Barozi said: well he and Fish are right and the sooner you all and especially the Japanese devs get the message the sooner we get better games from the East again. Also some people are forgetting that there are exceptions for EVERYTHING and obviously even Phil Fish knows that. You need to learn that there is a hidden message behind each statement, but some lack the skills to analyze and find them. Everyone who think that this gen brought more quality games from the East than EVERY gen before (since NES era) is just living in denial. I played lots of Japanese games in my youth and even now and yes of course there are some fantastic games nowadays, but they are getting less and it's sad to see. |
Getting less? I disagree. It's just Western development has got a lot better within the last 10 Years or so, thanks to a boom in gaming popularity. Things are more spread out now. 10 Years ago it was more common to see quality Japanese games, nowadays you see more of an even playing field.
Japanese game development is as strong as ever IMO. Nintendo break records Yearly in some way or another. JRPG sales are as strong as ever. Monster Hunter has ushered in a new sub-genre over in JP. Handheld sales there are simply phenomenal (People were saying the UK was taking over as the 2nd biggest market, despite DS selling more in Japan than every current gen console combined in the UK.) Wii and PS3 have/had really healthy SW markets. DS/PSP and now 3DS are even stronger.
If anything, Western development needs to evolve. Developers are trying too hard to appeal to the mainstream audience. Things are swiftly becoming more and more shooty too. The biggest Western games that aren't Sport or Racing currently have either guns or gore. Lots of it. Shooting things or stabbing things in fun, unique ways! Run here, shoot this. Jump there, stab that!
Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, Gears of War, Uncharted, God of War, Halo, Mass Effect, Elder Scrolls, Battlefield, GTA, Red Dead, Fable, Fallout, BioShock, Left 4 Dead, Dragon Age 2.
Rare occurences happen now and again of course. Puzzle games, stealth games, platformers, strategy, music... Games like Portal, Batman Arkham, LEGO, LBP, Rockband, Dragon Age: Origins. Rare gems.
Dragon Age is actually a perfect example of how Western development has gone wrong. Trying to appeal to a consumer that doesn't want your game. Origins was one of the best games of the generation. Great characters, great gameplay, great storyline. BioWare did good with the DLC and did the "Spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate justice. Dragon Age 2 did everything wrong. They openly admitted to going after a more casual customer and in turn ruined what made Origins great. Ruined the gameplay and added shitty, simple characters.