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[Segata Sanshiro]

what about konami? does konami matters anymore besides housing kojima development studio?

And what did they do last gen that was so great? PES games, milked out Bemani games, Kojima Productions games, and handheld Castlevanias. Wow, so much has changed!

Konami hung themselves out to dry well before this gen started. I'd say they fell into a hole in the 32bit era that they haven't been able to climb out of.

 

[Teasel]

And what did they do last gen that was so great? PES games, milked out Bemani games, Kojima Productions games, and handheld Castlevanias. Wow, so much has changed!

Konami hung themselves out to dry well before this gen started. I'd say they fell into a hole in the 32bit era that they haven't been able to climb out of.

mmm... well i guess you are right
at least suikoden was still alive :/

 

[Skenzin]

Tastes have shifted to western themes. The younger generation has less japanphiles than previous generations. They just weren't raised on speed racer, voltron, and robotech. Also the western designed GPU has given western devs a bit of an edge. A title like Fina Fantasy XIII should tell you exactly whats wrong with Japanese games.

 

[DodgyGeezerFella]

American made console, very similar to PC to code for, PC devs start doing there stuff on said console, boom new hardcore system.

 

[shintoki]

I said it before, The ones who got burnt this generation were the ones who came into it thinking it was going be a one console show again(PS3). The shrinking Home console market, while booming handheld(With two completely different systems), Worldwide audience, Mutliplatform engines between the two HD systems(PC also), Digital distribution, Casual gaming, and two different levels of Home console(Wii vs HD systems). Allot of these changes, Japanese developers weren't ready for...probably even though was possible. While Westerns ones were in a bit better shape for it. Best example is probably SCEA compared to SCEJ.

The 2nd thing is a bit of a perception issue. Handhelds vs Home Consoles. The Japanese support on DS has been fantastic. Yet, so many people refuse to acknowledge it. Instead when SMT:SJ was announed, It got allot of," Well I wanted an HD SMT instead". I see it in the Persona PSP's threads also. Allot of this..."Well hopefully 5 is on PS3". There is this incline this generation that if it is not on 360 or PS3, It's lesser. Yet DS/PSP is were the Japanese support has been the strongest and best. I would not be surprised if Inafune is another one who thinks of 360/PS3 as the main course, while Handhelds has a side dish.

 

[Johann]

Quite a bit of hyperbole on Inafune's part. There's is a difference from saying that Japanese game developers need to take globalization and technological advancements much more seriously and saying the Japanese development scene is done for (but buy copies of Dead Rising 2!!).

what about konami? does konami matters anymore besides housing kojima development studio?

They used to make a killing off the earlier Silent Hill games and the Yu-Gi-Oh licensed games. That is until Kojima Production ate all off the other employees due to famine. This is all very odd when you consider 8/16 bit Konami used to be one of the most diverse and prolific out there.

 

[shintoki]

They used to make a killing off the earlier Silent Hill games and the Yu-Gi-Oh licensed games. That is until Kojima Production ate all off the other employees due to famine. This is all very odd when you consider 8/16 bit Konami used to be one of the most diverse and prolific out there.

:lol

I loved this way too much :lol

 

[CultureClearance]

They take too darn long to make games and they're stuck in 1995 when it comes to gameplay mechanics and designs. They're not doomed but they sure as hell aren't as relevant and things aren't looking up either.

 

[fortified_concept]

Tastes have shifted to western themes. The younger generation has less japanphiles than previous generations. They just weren't raised on speed racer, voltron, and robotech. Also the western designed GPU has given western devs a bit of an edge. A title like Fina Fantasy XIII should tell you exactly whats wrong with Japanese games.

The young generation has less people playing japanese games not because of less japanophiles but because Japan's gaming industry is failing. Europeans weren't raised to bold space marines either and from my experience we find that macho shit ridiculous but we still prefer western games.

I for example was never a japanophile but used to buy almost exclusively japanese games. Now each gen I buy less and less of them while I watch devs like TriAce being stuck in the Playstation 1 era.

 

[DodgyGeezerFella]

The young generation has less people playing japanese games not because of less japanophiles but because Japan's gaming industry is failing. Europeans weren't raised to bold space marines either and from my experience we find that macho shit ridiculous but we still prefer western games.

I for example was never a japanophile but used to buy almost exclusively japanese games. Now each gen I buy less and less of them while I watch devs like TriAce being stuck in the Playstation 1 era.

Personally im sick of Japanese games this gen going balls out nutty with transexuals/cross dressers and the like.

 

[Scribble]

Tastes have shifted to western themes. The younger generation has less japanphiles than previous generations. They just weren't raised on speed racer, voltron, and robotech. Also the western designed GPU has given western devs a bit of an edge. A title like Fina Fantasy XIII should tell you exactly whats wrong with Japanese games.

I thought the younger generation would have more Japanophiles. If they didn't grow up watching speed racer, voltron and robotech, they would have grown up watching Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z (It depends on what generation you're talking about). And the last time I checked the children's channels, there seems to be a lot of anime or anime-influenced shows. And where I live, anime cons are becoming bigger.

 

[drkOne]

except Nintendo, Capcom, Team ICO, Kojima Productions & Square Enix (FFXIII)

Square Enix, really? I fail to see what they've done for the industry this gen… They're starting to sort themselves finally with XIII release, NieR looks nice… but until now they've really been failing…
I would say that only Nintendo and Capcom really distinguish themselves from the rest.
Team ICO and KP can't keep the Eastern side of the industry moving by themselves, like Capcom did this year.
Also, Platinum Games… If they can keep the pace.

 

[nincompoop]

Funny how a lot more Western devs have gone under the past few years than Japanese devs. Japanese developers have enough common sense not to sink a ton of money into a PS3/360 project that has next to no chance of turning a profit. Capcom is the only Japanese 3rd party publisher big enough to get away with supporting the current broken business model, and even then they have to outsource a lot of their games to Western companies.

Overall the quality of Japanese games is still far and away greater than that of Western games, you just have to look in the right places (I.E. handhelds and digital download services) to find them.

 

[MarzipaNMOS]

American made console, very similar to PC to code for, PC devs start doing there stuff on said console, boom new hardcore system.

you know that's essentially what the Xbox was. Or maybe I'm missing something in your post.

 

[Raist]

Are you talking strictly about Capcom or Japanese developers in general?

Japanese devs. But Capcom is certainly one of the (if not THE) worst offenders.

 

[beelzebozo]

but MONSTER HUNTER!

and DRAGON QUEST!

. . . but seriously, most of the games i play are out of japan, and they're on ds. there may be a problem with japanese development, but it's certainly not in that sector, and that's the sector that matters the most to me anymore.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Square Enix, really? I fail to see what they've done for the industry this gen… They're starting to sort themselves finally with XIII release, NieR looks nice… but until now they've really been failing…
I would say that only Nintendo and Capcom really distinguish themselves from the rest.
Team ICO and KP can't keep the Eastern side of the industry moving by themselves, like Capcom did this year.
Also, Platinum Games… If they can keep the pace.

If you fail to see what Square Enix has been up to this gen, you've had your eyes off the handheld ball.

 

[Otheradam]

If you fail to see what Square Enix has been up to this gen, you've had your eyes off the handheld ball.

Can you explain? Because I have also fail to see how Square have been relevant this generation so far. We're 3 years in and they haven't released anything notable so far (on consoles).

 

[Prine]

A japanese company completely controls the industry, and none of their games have been westernized.

I'm sorry, but Nintendo is the reason why TGS sucked. Not because the Japanese are going through a crisis.

if anything they are ahead of the curve. Looks to me like handheld gaming is set to be greater than it has ever been, and unreal 3 can't do shit about that.

Totally disagree, e3 was incredible and it wasn't because of Nintendo. Previous TGS have been great and it was never because of Nintendo. Infact, for a gamer that generally ignores everything Nintendo, Japan last gen was amazing.

 

[Nemo]

Japanese devs need to go back to licensing cartoons and making fuckawesome platforms SNES style for XBLA/PSN

 

[Sipowicz]

i mostly play handhelds and i have to say dude is wrong

capcom, squareenix, namco, sega, nintendo, sony, konami. all of these guys have delivered an incredible amount of amazing, high quality content this gen. i would say that they're better than ever

western developers have been good too. but there seems to be a glut of first person shooters and third person shooters

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Can you explain? Because I have also fail to see how Square have been relevant this generation so far. We're 3 years in and they haven't released anything notable so far (on consoles).

"the handheld ball."

 

[Shig]

Japan's got a case of identity crisis this gen. They're not wrong to integrate western elements into their games, but often it seems like they isolate the wrong element and just make a mess that limits their appeal with every market.

Last Remnant is a good example. The western element: Unreal Engine and muted pallette. The eastern element: wildly confusing battle system with a high learning curve and lots of unit micromanagement. These... totally cancel each other out. The typical western gamer may be drawn to the graphics but the battle system is going to spin their damn head. The Japanese gamer may enjoy learning the finer points of a complicated gameplay system but the western delivery is going to give them pause. In this case, the western focus should have been more directed toward the gameplay, western audiences that are interested in RPGs aren't inherently scared off by Japanese-looking games but they sure as hell are by games that make them say I DON'T KNOW WTF IS GOING ON.

Resident Evil 5 is another example. The mission statement of the game's structure seemed to be "hey, look at this Gears of War game, American gamers sure like co-op." So focused were they on the aspect of a second player/AI following along for the ride that they missed the parts where A) GoW had really good action controls that could have worked quite well for RE5, and B) if the AI/secondary character was being a stupid idiot, their role was never so important that the main player's progression was significantly hampered by it... Also C) having constant backup eliminates almost any pretense of being a tension-filled survival horror game.

 

[rpmurphy]

The issue I have with major Japanese publishers this gen is that their console strategy is not really much more than seeing what existing IP's they can rehash. Capcom is the best of the bunch having created some impressive new console IP's like Lost Planet and Dead Rising, but what about the others like SE, Namco, Konami, Sega, etc.? I'd like to believe SE today can make a fresh new game like Little King's Story, or Namco a No More Heroes, or Konami a Bayonetta. But I suppose their shareholder stakes are tied to making their best teams work on the same games year after year. Yeah, this may not be different from last gen, but the staleness build up over time, not appearing overnight.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Can you explain? Because I have also fail to see how Square have been relevant this generation so far. We're 3 years in and they haven't released anything notable so far (on consoles).

It's going to be very, very difficult for me to explain my position (that Square Enix have been as prolific as ever but have switched their focus from consoles to handhelds) if you don't consider handhelds.

 

[Sipowicz]

squareenix have been good on consoles too. last remnant was really good and final fantasy 13/crystal chronicles will be out soon

but they're making stupid stuff too like nier and the front mission shooting game.

on handhelds they've been amazing. so many awsome AAA rpgs. remakes, spinoffs, new ips. you name it

 

[Fimbulvetr]

but they're making stupid stuff too like nier and the front mission shooting game.

Square is only publishing those.

 

[fortified_concept]

It's going to be very, very difficult for me to explain my position (that Square Enix have been as prolific as ever but have switched their focus from consoles to handhelds) if you don't consider handhelds.

No surprise people complain about Japanese developers being stuck in the previous gens. Handhelds are previous gen. You can easily hide horrible presentation and primitive gameplay mechanics in a handheld that has N64 technology. But just because Japanese developers are successful there it doesn't mean they're going forward. They've found an easy way to make money while being lazy and that's what will eventually drive them out of the console industry.

 

[Kilrogg]

No surprise people complain about Japanese developers being stuck in the previous gens. Handhelds are previous gen. You can easily hide horrible presentation and primitive gameplay mechanics in a handheld that has N64 technology. But just because Japanese developers are successful there it doesn't mean they're going forward. They've found an easy way to make money while being lazy and that's what will eventually drive them out of the console industry.

You're not being serious, are you?

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

No surprise people complain about Japanese developers being stuck in the previous gens. Handhelds are previous gen. You can easily hide horrible presentation and primitive gameplay mechanics in a handheld that has N64 technology. But just because Japanese developers are successful there it doesn't mean they're going forward. They've found an easy way to make money while being lazy and that's what will eventually drive them out of the console industry.

Really? Because I see it as them providing software support to the most popular systems in the world, which will probably serve to keep them alive in the console industry while less practical companies get eaten by Actiblizzard or just plain disappear.

Like, what are we talking about here for helping the industry out? Financial success? Critical praise? Customer satisfaction? Pushing new graphics tech? Pushing new gameplay concepts? Square Enix is doing all of these things as well as they ever have.

Do you really think SE's portable games have all had primitive gameplay mechanics? Have you played them? TWEWY had more fresh ideas in it than SE came up with in the entirety of last gen.

 

[Icarus]

Inafune reminded me of something Rich Hilleman (Chief Creative Officer at EA) said a few weeks ago:

“If I want to go to see the past of gaming, I go to Japan,” he said. “If I want to see the future, I go to Korea.”

http://games.venturebeat.com/2009/0...icer-describes-game-industrys-re-engineering/

 

[Fimbulvetr]

horrible presentation

primitive gameplay mechanics

 

[Hcoregamer00]

Personally im sick of Japanese games this gen going balls out nutty with transexuals/cross dressers and the like.

Damn, what kind of games are you playing?

Since my gaming library of Japanese games are bereft of such things.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Inafune reminded me of something Rich Hilleman (Chief Creative Officer at EA) said a few weeks ago:

“If I want to go to see the past of gaming, I go to Japan,” he said. “If I want to see the future, I go to Korea.”

http://games.venturebeat.com/2009/0...icer-describes-game-industrys-re-engineering/

Yeah, the creative officer at EA is the guy whose vision of the future I'm gonna bet on.

 

[Xater]

Square is only publishing those.

But that means they are funding these games.

 

[..pakbeka..]

for how many years has S-E shown FFXIII and FFVersusXIII trailers at closed theaters?

japan is taking too long to release games on the PS3/360


edit: now that I think about it, maybe it's just S-E that sucks at planning their releases, they did the same thing with KH2

 

[Neo C.]

They've found an easy way to make money while being lazy and that's what will eventually drive them out of the console industry.

1) So either a dev is into HD development or he is lazy...wtf?
2) Since handhelds are kings this gen and will probably be even more dominant next gen, I would say they choose the right path.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Quite a bit of hyperbole on Inafune's part. There's is a difference from saying that Japanese game developers need to take globalization and technological advancements much more seriously and saying the Japanese development scene is done for (but buy copies of Dead Rising 2!!).



They used to make a killing off the earlier Silent Hill games and the Yu-Gi-Oh licensed games. That is until Kojima Production ate all off the other employees due to famine. This is all very odd when you consider 8/16 bit Konami used to be one of the most diverse and prolific out there.

Even back in the 16 bit days, Konami began having problems. Don't forget that Treasure (and some others) were formed by mass exodus of Konami's best and brightest. And why did they leave? They specifically cited that Konami was becoming twisted towards corporate packaged goods mentality, putting their best staff on nothing but cartoon and movie licenses to milk it up.

(Given this, it is a historical irony that Treasure's very first game that got them started was a licensed McDonalds product.)

As I see it, Konami lost their soul halfway through the SNES era. Of all Japanese companies, they are the one who's iconic back catalog cuts off the earliest: NES Castlevania and Shump titles, and a few original SNES properties and shooters before everything was a Batman or Tiny Toons game.

Since then it seems that something like a Castlevania or Suikoden makes it out of Konami in spite of their best efforts, not because. And as someone already said, we've seen how they lost the music game market by milking their stuff to death and losing the ability to innovate.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

But that means they are funding these games.

D: You're right.

FUUUUUUUUU-

 

[djtiesto]

When Japan's game industry is finished, I am finished with gaming...

maybe that'd be a good thing.

 

[Kai Dracon]

1) So either a dev is into HD development or he is lazy...wtf?
2) Since handhelds are kings this gen and will probably be even more dominant next gen, I would say they choose the right path.

He seems to think graphics technology = quality and that the power of your display adapter defines how creative and sophisticated game mechanics can be.

The fact that handhelds /are/ king this generation puts the lie to that mentality. Some people make the mistake of assuming that because video games are facilitated by technology that technology makes the game. Wrong. The game makes the game. Technology by itself is nothing.

There are actually precious few game play ideas and game structures that can not be done in a robust way on this generation's handhelds. That probably says something about the attitude that games are all about the graphics.

 

[Sipowicz]

No surprise people complain about Japanese developers being stuck in the previous gens. Handhelds are previous gen. You can easily hide horrible presentation and primitive gameplay mechanics in a handheld that has N64 technology. But just because Japanese developers are successful there it doesn't mean they're going forward. They've found an easy way to make money while being lazy and that's what will eventually drive them out of the console industry.

complete and utter bullshit .handhelds are not previous gen because they were released this gen, and unlike consoles they're actually popular as well and allow developers to pump out games fairly quickly

you're talking about horrible this, and primitive that yet the DS and PSP have excellent games that actually excel their console counteparts in many cases. syphon filter on PSP is way better than uncharted, resistance on psp is way better than the PS3 one. the new MGS is supposed to be amazing and could quite feasibly be better than MGS4, same goes for the new valkyria chronicles.

the rpgs on ds smoke a lot of the stuff on PS3 and xbox and often and i still see people hyping garbage like cross edge because it's "next gen" . DS and PSP games tend to have excellent presentation and developers have no problems experimenting with gameplay mechanics in interesting ways

besides, what's so revolutionary about halo 3 or uncharted? fuck all that's what

companies wanting to make money isn't "lazy", it's smart business. the alternative is going bankrupt developing for unpopular systens that cost loads to develop form and cant sell software for shit

 

[Volcynika]

the rpgs on ds smoke a lot of the stuff on PS3 and xbox and often and i still see people hyping garbage like cross edge because it's "next gen" . DS and PSP games tend to have excellent presentation and developers have no problems experimenting with gameplay mechanics in interesting ways

This was probably not the best example to use! (considering I've never seen this)

 

[Raist]

Inafune reminded me of something Rich Hilleman (Chief Creative Officer at EA) said a few weeks ago:

“If I want to go to see the past of gaming, I go to Japan,” he said. “If I want to see the future, I go to Korea.”

http://games.venturebeat.com/2009/0...icer-describes-game-industrys-re-engineering/

So basically 99% of the games will be MMO?

Do not want.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

So basically 99% of the games will be RTSs?

Fixed.

 

[Rapping Granny]

They're outsourcing to Canada!

How does it feel now mothafuckers?

 

[Johann]

:lol

I loved this way too much :lol

You didn't know that was where Keiichirō Toyama got the idea for Forbidden Siren's ending? No wonder he left Konami!

Yeah, the creative officer at EA is the guy whose vision of the future I'm gonna bet on.

Hey, he's the guy who made Madden and.... the boxart for Racing Destruction Set. That has to count for something.

 

[farnham]

korea produced some splendid games in the past

arcturus is still one of my fav RPGs of all time

 

[Raist]

Fixed.

No?
While Korea is hardcore on Starcraft, it's basically known as the home of the most successful MMO companies (before Blizzard made WoW). Gravity and NCsoft, among others.
80% of korean devs make MMO.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

No?
While Korea is hardcore on Starcraft, it's basically known as the home of the most successful MMO companies (before Blizzard made WoW). Gravity and NCsoft, among others.
80% of korean devs make MMO.

Huh, the more you know I guess.