Anyone Else Getting Uneased of Japan's Gaming Slump? (56k No)

If we took the timeline of when the Xbox 360 was released to current and compared it to the 32/64 Bit Generation, then all of these games would have been released for the current generation systems. And the thing is this is just from the top of my head and I'm not even including arcade exclusives or games only/already released in Japan. It doesn't even matter if you go by Japan's console launches they'd still all be out.

Now can you honestly say that Japan has released games this good on the current generation of consoles?

Okay here are all the "landmark" games they've released so far:

That's it 3, 2 of which are by the same publisher. I'm also going to be honest here I put Trauma Center out of desperation as well (it's so niche). Personally I couldn't care less where my games are made but face it now other region makes games like Japan. Hell even most of the games Japan makes for consoles now seem really Western (I should just say American) oriented.

I do realize there are some explanations for this such as the now almost dead Japanese core/stream gaming market, developers confused for which platform to support, and most games going to handhelds. But those handheld games can't compete with what they've made before also I don't know about anyone else but I really enjoy these games. But as time goes on it seems that Japan will never comeback to what they use to be and just be nothing more but a country that puts out games for Casuals, Otaku's, and Nintendo Fans. Yes Nintendo is great but I'd like a little more variety here and there (I'm looking at third parties).

Does anyone else feel the same?

Past generations and this generation is uncomparable. They are two different times. I say that Gaming is going into another crash. blizzvalve

I'm referring to games from Japan, that's for a different topic all together.

No, because the "slump" is merely temporary.

1 Game.....wow.Gunraidan

MGS4, FFXIII, GT5, Ninja Gaiden 2, White Knight Story....shall I continue?

1 Game.....wow.Gunraidan

but RE5 is unlikely to release this year, right?Mordred19

[QUOTE="Gunraidan"]1 Game.....wow.fuzzysquash

MGS4, FFXIII, GT5, Ninja Gaiden 2, White Knight Story....shall I continue?

Not one of those games are out.

Massive pictures..Ibacai

Well those are only a few games and again none of them are out. I know that Japan isn't irrelevant but compared to past generations they aren't what they use to be (at least to me.

[QUOTE="fuzzysquash"]

[QUOTE="Gunraidan"]1 Game.....wow.Gunraidan

MGS4, FFXIII, GT5, Ninja Gaiden 2, White Knight Story....shall I continue?

Not one of those games are out.

Massive pictures..Ibacai

Well those are only a few games and again none of them are out. I know that Japan isn't irrelevant but compared to past generations they aren't what they use to be (at least to me.

It's only a temporary slump.

However, I don't think any generational shift we've had lately matched the SNES/N64 jump.

If anything, they're learning the hardware (prolonged by the PS3 later deployment) and Square is spending time carefully crafting the next androgenous lead male roles in their games.

What abour SSBB?blizzvalve

I'm referring to anything Non-Nintendo as I said in my OP, guess I should've been more clear with it.

Not using Chrono Trigger as an example = Epic Fail.Aljosa23

Chrono Trigger was a premiere next generation game for 1995-early 1997?

^^But compared to their yesteryears it's a far cry from what they used to be.

No more love for No More Heroes?-The-G-Man-

I never loved that game in the first place.

^^But compared to their yesteryears it's a far cry from what they used to be.

[QUOTE="-The-G-Man-"]No more love for No More Heroes?Gunraidan

I never loved that game in the first place.

Kinda hard to make a thread about what you believe is a factual statement when you leave out a critically acclaimed game based on your opinion of it. Just sayin'...

I made this thread a while ago and got flamed to high hell for it. I took the equivelant time frame of this gen compared to last gen.

At the time of my thread I had listed games such as....

1. Halo CE
2. Super Smash Brothers Brawl
3. Wave Race Blue Storm
4. Pikman
5. Rouge Squadron
6. Tekken Tag
7. SSX
8. Devil May Cry
9. Metal Gear Solid
   Final Fantasy X
10. Grand Theft Auto 3

Amongst many others. All of these games were out by the second Christmas of the PS2 and the launches of the Gamecube and Xbox.

I had made this thread over the Summer. I'm sorry but its the truth. As far as consoles go they are progressing slower then last gen.

I mean the Japanese devs still haven't decided if they want to back the PS3 or the Wii. This gen has pretty much been completely Western sty1e domination with the exceptions of Capcom and Nintendo.

Things are starting to get better. But man it seems like its taking forever for the games to come out.

^^^Yes I do remember that thread Blackbond it was very good too.

Just to add you forgot many other gems (Omnimusha, Guilty Gear X, Silent Hill 2, etc.) but you just wanted to keep the list short I assume.

I totally agree that Japanese developers are confused. When you have Japanese developers putting their games that appeal to the Japanese audience and put them on the Xbox 360 and focus on North America to attempt to go against giants like Activision, Ubisoft, and E.A. well let's just say that's when you know you have a problem in your hands.

This has made me think though. This generation will probably last much longer then the previous ones because by the time the Xbox 3 comes out the high profile games from Japan will just be coming out on whatever console they choose.

I also agree with you that games in general are taking a while to come out.

Okay I may get a little off topic here with this but I'm just trying to explain things to you further.

People fear that one day games will get so expensive to make that less retail games will start coming out along with publishers concentrating more on a sequels, but in reality that's what's happening now.

Many developers are just making games that were already successful esepecially on the PC.

Bioshock

Call of Duty 4

Guitar Hero III

Halo 3

Rachet and Clank:ToD

Forza 2

all of these games are sequels. And those are just from the top of my head.

The only big games of last year on these consoles that weren't were Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, Eternal Sonata, Heavenly Sword, and Uncharted. Not to mention with every single player game usually being under 10 hours long (I'm sorry but that's just ridiculous).

Japan is by far the biggest offender to this though. Yes we have tons of announced Japanese games, but besides Valkyrie of the Battlefield, Infinite Undiscovery, and White Knight Story literally all of them are sequels.

Metal Gear Solid 4

Final Fantasy XIII

Soul Caliber IV

Street Fighter IV

Tekken 6

Ninja Gaiden II

Devil May Cry 4

Tales of Vespiria

Hell I'm running out of text. :P

There's also the fact that all of these games (taking out Tales, NG, and SF) have been announced for over 2 years.

I personally think the problem is the rising cost of development as well as the core Japanese gaming market shrinking by the minute. I don't know what has to happen but whatever it is it has to happen soon.

Kinda hard to make a thread about what you believe is a factual statement when you leave out a critically acclaimed game based on your opinion of it. Just sayin'...

-The-G-Man-

I thought you were only referring to me with that post. I apologize.

And it is a fact that there are far less high profile Japanese games coming out this generation then the previous ones. (not trying to sounds like a dick or anything but it is true)

They care about handhelds more than consoles and there is no clear cut winner that was dominating other systems in many aspects unlike last gen.

You also have companies like Capcom, Konami and Square content on making console games for western audiences because the core gamer in Japan is non-existant for the most part. kage_53

Pretty much sumed up my thoughts.