Famitsu questionnaire: Do you like recent Japanese games? What do you like about Japanese games?

[Akiller]

Hello, everyone!

We are WEEKLY FAMITSU, a Japanese video game magazine.

Today, we would like to know what game players around the world think of Japanese games. We are going to ask you about your image of Japanese games, whether or not you like Japanese games in general, and whether or not you have played Japanese games recently.
We would love to hear from you! We appreciate it very much if you could answer the following questionnaire.

Please submit it by Wednesday March 16, 2018 at 23:59 PST.

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https://www.famitsu.com/news/201803/09153407.html

Remember to copy and paste the link on your browser in order to connect to the page.

 

[Zhao_Yun]

I thought this was a survey targeted at Japanese players when I saw the thread title. Did not expect them to approach overseas players directly.
Will be interesting to see what they think about Western perceptions of Japanese games. :)

 

[Deleted member 15428]

Kazuma Kiryu

 

[texhnolyze]

I thought this was a survey targeted at Japanese players when I saw the thread title. Did not expect them to approach overseas players directly.
Will be interesting to see what they think about Western perceptions of Japanese games. :)

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Exactly my thoughts. I never knew that Famitsu do reach us baka gaijin as well. I thought there isn't even a glimpse of English on their website.

But damn, we only get to choose 3 Japanese games? This is a hard questionnaire.

 

[wapplew]

No Kawakami option in Persona 5 section, Famitsu doesn't have a clue.

 

[Deleted member 35509]

3 favorites of all time from Japanese developers or recent?

 

[RPGamer92]

Yes, focus on gameplay over cinematics.

 

[Ferrs]

Interesting how much stuff they ask for certain games.

 

[IvorB]

But damn, we only get to choose 3 Japanese games? This is a hard questionnaire.

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I'm already struggling on this question.

 

[Ferrs]

Weird thing is they say they want to know what we think about the image of japanese games but they don't really ask you in the questionarie, is more about your 3 fav games and some questions for selected japanese games.

 

[Strings]

Coming up with my top 3 japanese games is ridiculously hard. Like, I CAN'T PARE IT DOWN MAN.

EDIT: Ended up going with VLR, the original Kingdom Hearts and FE7 (though I struggled with not including FFT, or Tactics Ogre, or about a billion other things).

 

[Nakenorm]

Ugh.. Apparently I'll have to start all over again. Nope.

 

[Almaz_Hiro]

I'm struggling to think of my three favourite Japanese games as well. I'm guessing the last few games on the list that they want your thoughts on are the most recent and popular Japanese games. I'm kinda surprised I've only played one from that list. I should try Nier automata and persona 5 at some point.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

Wait what? They're asking for non-Japanese players opinion?

The time has come and so have I

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

Weird thing is they say they want to know what we think about the image of japanese games but they don't really ask you in the questionarie, is more about your 3 fav games and some questions for selected japanese games.

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Coincidentally three of those games are my favorite recent Japanese games lol.

Persona 5
Monster Hunter World
Nioh

 

[Deleted member 8860]

Thanks for the heads up, OP. I didn't much care for any of the listed games apart from Nioh and Nier Automata, and my top three had two older-gen games; hope that my comments prove useful to Famitsu or its readers.

 

[MrT-Tar]

I found it incredibly hard to name my 3 favourite Japanese games. In the end, I said Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Zelda: Wind Waker, and Grandia. It was so hard to choose.

 

[Chasing]

Holy crap, this is nuts. I don't there has been been as direct an international outreach from the Japanese industry as this (at least not that I remember) and from the most major Japanese gaming publication at that. Definitely going to spend some time to look at this.

 

[IvorB]

Do they mean top three of all time or just recently I wonder? 'Cause if it's of-all-time then I really don't know how I would answer that...

 

[TC McQueen]

I wonder how they're gonna take my "Other" option for the "What is the most important aspect of Japanese games for you" question. I included some slams on Japanese publishers for dicking around PC gamers and on devs/publishers making so many games with generic, offputting elements.

Weird thing is they say they want to know what we think about the image of japanese games but they don't really ask you in the questionarie, is more about your 3 fav games and some questions for selected japanese games.

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Yeah, it seems to be more like a circlejerk over having a year where Japanese games were highly regarded all over the world, rather than getting a feel for how the world thinks of Japanese games.

Then again, Famitsu is the most transparently "we're in the publisher's pockets" outlets, so it's to be expected.

 

[Toxi]

Somewhere, out there, is the person who named Jyuratodus as their favorite monster.

 

[EarthPainting]

Probably answered these questions more seriously and elaborately than they anticipated, but I have no regrets.

Somewhere, out there, is the person who named Jyuratodus as their favorite monster.

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I refuse to believe to acknowledge this possibility. Surely it's a honeypot to detect bots.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

Do they mean top three of all time or just recently I wonder? 'Cause if it's of-all-time then I really don't know how I would answer that...

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Just three favorite I think.

So I think I would pick one of each genre or something to show variety.

 

[Dust]

Just spam all fields with "WHEN IS DEVIL MAY CRY 5".
That will get the message across.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

I clicked into this but I haven't played Monster Hunter World or RE7 and I despise almost everything about Automata, so I guess Famitsu doesn't want to hear my opinions. Dopes should've put in a "I didn't play this particular game" check box, since they say very clearly that if you leave any part blank it invalidates the entire questionnaire.

 

[Strings]

I clicked into this but I haven't played Monster Hunter World or RE7 and I despise almost everything about Automata, so I guess Famitsu doesn't want to hear my opinions. Dopes should've put in a "I didn't play this particular game" check box, since they say very clearly that if you leave any part blank it invalidates the entire questionnaire.

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You can always be super negative about Automata like I was :P

... Also fuck, I haven't played RE7, so I left that part blank.

 

[tyfon]

Do they mean top three of all time or just recently I wonder? 'Cause if it's of-all-time then I really don't know how I would answer that...

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I made it top three of all time, but who knows :)
Edit: also, on some of those what was important in the game, gameplay, story, music etc I had to check all of them because they all matter in most cases. Except for MH:W, that is pure gameplay/environment for me.

 

[-Soma-]

Answered pretty seriously and some of my responses were quite lenghty. I don't know why but I got lost in writing, I guess. I liked my answers so, eh. Let's see how serious they are with it.

I only left Zelda blank as I do not currently own a Switch. Eventually I will. Made sure to express my preference of the more mature side of the industry, e.g: Top three games were Trails in the Sky the Third, Nier Gestalt and Bloodborne. Not that I dislike stuff like P5 (to the contrary) but I prefer adult characters. Was a hard decision to choose between Devil May Cry 3 and Bloodborne, though. I feel like I'm missing some game that I'll eventually regret not listing, but oh well. The deed is done.

I clicked into this but I haven't played Monster Hunter World or RE7 and I despise almost everything about Automata, so I guess Famitsu doesn't want to hear my opinions. Dopes should've put in a "I didn't play this particular game" check box, since they say very clearly that if you leave any part blank it invalidates the entire questionnaire.

Click to shrink...

You can always be super negative about Automata like I was :P

... Also fuck, I haven't played RE7, so I left that part blank.

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I don't think answers being blank is a very huge issue. It says that ''your'' answers that are indecipherable or not completed void the whole thing. I interpret that like you didn't fully answer a question or simply stopped a sentence midway, especially since they ask you to leave the games you didn't play blank.

And I kind of did the same with Automata. I wasn't overly negative but I definitely vented my disappointment. Not that it will do anything, but it's nice to have your opinion out there. It basically came down to ''I didn't really care for x, but if I had to choose...''

 

[Kurita]

I clicked into this but I haven't played Monster Hunter World or RE7 and I despise almost everything about Automata, so I guess Famitsu doesn't want to hear my opinions. Dopes should've put in a "I didn't play this particular game" check box, since they say very clearly that if you leave any part blank it invalidates the entire questionnaire.

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It's written "Please answer following questions about each game only if you have played the game"

 

[Shenmue-is-life]

My answer:

Shenmue 2
The most attractive solo game. Subtle narration, deep combat system and never repetitive.

Shadow of Memories
The best solo concept ever made. Open world mechanics, free time travel and anxious race against his own death.

Valkyria Chronicles
Real strategy and fresh.

More important aspects: gameplay, art elements, music, originality and authentic.

 

[Skyfireblaze]

I haven't played RE7 and I haven't completed Nier: Automata yet, I'll just put this in the boxes and see what they do with it.

I'm really happy that they ask for oversees reception though :D

 

[Deleted member 11517]

Confirmation of the contents
When it's apparent by following contents, please click and complete a 「Transmission」.

■Name or nickname
kageroo

■Age
from

■Gender


■Region
Europe

favorite Japanese game(No.1)
Resident Evil 5

Reason(No.1)
I love everything about it , the story, the characters the gameplay, especially the gameplay. Aiming and not being able to move is just the best thing ever for these kind of games, it reminds me a lot of Resident Evil Remake a game I also love for the same reasons.




favorite Japanese game(No.2)
Dead Or Alive 5 Last Round

Reason(No.2)
Great fighting, great characters, nice graphics, the fighting is just really fun once you learned the techniques of hold, block, counter.

I only play online with Japanese players, they have some kind if code of conduct and I follow these rules as well, it's a lot of fun to play!

favorite Japanese game(No.3)
Kyoei Toshi

Reason(No.3)
Love the game, finished it at least 3 times, I translated all the choices with my phone, which was tedious but easily worth it, it also kind of reminds me of Resident Evil games where you don't have super powers (ok you DO have some super powers) and no weapons or anything. It's a very charming little game which I would hope more to be made! My personal GOTY of 2017!

■When you play Japanese games, which aspects of games are more important to you?
Gameplay
Art Elements (Character, Environment, etc)
Music
Other aspects

If you choose Other, please explain below.
I only play Japanese games because in Western games I never know what I should do and they're just very boring to me, with Japanese games I kind of always know what to do and where to go... It's very important to turn around at the beginning of a level, there might be a power up hidden there, for example. ;)



■What did you love the most about this game?
2B
The operator
The robots in pascal's village

■which aspects of the game did you like? Please check all that apply and/or explain other aspect you liked.
Gameplay
Story/Narrative Elements
Art Elements (Character, Environment, etc)
Character Design
Music
Other aspects

Reason
I really liked the 2d and top down sections a lot. Generally the platforming was great and fighting the different kinds of enemy types.




■Who was your favorite main character and why?
2B

Reason
She's very cute

■What was the most impressive ending and why?
選択なし

Reason
Without input

■What did you love the most about this game?
Without input

■which aspects of the game did you like? Please check all that apply and/or explain other aspect you liked.
Without choice

Reason
Without input

■How did you feel about the difficulty?
選択なし

■What was the hardest boss to beat or level to complete?
Without input


(c)2018 Gzbrain Inc.


So I will be in Famitsu next week, huh?!

 

[Toxi]

Answered Bloodborne, Super Metroid, and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate for my favorite games.

 

[Xiaomi]

I found myself writing "good controls" on almost all of my choices and the provided. Gave them Mega Man 2, Earthbound, and Dark Souls.

 

[StreamedHams]

I replied to all. Fortunately I played everything except P5, which I had no interest in.

Besides, MHW and P5, I loved the rest.

 

[Skyfireblaze]

I'm starting to contemplate if I should really bother putting in as much effort as I do because there's a chance they will invalidate my submission because I haven't played RE7 :/

 

[Aaronrules380]

Choosing the top 3 japanese games was too hard and I ended up just putting recent ones I really loved

MHW kind of got me in that I just started and am not far enough to conclude my favorite monster in it yet

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

I'm really glad they're doing this cuz this is a new age for J-games that is blowing open more and more each year since the dark ages.

fyi:

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Vagrant Story
SoulCalibur 1

Praised Nier's grim yet not nihilistic message and Persona 5's styyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyle.

 

[Asbsand]

Weekly Famitsu Questionnaire

Confirmation of the contents
When it's apparent by following contents, please click and complete a 「Transmission」.

■Name or nickname
Asbsand

■Age
from 20 to 29

■Gender
Male

■Region
Europe

favorite Japanese game(No.1)
The Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time

Reason(No.1)
This was a game I played when I was 5 or 6 years old at a friend's house. He introduced me to the Nintendo 64 and he had Zelda. We were too scared to play it past the Kokiri Forest but right away, I knew there was an air of quality over this game compared to the 2D sidescrollers and such that I saw earlier in my childhood, and much of it was in presentation and the beautifully composed lullaby melodies -- even the title screen had me invested and excited. When we were 12 we fought our way through the Water Temple and the rest of the game, and it felt like a movie but even better, and as an adult I realize much of Ocarina of Time's inspiration actually came from 90s anime and japan-exclusive conventions. It's just such a precious memory to me.

favorite Japanese game(No.2)
Xenoblade Chronicles X

Reason(No.2)
I admire this game for many reasons. I lied a little bit because I actually prefer Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 over this game but there's something this game does that really surprised me since it's japanese. It is kind of like World of Warcraft but it's single player and still heavily narrative-driven. Aesthetically and graphically it's insane this game was possible on a Wii U, and I say this having just recently played it -- it still holds up even in 2018. The blend of japanese sci fi, the Attack On Titan-like music, the cinematic main missions and Heart-To-Hearts and then rich and deep side-missions all add up to a sense of depth and breadth that only so few games have. The peculiar thing about X is that it feels very akin to western games like Dragon Age Inquisition and Assassin's Creed but at the same time it seems to draw inspiration The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask and older Japanese roleplaying games.

I think I like this game more than Western RPGs because like many japanese big-budget games it is really, really polished and the developers took their time (5 years) to make it after the original Xenoblade Chronicles, and it shows. Normally these big RPG games are filled with glitches and broken quests but this game felt so "complete" to me. In the end I think that is why I admire this game so much.

favorite Japanese game(No.3)
Nier Automata

Reason(No.3)
It's too rare in the west to see game that focuses deeply on fast action-driven gameplay that doesn't have a nonsensical story, but Nier Automata made no compromises. It's a fully fledged Platinum Games experience that also has an intelligent and authentic story to tell, and the way it ties the gameplay and story together is neat, and as is the way it tricks the player with its narrative structure at almost every turn. Sometimes I get tired of every good story being trope-ridden, like the "Hero's Journey", the "3-act structure" that is hardlocked into predictable twists and turns. Even when the writing is really solid in one such game it's hard to be truly blown away because you sort of know what is going to happen already, but Nier Automata, despite having a 3-act plot pretends it doesn't and thereby tricked me into not being able to tell what was going to happen next. Because I was so disarmed I ended up being deeply intrigued and emotioanlly invested like I too rarely get to be when I play games... and that was all on top of having a game that was very fun to play and very well put together. Thanks Yoko Taro, Platinum games and Square Enix!

■When you play Japanese games, which aspects of games are more important to you?
Story/Narrative Elements
Art Elements (Character, Environment, etc)

If you choose Other, please explain below.
Without input

■What did you love the most about this game?
The presentation of the overworld. Being able to see a place in the distance that looks vast and outside of the boundaries and then deciding "I want to go there" and if you follow through you'll eventually be there. Unlike other Open World titles including japanese ones, stuff like Xenoblade X even, lack this kind of design because they prevent the player from progressing through the map at their own pace. The only downside is that I thought this aspect of Breath of the Wild hindered its ability to tell a good story.

■which aspects of the game did you like? Please check all that apply and/or explain other aspect you liked.
Gameplay

Reason
Without input

■Who was your favorite character among 4 champions and why?
Mipha

Reason
Honestly it was the Zora who helped me along the way and not Mipha. I didn't really care for any of these sages from a narrative standpoint because I felt the writing was insubstantial and shortlived, but the shark-like zora who helped me get to Mipha was pretty cool and the gameplay segment where you ride the water with him was memorable, and it stood out as a set-piece when the rest of the game felt a little monotonous in playstyle.

■Which of the following was more important to you and why?
Remote Bomb

Reason
I understand streamlining Zelda to get rid of collectible items, but I actually prefer having limited bombs. However, i also felt the Magnesis power was given to the player so early that over time the game lost a sense of progression. It felt like one giant playground and while that was good on one hand, it still made the progression seem absent and after 20 hours I found the game monotonous. Furthermore, Magnesis made Link feel too overpowered and I love the first hours of many other games where you literally feel like a greenhorn who can't do much yet. The Remote bomb's implementation was harmless on the other hand, and while I prefer an item-limit more than a time-limit on items I still think Link needs his bombs. It must never go away.

■What did you love the most about this game?
The improved graphics

■which aspects of the game did you like? Please check all that apply and/or explain other aspect you liked.
Gameplay
Story/Narrative Elements
Art Elements (Character, Environment, etc)
Character Design
Music

Reason
Monster Hunter has always been great. Not the greatest of all time but very close. I was more a fan of the prior titles and haven't played too many hours of World yet but I do own it. I think it's wonderful to see the rest of the world having caught on to how great this franchise is, and it looks absolutely stunning on current-generation hardware too.

■What was your favorite monster and why?
Other

If you choose Other, please explain below.
It's one of the new ones but I haven't played it enough to memorize the name.

Reason
Without input

■Which weapon do you use the most and why?
Great Sword

Reason
Always use the Great Sword.

■What did you love the most about this game?
Its ability to tell a story and also be a fully-fledged Platinum title. See above ^

■which aspects of the game did you like? Please check all that apply and/or explain other aspect you liked.
Gameplay
Story/Narrative Elements
Art Elements (Character, Environment, etc)
Character Design
Music

Reason
It all comes together very well. Even the clearly anime-character design that looks like dolls has its place in the game because it ties into the theme of being an Android. Music is very unique, very japanese in composition but even so not like what you would hear in other japanese games. Uniqueness makes Nier Automata stand out as a narrative-driven game, and the execution of it and good writing makes it memorable after it's over.

■Who was your favorite main character and why?
2B

Reason
Nice legs

■What was the most impressive ending and why?
D

Reason
I think D was "Meaningless Code". I do think E was more conclusive but the entire final chapter of the story had me wondering "where is this even going?", because the characters had already established how abandoned they were and how pointless existence really is if you ruminate about it, and so ascending into this mysterious white, unknown tower, I couldn't really tell where it was going. Ending D then felt almost like a parody ending that mocks the game itself for pretending to be deep and meaningful but without really saying anything in particular. I thought that was a testament to how meaningless everything had actually become to the characters by the end. If everything is "meaningful" then nothing is really special and therefore nothing is actually meaningful and because of that it becomes "meaningless". That was my interpretation at least.

■What did you love the most about this game?
It's an iteration on the Dark Souls formula done very competently and with a different approach.

■which aspects of the game did you like? Please check all that apply and/or explain other aspect you liked.
Gameplay

Reason
The stamina-system is very deep and really determines how the player acts strategically.

■How did you feel about the difficulty?
Hard

■What was the hardest boss to beat or level to complete?
I did not finish the game and I didn't get very far but I concede from early in the game that it was very tough and I died a lot but the game never made me angry or feel it was unfair.

■What did you love the most about this game?
Presentation: Music and graphics.

■which aspects of the game did you like? Please check all that apply and/or explain other aspect you liked.
Story/Narrative Elements
Art Elements (Character, Environment, etc)
Music

Reason
I liked the characters and interactions and relationships. I didn't really like the plot itself though. Artistically the game was gorgeous and the music was very catchy. The characters are in the vein of the type of anime I don't really like. It's too gritty and edgy and the protagonist is too stylish for my taste, especially since he doesn't have a voice. The gameplay I didn't care much for because I'm not a fan of turn-based combat. I primarily played it for relationships and seeing these characters bond.

■Who is your favorite main character and why?
Ann Takamaki

Reason
To most players she's just the friend or the "third wheel", but to me she was the one. Sometimes I like relationships that are plain and simple, not really romantic and not really erotic just a boy and a girl finding out they really are attracted to one another.

■What was the most impressive scene?
It's hard to say but I enjoyed the interactions between the characters at the hotel at the beach.

■What did you love the most about this game?
Its focus on puzzles and taking it slow, after Resident Evil 6 was all about linear action.

■which aspects of the game did you like? Please check all that apply and/or explain other aspect you liked.
Gameplay

Reason
It's all about the gesture. I like Resident Evil 1, 2 and 3 the most and then a few others. I think Resident Evil 4 and 5 are better than this game, but at least this game showed Resident Evil can be something else than mindless action and that emphasis on "horror" and uneasiness is what I enjoyed.

■What was the scariest scene?
Something in the gameplay itself. None of the scripted sequences or any cutscenes did anything for me, and I thought the Baker family was very unimpressive. I would prefer if they got a japanese writer on the next one whilist sticking to the return to horror-focus.

■Who did you save, Mia or Zoe and why?
Mia

Reason
I didn't really care either way.


(c)2018 Gzbrain Inc.

Click to shrink...

Annoying there was no reason to say "I haven't played this game" for any of the specific inquiries. I'm not sure what this is for exactly but I suppose it makes sense to focus on the 5 most successful overseas releases on a big scale to inform japanese readers and game-developers about where their potential non-japanese audience is. I just made sure to tell them that I really do admire the entire sense of "japaneseness" in those games, which is one of the reasons I am not too favorable on Resident Evil 7. Japanese Horror as seen in the Takashi Miike movies and some anime or, like, BLOODBORNE, (not to mention Silent Hill dammit) is so vastly more creepy than any western horror, jumpscare-cliche ridden stuff, and I want future RE titles to stick to the approach 7 took but with japanese concepts and writing. Monster Hunter World was also great but I have this paranoia that japan will start to sacrifice their japaneseness more and more to make it appropriated for their western target audience, and man, we need that diversity in culture through gaming IMO. It's so endearing to see games like Metal Gear Solid where it pretends to be western-oriented but it's still suuuper anime in some ways. The last thing I would want in gaming is a unified, homogenized market where everything has the same vibe.

 

[SaberVS7]

I don't see what's so shocking about this being a western aimed questionnaire.

The international market is becoming increasingly relevant to larger-budget Japanese console games as the domestic market continues to shrink with no signs of recovering.

 

[Ferrs]

Yeah some of my answers weren't as positive so I guess I won't appear in Famitsu lol

 

[John Omaha]

I don't see what's so shocking about this being a western aimed questionnaire.

The international market is becoming increasingly relevant to larger-budget Japanese console games as the domestic market continues to shrink with no signs of recovering.

Click to shrink...

This is largely a self-inflicted problem. Their domestic market could recover if Japanese developers threw their weight behind dedicated gaming platforms that the Japanese gaming public actually wants to buy (doesn't mean the games have to be exclusive). Doesn't seem like they have much interest in doing that, though.

 

[SaberVS7]

This is largely a self-inflicted problem. Their domestic market could recover if Japanese developers threw their weight behind dedicated gaming platforms that the Japanese gaming public actually wants to buy (doesn't mean the games have to be exclusive). Doesn't seem like they have much interest in doing that, though.

Click to shrink...

What do you mean by that?

All the data I have points to Japanese gamers "Growing out of" gaming (Or rather, being 12-hour-work-day'd out of gaming) and not being replaced due to the shrinking population, leaving only Chuunis as the remaining Domestic market - Not Japanese developers failing to satisfy Japanese gamers.

 

[denpanosekai]

My top three games were silent hill 2, Brandish 2 and I wanted to say Ys series but I went with 8 because it blew me away.

WRT other impressions I mentioned the color palette in most Japanese games is like comfort food to me. Grass is green and skies are blue. For example the dragon quest series or the AM2 games.

 

[Skyfireblaze]

I spent two hours filling out the form and was greeted with:

A session is invalid.
Please redo from first.

I'm beyond livid right now.

 

[Parsnip]

Bookmarked for when I get home.

 

[Dragon1893]

Everyone put Panzer Dragoon Saga on their list so they tell sega that a remake/sequel would sell gangbusters in the west.

 

[Deleted member 11517]

I spent two hours filling out the form and was greeted with:

A session is invalid.
Please redo from first.

I'm beyond livid right now.

Click to shrink...

This is why you always do "save page" before transmitting these kind of things! ;)

 

[John Omaha]

What do you mean by that?

All the data I have points to Japanese gamers "Growing out of" gaming (Or rather, being 12-hour-work-day'd out of gaming) and not being replaced due to the shrinking population, leaving only Chuunis as the remaining Domestic market - Not Japanese developers failing to satisfy Japanese gamers.

Click to shrink...

Are they growing out of gaming or out of the experience pushed by the big players in the market? Strong portable sales show there is still lots of interest in gaming in Japan, and not only among kids and teenagers - it's just that adults can't be bothered to spend hours glued to a TV by themselves like they used to. There are probably several other factors at play, but I don't think it's a coincidence that the big consumer shift to portable consoles began roughly 20 years after the release of the Famicom. If you were a kid in the early-mid 80s, the mid 00s is when the responsibilities of adult life would start preventing you from committing much of your time towards the hobby, unless you can sneak in a quick gaming session here and there throughout the day. So people either buy a portable or "grow out" of gaming when they see most of their favorite series remain tied to home consoles.

You just need to look at the Media Create charts over the past year or so to see the disconnect between Japanese developers and what their domestic market wants. PS4 now has main entries in every series that has historically been a system seller that isn't a Nintendo IP, yet PS4 sales have hovered around 20-25k outside the holidays and release windows of major titles. Meanwhile, the Switch has been lighting up the charts on the back of a handful of Nintendo games and old ports. If Japanese developers truly want to satisfy and rebuild their dedicated console market, then they should be bringing their games to the type of consoles that the general public is buying. As of right now, they're failing to do that.

 

[Toxi]

MHW kind of got me in that I just started and am not far enough to conclude my favorite monster in it yet

Click to shrink...

What's your favorite so far?

This is largely a self-inflicted problem. Their domestic market could recover if Japanese developers threw their weight behind dedicated gaming platforms that the Japanese gaming public actually wants to buy (doesn't mean the games have to be exclusive). Doesn't seem like they have much interest in doing that, though.

Click to shrink...

Capcom just had their highest selling title ever without releasing on a platform that the Japanese gaming public "actually wants to buy", so you can't really blame them. The priorities of these companies are their own sales, not the health of the domestic games market.