Japanese Games

[toblix]

From Gamespot :

In order to succeed in Japan, [Microsoft] needs Japan-created content, not just a lot of foreign games that have been localized.

Alright, next quote.

Japanese players don't want challenging, stressful, difficult games. Japanese players would rather have role-playing games with a slow tempo, where they are led and shown what to do.

What the fuck?! This is it, this is the evidence that proves my constant suspicion I've borne ever since I saw my first video of Japanese squid porn: Japan is crazy.

Or is it just me? Aren't Japanese games always the most frustratingly difficult games? Don't they always have the worst saving system? Don't they always make games that require that you're sitting with a printed copy of half of GameFAQs next to your computer?

[lobotomy42]

From Gamespot :

Alright, next quote.

What the fuck?! This is it, this is the evidence that proves my constant suspicion I've borne ever since I saw my first video of Japanese squid porn: Japan is crazy.

Or is it just me? Aren't Japanese games always the most frustratingly difficult games? Don't they always have the worst saving system? Don't they always make games that require that you're sitting with a printed copy of half of GameFAQs next to your computer?

No?

There are some games where the execution may be difficult, but figuring out where to go? What to do? How to do it? Japanese games are frequently much more straight-forward in this regard. (A trait I appreciate...in moderation.)

[toblix]

Okay, so it's just me.

[DanJW]

I think the dev is definitely generalising too much. Sure the "mildly interactive story" is huge in Japan, but there's also a much larger arcade culture than in our hemisphere, a culture that feeds on simple but fiendishly difficult rythm and puzzle games that require utter dedication.

[Nappi]

If I had to generalize a lot and say what I think Japanese games are like, I would describe them being pretty straightforward but often frustrating as hell.

Does anyone know how popular (real-time) strategy games are in Japan?

[Roderick]

You've got all the Tactics Ogres, FF Tactics, Advance Wars, Fire Emblems and that sort of thing, that mixes roleplaying with strategy. Quite popular. I wouldn't count on C&C to be big there, though.

[Ben]

It's not that Japanese gamers don't like challenging games; but that does touch upon the underlying issue of 360 popularity (or lack thereof) in Japan. IMO with their approach to this generation MS have made a point of going after the "hardcore" market with both their software line-up and their feature set. Specifically, with the addition and extension of things like XBL: Achievements, Gamerpoints, and generally playing on the competitive aspect of gaming as though that is the 'major' aspect of gaming, MS have, in essence, turned gaming from a hobby into a profession. This is what I believe turns off Japanese gamers (and it should be noted, others around the world to a lesser extent). It's a very common American approach (in cultural terms) that MS have taken - to take something leisurely and turn it into a well-organised, streamlined and professional operation.

Now of course there are "hardcore" Japanese gamers (as well as very hard and challenging Japanese games), but this is not the kind of hardcore approach they connect with culturally or feel comfortable with - and I think that's what those devs are trying to express, which may have been lost in translation. I think that they (Japanese gamers) want or prefer to get completely engrossed in one game and one way of playing by themselves, as escapism from the world and other people. Whereas the MS apprach is to highlight the lack of escapism by putting you into a room with many other real-world people and making you co-operate or battle it out. Again, I am trying not to generalise to the extent that I mean all Japanese hate competition, clearly that would be absurd and more than like incorrect; but there may be something to it to a degree. For example, in Japanese arcades, all competitive cabinets are structured so that the opposing players never actually see each other and communicate (of course you can't really see someone in an XBL lobby, but you can hear and interact with them and are encouraged to do so)... For the Japanese, in a society where the traditional norm is that you must sacrifice the individual for the greater good of the comunity/society, is it any wonder that when it comes to their personal hobbies they don't want to be in that kind of confrontational environment and want only to enjoy something for themselves...?

It's an interesting topic; I don't presume that any of the above is fact or entirely correct - and it is somewhat anecdotal. It's just a potential explanation to something that clearly defies one single explanation with its multitude of potential determining factors.

[Twilo]

Japanese games aren't difficult in the sense that a hardcore "western" game would be; you generally need Gamefaqs because of some poor design decision rather than any inherent systemic difficulty involved in the game (plenty of examples exist for a lack of guidance in terms of where to go next etc. in otherwise simple games).

It's worth noting that with Japanese RPGs in general (a genre in which a lot of the "hardcore" games lie), if the game is getting too hard, you can go away and grind your characters up to a higher level and try later. And investment of time will give you the same rewards as an investment in study and consideration.

But with all of these games, you can play them casually, without being extremely good or anything, and still have a good time. Japanese games tend to cater to everyone by being generally pretty casual and easy to get into, but rewarding more "hardcore", focused play (e.g. studying stats, counters, combos etc). You can play one of the Final Fantasy games, get to the end as fast as you can and see the end cinematic, or you can try and get everyone's Limit Breaks, Final Weapons, Master Materia, Espers, whatever.

There is some overlap in "hardcoriness" between Japanese and Western games; the level of knowledge and the application thereof required to be really good at the following games is pretty similar:

World of Warcraft (endgame raiding), Street Fighter III and allies, Disgaea & other Nippon Ichi tactical games, Planetarion, Eve Online etc.

Warcraft and Street Fighter particularly are popular among the casual crowd too, as they're satisfying to play on a "shallow" level as well as getting "hardcore" about it. Hot.

[twmac]

That seems to be ignoring a whole slew of games and also regional tweaking.

The most prominent in my mind was when I got an import version of strider for the megadrive (I filed the edges of my European console and it worked fine). I remember getting immensely frustrated for ages but beat it after about a month of practice.

My friend had a copy and was perplexed by my inability to beat the game. Then he played my version and freaked because I had five lives to beat the game and he had had 5 lives and 5 subsequent continues to finish it.

I agree about the 'accessible but difficult' idea (DDR, any shooter, the Virtua fighter series), but then there are games that thrive in Japan that are plain painfully hard and they aren't like anything I've seen from a western developer.