On the one hand, yes, Westernized RPGs and free-form games have basically make the more linear story-driven games Japan loves more of a persona non gratis in the modern environment. On the other hand, so what? You make a good game, people will buy it. You make a crap game, people won't. Mario is an Italian plumber who beats up dinosaurs and sentient mushrooms, for whom mushrooms, technocolor flowers, and stars with eyes on them are his chief weapons. When you take two steps back, it's a damn weird concept, but it worked because the gameplay was so damn good. Bring to the market games that rock, and the market will follow. If that means evolving your model, then evolve it. It's not about East or West, its about how much fun we get out of our 50-60$ investment, plus time devoted to playing it.
Inafune: It's a "Dark Time" for Japanese Studios
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
All the Japanese need to do to turn their games around is to start penning solid stories set in less fanciful worlds. I think there are three main approaches to current, game based, Japanese storytelling:
1. Virtually non-existent (Crystal Chronicles)
2. Starts reasonably enough but then dives head first into a pit of convoluted absurdity (Metal Gear: Solid 1 - 3)
3. Was on track to becoming a number 2 but ran out of time and/or money after recording 5% of the dialogue so the developer just threw what they had together to make some incoherent rubbish (Dead of Alive 2 and 3)
It should be noted that there are two tonal variations of each type of story - hammy (Ninja Gaiden) or angsty (FF7 onward).
1. Virtually non-existent (Crystal Chronicles)
2. Starts reasonably enough but then dives head first into a pit of convoluted absurdity (Metal Gear: Solid 1 - 3)
3. Was on track to becoming a number 2 but ran out of time and/or money after recording 5% of the dialogue so the developer just threw what they had together to make some incoherent rubbish (Dead of Alive 2 and 3)
It should be noted that there are two tonal variations of each type of story - hammy (Ninja Gaiden) or angsty (FF7 onward).
Exactly, or Konami from that stand point, infact aren't Capcom's games selling pretty well over here too, I saw a tonne of adverts for Lost Planet 2 and that isn't even an important game. Then we see Sega doing pretty well too, not to mention smaller devs like Clover, Team Ico, Rising Star, Level 5 etc. doing very well with japanese games like Bayonetta, No More Heroes and Professor Layton.Najos said:
So what if Halo or COD sell stupidly well, where was the last JFPS this gen?
So what if Mass Effect and Elder Scrolls are big games at the moment, JRPGs have ruled the consoles long enough and still need to find a good balance between presentation and gameplay this gen.
The japanese still pretty much own the platforming and action genres as well as the quirky artsy games that evolve the gaming industry, they need to chill out and realise that the world changes and you can't make art that pleases everyone.
Because, gee, catering to one country is less profitable than catering to the entire Western world.
Who'da thunk it?
Besides, a lot of us Westerners enjoy Japanese games, and I'm willing to bet a lot of Japanese would like Western games if they weren't so xenophobic. Can't we all just get along?
Who'da thunk it?
Besides, a lot of us Westerners enjoy Japanese games, and I'm willing to bet a lot of Japanese would like Western games if they weren't so xenophobic. Can't we all just get along?
Let's be honest here, when he means, "All I see are Western games.", he really means, "All I see are FPS games."