There is no doubt whatsoever that Japan’s influence in the video game market in past times has been paramount. From the classic titles found in arcades to the quirky yet fun console games they produced, gamers of all ages have enjoyed some fantastic games. From Mario to Solid Snake, to Street Fighter, everyone knows of the great games developed by this little gem of a country. The Japanese influence on gamers was at one stage absolute, and to say Japan ruled the video game market, seemed to some, an absolute fact.
If we look at the PS1 era we see what is perhaps the most dominant era Japan enjoyed. SquareSoft were so good that almost every game they released was guaranteed to receive critical praise. They could do no wrong, titles like Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story, XenoGears and Parasite Eve were all fantastic titles. Of course there was Ergheiz which was a let down but nobody’s perfect right? Capcom invented a totally new genre with the acclaimed Resident Evil series, Namco dominated the fighting genre with the Tekken and of course Konami redefined the action genre with the classic, and my personal favourite, Metal Gear Solid. Take into account Gran Turismo and you can easily see that Japanese devs were on fire, and that was only on the one platform. On the Nintendo 64 you had titles like Super Mario World, Ocarina Of Time, Majoras Mask, and Mario Kart 64, all of which had a their loyal followers and certain degrees of critical praise too. These games were developed with consoles in mind, and offered a far different experience to their Western developed, sometimes PC orientated counterparts. Quirky story lines and unique worlds were definitely part of the Japanes game dev psyche, and were well accepted by the general console audiences.
The PS2 era started off with a bang. Square merged with Enix and released some titles that weren’t well received, but backed it up with releases like Kingdom Hearts and of course Final Fantasy X and XII. Capcom released the absolutely amazing Devil May Cry series, although 2 was one that I would rather forget. Dark Cloud was a fantastic title in it’s time, and it seemed as though Japan was going to continue to dominate the gaming market like they did in previous generations. However there were a few more Western devs that decided to cash in on the console market, and RockStar lead the way with Gran Theft Auto 3. While it wasn’t the first Western Title to be well received, it certainly became the most successful series during this generation. Even God Of War seemed to steal Devil May Cry’s thunder. There was another event that would help Western devs gain more ground in the console market, one that would certainly change the general style of console games.
The Xbox is, at least in my opinion, what helped a lot of Western devs gain ground in the console market. After all, consoles generally offered a difficult architecture for most Western devs to work with, as most of these developers stuck with PC. The Xbox was basically a PC in a console body, and it offered far more horse power than the other consoles at the time. Games looked far better than either GameCube or Playstation 2 games, and it came packaged with a very impressive shooter to boot. For so long it was said that shooters couldn’t work on a console, and Halo proved all the naysayers wrong. Halo could have easily been mistaken for a PC game, but it came exclusively on the Xbox system, although it was timed exclusive. Sure there was TimeSplitters, GoldenEye, Perfect Dark and other shooters, but none of them mimicked PC shooters quite like Halo did.
Enter the current generation and we see the Xbox 360 now leading the Playstation 3 in sales, and nearly every genre of gaming is dominated by games developed in the west. Square Enix have gone from one of the most loved developers in gaming to one of the most despised. Infinite Undiscovery was average at best, and had one of the most annoying lead characters in gaming. The Last Remnant had an astounding soundtrack, but lacked the gameplay and certainly the looks were disappointing. In fact The Last Remnant was built on the Unreal Engine, an unsure sign when you consider that SE already had the “White” engine developed. Even Resident Evil 5, the series that invented the survival horror genre, was in a lot of peoples eyes beaten out by the EA developed Dead Space. Even Capcom’s Keiji Inafune had to say this about the games on hand at the Tokyo Game Show “Personally when I looked around [at] all the different games at the TGS floor, I said “Man, Japan is over. We’re done. Our game industry is finished.”
Japanese devs are struggling in this generation. It almost seems like an uphill battle. Even worse is that development breakthroughs for the Playstation 3 aren’t even coming from the land of the rising sun. Guerilla Games, Sony Studios Santa Monica, Quantic Dream and Naughty Dog seem to be getting the most out of the console. Atsushi Inaba, creator of Okami, stated that “To be honest, I think that western developers are superior to those in Japan overall, so we — the Japanese developers — should realize that we have to work hard to reach the western level.” Even Hideo Kojima said “Japan has lost…. Maybe I should quit being Japanese.” Some even said games should be more Western, or borrow more heavily from western elements. But should they really? Should Japan just mimic Western Devs and create Western style games?
Does Japan Face A Similar Challenge?
I for one say no. The market is already flooded with shooters and action games. Japan has a very unique style to their games, one that at times offers something very refreshing to the “KILL KILL KILL” theme behind most games today. Japan can most certainly recover from this, the creative minds in The Land Of The Rising Sun are some of the best. Look at Metal Gear Solid 4, which in my opinion even now offers an experience that no other game this generation can beat. Not even Uncharted 2, my favorite game this year, left me spell bound quite like MGS4 did. Even Japan Studios The Last Guardian looks to be something special, something no other dev could conjure up. If they put more effort into creating unique experiences as opposed to making money, Japan will be better off.
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I don’t think Japan is going anywhere soon, but I think in recent years, you’ve seen Western dev’s really step to the plate, and it’s making the quality difference seem less and less obvious. I actually they’re all close to striking the perfect balance, and bettering each other for it.
While Nintendo published Tetris the game is of Russian origin. Also I’m not quite sure how GoldenEye and Perfect Dark, N64 games mind you, could mimic Halo when the influences obviously game the other way around. The fact that Halo and the FPS-genre as a whole bombed in Japan doesn’t really make for a good comparison.
Just as the article started to pick up it ended… what’s the next step for Japanese developers to take?
gaming industry can’t exist without Jap devs, they put a feeling in games that no other dev outside japan can do it im no telling they are bad but they just can’t do Jap games like Finalfantasy, MGS, the last guardian etc and the gamers need that feeling…
To answer the original question, “Can Gaming Survive Without Japanese Game Developers?” It sure can. Say what you want about Metal Gear, it didn’t move PS3s. Nintendo? They sure aren’t interested in helping any of their western developers make (and market) better games.
So why bother?
RPGs? Kingdom Hearts is a good series.. but it’s not breaking new ground, it’s just doing something interesting with disney characters. Final Fantasy 13, doesn’t seem to be doing anything other final fantasys haven’t done either.. it’s just prettier. You know what, I think BioWare and Bethesda have use covered.
Its just the Japanese are focus on portables right now, as thats where all the money is over there. Lets face it, jRPGs and dating sims don’t really require high end hardware.
Square Enix did not make Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X was made BEFORE Square and Enix merged
and supposedly Squaresoft’s last game too…
Final Fantasy X was the best and we should praise it like gods.
Final Fantasy X IS THE BEST OF ALL
Is PC gaming still alive without Japanese game developers ever get involved?
I think that gaming will survive without Japanese developers.I think Activision will keep us covered for a while
GOW3.
splinter cell conviction.
alan wake.
halo reach.
crackdown 2.
heavy rain.
Agent.
dantes inferno.
max payne 3.
bioshock 2.
red dead redemption.
CRYSIS 2
RAGE!
DOOM 4.
yea i think will do just fine without them.
dont get me wrong they release some bloody brilliant games like DMC or metal gear solid or my favorite bayonetta.
but they dont contribute to the industry half as much as others do.
I strongly believe that gaming would be better without those lousy japanese developers.
You forgot to mention “Lost Odyssey”.
It came out in 2007 and it was AWESOME.
Japanese developers should just find their way and hold to it, if they start following Americans, we’re all doomed… XD
Japanese’s art of doing games is something none of the above mentioned western developers o games can equal, nor now neither in the future.
They created this market, they created the best games I’ve ever played, they are the one who let me still dreaming with colours and fantasy.
In the past few years we’ve seen which are the western games everyone’s praying: shooters, action, fps. Even the RPGs have got some fps adn shooters elements. If you think well, the western games with no gun in the hands are less than 5% of the total. And sincerely, I’m disgustated. It’s a monothematical market.
I grew up with with masterpieces of JRPGs, with incredible platforms, with marvelous soundtrack, and all came from Japan.
Now I’m really struggling to play, and I really have to thank retrogaming. If it wasn’t for old games left unfinished, I wouldn’t play anymore.
Tired of shooting, tired of killing without a sense, tired of a complete lack of poetry and passion of the western games in general. They want to be like film, but they are not. Western developers want to destroy your eyes with a photo-realistic graphic, but sincerely that’s the last aspect I see in a game. What’s the point if having a good graphic if that’s the only aspect they care about a game?
I’d like the old, genuine, difficult, engaging, Japanese games of the past, non the money-driven games of the western developers.
This is a market which belongs to Japan, it’s like if the Australia became the new market of pasta. We Italians would surely not agree
I completely agree with the article, for me videogames means Japan. No way cold, gray western games can fill up my need for Japanese videogames.
Don’t you think, after 20 years, it’s really time to stop shooting with FPS and start making something relly new, my dear western developers? Something that can blow up our mind not for the graphic, not for the film-like style, not for the wrestlers-like protagonists. No, please, stop, I’m tired of this. We had 5 years of this market, now I think it’s really time to step forward.
Japan has to be Japan, not trying to be America or western in general. If this really happens, my biggest passion will star losing its meaning, cause I won’t have my favourite games anymore.
Please Japan, go back to your roots, don’t follow anyone and go straight on your way. Me, and many others like me, need your true games, and gems.
Think of the great franchises/games that have come from Japan – Pokemon, Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo, Pro Evolution Soccer, Metal Gear Solid, Demon’s Souls, White Knight Chronicles. If Japan stopped making games the entire industry would come crashing down, Japan is a more important development country then any other.
Japanese developers gives us originality mostly. Without them we’d just have franchise after franchise of the same games. Tetris is also Russian, not Japanese.
Ian W.
Fuck the Japs and their JRPG’s. The west doesn’t need them. Should have made a better job of nuking them cunts in the second world war. LOL !!!!!!!!!!
I love those slitty eyed mother fuckers.
Did you know a Jap girls pussy goes the other way. HA ha ha ha LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wtf!!!
tetris was made in russia
this article has lost all credibility
mgs4 phailed. total letdown until the last chap
Japanese developers have definitely played a tremendously huge role in making gaming what it is today, but I think it’s safe to say that this console generation has proven that if the Japanese devs. decided to, (lets say for the sake of conversation) build houses or something else completely irrelevant to gaming, than the gaming industry would change little from the way it is right now…
Great article pal. Japan is not dead, they are the reason why gaming got to where it is today. Story telling was best done by Japanese, in my opinion games should have great story telling, I like to enjoy good gameplay and a movie like story.
I think anyone who is warning Japan against mimicking western games is mistaking their acknowledgement that they need to step up their game with an acknowledgement that they need to… mimic western games – that’s not what the quoted developers said.
If you reread this passage:
“To be honest, I think that western developers are superior to those in Japan overall, so we — the Japanese developers — should realize that we have to work hard to reach the western level.” Even Hideo Kojima said “Japan has lost…. Maybe I should quit being Japanese.” Some even said games should be more Western, or borrow more heavily from western elements. But should they really? Should Japan just mimic Western Devs and create Western style games?”
You’ll see that it’s the writer, not the developers, who wondered if the Japanese should mimic westerners. The intelligent question for the writer to have asked is, “What should Japanese developers do if they feel they’ve lost their competitive edge?” Not, “(Oh Noes!) Should Japanese developers copy Westerners?”
Anyway… I think the Japanese accomplished far too much to give up their roots and mimic westerners, which I’m sure they’re more aware of than anyone. What they’ll do is try and make higher quality games their way. Of course, I’m sure some studios will try to mimic us just to cash in.
It makes sense for this whole situation to be upon us. It usually is the case that the pioneer in an industry is eventually outstripped by the newcomers. Even though the Japanese were brilliant years ago, they suffered from functional-fixedness with their games. Newcomers to the industry, while perhaps not brilliant enough to have pioneered it, can put a new spin on it and make it better simply by coming at it with a new perspective, which is what western developers did. The N64 and ps1 proved that a culturally-Japanese game can succeed like crazy over here. They just need to take a fresh look at things while maintaining what makes them different – and what they do better than us.
no more moving stories? no more fantasy colourful fun dynamic and out of this world games? no more captivating lines and unique gameplay? ….HECK NO! I guess people who say japan games are crap are people with preference most likely FPS games shooting and action gamers other than thats all. but yeah hell no!
If id be in the game industry il give them some ideas for games.
RPG that dont need levels to get stronger, just experience or cutscenes maybe meetings to learn new moves. or training part of the bodies to learn techniques
Shooting FP with moving stories,use any object as weapons, use any clothing found,costumes,etc.
lots more