"I think the problem really is more about where people are looking and who they're targeting. A lot of creators are just focused on Japan and the Japanese market and aren't really aware of what people around the world want. Regarding technology, I think in Japan there are less people going abroad, and maybe less people going to, say, M.I.T. and being at the cutting edge of things. From a technology standpoint, I think Japan is lagging behind a bit." - Hideo Kojima
I can agree that most Japanese devs don't have a world view when it comes to their games, but that's what I like. I like the idea of game types and genres that I just don't get from Western devs.
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I can agree that most Japanese devs don't have a world view when it comes to their games, but that's what I like. I like the idea of game types and genres that I just don't get from Western devs.
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I'm sorry, but I don't like what a lot of western games are doing.
I'm not a fan of everything that western developers are doing, but some really great things have come from them. All Western developers don't share the same brain.
Another thing that I've disliked is Japanese companies aren't sharing what they love and do with the rest of the world. The Ace Attorney and Harvest Moon games are great examples of how you can take something that may seem obscure in the video game industry and turn it into something that anyone in the world can enjoy and appreciate.
Say what you must about train simulators (like Densha de Go), visual novels and dating sims, but I believe that games like these can also be just as "normal" and well-received as any other game released West.
@LegendofSantiago
This. I don't get why everyone is calling for change in the Japanese game industry. If it's not broke, don't fix it.
@mock turtle
I'm pretty sure that Japanese developers who work within that very industry know a thing or two about what is working and what is no longer. Besides, there is a bigger picture to all of it then just, "I prefer this style of game development over this style," that fans keep using as an example of why they see no problem.
To me, if so many Japanese developers are saying that there is a growing problem with how things are going within the Japanese game industry, than I take them at their word. They would certainly know better than you or I.
It's not the problem about japanese games its just the problem that they do not seem to understand how to create the games they want to make. The perfect examples being Final Fantasy XIII Versus and The Last Guardian were both announced at E3 2006 and neither game has been released to this very day! Or How Grand Turismo 5 took so many years and was simply..okay. Just like Final Fantasy XIII took many years and was only...passable at okay. Something is really going on in the japanese gaming industry. I would know since before the 360/PS3 era I'm not sure I could ever even count western games I played on one hand. Now besides the big guns like Nintendo that will never die out it's turning into the complete opposite. 90% of the games I play now are probably western.
They should also figure out how to properly use DLC...
I have to agree with Mr. Kojima. I love Japanese games and Japanese culture but it does feel like Japanese developers struggle to adapt to the ps3 and 360 hardware. When they have to keep things simple because of hardware limitations they produce much better titles: DS and PSP have better Japanese titles than ps3 and 360 put together.
I don't think Japanese developers should try to "copy" or be like Western Developers but there are aspects of Western Developers that could improve Japanese games:
1) Wonky Camera and Controls. For some strange reason, 3rd person games made in Japan tend to have problems with the camera movement and controls, they really should fix that.
2) Choppy CGI sequences. Games like Uncharted are a great example how to change from a playable sequence to a CGI sequence without stopping the action. Japanese games have this tendency of stopping the action completely for several seconds.
3) Stop giving Japanese titles to Western Developers (or keep your franchises under control). Many Japanese Developers (Capcom, Konami...) just didn't know what to do with their big franchise so they give the product to Western Developers: Silent Hill, Resident Evil 5, Bionic Comando, Devil May Cry... There is nothing wrong to work with Western Developers but it's important keeping the spirit of the franchise as close of the original concept as possible.
I agree 100%. Thats why 99% of my games are Japanese. I guess the wests world view of blowing stuff up and shooting people doesn't interest me in the least.
The Japanese industry needs to look itself over. They don't need to adapt western styles per say, but they need to do stop clinging to the past.
I could probably list a dozen western games that blow just about any Japanese game out of the water from the last generation. Such as Portal 2, Batman Arkham City, Rayman Origins, just to name a couple. Even Nintendo needs to step forward. Voice overs anyone? I am calling it now, Zelda HD won't have voice overs and it will be a weaker game because of it.
And before anyone jumps down my throat about it, your a hypocrite if you think voice overs won't improve the experience cause I know that if Nintendo took the time to do quality voice overs the same people saying voice overs would "ruin" Zelda would be on the tallest buildings they could find scream how "genius" Nintendo was for doing something 10 years behind everyone else!
The way Kojima puts it, seems that the problem is more of a standpoint of system capability than one of game design.
Look at the Doujin Market or PC gaming in general...not a lot of graphic intensive games, almost as if Dreamcast grade graphics were the peak for most Japanese developers.
I'm not saying Japan needs to adopt grimdark realistic bald space marines chugging at 20-25 FPS at fake 720p (lol 540p and 600p), but it does seem that more developers over there came unprepared for the technological demands that sprung after the 360 and PS3 hit the market for quite some time. The scale has changed and few have prepared for it...it's been 7 years since the XBox 360, it's either adapt or die.
When Japanese developers have to outsource to Western devs just to have a big ambitious graphic intensive products out the door and they're the ONLY ones to do so, that doe become a problem that needs fixing.
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Well the truth is when something has a shadow its not usually black, it's a darker shade of the color. Shades of gray are a lot more common to see than black unless it's a very dark enviroment. And the gray argument for japanese games could be exchanged for brown in western games.
They should at least use darker shades of color. Everything seems too light and grey, even when in dark caves.
Fade to black? Nope!
Fade to grey...
What your saying is the tales games have very poor contrast. If you've ever taken an art class you'll know what that means.
I like a good mix of different types of games from different regions, companies, developers, and styles. What I don't like, is having a "multiplayer" title that lacks either local or online or a "lengthy" single player adventure that I either have to A. buy all the DLC to get the full amount of playtime from B. have to "grind" in order to progress or C. it falls short of quality and expectations that have been set back on SNES and PS1 because the game focused on graphics too much.
Regardless of where the game comes from I'll play it but companies need to keep games in those set standards and work from there imo. Not all games need multiplayer but if they have it, offer it for everyone, meaning, don't limit them to just online or just offline. If you're going to make a "lengthy" adventure, don't give me this 30 hour game that focus's more on graphics instead of actually being on par with what I was playing on PS1 and SNES. Also if you promise me a lengthy game, don't offer me a game that is only lengthy if you purchase the day 1 dlc that's already on the disc.
I'm pretty sure these aren't hard things to do, regardless of region.
"A lot of creators are just focused on Japan and the Japanese market and aren't really aware of what people around the world want."
I can agree that Japanese games should try to cater to as many tastes as possible; that is, designers should make more games that have universal appeal. However, that does not mean one should abandon what made your products so special and simply imitate their western counterparts.
My main objections towards japanese developers is how little care many J-RPGs ave towards localization, I know many will argue that subs are the way to go, but from a broad prespective the dub has to improve and adapt better dialogue and story events. The other concern is how japanese developers tend to avoid risks by not bringing some original stories to the west, or taking a long time to do so. Fro me the bottom line is the cultural barrier that still permeates the japanese games.
Those 2 titles you list are derivative sequels with outdated formulas.
There are plenty of crappy elements to those 2 games.
They couldn't blow any western game, let alone a Japanese one.
As for Rayman Origins...LOL
What's LOL about Rayman Origins?
It's a damned good game
No offense, but fanboy/jealousy much? Even if you don't like the three games much, they still have some strong gameplay merit. And Portal 2 and Arkham City are NOT derivative sequels with outdated formulas; with your reasoning, you might as well say that about Super Mario Galaxy (2), Pokemon Black/White, and Skyward Sword. What games do you consider to be the best of western and eastern design?
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