Square Enix has recently set itself up in LA and is hoping to win itself more Western fans. However, the Final Fantasy publisher has no intention on copying typical Western games full of guns and blood, claiming instead that there's "no point" in making an FPS.
"Square Enix isn't necessarily shifting, it's more of a growth," explains game development manager Fumi Shiraishi. "The stuff [games created by Square Enix in Japan] does what it is supposed to do...but the Japanese market isn't growing."
Shiraishi describes the LA studio's current project as "a different approach entirely," not willing to compare it to The Last Remnant, which was an RPG designed to appeal to Western gamers. "We're not deliberately focusing on the North American audience," he clarifies. "We're just trying to make a good game.
"... We're not trying to make a game with a Western looking main character and with blood and gore. The developers at Square Enix aren't afraid to try new ideas. There is no point in making another FPS. Out task is different."
I've been feeling very burnt out on Japanese RPGs and, indeed, Japanese development as a whole lately. I hope Square Enix finds something different that works. What I don't hope is that we end up with another Drakengard.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
2:20 PM on 03.20.2009
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Now as for Driving Emotion Type S or the Bouncer...
They don't have to make games with, "western characters," but the least they can do is try to make them less than 100% Japanese. That would be a good start. I mean, for christ's sake wear a normal shirt and a pair of jeans.
Don't fix what ain't broken
That's means no more buckles, son.
Some might argue that most of the JRPGs they've been putting out for the past 7-8 years have already been broken--or at least cookie-cutter cliched. Agreed that their attempts at Western audiences tend to fail on multiple levels, though. Could be a connection between the two...
Ignoring the PS3 isn't helping either ( yes PS3 owners exist in america ,Some of us saw this recession coming )as their ignoring a potential peice of the market ( And this is really hurting them in japan, I never dreamed the day a star ocean game would fall off the top 15 in a week).
I'm sorry for some reason our mainstream( western ) audience requires blood and gore, and fps's, and fighting( our culture has become alot more violence oriented these days) and trying to capture that market without those things is like fishing without a hook and bait, don't expect much.
Tell that to the people who put out a jrpg with all the trimmings and cliches (albeit in a slightly realistic setting of a war), on said console.
what do you get? Valkyria chronicles. a game that sold like shit even in japan.
Either way I hope that SE continues producing their JRPG games even if they do get a big main stream fan base.
That's not really fair. VC exists in a niche genre (strategy RPGs) that even the most popular and well known titles can't match the sales of a high-profile JRPG.
It certainly did well enough to warrant DLC, extensive mechandise and an anime adaptation.
According to VGChartz (not the most reliable source to boot), VC global sales for the first 10 weeks managed about 310k+ sales. Compare that to the 10-week sales of Disgaea 3, a sequel in one of the most well-known SRPG brands, managed only 210k+ sales.
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn's first 10 weeks managed 410k+ and FF Tactics: War of the Lions managed 610k+, but Fire Emblem is one of the longest-running franchises in SRPG history, and FF Tactics a fucking FINAL FANTASY game.
And yet none of those match the sales of a "core" title. New IP + Niche Genre = Soft Sales. VC did better in Japan because of the pub/dev connection to Sakura Taisen and the marketing blitz, but had none of that in the US, resulting in even softer sales.
"Maybe they'll invent a first person rpg that doesn't suck like Oblivion and fallout did?"
Wow, what is wrong with you?
It's artwork from The Last Remnant.
That's a pretty ignorant statement, I'd say quality has more to do with sales problems, plenty of things that aren't blood and gore FPS do sell.
And personally, I can't play a traditional JRPG anymore, I think that's the problem here, everything Square dishes out at this point is the same stale crap we've been playing for years, I don't like it anymore, the JRPG's I've been enjoying recently are things that are outside of the norm like Shadow Hearts or the Persona games, hell anything Atlus publishes really, I mean I can relate more to someone who likes things like knitting and such but got made fun of so he became a tough guy than I can to some whiny git with a giant sword.
Games like Star Ocean The Last Hope in today's day and age are inexcusable, that game uses every cliche in the book along with character designs that will only appeal to the Otaku freaks, I don't mind anime but I have serious trouble with a 15 year old that acts like a toddler and a cat girl that looks like she just hit puberty.
If square really wants a piece of the western market they need to go beyond their big book of cliches and trying something fresh and unique.
Yes even the girls will have the handlebars...
Those two games didn't do anything that appealed to western gamers. They are the same as every other JRPG.
Damn I thought it looked kinda cool >.>
Okay I looked over the top ten charts again for the last six months and well your right I totally ignored Wii play and Wii fit so your right,however everything else that made those lists ( and I'm assuming that square wants their games in the top ten) were violent in one way or another so I don't think what I said was ignorant, thats just the way it is ( though I hope that changes).
As for the quality of Star Ocean TLH I've only played a little of the game at a friends house ( about an hour) and i'll admit I hit a few hiccups and had the 360 crash on me ( though I don't know if that was the game or the 360). Because I've played so little I won't comment on quality but from where I stand this game was just never given the chance to begin with.Nobody was interested for some reason even though there were ads EVERYWHERE ( I could'nt turn and spit without seeing one ) and it was as if the game never existed.
And EDS, Infinite was made by tri-ace, Square published it.
Here's three pieces of quick advice:
1. Don't make all of your characters shitty anime rip-offs. Most anime characters suck a fuck anyway, and we really don't need to see shitty versions of them.
2. Same as number 1, but replace "characters" with "stories."
3. For the love of god, if you're going to make a traditional JRPG, do something different. I mean REALLY different. Hell, make it in first-person. It doens't need to be an FPS and it doesn't even need first person combat, but do something that will make it actually immersive or unique.
Its simple. I thought Oblivion was pretty horrible seeing as levels didnt matter at all without pc mods and I dont exactly find open worlds where next to zero of your decisions actually affect the games outcome all that enthralling.
As for Fallout 3, not only was it the same design as Oblivion, fallout 1/2 are some of my favorite rpgs ever.