Two titles have been delayed in Japan, and one is flat-out canceled.
According to sources citing "various circumstances," Sony and Sega have announced delays for MotorStorm: Apocalypse and Yakuza: Of The End , and Irem has canceled Disaster Report 4 . The latest Yakuza entry now has a vague "TBA" date for Japan, as does Apocalypse , which had been expected to launch on March 17. Nobody said anything about the troubles afflicting the Land of the Rising Sun, but the influence seems obvious; all the games in question feature disaster themes of some sort. In other news that relates to the Japanese crisis, Square-Enix has announced they've temporarily shut down the servers for Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV . As for the new MotorStorm , it also seems the European relaese is "under discussion," so it may or may not arrive in that region this week. For the record, the game will arrive in North America on April 12.
We doubt anybody is going to complain. There are much bigger things going on in the world right now.
Yakuza of the end? Is that related to the zombie yakuza? What is the Yakuza of the end about?
zombies
One thing I want to say about this whole crisis in Japan. My heart goes out to the people in Japan. The news and images coming from there have been utterly heart wrenching. But I have confidence that they will bounce back.
Obviously we can all help with charitable giving to relief agencies, but we should also consider that our game and other hobby purchasing can have a direct benefit to Japan as well. So supporting Japanese gaming companies through your purchases is a great thing to do as well, continued economic activity in Japan is as important in the long run as any immediate relief aid is. Some will say that we should concentrate on our own economy first. Perhaps so, but in this interconnected world Supporting Japan at this time is essentially the same as supporting ourselves.
Either way, delays to games are natural at a time like this, all it does is give us time and reason to find the special pre-order editions of these games.
I'm surprised we haven't seen more delays and problems. The devastation is horrible.
Some links to satellite images of the disaster areas…(you many need to sit before viewing, these are sobering images);
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html?hp
The last image at this link is terrifying, it shows two towns that have been washed away to the point where all that remains are ancient stream beds;
http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm
The devastation is horrible, and so is the loss of life and water, power, food, gasoline, and shelter.
Not to incite a riot among certain individuals, but as an American that felt tremendous emotion for 9/11, I think the tragedy visited upon Japan is much worse than that.
It's almost unbelievable how much the entire country has been damaged.
To compare the two is not fair I actually was involved in a debate about this in my Geographical Studies class. The difference between that of a natural disaster and that of a man made one is simply far too varied to compare and contrast. What I as many Americans felt on 9-11 was that of dis-belief, horror, shock, anger, and grief. I'm sure they feel partially the same, but the emotional standpoint cannot be compared. It's easier to accept mother nature took some one you love away from you than it is to accept a man with ill purpose and bad intention with a grudge is. We felt anger and sorrow, they perhaps feel along the lines of sorrow and discouragement. And that is where the difference lies.
But the point is we are all human, we all feel pain.
Last edited by JMO_INDY on 3/14/2011 1:42:29 PM
Undoubtedly, but I don't think it is unfair to compare the two events. I don't mean the events as a man-made event as opposed to a natural disaster, but compared as a terrible event with destruction and loss of life.
Were the lives lost to 9/11 worth more that the lives lost in the natural disaster, simply because 9/11 was planned by men?
Like I said I don't want to incite hard feelings and I don't want to minimise the tragedy of 9/11, I just think the death toll and destruction from this earthquake far outstrip what happened to us and I hope that they can persevere through.
By no means was I inciting that the lives lost on 9-11 were worth more, but I think in order to accept a man killed a loved one you have to remember they cut your loved one's life shorter than what it was meant to be, while mother nature determines it was their time. I believe that a natural disaster is less of anger enticing event than a terrorist attack. Both are terrible events in history, and will be remembered as so, but hopefully it will be written that the people of Japan persevered and came out stronger from it as the US did in it's time of darkness. It is through the trials of adversity that we come together and become stronger as a species, and as neighbors. Being a good neighbor is what that country needs. Even if that neighbor is separated by the Pacific Ocean.
I think we're saying the same thing only the way I went about seemed to weigh one event against the other. That wasn't my intention. What I meant to do was contrast the devastation from one another not lend more credence to one or another.
I'm by no means trying to fight with you, my point is that human life is lost every day, in occurrences like this in large numbers, one must find a way to accept that, and I would find more peace in the fact that it was mother nature that did it rather than a man, and I'm pretty much saying I'm glad it wasn't human influenced I suppose, as it's not an easy event to take in. I myself found Katrina easier to accept than 9-11 for these reasons.
The delays are understandable, my heart goes out to the people who were effected by the earthquake
I hope the disaster's stop these people don't deserve this!
To be completely honest nobody does, not just Japan, but if it happened to anyone it would devastating. But it came off (not saying it's what you meant) as if it happened somewhere else it would be ok, which I have seen people saying which is pretty sad in itself.
the only thing I care about right now is getting some money that I have laying around to a charity to aid the victims of the quake/tsunami especially since I have a family member living there. so with that mind I don't care if a game was delayed or not.
Last edited by A2K78 on 3/14/2011 12:59:06 PM
Indeed and agreed.
No kidding!
I care less about a delay. I just hope the people of Japan to be safe and keep hope. I know they've got something going on to help people locate others who are in Japan.
These people do not need prayers, they need all the blankets, canned goods, and monetary donations they can get that prayer just cant provide. You don't need to believe in god to care, empathize, and love one another, all of those are human characteristics, not chrisitian.
Well said my friend, well said.
I second that. Considerably.
Thats true, very true.
But that said, apart from giving money theres not muuuuch else i can do to help is there. i cant fly out and help em myself. so yeah, donate money and what not, by hell they need it, but whats wrong with prayer and empathy, christian or any other form.
Nothing wrong with it what-so-ever. My content meaning was that an action is much more helpful that that of a thought. While our brains tell our arms what to do, it's that reaction that helps us pick up the phone to donate money or drive our car to the nearest red cross. I myself an Atheist, and proud to be one, but I stand by the fact that empathy, caring, and love for one another is only possible through a human, and he or she does not need a higher power to help out their fellow man. I'm not bagging on religion by no means.
They need both JMO_INDY. Both.
Faith without action is dead.
Last edited by maxpontiac on 3/14/2011 3:24:17 PM
What I'm saying is sitting at your house silently praying for them and then acting like you did your part is not helpful. As they neither hear your prayer and receive hope or receive the benefits of an action.
@maxpontiac
Equally so, actions without faith, is also useless.
Wondering if we got that from the same source. 😉
@JMO
I read a book once called "God does not believe in the atheist." lol good book.
This is incredibly off-topic, but it would be wise instead to label yourself an "agnostic", since there is absolutely no way to be 100% sure there ISN'T a god, just as there is no way to be 100% the other way. You must make a decision to believe God does not exist. By definition, you are placing your faith, belief in the uncertain, unseen, or unknown, in the hope that there isn't a God. In other words, you believe there's no God, despite there being no way to prove it, and so, atheism is a faith based belief in and of itself, and therefore a contradiction.
Atheism = Belief in nothing… except you believe in believing in nothing. It is a paradox of sorts. It is far better from an academic standpoint to consider yourself an "agnostic" – without knowledge. Since you cannot prove one way or the other, you must conclude there is no way of knowing. From there you can decide to either try to learn more about the possibilities, or simply decide it is one of those things you are happy simply not knowing for sure. We all must be happy not knowing some things. You merely just pick which types of knowledge are most important to you. For example, I don't care one bit that I know next to nothing about theoretical physics.
Either way, agnosticism is far more academic than atheism. And as a future agnostic, it would be wise to consider the possibility that a prayer could very well be much more than a mere thought and it would be mature to be thanking people for doing what they "know" to be helpful. Even if you're pretty sure it won't help, since there's no way of knowing. Especially when they are done with good intentions. Although, I agree, that if the opportunity arises, it is better to act (since one could argue, one's own answer to prayer is the opportunity to help). But if prayer is all you have, then I "beleive" it should be encouraged! It certainly can't hurt anything! lol
Anyways, to me, while I 100% agree that ignoring an opportunity to help through physical action with the excuse of "prayer" is really stupid, I can't help but think outright discouraging prayer or putting it down as a mere "thought" is born out of misdirected bitterness towards religions in general, and potentially does far more harm than good… to you and those you discourage.
Like I said… what can honest prayer hurt if it's all one has to give?
EDIT: Sorry for the late edit. Started adding more then got a phone call…
Last edited by Underdog15 on 3/14/2011 6:53:52 PM
I personally label myself as an Agnostic, but when speaking publicly about which religious path I chose, I say Atheist as opposed to agnostic as most people don't know what the hell Agnosticism is, so It's easier to say Atheist when in public discussions I find.
I understand that, hence my comment. I usually avoid debates or discussions regarding religion or ones beliefs due to the immense amount of counter-productivity it represents.
However, when it comes to prayer, all I am going to say is this —
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16 (NIV)
It really is sad to see the images that are coming back from over there. The amount of destruction is mindblowing, but there's something to be said for the human spirit. People can bounce back from anything, and I sure that Japan can come back from this, better than before. I must say though, they were far more prepared than any other country in the world with the early warning systems, quake-proof buildings and tsunami gates. Still devastating. The delays are unfortunate, but they don't really matter
Peace.
I'm actually looking for a place to send canned goods and maybe some supplies. I can't directly donate as I have no money, but I have plenty of canned goods that sit in the pantry. The Japan crisis on top of my mother getting hurt have made a depressing week indeed. They need all the help they can get.
Makes sense that this is happening. Motorstorm is just a game, and what's happening over in Japan is far more serious.
Last edited by maxpontiac on 3/14/2011 1:40:37 PM
Apparntely sony have stopped production full stop. Surely that means more than just these two games?
I've been reading up on the situation and things just seem to keep getting worse down there. My heart goes out to everyone in Japan. I just hope the disasters STOP NOW so that they can focus on finding survivors and loved ones. Although I'm more broke than I'd like to be I've realized from this tragedy how lucky I am to have what I do. I've been wanting to help out in some way but I don't really have it. I gotta get a solid job! I just wanna help. Because if I was in their same situation I'd want help too.
Since I live about 30 miles from where the eye of Hurricane Katrina made landfall and had to live through that ordeal, I sympathize with the people of Japan, and to an extent, know what they are going through. These are tough times over there and it's most likely still going to get worse in the coming days before it gets better, and there are more important things they need to worry about than keeping a deadline. The games can come at a later date or put on hold indefinitely. I've donated twice to them so far, and will probably do so again when I get paid next week. It's the least I can do, and I feel obligated to give back after all the donations and support they gave us during our disaster down here.
I think its safe to say no one with any decency gives a damn about the games considering the situation, so i too wish recovery and good health upon those in japan.
I hope they get over this.
they will get over this. humans can be pretty resilent when it comes to natural disaters. after the intitial shock, people seem to pull together to rebuild. i thought i heard 1800 lives lost. that pales in comparison to lives lost in that devestating tsunami that wiped out indonesia.
anyways, they will get through this in time.
Official reports are apparently saying the death toll is 10,000 and expected to climb
My hope is that all the Japanese PSXE commenters and their families are ok.
The Disaster Report games were low budget games and they were never trying to impress gamers by having fancy graphics. However the games were completely original and fun to play. I wish I could have had the same experience on the PS3 that I had on the PS2. Oh well
::Eating a Sandwich::
Did I miss something?
I was smuggling bananas and grape nuts. Nothing you haven't seen before.
Must've been a big sandwich.
Oh, not much. Just the deaths of possibly 10,000 people, and a country that's basically been punched in the face by Mother Nature. I'm sure you don't care at all though, do you LV?
Wow….I didn't think anything I wrote was offensive or negative. I really was eating a sandwich and I really have been ignorant to the whole situation in Japan.
Way to look foolish LairFan. You're a meanie pants.
Oh and it was a huge sandwich. Meatballs, salami, onions, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil. HMMMM HMMM
To be fair LV kind of lightened the mood and I appreciated it as it was kind of funny, as I pictured him walking into a room eating a huge sandwich and saying Did I miss something haha
People think that if you don't express your feeling on the internet when they'res a crisis, then you a cold-hearted *******. 0_o
Can I buy that sandwich in a shop? Sounds familiar.
Disaster report has been canceled eh?
That's too bad, I watched a developer interview on a Japanese channel once and it looked fun.
Mother nature can be cruel sometimes but what can we do?
ya know, in the 12th century, the mongols were set to invade japan and as they sailed, a divine wind created a tsunami that effectively wiped out the mongol navy, preventing complete domination of asia by the mongols. the japanese called that divine wind the "kamikaze"
in 2011, the mongols had their revenge.