I think it says something when fans are more worried than excited about this announcement. There are so many things SEGA did wrong with the series that I dare not get my hopes up for this new game… More teasers will be posted each day, so hopefully we’ll know more soon.
I see that Sega has announced Valkyria Chronicles 4. I have to admit I haven’t played through the original game, and I’m not sure when I’ll get around to it. But I think this is good for fans for strategy RPGs, especially when franchises like Shining Force have gone in a mostly action-oriented direction. And the cartoon visuals will hopefully keep the costs down, as it can still look good without the photo like detail that would be required from a more realistic looking title. It makes me wonder why Sega hasn’t explored a next generation Jet Set Radio…
It was cool playing as Vyse, Aika, and Fina in the first Valkyria Chronicles, but after the first game I lost interest with the series…
I hope they are successful with this game as it is important for SEGA to be able to attract new talented & younger developers in their offices. Regarding this game, the visual style looks like something I’m probably not going to play. That’s too japanese typical/cliché & déjà vu?
The game looks very similar to the original, to the point where I think they’re actually using the same engine as VC Remastered. That’s a good thing, since the CANVAS engine doesn’t rely on super-detailed graphics. I’m hopeful that this game is going to be a return to form for the series. One thing that does stand out is the lack of PC version. It’s simply incomprehensible, given that the game sold almost 1 million copies on PC at this point.
It’s probably the same reason why so many other franchises haven’t been revived. They can’t afford to take the risk, and I don’t think there’s anyone left at SEGA that would have an idea on how to make a worthy sequel. A lot of their focus is also on the mobile market now. The best we can hope for is for SEGA Europe to port Jet Set Radio Future to PC. Microsoft can sort of help by making JSRF compatible with Xbox One.
Since it’s a multiplatform release, and especially as it is released on Xbox, I suppose it’s quite likely they should announce the PC release at some point? At least digitally?
The lack of a PC version could be a Grand Theft Auto situation. Get the (easier to test) console versions sorted first and then release a PC version further down the line. This would allow more time for optimisation on multiple configurations of PC hardware.
I’m so happy they had that surprise PC port of the original game. I bought it around when it came out after hearing so much praise and seeing it sold for a reasonable asking price. It easily became one of my all time favorite games. I kind of lost interest in the middle of playing 2 because it didn’t really work for me on the PSP, and I’m not fond of thinking of playing the game without a keyboard and mouse. I really hope it does end up coming to the PC. (Along with 2 and the unlocalized 3 maybe?)