what do you think ppl? i think that it could do well at least if all the games that r being developed by japanese companies r realesed cause it seems that japanese consumer dont trust american developers
Would the 360 not suck at Japan?
- Thread starter Wolf6969
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They(Japanese consumers) should embrace the 360 with open arms....i've seen some of the games being developed for that market and they are sweet...Plus, they are getting the first REAL wrestling title....the US will probably never see that title stateside...DAMN
Well, the Japanese really don't like anything made in or associated with America. They don't like EA, they don't like shooters, they don't like Ubisoft (even though they're French), they don't like FPSs and they don't even like Metroid Prime. They didn't like Rare, they don't like Retro and the list goes on. Because of that, Microsoft really has had to push hard for support from Japanese companies, and in many ways, they've succeeded. They have Mistwalker for a couple exclusive, high-profile RPGs that are made by FF deserters. They manage to get many fighting games, and the Japanese play the hell out of many of them. They have Team Ninja as exclusives. And the list goes on. Problem is, the Japanese still don't care. We'll just have to see how it plays out...Wolf6969 said:
Microsoft has to learn the power of cheese. What we think is cheesy, they eat up. Make a game of Godzilla fighting in a street fighter tournament and they'll flock to it. Microsoft finally got smart and began really pursuing Japanese developers.
Interestingly, a good case study is KFC (that's Kentucky Fried Chicken). They went to Japan, tested their pallets to find out what flavors suited them best and then customized their menues to match. They were and are a roaring success.
McDonald's, on the other hand, went in and setup shop with the same menu that we have here in the states. They bombed big time. No one wanted them and it took years for them to figure out what the Colonel had discovered already. Now they're doing just fine.
Microsoft went in with this attitude of "we're successful in America, let's give them the same thing". Sure, some of the things were different, but the games weren't really crafted towards the Japanese market. Now they're figuring it out. The next round of console wars will be more competetive.
Interestingly, a good case study is KFC (that's Kentucky Fried Chicken). They went to Japan, tested their pallets to find out what flavors suited them best and then customized their menues to match. They were and are a roaring success.
McDonald's, on the other hand, went in and setup shop with the same menu that we have here in the states. They bombed big time. No one wanted them and it took years for them to figure out what the Colonel had discovered already. Now they're doing just fine.
Microsoft went in with this attitude of "we're successful in America, let's give them the same thing". Sure, some of the things were different, but the games weren't really crafted towards the Japanese market. Now they're figuring it out. The next round of console wars will be more competetive.
I don't think Microsoft really went into the market saying "if they don't like it, screw em." They justhave support from Japanese publishers, and therefore didn't sell consoles in Japan, making for even less incentive for the publishers to make the games.
I'm with the Japanese as far as my feelings toward Microsoft and Xbox are. And some of those Americanized genres ( EA, most shooters, Ubisoft for the most part. Rare and Retro do all right sometimes, and I also super-:heart: Metroid Prime [I have a Samus poster in my room actually]). Most of the time I, a good American second-generation Polish girl, strongly distrust American developers.
If things continue this trend, I think Microsoft should just pull out of Japan and focus on American domination, since we're the most susceptible to their crappy games. If Microsoft produced some good RPGs (LOLOLOLOL, ROFL, LMAO.... sorry, got that out of my system now), they might do better. I'm not saying hte Japanese just dig RPGs, but it couldn't hurt microsoft. They need more strategy stuff too... turnbased games.... yummy. They need that down-n-dirty KFC approach Darth_Jonas spoke of.
Out of the three consoles, I think Microsoft will be going down the fastest (unless Nintendo continues in the trend of making some really bad bad calls... but then again the Revolution is returning to Nintendo's old-school video game roots and all of my apprehensions about the DS have now dissipated). What I think would kick@$$ is if Sony and Nintendo doubleteamed, kicked out bastard Microsoft, and won over the videogame world *Eyes gloss over with all the RPG-goodness (yesh, I'm like an RPG whore)*
Oh yes, and Bill Gates= :unicorn:
If things continue this trend, I think Microsoft should just pull out of Japan and focus on American domination, since we're the most susceptible to their crappy games. If Microsoft produced some good RPGs (LOLOLOLOL, ROFL, LMAO.... sorry, got that out of my system now), they might do better. I'm not saying hte Japanese just dig RPGs, but it couldn't hurt microsoft. They need more strategy stuff too... turnbased games.... yummy. They need that down-n-dirty KFC approach Darth_Jonas spoke of.
Out of the three consoles, I think Microsoft will be going down the fastest (unless Nintendo continues in the trend of making some really bad bad calls... but then again the Revolution is returning to Nintendo's old-school video game roots and all of my apprehensions about the DS have now dissipated). What I think would kick@$$ is if Sony and Nintendo doubleteamed, kicked out bastard Microsoft, and won over the videogame world *Eyes gloss over with all the RPG-goodness (yesh, I'm like an RPG whore)*
Oh yes, and Bill Gates= :unicorn:
Oh, Meggo, Meggo, Meggo (the Eggo)...how wrong you are...
While it is indeed true that they lack RPGs, the Xbox is still home to five of the best of them this generation (being Star Wars KOTOR 1 and 2, Fable, Morrowind and Jade Empire) as well as three of the biggest sleeper hit RPGs to date (Otogi: Myth of Demons, Otogi 2 and Dai Senryaku VII). Not to mention other odds-and-ends lke Sudeki and ::cough:: Advent Rising. And like I said, Microsoft has made leaps and bounds to become more appealing to the Japanese market. Like I said, Mistwalker, made up of staff from the original Final Fantasies, Chrono Cross/Trigger, Dragon Quest, and Xenosaga/Gears who deserted Square-Enix because of their new policies, is making two exclusive RPGs (Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey) that are going to be of Final Fantasy caliber (well, I think they will
). Not to mention how Square and Capcom are both showing great interest in the 360 (Capcom has RE5 coming to the 360, and Square has FFXI, and they plan to put others on it as well).
And Bill Gates is my hero.
While it is indeed true that they lack RPGs, the Xbox is still home to five of the best of them this generation (being Star Wars KOTOR 1 and 2, Fable, Morrowind and Jade Empire) as well as three of the biggest sleeper hit RPGs to date (Otogi: Myth of Demons, Otogi 2 and Dai Senryaku VII). Not to mention other odds-and-ends lke Sudeki and ::cough:: Advent Rising. And like I said, Microsoft has made leaps and bounds to become more appealing to the Japanese market. Like I said, Mistwalker, made up of staff from the original Final Fantasies, Chrono Cross/Trigger, Dragon Quest, and Xenosaga/Gears who deserted Square-Enix because of their new policies, is making two exclusive RPGs (Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey) that are going to be of Final Fantasy caliber (well, I think they will
). Not to mention how Square and Capcom are both showing great interest in the 360 (Capcom has RE5 coming to the 360, and Square has FFXI, and they plan to put others on it as well).And Bill Gates is my hero.
As much as the Japanese do have a strong sense of patriotism and never really took Microsoft seriously, money talks. And there is gold in them thar 360's. As much as I hope Microsoft continues to court the Japanese developers, I also hope the developers look at the xbox and 360 and realize one important truth: they could make lots and lots of money. Meggo brings up good points about some of the reasons Microsoft has struggled in Japan. Here's an idea: if some of the best game developers are Japanese, then they could make a fortune designing games for the xbox platform.
I think they are starting to realize this. The reason FPS games are a dime a dozen is either the US developers are too afraid to break out of what's working or they don't know how to make the other types of games and are sticking to what's already making them money.
I think they are starting to realize this. The reason FPS games are a dime a dozen is either the US developers are too afraid to break out of what's working or they don't know how to make the other types of games and are sticking to what's already making them money.
I'm a little tired of the way we lump all of these developers and publishers together by nationality. I mean, c'mon, for every Zelda or Final Fantasy in Japan, there's a creepy dating simulator about getting teenage girls into bed...and it's marketed toward MIDDLE-AGED MEN!
For every craptacular shoot-a-thon (I'm looking at you Daikatana) and ubiquitious movie/sports/tvshow tie-in in the West, there are compelling platformers like Ratchet & Clank or RPG's like Bioware's incredible library of titles.
There are great developers on all sides of the Pond, but this idea that one is purely better than the other based on nationality smacks of stereotyping. Most of my gaming opinions are guided by my own personal tastes, and personally I enjoy Western RPGs slightly more because of the tendency to be open-ended, possess blank-slate character creation features and resemble old-fashioned pen-and-paper RPGs that I still like to play now and then.
Don't get me wrong, I loved FFVII, ChronoTrigger/Cross and DragonQuest VIII, but I'm not usually enamored with ridiculous, pseudointellectual meta-babble subtext, super-cutesy characters and EXTREMELY linear storytelling (with lots of cutscenes). Again, it's all a matter of taste.
For every craptacular shoot-a-thon (I'm looking at you Daikatana) and ubiquitious movie/sports/tvshow tie-in in the West, there are compelling platformers like Ratchet & Clank or RPG's like Bioware's incredible library of titles.
There are great developers on all sides of the Pond, but this idea that one is purely better than the other based on nationality smacks of stereotyping. Most of my gaming opinions are guided by my own personal tastes, and personally I enjoy Western RPGs slightly more because of the tendency to be open-ended, possess blank-slate character creation features and resemble old-fashioned pen-and-paper RPGs that I still like to play now and then.
Don't get me wrong, I loved FFVII, ChronoTrigger/Cross and DragonQuest VIII, but I'm not usually enamored with ridiculous, pseudointellectual meta-babble subtext, super-cutesy characters and EXTREMELY linear storytelling (with lots of cutscenes). Again, it's all a matter of taste.
I think you're missing the point, scribe. The point is the domination of the Japanese market. Who dominates? The Japanese developers. Why do the non-Japanese companies seem to struggle in Japan? It has little to nothing to do with WHERE the developers are located and everything to do with their understanding of the culture.
We've had plenty of discussions on the culture differences. What I was saying is simply who knows the Japanese better than the Japanese? NO ONE! How can you possibly know more about a culture than someone who grew up in it? You can't. Like KFC, the ones that will succeed will be the ones who know what the people want. Do you think they really care about the NBA? The last time I checked, basketball wasn't really a Japanese craze.
We've had plenty of discussions on the culture differences. What I was saying is simply who knows the Japanese better than the Japanese? NO ONE! How can you possibly know more about a culture than someone who grew up in it? You can't. Like KFC, the ones that will succeed will be the ones who know what the people want. Do you think they really care about the NBA? The last time I checked, basketball wasn't really a Japanese craze.
I think I have to apologize, Darth. My response was more geared toward Meggo's posting that kinda bashed Western developers. I just get tired of the fanaticism that is geared toward Japanese games where it seems that being Japanese is enough to make them good.
I agree that cultural differences play a huge role in why Microsoft hasn't yet been able to win over the Japanese gaming public, but it goes just beyond the taste in games. There's history and social structure as well.
For example, in the West, video games are still considered the hobby of the young, slackers and 'nerds'. Though there have been broad inroads made in recent years, there's still a stigma attached to gameplaying among adults in the U.S. This doesn't appear as much in Japan. Historically, while patriotism in the U.S. doesn't extend as far as the kinds of things we like to consume (for the most part..."Freedom Fries" anybody?), Japanese ethnic and nationalistic pride tends to run a bit deeper. The business you work for, the baseball team you root for, tend to be more important for the sense of belonging. Of course, if a Japanese individual works for one company, he or she would be disinclined to purchasing anything from a rival company...or nation.
This is similar in Korea, where due to a somewhat strained relationship with Japan throughout history, tends to feature more PC gamers since the console market had been dominated by the Japanese since the 80's.
I guess what I'm saying is that I agree...Microsoft has it's work cut out for it, but it's approach this time has been somewhat smarter than during the Xbox's campaign.
I agree that cultural differences play a huge role in why Microsoft hasn't yet been able to win over the Japanese gaming public, but it goes just beyond the taste in games. There's history and social structure as well.
For example, in the West, video games are still considered the hobby of the young, slackers and 'nerds'. Though there have been broad inroads made in recent years, there's still a stigma attached to gameplaying among adults in the U.S. This doesn't appear as much in Japan. Historically, while patriotism in the U.S. doesn't extend as far as the kinds of things we like to consume (for the most part..."Freedom Fries" anybody?), Japanese ethnic and nationalistic pride tends to run a bit deeper. The business you work for, the baseball team you root for, tend to be more important for the sense of belonging. Of course, if a Japanese individual works for one company, he or she would be disinclined to purchasing anything from a rival company...or nation.
This is similar in Korea, where due to a somewhat strained relationship with Japan throughout history, tends to feature more PC gamers since the console market had been dominated by the Japanese since the 80's.
I guess what I'm saying is that I agree...Microsoft has it's work cut out for it, but it's approach this time has been somewhat smarter than during the Xbox's campaign.
spudlyff8fan said:Oh, Meggo, Meggo, Meggo (the Eggo)...how wrong you are...
While it is indeed true that they lack RPGs, the Xbox is still home to five of the best of them this generation (being Star Wars KOTOR 1 and 2, Fable, Morrowind and Jade Empire) as well as three of the biggest sleeper hit RPGs to date (Otogi: Myth of Demons, Otogi 2 and Dai Senryaku VII). Not to mention other odds-and-ends lke Sudeki and ::cough:: Advent Rising. And like I said, Microsoft has made leaps and bounds to become more appealing to the Japanese market. Like I said, Mistwalker, made up of staff from the original Final Fantasies, Chrono Cross/Trigger, Dragon Quest, and Xenosaga/Gears who deserted Square-Enix because of their new policies, is making two exclusive RPGs (Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey) that are going to be of Final Fantasy caliber (well, I think they will
And Bill Gates is my hero.
I wouldn't say I'm wrong; I'd say I'm still trying to quash any bias I might have against Microsoft
When I go looking for a game for XBox, I usually end up seeing lots of games with the scantily clad women on it, and as a 17-year-old female, that is not a turnon for a game. I've started playing Morrowing (borrowed from a friend), and still have yet to get into it or develop any sort of fandom for it. I didn't know XBox was making such advances toward the RPG genre (probably because a) I lack funds to buy such games and b) I really don't care about Microsoft too much, and still think they should go under as a videogame company).
I have no interest in the 360 whatsoever, either (damn, why do I hang out in this end of the forums, lol). It's got too many dollars attached to it. I'd rather be committed to the less-expensive Nintendo, which I have been a long-time fan of, and Sony, who are a helluva lot better at catering to my gaming needs than Microsoft.
So, for now and evermore, the XBox will sit upstairs amongst the GameCube, NES, and PS1, and will only be used occasionally for those multi-player bouts in Halo and making a fool of myself in DDR (may that series live long and continue carrying lots of jpop)
Fable, while interesting, definitely had Bill Gates written all over it what with the exorbitant amounts of detail built into the game... this over exorbitant amount of detail in video games still frightens me for some reason... I would prefer a solid 16-bit old-school game to this "detail" any day (again for reasons unbeknownst to me... just the way I am I guess). However, I will forever find it amusing that one of my gal friends was playing Fable, beat her husband to the point of death and then skipped town and married a woman. Her exploits in games continue to make me laugh. As for those other sleeper hits, I'm not a great Star Wars fan and, my biggest peeve of all, no one likes to tell me about these things X( I curse you Gamestop and EB Games... curse you.
So, I'll probably still try to hang around here in attempt to erase my bias against Microsoft (you have to be a journalist someday, Meggo, bias=teh 3v1l!!!!!), but as of now I still think Bill Gates= :gnome: . Maybe you guys can help desensitize me.... *done ranting*
Don't blame the people at Gamestop, Meggo. You can't blame them for not being as awesome as me...
But still, good games are good games, regardless of the system. But I'm not a huge Star Wars fan, either, but the KOTORs and Republic Commando were some of the best games I've played.
But still, good games are good games, regardless of the system. But I'm not a huge Star Wars fan, either, but the KOTORs and Republic Commando were some of the best games I've played.
Good points, Scribe. Unfortunately, Meggo, issue discussed before as to why I think Microsoft struggled in the Japanese market applies to women as well. How many game designers are women? I don't mean have a few women employed there. A relative of mine is a designer at a company designing Warhammer for the digital realm. He's never mentioned a single female there, or are there any in any of the company pics he's shown me.
Maybe you could start a company of women designers, marketers, writers and artists? I'll come be the service boy! Asylum would take out the garbage and clean the carpets.
Maybe you could start a company of women designers, marketers, writers and artists? I'll come be the service boy! Asylum would take out the garbage and clean the carpets.
Yeah...the game design gig is definitely very male-dominated. I mean, looking at the name of the best-of-the-best like Daisuke Ishiwatari, Peter Molyneux, Will Wright, Hideo Kojima and Tomonobu Itagaki...All men. But indeed, Meggo! Start an all-female devteam!
i think that scribe999 its right just because a game its made on japan it doesnt mean its good...i mean tons of game r released on japan every month and only like 10% of those actually make it over to this side ...why?...4 the same reason that games from Western developers are not sold on Japan...maybe i am being a bit ignorant about the taste 4 games of japanese gamers...but...i dont know how a person can actually turn down Morrowind,Fable,Forza or any other really cool game 4 playing a restaurant simulator...and who knows maybe none of us will do that but millions of ppl on Japan r actually doing that and the only logical reason i c its because Xbox wasnt made on Japan "then why the hell should we play on it?" thats what i think thats on the head of every japanese consumer.
Darth_Jonas said:
Why does Japanese KFC sound so good to me right now?
Do you think it might have something to do with market saturation? Nintendo and Sony are both companies that have had time to saturate the market in Japan while Microsoft is an American made brand with a track record here in the states.
I mean seriously- how many of you (if you were old enough to ponder such things at the time) thought a Software company would seriously compete with home entertainment hardware manufactures? I sure didn't. I didn't so much that it took me 2 years before I even sniffed at an Xbox. Now think about if some other company in Japan- say NeoGeo- decided to release hardware in the states. How many of you would jump on board with that? I mean we know Neo-Geo. We have all played Samurai Showdown, but unless you are one of the very few who bought a Wonder Swan you didn't buy them as a hardware company. This is what sort of happened in Japan with the release of the original Xbox.
Now, there is no way I am going to totally compare the Wonder Swan's success (or lack of) in the States with that of the Xbox in Japan. There are too many variables like money spent on marketing and the fact that the Xbox was a great piece of hardware, but I do believe this helped attribute to the less popular status of the Xbox and now the 360 across the Pacific.
The new round of console wars is going to be vastly different than the last. Kinda like how WWI and WWII were so different. All of the companies, not just Microsoft, have gotten smarter. The first volley has been loosed, now let's see what happens.
Oh, and mvlassallo, you made me think back to the SNES days. I would never have thought that things like that would ever compete with the mighty VCR and 36 channel cable!
Oh, and mvlassallo, you made me think back to the SNES days. I would never have thought that things like that would ever compete with the mighty VCR and 36 channel cable!