Record of Agarest War Naughty Edition for Xbox 360 - $56.57 (price drop)

[quote name='xeno']So is this game actually good?[/QUOTE]


Very, i've been on a hard withdrawal since Spectral Force was the last SRPG I've played.

I love this one, plus the romance sidequest (plus the fact you have to beat EACH generation in less than 100 turns for the true ending), plus the many combinations for party members/skills, customizations, etc,... make this one a HUGE replay value and well worth $60.
 
I also notice that the people who are not complaining are the ones that are actually playing and enjoying the game, which that's the main reason why you buy a game in the the first place... to play it, right?

This is a fantastic game, so I'm going to shout out to the Aksys Games employees posting on here to say thank you so much for bringing this stateside (extras or not, though the extras are pretty cool). Keep bringing them on and I can't wait to get DeathSmiles!
 
[quote name='VyseArcad1a']I also notice that the people who are not complaining are the ones that are actually playing and enjoying the game, which that's the main reason why you buy a game in the the first place... to play it, right?

This is a fantastic game, so I'm going to shout out to the Aksys Games employees posting on here to say thank you so much for bringing this stateside (extras or not, though the extras are pretty cool). Keep bringing them on and I can't wait to get DeathSmiles![/QUOTE]

I'm not playing it and I'm not complaining =P I just got done complaining about Dante's Inferno though, so I should probably choose my next game... But I really don't want to open this thing =P
 
I come back to see if the guy from Aksys posts anything else, the other stuff is kind of a shame to read about.

It's a shame that the 360 version game doesn't come with any free DLC like the PS3 version. It was a nice assist for Cross Edge at least. I know that the PS3 was getting those as compensation for not being able to get a disc version, but will the 360 side be seeing any of the same DLC?

If they do, I hope they put it out on disc like Dragon Age. (I doubt that they will though.) I'd pick it up in support of Aksys.
 
[quote name='FlameOnMe']Oh trust me, you will grind. You must not be to the general boss battles yet, otherwise you haven't experienced the hell that is hard mode and this game's great "surprise" battles...[/QUOTE]

We shall see about that! I'm not having any problems yet. I think I'm under leveled. When I was looking at drop items for bosses I notice there are some Exsteals. My characters isn't even high enough to get Exsteals.

There are many ways to counter surprise attacks in this game. The easiest way method is soft reset and load your game. Most stages enemies don't come in fix position, so replaying them might yield different results. Even with surprise battles, if you proper use the link system you can easily regroup your party.
 
I've been playing pretty much nonstop since Friday night. A couple minor quibbles:
The battle backgrounds are very limited; and
Holy God that opening intro is LOUD.
But, it's not like I'm really looking at the backgrounds [although being able to use terrain would be nice], and I just skip through the intro.
I can tell achievements will be long in coming, but that's typical for a long RPG.
I read that you get the "real" ending if you finish every generation in fewer than 100 turns - personally I don't like to rush through a game I enjoy. How bad is the "non" real ending?
I definitely wouldn't mind some free DLC. But I'm also definitely enjoying the game greatly so far.
 
[quote name='artego']No, Limited means limited, Collector's means collectible, which in some-to-most cases implies limited as well. Just because something is limited, doesn't mean it's collectible... there's a limited supply of PS3s at the moment, they're certainly not collectible.[/QUOTE]

This is a pet peeve of mine. You're arguing semantics. Limited Editions, Collector's Editions, and Deluxe Editions hold completely arbitrary definitions based on the publisher who is manufacturing the product. They are easily used interchangeably.

Sure, limited means limited, but does limited mean what you think it means? Anything ever produced can be called limited. As long as there are not continued production runs (and often even if there are), a product can be called a limited edition. The Battlefield Bad Company Limited Edition comes to mind... or the Prince of Persia Limited Edition.

Also, by your logic, the Bioshock Limited Edition should have been called a Collector's Edition, since it obviously came with things that were collectible, and in this particular case happened to be limited as well. Like I said, the terms don't work that way with real businesses.

Your PS3 example doesn't really work because you're trying to use an example of limited supply (a market specific and constantly shifting number) to explain a limited edition. Those are two entirely different things. Basically, publishers can call a deluxe edition of the game anything under the sun, INCLUDING a limited edition even if there are additional production runs. Applying your own definition to it is exactly what they want.


Sorry for the tangent. My game should be arriving sometime next week. I'll have to convince myself to put down Super SFIV to play it for a bit, but I'm looking forward to it.
 
[quote name='Fighterspledge']I come back to see if the guy from Aksys posts anything else, the other stuff is kind of a shame to read about.

It's a shame that the 360 version game doesn't come with any free DLC like the PS3 version. It was a nice assist for Cross Edge at least. I know that the PS3 was getting those as compensation for not being able to get a disc version, but will the 360 side be seeing any of the same DLC?[/QUOTE]

That's the question that I'm hoping the Aksys guy will answer -- when will we see some (free or otherwise) DLC for the 360 version? I've played the game for a little bit, but honestly, I'm hesitant to get deep into it before the DLC is available. I'm not a "hardcore" SRPG player (though I do enjoy them), so the assists from the DLC item packs would be quite helpful. I really don't see what they're trying to accomplish by making these "PS3 exclusive" -- the only thing that does that I can see is alienate me as a customer who bought the 360 version (and yes, I was aware before buying, but that doesn't make it better).

Actually, I should say that I want DLC just as long as they don't go as crazy with it as Cross Edge and Disgaea 3 did. It's inane that getting all of the Cross Edge DLC would cost me as much as the game itself did, and getting all of the Disgaea 3 DLC would cost me more than twice what the game did. That I won't support.

[quote name='Fighterspledge']If they do, I hope they put it out on disc like Dragon Age. (I doubt that they will though.) I'd pick it up in support of Aksys.[/QUOTE]

At least so far, none of the PS3 DLC even vaguely merits a disc release. So far it's just two dungeons and a few item packs. The Dragon Age expansion pack was a serious add-on, practically a new game. All of the smaller Dragon Age DLC is download-only as well.
 
Just picked mine up at the local Gamestop with some credit I had. It looked like they had at least 40 copies behind the counter. I'm thinkin of holdin off opening it just in case it drops in price in the next 30 days .
 
[quote name='dutch72']Just picked mine up at the local Gamestop with some credit I had. It looked like they had at least 40 copies behind the counter. I'm thinkin of holdin off opening it just in case it drops in price in the next 30 days .[/QUOTE]

Why not just save the receipt and open it? If it drops, you buy a new copy and return it with the old receipt.
 
[quote name='fatbeer']We shall see about that! I'm not having any problems yet. I think I'm under leveled. When I was looking at drop items for bosses I notice there are some Exsteals. My characters isn't even high enough to get Exsteals.

There are many ways to counter surprise attacks in this game. The easiest way method is soft reset and load your game. Most stages enemies don't come in fix position, so replaying them might yield different results. Even with surprise battles, if you proper use the link system you can easily regroup your party.[/QUOTE]

No, there is one general fight I believe that is always a surprise fight, I reset and had insane luck/agility and still got surprised every freaking time. The fight has a great start as though 100 percent of the time the enemies would kill at least 1 person, possibly 2 (yes even borgnine). The battle is insane, especially if you are underleveled.

[quote name='dtcarson']I've been playing pretty much nonstop since Friday night. A couple minor quibbles:
The battle backgrounds are very limited; and
Holy God that opening intro is LOUD.
But, it's not like I'm really looking at the backgrounds [although being able to use terrain would be nice], and I just skip through the intro.
I can tell achievements will be long in coming, but that's typical for a long RPG.
I read that you get the "real" ending if you finish every generation in fewer than 100 turns - personally I don't like to rush through a game I enjoy. How bad is the "non" real ending?
I definitely wouldn't mind some free DLC. But I'm also definitely enjoying the game greatly so far.[/QUOTE]

Yes the opening is quite loud and no clue why.

An easy way to beat the game in less than 100 turns (i screwed up the first gen but eased through the rest so far) is to easily beat the event battles and then level up in the quest area. They don't count turns and you can heal just by leaving. So stick around there and level up.
 
[quote name='shadylane']2 questions.

Is this a porno?[/QUOTE]

Ahahahahaha . . . and the marketing fails again. No, it's not a porno, and if you buy it looking for that, you're going to be severely disappointed.

[quote name='shadylane']Is this only for 360? is it coming out for PS3?[/QUOTE]

The disc-based release is 360 only. The PS3 version is available as a download from the Playstation Store.
 
Okay, looks like there's been quite a bit of banter while I was away... But, I'll try to remember what was said without digging through the last few pages...

DLC: There should have been DLC released last week to coincide with the game, but it's not showing up in the store. We're looking into the issue right now. However, you can expect a couple of add-on dungeons and some stat building DLC when the first wave hits.

The Box: I covered this in a previous post http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7137503&postcount=452. That said, it sucks that some of you got boxes that were crushed but like I said we had to make compromises and you can't make everyone happy. The implication that Aksys doesn't care about it's fans is absurd. We could have easily said "Hey guys let's charge $60 out the door with nothing but the game! Muahahahaha! As I swim around in my gigantic Money Bin. I think you'll be hard pressed to see any other publishers charging standard retail pricing for a Limited or Collector's Edition. The only ones I can think of is the Prince of Persia LE from UBI (But, when was the last time they did that?) and the Splinter Cell Conviction CE (Only because most of the USB drives were busted or didnt have any data on it. I got a busted one :( ) I'm pretty sure we advertised it as a "pretty box" and not a steelbook or adamantium box... We figured people would enjoy a mouse pad, pillowcase and soundtrack at $59.99, what the hell do we know. Maybe, next time we'll just do what everybody else does and stick it in a metal box with some run-of-the-mill extras and charge people $79.99 for it because we don't care about the fans. :p

As for the LE / CE distinction, by our definition "Limited Edition means a finite amount of copies, so once these are gone that's it.

As for the Gamestop BB Artbook preorder thing... Gamestop was given the artbook as an exclusive pre-order bonus for them, where if you pre-ordered the game you got it FREE. So, if you didn't get in on that we were able to offer it to consumers after their promotion was over since we had some left over after we gave GameStop their allocation.

The BB Stick: Since we only manufactured 1500 of each console version, production costs were much higher than a TE stick that was produced in mass quantity ie the original SF4 TE sticks. regardless of the innards used. Also, keep in mind that they are all individually numbered from 1/1500 which in my opinion makes this a "collector's item".

When some of you say marketing fail... I say we made people take notice of a game that they would have probably glossed over. There are plenty of gameplay vids on youtube as well as our own gameplay trailers if someone wanted to google it up and find out more about the game.

If I missed anything let me know and I'll do my best to answer.
 
[quote name='kanedags']Okay, looks like there's been quite a bit of banter while I was away... But, I'll try to remember what was said without digging through the last few pages...

DLC: There should have been DLC released last week to coincide with the game, but it's not showing up in the store. We're looking into the issue right now. However, you can expect a couple of add-on dungeons and some stat building DLC when the first wave hits.

The Box: I covered this in a previous post http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7137503&postcount=452. That said, it sucks that some of you got boxes that were crushed but like I said we had to make compromises and you can't make everyone happy. The implication that Aksys doesn't care about it's fans is absurd. We could have easily said "Hey guys let's charge $60 out the door with nothing but the game! Muahahahaha! As I swim around in my gigantic Money Bin. I think you'll be hard pressed to see any other publishers charging standard retail pricing for a Limited or Collector's Edition. The only ones I can think of is the Prince of Persia LE from UBI (But, when was the last time they did that?) and the Splinter Cell Conviction CE (Only because most of the USB drives were busted or didnt have any data on it. I got a busted one :( ) I'm pretty sure we advertised it as a "pretty box" and not a steelbook or adamantium box... We figured people would enjoy a mouse pad, pillowcase and soundtrack at $59.99, what the hell do we know. Maybe, next time we'll just do what everybody else does and stick it in a metal box with some run-of-the-mill extras and charge people $79.99 for it because we don't care about the fans. :p

As for the LE / CE distinction, by our definition "Limited Edition means a finite amount of copies, so once these are gone that's it.

As for the Gamestop BB Artbook preorder thing... Gamestop was given the artbook as an exclusive pre-order bonus for them, where if you pre-ordered the game you got it FREE. So, if you didn't get in on that we were able to offer it to consumers after their promotion was over since we had some left over after we gave GameStop their allocation.

The BB Stick: Since we only manufactured 1500 of each console version, production costs were much higher than a TE stick that was produced in mass quantity ie the original SF4 TE sticks. regardless of the innards used. Also, keep in mind that they are all individually numbered from 1/1500 which in my opinion makes this a "collector's item".

When some of you say marketing fail... I say we made people take notice of a game that they would have probably glossed over. There are plenty of gameplay vids on youtube as well as our own gameplay trailers if someone wanted to google it up and find out more about the game.

If I missed anything let me know and I'll do my best to answer.[/QUOTE]

I think the people saying you guys dont care about your fans are nuts.....but at the same time I seriously think any future CE's that you guys do need to come in better boxes even if it means a small price jump. I mean honestly, id have gladly paid another $10 to be guaranteed a decent copy of the game. As it is my copy came with the side smashed in and a giant crease up the middle. Id have another copy sent, but they did ship this copy properly and so many others are complaining about their copies being damaged that I dont see the point in trying for a non damaged copy! Like I said, i think people saying you guys don't care about the fans is wrong, but at the same time I think shipping in the boxes you did was a big mistake too.

And damn I did not realize that gamestop was doing art books. Kind of pissed off that I did not receive one even though I preordered from gamestop a long time ago! Bonus artbook would have at least softened the blow of a not so great quality box. Bet it was some gamestop employee that just snatched my book....
 
[quote name='kanedags']
DLC: There should have been DLC released last week to coincide with the game, but it's not showing up in the store. We're looking into the issue right now. However, you can expect a couple of add-on dungeons and some stat building DLC when the first wave hits.
[/QUOTE]

Will the same DLC be available for both XBOX and PS3? Pricing?

[quote name='kanedags']
As for the LE / CE distinction, by our definition "Limited Edition means a finite amount of copies, so once these are gone that's it.
[/QUOTE]

Wait a minute...you were actually using the word "Limited" intentionally to accurately communicate the fact that there would be a limited number of copies made? Based on your company's previous behavior, this is almost as shocking as when I saw the sun rise in the east this morning. ;)

Do you know what the production run was for the LE release?

Also, I know there was some conjecture about why the LE was only for the XBOX and not the PS3, but can you confirm/clarify why this was the case? Just curious is all.

Thanks again for your posts. So refereshing to have someone from the company behind a game speaking like a normal person.
 
You can't blame them for damages incurred during the shipping and handling process. If anything, call up whoever delivered (UPS, FedEx, USPS) and tell them to fire their incompetent staff who decided to take a shit of bricks on your package.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']And damn I did not realize that gamestop was doing art books. Kind of pissed off that I did not receive one even though I preordered from gamestop a long time ago! Bonus artbook would have at least softened the blow of a not so great quality box. Bet it was some gamestop employee that just snatched my book....[/QUOTE]

The art books were for the BlazBlue release, not RoAW. He was responding to the previous post where some guy was complaining about Gamestop.

Also, I know different people will have different preferences, but I'd rather have the flimsy box than pay $10 more for a heavier box or different/smaller items in a smaller/stronger box. For me, I really liked the fact that I was getting a bunch of bonus stuff for "free" instead of having to pay extra for stuff that I may not actually use for more than a little while (if at all).
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']And damn I did not realize that gamestop was doing art books. Kind of pissed off that I did not receive one even though I preordered from gamestop a long time ago! Bonus artbook would have at least softened the blow of a not so great quality box. Bet it was some gamestop employee that just snatched my book....[/QUOTE]
There was no preorder bonus or artbook offer on Agarest from GS. The artbook they talked about was for BlazBlue.
 
[quote name='kanedags']Okay, looks like there's been quite a bit of banter while I was away... But, I'll try to remember what was said without digging through the last few pages...

DLC: There should have been DLC released last week to coincide with the game, but it's not showing up in the store. We're looking into the issue right now. However, you can expect a couple of add-on dungeons and some stat building DLC when the first wave hits.

The Box: I covered this in a previous post http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7137503&postcount=452. That said, it sucks that some of you got boxes that were crushed but like I said we had to make compromises and you can't make everyone happy. The implication that Aksys doesn't care about it's fans is absurd. We could have easily said "Hey guys let's charge $60 out the door with nothing but the game! Muahahahaha! As I swim around in my gigantic Money Bin. I think you'll be hard pressed to see any other publishers charging standard retail pricing for a Limited or Collector's Edition. The only ones I can think of is the Prince of Persia LE from UBI (But, when was the last time they did that?) and the Splinter Cell Conviction CE (Only because most of the USB drives were busted or didnt have any data on it. I got a busted one :( ) I'm pretty sure we advertised it as a "pretty box" and not a steelbook or adamantium box... We figured people would enjoy a mouse pad, pillowcase and soundtrack at $59.99, what the hell do we know. Maybe, next time we'll just do what everybody else does and stick it in a metal box with some run-of-the-mill extras and charge people $79.99 for it because we don't care about the fans. :p

As for the LE / CE distinction, by our definition "Limited Edition means a finite amount of copies, so once these are gone that's it.

As for the Gamestop BB Artbook preorder thing... Gamestop was given the artbook as an exclusive pre-order bonus for them, where if you pre-ordered the game you got it FREE. So, if you didn't get in on that we were able to offer it to consumers after their promotion was over since we had some left over after we gave GameStop their allocation.

The BB Stick: Since we only manufactured 1500 of each console version, production costs were much higher than a TE stick that was produced in mass quantity ie the original SF4 TE sticks. regardless of the innards used. Also, keep in mind that they are all individually numbered from 1/1500 which in my opinion makes this a "collector's item".

When some of you say marketing fail... I say we made people take notice of a game that they would have probably glossed over. There are plenty of gameplay vids on youtube as well as our own gameplay trailers if someone wanted to google it up and find out more about the game.

If I missed anything let me know and I'll do my best to answer.[/QUOTE]

I'm sorry, but you clearly don't know much about your competitiors. NIS America and Atlus have both done a slew of deluxe editions or "limited editions" for games recently and all of them had sturdy boxes and plenty of extras all for standard retail MSRP or below. Basically all of Atlus' recent DS games have come with an outer box and a soundtrack. Devil Summoer 2 was $40 and was numbered and came with a nice plush doll and a nice display box. NIS America has also released most of their recent PS2 releases with soundtrack, box and often an art book for pre-orders, all for $40 each.

If Agarest had been released at $40 or even $50 like Last Rebellion and the forthcoming Trinity Universe, I probably wouldn't be complaining. However, it's $60 for a game that probably would have retailed for $40-$50 if released by any other publisher in the US. You are charging us for the "extras" whether you are willing to admit it or not. The fact that the PS3 version is $45 is strong proof of that. Given that I am paying full retail, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect you to provide a box that can actually withstand a little bit of handling.

As for the art book, a number of us ordered early in the pre-order period and Gamestop basically included the art book on our invoices, but when it came time to deliver, just simply didn't get enough. I spoke to their customer relations folks several times and they stated repeatedly that they contacted Aksys and you guys told them they couldn't have any more. You guys controlled the entire allocation, not Gamestop which would have loved to have more copies to sell more pre-orders. The fact that you turned around and starting selling the art books yourself was just a slap in the fact to those of us who should have received them free and paid full retail for the game.

On the joystick issue, charging $200 for a small sticker with a number on it is complete garbage. Capcom did a run of 500 sticks for Comic Con and they were still $150. Similarly, they did a small run of limited edition Marvel vs. Capcom sticks which were $160. Keep in mind that normal MSRP on the identical sticks has been running from $100-$130 on Amazon, so you are now $70 or more higher for the sticker. A run of 3,000 iunits is not small or exclusive. You are price gouging your fans and I really am starting to regret the fact that I have purchased every game you have released to date at full MSRP. Most of them now go for half that or less, but I felt it was important to support a niche company, so I even bought garbage like Rockin Pretty. Apparently you could care less and for you guys, it's all about the money. At least we all know where we stand now.
 
[quote name='mis0']You can't blame them for damages incurred during the shipping and handling process. If anything, call up whoever delivered (UPS, FedEx, USPS) and tell them to fire their incompetent staff who decided to take a shit of bricks on your package.[/QUOTE]

Of course I can. Look at all the posts here and around the web with people talking about how their copy was damaged. I have returned two copies already to Amazon and the third copy is in transit now. Even the copies at Gamestop and Fry's that I looked at this weekend were banged up. Was every one of those games damaged by the carrier or the retailer? At some point, the manufacturer has to provide the carrier with a product that has some type of rigidity and durability.
 
[quote name='bojay1997']I'm sorry, but you clearly don't know much about your competitiors. NIS America and Atlus have both done a slew of deluxe editions or "limited editions" for games recently and all of them had sturdy boxes and plenty of extras all for standard retail MSRP or below. Basically all of Atlus' recent DS games have come with an outer box and a soundtrack. Devil Summoer 2 was $40 and was numbered and came with a nice plush doll and a nice display box. NIS America has also released most of their recent PS2 releases with soundtrack, box and often an art book for pre-orders, all for $40 each.

If Agarest had been released at $40 or even $50 like Last Rebellion and the forthcoming Trinity Universe, I probably wouldn't be complaining. However, it's $60 for a game that probably would have retailed for $40-$50 if released by any other publisher in the US. You are charging us for the "extras" whether you are willing to admit it or not. The fact that the PS3 version is $45 is strong proof of that. Given that I am paying full retail, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect you to provide a box that can actually withstand a little bit of handling.

As for the art book, a number of us ordered early in the pre-order period and Gamestop basically included the art book on our invoices, but when it came time to deliver, just simply didn't get enough. I spoke to their customer relations folks several times and they stated repeatedly that they contacted Aksys and you guys told them they couldn't have any more. You guys controlled the entire allocation, not Gamestop which would have loved to have more copies to sell more pre-orders. The fact that you turned around and starting selling the art books yourself was just a slap in the fact to those of us who should have received them free and paid full retail for the game.

On the joystick issue, charging $200 for a small sticker with a number on it is complete garbage. Capcom did a run of 500 sticks for Comic Con and they were still $150. Similarly, they did a small run of limited edition Marvel vs. Capcom sticks which were $160. Keep in mind that normal MSRP on the identical sticks has been running from $100-$130 on Amazon, so you are now $70 or more higher for the sticker. A run of 3,000 iunits is not small or exclusive. You are price gouging your fans and I really am starting to regret the fact that I have purchased every game you have released to date at full MSRP. Most of them now go for half that or less, but I felt it was important to support a niche company, so I even bought garbage like Rockin Pretty. Apparently you could care less and for you guys, it's all about the money. At least we all know where we stand now.[/QUOTE]

Don't know my competition? I worked at Atlus for 10 years so don't be to quick to assume. You're also referring to PS2 and DS games with soundtracks and artbooks, not a current-gen game with a soundtrack, mouse pad and a pillowcase. Let's compare apples to apples please when you're talking about Limited or Collector's Editions because to me those aren't the same. As for the box, yes I heard you the first time and we're taking the feedback on future release for sturdier boxes for future releases. We're listening whether you like to believe that or not.

The PSN version is cheaper at $44.99 because it's a digital download. Technically, no resale value and no physical media. We priced it accordingly for a game that has at the very least, 50 hours of gameplay on a current gen system.

I'm sorry your box came in an imperfect state and that you didn't get your artbook. You should have tried emailing our [email protected] because I could have sworn we were doing our best to try to send artbooks to people who got assed on the artbook. We might even be able to help you with your box.

I wish we could have made the sticks more affordable but the economics of bringing out something like that, for a small company like ours is an achievement in and of itself. I'm surprised we managed to get them made to tell you the truth.

Yes, we are in this business to make money. That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. If we didn't, we wouldn't be able to bring you new stuff like the Deathsmiles or BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. That whole need money to make money bit. If I were in it for my health I would become a nutritionist or a physical trainer.
 
[quote name='bojay1997']You are price gouging your fans and I really am starting to regret the fact that I have purchased every game you have released to date at full MSRP. Most of them now go for half that or less, but I felt it was important to support a niche company, so I even bought garbage like Rockin Pretty. Apparently you could care less and for you guys, it's all about the money. At least we all know where we stand now.[/QUOTE]

Wow, talk about a glutton for punishment. If you really think everything they put out is overpriced garbage and the only reason the company exists is to find new ways to screw you over and get your money, why do you keep buying things you hate from a company you hate? Or maybe you just love to hate them? Or hate yourself for loving them?

I don't want to discourage anyone from buying Aksys's games, but maybe you should do everyone a favor and just stop buying their products so you can stop complaining about them. Actually, I take that back....because I expect that you'll be complaining whether you buy their products or not, so they might as well get some money from you for the trouble of dealing with your incessant complaints and unfounded accusations.
 
[quote name='mis0']You can't blame them for damages incurred during the shipping and handling process. If anything, call up whoever delivered (UPS, FedEx, USPS) and tell them to fire their incompetent staff who decided to take a shit of bricks on your package.[/QUOTE]

As someone else pointed out the problem is not with shipping, its with the box itself and how cheap it is. My copy came covered in those air filled plastic pouches and firmly in place, there was also no damage to the box...so this should imply shipping was not the issue. When you add in that tons of people are complaining about damaged copies and returning multiple copies just to get a good one...it should suggest the problem is with the materials they chose for the CE.

Kanedags - Thank you for continuing to post here. As I said before i do not think you guys are trying to rip off the consumer or be cheap. I understand your a smaller operation and as one selling a niche product you will face hard choices such as selling at a higher price or using cheaper materials. Like I said I was not mad at you guys nor implying as others rudely did that you did not care about the gamers, I was just trying to get across my view that next time you should use better materials even if it means charging an extra buck or two. Thanks too for providing the email, I will try it about the damaged box I got.
 
[quote name='DarkonJohn']Wow, talk about a glutton for punishment. If you really think everything they put out is overpriced garbage and the only reason the company exists is to find new ways to screw you over and get your money, why do you keep buying things you hate from a company you hate? Or maybe you just love to hate them? Or hate yourself for loving them?

I don't want to discourage anyone from buying Aksys's games, but maybe you should do everyone a favor and just stop buying their products so you can stop complaining about them. Actually, I take that back....because I expect that you'll be complaining whether you buy their products or not, so they might as well get some money from you for the trouble of dealing with your incessant complaints and unfounded accusations.[/QUOTE]

Wow, way to pull everything I said out of context and attempt to twist it. I never said everything they do was overpriced garbage. Obviously, if I felt that way, I wouldn't have bothered buying their other games or pre-ordering this one, as well as Deathsmiles and Continuum Shift. Having said that, there is no such thing as a "free" premium or limited or collector's edition. This was a game that if sold without the premium packaging should have been sold for less and in fact was in Europe and on PSN. We are actually paying at least $10 for the box, mouse pad and pillow case. Similarly, we paid an extra $10 for the extras in Blaz Blue. I knew that going in and I am fine with paying the premium, but let's not be dishonest about what is really being charged for the package here.

I find it fascinating that in video games in particular, "fan boys" or zealots or whatever you want to call them repeatedly defend ridiculous decisions by niche companies just because they like certain products by a particular niche company. Being honest about problems is how companies become better and more successful.

What I pointed out were three recent examples of significant problems with their products which I believe they did not handle properly. The first was the art book. The solution to that problem was to make it clear to people that they could have still received it if they got screwed out of it. They certainly never communicated that to me and this is the first I have heard about it. The second was this box issue with Agarest. It would be nice if Aksys would just admit they blew it and offer free replacement boxes to anyone who requests one. They could be shipped flat in a rigid pack so they don't get damaged. Problem solved. On the third issue, they could take another look at their pricing to bring it in line with the actual cost of manufacturing with a fair profit margin. Obviously, Capcom has successfully done multiple small runs of these sticks for $150 and still made enough profit to keep doing them. I don't think those three criticisms are unreasonable and fan oriented companies should be open to hearing both the good and bad about what they are doing. In this particular case, I am sharing the bad. On the positive side, they are continuing to import games I want and do a great job on the localization. I will keep supporting their releases, but I expect that they will fix these problems going forward.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']As someone else pointed out the problem is not with shipping, its with the box itself and how cheap it is. My copy came covered in those air filled plastic pouches and firmly in place, there was also no damage to the box...so this should imply shipping was not the issue. When you add in that tons of people are complaining about damaged copies and returning multiple copies just to get a good one...it should suggest the problem is with the materials they chose for the CE.
[/QUOTE]

The game box is admittedly thin and susceptible to bending than most other boxes, but I also wonder at what point in the shipping process the damage occured and I suspect that many of the boxes could have been damaged when they were shipped to the distributors (such as Amazon). I just don't see how the game box could get crushed if the game is inside a larger undamaged box by itself. However, it could have been crushed before it was placed in the box that was shipped to you. This could have happened if dozens of game boxes were packed together in a larger box and that larger box was tossed around. Or it could have happened by the Amazon packing monkeys (apologies to any CAGs that are packers at Amazon).

To a certain degree, the actual reason is irrelevant, because a stronger box would have reduced the number of damaged boxes and the weaker box resulted in more damaged boxes.

But I'd also be realistic in your expectations for having Aksys send you a replacement box. After all, how do you suggest that they ship the replacement box to you so it does not get damaged during shipping? Should they send it in a flatted form in a super-thick cardboard envelope so the delivery guy can't bend it to make it fit in your mailbox? Or should they send the replacement box in another much larger box to protect the box from getting damaged during deliver? Both options would be very expensive and anything inexpensive would be very susceptible to damage and the problem will just repeat itself until Aksys runs out of money or replacement boxes.

I understand that it is a bummer getting a damaged box, and I'm pretty sure it was never their intention or expectation to have customers received damanged boxes, though it did happen. I'm sure they learned a lesson from this, will do their best (within reason) to make things right and will try to avoid such problems in the future.

I just hope that people don't get so hung up on getting a replacement box that the only way for Aksys to prevent this from happening in the future (while still remaining a profitable company) is to only include small bonus items (such as CD/DVDs) that fit in the standard game cases or jack up the price to $80 or $100 like the Bioshock 2 CE or GoW II UE.

Then again, maybe that's what others would prefer...bonus items with a bonus price. That's just not my preference.
 
[quote name='DarkonJohn']The game box is admittedly thin and susceptible to bending than most other boxes, but I also wonder at what point in the shipping process the damage occured and I suspect that many of the boxes could have been damaged when they were shipped to the distributors (such as Amazon). I just don't see how the game box could get crushed if the game is inside a larger undamaged box by itself. However, it could have been crushed before it was placed in the box that was shipped to you. This could have happened if dozens of game boxes were packed together in a larger box and that larger box was tossed around. Or it could have happened by the Amazon packing monkeys (apologies to any CAGs that are packers at Amazon).

To a certain degree, the actual reason is irrelevant, because a stronger box would have reduced the number of damaged boxes and the weaker box resulted in more damaged boxes.

But I'd also be realistic in your expectations for having Aksys send you a replacement box. After all, how do you suggest that they ship the replacement box to you so it does not get damaged during shipping? Should they send it in a flatted form in a super-thick cardboard envelope so the delivery guy can't bend it to make it fit in your mailbox? Or should they send the replacement box in another much larger box to protect the box from getting damaged during deliver? Both options would be very expensive and anything inexpensive would be very susceptible to damage and the problem will just repeat itself until Aksys runs out of money or replacement boxes.

I understand that it is a bummer getting a damaged box, and I'm pretty sure it was never their intention or expectation to have customers received damanged boxes, though it did happen. I'm sure they learned a lesson from this, will do their best (within reason) to make things right and will try to avoid such problems in the future.

I just hope that people don't get so hung up on getting a replacement box that the only way for Aksys to prevent this from happening in the future (while still remaining a profitable company) is to only include small bonus items (such as CD/DVDs) that fit in the standard game cases or jack up the price to $80 or $100 like the Bioshock 2 CE or GoW II UE.

Then again, maybe that's what others would prefer...bonus items with a bonus price. That's just not my preference.[/QUOTE]

See but my box is dented inward which cant just be a shipping thing. The way that its folded inward if it happened during shipping it would have popped the plastic sealing that comes around new games, since that did not happen I would imagine the damage was done before or during the sealing process in the factory.

As for the pricing of the box, I see no reason they couldnt spend more on the box and remail profitable. I mean hell look at the recent Lunar CE which sold for $40 and came in a great little box. There are numerous others such as Sakura wars, the old Lunar games, Wild Arms 5 and the Gears of War titles that got it right as well. I really see no reason in the future they couldnt just charge $5 more and give a really durable box.
 
I received my copy from Gamestop today and the box came in good shape. I noticed when picking and holding up the box it is VERY EASY to bend the sides if you are not careful due to what looks to be lack of any rigid support inside. Most likely damages occured during packing or unpacking of the item.

Speaking about flimsy boxes, I like to import games from Japan especially limited edition versions due to the swag and a fair amount of my recent purchases all came in boxes about as flimsy or just a smidgen sturdier than this box.

When people compare this box to other limited editions released by NIS/Atlus...the majority of them came in smaller boxes sans Devil Summoner 2 as that was a plastic box. That and with PS2 games, the dvd case acts as a rigid support for the box (and soundtrack cds too0. I can't believe how many times I have seen gutted limited edition boxes in bad shape due to nothing inside of it to support it.

Anywho...I'm just glad Aksys brought this (and Deathsmiles!) over to the US.
 
[quote name='kanedags']As for the box, yes I heard you the first time and we're taking the feedback on future release for sturdier boxes for future releases. We're listening whether you like to believe that or not.[/QUOTE]

Since there have been so many censuring opinions about the box, I wanted to say that I thought the box was fine. My Record of Agarest War box arrived in perfect shape from Amazon, and the box did exactly what it was made to do — it provided a way to transport the game, the pillowcase, and the mouse pad. Also, I think it's quite silly to be arguing over the box when it's useless on its own; I didn't buy the Record of Agarest War Limited Edition to buy a cardboard box — I bought the game because I wanted to play the game, and maybe I might do something with that mouse pad and pillowcase, albeit I don't think it's in my best interests — I don't want to welcome any extremely awkward situations, which is what those items would most certainly do. ;)
 
Yet again, a publisher gets candid and removes a lot of the random disconnect and ends up
with the laundry list of what they did/do wrong and what some user names would do better.
They probably weren't looking to be coddled, though they have to be sorry that they even bothered.

Sounds like some of you should have stopped supporting this company some time ago.
You clearly have your options. Though doing without is probably one of the less popular.
Plus, you sacrifice the chance to voice your displeasure, as if the right
to do so is added value incorporated into the purchase price. Validity, withstanding.

Paying the extra $15, I would certainly like some free DLC.
Though my sense of entitlement is veeeerrrry loooowwww.
Fairness is another issue... but the DLC model needs work all over.

I have limited knowledge of the fight stick biz, though that price
does seem hard to justify. Though if I was the intended audience,
I would laugh it right off and move on. Depends on how bad you want it.
Price too high, pass. If you still crave it strongly enough, despite
feeling that you are being ripped off, the vendor is less of the problem.
 
my box came fine through Amazon without issues and is not flimsy in my opinion. In fact, it's about the same thickness as many LEs/CEs that come in the same style.

Certain people who are whining and crying sound more like d-bags who are going to do this regardless anyway. I have had nothing but great respect for Aksys and what they have done for the fans of their games and I own a lot of their titles.

I look forward to another great game in Death Smiles and the faceplate that will come with it. I'm sure the same people will nitpick and find something else to cry about then to.

Do people really think that Aksys is going to replace every box that is damaged. They are not going to take a financial hit that deep, because something they couldn't have foreseen occurred during shipping. It's not like they could do a test run through shipping of mass quantities to themselves (they probably could, but that's just ridiculous).

What other company would decide to give back to the fans so much that they would auction off and sell their promotional items from PAX East. I successfully bid and won the Agarest canvas for $200, and bought their Death Smiles mini-banner for $20. Keep it up Aksys, you have my full support. :D
 
[quote name='G-Nitro']my box came fine through Amazon without issues and is not flimsy in my opinion. In fact, it's about the same thickness as many LEs/CEs that come in the same style.

Certain people who are whining and crying sound more like d-bags who are going to do this regardless anyway. I have had nothing but great respect for Aksys and what they have done for the fans of their games and I own a lot of their titles.

I look forward to another great game in Death Smiles and the faceplate that will come with it. I'm sure the same people will nitpick and find something else to cry about then to.

Do people really think that Aksys is going to replace every box that is damaged. They are not going to take a financial hit that deep, because something they couldn't have foreseen occurred during shipping. It's not like they could do a test run through shipping of mass quantities to themselves (they probably could, but that's just ridiculous).

What other company would decide to give back to the fans so much that they would auction off and sell their promotional items from PAX East. I successfully bid and won the Agarest canvas for $200, and bought their Death Smiles mini-banner for $20. Keep it up Aksys, you have my full support. :D[/QUOTE]

Seconded. Also, gonna need pics of that canvas. Now.
 
[quote name='FlameOnMe']No, there is one general fight I believe that is always a surprise fight, I reset and had insane luck/agility and still got surprised every freaking time. The fight has a great start as though 100 percent of the time the enemies would kill at least 1 person, possibly 2 (yes even borgnine). The battle is insane, especially if you are underleveled.[/quote]

Hmm.. then it must be a preset battle setting. I'm curious when it will occur so I can personally judge myself wither or not the stage is difficult or not. Personally, I find agility useless in this game. Sure it does give a boost in turn speed and +1 avoid for every 2 points, but it's doesn't promote additional turns even if you have x10 the speed. You can't overlap them. Plus, this game use RAP(Ready Action Points) system. If you overuse a set of actions on attacks, it will delay your turn despite your stats. I should know since I rarely distribute a point on agility and most of time my guys will go first when AI unleash all their attacks on me.


Right now, I'm really bored of this game. There are way too many forced story mission, which feels like random encounters. You fight the same junk enemies over and over again with same size grid with no obstacles or field terrain/bonus effects. In the first chapter or generation, I must of fought over 60+ story missions, which is kinda odd since most strategy rpg have 40-60 story mission for an entire game. And all of this is occur on first chapter with barely any boss fights. I have to play it on short spurts to make it tolerable.

[quote name='flameOnMe']
An easy way to beat the game in less than 100 turns (i screwed up the first gen but eased through the rest so far) is to easily beat the event battles and then level up in the quest area. They don't count turns and you can heal just by leaving. So stick around there and level up.[/QUOTE]

You have take into account the experience is based on level. When you receive a net loss of experience you know your over leaved and you should move on to next area. Experience in this based on your level and the enemy as well.


The easiest way to start off is buy 2 different wands and buy of weapon fusion book. Fuse that to get a hammer. After wards, upgrade that weapon to convert to +100 attack item. It's probably the best skill for physical characters for the first chapter. The other way to get a good start is by using failure fusion. When your make an item through alchemy there is a slight chance your fusion will fail and you get a different item instead. You can save and load and hope you get a good item. But you have to keep in mind that this game have a large item list, so getting the really good items you'll have to be extremely lucky.
 
Noboby cares about your box or this game. Stop posting on this thread. I do not want to see this on top of the deals thread anymore. Thank you.
 
[quote name='bojay1997']The first was the art book. The solution to that problem was to make it clear to people that they could have still received it if they got screwed out of it. They certainly never communicated that to me and this is the first I have heard about it.[/quote]
You'd rather whine about it on a random internet forum while others did something about it.

[quote name='bojay1997']The second was this box issue with Agarest. It would be nice if Aksys would just admit they blew it and offer free replacement boxes to anyone who requests one. They could be shipped flat in a rigid pack so they don't get damaged. Problem solved.[/quote]
They may get a replacement system up, but they are in no obligation to do it for free. Some companies can, some can't. There is no standard and you should not expect one company to match up to the standard of one single other company yet not others.

[quote name='bojay1997']On the third issue, they could take another look at their pricing to bring it in line with the actual cost of manufacturing with a fair profit margin. Obviously, Capcom has successfully done multiple small runs of these sticks for $150 and still made enough profit to keep doing them.[/QUOTE]
Do you really believe those runs of SSFVI and SSVI are small? As for the PAX special edition ones, have you noticed how they're available constantly online now? Just because Capcom has the money they can lose on sticks to set up for promotional value, does not mean other companies can do the same.
 
[quote name='risktakr']noboby cares about your box or this game. Stop posting on this thread. I do not want to see this on top of the deals thread anymore. Thank you.[/quote]

agree
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']I really see no reason in the future they couldnt just charge $5 more and give a really durable box.[/QUOTE]

Just curious, but if this is the case, would you object if Aksys said it would cost $5 (or maybe $10 ) to send you a replacement box? After all, it will probably cost them that much for the time, labor, materials and shipping to get a replacement box to you in good condition.

I doubt they would be making much (if any) profit on this transaction, so their original statement that there might be a small charge to replace the box seems totally reasonable to me for people that really feel having a mint-quality box is more important than having the lower price.

Basically, it lets one group of people get what they want if they are willing to pay for it while letting everyone else get what they want without paying "extra" for what they don't care about (heavier box).

I realize this solution won't be satisfactory for everyone, but it seems reasonable to me for the people that are saying they would be willing to pay more for a better box.
 
[quote name='risktakr']Noboby cares about your box or this game. Stop posting on this thread. I do not want to see this on top of the deals thread anymore. Thank you.[/QUOTE]

I don't threadcrap when I see a "Dude, Sports!" or "Action, Brofist!" thread, so you could at least have the decency to fuck off when you know you're not wanted.
 
[quote name='darksagerk']i don't threadcrap when i see a "dude, sports!" or "action, brofist!" thread, so you could at least have the decency to fuck off when you know you're not wanted.[/quote]
+1
 
The important thing here is that this game, while decent for big JRPG or strategy game fans, is not worth $60 with any number of extras, and this is a matter of critical and consumer record for the releases in other regions. The fact that this thread and the NA release has gained so much attention must therefore be due to the word "naughty" appearing in its title despite the "T" rating, or the particularly strange box-ins.

Now that I'm finished bashing this game, I do have a PS3 EU disc version for sale. One could certainly PM me if interested. Admittedly, I put at least 50 hours into it and probably would've finished it if I hadn't already played Cross Edge, which is quite similar in many respects.
 
[quote name='G-Nitro']my box came fine through Amazon without issues and is not flimsy in my opinion. In fact, it's about the same thickness as many LEs/CEs that come in the same style.
[/QUOTE]

Um, I have most limited editions of Aksys/NIS/Atlus games, including Agarest, and Agarest definately feels the flimsiest.

Also, I haven't had time to sit through reading the past two pages, but I have to respond to the Aksys rep. We're not asking for steel cases. We're asking for less flimsy cardboard boxes. To be honest, the box feels very flimsy, and I noticed that when I push on one side of the box so that the mouse pad inside is flush with that side, the other side bulges out from the mousepad pushing against it. So in this case, I believe the box is slightly smaller than it should be. I'm sure this caused a lot of problems with people's boxes creasing on the sides.

I'm not saying I don't love the value, and I'm actually thinking about ordering a second one. I'd get the PS3 version but I really hate DL only versions, especially when they're over $20. And I might have even enjoyed an edition with 2 pillow cases more since I don't actually want the mouse pad, since they're not body pillows so it's not really usable in a double pillowed bed, but that's beside the point. But it would have made the packaging easier to do.
 
[quote name='artego']

Do you really believe those runs of SSFVI and SSVI are small? As for the PAX special edition ones, have you noticed how they're available constantly online now? Just because Capcom has the money they can lose on sticks to set up for promotional value, does not mean other companies can do the same.[/QUOTE]

Um the Comic Con stick was limited to 500 sticks 250 made for each system. The Femme Fatale stick was limited to 1000, 650 for xbox 360,350 for ps3. No where is it said that the new TE "S" stick that was made for Super Street Fighter 4 is limited. That is the new stick model to replace all the others so yeah, check your facts. 3000 sticks is not that limited for a old model stick with new art work sorry. Not when you can get the new TE "S" for $70 cheaper with a new design and pcb.

If the BlazBlue stick was a TE "S" it might make a little more since, but really the price point is bs and they deserve to be called on it. If you are that hard up for a stick with BlazBlue art work on it you can get the Hori BlazBlue stick for cheaper or better yet just get a TE "S" add your own BB art for less than $20 and move on.
 
[quote name='DarkSageRK']Seconded. Also, gonna need pics of that canvas. Now.[/QUOTE]

Here is the canvas along with the Death Smiles mini-banner.

SDC10194.jpg
 
Very cool though I'd personally be hesitant to ever display that, which would make 200, a lot to me with my current crappy job, a big waste =/

Other than the game itself, the box/goodies will probably never be sitting around in my room.
 
[quote name='G-Nitro']Here is the canvas along with the Death Smiles mini-banner.[/QUOTE]

I've never had much of a desire for collectibles or anything other than the actual games, but even I've gotta say.. that's a sweet pickup.
 
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