NIS America strikes again

[AdrianMorales]

This time it's Mana Khemia: Student Alliance on the PSP. The game received a 2.7 score on ign.com with the reviewer advising us to NOT buy the game.

Here's the link: http://psp.ign.com/articles/962/962430p1.html

[ViolenceJack]

So this is just a port of the ps2 game to the psp?

[Birdpoopman]

Oh dear, NIS America has done it again.

[jeffx]

^ To be fair, most of the blame should be directed to Gust. Unless overnight NISA turned into developers and ported this themselves.

[slayn]

I'm really starting to feel bad for Gust. Their titles aren't the best, and hell, few of them barely even eek up to good, but they're fun diversions and don't really deserve the atrocious localizations NISA gives them.

Unless NISA makes some drastic changes, I can't see this partnership lasting much longer.

To be fair, most of the blame should be directed to Gust. Unless overnight NISA turned into developers and ported this themselves.

In this case, you're probably right. But looking beyond the shoddy port, NISA has done a horrible job localizing Gust games. Need I remind you of the ####storm surrounding Ar Tonelico 2?

[Birdpoopman]

That's probably half true. I heard many things about a couple frame rate issues in the Japanese version, but not this bad. Something tells me that NIS were somehow able to create game breaking bugs when all they did was localize the game. This seems like another case of Ar tonelico II which had plenty of audio bugs and the infamous game freeze that you had during one of the final bosses if you did not defeat in 3 turns, which was also were not present in the original Japanese version.

This message was directed at Jeffx

[Tatsuya]

That's probably half true. I heard many things about a couple frame rate issues in the Japanese version, but not this bad. Something tells me that NIS were somehow able to create game breaking bugs when all they did was localize the game. This seems like another case of Ar tonelico II which had plenty of audio bugs and the infamous game freeze that you had during one of the final bosses if you did not defeat in 3 turns, which was also were not present in the original Japanese version.

This message was directed at Jeffx

To be fair though the ar tonelico 2's bugs can be overcome and to be honest are pretty easy to overcome, but rhapsody DS is another story...

[Vincent Alexander]

Damn. I haven't even had time to finish being pissy over Ar Tonelico 2, and now this. What in the sweet sam Hell is goin' on?

[Yazarc]

I'm really starting to feel bad for Gust. Their titles aren't the best, and hell, few of them barely even eek up to good, but they're fun diversions and don't really deserve the atrocious localizations NISA gives them.

Unless NISA makes some drastic changes, I can't see this partnership lasting much longer.

To be fair, most of the blame should be directed to Gust. Unless overnight NISA turned into developers and ported this themselves.

In this case, you're probably right. But looking beyond the shoddy port, NISA has done a horrible job localizing Gust games. Need I remind you of the ####storm surrounding Ar Tonelico 2?

Gust should share some of the responsibilty for creating these bugs since they're the ones who program the English localizations into the game. Playing one of their games for about 5-10 minutes will display plenty of instances of their shoddy programming abilities.

NISA has a horrid testing/proofreading department, nothing more.

Despite all of what I just said, I do enjoy Gust's RPGs.

[Flußkönig]

^ To be fair, most of the blame should be directed to Gust. Unless overnight NISA turned into developers and ported this themselves.
I don't really agree with you, or to be more precise I don't think your point really matters. NISA is the company releasing this glitchy piece of crap in NA, not Gust. NISA had to know that the game was a mess, but the people in charge made an affirmative choice to release the game anyway.

At this point it doesn't even seem like NISA has minimum standards for these Gust games. It is almost like at some point NISA just figures that the product is as good as it will get, shrugs and then releases the game with little regard for consumers who will spend their hard earned money on this glitchy crap.

If Gust is incapable of doing a competent port then NISA should refuse to bring the game over. Knowingly releasing a game with this many problems seriously borders on the unethical imo.

[Sei]

I'm glad I picked this up for PS2. I wonder if it runs better on newer psp's though, and some of the problems noted in the review specified that Gust was trying to make the old psp work like the newer ones.

Also, I recall hearing NISA and Gust had an agreement over bringing games so it's unclear just how much choice NISA had. From what I read, unlike Ar Tonelico 2, the problems here were in the japanese version, so I'm not sure if blaming NISA first is always the best choice.

Not to say they are blameless, but still.

[Yazarc]

^I wondered myself if this was laziness on NISA's part, or if it's contractual which would make it Gust's fault.

We'll never know because we'll never know the terms of their agreement.

[Flußkönig]

Even if NISA was contractually obligated to release the game there would probably be a clause, or it would just be implied that the finished product would have to meet some kind of industry standard or be completed in a workmanlike manner.

I find it kind of hard to believe that a company would enter into a contract to release a product regardless of the quality of that products finished state. But hey, it is possible, although I really wouldn't feel sorry for NISA if they did agree to an arrangement like that.

[Sanctine]

I'm pretty sure these issues weren't caused by NISA.

I'm actually sorta glad this port sucks. I bought the PS2 version at full price, only to realize a supposedly enhanced PSP port was announced a few days later. Selfish, yeah, but at least I know I bought the better one.

[Yazarc]

I'm actually sorta glad this port sucks. I bought the PS2 version at full price, only to realize a supposedly enhanced PSP port was announced a few days later. Selfish, yeah, but at least I know I bought the better one.

I'm with ya. I hate suffering from buyers remorse :)

[ViolenceJack]

Think I'd rather play the ps2 version. Which I might restart from the beginning since I have no clue from where I left off. lol

[PFV]

I'm pretty sure these issues weren't caused by NISA.

I agree. In fact, isn't the whole "Jump Start" option to install to the memory stick exclusive to the US version? If so, I guess some credit to attempting to find a solution (as half-assed or failed as it may be)?

I ended up trying this out to see if it's quite as bad as it sounds. I used a PSP-2000 (with UMD Caching and Jump Start enabled), and I wouldn't consider this unplayable. Once the game gets time to get caching going, it's passable.

If I had to estimate without those options, it would be pretty rough, but we've definitely seen worse on PSP.

I'm probably also more tolerant of loading times than I probably should be, too.

[dungeon_man]

^ To be fair, most of the blame should be directed to Gust. Unless overnight NISA turned into developers and ported this themselves.

To be fair, NISA should have beta testers looking for bugs and report them back to Gust to be fixed before release.

The fact that niche RPG fans are paying the price for this sloppy work is going to severely damage the company, for niche RPG fans are the only people who buy their stuff. That's three in a row now, I think a popular baseball phrase would be appropriate.

[Vincent Alexander]

I'm gonna make it simple and say both companies need to get their #### together.

[Pixel]

^ To be fair, most of the blame should be directed to Gust. Unless overnight NISA turned into developers and ported this themselves.

To be fair, NISA should have beta testers looking for bugs and report them back to Gust to be fixed before release.

The fact that niche RPG fans are paying the price for this sloppy work is going to severely damage the company, for niche RPG fans are the only people who buy their stuff. That's three in a row now, I think a popular baseball phrase would be appropriate.
If you're not counting Prinny, yeah.

Also:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=945586&topic=48616597

[Vincent Alexander]

I'm going to throw it on my memory stick tonight and see how it goes. I'll report back.

[Pixel]

NISA is hiring testers BTW.
http://nisamerica.com/employment.htm

Game Tester

NIS America, Inc. is seeking Game Testers for our future titles for the PlayStation®2 and PSP® systems. Testers will be responsible for playing a game to find bugs in the game system and to find text errors. Once the bugs are found, Testers need to make a detailed report for each bug.
Qualifications


Must be eligible to work in the U.S.
Candidate must be able to work at our office located in Santa Ana, CA.
Candidate must be available at least 2 days a week (normal testing hours are 10:00am to 6:00pm.)
Strong oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Love to play Strategy/RPG games.

This is a temporary position lasting the duration of the project (approximately 2 months).

[Vincent Alexander]

So, I put this game on my memory stick. The load times are all but gone for anyone that is interested. Of course, this isn't the way it was meant to be played, so it grants neither company forgiveness.

*Later*

As a side note...I've been playing this for a bit now, and it is horrible. If it had the best translation in the world and 0 second loading times I'd still set fire to it and dance naked around it.

[Decept]

As a side note...I've been playing this for a bit now, and it is horrible. If it had the best translation in the world and 0 second loading times I'd still set fire to it and dance naked around it.

Thank you for that. Now everyone in the office is looking at me for laughing aloud.

But really, is it that bad?

[Vincent Alexander]

To me, ya...Way too much crap to wade through. The battle system is okay, but old. The characters are all recycled and God awful. The music is decent. I can't comment on the story as I'm not that far, but there isn't enough at the beginning to make me care. I just put it down, but I may give it a bit more of a try tonight.

[slayn]

But really, is it that bad?

From what I played of the PS2 version, the game is essentially a drawn-out tutorial for other Atelier games.

[Flußkönig]

But really, is it that bad?

From what I played of the PS2 version, the game is essentially a drawn-out tutorial for other Atelier games.
Pretty much, the only real differences are the leveling system and a few minor tweaks to the battle system. Other than those changes MK could easily have been part of the Atelier Iris series.

[AdrianMorales]

A very harsh editorial about NISA from the guys at RPGFan. Check it out if you haven't already. Here's the link: http://rpgfan.com/editorials/2009/03-01.html

[Flußkönig]

I agree with the general sentiment, but aren't there enough NISA bashing threads already? Another one that you started is still on the front page.

[jeffx]

That's from like March 1st. I think it's already been linked to twice, too.

But it's certainly a strong and valid piece.

[Kakizaki]

I agree with the general sentiment, but aren't there enough NISA bashing threads already? Another one that you started is still on the front page.


Agreed and merged.

[Yet Another Tim]

NISA is hiring testers BTW.
http://nisamerica.com/employment.htm

Game Tester

NIS America, Inc. is seeking Game Testers for our future titles for the PlayStation®2 and PSP® systems. Testers will be responsible for playing a game to find bugs in the game system and to find text errors. Once the bugs are found, Testers need to make a detailed report for each bug.
Qualifications


Must be eligible to work in the U.S.
Candidate must be able to work at our office located in Santa Ana, CA.
Candidate must be available at least 2 days a week (normal testing hours are 10:00am to 6:00pm.)
Strong oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Love to play Strategy/RPG games.

This is a temporary position lasting the duration of the project (approximately 2 months).

Now that you mentioned it, I remembered passing by there.

Note to self: 60W, 57S, 5E... I forgot which exit...

[Vincent Alexander]

This thread is going to get huge if we have to merge into it every time NISA ####s up.

[slayn]

This thread is going to get huge if we have to merge into it every time NISA ####s up.

That's better than the alternative, an endless stream of "NISA sucks!" threads.

[Vincent Alexander]

This thread is going to get huge if we have to merge into it every time NISA ####s up.

That's better than the alternative, an endless stream of "NISA sucks!" threads.
Hey, it keeps us united when we have a single "enemy."

[Kari]

The site for Cross Edge (http://nisamerica.com/games/crossedge/) was launched recently, and looks pretty decent (barring the misspelling of Reyvateil as Reyvatail), so there might be some hope for them making a turnaround.

[dragonlife29]

Yeah, I read about this and it's truly a bad score.

I'm amazed I've gone my whole niche-RPG-fan time without ever purchasing a NISA-published game.

[Pixel]

http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/ps3/xedge/xedgeinterview.html

Info about Cross Edge localization, confirmation of Atelier Annie for DS, and a hint of a non-RPG for PSP TBA in April. The latter would seem to be something not previously mentioned in rpgamer's Dec '08 interview. Any guesses?

[jeffx]

Atelier Anie is as good as mine. They haven't screwed up the Atelier series yet, though the third was a bit dry.

[raiku]

i liked the first mana khemia

not gonna get this, might get 2 if it gets no bugs

[Sanctine]

What assurances are being taken with Cross Edge to make sure that the game receives the best localization possible?
Nao: We made sure that we had enough localization time and debugging period. As everybody knows, we wanted to release the game in early spring, but due to quality assurance we decided to move it back to May. We felt that publishing a high-quality game is more important than releasing the game earlier but with a lower quality. We are confident about the localization process for this game, and we hope you can all enjoy it.

What a bunch of bull####. They act like this has always been their stance.

[Yazarc]

^PLEASE don't tell me you're surprised by this......:P

[Flußkönig]

What assurances are being taken with Cross Edge to make sure that the game receives the best localization possible?
Nao: We made sure that we had enough localization time and debugging period. As everybody knows, we wanted to release the game in early spring, but due to quality assurance we decided to move it back to May. We felt that publishing a high-quality game is more important than releasing the game earlier but with a lower quality. We are confident about the localization process for this game, and we hope you can all enjoy it.

What a bunch of bull####. They act like this has always been their stance.
Lol, they delayed a bunch of games and the localization still sucked. I am with Yazarc on this.

[Kari]

For those interested, the trailer for Cross Edge (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDek6SPFuhU) suddenly appeared. Overuse of Yuri Lowenthal much?

[Pixel]

What assurances are being taken with Cross Edge to make sure that the game receives the best localization possible?
Nao: We made sure that we had enough localization time and debugging period. As everybody knows, we wanted to release the game in early spring, but due to quality assurance we decided to move it back to May. We felt that publishing a high-quality game is more important than releasing the game earlier but with a lower quality. We are confident about the localization process for this game, and we hope you can all enjoy it.What a bunch of bull####. They act like this has always been their stance.
It's PR. :yawn: What else would they say, "We're sorry we've purposely skipped bugs in the past to meet company deadlines, but now we realize it's more important to our bottom line to make you guys happy"?

[Vincent Alexander]

"Listen guys, we didn't KNOW you wanted a game without debilitating-####ing glitches. What are we, mind readers?"

In the end though, NISA could release 1000 horrible games, and it won't affect my opinion when they release a great one. When you've got a good game you've got a good game, no matter the company's track record. So, I'll wait and see.

[ThreeLeafIvy]

I didn't know whether to post this here or in the other NISA thread (http://www.atlus.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2838), but the latter would've been a month-old necrobump.

So was it just me or did anyone else think that the latest news announcement (http://www.atlus.com/forum/showthread.php?p=108374) and corresponding Atlus Faithful email was a massive subconscious shot at Ar Tonelico 2's recent mishap(s), coincidence or not?

[jeffx]

It's just you. (http://www.atlus.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3323)

[Pixel]

I didn't know whether to post this here or in the other NISA thread (http://www.atlus.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2838), but the latter would've been a month-old necrobump.

So was it just me or did anyone else think that the latest news announcement (http://www.atlus.com/forum/showthread.php?p=108374) and corresponding Atlus Faithful email was a massive subconscious shot at Ar Tonelico 2's recent mishap(s), coincidence or not?
I think you mean "implicit." AtlusAram is a computer and therefore has no conscience.

[Sanctine]

I didn't know whether to post this here or in the other NISA thread (http://www.atlus.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2838), but the latter would've been a month-old necrobump.

So was it just me or did anyone else think that the latest news announcement (http://www.atlus.com/forum/showthread.php?p=108374) and corresponding Atlus Faithful email was a massive subconscious shot at Ar Tonelico 2's recent mishap(s), coincidence or not?

Atlus has delayed games for this reason before.

So has NISA. And they still come out buggy.