It would seem...

[BabyHeadCrab]

That Japanese and American game markets are going their own ways once again -- with the exception of the known brand names JRPGs aren't making money stateside anymore [those known names being 'Tales of' 'Final Fantasy' 'Kingdom Hearts', and to a lesser extent, Star Ocean], but even these products aren't hitting target numbers. We've also approached a time in this console generation where Japan is receiving oodles of exclusive big-budget games that would normally have (at the very least) been gambled on stateside, but instead are remaining exclusive to the region.

The cultures are vastly different, but the crossover seems at an all-time low.

What does hl2.net think? Has the U.S. grown tired of the JRPG? Is Kojima right in saying that the U.S. is ahead of the Japanese in game development? It's a media outlet that really has acted enigmatically in terms of international relations, with the titans being the U.S. and Japan with a handful of European countries and South Korea + some other outliers budding into the market. The point being, traditionally in order to be successful you need to appeal to the American, Japanese, South Korean or European markets to be successful and the big devs from each traditional aim for exposure to all of these territories. (case and point: Lineage I/II western market success, WoW's Asian market(s) success and games like Katmari, Final Fantasy, [and anything Capcom, Squenix or Nintendo].

Why is the west not as interested? Is it because console gaming has more mass appeal than the standard JRPG aspies who made up most of the market before?


disclaimer: THIS THREAD IS FULL OF GROSS GENERALIZATIONS OF AN OVERTIRED TWENTY-SOMETHING PROCRASTINATING A FINAL PAPER ON THE VERGE OF A PSYCHOTIC BREAKDOWN

 

[Warped]

The US downloads JRPGs for free and buys the good American games me thinks

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

I have huge amounts of respect for developers that create games that churn out internationally successful games. Game franchises which, no matter what country you're in, people will know what you're talking about if you mention: Resident Evil (Biohazard), Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike, Red Alert, etc...

I had a marvelous hour and a half discussion with a Kuwaiti student here whose brothers ran a LAN center in Kuwait and Bahrain where they played Red Alert 2, CS etc... Though to be fair the Gulf states have more in common with the west than they do with the rest of the middle eastern world, for the most part. (gross generalization, don't cut my balls off, digi).

 

[ríomhaire]

I mainly play FPSs and RTSs so I much prefer the Western games market to the Japanese one. In fact, my favourite Japanese games tend to be set in America and somewhat American aimed, and have zombies: Res Evil, Silent Hill, Dead Rising.

On the other hand there are some other Japanese games that I like and I plan on getting a Wii and picking up a good few Wii and GC (never owned a GC) games when I have the money saved up.

 

[CyberPitz]

I'm a sucker for JRPG's, along with Western FPS's. Of course, I'm a sucker for RTS's also.

 

[Ravioli]

I'm a sucker for JRPG's, along with Western FPS's. Of course, I'm a sucker for RTS's also.

If you are such a sucker, why dont you come over here and give my carrot a little lovin ehh? ehh? :naughty: See it as a "mouth based" game.

 

[CyberPitz]

If you are such a sucker, why dont you come over here and give my carrot a little lovin ehh? ehh? :naughty: See it as a "mouth based" game.

.........YES. Brt.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

IT'S NOT A MOUTH BASED VIDEO GAMMMMMME

 

[B_MAN]

http://kotaku.com/5234989/capcom-goes-west

 

[Danimal]

It would seem...

That I am not the only spy.

*Glares at Dog and Azner*

 

[MultiVaC]

Well, Japanese horror games are still pretty popular, along with fighting games, and whatever Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden are. Those are the kind of games that Japan still does best. I've never heard of a Japanese FPS or RTS, and let's face it, jRPGs have been totally outclassed by western and eastern-Europe RPGs. jRPGs really have nothing going for them, they're linear and repetitive, they all look the same (AHAHA RACIST JOKE HERE), and the stories and writing make Bethesda's writers look like Shakespeare.

 

[Bob_Marley]

Speaking for myself jRPGs simply don't feel exciting in terms of gameplay. And this is not just because they're turnbased, its how they're presented. Standing in a line and hitting each other with sharp objects until someone's HP runs out isn't that fun. Compare that to a western turn based game like the Jagged Alliance series, where one has to worry about ammunition, terrain, booby traps, stamina, and so on. For me the Japanese model simply isn't enguaging. Also, it seems to me the whole combat model hasn't moved foreward in 15 years or more. In the west we've seen innovation in how the combat works, with true real time combat, turnbased real time (KotoR), Smart Pause (Brigade E5) and a multitude of different takes on the good old turn based system.

On the other side, I'm a fan of Japanese fighting games, particularly the street fighter series. These have depth and complexity in thier gameplay which really appeals to me.

I would, however, say that as a rule the gameplay of japanese games, particularly the combat, is dull and repetitive. To me, anyway.

 

[Warbie]

It's not just jrpgs that comes out of Japan. They're also leagues ahead when it comes to action/adventure games, anything arcadey, and grandiose stories of epic proportions. Sometimes it's nice to be a hero with world shaking events revolving around you. Zelda, Metroid, Devil May Cry, MGS - all examples of very good games that leave you feeling drained, like you've been on a ****ing lotr scale epic journey. This is what I look for in Japanese games that I very rarely find in anything from the West. Don't get me wrong, I love fps - eseically online - the occasipnal rts and western style rpgs like like Baldur's Gate/Kotor etc, but wish there wasn't such an seemingly endless selection shite shooting coming out month after month.