What region produces the very best titles?

[figgler]

This came up in another topic, so I figured I would gauge the general consensus.

It seems to me that time and again, the very best games come from Japan. I find them to be more creative, more innovative, more fun and just plain better. This of course is not without many, many exceptions as I am not slagging on North American developers (much), but as a whole I feel that Japanese creators just "get it more" if you will.

 

So what do you think? Considering all games for all systems, bad good and ugly. Who has the more talented finger on the pulse of the gaming arts?

[Flojomojo]

False choice.

 

It depends on what kind of software you enjoy. And what about Europe?

 

I'm not voting in this poll.

[sega saturn x]

Western developers, they have made the very best RPGs, racing and action games on the market. And while they seem to be too fixated on ww2 and FPS I'll take that over fruity turn based RPGs which rule the japanese market, thanks much. Plus jap developers are so full of themselves it's crazy, and often say the most bat shit crazy things ever.

 

"We could sell a million ps3s without any games"

 

"the wii will change your life"

[figgler]

False choice.

 

It depends on what kind of software you enjoy.

 

So does everything else we talk about on these boards.

 

 

And what about Europe?

 

It wasn't really part of the initial conversation so much. I was more interested in the Japan vs NA opinion

[joeybastard]

Tie, I like games from both. Both make some great games both make some utter crap games.

[Phineasfool]

Europe needs to be a consideration. I mean one of the biggest 3rd party developers (Ubisoft) is based in France. It's just dumb to not include Europe as an option. And I've usually preferred the stuff from Europe going back to my C64 days.

[sega saturn x]

Lets just pretend europe is part of the west developer side, since they make the same style of games anyway.

Edited September 20, 2006 by sega saturn x

[n8littlefield]

The Europe stuff is very different from the US stuff - Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil are distinctly different, especially in art style. BG&E was possibly one of the greatest games this generation and focuses very differently than a Western game would.

 

I personally prefer Japanese games in general, because they seem to take a much more light handed, fun approach to game design. There are of course many, many exceptions like Guitar Hero, Mortal Kombat, and Psychonauts to name a few. Generally though, if I was absolutely forced to chose, I'd pick Japanese - and I don't even like fruity jap RPGs.

[Atarifever]

Given the number of Nintendo, Capcom, and Sega titles I've bought this generation, I have to go with Japanese developers. I don't think about it or anything, but outside of Halo and Crimson Skies almost all of my favorite games this generation came from Japanese developers, and I don't play RPGs.

[ninjarabbit]

I'll agree Europe should have been an option and European games are different than North American games.

 

I voted for the Japanese (or at least the Japanese games that make it to America) just simply because there are a lot less licenced crap and fad-of-the-month games coming out of there.

[sega saturn x]

In all fairness japan is horrible with licenced games, how many unplayable gundam games came out in the U.s alone on the ps2, 6? There was like three naruto games in the span of two months and 2 more one piece games due out. They are every bit as bad as us in that regard.

[JamesD]

The people voting for Japan obviously haven't seen a lot of the titles that never get exported.

[n8littlefield]

I know that alot of horrible stuff never gets exported - but I also know that looking at the games in my collection for the PS2 and the DS that the majority of them are Japanese developed - Princess Peach, New Mario, Shadow of the Colossus, We Love Katamari, and many more. Both countries have shovelware, but lately for my tastes the Japanese games have been more appealing lately.

[sega saturn x]

It's really hard for me to say all that many positive things about jap dev teams anymore. With the exception of capcom just about every current japanese developer have let games stagnate. I think western developers are really moving most genres forward in new exciting ways. Games like bioshock that push a genre as narrow as FPS in new directions and looks splendid so far. And mass effect or obivion re-defining what an RPG can be.

 

People like to point to games like katamari and shadow of the colossus and say "see look how innovative these games are, western devlopers make the same thing only better looking." Over looking the fact these type of games aren't the normal stuff we get from japan there are other things as well. While those games are very creative and fantastic one shots, they can't really be taken in any new directions. They are what they are, and little if any evolution will happen. we love katamari should be proof of that. What many western developers are doing are allow more freedoms to the whole genre.

 

The genres that japan dominates are stale painfully so. RPGs and platformers, nintendo is the only company I EVER see from japan making good platformers anymore so kudos to them. And RPGs at this point are just painful. I'm glad FFXII took a far more western approach to the battles this time out. Turn based battle systems just need to die, or at the very least get fleshed out and take a more kotor approach to them.

 

Also japan has a nasty habit of making movies not games, look at any of the current final fantasies or lost odyssey or worst of all metal gear solid. I boot up games to play not watch.

Edited September 22, 2006 by sega saturn x

[AussieAtari]

Australia!

[Ze_ro]

I actually enjoy a lot of the Amiga games out there, most of which were European... but I voted North America anyways (mostly because I can't stand Japanese RPG's like Final Fantasy).

 

--Zero

[AussieAtari]

Some support as to why I voted for Australia (edit from a recent major daily newspaper article):

 

Current Australian-produced games include Heroes of the Pacific, Tribes: Vengeance, Powerslide, Dirt Track Racing, Destroy All Humans, Transformers, Test Drive Unlimited, Transformers, Le Mans 24 Hours, Grand Prix Challenge and Ty the Tasmanian Tiger.

 

And don't forget Australia's oldest and most well-known game studio Melbourne House, which developed hits including The Hobbit and Way of the Exploding Fist for 1980s home computers and is now (unfortunately owned by Atari).

 

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger is one of the Australian gaming industry's biggest success stories. The series has sold more than 2 million copies and the producers of The Simpsons are working on an animated TV show.

 

High-profile Australian titles in development include Destroy All Humans 2 (Pandemic), Hellboy (Krome), The Legend of Spyro (Krome), Medieval II: Total War (The Creative Assembly), LA Noir (Team Bondi), Barnyard (THQ) and Unleash the Fury (Auran).

 

"Australia is seen by many publishers as a good five-year plan. For the foreseeable future, the incredible talent that's down here, the cultural meshing, the quality and the price means it's a great place to (make games)."

 

So, although my vote was a bit tongue-in-cheek and very parochial, there is some justified pride in our local games.

[SteveW]

I agree that Europe should have been mentioned. Rare and Rockstar are British, Ubisoft is French, and so is Infogrames.

 

I'm also one of those old time Amiga users who loved all the European based software houses that cranked out heaps of good games. Europe has a somewhat different style to their games. They should have been included in the poll.

[Atarifever]

To be fair, regarding Ubisoft, aren't Splinter Cell and Prince Of Persia developed in their Montreal studio?

[Video]

If Japan dropped out of existance, it would hurt. But the fact is, I look at the top favorite games I have for every system, and the top games are either US, or Europe developed games.

 

Funny, I expected this poll to be FAR more lopsided in favor of Japan than it is.

[IronMongeR]

Europe.

[liveinabin]

Europe, well, more specifically, Guidford, Surrey, UK.

A hell of a lot of amazing software has come out of there, Bullfrog, Criterion etc.

[SwedenLynxer]

Definitely Europe.

[figgler]

To be fair, regarding Ubisoft, aren't Splinter Cell and Prince Of Persia developed in their Montreal studio?

 

oui monsieur