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Resident Evil 4 for PS2

Posted by Zonk on from the braaaaaainsstation dept.

slumpy writes "An article Gamespot is running states that Resident Evil 4, the highly anticipated exclusive from Capcom, will no longer be for Gamecube only, breaking the deal they had with Nintendo. Does this show Nintendo's third-party support dwindling even more?"

26 of 48 comments (clear)

  1. exclusivity is only temporary these days by Acidic_Diarrhea · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Most third party games that sell well don't stay exclusive forever. Resident Evil 4 is going to be exclusive to the Gamecube for nearly a year. That's a pretty good window for Nintendo to sell Cubes in.

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    I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
    1. Re:exclusivity is only temporary these days by McKinney83 · · Score: 1

      I agree that it's a good window of exclusivity, but I don't think that RE:4 would really be a console seller.
      Most people who are into survival horror probably own PS2 (Fatal Frame 1&2, all the RE games, and the Silent Hills), and since this game is coming out for the PS2 anyway I really don't see people buying a NGC just to have a game early.

      I'm not trying to say people won't buy one partly because of this, but I don't see it being a huge boost to their sales.

      --
      Winner of The Second Annual Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence.
    2. Re:exclusivity is only temporary these days by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Actually, I've always thought that the GameCube was doing pretty good with survival horror. We have ALL of the Resident Evil games (including Zero, which the PS2 does not have), as well as Eternal Darkness. Silent Hill is notably missing, but I think that Eternal Darkness makes up for it. (btw, Resident Evil: Remake sold better on GameCube than Silent Hill 2 on PS2)

      I thought that Resident Evil 4 would really be the clincher.

    3. Re:exclusivity is only temporary these days by lion2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's a pretty good window, but announcing this totally kills it. Capcom should've waited till a couple of months after the game was released on the Gamecube to announce this. Now PS2 owners know they are getting it and will just wait for it to be released for them.

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      #####Free and Open Source Game Directory#####
    4. Re:exclusivity is only temporary these days by cgenman · · Score: 1

      Remember, Capcom got onto this whole Evil / 'Cube kick because it was rehashing games that were mostly available on the PS1, and finding them selling surprisingly well. I don't think anyone expected a port of a PS1 game to generate as much hype or sales as RE:1 did, and with the costs they sunk into it I bet it was one of their most profitable titles for the year. Thanks to that, the 'Cube got more and more entrenched with Resident Evil. Someone probably just came to their senses WRT RE:4, and realized that a PS2 port was not only a viable option, but a good one.
      Generally 3rd parties in the industry are platform agnostic, and would be well advised to stay that way.

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      The ______ Agenda
    5. Re:exclusivity is only temporary these days by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 4, Interesting

      But you see, the problem is that the creator of Resident Evil, Shinji Mikami, absolutely HATES the PS2, and has publicly stated that he was trying to keep Resident Evil off of it. I think he's going to be quitting pretty quick now because of this.

      Also, Nintendo has been very good to Capcom. They have even allowed Capcom to develop THREE Zelda games. Capcom has responded to all of this by stabbing Nintendo right in the back.

  2. Netcraft confirms it... by Xaroth · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nintendo is dying!

    Er, wait. I'm guessing that Capcom just decided to branch out a bit, and that the money they'd make on the PS2 after porting would be greater than that they'd make with an exclusive GameCube deal.

    --
    That green slime had it coming.
  3. I'm going to miss Mikami. :( by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The only thing I can tell you now is Resident Evil 4 will definitely release only on GameCube, not on another console, if it happens, I will cut my head off.

    After years of promising Nintendo and its fans that Resident Evil 4 would ONLY be for GameCube, Capcom shows its true colors.

    I am mostly angry because ports always go TO the PS2, and not vice versa. Viewtiful Joe did well on GameCube, and it was a great game. So it got ported to PS2 (and sold horribly). Resident Evil 4 is about the most hyped game on GameCube right now, so Capcom decides that they will avoid the whole "not selling well on PS2", and announce the port before the GameCube version even comes out.

    Meanwhile... Onimusha and Devil May Cry are doing well on PS2, but nobody thinks to bring them to GameCube.

    It's just irritating to a great degree.

  4. Its about money by LordZardoz · · Score: 2, Insightful

    PS2 is king as far as raw numbers go. A game that only does moderately well on the PS2, (say, 10% of PS2 owners buy game X) would need a much greater penetration on Gamecube or X-Box to match the sales.

    When the PS2 has about 50 million units sold, and the gamecube / X-Box have about 5 million each, then hitting 10% on the PS2 is going to match hitting 90% on the other platforms.

    And the only publisher that can expect to get 90% penetration on the Gamecube is Nintendo, and that is with one of their flagship titles.

    END COMMUNICATION

    1. Re:Its about money by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 1

      Now I don't have sales figures handy, but I am right positive that Xbox and GameCube have each sold more than 10 million units. And Sony I thought had sold something like 40 million units. (But I have often wondered just how much of that is replacement units? I know a guy who works at EBGames who says he's been through 4 PS2s so far, and I'm sure that you know at least one person who's been through 2 PS2s themselves. Hell, there was a lawsuit with Sony a while back over their shoddy hardware).

      But I think you have to remember that a GOOD game on GameCube can sell just as well as its counterparts. Take Soul Calibur II for example. It sold more copies on GameCube than either PS2 or Xbox, despite most people's issues with the GameCube's controller for fighting games.

      I don't have sales figures handy again, but I'm pretty sure that Viewtiful Joe sold more copies on GameCube than PS2. (If someone has a link to a site with sales figures for consoles/games, it would be appreciated if you could pass that on to me)

    2. Re:Its about money by hibiki_r · · Score: 1

      The problem for third parties developing for the GCN alone is the huge risk factor: Your game can sell a gazillion copies, like Soul Calibur did, but there is a good chance that it'll completely flop. The GCN market is really, really picky, and with great games in its most popular genres, few 3rd parties will risk making an exclusive, big budget game. Only Nintendo, knowing exactly which games have this mass appeal to the GCN market, dares to make something as big as Metroid or Zelda for the console.

      I for one don't have much problem with this. It might even make the GCN experience better for me: I've been horribly disappointed with some of my XBOX or PS2 buys, but every single game I've bought for the GCN has delivered. Whenever I buy a big bufget game for the XBOX, for example, I wonder if it's going to be as good as KOTOR or it will be a miss like Fable or Halo. This makes me value my GCN way more than any of the other two.

    3. Re:Its about money by DarkAdonis · · Score: 1

      One can argue that the GC version of Soul Calibur sold best beacause it had Link as the special character.

      I know someone who has both a PS2 and GC. One of the 3 games he owns for the Cube is Soul Calibur 2 because it has Link as the extra character.

      As a note the extra character in the PS2 version is Heiachi from the Tekken series. The Xbox's character is Spawn from the comics.

    4. Re:Its about money by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 1

      Well no doubt, but one can also argue that it sold well because it wasn't a half assed port, and took full advantage of the GameCube's hardware. It looked slightly better than the PS2 version, and didn't feature the god-awful load times found in most multiplatform games.

      Just on an almost completely unrelated note, Soul Calibur is one of my ~40 GameCube games because it's just a bloody good game.

  5. Re:haha by slumpy · · Score: 2, Informative

    I think we're all smart enough to understand it's to make a profit, and that's not why this is big news. It's big news because of Capom's announcement to keep the RE series Gamecube exclusive will no longer be honored. It's also a slap in Nintendo's face for their promise of the "Fantastic Five" which were slated to be Cube exclusives.

    --
    http://www.commaecho.com
  6. Eh? by itwerx · · Score: 3, Funny

    There's a Bush game out now?!?

    Oh, wait, never mind, I thought the headline said President Evil...

    :]

  7. Re:Bring on the load times by hibiki_r · · Score: 1

    What about the graphics? I've all 3 consoles sitting under my TV, and the PS2 games look noticeably worse than their XBOX and GCN counterparts. The lack of any anti-aliasing in most games makes every single edge diagonal edge look bad. Loading times are a factor, but it's a way smaller factor in multi platform games than comparing most PS2 loading times with games tailored specifically to the GCN, like Metroid Prime. Also, remember that bad programming can make any game's loading times too long, regardless of the machine. the XBOX has a DVD drive much faster than a PS2 IIRC, but Fable has loading times that can only be compared to an unpatched PC version of SiN, the mother of all loading times.

  8. Vegas odds? by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

    Which system will it sell better on?

  9. No surpirse... and no hard feelings by aceadean · · Score: 1

    As a nintendo fanboy, this announcement neither surprises me nor makes me mad. I wish I had source, but I read something last year(probably at IGN.com) when viewtiful joe for PS2 was announced that the "fab five" exclusivity deal was no more. I don't think there are any broken promises. It's Just business. While not a fan of the series, I am glad Capcom is offering RE4 as a "Game Cube First title." it will drive system sales at least a bit, and while I am a true Nintendo fan, I am also a realist, and realize that Capcom is out first, and foremost to make money...You can't argue that the PS2 has far outsold the GCN in terms of units, and will probably move more copies of RE4. If somebody is actually a rabid Resident Evil fan, then the GCN should be their system of choice anyway. the entire series is available on it(excluding some bizre first person game, and resident evil online..Poor reviews for both) ane we have REzero. Now, for any of you who want to know where the REAL quality gaming will be this holiday season, make sure to pick up your copy of Metroid Prime2!

  10. What about the graphics? by Bagels · · Score: 1

    I'm not trying to be a Nintendo fanboy here, but the simple fact of the matter is that the PS2 doesn't push as many polygons as the XBox or Cube. Capcom's done this port from Cube to PS2 thing before with Viewtiful Joe, and they had to noticably cut down on special effects in the port (mostly just cutting out alpha-blending on some objects). VJ didn't push the Gamecube to its limits, graphically speaking, but RE4 almost certainly will, and if it does ever come out on the PS2, I'd expect it to be rather lacking.

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    --- Bwah?
  11. You want RE4? Sure, just give me GTA:SA by hoser · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'll happily see Resident Evil 4 go to the PlayStation IF we see Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas come to the GameCube. Sounds fair, doesn't it?

    --


    hoser: Slashdot reader since 1987.
  12. Re:Well thanks captain obvious! by markimusk · · Score: 1

    Speanking of ports, I'm still waiting for DOAX on the PS2...

  13. Re:Bring on the load times by bitwiseNomad · · Score: 1

    Ahem. Two words. "Finding Nemo".

    Oh, why does it have to happen to all the A-list titles?

    --

    Light is filtering down from above. Would you like to use DIVE?
  14. Yes, but... by koi88 · · Score: 1


    Nintendo is dying!

    Yes, but does it run BSD?

    --

    I don't need a signature.
  15. Re:I'm going to miss Mikami. :( by Shakey_Jake33 · · Score: 1

    Capcom always did have a habbit of going back on what they say though.

    Remember when they promised Sega gamers that XMen Vs. Street Fighter would only be coming out for the Saturn (thanks largely to the 4Meg Expansion the Saturn had)? Before changing their minds and releasing it on the PlayStation anyway.

    Luckily this worked in the Saturn owners favour, as the PlayStation version was severely cut down (you couldn't even change characters in mid-fight), and only served to show off the Saturn's superior 2D capabilities.
    I can't see GameCube owners getting such luck though... I have the Biohazard 4 demo from Famitsu myself, and unless the later areas of the games are something special, it's nothing the PlayStation2 can't handle.

    Hell, this isn't even the first time Capcom have pulled this stunt in *this* generation... Killer 7 and Viewtiful Joe are prime examples.

  16. Everybody remember this: by xgamer04 · · Score: 1

    I know it's a bit late, but you need to remember this:
    OMG N1NT3ND0 SI T3H D00M3D!11

    --
    When you look at the state of the world, how can you not become a radical, liberal anarchist?
    1. Re:Everybody remember this: by Headcase88 · · Score: 1

      I've never seen that before. It's pretty good.

      --
      "When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"