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The X Button - Falcoming Home

With a few exceptions of the bigger known titles, western gaming sites always write Japanese games off, that's no surprising. Perhaps it's for the best, though. We don't need prudish eyes glancing at the medium already more than they already do.

Trying to apply American values and standards to foreign products. It'd just cause unneeded controversy.

Though I am reminded of this one hilarious review of Oath in Felghana that called it sadistic, unfair, and horrible and how it wasn't linear or held your hand like modern games do. Most mainstream reviewers would probably find the Ys games too hard and difficult. It's Metacritic average is 73, which tells you a lot.

Your post was more of a strawman than anything anyone here said, nice. Could you instead elaborate why find the claims made in this thread to be false?

It's a pity the West, more specifically critics, don't share that same opinion and many just write Falcom off as just another Japanese dev.

With a few exceptions of the bigger known titles, western gaming sites always write Japanese games off, that's no surprising. Perhaps it's for the best, though. We don't need prudish eyes glancing at the medium already more than they already do. Trying to apply American values and standards to foreign products. It'd just cause unneeded controversy.

If you have issues with the criticisms against reviewers, offer counter points, don't just hurl insults.

How sad is it when a small company like Compile Heart more competent than million dollar companies like Ubisoft or Bungie.

But When you say "Disgaea gets so much praise" who are you referring to exactly? Which sites and which games? Indie sites or sites like Siliconera which focus on Japanese games would praise it probably, but not so much Kotaku or Polygon who'd probably just rant against the designs or something. I just looked at Polygon gave Disgaea D2 a 6.5. Oh well.

Are you comparing Neptunia to multi-million dollar bug budget games like Call of Duty or something? Neptunia's graphics are fine. Aesthetics always trump fidelity, and Tsunako's art is one of my favorites. She's a great artist and designer. And graphics don't matter if your game is unplayable or broken. Maybe companies should spend lest time on individual hair physics and more on bug fixes.

I see the Western game industry has not changed much. The graphics still takes the precedence over the aesthetics, it's a shame.

Graphics don't make a game, man. I'd take Neptunia's art and designs over triple AAA game's art anyday. At least they're attractive and aren't just the same dull brown and grey stuff and have personality to them.

I see the Western game industry has not changed much. The graphics still takes the precedence over the aesthetics, it's a shame. As usual the nasty habit of judging by the cover hasn't subsided yet. And no, most prominent western reviewers don't know how to review the games that are not apparently well-known overseas. Case in point, Godhand, Wonderful 101, Atelier Franchise.

Japanese games have been accepted in the US and EU for 35 years. In fact, many westerners for a time had a view that western games sucked compared to Japanese ones, which was kinda true at THAT time. Until the mid 2000s, Japanese games dominated the US and EU markets. The Japanese have yet to accept western games and systems.

Graphics don't make a game to me. I grew up on Atari and those games were fun but the graphics sucked.

I always value style over realism. If everything looks realistic then what's the difference between them or real life, you know? I prefer spitework and celshading artstyles over realism anyday even if they're technically inferior to realism. Style over fidelity IMO.

@Tamaria

You just described how any mainstream publication works. You really think an establishment going for big audiences is going to give huge time to a niche series? No, of course not. No realistic person would think that. No sane person should hold that against them. Of course posters her do and like to leverage that as some huge conspiracy that IGN dosen't give attention to your niche series. Oh no! The horror! Even ANN dosen't give as much attention to obscure 70s robot shows compared to what they give Attack on Titan.

This is true in Japan as well. Falcom is a niche developer there. They get looked over for your Capcoms, Sqaures, Level 5s, Nintendos, and Namcos. Their games receives 7 and 8s and nowhere near as much talk as the latest DQ, Yokai Watch, FF, MH, and so on. They sell decently, but nowhere close to the more popular series. Does Falcom receive more attention in Japan? Of course, but not that much in the grand schemes.

Regardless, Falcom's games score well and receive plenty of attention. They are not treated poorly at all and they aren't brushed off as "oh thier just Japanese games". Does that happen to some Japanese games? Yes, otku fair. Sorry, that's a niche in a niche. No it dosen't get it's fair shake, but is it even supposed to? Falcom's games are far better revered then those types, making this argument moot.

And here we go with the ignorant attacks from are usuals.

Graphics don't make a game, man. I'd take Neptunia's art and designs over triple AAA game's art anyday. At least they're attractive and aren't just the same dull brown and grey stuff and have personality to them.

It's always fun to try to play the underdog, but the anime fandom has some of the worst hipster bullcrap. "American reviewers don't know how great this awesome obscure game is and just gives it crap ratings."

Some of the double standards in here toward western games are getting out of hand. Rahxephon91 pretty much addressed all the points, but I'll just add that all of the mainstream gaming sites will have at least one reviewer who "specializes" in Japanese games or at least jrpgs. Kotaku and Destructoid especially, have given many good or fair reviews of Japanese games, especially NIS and Compile Heart games in Destructoid's case. Most gaming sites are past that phase of calling a game "very Japanese" as an insult.

You're right, AAA western games like Sunset Overdrive, The Witcher 3, and Saints Row IV look so brown and grey. Especially compared to Neptunia's bright colors, perky boobs, and striped panties. /s

Outliers that buck the trend does not disprove that there is a trend, however

Games like The Last of Us, Assassin's Creed, Witcher, Dragon Age Inquisition and Call of Duty don't have an art style that stands out to me and just run together in my eyes and I can't tell one artist's work from another, if there even is a single artist behind those games and it's not just a group design by the studio. I think we can all idenity art styles like Nomura's, Yasuda's, and Tsunako's.

It really would be easier, if these posters simply said they don't like western games and would shut up about them. Simply, own up to your bias and be done with it. Much better then writing up some inane rationale to make you feel better that you simply are on the other side of the coin.

Anyone else can recognize those series on the visuals and artistic motifs of those series.