How gritty western obsessions are murdering Japanese games

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Opinion: A Radar Editor thinks that if the east continues to westernise, we all lose

While right now its duties will be limited to bringing the likes of Kane & Lynch 2 to Japanese players, the label’s existence does raise a larger issue. With Japanese companies increasingly pandering to perceived western tastes of action, violence and general grimness, should we be worried that a publisher so synonymous with delicate, affecting, character-driven works such as Squenix is embracing that side of things so wholeheartedly, and now officially?

Above: If Mario and Luigi had been created in the west, now

Diversification is obviously a healthy thing in the big global theme park that is games, but as a long-time fan of Japanese gaming I can’t help but worry about the overall effect this trendis going to have on things.

Like many Resident Evil fans (and fans of atmospheric horror in general), I’m massively ambivalent about the introduction of co-op and cover-shooting in Resi 5. Was it an improvement? Debatable. Was it needed? Probably not. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for cross-pollination of ideas, but when it threatens to dilute an original creative voice, particularly in a way that whiffs of focus-group thinking, I start to get uneasy.

David Houghton
David Houghton
Former GamesRadar+ Features Writer

Former (and long-time) GamesRadar+ writer, Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.