PlayStation 3 snags Eternal Sonata
by Nick Doerr 
{ Apr 24th 2007 at 10:45AM }
The game we've gotten a hold of is Eternal Sonata, one of the anticipated role-playing titles that might have made the 360 appealing to Japanese gamers. This is coming directly from the oft-dependable ESRB ratings website, where the title is listed as both a 360 and PS3 game. Does Microsoft have a timed exclusive, or will it be released simultaneously on both consoles? It probably won't boost PS3 sales that greatly (the 360 is still a cheaper alternative) in Japan or otherwise, but if Sony can grab as many third-party titles as multiplatform as possible, the prospect of so many fantastic games to come in the future may just sway some consumers to buy the PS3... if they're relatively close to the edge on the decision. Now we can all enjoy the very pretty looking Eternal Sonata! Probably.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
shase @ Apr 24th 2007 10:58AM
Although I wouldnt have bought a 360 for this game... but i will certainly get it for the PS3. I think this will be a trend for Japanese non MS "funded" exclusives... Since development costs so much some japanese developers are not going to take the risk of hoping the US sales of the said game will turn a profit since the japanese version will get abyssmal sales on the 360.
This is also VERY TRUE IMO on smaller companies like Atlus where the strong following is in Japan and if they turn their backs and release on the 360 the US sales will most definitely NOT help them out on the sales department. I forsee smaller companies that made PS2 games will continue to do so on the PS3 (maybe not right away) because they are just not in a finiancial situation to make a flop in japan on the 360 and gambling on a blockbuster sale in US( and honestly, if the PS2 sales of the games didnt do well there's no way the 360s will do well).
Colin @ Apr 24th 2007 11:09AM
I am really excited about this! Eternal Sonata and Mass Effect are the two 360 games I was jealous about (coming out this year). Now, Mass Effect is published by MGS so its not gonna go multi-platform.
But Eternal Sonata going bi-console is the best news I've heard this week!
Oh, and Kane and Lynch and Crossfire were just announced by Eidos as coming to the PS3 too. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=162574
Guess Eidos was lying when they said they weren't gonna release any ps3 games this year. :D
-Colin
Wonderflex @ Apr 24th 2007 11:45AM
This is so sweet. Seeing how I'm anti-Microsoft (not the 360 on it's own, but it is part of MS) I wouldn't be caught dead with 360, and thus so I was rather sad to see a really good RPG wasted on the 360 as a telethon-style, "we care about you," nod to Japan.
This is a definite step in the right direction. Get some games that the Japanese will be drawn too and hopefully other developers will follow suite.
Dolla Dolla @ Apr 24th 2007 12:08PM
A plus in the Sony side of things. A question to be posed is, why hasn't anyone said anything about this? Eternal Sonata, aka Trusty Bell, is about to drop this summer in Japan, less than two months from now, and we're just now hearing about it for the PS3? Fishy.
The minus side ... as discussed by a dev on LAIR, if they are porting it from the 360, it won't be taking advantage of the cell as much as it could.
SuicideNinja @ Apr 24th 2007 12:36PM
"This is so sweet. Seeing how I'm anti-Microsoft (not the 360 on it's own, but it is part of MS) I wouldn't be caught dead with 360"
That's funny, I feel the same with about Sony minus the "caught dead with" part.
Anyway, this is a good thing. It was too surprising that there were several RPG exclusives for the 360. This way, whether you hate the 360 or hate the PS3, or have a preference, you can still play the game. Aside from 1st party games, exclusives should go away.
Wonderflex @ Apr 24th 2007 1:03PM
@ SuicideNinja - "Aside from 1st party games, exclusives should go away."
Not true at all. Exclusives, not timed exclusives, rather true ones, should be more frequent. It allows for a programer to focus all of their time and effort on making a game that is optimized for the system it's on, rather than having time wasted ensuring that they game doesn't look too much different on either platform.
kingofwale @ Apr 24th 2007 1:05PM
When is this coming out? Q2 of next year as Xbox time exclusive?
Well, we can ruin it, by bringing FFXIII at the same time. so, xbox fans can have that extra time, while most PS3 owners wait for time exclusive to pass while playing FFXIII. ;)
although the question will be, once you finish FFXIII, do you still want to play this game.
Noshino @ Apr 25th 2007 10:04AM
"6. no force feedback. no achievements. inferior graphics (see "FEAR" review and every other multi-platform games). just wait for FF 13.
and a leak from the ESRB? please, stop, your killing me. lol"
Achievements? oh yah, it does feel like you have ACHIEVED something, you ll get your star, don't worry...
stop, your killing me. lol :)
kingofwale @ Apr 24th 2007 1:25PM
>Worldwide, the Xbox 360 is still the dominant force in North America, Europe, and almost all of Asia.
'dominant'?? Xbox sold 40% more than PS3 in Microsoft country while PS3 sold 4 times more in Sony native country.
as for Europe, it has always been Sony dominance and I don't see how it will be different this time. the best Microsoft hope for is a time
and the rest of Asian is very pro-Sony, China is almost Sony/Wii exclusive and that's one of the fastest growing market in gaming. Microsoft will be lucky to get the 5:1 ratio they got in Japan last week in the rest of Asia
I didn't count Wii into this next gen comparison,
Geoff Gibson @ Apr 24th 2007 1:26PM
@ Wonderflex
You are thinking in terms of the developer. Which you are correct. It is much better for them to be able to focus on one format as opposed to multiformats. However in terms of us consumers, multiplatform is MUCH better. It provides much needed competition in the video game world and thus drive down prices. If every exclusive went to the PS3 and the other systems got nothing but first party titles do you think that Sony would ever drop the PS3s price? No way, why should they? Multiplatform provides competition and competition drives down prices, its a pure and simple fact in this capitalist society of ours.
As for the Eternal Sonata game going multi, thats GREAT news! If its true, Joystiq had a warning on there blog and I'd suggest adding it to this one as well just in case. The ESRB has been known to be wrong before and make mistakes so lets not all get our hopes up just to be crushed by an impending press release from Namco...
TheSh0wstopper @ Apr 24th 2007 1:53PM
@ suicideninja, Wonderflex, and Geoff,
Exclusives are the way to go. I would much rather a developer OPTIMIZE a game for a specific system than round down to the lowest common denominator while making a multi platform game. Take for instance Lair. It takes advantage of PS3's strengths by including 7.1 surround sound and 1080p through HDMI. Had it been a multiplatform game it would only be 5.1 and prolly 720p max res. I have both systems (I would assume MOST OR ALL HARDCORE GAMERS do as well) so I HATE it when a game does not reach its full potential due to multiplatforming. Multiplatforms are a Jack of all trades but master of none. Multiplatform and the wii are killing the game industry. I say Multiplatform because games are not Optimized, as for the Wii lets imagine for a minute The Wii wins this race... What do you think that will do for gaming. First off it will set gaming back a few years in terms of image. Games used to be viewed as a kids toy while microsoft and sony has squashed that image and showed that it appeals to adults as well. Also, what would our next next gen consoles be like? Everyone would abandon the High tech attributes in favor of old gen graphics to make the price cheaper (since cheaper means more people will buy it) and they would have controllers that make you jump around the room like a monkey when you play. NO THANKS!!!
DOWN WITH MULTIPLATFORM!!! DOWN WITH THE WII!!!
And as for the PS3's price, I like it expensive. That way not everyone can have one and I feel special. Would a Ferrari be special if it was only 18k and everyone had one?
TheSh0wstopper
alienclay @ Apr 24th 2007 1:55PM
yeah, but isn't it about the developer? they do it to make money right. not please the consumer to their hearts content.
the idea is that multiplatform casts a bigger net to make more money, but the top grossing franchises of all time have for the most part (aside from madden) been console/brand exclusives. i think that multiplat for works better for some games/companys than it would for others. and i don't think multi works well for RPGs. but in the land of the rising sun where they reign supreme and where blue dragon wasn't enough to bring 360 sales even close to the ps3it makes more sense to go to the ps3.
(and under that logic it makes more sense to go wii. )
justincoool @ Apr 24th 2007 2:26PM
PS3.....here I come! Namco Bandai knows how to use the cell!..graphics will be fine....I prefer the blu-ray disc....nice box art/packaging of the PS3 (u know it will look better!)
PS3 RULES @ Apr 24th 2007 2:50PM
The first-ever class on the Playstation 3's Cell Broaband Engine has just wrapped up over at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
When these MIT dudes graduate and start making games the PS3 will be number one again.
http://kotaku.com/gaming/education/mits-ps3-class-254794.php
Intel and AMD are developing multicore 8 processors like the Cell in the PS3. Looks like Sony was ahead of the crowd again further demonstrating why they will win the console war.
shase @ Apr 24th 2007 3:02PM
The fact that companies are using cell doesnt neccessarily means sony will win the war.... it just means sony will get revenue from users of cell...
Geoff Gibson @ Apr 24th 2007 3:08PM
@ sh0wstopper
If anything you should be thanking Nintendo. Playstation and Microsoft can't even dare to dream about the kind of market penetration Nintendo has achieved. It is nothing short of remarkable. When I went to the mall and saw a bunch of 15-16 year old girls all playing with their own DS I was flabbergasted. Shocked! These weren't "gamer" girls either, they were typical average teenage girls. The Wii is having the same kind of penetration. It is openning up the market not closing it, if you can't see that you must be blind.
Also you have to realize that the 360, PS3, and Wii are all toys. Nothing more. When I sit down and play one of my three systems I don't try and convince myself I am in a "hero simulator" or "alternate reality station", I know I am sitting down with a toy that was made for pure entertainment. Nintendo has brought these toys to a different level, one where motion is key not graphics. Whether or not you enjoy it.
Finally, why in the WORLD do you want the PS3 to stay expensive? You can't compare the PS3 to a Ferrari...theya re entirely different. When was the last time a girl saw your PS3 and jumped on you? Did you boss notice when you brought that PS3 into work? Did that cop give you a speeding ticket because your PS3 is powerful? Forgive me but comparing the two is idiocy, and the high price isn't helping Sony out. Sony doesn't need to be "special". They need mass market appeal and penetration which is something they are not getting at the moment.
Wake up.
Jack of No Trades @ Apr 24th 2007 3:28PM
Geoff Gibson
Do you know what type of penetration you are recieving from Nintendo?
I will give you a hint. Its the opposite of front.
TheSh0wstopper @ Apr 24th 2007 3:36PM
@Geoff
HAHAHAHAHA... you killed me with that PS3 Ferrari thing, funny stuff.
About Nintendo.. Yes what they are doing is awesome. What I meant was with their succes I hope their practices dont rub off on Sony and Microsoft. I am not a teenage girl, I am not a stay at home mother, I am not elderly and I am not gay. I am a 24 year old man. I like my consoles powerful, I like my movies in HD and I like my controllers traditional. When I come home from work I wanna blow sh1t up in 1080p glory, not swing around a stick attempting to "catch em all" in 480i. So excuse me when I say that i could care less what 16 year old girls in the mall do, but I am more concerned about MY EXPERIENCE. It is good that nintendo took the route that they did I just hope that their success does not influence Sony and Microft to change over.
And yes they are "toys" but not just kiddie toys anymore and that is what I was hinting at.
TheSh0wstopper
Wonderflex @ Apr 24th 2007 3:35PM
@ sh0wstopper
I completely agree...multi-platform brings games down, rather than pushes them up. Sure, from a general consumer standpoint it seems better because of the fact that it spurs competition and allows for more people to play the game, but then again, if there were more first party titles optomized for the PS3 it should inturn bolster system sales. With more systems on the market more people are able to play.
And it isn't always competition that drives down prices, it helps, but it's not the ONLY factor, and sometimes not even a factor at all. Take the Nintendo DS for example. Do they really have any competition? (yes, if count a Yugo as competition for a SR-71) Despite the lack of any real challenge they dropped the price of the origional DS when nintendogs came out, and their games are ALWAYS droppping in price.
Actually it's often times sales versus income levels of prospective consumers. First you let early adopters take in the system at a higher. This leads to lower sales, but is needed to help cover more of the cost of production. As time goes on and there is a large enough install base, and with improvments in the prodcution process, they can start to slide the cost down. This allows for consumers with lower disposable income to purchase the system. The extra systems then help them to generate more money.
Jack of No Trades @ Apr 24th 2007 3:35PM
Also Geoff
Do you really believe all that crap you are typing?
Nintendo is cashing in on people that don't know how graphics should look like this gen. The people that are buying your "god-like" system never really owned
a system before. It is easy to cash in on ignorance.
Wonderflex @ Apr 24th 2007 3:38PM
The second half was @ Geoff Gibson
GL @ Apr 24th 2007 10:54PM
Multiplats suck!
Geoff Gibson @ Apr 25th 2007 5:02PM
@ sh0wstopper
You set up the ferrari joke, I just knocked it out of the ballpark. You're PS3 isn't a ferrari, neither is mine.
As for Nintendo, they are beyond needing me, you, or probably any of the people who read these gaming blogs. We no longer say if they are going to succeed or fail. If every hardcore gamer decided to boycott the DS and Wii they would still be able to sustain themselves off the non-gamer crowd. Playstation and the 360 cannot. Its the power of mass appeal. As for Sony and Microsoft heading in their direction, I'd say Sony yes but not Microsoft. Microsoft has shown time and again it only cares for us, Sony however is starting to show that it also wants a piece of the casual gaming market. I'd expect the PS4 to be heavily into motion technology.