Japanese 360 launch to be devoid of RPGs

by Ben Striegel { Nov 17th 2005 at 6:15PM }

It's Microsoft's worst-kept secret that the Xbox hasn't exactly seen success in Japan, with monthly sales figures regularly exceeded by the original Game Boy Advance. To curb this trend in anticipation of the Xbox 360, they've been eagerly recruiting notable Japanese game designers to develop games that will hopefully cater to the average Japanese gamer (read: RPGs). Despite Microsoft's best efforts, however, three of the 360's most prominent RPGs, enCHANT arM, Tengai Makyou Zirai, and Ninety-Nine Nights, have all had their Japanese release dates pushed back, creating a noticeable void in the 360's launch window. enCHANT arM, originally the 360's only launch RPG, has been recast for debut on January 12th, while the latter two games have been pushed back from mid-January to spring 2006.

Now that the Xbox 360's Japanese launch is comprised primarily of Western-developed titles, the successor to the Xbox is looking more like its predecessor every day. Should Microsoft just give up on Japan and focus their efforts on winning over the rest of the world? We're fairly certain that European gamers wouldn't mind a little extra attention every now and again.

Related From Joystiq

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

xbox360-forums.com @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

All the time that Sony and Nintendo have a strong foothold in Japan, they will have a good foothold in the gaming industry. Microsoft have deep pockets, and they may as well try to conquer it.

Einhanderkiller @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Japan loves RPGs. Xbox 360 has no RPGs at launch. Japan doesn't buy Xbox 360. Microsoft loses money.

Or do they?

Who knows. Japan loves adventure titles, too. Kameo could be a system seller in Japan.

Ise @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Well M$ has definately lost in the land of the rising sun. Too bad all that money into the X360 Lounge and stuff...all down the drain. I pose the question with all these games being pushed back (enCHANT arM, Tengai Makyou Zirai, Ninety-Nine Nights, Ghost recon, and most importantly Oblivion) can we really depend to get games on time anymore or is delaying the norm now?

matt @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Microsoft needs to just give up on Japan. It belongs to Nintendo & Sony and always will.

Osiris @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Not only Japan loves RPGs, I love RPGs!
Its a side of the xbox that has really never been existant. It needs some good RPG action!
Im glad they are trying to get some Japanese attention, as it means, if they ever get here, well get some excellent Jap games.

bd (formerly b) @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

"Who knows. Japan loves adventure titles, too. Kameo could be a system seller in Japan."

Considering it is a mediocre title (made by Rare, how odd), it probably won't.

Wonderflex @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Maybe Microsoft should give up on systems all together. They already have Bungie, and Rare shifted over too. Why not just pull a Sega, make games that they know will sell (Halo 3 through Infinity) instead of just trying to line their pockets a little more.

I personally already hate Halo, various reasons, but I know that it could pull in good numbers. Then they wouldn't have to worry about any failing markets, hardware development costs, etc, etc.

Plug some hardcore time into making some great games for the other consols and, who knows, maybe I'll stop hating Microsoft with a passion. Then again I do live in Seattle; so we have to live with having MS plastered all over the place. Get's a little frustrating.

Never-the-less, seeing well made games pushed onto either of the other two systems would be more inticing to me, and would allow them to get some better penetration into the Japanese markets.

Matt @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

"Considering it is a mediocre title"
Says you, but most impressions have been favorable.

bandit @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

"me�di�o�cre [ m dee ṓkər, m dee kər ]

adjective

Definitions:

average: adequate or acceptable, but not very good"

considering Kameo has averaged approxiamtely 80% favorability rating across the major review sites and considering that the average of 0 and 10 is 5 while even the american grading system puts "average" at 70%. By all accounts except your own personal standards Kameo is an above average game. Now until you are able to personal review the game and tell us different big b, I suggest you come up with some better anti-MS material. Now that being said the 360 lanuch really sucks, especially after the cancellation of Oblivion. I pre-ordered my 360 the minute EBgames allowed pre-orders (back in march or may) however after all the titles I was actually looking at playing (and disecting) were pushed back I have no reason to purchase the 360 at launch as I already have plenty of access to them. I will wait until at least March if not later until many of the titles that I have seen in development are released. The 360 is xbox 3.0 buddy, its just the launch titles are a sorry scrapping together for a rushed inital launch. Games released in late spring will be incredible, games released in fall and early 2007 for the 360 will make you deficate you pants. You better believe it.

Sceptre @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Kameo won't sell units in Japan.
If you fail to understand why, you've clearly never been to Japan, or else have very little understanding of Japanese culture.

Jago @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

""Considering it is a mediocre title"
Says you, but most impressions have been favorable."

Maybe but one game isn't going to save a system from failing in a country...especially when the MAJORITY of the titles for the system are VERY Western-centric.

bd (formerly b) @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

"adequate or acceptable, but not very good"

"raged approxiamtely 80% favorability rating across the major review sites and considering that the average of 0 and 10 is 5 while even the american grading system puts "average" at 70%."

I thought we were talking about the Japanese system here. The Japanese strive for perfection and quality. Most Americans strive for mediocrity and looks. Just look at the difference between Japanese companies and American ones (like Microsoft, for example).

Assuming that 80% is based on a non-biased result (read: The average of all people, not graded by mostly people that like RPGs), and that the Japanese are biased towards RPGs and Japanese made games, Kameo is definitely a mediocre title. Also, considering it is a next-gen game competing against current-gen games, the results obtained are likely to be biased in favor of Kameo, so you can start downgrading that Kameo, little man.

Oh, and watch out, you just went apeshit, which makes this very amusing. LOL

Shawn Oster @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Thinking those title slips will drastically affect Microsoft in Japan is just plain silly. They still have a good amount of breathing room before the PS3 launchs and the developers of the titles wisely decided they'd rather launch games that were late and polished vs. on-time and mediocre.

Consoles don't sell consoles, games do and a few months wait won't make or break Microsoft in the least.

Personally I see a *ton* of potential for XBox 360 Japanese game publishers in smaller, cheaper but more prolific games that are NeoPet-style, collecting, upgrading and trading based. That is such a huge market just waiting to be tapped, kids rushing home to see how their pet has progressed during the day, creature codes being bundled with Japanese products that give you special items, a simple but expansive word to set them free in.

bandit @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

im not arguing whether or not Kameo will sell in Japan, we all know it wont. The point is YOU cannot make a statement that Kameo is mediocre especially without owning a 360 nor owning the game in question. The only people who have access to the full game and system and are capable of making that claim are the game sites which actually have both. Thus using your logic, I can make the claim that your mother had relations with a gorilla to produce you. or that the entire mass of Ps3s will be burn and anyone who purchases one will be ridiculed and burned at the stake. Now we all the latter is not neccessarily true, however your claims have the exact same amount of evidence. Try presenting so decent arguements.

Just so you can focus your energies here is my point once again.

YOU are unable, meaning not in a position to claim Kameo is mediocre, not owning the game. in addition, there is no collective substantial evidence to support your claim. So again I beg of you, please use just an ounce of fact in your posts. I dont care about your opinion, I just want you to stop using lies as a justification for EVERYTHING.

anyway, just to shut you up here is my PROOF!!!

http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000513068043/

James @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Yep, I knew thus would happen. MS needs to give up in Japan. No RPG equals a no go in sales. The Toys R Us pic a few days ago proves it.

Vinnk @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

I live in Japan and went to my local gameshop. They will but the 360 in the corner were the Xbox games gather dust right now. I was going to get one, but when I found out there was essensially no bakwords compatability I rethought. I like playing the Xbox games I have and I just don't have the space right now for 2 of MS's systems. I'll wait. Maybe once those RPG's finally do come out. 360 has that lounge in Tokyo, but get out to the mid-sized and small towns and no one has a clue that Microsoft is releasing a new system.

JulioC @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

And lets not forget Square Enix announced;
"No new Final fantasy games and Dragonquest for the 360", which for the Japanese is like saying there will be no raibow after the rain.

ope the European/American numbers make the 360 a success, Nintendo's too happy "doing the Apple" and just being profitable, someone needs to whip Sony and make Sony try harder (especially after the PSP)

bd (formerly b) @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

"im not arguing whether or not Kameo will sell in Japan, we all know it wont."

Well, I am, but you seem to not be able to see the point.

"The point is YOU cannot make a statement"

I CAN, didn't you just see?

"that Kameo is mediocre especially without owning a 360 nor owning the game in question."

I already gave you tons of reasons, and I'm giving you the japanese point of view. It's not an RPG so the grade goes lower (in japan). It's a next-gen game, so it's most likely overrated (so you can lower that also).

Oh, and it's a rare game after all; the last Rare game I bought was a piece of Shit. Oh my god, I was bored to tears. "Star Fox Adventures"; way to ruin a great franchise. Did the fun ever start? Worst game ever.

Yes, I know Rare has made some Gems, but that was some time ago; the last game I remember not being bad (but not that good) was Conker's Bad Fur Day. Everything after that sucks; or maybe that one sucks either, I just thought it was a funny game. The last two games for Xbox 1 made by rare sucked. PDZ is already a disappointment by many, and so is Kameo.

So add disappointment to downgrade Kameo too.

The point is, it won't be a system seller in Japan.

ZeroCorpse @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Eh. Screw Japan and their stupid style of RPG games. I like the Xbox because I'm not stuck playing those Japanese style RPGs. I like good D&D flavoured, Neverwinter Nights styled, western-style RPGs, not a bunch of super-deformed anime characters in turn-based combat with tons of cinemas. Japan can keep their RPGs for all I care.

Why does Xbox 360 need any of them? The Rev and PS3 should fulfill that need, and the 360 can bring something new to Japan. Are Japanese gamers so fickle that they can't try western games for a change?

We certainly have had to suffer with every game coming out of Nintendo and Sony being a Japanese import for the past decade (or more). It's time the tables were turned.

I want the 360 to compete with PC gaming, not Nintendo-style console games. Give me Xbox 360 versions of World of Warcraft, Neverwinter Nights II, and Battlefield 2. Give me simulation games. Give me real-time strategy games. Give me an updated Starcraft on the Xbox 360 and I'll be a happy camper.

I don't want to play Final Fantasy XVIII on the 360. I don't want to see any games that make me watch 4 hours of movies and provide less than an hour of actual playable game time. I don't want to see anime characters on every game. I want photorealism. I want cel-shading. I want something to compete with the PC, not the other consoles!

So WHO CARES if there are no Japanese style RPGs on Xbox 360? I'll be perfectly happy with Oblivion, and even GUN can be called an action/RPG of a sort.

It just seems that 90% of the games are eastern anyway, so when a console comes out that has more western games than eastern games, I don't see it as a deficiency. I see it as an innovation.

bd (formerly b) @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Before:

"Are Japanese gamers so fickle that they can't try western games for a change?"

After:

"I don't want to play Final Fantasy XVIII on the 360. I don't want to see any games that make me watch 4 hours of movies and provide less than an hour of actual playable game time. I don't want to see anime characters on every game. I want photorealism. I want cel-shading. I want something to compete with the PC, not the other consoles!"

"WHO CARES if there are no Japanese style RPGs on Xbox 360?"

Each day I'm convinced more that Xbox fans are the biggest hypocrites in the world.

matt @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

xbox fans dont like anything unless it has to do with shooting aliens or shooting hoops

silee @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Any longtime gamer knows that RPGs are one of the fundamental pillars of videogames since the NES. And why not? RPGs have the most enthralling story lines and gameplay. I'd rather take a 1 player game with a decent story line than any multiplayer repetetive psudo-night-games any day. The Japanese have done gaming the best for the longest.

One of the biggest reasons that xbox have never and may never do well in Japan is that they've never released an RPG that could even light a candle to the best (or even the semi-decent) of the exclusive PS2 or Gamecube RPGs. Many longtime gamers (myself included) deeply resent the complete lack of games with well-written story lines+gameplay released on the 'box.

M$ apparently doesn't understand the facinating post-apocaliptic genre that takes root in most Japanese media. Anime fans will have seen the recurring themes of post-apocaliptic life(Akira), bodily mutation(trigun), as well as demonic "paganry" which are all so workable in original story-lines (all very understanable in light of the fact that Japan is the only country that has had nuclear arms used on its populous).

Even though american developers will probably never be able to consistantly release RPGs with comparable quality, if M$ ever hopes to compete in the Japanese market they will have to find a way to release games that will fit in Japanese media-culture.

bd (formerly b) @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

"xbox fans dont like anything unless it has to do with shooting aliens or shooting hoops"

Or sports games, which is a shame because they're missing the best games.

Most Xbox fans I know don't know ANY games that are not on Xbox. Not one. Seriously, every single Xbox fan I know basically knows about Xbox games, knows that "Mario and Zelda exist", and that "Final Fantasy 7 is a good game" (because they think it is the only one that exists).

I mean, I know like 15 or 20 people that have an Xbox. Quotes:

"Final Fantasy sucks"-A 13 year old boy that hasn't played a single FF game; plays Halo instead.

"I got an Xbox because it is american"-A girl I used to consider smart until I heard this. She likes final fantasy but despite that got an Xbox, not a PS2.

"Everyone has Xbox" -A girl that bought an Xbox because she thinks that since it is the only one she knows, it is the one that everyone owns.

"Gamecube sucks but it is an excellent gift for kids" -A guy that has mostly mediocre games on his Xbox, and Halo. When asked about Zelda and Mario, he said "..they look like cartoons, so they (must) suck.."

"Xbox is the best because it has the best graphics. PSP is the best because it has the best graphics." -An 18 year old business major

"Gamecube sucks because it has Super Nintendo graphics, that's why I love my Xbox. To play FIFA. Oh, and Halo sometimes." -A casual gamer that happens to be a business major

"I'm gonna get Xbox 360 not because of the games, or the graphics, but because that's what everyone will get." -Same as above

"I have Xbox and Xbox 2 looks pretty cooooolll!!!" -My 8 year old cousin.

The list goes on. I only know two people that have cool stuff for their Xbox.

1. A guy that has cross-platform games and Halo.

2. A guy that installed all his Xbox games to a 120 gig hard-drive, and also has cross-platform games and Halo.

I hope this gave a more specific idea of Xbox fanboys; there's hope though. Sakaguchi is doing two 360 exclusives, so hopefully there will be diversity of 360 owners.

Kutaragi @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

My PS3 is the s@#%. I own Japan, American companies better stay out. M$ knows better than to compete with Sony. We have Nintendo bit@# slapped and everyone "loves" us and our dev kits. Those kits are pretty expensive too...cost more than the development for two games. 100 developers might jump ship and Square might develop for the 360, but oh well. I own Japan after all.

xbair @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

I don't know if anyone has brought this to light, but the 360 has more Japanese-made games in the making than PS3 has games in the making total.

Naoki @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

bd (formerly b) I'm with you here. Some of these complete Xbox fanboys are just too ignorant and are hypocrites.

Now this comment catches my interest...

""It just seems that 90% of the games are eastern anyway, so when a console comes out that has more western games than eastern games, I don't see it as a deficiency. I see it as an innovation.""

How the hell is it innovation when many Western games and Western developers are just into graphics graphics graphics and graphics!! Or plain generic mindless FPS action games?

Let me ask you this...! Where would gaming be without the Japanese...? Why don't you look back to the 80's and see who the "true" innovators are! Do examples of these games like Pac-Man, Pole Position, Space Invaders ring a bell? What would the future of gaming back had been if it wasn't for those? Or when the gaming market was about to die and until the NES came along and practically saved it...?

""Are Japanese gamers so fickle that they can't try western games for a change?""

Talk about typical ignorance! And from your other comments, you just seem like your typical Westerner who doesn't even have a clue about what you are on about!

jago @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Just b/c games haven't been announced doesn't mean they aren't being made ya know...there is a little thing called an N-D-A.

Naoki @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Posted Nov 18, 2005, 12:00 AM ET by xbair
""I don't know if anyone has brought this to light, but the 360 has more Japanese-made games in the making than PS3 has games in the making total.""

Maybe because the obvious reason is that the Xbox360 is practically out and the PS3 won't be done till next year!! Games developers, whether Western or Japanese would make the most of the current console!

Naoki @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

xbair @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

They're numbers. Not names. NDA doesn't really apply to this. So I don't really see why they would hold back numbers.

I was just saying that the 360 will have a more than healthy dose of Japanese games, I don't see one that I wouldn't mind owning.

Bodah @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Why oh why wasn't I born Japanese.

Take a deep breath Bd and say what you really want to say.

I hate the 360 because its an American product positioning itself to challenge my favorite Japanese product.

I would venture a guess that this encompasses about 40-60 percent of the sony bitches.

World of Warcraft @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

A console without an rpg is like:

cereal without milk
dog without a bark
car without gas...

Tatsuya @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

I can't believe what I'm reading, so much hate against the US and the West in general.
I'm not american but I feel almost offended.

I know Japan a little bit Japan, I've gone there once in a year for 6 years now, I speak and read a little and I can tell you this:
Japanese are very close-minded concerning games. If you want to sell games over there you have to make them appear Japanese. A good example is Ratchet and Clank developped in the US, in Japan it's advertised like it was made by Sony in Japan.
In Europe and in the US people are craving for good Japanese games while Japanese are not so keen.

I loved Japanese RPGs but honestly I'm getting bored, always the same mechanics, the same tricks(the world is about to be destroyed, your family has been killed, etc. pouah!). Innovations are coming with games like KOTOR1 and 2 or Jade Empire, at least you have choices and new gameplay. Last japanese RPG I played was Grandia III, such a beautiful game but such a boring game! Don't get me wrong I will continue to buy japanese RPGs but I'll think twice before.

Let's be a bit more objectif here. Both western and eastern developpers are making great games and bad games. Each tending to be be more competent in specific genres. Go and see the wall of fame of videogames creators and you'll see for yourself.

bd (formerly b) @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

"Take a deep breath Bd and say what you really want to say.

I hate the 360 because its an American product positioning itself to challenge my favorite Japanese product."

I'm still going to buy it, the point is, a Japanese won't unless he's a pretty hardcore gamer, and I mean the hardcore amongst the hardcore (and if he's not ashamed of buying one, either).

"I can't believe what I'm reading, so much hate against the US and the West in general.
I'm not american but I feel almost offended."

I don't hate America. I like some american products, and I have a lot of American friends. The thing is, some americans here act like they are the only ones in this forum

"based on american standards..." why not global standards dipshit? That's the policy your government has been adopting, so don't say "people hate americans", but more like "America wants to be hated".

The Edge of Blade @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

I love this. Everyone thinks they are an analyst. Even me.

Give MS some time to get it together. I am VERY glad to see that games are more willing to get pushed back instead of thrown together at the last minute. So what if the launch is less than spectacular. It will lead to better games in the long run, and that is what sells a system, not a launch. Eventually the market will see that and buy the quality. But what needs to happen is less of a reliance on release dates for rabid fan boys. Don�t announce the release dates until it is ready.

And what can gamers do? Stop being those greasy, hardcore, rabid fan boys in the first place. That�s just as unhealthy for the industry as making sequel upon money-grubing sequel is. Look at what it did to George Lucas. Star Wars is but a corpse now, not worthy of resurrection even for a spin-off. And it is not because Lucas got licensing deals and turned capitalist. No. Because people actually bought that crap just because it had a logo.

Lost_Canadian @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

I don't understand why fellow "Westerners" are complaining about RPGs. If you don't like them, don't buy them! I'm planning to buy an Xbox 360, and the more choice the better. It's nice to see Microsoft is being a little less narrow-minded this generation, even if some of their hardcore fanatics are.

It's not surprising that RPGs have been pushed back - it must be a massive undertaking to create a game like that. There will be at least a few out before the PS3 comes out anyway.

ZeroCorpse @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

Uhh... idiots..? You DO know that Atari, SEGA, and most of the game consoles which started the whole shebang in the 1980s were AMERICAN, don't you? Colecovision? American. Intellivision? American. 2600 VCS? American. Commodore 64? American. Odyssey 2? American. Master System? American. So please don't try to lecture me that games were always based in Japan. The first modern video game was SPACE WAR, invented by an American. The first home console was the Odyssey, which was a Magnavox product and created by an American staff. Pong? American. Breakout? American.

It wasn't until much later that the Japanese came into gaming.

And I wasn't complaining about Japanese RPGs. I was complaining that people would consider that a system-killer for the 360. It won't be, and I think it's time a console tried to fly without worrying about pleasing Japan. I think it's cool that a console is being marketed to American first, and Japanese second. It's just like the good old days again.

B, you're the fanboy. I'm buying a 360, a PS3, a Rev, and they'll go with on my owners' list of every console released since 1977. If you'd like to go over it, I can give you a list of all the game systems in the 1980's and dig up the names of all the developers and programmers, most of whom were American or English.

One more thing: Cut out the nationalism crap. I'm not talking about American politics or Japanese culture. I'm talking about gaming. Remember GAMING? I'm one of the people who fights for civil rights and opposes the xenophobic policies of my country, so you can just shut up with your attempts to paint me as some anti-Japan wog.

All I'm saying is that for the past decade there have been plenty of Japanese games, and some of us would like to see the pedulum swing back so we can play games that don't rely on eastern culture to be appreciated. I'm not saying "ban Japanese games" but that I'd like to see the playing field become more balanced again. There are two consoles coming out of Japan, and one coming out of America. As far as I can see, things are still leaning toward Japanese dominance in video games for a while, so bitching that there aren't enough Japanese RPGs is pretty lame. Go play your Rev or PS3. Let the 360 focus on the strengths of American & European developers so we ALL have something we enjoy, instead of another generation cram-packed with anime-styled games and sparsely populated with western-style games.

The fanboys here are the ones who keep attacking the 360. I'm not attacking the PS3 or the Rev. I want ALL the systems! I like variety. If you're such a loser, B, that you can only be loyal to one company's console, then perhaps you should stop calling yourself a gamer. You clearly don't get the point.

nph @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM

While Sega was started by an American, they were based in Japan and developed products to COMPETE with American coin-ops in Japan. Later Sega was sold to Japanese investors and became the company that we now all know.

The Master System was created in Japan (originally called the Mark III). It was named the Master System after it was introduced to the American market (to compete with the NES).

Yes, Sega of America DID make the Genesis a hit where it was previously failing. Keep in mind, Sega of America was also directly responsible for the failure of the Saturn (remember their impromptu launch?) and the Dreamcast.

two interesting reads:
http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3143409

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3144943

just wanted to point out that it was the Japanese companies that saved the video game industry in the US. Atari and Coleco had made a huge mess of the industry in the 80's. If it wasn't for Nintendo, video games consoles would have died out in the US completely. While it was the US that created the first video games, and the first consoles, it was the Japanese that made them not suck ;)

Personally, I'll probably buy 2 outta 3 of the new systems. Do I want 360 to fail? Of course not. Do I want there the be a Western competitor in a Japanese run industry? Of course. Competition is good for the consumer.

Just wanted to clear up the facts.