When I first heard about XSEED and Marvelous Games doing a PC port of the PlayStation Vita version of Shinovi Versus, I was hyped. The Estival Versus installment is more so a side story about deceased loved ones. SKEV was released on the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4.
I also noted that XSEED had planned to do a GOG/Good Old Games (correct me if I’m wrong) version which I was aiming to purchase, mainly because having a Senran Kagura game for PC that’s DRM-free allows me to play the game on whatever machine I own because I purchased it – just like buying the retail copy back before DRM was a thing.
I’m not saying that Steam is a bad platform, but the fact it requires you to be either logged in or set to “Offline Mode” is annoying. So a few nights ago, I asked XSEED and Marvelous twitter the following question:
Hey @marvelous_games @XSEEDGames, does the PC version of Senran Kagura SV have any differences between Steam & GOG versions? – @coburn64
Soon after I went to bed, I got the following reply which I found in the morning:
@coburn64 @marvelous_games There is only a Steam version because we ran into some technical difficulties with our DRM-free development. – @XSEEDGames
I sent back:
@XSEEDGames Ah, thanks for clarifying. – @coburn64
Since the PC Port of Shinovi Versus is going to feature online play, it dawned on me why the game couldn’t be DRM-free: The game likely will need to have tamper and cheat protection against mischief makers, and Valve’s Anti-Cheat is pretty effective. While it may not catch the determined hackers that know how to work around the protection, but to keep the game from losing it’s momentum, you’d want to have some cheat protection against mainly people who want to ruin it for everybody else, be it godmode/infinite health, aim-bots and the like.
Sure, it would be nice to have a version on GOG that would be DRM free, but having online multiplayer support would be a nightmare if there was not some sort of cheat protection, plus update management. Unless you’re using the optional GOG client, you’d have to either re-download SKSV or download a patch file to bring the game up to date.
So, that being said, as soon as it hits the Steam Stores on June 1st, 2016 I’m going to throw my wallet at the screen and buy the game. Nothing wrong with mashing buttons, having flying boobs and girls getting serious with each other. Ahem. Uncensor patch when?
I wanted to play this game, but I flat out refuse to give any money to Steam.
Guess this is one game I’ll never play, then.
*sigh*
There is always the Vita version but that requires you to actually have a PS Vita and the game card. There are other means of getting the game via torrents – although I do not endorse piracy – but usually those outlets have the risk of virus-infected versions or the game release doesn’t have the latest updates. From what I’ve seen so far, the latest update has some big improvements that increase performance and basically optimizes the game across the board addressing complaints about the game feeling like a rushed port from the Vita version.
Yeah, I’d have to buy a Vita.
But paying upwards of £200 for just one game isn’t worth it in my opinion.
A PS4 port would be nice, too. But I don’t forsee that happening.
There’s Estival Versus for the PS4, but it takes place in “alternate dimension” – much like how the new Neptunia games do (especially Action Unleashed U). I’d love to see remasters for the 3DS games and the Vita SKSV as a very nice package – take the graphics from Estival Versus (characters, environments, etc) and use them to remaster the originals. Unfortunately, even how the producer has said in the past that “the core installments will be on portable consoles”… it might not happen.
I think we’ll slowly see Senran Kagura on the PC though. It’s bound to happen – I was considering a Vita for SKSV days before the announcement it was headed to PC came out.