Square-Enix: "We Look More To Player Preferences"
Final Fantasy XIIIThere was a time when any game designed by a Western developer was met with skepticism by the knowledgeable gaming crowd. But these days, some see it in almost a reverse light and even Japan's biggest developers have admitted they're lagging - in some respects - behind their Western counterparts.
This is why you're seeing a definite "Western push;" a concerted effort by the aforementioned studios to create games that will appeal to a wider audience. It's well known that Japanese titles tend to have a different artistic flair to them, and some designers have tried to sacrifice this tradition and instead of making something that looks like a JRPG on the PS1, they opt for a Gears of War style. However, despite what you may think, Square-Enix says that while they're certainly trying to appeal to the mass worldwide market (their new studio just opened in LA), they're actually not going out of their way to make a game with Western influences in mind. According to what Final Fantasy: The Crystal Bearers producer Akitoshi Kawazu told Destructoid, they don't separate the target audiences into "West" and "East." Said Kawazu:
"The presence of Japanese games is not as strong within the international market these days, and as a business that creates and sells games, the reception in the Western market is naturally a point of interest to us. However, when developing a game we do not separate our target audience into categories like 'Japanese' or 'Western.'
We look more to player preferences, such as those who like higher difficulty levels, those who enjoy more of a collection element, those who look for more freedom in a game, those who like to have set objectives, and so forth. I do feel that one major difference in the Japanese and Western gamers’ preferences lies in the art style."
In other words, it seems they only want to incorporate new gameplay aspects in order to appeal to more gamers outside Japan. These elements aren't "new" by modern-day standards but most are new to the Japanese market, and some have yet to be embraced in the East. There will always be differences in terms of preference, simply due to the inherent cultural differences, but Square-Enix isn't as concerned with that; they just want to make games that everyone will enjoy. Really, that's the goal of all developers these days.
12/29/2009 10:30:50 AM Ben Dutka
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Comments (33 posts)
Alienange
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 11:02:36 AM
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Earth to Squeenix, Earth to Squeenix!
You have to release games to have a "presence."
11 up, 0 down
Oyashiro
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 11:11:53 AM
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What? This is exactly what you decided to do with Nier. You make the 360 version to suit "Western tastes" then decide not to release Replicant in the US.
8 up, 0 down
SnipeySnake
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 11:29:21 PM
1 up, 0 down
bridgera
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 11:18:15 AM
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That was true in the 90's, but over the last 10 years, Square-Enix's show nothing could be further from the truth.
So what have we gotten in the 2000's?
FFX - okay, good game, no free roaming airship was kind of lame, but great game
FFX#2 - a silly sequel, but you could still have a lot of fun with it
FFXI - sucked for a lot of reasons, most of which involved completely ignoring player preferences for the first 5 years of its release.
FFXII - this one was a pretty big miss with a lot of fans. It's still the only FF game I haven't beaten a second time. Hey, now we haven't seen a free roaming airship in YEARS.
FFXIII - Haven't played this yet, just read some of the reviews, which indicate FFXIII is more of a movie that you play through than a traditional FF game. The free roaming airship is now gone for over a decade.
So that's Final Fantasy games released this decade. I must say, the first decade was much better than the second. Square Enix seems to have really lost their way and certainly isn't "looking to player preferences".
6 up, 0 down
Ultimadream
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 11:36:39 AM
I would like to point out that not all FF games since Square-Enix have formed have been bad. I thoroughly enjoyed FF7: Crisis Core. While it was more like Kingdom Hearts than FF. it was a very enjoyable game.
5 up, 0 down
SvenMD
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 11:58:08 AM
And you have to admit that flying a high-def airship from Pulse to Cocoon would probably be amazing!
Also, as an aside...FF IX was released in 2000 as well.
Last edited by SvenMD on 12/29/2009 11:58:33 AM
0 up, 0 down
bridgera
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 1:56:51 PM
LoL, let me take the gibberish which that sentance was and fix it to something that makes sense in English.
"That was true in the 90's, but over the last 10 years, BASED ON WHAT Square-Enix's HAS SHOWN, nothing could be further from the truth."
I rephrased that a few times while writing it, and I swear it looked fine when I hit "submit comment" lol.
Oh, you're right, I forgot FFIX was released in 2000.
Last edited by bridgera on 12/29/2009 1:58:03 PM
0 up, 1 down
Arvis
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 3:29:45 PM
-Arvis
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Fane1024
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 5:13:24 PM
Personally, I prefer the point-to-point map system of FFTactics, FFX, and FFXII to an overworld like in FFVII. It makes traveling actually seem like traveling, instead of wandering around in a field full of icons (and invisible monsters).
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Hezzron
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 11:22:29 AM
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3 up, 0 down
Alienange
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 1:12:32 PM
2 up, 1 down
bridgera
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 1:59:14 PM
4 up, 2 down
Andysw
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 12:14:40 PM
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Last edited by Andysw on 12/29/2009 12:14:56 PM
3 up, 0 down
Fane1024
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 5:16:00 PM
Either way, thumbs up, though I generally don't agree.
The one thing Japanese developers need to do is join the 21st century.
They should NOT lose the art style, though.
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DaNgerSteVe
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 2:38:24 PM
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2 up, 1 down
NightHawk17
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 3:18:41 PM
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3 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 4:09:19 PM
2 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 4:05:20 PM
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Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 12/29/2009 4:08:34 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 4:16:32 PM
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 12/29/2009 4:17:27 PM
2 up, 2 down
Fane1024
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 5:19:31 PM
Yeah, I said it.
What they should have done is give players the option to have the game pause (still, not with bouncing characters) when each character's turn came, thus allowing players to play it as a turn-based game or in real-ish time.
It would be similar to the VATS in Fallout 3, but not exactly the same.
Last edited by Fane1024 on 12/29/2009 5:20:39 PM
1 up, 2 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 5:38:41 PM
3 up, 0 down
Scarecrow
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 8:15:51 PM
I still do like the timed battles of old, but FFXII pulled it off really well without having to switch screens and giving you an atmospheric feeling and sense of space not present in past FFs...
I like both styles
Dragon Age: Origins = FFXII battle system
Last edited by Scarecrow on 12/29/2009 8:16:16 PM
1 up, 1 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 8:54:35 PM
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 12/29/2009 8:54:51 PM
1 up, 0 down
Fane1024
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 @ 4:15:01 PM
I didn't say it shouldn't be turn-based. I have no problem with turn-based games. My roots are in "pen-and-paper" RPGs, which are by necessity turn-based. One of my favorite games is FF Tactics, which is turn-based to the extreme.
I just think the artifice of a separate battle screen where the characters can't move or do anything actually tactical is an outdated result of old, limited technology.
And I don't buy the argument that the turn-based combat allows the player to use strategy. In my experience, aside from strategy RPGs, turn-based RPGs involve little strategy. Your characters are either attacking with the most damaging attack they have available or healing. Status-effect powers are wasted on weak enemies and most bosses are immune to most effects, so there's no point in using them 90+% of the time.
Add the ability to flank, to move closer or further, and to defend and you'd actually have some strategic elements.
None of which is to say I don't enjoy those games; I just want them to move out of the NES era.
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just2skillf00l
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 11:47:58 PM
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Last edited by just2skillf00l on 12/29/2009 11:49:02 PM
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___________
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 @ 12:40:35 AM
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ive never liked asian styled games, to fancy dancy arty styled to me, to fake.
like bayonetta its sooooooooooooooooooooo over the top it kills the mood for me.
i prefer dark nitty gritty games, the only asian games i can say i like is the MGS series, DMC and resident evil.
but there really the only ones that stray away from that fairy crap!
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Feregrin
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 @ 11:16:36 AM
That "fairy crap" is done quite often in the west as well. It's called fantasy games.
Oh and you think Bayonetta is over the top but not DMC? Funny.
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___________
Thursday, December 31, 2009 @ 8:45:39 AM
in bayonetta all the switching camera angles during combat made me feel like having a fit.
and even the music jesus christ never has the music in a game wanted me to blow my speakers to hell.
the combat in bayonetta was good, every other aspect was crap.
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Mr Bitey
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 @ 1:02:21 PM
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I think there will be a lot more in 2010 with FF XIII, White Knight, 3D Dot Hero's, and The Last Guardian.
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SvenMD
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009 @ 10:58:12 AM