Topic: Japanese games vs Western games... The big divide.

Read that again. I highlighted the main points in bold.

There aren't many franchises out there that would tempt me into buying a $60 game at release - it has to be something like a numbered Final Fantasy. I obviously don't know the business side of things so I don't know if companies could thrive or survive or put out the same quality if they lowered their prices, all I can say is that for me $60 is too much for most games. But I definitely don't want to see big-budget projects disappear altogether by any means.

As far as this digital/retail debate goes, I'll grasp onto physical discs and cartridges as long as I can, so that I can sell the games I don't want to keep, but retail games are definitely going to all but disappear sooner or later. I certainly don't buy CDs or DVDs anymore. But currently I'm much pickier about games I buy on the PSN store or eShop or on the Wii because of how permanent it is. I'll definitely pick up an awesome $10 exclusive game, but I most definitely won't download a $60 game that's also in stores. They would have to cut the price in half and it would have to be the sort of game I plan on keeping forever for me to choose digital download over buying it in the store.

@WaltzElf

Since you're so hell-bent on seeing the death of retail, maybe you should be in charge of the gaming industry. Go convince Best Buy, Target, etc. that you don't need their business anymore, and see what they say.

Go tell all the consumers that from now on they have to settle with online passes and other forms of DRM that take away consumer freedom. Go tell the ISP's that they should increase their download caps so all these gamers can download to their hearts' content.

All three of which are entirely based on your own opinion. None of those are remotely related to the broader market.

DRM has been proven to not be an issue for most consumers. iTunes got away with it. And furthermore, once a downloadable shop front matures to a certain point, history has told us that it relaxes its stance on DRM. There's no reason to assume games would be any different.

Trading and reselling games is something you personally want. It has nothing, whatsoever, to do with a games industry business. In fact, the only ones who benefit from the second hand market is the retailers. For that reason, publishers and developers want second hand games to go away, and take the retailers with them. This actually is what the consumer wants too, they just don't realise it. The consumer wants more, better quality games? The only way to get that is to get more money to the publishers and developers. Every time you trade in or sell one of your games, you're inadvertently hurting your favourite publishers and developers.

Digital download does away with that, so the industry wants it.

Finally, connection speeds are getting better, and download caps mean nothing. Australia has always operated with download caps, and that hasn't stopped Australians embracing downloads.

I can tell you right now that if I was in charge of a games business, I would not be dealing with retailers.

@WaltzElf

But what about the fact that download-only games restrict your use of the software under the company's terms of service? You don't legally own the game you downloaded, you only have a license to use it. You want your consumer freedom stripped away just so a bunch of big-name companies can get more money in their pockets?

Capitalism at it's finest.

How many times do you have to keep repeating the same "issue" as though it's some kind of universal problem, when really it's just you?

Most people couldn't care less about DRM. Fact. And as I've already explained and you conveniently forgot to read (you do that a lot), history shows that DRM practices are usually removed from download platforms as they mature. There's no reason not to expect the same to happen with games.

And "big name companies" are not the enemy. They're the friend. Give them money and they'll supply you with games. Don't, and the company goes away. It's a lovely, simple system.

Oh that's nice. I know the more money companies make, the more games that can produce. But did it ever occur to you that companies don't care about you, or me, or anyone else but their own monetary gains? Capitalism has ruined society. The whole idealism that money rules the world has corrupted our governments, religions, companies, etc.

There's more to life than getting rich.

But you still like playing Mario, or Zelda, or Call of Duty, or whatever game it is that is your favourite, right? In fact, looking at your avatar, you're a fan of Futurama. That was created by a company, did you realise?

Capitalism has only "ruined" society when you're a teenager or university student, and angry with the world, and have a delusion that you know better than everyone else.

Most of the rest of us are rather glad that we can enjoy products and services that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make. Because if not for capitalism, that would never happen.

@WaltzElf

I see your point, I was just ranting.

I'm guessing you are a fan of Final Fantasy (or just Chocobos)?

Square Enix in general, really. Chocobos especially, but I'll play anything SE has financed.

In fact, I'm a genuine Square Enix and Tecmo Koei fanboy, I fear. I even kinda enjoyed Mindjack, I'm ashamed to say.

But Square Enix didn't make that game, they just published and distributed it, so you can't say it's really a Square Enix game.

Everything should be cheaper, but not necessarily digital! Bwaha!

As I said, I'll play anything SE finances

At some point, someone in SE thought Mindjack was a good idea, so the developers got the money to make it. I imagine the reason SE thought it was a good idea is becuase all Japanese publishers are trying to find a way to get in on the money the 'western' style of games are pulling in right now. Tecmo Koei tried something similar with Quantum Theory.

The problem is that Japanese publishers don't really understand western games right now, so the results of such experiments are usually woeful. I like to try and encourage it though, I'd like for SE to find a mass-market solution to Call of Duty that brings in some of the Japanese mindset to western genres.

@WaltzElf

See that's where I disagree. Japanese games have a certain quality to them. It's what makes them distinct from Western games.

Would you want to see Nintendo make a gritty Zelda game? Would you want Mario to have blood and violence in it? Would you want Mega Man to carry an AK-47?

I know those examples are extreme, but it seems to be what Western developers are best at: "Realism".

Besides, if Japanese games were just copies of Western games, then it would make the industry very boring, since everything would play the same. There would be no diversity. Brown, dull, colorless graphics would be the dominant style.

Nintendo has had so much influence on the industry. Darksiders was greatly inspired by Zelda, Shadow Complex was inspired by Super Metroid, there are countless Pokemon ripoffs, etc. If Nintendo solely catered to Western sensibilities, they'd lose their uniqueness.

The gaming industry needs to get out of this FPS rut it's in. Games need to branch out and explore more genres and styles. Indie developers have done more to expand gaming than the big companies have.

It's also why Japanese games developers and publishers are stuggling right now - they're not seen as relevant to the majority of the game buying public.

Once again, I would rather my favourite companies be healthy and profitable than "artistic" and later bankrupt.

Would you want to see Nintendo make a gritty Zelda game? Would you want Mario to have blood and violence in it? Would you want Mega Man to carry an AK-47?

I never said anything about existing franchises? Japanese developers and publishers need to find new IP as well. Mindjack was an experiment, it failed. At least SE tried.

Nintendo's done a remarkable job of finding new IP that is attractive to western audiences as well as the Japanese. As has Sony. It's the other Japanese publishers (Capcom, SE, Tecmo Koei, Marvellous) that are struggling at this.

I know those examples are extreme, but it seems to be what Western developers are best at: "Realism".

Besides, if Japanese games were just copies of Western games, then it would make the industry very boring, since everything would play the same. There would be no diversity.

sigh I said I would like Japanese developers and publishers to find a Japanese answer to Western games, not copy them wholesale.

@WaltzElf

So you want more games like the ones that Platinum Games makes?

And I don't think most gamers really pay attention to what's made by Japanese or Western developers.

Square Enix bought out Eidos a few years ago, so now they are in charge of the Tomb Raider franchise. Has that helped them out at all?

This has always been the case. We can never actually "own" the games that you buy (as far as their intellectual property is concerned). The only difference with downloadable games is that you're paying for a non-transferable license.

I don't see what the huge problem here is. $60 games rarely stay $60 for more than a few months. It's only Nintendo's first party games that never see price reductions.

If you don't have $60, wait a bit, if the game isn't hugely popular the price will drop within 2 months and you can pick it up. If it is hugely popular, there will be a GOTY type edition with all the DLC included for thirty-some dollars in a year. If the game is any good, even if it's mainly multiplayer, there will still be a community at 2 months/after the GOTY edition releases.

@Token_Girl

"GOTY type edition with all the DLC included for thirty-some dollars"

Why do companies do this? We spend all that money on DLC, and then they just slap it onto a disc later on? Couldn't they have done that in the first place? There's no point in having DLC if the developers are just going to make a new edition later on.