Xbox 360 Fanboy

MS should go after the EU and not focus so much on Japan.

Reply

I'm interested to see how Lost Odyssey goes with the Japanese gamers as well. I hope it's enough to get them interested in the Xbox.

The more the merrier.

Reply

Sell each Xbox in Japan with a pair of school girl's panties and a CD of hentai porn, that'll move some units of there.

I agree with #1, focus on EU. The leap from Western to Japan is too much to ask for. They like way too much crazy/stupid shit.

Reply

I have an interesting theory in the breach between Japanese and Western gaming. The Japanese had to save the Western industry from annihilation (thanks, ET for the 2600), which is why we were able to adapt to their style

The industry in Japan, however, has never needed saving, so their market was never Westernized as ours was Easternized back at the start of the 3rd generation

I think its their marketing that's creating a stigma against them over there. The idea of "X"-box, X being for Xtreme, while a good idea over here is not over there, they are afflicted (although in a more severe way) by the same stigma that "Nintendo is teh kiddie" that hurt them through the last 2 generations, despite a handy amount of mature games, the 360 is getting the same bad rap, despite serving up some good material for that region, they are foiled by the "X" in Xbox in Japan

Of course, i could be way off base

Reply

What American product in the last 40 years has the Japanese embraced? It's a cultural situation and they prefer to be elitest. They won't touch any American electronic product except to open it up and reverse engineer it.

Reply

@ 1&3 looking past the japanese market to capture the EU market is...well.. i dont want to say it sounds stupid, but ill say this: itsoundscompletelyfuckinstupid. You have a huge (read: fucking huge) conspicuous consumption market like japan, why not try to get a stranglehold on that market? you think the average european customer buys one tenth of he eletronics/games as the average japanese customer? p-f-f-t. " they like too much weird shit?" so fuck that. snap up some japanese devs and make some japan-centric shit. they like hentai and panties? do it. the japanese market should be the number one thing on microsofts radar.

Reply

Well that might have been so had gaming not come to be in the US. Its really just as simple as the difference in culture. We have different hobbies, mannerisms, morals, and societies. The Japanese have always been a more loyal people. Sony was a company that rose from the ashes of WWII so of course they'd follow them and despise any american company that tried to take away from their historicly significant company. Nintendo also has a rich history in Japan. People like what they are use to and just as you don't see a huge influx of american gamers switching from sports/fps games to rpg's you will probably never see the opposite happen in Japan.

Eh, if I was an English/French man and had a successful croquet business in England/France and saw that American's loved golf, a similar sport with clubs, balls and hoops I doubt I'd want to expand my business to America thinking I'd do well, or even enough to stay in business.

Reply

I wonder if the Japanese would need to pay for Xbox Live?
If so, then that would be a start... free XBL... and I guess more RPGs? and games that have less fun in them. like Vampire Rain.

Reply

I didn't find anything "stressful, difficult" about Gears of War. Rainbow is only a pain in the ass on Realistic and that's because the AI is gets a lot of cheap kills. Don't see what's so "stressful, difficult" about our games.

Reply

@ #5: Thank you. Its not PC to say, but its true.


I for one force myself not to roll my eyes when I read about MS (or any other Western corp.) not succeeding in Japan. There are other markets in Asia, not to mention growth in EU.

Why don't the Japanese fall in line, and get used to a world of "stressful" games? I love me some Katamari Damacy and Zone of the Enders, but I have seen more fun games(read: difficult for AzN) come out of the US in the last few years than I ever have.

Gaming Press: stop trying to drum up the fanboys. Its just mean.

Reply

Just want to clarify: There is a *hardcore* Japanese fanbase, loyal to Sony or Nintendo. And there is a crazy huge *casual/mobile* gaming fanbase largely loyal to NintendoDS. The boat has been missed. MS, you clunky lovable/hateable ugly-American, you...*hugz*

Reply

I hate to put it in these terms, but Japanese gamers have to be lead around by the hand like a child. I would stressfully, difficult-ly brand the entire country as "slow".

Reply

First it was "Xbox is too big for Japanese gamers, They'll never buy it" So the 360 comes out smaller more slick looking, and now it's "Um.. well we need more RPGS" but they're perfectly fine with the PS3 (which is way larger than an Xbox) Long story short.. it ain't goin to happen, and who cares, like many have already said, just go after the other Asian markets and Europe, shit show Europe some love for Pete's sake.

/Texan

Reply

IMHO MS should continue with Japan, develop the RPGs the shmups and the pet games (where's the nintendogs with realistic fur shaders and meeting people on live when taking them for a walk?) but really move into the EU.

We're short of MANY features that the US get and pay a lot more for the privilige. Sort out the video marketplace, tap into the gaming cultures of europe and sweeten us for HD DVD and cheaper games. The PS3's almost dead here already, Nintendo wait months before releasing things here - MS have the market should they step up and sort it out.

Reply

Actually, it's historic fact that the Japanese prefer easier games. Seriously.. A crap load of games get "harder" modes added when brought to the US.

Also.. the PS3 is selling in Japan almost entirely on name value, and "Expected" games that go along with that name value.


Microsoft is still an unproven name, and makes very little effort to increase the value of the name.
Do you honestly think Blue Dragon or Lost Oddysey matters to them because the FF guy was involved? No. They're just like us, in the US and the UK. A franchise means a lot. A whole hell of a lot.

To the Japanese, it's still "that clunky American thing with the First Person shooters, and no RPGs."

The PS3 is the "Sony system that's Going to have Final Fantasy and those other RPG's".

The Wii is the "Fun casual Nintendo system with lots of easy things!"

Reply

Dear Japan, I am sick of the clunky androgynous and repetitive rpgs you have been craping out for 20 years. Yes Im saying we invented the rpg, and with companies like Bethesda, and our canadian friends bioware make better, and more intelligent fantasy worlds that allow for ROLEPLAYING not a forced linear narrative that allows for no player freedom barring collecting little monsters or breeding chocobos. Looks like japans gaming interest are just very different.

Reply

@Anticrawl: Oh bollocks. There goes my 'Croquet USA' franchise plan then.

Reply

People do not understand. Every developer keeps saying the Japanese gamer likes easy games. Do you know why this is? Because Japanese gamers realize games are FUN. A game does not need to have some crazy difficult mode to be fun to them. Sure there are some hard games made, such as many shooters and some truly difficult Role Playing games, but as a whole, they actually like to RELAX and enjoy the game. Not everyone sees dying a 1000 times as fun.

And before the next wonderful person says how Japanese gamers are wimps, ask yourself why we still haven't been able to dominate them at Most fighting games .

Reply

I just hope we don't see all their translated rubbish appearing on our screens! I'm sure they probably think exactly the same about our stuff though.

Reply