Before you read the following, keep in mind, I am not American.
I know I am going to get a lot of flak for this, but I just find Japanese developers to not be as good as Americans when it comes to interfaces, polish, and sensible design decisions. In fact, "not be as good" is probably too kind. I actually find them to be horrible in certain areas, and almost incapable of logic.
Let's say you take two design teams, one Japanese, and one American, and ask them to make the same game, you will probably note the following differences with the Japanese version.
1. When in corners, for some %@%@! reason the camera will do an extreme close up on the hair follicles of your protagonist's neck, all the while monsters are proceeding to slaughter him from off screen.
Unfortunately the camera angles are going to be so bad, that you won't be able to locate a quick exit. What will compound the frustration is that every time you are hit, your screen will turn red, shake violently, and your character will emit a moan so deep that you'll be left wondering if you should leave a tip.
2. Annoying sound bytes will always follow any action that is frequent yet innocuous. Yes, you could be playing a serious mission where you have to protect a world leader's life, but the instant you use a health pack, you will be greeted with a hello freakin' kitty sound.
3. Female characters will have breasts big enough to use as flotation devices, and long enough to serve breakfast on. If they happen to be blond, their legs will be long enough to break several zoning laws.
4. You will only be capable of saving your game once every few hours, and only if you sacrifice your first born.
5. The game could use the most beautiful graphics engine in the world, with extraordinary art, yet will always have an ugly, unintuitive, and totally ancient looking menu. Heck, simply from the menu, you'd think you are about to start playing Space Invaders.
6. The obligatory end level bosses will look like wimps yet be extraordinarily powerful. While their more lethal looking henchmen will be easily taken out with a few headshots, these wimpy boss types will have cranium listed in chemistry books as the hardest substance known to man.
7. Awkward, random and inexplicable "erotic" moments will come suddenly, and most of these would be close to breaking some statutory laws.
8. One thing American developers learned long ago, that the Japanese won't for another decade; random monsters such as insects aren't likely to carry items like weapons, ammo and health packs.
9. On the American version, controls will be smooth as butter and almost second nature in their ease. The Japanese version will employ controls that make as much sense as a woman wanting to use a subway in Japan.
I have more complaints... but those are what come to mind first. I hope no one was too offended by my rant.
I know I am going to get a lot of flak for this, but I just find Japanese developers to not be as good as Americans when it comes to interfaces, polish, and sensible design decisions. In fact, "not be as good" is probably too kind. I actually find them to be horrible in certain areas, and almost incapable of logic.
Let's say you take two design teams, one Japanese, and one American, and ask them to make the same game, you will probably note the following differences with the Japanese version.
1. When in corners, for some %@%@! reason the camera will do an extreme close up on the hair follicles of your protagonist's neck, all the while monsters are proceeding to slaughter him from off screen.
Unfortunately the camera angles are going to be so bad, that you won't be able to locate a quick exit. What will compound the frustration is that every time you are hit, your screen will turn red, shake violently, and your character will emit a moan so deep that you'll be left wondering if you should leave a tip.
2. Annoying sound bytes will always follow any action that is frequent yet innocuous. Yes, you could be playing a serious mission where you have to protect a world leader's life, but the instant you use a health pack, you will be greeted with a hello freakin' kitty sound.
3. Female characters will have breasts big enough to use as flotation devices, and long enough to serve breakfast on. If they happen to be blond, their legs will be long enough to break several zoning laws.
4. You will only be capable of saving your game once every few hours, and only if you sacrifice your first born.
5. The game could use the most beautiful graphics engine in the world, with extraordinary art, yet will always have an ugly, unintuitive, and totally ancient looking menu. Heck, simply from the menu, you'd think you are about to start playing Space Invaders.
6. The obligatory end level bosses will look like wimps yet be extraordinarily powerful. While their more lethal looking henchmen will be easily taken out with a few headshots, these wimpy boss types will have cranium listed in chemistry books as the hardest substance known to man.
7. Awkward, random and inexplicable "erotic" moments will come suddenly, and most of these would be close to breaking some statutory laws.
8. One thing American developers learned long ago, that the Japanese won't for another decade; random monsters such as insects aren't likely to carry items like weapons, ammo and health packs.
9. On the American version, controls will be smooth as butter and almost second nature in their ease. The Japanese version will employ controls that make as much sense as a woman wanting to use a subway in Japan.
I have more complaints... but those are what come to mind first. I hope no one was too offended by my rant.
Facebook
Twitter