Is there a way to “fix” Japanese games?

With TGS on the horizon, we ponder the situation of Japanese development

Words: Henry Gilbert on September 18, 2012

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keltar93 - September 18, 2012 2:10 p.m.

It's partially due to a lack of significant innovation, though that's a problem in Western game development- both are sticking too much to safe design choices. However this play it safe approach is coupled with the distinct cultural flavor of Japanese games (far more noticeable nowadays than in the 80's when Japan made almost all console games). Thus, they are not only frequently derivative of their predecessors, they also lack the international appeal that more Western games have.
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FoxdenRacing - September 18, 2012 2:23 p.m.

The past 10 years or so has also seen a very sharp demographic shift at roughly the same time; gaming in the west stopped being purely a nerd's pursuit midway through the 6th generation [PS2 era]. With that shift in perception came millions upon millions of new gamers whom only buy things that play to their insecurities, that allow them to live out testosterone-fueled fantasies. Western developers, especially those working under the umbrellas of EA and Activision, were more than happy to cater to these new customers...often at the expense of long-time customers. The Japanese companies, and to some extent European companies, continued doing what they were doing. Personally, I think another demographic shift is coming. Mega-budget games are drying up...as budgets spiral out of control, it's getting harder to turn a profit...and doubly damaging for US-based publishers, harder to show 'growth'. I have no doubts that as the CoDs and the like dry up, so will the interest of those with very narrow horizons about their games...and with it, the markets will shift again. That said, I would like to see Japanese publishers go outside their comfort zone a little more, especially when it comes to art style. Enough Toriyama clones already, and many UIs are getting beyond dated.
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Cyberninja - September 18, 2012 2:43 p.m.

I honestly don't think there is a problem with the games themselves and its the market is the problem. The people buying most games want shooters or sports games while others want the experiences Japanese games can bring, I honestly don't the sales numbers have changed that much through the years and that because the market for games has greatly expanded to basically everyone it looked like the sales dropped because it wasn't proportional to the market grow.
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Bloodstorm - September 18, 2012 2:59 p.m.

The problem I see with Japanese games is 1) increasingly overcomplicated narratives that make no sense 2) Old and tired game mechanics that felt outdated in the early 2000s 3) Often unintuitive controls and UI make for a frustrating user experience. Couple that with the tendency for long winded cut scenes, and opening sequences that can become longer than most standard western games. But, I guess it comes down to cultures. They seem to eat it up in Japan, but for me, its just not working.
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DualWieldingIsNotFeasible - September 18, 2012 3:32 p.m.

I feel like tastes of Western and Japanese audiences have diverged so far that it's basically impossible to make a game that will be a blockbuster in both regions...unless you're Nintendo or a Capcom fighter. BioWare and Bethesda have usurped the RPG market in the West, and WayForward has been carrying the side-scroller torch for years, now. However, I think Japanese devs could do a few simple things to really boost their sales. 1. Stop with the exclusivity. I don't own a PS3 (for budgetary reasons) and almost every Japan-developed game I've been interested in lately has been a PS3 exclusive. 2. Hire better localizers/Western voice talent. Engrish and amateurish VO was funny 20 years ago. Now? Not so much. 3. Give us what we want. Where's our 3D Pokemon MMO, or our console Mega Man game? I read all these stories about how Japan is trying to appeal to the West, but it seems like they're trying to glean information from what they see in our culture, instead of just asking. Anyway, just my 2 cents. Oh, and Grasshopper and Platinum are awesome.
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Octaviux - September 18, 2012 3:58 p.m.

I don't recall any point where Japanese developers led the RTS, FPS or MMO genres. I think the art style of most Japanese games are a major deterrent to the sales of their games in the west. If they're going to keep their art style then they'll be better off trying to develop larger markets in China and South Korea.
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Slayer11496 - September 18, 2012 4:06 p.m.

Dark Souls struck a note in the west.
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ParagonT - September 18, 2012 4:31 p.m.

I think that its just a difference in tastes. Brutality vs. accessibility. Dragon's Dogma and a few like Star Ocean, Infinite, Phantasy Star, is some of the ones I liked, but they were pretty brutal when it came to messing up (including the examples). I liked them, but at the same time, I personally like a more streamlined game that doesn't make you revisit locations hundreds of times and makes the games pace pick up when I feel like my time is being wasted. Which is what I notice about many Japanese games. There is a good mixture of elements that I find in many Western and Japanese games that I like, but they never seem to mesh together the right way. I can't wait until Dragons Dogma comes out, but if they don't add some "western elements" into it, It's a no go for me. That game was so fun, but such a grind at times.
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taokaka - September 18, 2012 4:37 p.m.

My opinion is that one of the real problems is the budget that most Japanese games have. First reason for this is lots of Japanese devs are lacking in the tech to make games whose graphics on a technical scale are comparable to western games, even if they do make up for it with the art direction. The problem this creates is many casual gamers buy games for graphics and usually their opinion on a good looking game is one that looks as close to reality as possible over a game with a colourful cartoonish art style. Another problem is of course marketing, when was the last time you saw an ad for a jrpg which you didn't intentionally seek out? while on the other hand a couple of months ago all the busses in my area had a huge max payne 3 ad on the side. My final reason for budget being an issue is the platform Japanese games are released on, most are on portable consoles instead of on home consoles. Other reasons Japanese games might not be doing so well is the voice acting. However the biggest reason in my opinion is the mentality of it, most casual/medium gamers want to play whatever their friends are playing because they know those games are good that way and just like a child with vegetables the casual gamer won't even try other games. And this creates a problem because the more people that play the popular franchises like COD, Assassins creed and battlefield then the faster they'll grow as opposed to less popular series.
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CrashmanX - September 18, 2012 4:41 p.m.

Pretty much this. When the PS2/GameCube/Xbox Era hit, look at what sold in the West. The Xbox and it's Run n Gun or Sports games. Granted the PS2 was a solid contender (and technical winner) some of it's best sellers in the west weren't as popular in the east. It's a divide that has been getting greater because it went from gaming was for nerds/geeks and such to gaming is for everybody, and that's what the west is REALLY trying to cash in on. While the east is sticking to what it's been doing and isn't trying to cater to everyone, just their core audience. Which is what the west should've been doing. Instead they keep pissing off a lot of their core fans when they change things to make it more accessible and for everyone.
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shawksta - September 18, 2012 5:18 p.m.

Platinum likes creativity and despite sales, they cares about the sales themselves, which was one of the special cases with Bayonetta, they didnt want it to die. Unique games like these, The Wonderful 101, Ace Attorney, Layton, The Trauma Center games and more need more credit, its a shame they dont sell well but the fans and support are there because they care and they dont want these unique titles to be covered by the highly selling big names.
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Aarononymous - September 18, 2012 5:20 p.m.

Isn't appealing to a broad audience a good thing? The West is able to publish games that achieve international commercial successes AND critical acclaim. Who are these core fans and why is their opinion so much more important?
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gopikmin - September 18, 2012 5:23 p.m.

1. They want sales. They know that the opportunity cost of developing for xbox 360 is greater than the potential sales. There's like a million xbox users in Japan and they mostly bought for Western games. PS3 is much more popular everywhere aside from America. The potential audience in xbox 360 for JRPG is really small as majority of xbox users are predominately absorbed in Western games and would take one hell of a marketing campaign to get them interested. 2. The profits to be gain on Western gamers on niche JRPG are fairly smaller than Japanese so they cut corners in some places. As you said, they are somewhat funny so, they might gain some profit. It's no excuse for big ones like FF, KH and such as they are just being lazy and degrades them a bit. 3. Well those two are Nintendo and Capcom who do not desperately need to appeal to the West. Their games sell naturally on their own. Smaller companies cannot appeal with famous games. Really people would buy a Pokemon MMO even if it was basically Battle Revolution. Also, sometimes using the public can gauge wrong results with too many being quiet. See Megaman Legends 3 and Bayonetta 2 outcry.
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Redeater - September 18, 2012 6:04 p.m.

If they would just fix some of their awfull character designs I would be happy. Seriously, Kaim from Lost Odyssey was one of the worst designed heroes I have ever seen. A few strands of hair running down his face the entire game and armour that showed off his bare tramp stamp area......... And don't even get me started on that Poison reject from Ff13-2.
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bigwill1221 - September 18, 2012 6:38 p.m.

Is there a way to have your own ideas with out being criticized?
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boondocks50 - September 18, 2012 7:30 p.m.

I second the 3D Pokemon MMO
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Viron - September 18, 2012 8:57 p.m.

No
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Viron - September 18, 2012 8:59 p.m.

Eh, I doubt that American games sell that well over there. Different strokes for different folks.
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J-Fid - September 18, 2012 9:13 p.m.

Your last point is your best, I agree 100%.
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DualWieldingIsNotFeasible - September 18, 2012 10:05 p.m.

I agree that the market for 360 games in Japan is basically nonexistent. However, that's the point. There's a HUGE 360 market in the West, where they might want to sell games. And the 360 is incredibly easy to port to, because it runs on a basic PC operating system, so extra expense would be minimal. And we have no idea what the market is actually like, because the 360 almost never gets JRPG ports, so there are no numbers to gauge from. I think that they'd be rather good, especially if NIS got in on it. Also, Legends 3 was a business decision, because Capcom didn't project enough profit to warrant finishing the game, or even releasing the Beta version, despite fan outcry. And a WiiU exclusive Bayonetta is the exact opposite of what fans wanted, because Sega has the stupidest management in the industry and was dragging their heels on greenlighting a sequel to one of their most popular recent games. A problem that Nintendo clearly does not have.
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