340°

TGS 09: Keiji Inafune dumps on Tokyo Game Show 2009

"Personally when I looked around [at] all the different games at the TGS floor," Capcom's Ben Judd translated Inafune, "I said 'Man, Japan is over. We're done. Our game industry is finished.'"

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Winter47th5329d ago (Edited 5329d ago )

Uh..thank you Microsoft? in all seriousness, it was great for 20 years. As soon as Dino Crises 3 was released to the Xbox, that was the biggest uh oh of my life.

RPGs are releasing for the 360 by the buckets and they sell quite poorly, gee, I wonder what went wrong..

Anemeros5329d ago

What went wrong was the unstoppable flood of people like you that care more about blind loyalty for their particular brand of choice than good videogames.

Winter47th5329d ago (Edited 5329d ago )

You're one of those who police logic to keep it behind bars and probably have a massive hard on about it, aren't you.

There is a reason why the sequels that stayed on a console for multiple generations would fail if they move over to a completely new one, and a western-centric at that. Add to it an inferior one.

v1c1ous5329d ago

can you name one rpg that has sold well this gen?

let's be generous and say 350k sales minimun is considered "decent"

Winter47th5329d ago (Edited 5329d ago )

There's no segment in my OP where I said RPGs sold like hot cakes, they sold like crap. Lost their flavors, full of bugs which is contrary to what RPGs are known for, first releasing on the wrong console demographic. It's just been one hell of a marketing/programming mess from the ground up.

ZoMG!?! tEH 360 SOLD MOAR!? LET'S RELEASE OUR gAMEz ON IT fIRST tHEN SuRELY NoTHING CaN go WROANG lulz?
Turns out they shot themselves in the foot. And NOW they're complaining.

And the retardness doesn't end there. Hardcore games sold like sh!t on the Wii, what do they do? they release more sequels. Lose more money. And still wonder why they sell poorly.

Now it's all more corporate BS, Microsoft didn't buy Ace Combat's exclusivity. They bought its coffin.

So in all due respect Keji, STFU.

sunnygrg5329d ago

This year's TGS was mediocre.

5328d ago
Timesplitter145328d ago (Edited 5328d ago )

The problem is that japanese devs must change the way they do things. People are fed up with spiky-haired androginous protagonists, retarded attempts at looking cool and stupid scenarios. They must start trying to make their games look less like they were made by a 13 year-old.

They don't have enough variety, they all look like anime, they're 100% linear, they neglect action, physics and freedom, etc...

But there are exceptions. I'd say 60% of my favorite games are japanese. Capcom, Team ICO and Konami are doing some great stuff, but the rest needs to catch up (I'm talking to you, Square Enix).

Also, I gotta say TGS was pretty underwhelming as a whole.

ReviewsArePolitics5328d ago

"The focus has simply shifted to the West these last years.
I mean even the UK is a bigger market than the whole of Japan. "

So all the reasons he cited about timed exclusivity of franchises are meaningless just because you say so? I'll be sure to read your comments more often, after all, you're not a MS fanboy /s.

Anyway, I completely agree with winter, that's exactly what I thought the moment japanese franchises became exclusive to Xbox 360. I hope these businesses are happy for accepting MS' "gifts" in exchange for the coffin' of their most appreciated franchises, including Ace Combat, Ninja Gaiden, and the countless JRPG franchises that should have never made it to a console whose demographics only cares about generic games with a name.

5328d ago
v1c1ous5328d ago (Edited 5328d ago )

"Anyway, I completely agree with winter, that's exactly what I thought the moment japanese franchises became exclusive to Xbox 360. I hope these businesses are happy for accepting MS' "gifts" in exchange for the coffin' of their most appreciated franchises, including Ace Combat, Ninja Gaiden, and the countless JRPG franchises that should have never made it to a console whose demographics only cares about generic games with a name."

what the hell?

ninja gaiden series (which was xbox exclusive since xbox1), ace combat 6, and maybe 3 former playstation rpgs are the few xbox 360 japan exclusives this gen. get your foot our of your mouth man!

everything else that got a time exclusivity on 360 near the beginning was due to the 360 already being in developers hands before the wii/ps3.

i can count on 1 hand the 360 exclusive rpgs and you think japan's sudden drop in importance is all MS fault? wow. get a grip on reality dude. take a break from the internet.

if you need any more proof, then just look at the japan charts and notice how HANDHELDS have dominated everything for the past 2 years.

4Sh0w5328d ago

Yeah microsoft is responsible for the Japanese gaming decline worldwide. It couldn't be the Japanese game dev's failure to recognize that the industry has grown and their failure to adapt and offer more diversity besides JRPG's and all those quirky titles that no non-Japanese gamer would ever buy, nah its definitely microsofts fault.

"While Inafune's remarks may seem harsh, he's not alone in his feelings -- many we've spoken to have told us they were underwhelmed by this year's shows."

-Again this is microsofts fault, evil bastards.

Viper75328d ago (Edited 5328d ago )

Well I too was expecting more from this years TGS, but I wouldnt say that japanese devs are finished. They need to find new things to focus, things that they can compete with and a way to conquer the European and American market.

Games like Patapon and Locorco shine with their uniqueness, Demon's Souls takes more western approach but add new uniq things and do things differently. I am still very much wanting my doze of J-rpgs with their animeish characters, but after reading few translated visual novels I know that there are very talented japanese writers as well to help Japanese gaming studios.
(umineko, FSN, Tsukihime, Cross x channel, ever17 for example all contain plot that surpasses many modern western games. (imo))

Many ppl nowdays seem to want only multiplayer fps/3rdps games, but I think theres still a lot of ppl who want games with great story or plot. It doesn't need to always be epic quest to save the world, sometimes more ordinary "smaller" adventure can be a lot more interesting than killing the evil god for the 15th time in order to save the world from impending downfall.

the only real way japan can fight against the western devs is trying new things and trying how western markets react to them. some might not be very financial successes but it might be enough to make ppl take more notice on the next game, it certainly doesn't help their chances if 90% of their games are released in japan only.
I don't recall any chases where big game made in eu country or NA country was not released worldwide.

evrfighter5328d ago

It's not that JRPG's were becoming dull and mediocre. Nope It's not that at all.

It's Microsoft's fault. QQ /wrist

Seriously...

Unlike you fanboys. The people that actually DO buy games, get tired of the same thing every year.

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KingKionic 5329d ago (Edited 5329d ago )

Bold words....no wonder he commented about Natal.

lol

Natsu X FairyTail5329d ago (Edited 5329d ago )

he's saying the truth though.

Whatever Japanese used to do good back in the days Western Devs can do it better now.

Sure there's some cool japanese games !!!!

It'S just not the same as the old days. 90's

RedPawn5329d ago (Edited 5329d ago )

Bullsh!t bro, look at all the sh!tty games that are FPS, redundant Sports game, and anything w/some g@y dude w/armour on him.

You can keep that B.S to yourself, gaming is going to the dump for vast reasons. I and many had ten times more fun w/most games then, because limitations allowed you to go all out.

You've got MFs selling sh!tty products, lackluster promised games, and all they tote is the Online aspect, people crying about games are too hard, no fukn story in games, same generic character.

As long as Captain No Soul, has a shaved head, curses at everything, and is portraying some wannabe soldier, it's all good.

E.T Welcome back

sunnygrg5329d ago

Both the Japanese and the Western market has a fair share of redundant and below-average games.

evrfighter5328d ago

JRPG's are as predictable and redundant as they come nowadays. Heck at least with Madden you don't know who's being traded where =\

Viper75328d ago

Too bad they dont, majority of the developers are just pumping out "new" fps or 3rdps from left and right, sometimes with boring gist like shaping the battlefield or by being a super soldier or having magic/super power/special weapon.

evrfighter5328d ago

@Viper

Are you talking about shooters or jrpg's?

LoL

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saint_john_paul_ii5329d ago

you guys allowed it to happen because of the Wii, Money, possibly Natal.

Why dis5329d ago

But if they were super excited about the PS3 wand it would be all good? lol

Has nothing to do with motion this has been happening for ages they were simply making games that do not appeal to consumers in this day and age. Western game got complex gameplay wise and more grounded story wise. Movies, Music, TV shows are they same.

Fringe or Twilight zone?
The Dark Knight or The Rocketeer?
Music from the 80's or Music of today?

The Japanese never really cared to adapt to the global change during the arrogant period of the 90s.

RedPawn5329d ago (Edited 5329d ago )

Yes Gears, Too Human, and Section 8, are highly complex, oh and the stories ar New York Times worthy.

FR

saint_john_paul_ii5329d ago (Edited 5329d ago )

its the same with the wand. they are not being creative with their work.

For example, look at that Quantum Theory Game, it looks like its going to be a good game, but its not creative.

Bodyboarder_VGamer5329d ago (Edited 5329d ago )

These japanese guys are too harsh on themselves... To tell you the truth, I enjoy japanese games more than any other western tittles. An example of it is MGS4, one of my most favorite games ever! Other games that I like a lot would be Devil May Cry 4, Ninja Gaiden, Folklore, Lost Planet, Street Fighter IV, Valkyria Chronicles, BlazBlue, etc.

I prefer those game more than any other kind of FPS including Killzone 2 or Call of Duty. I hate sport games like NBA whatever, Madden with a passion. They are all the same and get yearly sequels that people stupidly buy every time. I don't enjoy Wrpg's either...

The problem with these japanese guys saying that japanese game development sucks is that America, the biggest market for video games in the planet prefers that crap^^ over theirs. Americans will never change their love for Master Chief or Madden for any kind of japanese game or whatever. It runs in their blood to be sport fans and have an insatiable thirst for manly action games like Halo.

Variety is what the industry needs because not everybody enjoy the same type of games. The last thing we need is japanese developers making FPS...

RedPawn5329d ago (Edited 5329d ago )

Thank the Lord someone has an inch of VGz left in them.

5328d ago
meatnormous5328d ago

The JRPG is changing, and in my opinion, not for the better. My snes was graced with the great Chronotrigger, Final Fantasy 4 and Final Fantasy 6. Those games are still some of the greatest games ever made. When Final Fantasy 12 came out, I picked it up day 1. The game was just not up to par for the series. They just need to nail that old formula again and the JRPG will be great again. Also Lunar for the Sega CD was great.

Viper75328d ago

"These japanese guys are too harsh on themselves... To tell you the truth, I enjoy japanese games more than any other western tittles. An example of it is MGS4, one of my most favorite games ever! Other games that I like a lot would be Devil May Cry 4, Ninja Gaiden, Folklore, Lost Planet, Street Fighter IV, Valkyria Chronicles, BlazBlue, etc. "

Agreed, but I have also enjoyed Armored core 4A, Locoroco, Patapon
and monster hunter series (+ few slightly generic j-rpgs or remakes.)

But I can completely ignore great western games eather.
loved Bioshock because of its plot, atmosphere and gameplay , Fallout and Oblivion are very likable because of the freedom of both character creation and methods of completing different missions/quests.

But considering these I would say the japs have still much fight in them.

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90°

7 Iconic Games That Put The PS1 On The Map

The first PlayStation is home to an array of iconic video games that went on to define the sheer significance of this console.

SimpleSlave1d 1h ago

I think from a historical perspective I would change Spyro for Grand Turismo. It's the franchise that made the PS1 look like an absolute unit. Other than that, I can't argue with the rest when it comes to games that defined the PS1.

And to be honest, there should be space for Tekken 3, Wipepout and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater in order to round out the PS1 identity as the machine to own at the time.

With Tomb Raider 2, Silent Hill, Symphony of the Night, Tenchu, and Soul Reaver as backup contenders.

290°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

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darthv723d ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle2d ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic18812d ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio2d ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning772d ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga2d ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

darthv722d ago

to you it may seem like the minority... but your bubble is shrinking because more and more are following suit. convenience is a hell of a drug and its also why physical sales only amount to 30% of overall game sales. times are changing, you either get with them or you get left behind.

neutralgamer19922d ago

Darth

30% physical sales: yet Phil and xbox division are in a rush go give up on that 30%. they don't have any right to give up any piece of the pie since the control such a little of the pie to begin with

also, the market is clearly speaking that the model Xbox is pushing isn't working right now the keyword being right now. you are right about freedom to play anywhere so i hope they put their games on steam

shinoff21832d ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga2d ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan2d ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

S2Killinit2d ago

MS is after diminishing consoles as a medium. They want to destroy this market because they couldnt win. MS’s vision is to dissolve console gaming.

romulus232d ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv722d ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

TheEroica2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Perfectly reasonable post down voted by insecure corporation friendly folk.... But not gamers. Real gamer want accessibility and ease of acquisition for all.... Company shills are the only ones still telling us that hardware locking people from games is good for us.

Chevalier2d ago

@Darth

You should stop parroting metrics like an idiot without context.

"Xbox content and services revenue grew 62% in Q3 from a year earlier, “driven by 61 points of net impact” from the purchase of the third-party video game giant, Microsoft said."

61 of the 62% was from their merger so net increase is ONLY 1%

https://www.mesaonline.org/...

itsmebryan1d 19h ago

@chevalier

It looks like made a great purchase. Much better then Sony buying Bungie. 😉
Cheers

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purple1013d ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos3d ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-2d ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac3d ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple1012d ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic2d ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead2d ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

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140°

Why Monopolies In Gaming Must Not Be Allowed

As of right now, there are no monopolies in the games industry, and for the sake of the medium as a whole, they never should either.

thorstein3d ago

Shouldn't be allowed in any field.

Inverno3d ago

And yet the biggest tech companies in America are essentially that. They buy up all the small comps only to kill them off and steal what they have, and if they can't buy em they bleed them to death.

jwillj2k43d ago

Eventually they’ll realize the value is with the employee not the company. Buying an IP means nothing if the people who contributed are let go. They’ll get it one day.

MrCrimson3d ago

tech is different because they buy threats and then kill them. Twitter bought Vine and did nothing with it. Despite people seemingly liking it. Could've had tiktok a decade before bytedance. go figure.

Zenzuu3d ago

Monopolies shouldn't be allowed regardless. Not just for gaming.

MrCrimson3d ago

They buy IPs not talent. That's why these buyouts never work and the IPs die. Right now it's too expensive to develop games - but I expect that to shift maybe as AI tools can make it easier. The best games have been indie games for awhile as big developers fuck their ips to death with "games as a service" -