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"Culture Clash!"

When I mention such games to you as Love Hina: Smile Again, An’ An’ Angel, Velvet File Plus or Toimeki Menorial 2 you’d be excused for not getting to excited about having a go on them. (These are real Japanese games, not made up rubbish. Trust me!).
Though the reaction on a Japanese persons face when hearing games such as Tomb Raider, Goldeneye and Quake 3, there feelings wouldn’t be far of from yours from the games above! What I’m trying to get to is, why are some of the biggest companies from the East completely ignored in the West? Why is it that some games are imported others just stay in the West? In other words, what is it that makes Japanese games different to us?

Think of games such as Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid or Tekken. All these games were from Japan, but Metal Gear Solid never reached the heights it did in the east than it did in the west. So why do the East and the West have completely different tastes in gaming?

The successful game Driver was realised in the East and the West, but hardly got the amount of sales in the West than in the East. When a bunch of Japanese people where asked to test the game they replied, “We don’t like the game as you go round the corners far to slow!!!” This is something that us gamers haven’t even considered until now. This clearly proves that the Japanese aren’t turned on by the things that UK gamers are.

Many Japanese gamers prefer long stories that weave through, where every element has to have a reason. The Japanese have some very weird games over there that would hardly sell a copy over here. For example, there’s a game called Decorated Truck Racing, instead of driving the trucks you decorate them. Weird as it sounds it’s true!!!
People say that the only way that you can understand why Japanese gamers like theses weird games is to be born and breed Japanese!

The Japanese don’t like violence and blood. Think about Mario for instance, there isn’t any blood or guts, and the monsters don’t dye, they disappear with a ‘pop’. The monsters are merely, an obstacle to pass. Even the popular beat ‘em ups that the Japanese create all the time, no-one dyes. They always get up from things like being dropped from six foot in the air on to their neck. It’s just comic book stuff.

Here’s the top 5 lists in April from Japan and UK, plenty of the Japanese games are familiar to us, but just look at the others.

UK
1. Simpson’s Wrestling………….PS
2. ISS Pro Evolution 2………….PS
3. Star Wars Star Fighter………PS2
4. Zone of the Enders…………PS2
5. LMA Manager………………PS

Japan
1. Super Mario Advance……….GBA
2. Sakura Taisen: Hometown
Paris is burning……………..DC
3. Biohazard Code:
Veronica Complete…………..PS2
4. Dragon Quest Monsters 2:
Mysterious Key of Martha
Ruja’s Journey………………...GB
5. F-Zero Advance……………..GBA

So, despite everyone’s experience of playing countless Japanese games no-one can quite put there finger on what the Japanese want.
But things are quite the same on the other way- more Japanese games than ever are being expected in the West, the Final Fantasy series was previously classed as too be to Japanese’ for our Market.
But if you’re dying to get your hands on Densha De Go! Don’t expect it anytime
soon…

P.S… I would put this on Prime but unfortunaly cant!

Dan2K1 wrote:
> I never said you copied it, I just said it was EXTREMELY different
> to your other posts and that extremety had to be commented upon.
>

As you say, you have been influenced from a gaming
> magazine.

Dan

***********

This is the last short post I am making in here. Dan could you please leave this thread for people to talk about the original message. No disrespect its just Spider has spent a lot of time on the thread and it shouldn't be interupted by CHAT. Even if it is on the CHAT forum. Go to "Another console wars topic or something" and talk there.

Spider II wrote:
> Firstly Nubu, thanks for the voice of cofidence. Much more pefered
> than Dans reaction.

But the bit about the charts was to prove
> that are tastes are different.

Thanks :)

***********

No probs. I just want to tell you something though. As I never spoke to you last night I dont know if you have realised that I am actually MJ (check the stats).

(;o|

Yeah but everyone has to get inspired by something, i spent a lolot of time on this topic getting a info on it. Thats why i'm angry that you thought i might of copied it!

:)

I never said you copied it, I just said it was EXTREMELY different to your other posts and that extremety had to be commented upon.

As you say, you have been influenced from a gaming magazine.

Dan

Firstly Nubu, thanks for the voice of cofidence. Much more pefered than Dans reaction.

But the bit about the charts was to prove that are tastes are different.

Thanks :)

Big up the Spider for a great topic. Finally a thread that can compete with the topics on Prime (obviously it would be on Prime if us superior newbies could post new threads on it). I call out to any Newbies and say that please dont spam this thread up and make sure if you make a post it is about the original message or in a arguement to someone opinions on the topic.

I agree totally on the fact that Japanese tastes are very different to ours here in the Uk. Games like Goldeneye never were that big in Japan and neither was Perfect DArk. This is mainly to do with the Japanese not being to hooked on First Person Shooters such as Quake and the games I have already mentioned. Very different to us here in the Uk as most of the games played here are FPS.

Japanese players are much more into a good old RPG. Okay many english people like RPGs but I doubt that they love them with the same passion as the Japanese gamers. This could be accounted by the fact that many great RPGs are not released in england and sometimes not even america (who have a taste very much like our own). To prove my point I am going to use the SNES RPGs as examples as I dont really know that man recent JAP RPGS.

Take StarOcean for example. A great RPG, but it was only sold on import in the Uk and this obviously caused problems when it came to english people who didn't know Japanese (about 99% I'd imagine). Another game that suffered the same fate was Secret of Mana 2. Released in JApan and it was a smash hit. It isn't as if No. 1 didn't sell well either as it was a very high selling game. The question is why?

Oh by the way Spider that list doesn't really prove that much different tastes. Why? You may ask. Well all of them have been released/TBR in england other than Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 (different name, soon to be released) and Sakura Taisen: Hometown Paris is burning.

Other than that a great thread.

p.s Keep it up Spidsy.

Not if it was copied - I am sorry if it's your own, but
> I have read lots of your other stuff, and this is far too different
> to just not make a comment about how different it is compared to
> yours.

Dan

*************
Copied from what Dan, I spent all night doing this topic on Microsoft word and i just finshed it today. If someones topic is good you dont need to put them down for it. No wonder you judged as you are, I feel it is unfair. I did not copy it. I am able to write decnt topics you know. Check out gaming for older generations, thats sensible and simalr to this one. What you said is unfair, idid not copy it. I admit i got the idea from a magazinr and thats where i got the details from, but i knew a lot about this before.

I'm not just a spamming little newbie you know!

Ahem....

What do you mean Dan, get what from???

Spider II wrote:
> Does anyone even care bout this topic???

Not if it was copied - I am sorry if it's your own, but I have read lots of your other stuff, and this is far too different to just not make a comment about how different it is compared to yours.

Dan