1. Seriously, i think this game looks pretty sweet and thats probably more than anyone in japan will ever say about it. Just accept that japan hates american consoles and ship us the game instead! I do wish they would at least give us demos for this, N3, and enchanted arms.

Posted at 9:50AM on Jun 28th 2006 by ryan

2. For the 400th time, the japanese do not hate the console, they just have nothing to play.

Posted at 1:11PM on Jun 28th 2006 by Duscrom

3. "For the 400th time, the japanese do not hate the console, they just have nothing to play"

Duscrom,

Wouldn't that mean the PSP should be selling like shit too? Sure the PSP has 1 or 2 games worth playing but nothing worth paying $250 for.

I do not think the Japanese believe in American video game consoles. MS gave them 2 games they love in Japan close to launch...DOA and Ridge Racer but it still didn't sell.

Posted at 2:22PM on Jun 28th 2006 by KingOfGods

4. 2

Posted at 2:40PM on Jun 28th 2006 by 1

5. Duscrom, I thought the Japanese were pretty famous for their dislike of non-Japanese consoles/games. Perhaps you can name for us a western console that wasn't a failure in Japan?

Posted at 5:25PM on Jun 28th 2006 by AoE

6. Sometimes I think it is a Japanese-nationalism thing that keeps the Xbox down in Japan. But then again, that's coming from an American who knows very little about life and culture in Japan.

One thing I've noticed about Japanese gamers is that they tend to appreciate original game play with simple pick-up-and-play controls. GRAW might do it for US tastes, but shooters aren't really high on the Japanese list of priorities. They don't consider a shooter to be intellectually or emotionally stimulating.

When you step back and look at it, there aren't a whole lot of original gameplay concepts in those Japanese Xbox 360 titles. Microsoft is banking on popular genres and niches filled by the likes of Blue Dragon, Chromehounds, and N3; but those games aren't available yet (or in the case of N3, weren't available until months after the console launch) so they didn't help Microsoft at all to capitalize on the initial marketing push surrounding the launch of the console.

I don't know if the Xbox 360 will be able to pick up enough steam to be a real contender in Japan. Maybe that's Japanese-nationalism; but maybe--and it is certainly a contributing factor--it has more to do with not having titles that appeal to the different tastes of Japanese gamers.

Posted at 12:11PM on Jun 29th 2006 by Lion