Japanese Gamers Tastes

[Super_Boom]

archer9234 said:

I still say it was also the inclusion of the party not dying mode.

It definitely was more beginner-friendly, which I think was a big help. Some of the past titles were punished in reviews over being too difficult. Though I personally think it was a combination of marketing and being released while the 3DS's sales were beginning to climb that helped it out. The sim aspect might have helped out a bit, though I don't think it was as significant as the gameplay/marketing changes. Some of the past titles had superior story and character development, so those aspects probably didn't help too much on their own, though certainly complemented the other changes.

OT: Japanese tastes do seem to be a bit different...and they definitely have their own annual franchises like the ones that get ripped apart over here, just with different genres receiving a bigger following. As someone who likes RPGs and has little interest in most FPS or sports games, my tastes generally align more with these franchises, but I suppose if someone enjoys Call of Duty, they'd prefer the more western annual games.

I agree though, they both fall on the same annual release temptation...though honestly, if they're still able to produce quality titles, I don't see why I should complain.