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Western games vs eastern games

What type of games do you prefer when it comes to where they were developed?

  • Most of my favorite games are western developed games

    Votes: 72 31.7%
  • Most of my favorite games are eastern developed games

    Votes: 77 33.9%
  • Don't care, I'll play anything

    Votes: 73 32.2%
  • I only play the finest slav jank available

    Votes: 5 2.2%

  • Total voters
    227

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Hey GAF, I'm curious about your preferences in games when it comes to where they are developed, or if you even have those preferences at all.

For me, even if I play games that come from more or less anywhere, I've realized that I vastly prefer eastern (mainly japanese in my case) developed games. I think they are more original and inventive when it comes to storytelling and gameplay mechanics. I take a look at my PS4 library for example, and while I have like 50% of each, I think I enjoyed much more those that came from Japan, like Bloodborne, MGS V or Persona 5, against those from the west, like The Witcher 3, Red Read Redemption 2 or Uncharted 4.

Western games, at least those coming from big developers, are kind of stagnated (imo) or maybe scared to make new things, playing their cards safely while trying to appeal to the bigger audiences. it's either the open world filled with shit to do or collect (that's already marked on your map) or the epic third person action/adventure cinematic game. I'm not saying they are bad by definition (I loved God of War for example) but for me at least it's starting to get kinda samey. That's a feeling that I don't get so often with eastern developed games. In fact, I think the only western dev that can get me really excited for their next game today would be id Software, but that's just because I'm a sucker for their kind of shooters.

There's still plenty of creativity in the west of course, but I think those are more present on smaller or indie studios.


So... what do you think? Do you care about a game's procedence? Do you completely ditch one of them? Maybe the western ones seem to hollywoodey to you? Or perhaps you can't stand the weeby vibe of japanese games?
 

Mr Hyde

Member
I prefer japanese games because they tend to focus on gameplay and interesting mechanics before graphics and story, but I'll play anything as long as it's something I would be interested in. Where the games have been developed matters little to me.
 
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TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
For me this poll fluctuated over the years.

90's Mostly Japanese Games
00's Mostly Western Games
10's Half and Half
20's Mostly Japanese Games
Yeah I think I can really agree with this. IMO mid 90's to mids 00's was the peak for western gaming. Blizzard, Relic, Bethesda, Rockstar... Man I'm getting sad. :goog_relieved:

When The Witcher 3 is from the west? It's very much eastern game...
Imo, culturally their are closer to the west than the east. I would put The Witcher 3 closer to something like AC: Origins or RDR2, than something like BOTW2 or SMT V.
 
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I think if I took the time to make a Top 25 or Top 50 list most of the games would be Japanese, but my Top 10 is probably 75% Western.
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
People have it engrained now that east only means asia
Pretty weird, but okay.

Imo, culturally their are closer to the west than the east. I would put The Witcher 3 closer to something like AC: Origins or RDR2, than something like BOTW2 or SMT V.
I think that I understand what you mean, however it's based on Polish writer and I feel like everything left from my country (my country included) are easter games. But I guess it's just a semantic.
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Pretty weird, but okay.


I think that I understand what you mean, however it's based on Polish writer and I feel like everything left from my country (my country included) are easter games. But I guess it's just a semantic.
If I'm honest I was going to make this "western vs japanese" but didn't want to left out the chinese games... guess I ended up making a bigger mistake. :messenger_grinning_sweat:
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
If I'm honest I was going to make this "western vs japanese" but didn't want to left out the chinese games... guess I ended up making a bigger mistake. :messenger_grinning_sweat:
No issues, just went here to ask : ) Honestly a lot of people would be happy if games from central - eastern Europe would be consider a "western game". Here pretty much still live the notion that west = rich, east = poor
 

GymWolf

Member
I can safely say that i enjoy more western games, at least for the last 10-15 years.

with some exceptions of course, from soft, mhw and yakuza saga being the biggest ones.

But i try to play everything if a game looks interesting enough.

The argument that eastern games aim to better gameplay is a biased pile of crap if you can forgive my french tbh.

Maybe they are more specialized in some genres, but it is a very vague statement, for every sekiro you have a ff15, for every bayonetta you have a deadly premonition, for every devil may cry you have a shadow of the damned (very fun game, but not for the gameplay, that's for sure, especially compared to western tps).
 
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I just care if it's a good game. Having said that, when I think about my all-time favorites, it's Eastern leaning for sure, but not by a landslide.
 

German Hops

GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief
I prefer Southern games, actually. As in, South America;

tumblr_n7ptbymniY1qdlh1io1_250.gif
 

EDMIX

Member
Western games, at least those coming from big developers, are kind of stagnated (imo) or maybe scared to make new things, playing their cards safely

? We see that from Yakuza, Persona, SMT, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, DMC, Monster Hunter, Mega Man, Tales RPGs and many more, fuck are you talking about lol That isn't something based on east or west, I'd argue playing it safe and having concepts like the last titles differs from developer to developer, NOT from East to West.

it's either the open world filled with shit to do or collect (that's already marked on your map

Holy fucking shit, my guy just described Breath Of The Wild.....a JAPANSESE GAME, that collectahon shit started from the East...btw

z9cjxzny4zpy.jpg


bruh look at Ubisoft's filler map here, smh

The fact that you even acknowledge God Of War doesn't help as it shows you are clearly aware of teams from the west that do those concepts well, as in..its not a east vs west thing, it differs from developer to developer. The fact that Zelda is even fucking copying Assassins Creed, while Assassins Creed changed their direction ie NOT STAYING THE SAME and or "stagnated" goes to show this whole "east vs west" thing is overblown, exaggerated and tries its best to ignore the worst offenders to move some narrative.

I love Japan, I speak and read Japanese and will always buy their games even to the point of imports and I'd even argue love buying some publishers games as they often stay more the same then radically different compared to the west.

I know many will bring up Yakuza going turned based, yet they'll also disregard the fucking 8 games prior that used the same formula. If a publisher from the west did this, they are um "stagnated", if Japan does this, they are "staying true to their fans" =)

This differs from developer to developer.

the epic third person action/adventure cinematic game.
Doesn't Japan mainly do 3rd person titles? sooooooooooooo yea. You basically describing Yakuza, Judgement lol They go deeper then most with getting actors, mo cap etc. Same with Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid btw, so this isn't a exclusive concept to the west and just sounds like fudd. We literally have a few MGS titles where that shit was getting closer to just watching it then playing it ie MGS4 lol
 
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winjer

Gold Member
I almost only play western games.
Most games from Asia have little to no appeal to me.
There was a time when I used to play a few games made in Japan, but even those no longer appeal to me.
 
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Mario/Zelda - Shigeru Miyamoto
Legend of Zelda - Eiji Aonuma
Metal Gear/Death Stranding - Hideo Kojima
Souls/Sekiro - Hidetaka Miyazaki
Persona - Katsura Hashino
Nier: Automata - Yoko Taro
Xenoblade/Fire Emblem - Genki Yokota
Super Smash Bros. - Masahiro Sakurai
Ico/Shadow of the Colossus - Fumito Ueda
Final Fantasy 14 - Naoki Yoshida
Kingdom Hearts - Tetsuya Nomura

I know the people responsible for my favorite games and they all so happen to be Japanese dudes, so Eastern games for me. It always felt like Eastern devs make a game they want to make, while Western devs make games they think people will like. Just my opinion, though.
 

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
My favorite franchises have always been The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy. Pair that with Metal Gear, Metroid, Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil, and Silent Hill and it's pretty clear where the personal winner is.

Not that I dislike Western games. I'm a big fan of Uncharted, The Last of Us, *some* Bethesda offerings, Perfect Dark, Mass Effect, etc, but the list is heavily Eastern favored.
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
? We see that from Yakuza, Persona, SMT, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, DMC, Monster Hunter, Mega Man, Tales RPGs and many more, fuck are you talking about lol That isn't something based on east or west, I'd argue playing it safe and having concepts like the last titles differs from developer to developer, NOT from East to West.
Yakuza just went from beat'em'up to JRPG. SMT went from dungeon crawler to semi-open world exploration, Monster Hunter introduces new mechanics in every game they release, and Tales well, I haven't played the last but I heard they overhauled the battle system.

You don't see those kind of transformations or changes in western franchises that often, at least imo.

Holy fucking shit, my guy just described Breath Of The Wild.....a JAPANSESE GAME, that collectahon shit started from the East...btw

z9cjxzny4zpy.jpg


bruh look at Ubisoft's filler map here, smh
Dude that's AFTER finding all the shit. At the start of the game the map is clear from icons, and you have to actually find them by yourself from exploration.

Take a look at The Witcher 3 map, before finding anything the map's already filled with question marks (or at least, it fills part of the map after reaching a bill board, iirc). It's not the same by a mile.

The fact that you even acknowledge God Of War doesn't help as it shows you are clearly aware of teams from the west that do those concepts well, as in..its not a east vs west thing, it differs from developer to developer. The fact that Zelda is even fucking copying Assassins Creed, while Assassins Creed changed their direction ie NOT STAYING THE SAME and or "stagnated" goes to show this whole "east vs west" thing is overblown, exaggerated and tries its best to ignore the worst offenders to move some narrative.

I love Japan, I speak and read Japanese and will always buy their games even to the point of imports and I'd even argue love buying some publishers games as they often stay more the same then radically different compared to the west.

I know many will bring up Yakuza going turned based, yet they'll also disregard the fucking 8 games prior that used the same formula. If a publisher from the west did this, they are um "stagnated", if Japan does this, they are "staying true to their fans" =)

This differs from developer to developer.
Yeah yeah, it's not the region but the developers... developers that still are either from the west or the east. I wasn't talking in absolutes or pretending my post is some kind of objetive data. It isn't, it's just my opinion, and it's fine if you don't agree.

Btw I don't think Zelda copied AC at all.

Doesn't Japan mainly do 3rd person titles? sooooooooooooo yea. You basically describing Yakuza, Judgement lol They go deeper then most with getting actors, mo cap etc. Same with Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid btw, so this isn't a exclusive concept to the west and just sounds like fudd. We literally have a few MGS titles where that shit was getting closer to just watching it then playing it ie MGS4 lol
Dude no, you perfecly know that by "the epic third person action/adventure cinematic game" I'm not talking just about third person camera games.

It's not about the camera man, it's the type of game that seems like they took a mold and made all those games play the same: narrative over gameplay, some shooting, crafting mechanics, stealth, trap placement and a fucking bow.
Maybe it's because I own a PS4 and got really tired of that formula but man, I can swear I own at least 3 or 4 games that play all the same.


Btw sorry if my post offended you or anything. I was just expressing my own opinion without expecting anyone would get triggered by it.
 

Fbh

Member
I like both but overall I'm more into Japanese games.

Hell, as someone who has yet to pick up a next gen console Japanese games are a bigger reason than first party exclusives as for why I'm more inclined to pick up a Ps5 despite the software and hardware being considerably more expensive. I want to play FFXVI, FF7 Remake Part 2, Granblue Fantasy Relink, the next persona or HD Atlus games, the next YS, the next Vanillaware game, the next weird side project from the Yakuza team like Fist of the North Star. Sure some or most of them might came to Xbox eventually but so far Ps5 gives me more of a certainty that I'll be able to play them
 
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Termite

Member
It depends. If it's a game where gameplay is the most important thing - usually Japanese games. Some of the best gameplay designers around.

If it's a narrative-heavy game, then western. Japanese game companies can't tell or pace a story to save their lives - and their output is very clearly aimed a young teens 95% of the time. As a guy in my 30s, something like Persona 5's "lol fuck all adults banzaaaiiii" story would be boring over 10 hours let alone 100.
 

Fare thee well

Neophyte
Most of the reasons I don't enjoy a lot of modern eastern games is for a rather shallow reason. I really don't like the modern anime asthetic at all. I'm aware a lot of people feel the opposite, but I look at games like Genshin Impact, Terra, final fantasy XIV, and it just does nothing for me.

Basically I like this:
373-3732426_mad-cat-mk-ii-png-download-madcat-mechwarrior.png

and don't care for this:
524747661p.jpg
 

8BiTw0LF

Banned
Sadly when I think about eastern games, that high pitched anime voice always comes to mind. It hasn't always been like that for me - in the 80s and 90s most of the games I played were eastern, but I guess culture became more influenced in games later on, so today I don't have interest in most eastern games.
 

Beer Baelly

Al Pachinko, Konami President
Eh for us Europeans, traveling that far is a big trip. And good luck on Polish highways.

Nah, Europe is small. Nothing wrong with the new highways in Poland. But I'm a truck driver so... I don't care where games come from.
 

EDMIX

Member
Yakuza just went from beat'em'up to JRPG.
many will bring up Yakuza going turned based, yet they'll also disregard the fucking 8 games prior that used the same formula


You don't see those kind of transformations or changes in western franchises that often, at least imo.

Thats simply untrue, I'd argue its the west that is more open to changing some IP and the east that is more conservative on keeping the concept or design the same.

From Forza sim to open world with Horizon
From AC linear to AC open world RPG
From God Of War classic to God Of War 2018 as you yourself cited btw
From System Shock, to Bioshock underwater, to Bioshock Infinite in the sky
From Fallout 1 to Fallout 3,4, New Vegas etc
From Mass Effect being open world to linear to open world again lol

So sir, I don't see it as east vs west, this idea differs from developer to developer, publisher to publisher etc. The reason why I even used Yakuza, was for those 8 plus games that DIDN'T FUCKING CHANGE, yet to pretend that you didn't just get several fucking generations of the same thing from Yakuza and use it as an example is too hilarious.

It's not about the camera man, it's the type of game that seems like they took a mold nd made all those games play the same: narrative over gameplay, some shooting, crafting mechanics, stealth, trap placement and a fucking bow.
Maybe it's because I own a PS4 and got really tired of that formula but man, I can swear I own at least 3 or 4 games that play all the same.

I don't think you can name 3 fucking games with the same narrative, shooting, stealth or crafting or "fucking bow".

Thats like me saying some weeaboo shit is all the same, oh look same art style wit day big eyes, dumb trope narrative, turn base lol It tries too hard to pretend seeing someone's fucking back and them being human means all those elements are the same. You can find stealth in Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, 3rd person, crafting, they both allow you to shot, but sir....I'd hardly call them the "same" as you might as well start saying shit like "They are both on Earth, feature humans, you can control them, you see day backz" lol

IF you can tell those hundreds of weeboo anime games apart based on their exact game play elements, pretty fucking positive you can tell those "cinematic" 3rd person titles are not the same.

It reaches harrrrrrd The level of disrespect is insane. Horizon Zero Dawn being in 3rd person has no fucking "mold" as if Days Gone is a copy of it, Ghost Of Tsushima is a copy of it etc It would be just as fucking ignorant for someone to argue those weeboo games all "seems like day tookz a mold" and pretend no difference exist. The games are not set in the same time frames, same universes, control all different and are all about completely different things. One can take this thread seriously without any of this fake shit of pretending all 3rd person games from the west are all magically from 1 mold.

Did you just think those development teams did nothing and press copy and paste and done? the fuck? Is that how you think God Of War was made? Where is the robot dinosaurs and motorcycles and hordes of zombies in that game? Lol
 
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Lethal01

Member
open world filled with shit to do or collect (that's already marked on your map)
Holy fucking shit, my guy just described Breath Of The Wild.....a JAPANSESE GAME, that collectahon shit started from the East...btw
z9cjxzny4zpy.jpg


bruh look at Ubisoft's filler map here, smh

He described the opposite actually, In Breath of the WIld the map is marked AFTER you get the thing that's there. Just that small design decision changes things drastically and I hope anyone else making an open-world learns this lesson.
 
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