One of the issues with FFXIV...

[Ilean]

http://kotaku.com/5844588/why-japane...-more-pc-games

[Seirra_Lanzce]

i dont think this an issue. at all.

[Konachibi]

Most of that article is total bull XD

Just take Sega for instance, they made the first 'realistic' adventure game with Shenmue, they made the world first real-time strategy game with Dune waaaay back in the 80's, they created the Hedgehog Engine for Sonic Unleashed, the first engine in the world that can simulate what it looks like to move around 500 miles per hour. That's just a few examples from just one japanese games company. They aren't behind with their games technology, they're way ahead of the game.

The only difference here is american games companies have this obsession with making realistic war games or first person shooters, be it world war 2 or fictional wars (call of duty, brothers in arms, battlefield, army of two, gears of war, resistance) which used to be all well and good but now it's getting incredibly dull to keep seeing 'another war game'. Call Of Duty for instance has been using exactly the same games engine since Call Of Duty 2, all they do is upgrade it a bit to make it look prettier, they don't really tried to IMPROVE the game at all, just hide it behind a slightly different mask. The only other game genres that come out of america are racing games and sports games, and honestly once you've played one FIFA you've played them all, because you can't really make a 'unique' football game, no matter how you spin it, it's still always just going to be football, but that doesn't stop EA throwing a new FIFA out every single year for those dumb enough to keep buying them.

Japanese companies still keep their video games fresh and unique with originality. Adventure games, action games, roleplay games, platform games, puzzle games, they make every genre under the sun, and they keep things always feeling new.

Look at the still-going success of Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy, Street Fighter, Sonic The Hedgehog, Mario, Dead Or Alive, King Of Fighters, Guilty Gear, Disgaia, The 'Tales Of' series, Gundam, Silent Hill and Resident Evil, then consider if Japan really is behind when it comes to video games.

So is it a problem for FFXIV? No it isn't. FFXIV did something new, fresh and unique as an MMO instead of being 'just another WoW clone' like american MMO companies are doing. Sure it had a bad start, but some people like it for how different it feels, rather than hanging on it's flaws.

p.s, sorry for babbling on, I just hate it when american reviewers think their country is making better games than japanese companies.

[Aenarion]

i typed a nice response up, but the browser ate it

but basically, the article is not without merit. Many of the series you mentioned are also favorites of mine, but these days it's hard to argue that many of them are little more than niche franchise outside of Japan.

It's not so much a matter of who's better, but rather that of a diverging market IMO.

[Konachibi]

i typed a nice response up, but the browser ate it

but basically, the article is not without merit. Many of the series you mentioned are also favorites of mine, but these days it's hard to argue that many of them are little more than niche franchise outside of Japan.

It's not so much a matter of who's better, but rather that of a diverging market IMO.

True enough, the majority of western gamers nowadays all just want to play war games where they get to run around and kill each other. The market for adventure games and games where you don't have to shoot someone in the face is slowly dieing out

[Jennestia]

Some of the best Indie and Commercial games I've played in and from Japan were a lot more fun than from western developers that have "played PC games more".

So I'm not seeing a problem..

[Aenarion]

Some of the best Indie and Commercial games I've played in and from Japan were a lot more fun than from western developers that have "played PC games more".

So I'm not seeing a problem..

anecdotal proofs ftw!!!


ultimately one only needs to look at the bottom line, which frankly is the only thing that really matters - game companies don't survive without them. Is it gonna get that bad for JP game devs? not by a long shot, but these days I feel we're in danger of going back to the old days when the vast majority of JP games, including major titles, never gets out of Japan.

[Adol]

>kotaku

Stopped reading there.

[Gramul]

Heavily biased nonsense.
Author seems to hold the belief that realistic graphics and physics are important.

[Azurymber]

In todays age gamers want communication + customizability. NA game companies are MUCH better at this than Japanese companies. For some reason Japan has a very arrogant corporate/elite culture (ex. toyota, FFXIV's tanaka twitter, tepco[japans energy company], government that knew there was a melt down and hid it for months)

Whenever there is a problem most North American companies -usually- acknowledge it and fix it and if they don't, they provide tools for players to.

Most japanese companies lie and pretend there is no problem and then end up with a CEO resigning in embarrassment when some news or non-biased agency proves that there is.

NA companies also tend to market games better to an NA audience.
For example the marketing for FFXIV was a total disaster. They basically lied to people (ex. the group crafting cake thing) and made it seem like the game had these cool features, none of which were implemented. You watch people take out a marlboro in the preview for it... do you ever fight one in the game? No. I mean they are there, but completely unused. Why have a beta test and ask for feedback if you make ZERO changes?

Japan can't compete with the NA companies anymore, and while there will always be a place for their games, they will rarely top the charts in the future.