Because the only 2 nations making vidyagames is Japan and America? What about GTA?, the biggest game series there is get's made in the UK, about 50 miles from where I live in fact. What about Mojang - they're neither side of the 'coin', that Japan and America seem to think represents the world. The whole attitude seems to reek of ancient Japanese xenophobia - they can't target western audience, must work with western developer to appeal to western audience. What about making games that can appeal to anyone!, is it rocket surgery for developers to concentrate on making a fun and challenging game instead of targetting some percieved market, or peer group.
Anyway, Japanese games are too damn wordy, half the time you get 30 minutes of dialogue before you even start the game - that's one major difference, the non-Japanese part of the world, the western bit, well we prefer to play games than read a bloody book one letter at a time. Any cool-ness in a Japanese game is instantly diluted by all the rigmarole it puts the player through.
Thing is, games that should do well in Japan probably won't - this shouldn't be about selling us Japanese games, because I can't name one single Japanese game that I like, or want, or am looking forward to. I love Pikmin, Pikmin2 as well, and the Gamecube version of Harvest Moon - but nowadays if it doesn't involve rediculous characters with rediculous hair and rediculous impractical armour, well it doesn't get a look in. Japan needs to wind it's neck in, and look back at the games that us western folk actually liked. It's unlikely that we'll get Pikmin3 for the Wii, not even sure about the next gen - so are we really expected to just accept and buy random Japanese games with the assumption that they are any good!
Also, what 'western' games have done well in Japan?
We are expected to appreciate Japanese games, but where is the appreciation for western games?
These people have nothing but disdain for half the planet, who really cares if we buy into their cartoon porn and fake-plastic-culture.