Japanese gaming became big when the Famicom launched in 1983. Up until the 7th gen, most games that sold were predominantly Japanese and the region had a huge influence on the gaming market, although they still have a significant presence in terms of handhelds and there is increasing interest in Japanese console games.
Currently, the top selling Japanese franchises are Pokemon, Yo-Kai Watch, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Mario, Monster Hunter, Animal Crossing, etc. Other games that sell respectable numbers include the Souls series, Persona, Zelda, Metal Gear Solid, Kingdom Hearts, Yakuza, the Warriors series, Resident Evil, Hatsune Miku, Phantasy Star, Tales of series, Street Fighter, Fire Emblem, etc. And of course, there are franchises that are well known but don't necessarily shift a huge amount of copies, which include Fatal Frame, Taiko No Tatsujin, Hyperdimension Neptunia, etc.
Conversely, Western gaming arguably didn't become very big until last gen. Currently, western games are dominating the console space with the rise of the shooter and third person action/adventure genres.
Currently, the top selling Western franchises are Call of Duty, Battlefield, Grand Theft Auto, The Sims, Madden NFL, FIFA, Halo, Just Dance, Mortal Kombat, God of War, Gears of War, Far Cry, Batman, Uncharted, Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, Borderlands, etc. Other games that sell respectable numbers include inFamous, Saints Row, Dead Space, BioShock, Dragon Age, Fallout, Need for Speed, Forza, etc. Like with Japanese games, there are franchises that are well known but aren't huge sellers. These include the LEGO games, Darksiders, Splinter Cell, Skylanders, etc.
So, which do you prefer: Japanese games or Western games? And why?
