Mega Man Designer Explains Japan's Waning Video Game Influence 315
eldavojohn writes "As one of the creators of Mega Man, Keiji Inafune remembers the days when Japan redefined video games. He believes those days are long gone as he reveals much in his criticisms of Japan's ailing game economy. Inafune says Japan is five years behind — still making games for older consoles with 'no diversity, no originality.' When asked why, he responds, 'A lot of designers, if they find a genre that works for them, they stick with it. A lot of designers just stick to a set formula. That doesn't work any more. You can't just tweak the graphics, work just on image quality. You can't compete on that. The business side is not keeping up with investment. You need to be prepared to invest 4 billion yen or more on a game, and then spend 2 billion yen more to promote it. But Japanese companies can't do that. So we're losing out to the West in terms of investment in games. It's a vicious cycle, a deflationary spiral. Because you don't invest, you can't sell games, and because you don't sell games, you can't invest.' He compares making games for Japan and the US to Sushi and basketball — two popular things but each done in distinctly different ways by the two nations."
Don't focus on exclusives... (Score:5, Interesting)
There have been some brilliant games either not brought to the west or brought to the west later that would have been excellent back "in the day". For example, a lot of the Final Fantasy games were not released for the NES/SNES in the US and the entire Fire Emblem series was neglected until fairly recently.
I don't want westernized games.
If you only read one sentence of the article, (Score:4, Interesting)
"I want to find ideas that are global."
I've been saying this for a while now. Videogame culture is not defined by national boundaries. I have more in common with a Japanese gamer than I do with the sport-freak American down the street. Videogame culture is about 40% American/Other Western Countries, 40% Japanese/Other Asian Countries, and about 20% original.
Yes, Japanese developers are very behind in game design. You look at, say FFXIII. Big-name game, big-name people. They're about par with America in terms of art, music, maybe a bit behind in programming because they don't pay as well. But their game designers are probably ten years behind. Go to an American game-design site like Gamasutra. They'll talk about interaction looks, gameplay design AS the story. Then go to Japan, where most of their game design is "like this game, but with different numbers and colors." They just do not get game design as a science.
In interests of fairness, however, there is a lot American developers could learn from Japan. First, story. Japanese writers are good at making unique characters. Compare (to use well-known examples) Cloud Strife to Master Chief. Both have unique art designs, but look at the characters. One is an ex-elite soldier recovering from torture/experiment-induced amnesia and a feeling of duty to a dead comrade. The other is a supersoldier who is REALLY good at killing things, and is the last survivor of a battle that, until last week, was never really shown. Now, which sounds like a more interesting story?
Inafune-san, on the extremely slim chance that you read this, I understand what you're saying, and I'm glad that you're coming to us to learn. However, don't give up entirely on Japanese developers. They have much to teach us as well.
Re:Graphics over gameplay (Score:2, Interesting)
How does Cooking Mama's existence mean hardcore (for lack of a better term for not casual) gaming doesn't exist? The gaming market isn't a fixed size. The increase in the casual market has not killed the existing market at all. In fact it's probably caused some crossover and improved gaming in general, but I have no stats to back that up.
Re:Good (Score:1, Interesting)
You forgot child pornography. "Wait, is that a picture of a school girl being raped by a monster made of tentacles?" "Yeah, it's a new Japanese game [kotaku.com]." "Oh, that explains it."
Not to mention having panty-shots of just about anything that's conceptually female. Is there a way to exclude Japan from Google image searches? It'd be useful.
Re:Five years behind? (Score:4, Interesting)
Apple's app store has changed what I consider budget games. I bought Angry Birds for a couple of dollars and I've spent an order of magnitude more time playing it than I have Modnation Racers that I bought on the PS3 for $60.
Other than Modnation Racers, I haven't bought a game that cost more than $10 in about a year (and I wish I hadn't bought MNR, it isn't very good).
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:not just japan (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:not just japan (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Oh please (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:not just japan (Score:3, Interesting)
That is not the point. World wide western games are doing much better than japanese ones. Meiji does not seem to get why, though. Reading his answers makes me think he just has no clue why. He keeps going about studying the western market.
I think I have an idea, though: it's the sandbox element. Almost all western games incorporate the sandbox in one way or another. You may claim not everyone wants it, but once you get used to some level of freedom due to the sandbox elements, it's horribly though to go back and play a completely lineal game. Dead Rising did great, and it has a great sandbox incorporation.
This does not mean that every game has to try to emulate Grand Theft Auto, but the level based gameplay has to be designed in a more organic fashion, make those levels larger with multiple paths in enviroments that feel more real and not so corridor like. This specially applies to the lineal Japanese RPG.
Re:Bungie??? LOL! (Score:3, Interesting)
As somebody who played Quake when it FIRST came out. (Goldeneye came out in 1997 same year as Quake 2)
During the original Quake, online Multiplayer was fantastic because me, my friend and any other rat in the city could play together from the comfort of our homes.
It was literally the coolest thing going. No split screen B.S.
Using the QuakeSpy portal one could access many "Dedicated Servers" that hosted games, something still not realized even in the modern complexion of today.
Online multiplayer capability was the flagship ability of Quake when press releases first came out. (Never mind Quake 2 circa 1997 when the completely nailed Quake 2 Online capabilities and MOD freedom)
Setting up a LAN is very difficult I know...
But, PC gaming will only ever be limited by the average intellect of the masses.
And yet in Tokyo... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Oh please (Score:3, Interesting)
"I get tired of the "Get off my lawn, the past was so much better."
I get tired of newbie gamers who have not noticed that game quality in many genres is going down or stagnating. I'm sure most older gamers have noticed how almost EVERY fucking game is a first person shooter. Most gamers probably remember an age where the FPS was one of the genre's and not THE DOMINANT genre of gaming like it is today.
How many first person shooters have we had since doom? You'd think after all these years FPS games would be played out... but now they are even turning RPG's into FPS games (oblivion --> Fallout 3), Gears of war --> Mass effect 2.
If you hadn't noticed this trend of homogenization of games then you clearly are incapable of seeing what has happened. It only sounds to you like it's "Get off my lawn" but look at final fantasy 12 and 13, the battle systems in those games can't hold a candle to the battle systems of earlier games.
When you have newer gamers complaining over a game that has _gasp_ actual gameplay and calls real older or true gamers "retards" for actually liking to have game mechanics in their games and not just a bunch of cutscenes, then yeah they are going to get a little miffed that too many games don't focus on making the activity you are doing in the games fun. I've watched final fantasy series be butchered by movie/story types who don't like the loot/equipment/battle and stat management aspect of oldschool RPG's, compare a game like FF1/FF6/FF7 to FFX and beyond.
Re:Oh please (Score:4, Interesting)
I get tired of newbie gamers who have not noticed that game quality in many genres is going down or stagnating.
Well, I agree with the OP, and I've been playing since the Magnavox Odyssey in 1975. :-) The only person I ever met who tops me is a guy who played some of the original experiments done on oscilloscopes.
I'm sure most older gamers have noticed how almost EVERY fucking game is a first person shooter. Most gamers probably remember an age where the FPS was one of the genre's and not THE DOMINANT genre of gaming like it is today.
Or some of us older gamers actually *look* are reality and disagree with that assessment. A lot of the big name games are FPS, but behind the big names there's metric shit-tons of other stuff. There's an equal number of third person games. My goodness, man, there's more game types out there than ever before what with downloadable content now. Go play Limbo- awesome little game. Check out the Indie game scene.
How many first person shooters have we had since doom? You'd think after all these years FPS games would be played out...
I'm sorry that a genre you don't like is popular, but that doesn't make it bad. I pick out an FPS to play about once a year, and yet my gaming slate is more than full.
but now they are even turning RPG's into FPS games (oblivion --> Fallout 3), Gears of war --> Mass effect 2.
The Elder Scrolls series were a revelation in RPGs for me. Play on a big HDTV with head phones and you will achieve major immersion.
And GOW and ME are third person. GOW is not an RPG, and ME is an action RPG.
If you hadn't noticed this trend of homogenization of games then you clearly are incapable of seeing what has happened. It only sounds to you like it's "Get off my lawn" but look at final fantasy 12 and 13, the battle systems in those games can't hold a candle to the battle systems of earlier games.
Your opinion is not fact. I thought the FF13 system was piles of fun. I liked the gambit system in FF12 as well- that one actually harkened back to several games in the early days where you would "program" your game characters to follow scripts. Dragon age had that, too. It's a fun thing.
I've watched final fantasy series be butchered by movie/story types who don't like the loot/equipment/battle and stat management aspect of oldschool RPG's, compare a game like FF1/FF6/FF7 to FFX and beyond.
I just played FF1 on the Wii. You call that stat management?
So play some western RPGs. There's endless hours of looting and stat spreadsheet management to be had these days. You just aren't looking or something. Steam alone has lots of isometric, stat heavy RPGs to play. Try Sacred 2 on the XBox. Not perfect, but I'm finding some fun there. Major stat management, piles of loot, open world, etc.
Re:Oh please (Score:3, Interesting)
Something got lost along the way
Yes, your innocence. What you're feeling is nostalgia.