I need to pay attention to more Japanese releases.

[DrunkOnEstus]

This is a topic I thought about last night. Yesterday I was reading posts from people who were pointing out their favorite games this gen, and they included Japanese games that I hadn't heard about/been keeping track of. It was kind of a revelation, and might be the answer to the somewhat "meh" response I've had to gaming in recent years. For perspective, here's a list of my favorite games ever in no particular order:

Spoiler

Chrono Trigger
Rez
Demon's Souls/Dark Souls
Final Fantasy 4,7,9
Ikaruga
Radiant Silvergun
Killer 7
No More Heroes 1/2
Lost Odyssey
Silent Hill 1-4
Resident Evil 1-3
Planescape: Torment
Baldur's Gate 2
Fallout: New Vegas
Valkyria Chronicles
Ico/Shadow of the Colossus
Devil May Cry 3
Mass Effect 1

The thing is, only 4 of the games in that list are by developers outside of Japan. This is honestly the first time I've made that connection. In the 360/PS3 gen, I've attempted to mainly play God of War, Gears of War, GTA IV, Borderlands, Assassin's Creed, and other non-Japanese games, and come away wondering if maybe I don't like games as much as I used to, or if there wasn't enough releases recently to capture my passion outside of Demon's/Dark Souls. I honestly just never thought of most of the games I've recently played as "not-Japanese".

So, the point of all this. I was wondering if anyone has thought of anything like this, or thought of their favorite games in terms of that ratio. Additionally, I'd like to catch up/look forward to some Japanese releases that I haven't been paying attention to. I'm definitely getting Ni no Kuni, as it seems like it should be a great start towards getting back to the gaming I love. Of important note is that I understand Japanese, and I'm open to any suggestions that I'd need to import.

Please understand that I'm not making a sweeping statement like "I don't enjoy games made outside of Japan". I've played many that I've enjoyed, but not many that I would consider a favorite or remember years from now. It's a personal preference, not a slight on the abilities of non-Japanese developers. Thank you for your time, Escapists.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

Most of my Japanese gaming comes from Nintendo games. I like most Mario games, some Zelda, Pokemon, and I've recently discovered that I need to get more Fire Emblem games (I have and am playing Sacred Stones, but I really need to expand beyond that), for a few examples.

Aside from Nintendo, I also am a fan of Okami (although I haven't finished it yet) and the Souls games (although I have yet to beat Demon's Souls, and I've barely started Dark Souls).

Really, I have absolutely nothing against Japanese games, it's just that I'm not really a fan of JRPGs and I'm a primarily PC gamer, so I tend to miss out on a lot of the Japanese games that come out. Although this has gotten a little better since I've gotten a PS3.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

Most of my Japanese gaming comes from Nintendo games. I like most Mario games, some Zelda, Pokemon, and I've recently discovered that I need to get more Fire Emblem games (I have and am playing Sacred Stones, but I really need to expand beyond that), for a few examples.

Aside from Nintendo, I also am a fan of Okami (although I haven't finished it yet) and the Souls games (although I have yet to beat Demon's Souls, and I've barely started Dark Souls).

Really, I have absolutely nothing against Japanese games, it's just that I'm not really a fan of JRPGs and I'm a primarily PC gamer, so I tend to miss out on a lot of the Japanese games that come out. Although this has gotten a little better since I've gotten a PS3.

You reminded me that I left out SMB 3 and World, as well as Ocarina. You have another valid point, that being a PC gamer makes the pickings very slim from that region. Dark Souls PC was a huge triumph, a Japanese console exclusive being ported to the PC due to fan requests for it. Sega has been doing their part lately, porting Jet Set, Sonic games, Nights into Dreams, and other previously console exclusive Japanese games onto the PC. Steam has been getting quite a few lately, but that still leaves out the JRPG genre.

Also, Resident Evil 6 and DmC are kind of bittersweet victories. Basically because RE6 was built with US/EU audiences in mind, and obviously would cater to a major market in those ares. Also, DmC is actually a (Canadian?) developed game by a Japanese publisher. I wonder if we're seeing a shift in Japanese development towards the PC only because of their shift towards catering to US/EU audiences altogether. I'm glad for the PC ports, but I hope that Japanese developers don't lose sight of what makes their games special, and the unique flair that the "traditionally" Japanese games offer. Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and a few others have already fallen victim to the western pandering, I just hope that this isn't a continued trend.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Alot of Japanese devs have shifted their focus to handheld gaming. You should buy yourself a 3DS and get cracking on the massive backlog.

 

[The_Scrivener]

Everything is better there. Except Square Enix which has sunk the goodship FF.

But yeah, if you ever get sick of being a jughead with scruffy facial hair going from one cover wall to the next, Japan is your pal.

 

[Gun Animal]

I don't recommend importing because once you start YOU'LL NEVER STOP. Sure, it starts out innocent with Jump Super Stars. Then you GOTTA get the sequel, Jump Ultimate Stars! It wouldn't hurt to import Mother 3, you loved Earthbound after all... Pretty soon you're dropping 500 bucks a year just on all the annual dynasty warrior franchise spin-offs and selling yourself on the streets to afford your latest Super Robot Wars fix. It's a dangerous road you're on, friend.

I'm not even kidding. They just announced the first Kamen Rider-based thousand-army game [http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Kamen-Rider-Battride-War-Screenshots-Released-51616.html], which is probably going to get it's own sequel every 2 or 3 years; if I were to score how fucked my wallet is, it would be S rank.

 

[ten.to.ten]

If you like Japanese games, particularly RPGs, you need to get yourself a PSP. There's a treasure trove of fantastic Japanese made games on the PSP, a lot of which have even been released in English, and since the system is kind of winding up now you can get a lot of them quite inexpensively.

Like @ShinyCharizard said too, a 3DS would be a good choice since it seems to be capturing the market the PSP had heading into the next gen more so than the Vita, but the PSP is still very much an active platform in Japan.

One thing about the 3DS, don't forget that it is a region locked platform, so if you wanted to primarily import Japanese games you should import the handheld too.

 

[upgrayedd]

Japanese RPG's are too....Japanesey for me?

I think nowdays that developers/fanboys are able to shift through absolute gems which will be pushed to western audience like final fantasys/Xenoblades which i get modest enjoyment out of

They can take Dark Souls and shove it however IMO, 60 hours in and i realise i made my character wrong, F**K F**K F**K

 

[Gun Animal]

Japanese RPG's are too....Japanesey for me?

I think nowdays that developers/fanboys are able to shift through absolute gems which will be pushed to western audience like final fantasys/Xenoblades which i get modest enjoyment out of

They can take Dark Souls and shove it however IMO, 60 hours in and i realise i made my character wrong, F**K F**K F**K

yeah nah sorry but you didn't make your character wrong, you're just not confident enough. Don't be intimidated by the hype, you can easily beat Dark Souls with the standard armor, weapons and stats of any starter class. There were a few ways to make the game easier than it's supposed to be (lightning weapons, great swords, dark wood grain ring, dark wood grain ring, DARK WOOD GRAIN RING) but they've all been patched out at this point. get a feel for the area, keep your shield up and roll around while you learn enemy patterns and you'll be fine even in your birthday suit.

 

[Eternal_Lament]

In terms of the ratio question, it's difficult. Teenage me would have said I enjoy Japanese games more than Western ones, but current me enjoys Western games over Japanese games. Demons/Dark Souls, for example, while a Japanese game, has many Western sensibilities and styles, and that's what drew me to it.

With the exception of a few games, I can't think of many Japanese games released in this generation that I'm particularly praising of. The list of Japanese games of this generation that I like quite a bit includes: Bayonetta, Demons/Dark Souls, Asura's Wrath (very, very flawed, but I can't just escape it) and El Shaddai. That's it, that's all the stuff I can think of from this generation that I thought "Man, those games were awesome, and I would continue playing those games even past this generation." There's stuff I've enjoyed, but they really haven't made an impact on me. I also didn't include ports or HD remakes because, while they offer games that would tip the balance, I don't count those as current generation, as the same sensibilities tat went into making them aren't necessarily as present in current titles.

I can't play JRPGs anymore, as the combat and stories have either bored me or made me question what the appeal was. A lot of the console games just plain don't interest me or look broken. The only games on the horizon that I'm interested from Japan includes Metal Gear Rising, Dark Souls 2, and Soul Sacrifice. Everything else has either fallen off my radar or just doesn't catch my attention. Perhaps it really is just the fact that I don't play handheld games that much and that's where a lot of the talent has moved too, but again even despite all of that, I'm just not as enthusiastic about Japanese games as I used to be.

 

[sethisjimmy]

So uh, you play a lot of Japanese games, and in response to this, you want more Japanese games?

Well ok, I recommend Catherine. It's a horror/puzzler/romance. Very quirky and unique, there's nothing else like it, and it tells a very interesting tale.

In terms of ratio, I think I'm fairly balanced between western and Japanese games. I usually enjoy most western indie/niche games and the occasional AAA title, and I tend to like a lot of Japanese games when they aren't generic JRPGs, because they tend to be very unique and "out-there".