TGS Report

[originalz]

Tougeki was fun to watch

Castlevania-Shit framerate

Dance Evolution-Couldn't really figure out what to do during the demo time but seemed to work fine once you get the hang of it.  I got this feeling with most of the Kinect games, if you know what to do they could potentially be really fun, but there's definitely a learning curve on figuring out where and how the machine wants you to play.

iDOLM@STER 2-Game of the year

Oneechanbara Special-Game #2 of the year

Bullet Soul-Pretty cool shooter, by killing enemies you turn their bullets into "shadows", which you then try to pick up for points.  Lots of action and a good risk-reward mechanic, a must for any good shooting game!

Daifukkatsu-Seems like a good port, bloody beautiful HD graphics.

GalGun-Horrible, horrible game.  The company people at the booth were really creepy too.  There's a part where you can aim under a girl's skirt (or any body part you want, I guess) and shoot her there for the expected reactions.  The people in line seemed to like it though, one guy kept going back to play it again (wait was like 30 min or so).

All in all, a pretty good show, some other games that I wanted to play but couldn't.  Better than last years by far.

[Himu]

I lol at the CV tgs gaf thread. All they see is a cool ass story trailer and they're all AWESOME DAY ONE when it shows zero gameplay and all the gameplay we've seen so far is shit

[originalz]

Castlevania-Shit framerate

How was the game beside that, though?

Reminded me of God of War, I guess.  Like any other 3D action game really, nothing that special about it, I guess it plays solidly but I really need a smooth framerate to enjoy a game, and Castlevania couldn't even hold 30.  Stick to Bayonetta.

[Himu]

what about the platforming, originalz-chan?

[originalz]

I hate to keep phrasing it this way, but seriously, it really reminded me of God of War.  Almost blatantly so, although most of the time I was just running around fields and slashing shit.  I guess it plays better than previous 3D Castlevania games, but if it wasn't for the brand name I don't think many people would care about the game.

[pilonv1]

iDOLM@STER 2-Game of the year

I want to play this.

[OptimoPeach]

I hate to keep phrasing it this way, but seriously, it really reminded me of God of War.  Almost blatantly so, although most of the time I was just running around fields and slashing shit.  I guess it plays better than previous 3D Castlevania games, but if it wasn't for the brand name I don't think many people would care about the game.

So it's basically Dante's Inferno 2.0?

[iconoclast]

I hate to keep phrasing it this way, but seriously, it really reminded me of God of War.  Almost blatantly so, although most of the time I was just running around fields and slashing shit.  I guess it plays better than previous 3D Castlevania games, but if it wasn't for the brand name I don't think many people would care about the game.

So it's basically Dante's Inferno 2.0?

Or any action game developed by a western studio, really. All they know how to do is copy+paste God of War.

[Mr. Gundam]

Oneechanbara Special-Game #2 of the year

There's a new Oneechanbara game? What platform?

edit: PSP.

[bork]

PSP.

It's really the "second" game following Exorsister.

[demi]

So a bunch of crappy shmups and young girl games that make you on a sex offender list. Wow great impressions. YAWN

[cool breeze]

wasn't Castlevania not Castlevania when it was first shown? It was just Lords of Shadow

like, see: http://kotaku.com/5039382/konami-sheds-light-on-lords-of-shadow

I don't know if it was secretly a castlevania game or it was fitted to be one or what

[Mr. Gundam]

It started off as a non-Castlevania title, but ended up becoming one.

[MoxManiac]

Wasn't MvC3 playable? I can't honestly see myself caring about anything else at the show as long as that had a booth and was playable.

[Diunx]

So a bunch of crappy shmups and young girl games that make you on a sex offender list. Wow great impressions. YAWN

.

[bork]

Wasn't MvC3 playable? I can't honestly see myself caring about anything else at the show as long as that had a booth and was playable.

It was playable.

[iconoclast]

I look around Tokyo Games Show, and everyone’s making awful games; Japan is at least five years behind,” said Keiji Inafune, 45, head of global research and development at Capcom and one of Japan’s most prominent game designers.

“Capcom is barely keeping up,” he said in an interview at the show, which ended Sunday. “I want to study how Westerners live, and make games that appeal to them.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/technology/20game.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1

I agree with Inafune. Outside of some real quality games, Japan is lagging behind the rest of game development.

  Inafune is insane; all he sees are the sales numbers from the megahit western games and he wants a piece of that. Of all the best games released this generation, the vast majority are still Japanese.

[demi]

He's right. Look at Originalz "report" - crappy shooters and uncomfortable hentai games

[Saint Cornelius]

Why "report" in quotes? You might like the games on display, but the dude is giving you his impressions - which to me seems to be a report, no snarky quotes needed. 

[Stoney Mason]

Japan will continue to make games that appeal to their declining world wide niche. (outside of Nintendo). They can't change. Deal with it.

[tiesto]

Japan will continue to make games that appeal to their declining world wide niche. (outside of Nintendo). They can't change. Deal with it.

As part of that "declining worldwide niche", I say "good".

Most western-made games bore me to death for some reason.

[demi]

There is no "for some reason" - u are a weeboo

[Stoney Mason]

Japan will continue to make games that appeal to their declining world wide niche. (outside of Nintendo). They can't change. Deal with it.

As part of that "declining worldwide niche", I say "good".

Most western-made games bore me to death for some reason.

And that is perfectly fine. No need to get defensive. There will always be japanese games because there is a more than sustainable japanese audience and a niche of Americans who like those style games. Just pointing out they simply don't carry the weight sales wise or influence wise they once held. And its very unlikely they will again. (Outside of Nintendo again). But as always there are more than enough games to satisfy many different types of consumers.

[tiesto]

Japan will continue to make games that appeal to their declining world wide niche. (outside of Nintendo). They can't change. Deal with it.

As part of that "declining worldwide niche", I say "good".

Most western-made games bore me to death for some reason.

And that is perfectly fine. No need to get defensive. There will always be japanese games because there is a more than sustainable japanese audience and a niche of Americans who like those style games. Just pointing out they simply don't carry the weight sales wise or influence wise they once held. And its very unlikely they will again. (Outside of Nintendo again). But as always there are more than enough games to satisfy many different types of consumers.

Ehh, not really getting defensive, just giving my honest opinion. I know it may be an unpopular one at a site where many people worship at the throne of the 360 and love their HD gfx and stuff... But everything is cyclical, and who knows what could happen in the future? I could totally see scenarios like an FPS backlash hitting, western game budgets getting too astronomical which wrecks a lot of smaller devs, handhelds becoming more and more important in the west (of which there's no question Japan has a leg up on America - many of my favorite games this gen are on DS/PSP). Well whatever happens, I have enough J-made games in my backlog to last me a lifetime.

[Stoney Mason]

If Japan keeps making the same type of games they've always made there is no way in hell they will ever achieve the level of support they once had in this country. You're teasing yourself if you think they will. But that's just my imo.

But my attitude as always is enjoy whatever games you enjoy. I certainly do. I prefer specific game talk generally to market armchair analysis but every so often the truth needs to be said.

[tiesto]

If Japan keeps making the same type of games they've always made there is no way in hell they will ever achieve the level of support they once had in this country. You're teasing yourself if you think they will. But that's just my imo.

But my attitude as always is enjoy whatever games you enjoy. I certainly do. I prefer specific game talk generally to market armchair analysis but every so often the truth needs to be said.

Hmm... what's the west doing that's so different and innovative? As far as I can see, they're making the same type of games they've always made... except instead of being PC-exclusive, now they're on consoles too (and arguably watered down from the olden PC days too).

[iconoclast]

Western developers are turning games into C-grade hollywood movies. innovation

He's right. Look at Originalz "report" - crappy shooters and uncomfortable hentai games

But Dodonpachi is probably going to be one of the top 5 games of the year.

[tiesto]

Western developers are turning games into C-grade hollywood movies. innovation

Japan already did that 10 years ago though!

[Stoney Mason]

If you think game popularity or genre popularity is about some hardcore gamers notion of innovation in either japan or america then lol at you.

But whatever. This seems to be more about defending country gaming honor or something.

[EmCeeGrammar]

Japan is letting themselves be too mystified by the 'success' of their western counterparts. Newsflash, no one is making money in this hemisphere either as they slowly dig themselves into a ditch with bloated development costs. The companies that are succeeding are the Popcaps and the Nintendos and I guess Valve- guys doing their own things, doing them well, and uuhh being fiscally responsible. Emulate that, Japan.

[Sho Nuff]

Yakuza series
Everything that's not the Yakuza series

[iconoclast]

Japan needs to learn about replayability.  Otherwise they are doomed completely.

 

I think you've got this backwards.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Japan needs to learn about replayability.  Otherwise they are doomed completely.

they also need to stop letting the strategy guide division drive core game design

[tiesto]

Japan needs to learn about replayability.  Otherwise they are doomed completely.

they also need to stop letting the strategy guide division drive core game design

and stop letting Prole dictate character design

 

[iconoclast]

Japan needs to learn about replayability.  Otherwise they are doomed completely.

 

I think you've got this backwards.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

You have no idea what i'm talking about, do you

[close]

I assume you mean Japanese games tend to not have replayability... which is completely backwards. Unless you mean they focus too much on replayability? I dunno, I can't make sense of it.

[demi]

He's talking about JRPGs...

[EmCeeGrammar]

Japan needs to learn about replayability.  Otherwise they are doomed completely.

 

I think you've got this backwards.

I think he is referring to the fact that Japanese consumers tend to trade their games back as soon as possible. If the games had an incentive for consumers to hold on to their games then... uh that's where my train of logic ends.

[iconoclast]

Oh, just JRPGs then. In that case, I don't see how WRPGs are any more replayable?

Even if you want to focus only on JRPGs, there are still plenty that have a strong focus on replayability: Dragon Quest 9, Pokemon, Monster Hunter, Tales of Vesperia (grade shop), or just about any game with New Game+ really.

If you want to include the entire spectrum of Japanese games, saying that they lack replayability is laughable at best. An entire industry was built on replayable games where Japan was, for all intents and purposes, the sole contributor. (ie. the arcade)

[Howard Alan Treesong]

"We put in this feature where you get to play the whole game...twice!"

:crickets

re·play·a·bil·i·ty
[ri-pley-uh-bil-i-tee
–noun
1. capable of or suitable for being played again.

"You play it again? Western gamers are so strange! Well, we do wish to remain competitive."

[Junpei the Tracer!]

New Game+ is really cool if the game has multiple endings.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

New Game+ is really cool if the game has multiple endings.

New Game+ is really cool if it's 1991 and I'm 11.

UPDATE: It's not and I'm not.

[iconoclast]

I still don't see how WRPGs are more replayable. I guess the second time you go through the game you can choose the red text instead of the blue text in order to get a different cutscene at the end... Wow, thrilling.

MMOs on the other hand are built to keep you playing forever and ever and ever. I guess the west is the king there, but Korea churns out three MMOs a month so they still have some competition.

Weird collectibles sounds like western games to me... Let's put 400+ flags all around the world in Assassin's Creed! That will keep them coming back.

[tiesto]

If I'm playing a 60 hour long game, playing through once is more than enough for me to feel I got my money's worth (that is, if it's a good game).

[EmCeeGrammar]

Level 5 is doing pretty well for themselves. 

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Level 5 is doing pretty well for themselves. 

not by making good games, though

[Bebpo]

Cohen what?

Japanese games are on average 5-10x longer than Western games.  Even the stupid little visual novels take like 20 hours.  The reason people trade them in more (although I don't necessarily agree with this fact.  In the US people trade in games like craaaaazy which is how Gamestop lives and lives well) is because Japanese gamers on average are more hardcore than their western counterparts and will blow through 50-100 hour games in a week and trade them in.

[AdmiralViscen]

WRPGs are not as large a percentage of Western developer output as JRPGs are for the East, so I don't know why you keep bringing that up. No, WRPGs are not super replayable, but there aren't more than 3 or 4 really successful ones going over here.

There is something to do in Halo 3 today, even though it's 3 years old. Anyone popping in FF13 lately?

[tiesto]

WRPGs are not as large a percentage of Western developer output as JRPGs are for the East, so I don't know why you keep bringing that up. No, WRPGs are not super replayable, but there aren't more than 3 or 4 really successful ones going over here.

There is something to do in Halo 3 today, even though it's 3 years old. Anyone popping in FF13 lately?

Wouldn't Street Fighter 4, Smash Bros Brawl, or a multiplayer-focused Japanese game be a better comparison than FF13?

[cool breeze]

Long Japanese games usually have awful pacing.

WRPGs are not as large a percentage of Western developer output as JRPGs are for the East, so I don't know why you keep bringing that up. No, WRPGs are not super replayable, but there aren't more than 3 or 4 really successful ones going over here.

There is something to do in Halo 3 today, even though it's 3 years old. Anyone popping in FF13 lately?

Wouldn't Street Fighter 4, Smash Bros Brawl, or a multiplayer-focused Japanese game be a better comparison than FF13?

Monster Hunter, probably.

[iconoclast]

I dunno, they've only made every fighting game worth playing. Not to mention all of the score-based action games like Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, or Devil May Cry. How many people are playing God of War more than once? Then you can look at the shooter genre, where people are still battling for high scores in decade old games. That goes for most arcade games, actually, not just shooters. Replayability is a strong focus of most Japanese games -- especially ones that are single player only. Which seems to be the opposite for western games.

[demi]

wat