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[StuBurns]

I read somewhere from Japanese dev that it wasn't so much money being thrown around yet it was the free loan of dev kits when Sony was still stuggling at launch to even supply their first parties. This drastically cut down the dev budget for developers at launch and why so many supported the system at the beginning.

Remember that dev kits average 10k for just one so this would have been a big boon for them to drop initial dev costs for a game. Wish I could find that article.

Yeah, I've read that too, their support was apparently much better too. They did a lot to foster development early this generation, and it ultimately paid very little dividend, so I doubt they'll do it again.

 

[OldJadedGamer]

Yeah, I've read that too, their support was apparently much better too. They did a lot to foster development early this generation, and it ultimately paid very little dividend, so I doubt they'll do it again.

But if it is only the loaning of equipment why wouldn't they? They aren't giving it to them. If it gets them familar with Their hardware and tools for no cost then that is a win/win for both JPN devs and MS.

 

[gunbo13]

Why they should not create tools that they can work and be familiar with? It's not like adopting UE3 worked fine for Japanese companies. Also they're creating an engine they can work with for several projects, because the whole "one engine from one game" idea was really stupid.

Cause it takes them 4 years to do it. There is a language barrier with most engines. They go with one engine per publisher instead. Capcom is the only company doing that right with 3-4 hits. UE3 has Bioshock, Batman AA, Borderlands, Gears, ME, R6V, and many more. That's one western engine. What if SquareEnix decided to release 3-4 games on an outsourced engine vs. building crystal tools for FFXIII? Good? Bad? I don't know.

Frostbite 2, CE3, and UE4 show that western devs can make another smooth transition to next-gen and then some. UE3 basically debuted at the beginning of this generation but now we have engines that can scale beyond what consoles can do with ease. Next generation consoles will still likely not be able to fully tap an engines like UE4. PC releases are proof that the UE3 engine wasn't taken complete advantage of just from the frame-rate.

Western devs have tech that is 10 years ahead. If they develop on this tech all they have to do is scale back all releases for porting. Are we saying that JPN is close since they are just "now" changing some philosophies?

There's not enough blame on the consumer in this thread. Western gamers in general want sports and FPSs, while Japan gamers in general want portable play. Developers are essentially forced to cater to this to make money. As long as Japanese gamers are like that, then expect Japanese developers to handle home consoles the same way as they did this current generation.

I think that is a bunch of crap TBH. Great games sell. Flexible engines port to multiple platforms. They are just late on the changes.

 

[Data West]

There's not enough blame on the consumer in this thread. Western gamers in general want sports and FPSs, while Japan gamers in general want portable play. Developers are essentially forced to cater to this to make money. As long as Japanese gamers are like that, then expect Japanese developers to handle home consoles the same way as they did this current generation.

Rockstar Games sales figures would completely disagree.

 

[Eteric Rice]

I like how everyone seems to think the Vita will out right dominate. I really don't understand that prediction.

It's like the 3DS doesn't exist or something.

Anyway, Japan simply can't keep up with western developers. Their rigid corporate culture holds them back, as well as budgets.

Also, they cling to the anime visual style like a baby to a teet. They should look at Demon Souls to see what they need to do to appeal to the west.

 

[WillyFive]

I think Japanese developers, with a few exceptions, are pretty much done with consoles.

Yep. This gen was the transition period, I think we will see Japanese games make the full jump to handhelds next gen unless the console makers do something to stop it.

I like how everyone seems to think the Vita will out right dominate. I really don't understand that prediction.

It's like the 3DS doesn't exist or something.

The PSP is the Genesis to DS' SNES in Japan. Vita should be great competition for the 3DS in Japan. It's outside Japan where it's much less optimistic.

 

[FINALFANTASYDOG]

Well most of the industry is going to the social media type gaming sphere, so thats one place they could retreat to.

They already have, reading the Nikkei business series of interviews with the ceos of all the major companies, every single one of them has that as a major focus for their company, all already have thier foots in the door(the problem is the social networks are in Japan are even more country-specific then the handheld market is now).

 

[Gaogaogao]

If japan just wants to make ps vita and 3ds games, thats ok with me, as long as they are the best fucking games on the platform.

 

[Metroid-Squadron]

Western devs have tech that is 10 years ahead.

???

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

Cause it takes them 4 years to do it. There is a language barrier with most engines. They go with one engine per publisher instead. Capcom is the only company doing that right with 3-4 hits. UE3 has Bioshock, Batman AA, Borderlands, Gears, ME, R6V, and many more. That's one western engine. What if SquareEnix decided to release 3-4 games on an outsourced engine vs. building crystal tools for FFXIII? Good? Bad? I don't know.

Frostbite 2, CE3, and UE4 show that western devs can make another smooth transition to next-gen and then some. UE3 basically debuted at the beginning of this generation but now we have engines that can scale beyond what consoles can do with ease. Next generation consoles will still likely not be able to fully tap an engines like UE4. PC releases are proof that the UE3 engine wasn't taken complete advantage of just from the frame-rate.

Western devs have tech that is 10 years ahead. If they develop on this tech all they have to do is scale back all releases for porting. Are we saying that JPN is close since they are just "now" changing some philosophies?

S-E problems are way beyond that simply the time they needed to create the crystal tools. And their only engine outsorced game was a graphical mess which also was the main reason the game couldn't be released on PS3.

OK, now UE3 has better support for japanese companies, even so, Grasshopper had to hire several people familiar with the engine because they were having problems....

Abandoning their own tools for western tools, isn't the solution and neither was the main problem. Imo they should focus on portable/DL games, since it's the future of their own market.

 

[gunbo13]

???

UE4, CE3, and Frostbite 2 can be relevant for the next decade.

Abandoning their own tools for western tools, isn't the solution and neither was the main problem. Imo they should focus on portable/DL games, since it's the future of their own market.

It isn't about abandoning but direction. Why can't MT framework be licensed beyond Capcom? Maybe there isn't enough demand but I still would pose the question. What about a JPN company mirroring Emergent Game Technologies to make a Gamebyro type engine? People mentioned middleware but has there been success?

Maybe JPN console dev is dead. I don't know because that is very speculative. Though, you have to question why the dev philosophies are so different this generation. When an western game is announced for release one of the first questions is "on what engine?" How about a JPN release?... We assume it was some time sucking engine like crystal tools which still will be outclasses by western engines. And we are right. It's kind of lame when multiple western licensed engines outclass the best proprietary JPN engines in ability. You kind of have to ask why after it happens over and over.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Western devs have tech that is 10 years ahead.

Gross exaggeration, but they definitely were at the front of the pack in terms of rendering technologies at the beginning of this generation. I'm not sure that this is really the case anymore now that all of the graphical powerhouses are developing for consoles first. There's bound to be a bit of stagnation now that no one is really developing for the bleeding edge anymore.

 

[gunbo13]

Gross exaggeration, but they definitely were at the front of the pack in terms of rendering technologies at the beginning of this generation. I'm not sure that this is really the case anymore now that all of the graphical powerhouses are developing for consoles first. There's bound to be a bit of stagnation now that no one is really developing for the bleeding edge anymore.

That was bad phrasing by me. I meant "relevant" for 10 years, can utilize hardware for that long e.g. can last for a decade. I didn't mean the engines were 10 years ahead of other efforts as that is simply not true.

EDIT:
MT framework rivals some of the western best. Of course it is publisher-centric so it only is used for few games...sad.

 

[airmangataosenai]

I think the best thing they can do is to take the mistakes from this gen and learn from them. The biggest one was obviously the obsession with "Finding" the 360 market which ended in abject failure for virtually Japanese company that went for it (Square and Namco in particular though) and turned into a huge money pit. Kojima pretty much single handedly disproved that the only way to sell in the west was through the 360 but by then we were already pretty deep into this gen.

 

[RedSwirl]

I somewhat have a fatalistic view of Japanese developers at this point -- I think next-gen development for a lot of them will leave them behind. I strongly suspect that Konami & Capcom's engines will fall flat while people are clamouring for Metal Gears, Resident Evils, Final Fantasy, etc. and most of them will have their next big games/sequels on 3DS or Vita. I wouldn't be surprised if Konami and Capcom merge/get bought out by the other by the time the next-gen comes around.

I think as globalization continues we'll see more outsourced development for games by Japanese companies and purchases of development houses on the next Playstation or Xbox consoles.

The absolute worst case scenario is probably quite the opposite - The Japanese game industry becoming more like the Japanese film industry: doing just fine on its own but largely irrelevant on the world stage.

 

[RedSwirl]

Cause it takes them 4 years to do it. There is a language barrier with most engines. They go with one engine per publisher instead. Capcom is the only company doing that right with 3-4 hits. UE3 has Bioshock, Batman AA, Borderlands, Gears, ME, R6V, and many more. That's one western engine. What if SquareEnix decided to release 3-4 games on an outsourced engine vs. building crystal tools for FFXIII? Good? Bad? I don't know.

Frostbite 2, CE3, and UE4 show that western devs can make another smooth transition to next-gen and then some. UE3 basically debuted at the beginning of this generation but now we have engines that can scale beyond what consoles can do with ease. Next generation consoles will still likely not be able to fully tap an engines like UE4. PC releases are proof that the UE3 engine wasn't taken complete advantage of just from the frame-rate.

Western devs have tech that is 10 years ahead. If they develop on this tech all they have to do is scale back all releases for porting. Are we saying that JPN is close since they are just "now" changing some philosophies?

What's wrong with going one engine per publisher? That's exactly what EA and Zenimax are doing. For the most part that's what Ubisoft did this generation (well, two engines really).

Also, we haven't seen the Luminous engine at all, and we've only seen a bit of the Fox engine. Maybe those techs will be stuck at today's level, maybe they will be up to snuff along with that Tri-Ace engine.

Also, Epic has actually taken some pretty significant strides in getting Japanese UE3 documentation out there. They set up a whole Japanese division just for the task, and Japanese UE3 games are still being made.

 

[RedSwirl]

S-E problems are way beyond that simply the time they needed to create the crystal tools. And their only engine outsorced game was a graphical mess which also was the main reason the game couldn't be released on PS3.

OK, now UE3 has better support for japanese companies, even so, Grasshopper had to hire several people familiar with the engine because they were having problems....

Abandoning their own tools for western tools, isn't the solution and neither was the main problem. Imo they should focus on portable/DL games, since it's the future of their own market.

That's another issue. Downloadable games aren't really an option for the Japanese. It would probably be a better fit for a lot of them, but not enough Japanese gamers like to buy digital to sustain that market. We may end up with a future where retail releases in Japan get digital releases in the west.

 

[Lavalamp1138]

and Japanese UE3 games are still being made.

And Korean ones too!

 

[gunbo13]

What's wrong with going one engine per publisher? That's exactly what EA and Zenimax are doing. For the most part that's what Ubisoft did this generation (well, two engines really).

Also, we haven't seen the Luminous engine at all, and we've only seen a bit of the Fox engine. Maybe those techs will be stuck at today's level, maybe they will be up to snuff along with that Tri-Ace engine.

Also, Epic has actually taken some pretty significant strides in getting Japanese UE3 documentation out there. They set up a whole Japanese division just for the task, and Japanese UE3 games are still being made.

There's nothing wrong with one engine per publisher if you are successful at it. Since there is only one JPN publisher I can think of who pulled it off this generation, I'm not sure the idea should be highlighted.

Again, all of the counter-points are talking about the future. It's tough for JPN to start now with an even more expensive generation coming up. The west has a great mix. We have companies like Valve and id who create in-house engines prioritizing their release before licensing. They also allow editors which yield actual games in the future. We have companies like Epic, Crytek, and EGT who put licensing at an even higher importance (well EGT is obvious in this regard). We then have the under-wraps devs like ANET, Blizzard, and others who stay in-house.

JPN is just late on establishing a balance in their development industry. But the west basically started up in 2004-05 with a bang so it's tough to equate the two environments. All of the positive examples people are bringing up are great but at the same time, scrambles.

 

[Grayman]

What's wrong with going one engine per publisher? That's exactly what EA and Zenimax are doing. For the most part that's what Ubisoft did this generation (well, two engines really).

Also, we haven't seen the Luminous engine at all, and we've only seen a bit of the Fox engine. Maybe those techs will be stuck at today's level, maybe they will be up to snuff along with that Tri-Ace engine.

Also, Epic has actually taken some pretty significant strides in getting Japanese UE3 documentation out there. They set up a whole Japanese division just for the task, and Japanese UE3 games are still being made.

While holding id tech to games they publish themselves I believe that Bethseda was sticking with Gamebyro because it really suited creating their type of rpg rapidly.

 

[Metroid-Squadron]

UE4, CE3, and Frostbite 2 can be relevant for the next decade.

Yes, by continually updating them.

If you mean tool wise, it's just a matter of japanese devs designing their engines smartly.

 

[rollingstart]

There's not enough blame on the consumer in this thread. Western gamers in general want sports and FPSs, while Japan gamers in general want portable play. Developers are essentially forced to cater to this to make money. As long as Japanese gamers are like that, then expect Japanese developers to handle home consoles the same way as they did this current generation.

There shouldn't be blame for either. It's like Japanese gamers complaining that the niche shooter genre is stuck on consoles. Different audiences for publishers to cater to.

 

[gunbo13]

Yes, by continually updating them.

If you mean tool wise, it's just a matter of japanese devs designing their engines smartly.

Updates are irrelevant. No engine stays the same between releases.

If it's simply a design issue with the engines then we would be seeing proof already. We would want western devs to be able to use JPN engines (MT framework excluded). Until that is the case, I'm going to assume that they can't create engines at the overall quality of the western big guns.

What game engines really impressed this gen from JPN to even go up against the big guns? Bayonetta, Vanquish, MT framework, DS (minus the rag-doll, yuck), NGS, and...IDK. That's not many. I'm sure there are a billion factors at work here that I don't know but the proof is in the results. Do any of those games graphically make the top 10 for any console?

 

[H_Prestige]

But if it is only the loaning of equipment why wouldn't they? They aren't giving it to them. If it gets them familar with Their hardware and tools for no cost then that is a win/win for both JPN devs and MS.

Would be pointless since Sony isn't going to have any problem with development tools next time (see Vita).

 

[Buddha Beam]

Probably not, unless the people saying next gen for Sony and MS are going to be more akin to Gamecube>Wii are right. I don't think they will be, though since the mega expensive system strategy more or less worked out for them... hasn't worked out terribly well for third party development studios or creativity, but hey.

I do think the Japanese publishers have a chance at coming on strong with the Wii U though. The launch of a console is when the console gets defined. If they release a fair amount of strong, original software (especially in contrast to what will almost surely be a bunch of old ports from EA, Activision and whatever garbage Ubishit tosses out) they could potentially create an audience who becomes interested in those games/remembers that not every game has to feature a grizzled bald protagonist.

 

[Metroid-Squadron]

Updates are irrelevant. No engine stays the same between releases.

If it's simply a design issue with the engines then we would be seeing proof already. We would want western devs to be able to use JPN engines (MT framework excluded). Until that is the case, I'm going to assume that they can't create engines at the overall quality of the western big guns.

What kind of stupid criteria is that? So because japanese devs don't license their tech it means it's inferior? LOL It's just a matter of different corporate policies/culture.

What game engines really impressed this gen from JPN to even go up against the big guns? Bayonetta, Vanquish, MT framework, DS (minus the rag-doll, yuck), NGS, and...IDK. That's not many. I'm sure there are a billion factors at work here that I don't know but the proof is in the results. Do any of those games graphically make the top 10 for any console?

Under what objective criteria do you consider those engines impressive?

 

[gunbo13]

What kind of stupid criteria is that? So because japanese devs don't license their tech it means it's inferior? LOL It's just a matter of different corporate policies/culture.

When did I say this exactly? And you completely misread that.

Under what objective criteria do you consider those engines impressive?

My eyes? Is there some checklist that I don't know about?

 

[lunchwithyuzo]

The PSP is the Genesis to DS' SNES in Japan. Vita should be great competition for the 3DS in Japan. It's outside Japan where it's much less optimistic.

Genesis bombed vs SNES in Japan. Shipments were 3.58m to 17.17m.

DS also basically doubled PSP sales in Japan. About 33m to 18m.

 

[bgassassin]

I think that is a bunch of crap TBH. Great games sell. Flexible engines port to multiple platforms. They are just late on the changes.

What do engines have to do with any of this? Yes great games sell, but great games sell more on the platform with the most consumers. You think it's any coincidence that Japan is becoming more handheld-based while Westerners are more home console oriented? That has nothing to do with engines or Japan being behind technologically from a gaming standpoint. That has to do with what the consumers want. Japanese developers didn't decide to just start focusing more on portable gaming because they were technically incapable or wanted to push consumers to buy handhelds. Japanese consumers began to prefer portable gaming and the devs there adapted accordingly. PSP sales are probably the best indicator of that.

Rockstar Games sales figures would completely disagree.

In general

There shouldn't be blame for either. It's like Japanese gamers complaining that the niche shooter genre is stuck on consoles. Different audiences for publishers to cater to.

Blame was probably too strong of a word to use since it holds a negative context. The audiences are dictating these directions though which seems to be in line with your last sentence. I'm saying the different audiences are based on region. GAF posters are pretty much the minority in gaming purchases. What was one of GAFs main complaints during E3? "More shooters? Uhhg!" But those are what's selling now due to what the majority wants. Japanese gamers have never really been big on them either which they in turn don't sell as well there. The rift between what the US/Euro gamer prefers versus what the Japanese gamer would want continues to diverge off on different paths and the shifting of where handhelds sell best vs where consoles sell best is the result of that to me.

 

[RiverBed]

O am worried about Japanese console development. I fear that their lacking performance overall this gen with consoles is like their PC efforts; by that I mean they won't get better and it will be better off overlooked. It still baffles me that a tech powerhouse such as Japan refuses to accept PC gaming and online play. Maybe it is in fact a cultural/psychological thing (isolation).
I absolutely loved console Japanese games up till generation. I hope they get their act together. Japan, while using different approaches, were shoulder to shoulder with their Western brethren in all fronts. Now, because their tech is WAY behind, they couldn't keep up with this cycle- and people say tech doesn't matter...
I want Japanese games to thrive next gen because I absolutely love their take on gaming. I love their design, worlds and stories. Their controls usually suck, but that is one of the areas they are lacking (tech).

 

[gunbo13]

What do engines have to do with any of this? Yes great games sell, but great games sell more on the platform with the most consumers. You think it's any coincidence that Japan is becoming more handheld-based while Westerners are more home console oriented? That has nothing to do with engines or Japan being behind technologically from a gaming standpoint. That has to do with what the consumers want. Japanese developers didn't decide to just start focusing more on portable gaming because they were technically incapable or wanted to push consumers to buy handhelds. Japanese consumers began to prefer portable gaming and the devs there adapted accordingly. PSP sales are probably the best indicator of that.

Engines matter, portable devices included (especially vita).

 

[charlequin]

Why can't MT framework be licensed beyond Capcom?

Because it takes an outrageous amount of work to turn an internal-use tool into something that can be reasonably sold to outside licensees (i.e. people who can't just call up the team and ask questions when they want to know how something works), a huge sales and support staff to handle a product like this, etc.

 

[Himajin]

Japanese developers focusing on the Western market from the outset (Capcom, etc.) will do decent enough. Those still primarily focused on the Japanese market will make few games that appeal to a worldwide audience. The gap in gamer tastes is only widening, and with handhelds dominating sales here console gamers overseas probably won't have many Japan-developed titles to look forward to.

 

[StuBurns]

But if it is only the loaning of equipment why wouldn't they? They aren't giving it to them. If it gets them familar with Their hardware and tools for no cost then that is a win/win for both JPN devs and MS.

But that alone isn't enough really. You need to money hat the developers too. Japanese development is a little cheaper, but it's not much, you're still talking twenty million dollars to make a top tier game. Making it exclusive for an Xbox 3 is unthinkable without compensation at this point.

 

[Metroid-Squadron]

When did I say this exactly? And you completely misread that.

More likely you couldn't write your point properly.

My eyes? Is there some checklist that I don't know about?

So it's completely subjective. Useless for a factual discussion.

 

[gunbo13]

Because it takes an outrageous amount of work to turn an internal-use tool into something that can be reasonably sold to outside licensees (i.e. people who can't just call up the team and ask questions when they want to know how something works), a huge sales and support staff to handle a product like this, etc.

I didn't mean taking the already established engine and making it UE3. I posed the question why a JPN company can't become their country's Epic. The example would be if Capcom designed the MT framework and put it up for a western style license instead. I'd be excited to see a ton of other JPN games testing out MT. If Capcom can't due to your reasonings, then can any JPN company? S-E?

There is just so much versatility in the western design environment that it is hard to not take notice. I've been impressed by some JPN titles this gen graphically but the quantity is low. Last gen I was impressed by "mostly" JPN engines (barring PC). I mean the Witcher 2 comes out and all the latest mods Crytek pushed to Crysis 2... All of this really impressive stuff just seems to come out regularly. Everyone's pumped for the next Batman and Mass Effect while they still are using the same revisional engine.

Western engine design actually brings excitement to games. It's a scene of its own. All I'm thinking is it would be interesting if we could overcome language barriers and bring the entire world into the engine design mix. I think it could change game development in JPN but that's just my theory.

More likely you couldn't write your point properly.

You got me.

So it's completely subjective. Useless for a factual discussion.

This is a factual discussion?

 

[Erethian]

If it's purely a question about whether Japanese developers will transition to the next generation of platforms better than they did to the PS3/360, then the answer is obviously yes. Not least because cross-generation engines are going to be a big thing in the early years of the next Playstation and Xbox. Even a lot of Western developers are talking about doing likewise.

But I'd argue that in a perverse way, better graphics have actually hurt the appeal of Japanese-developed titles in Western markets. Because without the abstraction that was present in earlier generations, that left it to the player to fill in with their imagination, it only helps to accentuate the cultural differences between Japan and the West. Made all the worse because to make releasing games in Japan viable, developers are also targetting a narrower, but more reliable game-buying demographic.

 

[GuiltySpank]

Japan is still stuck in the past where it's developers mattered and releasing the same old, safe derivative shit was a sure bet financially. Now the rest of the gaming market has outgrown Japan.

Personally, I don't take Japanese games seriously anymore. It's pure nostalgia these days.

 

[Lesiroth]

Well, when you consider the beginning of this generation which included a bad launch period for the PS3 that extended well into its earlier years, MS desperately trying to gain foothold in Japan by moneyhatting developers and whatnot fucked up consoles in Japan. Before this generation started, having major Japanese developers onboard for your console was practically a requirement, with big franchises like Final Fantasy, MGS, and Resident Evil having significant sway over consumer purchases. Now look at this year's E3, where you struggle to find a hyped, significant Japanese game there.


It's pretty obvious now going into next gen the situation took a 180, and it's hard to imagine them returning to their former glory anytime soon.

 

[Truespeed]

The primary problem, with this generation, was due to the lack of proper development tools. When Sony released the PS3, Japanese developers were busy coding their own proprietary engines instead of making games. How long did it take Capcom to code their MT Framework engine? As for Konami, well, they just completed their first multi-platform FOX engine in 2011. So is Japan ready for the next generation? Well, their multi-platform engines certainly are and with the increasing adoption of western middleware engines I think they'll be off to a running start coding games for the next generation instead of engines.

 

[Rpgmonkey]

They won't die, but I can see many of their games being pushed even further into irrelevancy on a worldwide scale.

 

[Pureauthor]

Japan is still stuck in the past where it's developers mattered and releasing the same old, safe derivative shit was a sure bet financially. Now the rest of the gaming market has outgrown Japan.

The vast majority of the videogame market wordlwide is releasing the 'same old, safe derivative' stuff. I hesitate to call it shit because quite a lot of it is well done derivative stuff, but Western game development is overall no more innovative than Japanese game development.

 

[Finaika]

Absolutely, they will beat their inferior Western counterparts.

 

[JWong]

Only if Wada is gone.

 

[sixteen-bit]

http://research.tri-ace.com/

That's some sweet DOF

 

[Finaika]

http://research.tri-ace.com/

Is that a dude or a girl? Coz he has breasts...

 

[watershed]

Japan is still stuck in the past where it's developers mattered and releasing the same old, safe derivative shit was a sure bet financially. Now the rest of the gaming market has outgrown Japan.

Personally, I don't take Japanese games seriously anymore. It's pure nostalgia these days.

isn't this what goes on with Western games as well though? For example we gamers sure care when Bethesda, Rockstar, and Bioware make new games, just to name a few developers that matter. And the most successful western games are derivative too, mostly just sequels after sequels. The CoD line speaks for itself, we have how many halo games, the Gears of War trilogy, the God of War series spanning both consoles and portables, The Mass Effect soon to be trilogy, so on and so forth. These qualities are not exclusive to Japanese or Western developers they are the way of the industry in general.

 

[Metroid-Squadron]

This is a factual discussion?

It is. If it was purely subjective there would be nothing to discuss. If you're calling an engine impressive or better than another, there must be something to back it up, specially if you want others to at least consider it.

 

[Johann]

How long did it take Capcom to code their MT Framework engine?

Capcom actually began to prepare for HD game development during the PS2. You can thank Mark Beaumont and other forward thinking veterans at Capcom for that.

 

[gunbo13]

It is. If it was purely subjective there would be nothing to discuss. If you're calling an engine impressive or better than another, there must be something to back it up, specially if you want others to at least consider it.

The question in the thread is asking for theoretical opinions. The OP talks about game engines where the main features that gamers identify with are subjective aspects like graphics, physics, AI, etc... In this regard, you can only agree or disagree with "opinions" based on your own. I'm not sure where your factual discussion exists.

It seems you are just being picky to get a rise. I'd prefer if you took it elsewhere.