Japanese games in western countries

Why is it that for some odd reason, most western gamers completley disregard Japense games, and simply turn to their own western games, I mean sure games like mass effect and red dead redemption are good but, what about all those OTHER games out there such as Catherine or No more heroes, they are getting hardly any love from western gamers, infact most western gamers wont even know what Catherine is. This is the reason games like The last story havnt been released in Western countries, here in Australia we only just got Xenoblade, and Catherine in the coming month. Is it the gameplay? concept? visual design? what is it that doesnt appeal to Western gamers in Japanese games? why are they afraid to try something new/different?

What your thoughts on the matter, and which side are you on? are you on both?

Cant the same thing be said the other way around?

Cant the same thing be said the other way around?

ImSwordMan

Cant the same thing be said the other way around?

ImSwordMan

Cant the same thing be said the other way around?

[QUOTE="ImSwordMan"]

Cant the same thing be said the other way around?

Silentj0ker

[QUOTE="lawlessx"][QUOTE="ImSwordMan"]

Cant the same thing be said the other way around?

WilliamRLBaker

http://kotaku.com/5868301/skyrim-japan-likes-you

you were saying?

[QUOTE="WilliamRLBaker"][QUOTE="lawlessx"] i hear western games do fairly well in japan.lawlessx

http://kotaku.com/5868301/skyrim-japan-likes-you

you were saying?

[QUOTE="Silentj0ker"][QUOTE="ImSwordMan"]

Cant the same thing be said the other way around?

WilliamRLBaker

Cultural differences.

I think catherine is a bad example of this. If I recall catherine was atlus biggest launch or something along those lines. Japanese games are also not ignored, the more niche ones maybe, but the same could be said of niche western games.

Cultural differences.

nitekids2004

Pretty much this, the differences are quite remarkable, franchises like Zelda or GEOW just don't sell very well in Japan and games that are o_0 for us, are a huge success in the Japanese Market (Dinastly Warriors anyone?)

all japanese games are really aimed for teen aspect or all-age around via Anime-Lookalike/Traditional RPG thats why some of them sell well on western but some of them are not(because unfair reviewing system on western reviewers via graphics and gameplay with none-age limitation)

its same situation on Western Games on Japan but some of them are not because of cultural difference(its like this some western games are aiming graphics to be movies and easy to manipulate like FPS but they like more stories with good gameplay than that thing

I think catherine is a bad example of this. If I recall catherine was atlus biggest launch or something along those lines. Japanese games are also not ignored, the more niche ones maybe, but the same could be said of niche western games.

GD1551

Because characters are mostly shemales. Dialog is awful in 90% of japanese games. Voice acting is ALWAYS shiit. silversix_

Because characters are mostly shemales. Dialog is awful in 90% of japanese games. Voice acting is ALWAYS shiit. silversix_

this one.....some gamers are really hard to adapt another genre(like japanese ga,es) but instead talking like this happen on this system wars

all japanese games are really aimed for teen aspect or all-age around

majestix1988

[QUOTE="majestix1988"]

all japanese games are really aimed for teen aspect or all-age around

ShadowDeathX

yeah + fast-paced gaming/some cliche stories on american gaming

[QUOTE="GD1551"]

I think catherine is a bad example of this. If I recall catherine was atlus biggest launch or something along those lines. Japanese games are also not ignored, the more niche ones maybe, but the same could be said of niche western games.

ShadowDeathX

Yeah but 300k is alot for a games that supposedly get ignored. I mean if you really want to there are games like final fantasy, street fighter, resident evil and MGS that sell bucket loads.

Because characters are mostly shemales. Dialog is awful in 90% of japanese games. Voice acting is ALWAYS shiit. silversix_

Not always, Shadows the damned has decent to good voice acting

it really comes down to cultural mindset, more likely a western game is going to appeal to someone brought up in a more Western culture.

Japanese games suck for the most part. its as easy as that. catherine was awful. im still waiting to play shadows of the damned but even then i hear its a mediocre gamemems_1224

[QUOTE="mems_1224"]Japanese games suck for the most part. its as easy as that. catherine was awful. im still waiting to play shadows of the damned but even then i hear its a mediocre gameSilentj0ker

[QUOTE="mems_1224"]Japanese games suck for the most part. its as easy as that. catherine was awful. im still waiting to play shadows of the damned but even then i hear its a mediocre gameSilentj0ker

i gotta agree with you here Catherine is fresh and diffrent compared to the drole and dull Western FPS trend we are seeing.

Usually it's the gameplay that turns me off. I played the demo to Catherine and I was quickly turned off by the whole climbing the boxes thing. If it had a story I cared about, maybe I would give it a shot, but I've been meh'ing at console games for a while now. Usually they just don't do it for me.

The only real innovative game out of Japan for me this gen has been Demon/Dark Souls.

I have a query and maybe a little off topic, but

I notice a lot of main protagonists and male characters are very effiminate in JRPGs and Japanese in games in general

Why don't they just make them female leads? (since they seem very female)

It would make more sense, sow less confusion and well would be far more attractive to audiences in Western Countries and would actually be more progressive by giving balance tothe male dominated game archetypes.

Bayonetta is a pretty good example.

[QUOTE="Silentj0ker"][QUOTE="mems_1224"]Japanese games suck for the most part. its as easy as that. catherine was awful. im still waiting to play shadows of the damned but even then i hear its a mediocre gamerazgriz_101

i gotta agree with you here Catherine is fresh and diffrent compared to the drole and dull Western FPS trend we are seeing.

your comparing one game to a whole genre.

why not compare it to something like Heavy Rain. That is more comparable.

[QUOTE="razgriz_101"]

[QUOTE="Silentj0ker"] Catherine and Shadows of the damned are two incredible games, how can you even say Catherine is awful...I spose everyone entitled to their own opinionsAdmiralBison

i gotta agree with you here Catherine is fresh and diffrent compared to the drole and dull Western FPS trend we are seeing.

your comparing one game to a whole genre.

why not compare it to something like Heavy Rain. That is more comparable.

Yeah but the western developer trend heavily leans on the FPS trend, Heavy rain is pretty much an exception from it.

it really comes down to cultural mindset, more likely a western game is going to appeal to someone brought up in a more Western culture.

razgriz_101

That wasn't true before. Before this gen japanese games were hugely successful.

Its actually the opposite alot of popular japanese games in japan doe very well in the west, Resident eveil, Final Fantasy, Demon souls the same can"t be said of the western games The call of duties, mass effects Assasins creeds, don"t even chart in Japan

[QUOTE="AdmiralBison"]

[QUOTE="razgriz_101"]

i gotta agree with you here Catherine is fresh and diffrent compared to the drole and dull Western FPS trend we are seeing.

razgriz_101

your comparing one game to a whole genre.

why not compare it to something like Heavy Rain. That is more comparable.

Yeah but the western developer trend heavily leans on the FPS trend, Heavy rain is pretty much an exception from it.

There are other genres by they way like RPGS, Racing, Sports, Third person action, RTS, Simulations..

is Catherine a dating sim?

[QUOTE="razgriz_101"]

it really comes down to cultural mindset, more likely a western game is going to appeal to someone brought up in a more Western culture.

edidili

That wasn't true before. Before this gen japanese games were hugely successful.

Western games have gotten more successful, have grown and become moreactive andespecially since Microsoft has gotten involved as well.

Heck I think Apple has really put an effect on the gaming industry without even trying.

America is Japan's biggest market.

You pick no-name games with little advertising, and complain their sales are low in America. It has nothing to do with them being disregarded, but rather the fact that people flat out don't know they exist.

On that note there are hundreds of western-made games that also don't sell well in the west for the exact same reason.

Again, as I said, America is Japan's BIGGEST market.

[QUOTE="razgriz_101"]

it really comes down to cultural mindset, more likely a western game is going to appeal to someone brought up in a more Western culture.

edidili

That wasn't true before. Before this gen japanese games were hugely successful.

Is it the gameplay? concept? visual design?Silentj0ker

Nailed it. These things plus a general lack of interest.

For me, of course. I can't speak for my fellow Westerners.

(spoilers follow) I was in Hong Kong, and had started digging into this Maggie Chow woman and her Dragons Tooth sword. I ended up in her fancy penthouse condo, trying to see if I could negotiate something, when she (or her maid, can't remember exactly) sprung a bunch of armed MJ12 henchmen on me. Being stealth JC Denton, there was no way in hell I was going to win in a direct firefight, so I picked my usual hopeless cause option and decided to die as dramatically as humanly possible. Pulling out my stealth pistol, I blasted out the floor to ceiling windows of the condo and dived out, figuring I'd fall to my death. I didn't. Instead, I ended up on the balcony of an apartment across the way and a story down. I wasn't dead, I was somewhere else. Somewhere that, as I quickly learned, tied directly into the story I was playing out. My jaw dropped, my brain raced and, all of a sudden, I realized

Theres no way i can be bothered even attempting to read all of that

Theres no way i can be bothered even attempting to read all of that

Silentj0ker

Theres no way i can be bothered even attempting to read all of that

Silentj0ker

[QUOTE="Silentj0ker"]

Theres no way i can be bothered even attempting to read all of that

Firebird-5

thinking whether I should read it or not, hmmm

[QUOTE="Firebird-5"][QUOTE="Silentj0ker"]

Theres no way i can be bothered even attempting to read all of that

Silentj0ker

thinking whether I should read it or not, hmmm

[QUOTE="Silentj0ker"]

[QUOTE="Firebird-5"] I'm sorry that addressing your argument took up more than 3 lines. I'm sorry that you might have to think.Firebird-5

thinking whether I should read it or not, hmmm

It's not like they don't do the same there anyway. A cultural thing perhaps. In my case, I really dislike the anime-like direction on almost all japanese games.

Well I know some have this weird hatred for anime style characters after the rise of anime in the west. Probably because of the crazy crazy fans.Devil-Itachi

Maybe some, but definitely not all.

I've tried getting my parents, among others, to watch movies such as Princess Mononoke, and other titles from Ghibli, and no luck. None of them have any experience dealing with the big anime nerds. They just don't see something to the anime style that screams to them "This might be good!"