Lucas

A large fondue pot, and a gigantic block of government cheese, using Wiimote attachments as utensils.

A large fondue pot, and a gigantic block of government cheese, using Wiimote attachments as utensils.

GEIMU OBAA! Make your time.
Good to hear another notary reiterating what many have mused before. Though somehow hearing it come out of Ben Judd's mouth reduces the impact, and Inafune-san clearly said shimatta, which Ben didn't translate (odd considering his normal potty level).

I get the sense that Japan doesn't seem to be targeting a player demographic that returns any respect to the industry (mass market phone/DS/Wii owners), so how can a developer feel proud of the games on display at TGS? Putting food on the table is important, but where's the leadership?

Right now western design is leading in sales, hearts and minds. Now we have Kojima taking the reins of Castlevania, and Team Ninja trying Metroid, because those guys sell gangbusters in the west. It's like the publishers are scrabbling around for a paradigm shift anywhere they can find it.

Capcom seems to be a front-runner for outsourcing at the moment, and I think the results have been good, but not phenomenal, and they certainly aren't released on schedule. When Rockstar and Epic and Konami make a game, it's a tight cohesive experience. Bionic Commando for example feels like a lot was lost in translation, with "how did they possibly fuck that up?" moments.

I dunno, with the cost of developing games that will be cancelled, ridiculed, panned, pirated, DRM'd, censored, and may not even be released in half the world, I can imagine how some of these old school demigods believe the industry isn't changing for the better right now, and it's time to grab hold of it again.