thetrin said:
How is this different from America in regards to Japan? Japan is a shrinking market, no question, but if you were to look at this in a vacuum, this is american exceptionalism at its best.
America doesn't make games for a global market. They make games for America. Europe makes games for Europe. Japan makes games for Japan. American gamers don't like what Japan makes anymore, and now we want Japan to make games like America does? If that is that we're suggesting, I don't want it. America games great games, but if we all start making only what American brodudes want, a lot of what I love about the multiculturalism of gaming will be lost.
I don't disagree with you. Even as an American and a fan of western games, currently on the menu is Mario & Luigi and Muramasa, the second of which being a
very Japanese game. I hope they keep making those sorts of games, I'm enjoying both.
I can't say that their design philosophy is "flawed" or anything, I don't like to fall into the category of forum-dwelling twenty-something that think they have all the answers. I think the one key difference though is that western gamers and developers on a steady diet of Japanese games. Western games have benefited from a Japanese influence. There has been and still is a huge potential market for them over here.
But why would the west make "Japanese" styled games? There's never been a market for that, not in Japan. Aside from a small pocket of "hardcore" gamers there, there doesn't seem to be interest in the "western" experience of console games (though recently Gears 2 sold decently) at all. Was there ever any question that the 360 would take third place in Japan, regardless of library, features or price point? Isn't that suggestive of a bit of xenophobia? How could that be good for them?
I'm not asking that every company start producing "brodude" games. I don't play "brodude" games personally (but that doesn't mean I think they should stop making them), I think that's an unfair generalization (though I don't think you believe all American games are "brodude") but there are a lot of creative, innovative games produced here, beyond the yearly sports rehashes and cookie-cutter FPSes. Just like there's a lot of innovative games being produced in Japan. I just wish that good western games weren't sent to die there and that Japanese developers were more open to the idea of learning from western games, like Inafune (and Capcom at large) is.
Just saw your edit and I agree with what you said. Again, my favorite game this year is Little King's Story and my favorite system may be the DS. I probably appreciate a lot of the same things you do. I usually can't garner up excitement for a lot of the "AAA" games released these days because they're so overblown, "mature" and desperately cinematic. My thesis (if I had one) would be that I'd just like to see a little bit more cultural reciprocation and mutual appreciation between the west and Japan in regards to game making and I feel like an important step in that is the Japanese opening their hearts (and wallets) for western games. Which, from time to time, turn out to be really, really good games.