I couldn’t help but notice that, in the recent string of announcements and mild controversies, our favorite publisher has been wearing a different face than the one we grew accustomed to. Let’s see:
Radiant Historia port: Newer, arguably more generic portrait art style–but don’t worry, the older art is still available if you shell out the cash for the limited edition.
Deep Strange Journey: New, indisputably cheap-looking portrait style–but don’t worry, the old style could potentially be available in a limited edition or as DLC, based on RH’s precedent. The genericization of Kaneko’s distinct art style continues.
Also, the additional content looks…not promising. SJ could use some gameplay tweaks, but it looks like it’s not even getting those. All signs point to lazy. And this is meant to be one half of a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the series? I could go on and on about this one, of course…
Persona 5: The out-of-touch policy of prohibiting game sharing. Is Atlus Japan completely unaware of how people play and are social about games nowadays? Not that it’s even going to completely prevent streaming and sharing, as I’m sure by the time of this posting there will be a complete English P5 playthrough on Youtube or Twitch.
Plus, there’s the DLC fleecing, over $100 worth of mostly costume and theme DLC in the first month of the game’s release. I’m all for DLC that expands and adds to games (like SMTIV’s story DLC), but this is all frivolous stuff (like SMTIV’s costume and grinding DLC). I’m sure people will enjoy some of what’s offered, but this particular (and all-too-common) DLC strategy makes me raise an eyebrow.
At least it’s not dropping all at once…but is that really a good thing? What if you want a costume that isn’t releasing until the end of the month? P5′s a long game, but what if you can’t wait to finish it and don’t get the most out of your extra purchase? (That’d probably be on you then, but still, are they staggering releases because they expect a lot of obsessive, completionist buyers?)
25th Anniversary Penis: $400 for the world’s most monotonous dick joke as a way of marking the series’ legacy. For the price, it also seems to be the centerpiece of the anniversary’s merchandising front.
But this time, the joke’s on us, right? This is some statement on commercialism, right? That some suckers will undoubtedly be shelling out the cost of a game console or cheap TV for a dildo monster? I would have been one of those suckers, but I’d rather have a Switch, thanks. What is this thing made out of, polished jade, with a gold-foil chariot? Just give me a smaller, sub-$100 version made of PVC plastic. The egg would still be on my face, but at least I’d have a Switch in my hands, too.
Final thoughts: Atlus is now garnering the sales, attention, and appreciation they once deserved when their design philosophy was to go against the flow. You know, that “punk” attitude you’d hear Kaneko & co. talk about sometimes. But with this recent showing, did they finally, and inevitably, cross the threshold to the corporate status quo? They seem to be taking their loyal fanbase, one that has slowly built up over years of trust and quality releases, for granted with some of these decisions.
So, my simple message is to think twice about what you’re supporting. All these years we wanted people to notice Atlus, and now that it’s happening our reward is the privilege of waxing Atlus’ luxury car (shaped like a giant green penis). If it’s something you can’t possibly live without, then it would be stupid not to buy it, no arguments there. But I can’t possibly be the only one to feel the spirit of old Atlus is completely absent from the recognizable patterns in their crystal-clear modern direction, am I?
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