to get London life to EU.
ReplyDeleteAlso people asking about Disaster: Day of Crisis and Another Code R: lost memories. Disaster was not a very good game and missing it was probably for the better, Another Code R was decent but nothing special.
I think operation rainfall is something that needs to stick around. Whether it stays pretty much as is as a collaborative group of people that push for awesome games, or turns into a third party publishing company that takes it on themselves to bring over an import games. This organization is something that cant just die out after we get the three games it started on. This needs to be a continuous thing for us fans of good rpgs to love and support the us localization of foreign games with. The fact of the matter is, there will always be more games to push for, even od they are non existent. Maybe that's the direction OR should go next. Push developers to make the games we want, like push square for the ff6 & 7 remakes that we all want, or push capcom to bring back megaman legends 3 (or megaman in general).
ReplyDeleteI think operation rainfall is something that needs to stick around. Whether it stays pretty much as is as a collaborative group of people that push for awesome games, or turns into a third party publishing company that takes it on themselves to bring over an import games. This organization is something that cant just die out after we get the three games it started on. This needs to be a continuous thing for us fans of good rpgs to love and support the us localization of foreign games with. The fact of the matter is, there will always be more games to push for, even od they are non existent. Maybe that's the direction OR should go next. Push developers to make the games we want, like push square for the ff6 & 7 remakes that we all want, or push capcom to bring back megaman legends 3 (or megaman in general).
ReplyDeleteI know this has been suggested before, but can you petition for the Mother Series in the Americas? We have earthbound, and granted, i have played Mother 3 with the fan translation (i did, however, have to agree to buy mother 3 if they made it for the US when i obtained the fan translation. it wasn't official, but i'll stick to my word anyway.) but i still havent played mother, and there's nothing like owning a liscensed copy of all 3 games. perhaps it'd be a 3DS version that combines 2d and 3d elements like paper mario 3d or 3d land. or even if it was virtual console style, i'd still buy it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know Operation Moonfall is a spin-off of you, and they lack creativity for blatantly copying the name, but is there any way you could lend them your support? They are campaigning for a 3DS rerelease of Majora's Mask, in case you didn't know.
Operation Rainfall shouldn't ask for new games or ports. It isn't reasonable to expect a response to that.
DeleteAlso, we know that EarthBound won't be released due to the conflicts between Nintendo of America's legal team and Nintendo Corporation Limited's desire to not change the game. EarthBound Zero's also kind of a bad call, too, since it's such an old-fashioned grindfest game that there won't really be a big audience for it.
What would be more realistic would be to ask for an eShop release of Mother 3. A secondary agenda of pressing Nintendo Corporation Limited (Nintendo of Japan) to allow Nintendo of America to make changes to EarthBound would be a good idea too. Then maybe Nintendo can insert the English translations into Mother 1+2 and release that on the eShop as well.
You guys are amazing. Take this time to sit back and reflect. Do you know the magnitude of what you guys accomplished? You guys actually got the big monolithic "stuck in their ways" company Nintendo follow the whims of fanboys. That never happens, just ask earthbound fans.
ReplyDeleteWhat you should do first is tell your story. Everyone is dying to know how you did this. I want to see articles or podcast dedicated to operation rainfall.
Right now operation rainfall is unknown entity that pulled off the upset. It should be a group that is real and that other Nintendo Fansites turn to.
As for the next move? I think Operation Rainfall should campaign for indie games that cater to your taste. Think Double Fine Kick Starter project
Perhaps a blog post containing a list of various Wii/DS/3DS games never released in America with links to trailers of them would be helpful.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see Fatal Frame 4, the Wii remake of Fatal Frame 2, The Tingle series for DS, Nanashi no Gamu, and a handful of other games released here in America.
Thanks everybody for your suggestions so far!
ReplyDeleteI lobe the direction that Operation Rainfall is heading in! I have high hopes for seeing Pandora's Tower on the shelf at Gamestop along with the other two not too far down the road.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would like to see Operation Rainfall take on other games as well, and help them be published in North America. Just because these 3 are close to being done doesn't mean we have to stop now.
I support Operation Rainfall wholeheaartedly, and I will contribute in every way I can down the road.
*love, OMG
DeleteI hesitate to suggest that you advocate for more games to be localized and released (you've so much already); but even after taking a cursory look at Rodea the Sky Soldier and Earth Seeker, one cannot help but say that they appear to deserve just as much attention and effort to be brought to the US & Canada as "the big three".
ReplyDelete