Are We Not Your PAL?

I consider myself to be a serious gamer, both in my faith in the medium and my defence of games as a credible art form. There is however one aspect of the video game industry which frustrates me more than any other, to the point that my tolerance is occassionally pushed far more than I’d like. That would be – in case the title hasn’t tipped you off already- the subject of PAL release dates.

I’m not bemoaning the fact that PAL gamers must wait an extra day or two, something so trivial would not be worth complaining about, let alone enough to write an article on. I’m referring to the biggies, the monthly if not yearly gaps between two regions (two words: Chrono Trigger) that makes even the most resilient gamer question their loyalty to publishers.

I get the feeling that publishers do not value the PAL region anywhere close to the extent of Japan or North America. Using Pokémon as an example, I consider it reprehensible that Nintendo actively deprive PAL gamers from accessing content already on the cartridge. With organised events, players get the ability to download a special item in order to unlock an otherwise unattainable legendary Pokémon. Traditionally, PAL gamers do not see such events, leading to portions of Fire Red / Leaf Green and Ruby / Sapphire that cannot be seen by a PAL gamer without the aid of a cheat cartridge. The wi-fi capabilities of the DS have allowed PAL gamers to gain access to bonus content, alleviating player frustration, but ultimately, it’s the equivalent of playing Call of Duty online and being told of a special perk you cannot obtain on the grounds that you are European. You are morally inclined to be offended.

Tearfully, I regret to reveal that I once attended such an event at a branch of Borders in Preston, standing in the doorway hoping my DS will pick up the wi-fi signal without me having to humiliate myself by walking over to the face painting table, all for the sake of obtaining an item opening up a new island so I can obtain #492 Shaymin.

If PAL gamers are made to wait, publishers ought to at least reward our loyalty and our restraint from not burning their offices to the ground. I’ve always admired the way Konami gave PAL gamers the definitive versions of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater to apologise for the extended wait; granting players access to exclusive content, while the rest of the world would have to wait for their respective Substance and Subsistence editions. We even got our own difficulty level, how many games can offer that level of fan-service?

Again, Konami seemed to offer the solution by releasing Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots simultaneously worldwide. Square Enix, bless ‘em, made an effort to follow suit with Final Fantasy XIII, narrowing the gap between the Japanese, North American and PAL release far quicker than their previous efforts. It is common film knowledge that a huge mainstream film release tends to make all of its money in the opening weekend. Such business practise extends to video game development, especially games such as MGS 4and FF XIII, giving Hollywood a run for their money in the budget stakes. As a result, Konami’s profits ballooned with MGS 4, partially because every gaming region could purchase it on the same day.

Obviously, this method is impractical for small companies; obscure titles need to mature, slowly finding an audience over a period of weeks or months if not years. Releasing God Hand, Ico or Killer7 simultaneously worldwide would serve little purpose because first week sales would not be enough to justify the effort required.

One company I am completely sympathetic towards is Atlus, consistently selling appallingly small amounts of units on British shores. I admire their diligence, sticking with the PAL region for so long , and I fondly recall purchasing Persona 4 – one of the best games of the past decade – from a branch of ‘Chips’ on the day of release, brand new, for £20 (complete with soundtrack CD). It’s a worrying testament to the lack of faith retailers have with their products that I could purchase the game so cheaply on its first day. It also explains why the PAL region is yet to receive word of release dates for Persona 3: Portable (PSP), Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (DS) and Trauma Team (Wii).

The logical course of action would be to import. For a long time, importing has always been the last resort for gamers unwilling to wait patiently for a release date to be announced. Demon’s Souls was a particularly popular import title, as I’m sure will Atlus’ upcoming Catherine, one of my most anticipated games of the year, if not for those reasons.

Importing is a solution of course, but not an answer to the underlying problem. PAL gamers shouldn’t have to import titles just to be able to enjoy them, if the ability to import even exists. Ever since Lik-Sang’s untimely demise at the hands of a Sony lawsuit, websites such as Play-Asia would wisely prefer to not acknowledge the PAL region, lest they also get sunk by the HMS Greed, currently afloat in the Sony Harbour.

It is unfair that most of my ire is directed at Japanese games because I am perfectly aware of the costs and demands that localisation requires. Sparse release dates also work both ways. It took Japan close to two years to get their hands on Mass Effect after all. It’s largely the wait between North America and the UK I find perplexing, given how little changes to the North American version are actually required. Nowadays, publishers really have no excuse to keep gamers waiting, maligned and forced to sit twiddling their thumbs, eyeing Metacritic scores and longing for the game they desire to hurry the hell up and get into their disc trays.

It’s been a long, laborious process but the point I’ve been painfully crawling towards is now in sight; that innovative, quality titles deserve an audience; otherwise what was the point of developing them in the first place? Cloud gaming seems to be a publisher’s saving grace, with great titles such as Amnesia: The Dark Descent available to gamers online on the same day regardless of geographical region. Cloud gaming makes the term ‘region’ irrevelent, the internet has no borders or boundries holding games back. An entire article can be dedicated to the advantages (not to mention disadvantages) of cloud gaming, but I feel as though I ought to narrow my focus for the time being.

Review scores travel, the hype of a game receiving outstanding critical acclaim will resonate amongst the rest of the gaming world. Atlus themselves were genuinely surprised by Demon’s Souls success in Europe, proving that there is a demand for fantastic, if niche games. It pays to not frustrate players by suggesting that a PAL release may never occur, and then who would really be missing out; gamers or shareholders?