In this context does "Eastern" consist of "just Japan", and does "Western" consist of "literally every other country"?
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Western or Eastern Games? Which Appeal MORE to You, and Why?
- Thread starter GamerDude
- Start date
OP
OP
Nope, it is not. If you can't understand that, I guess this is not the thread for you. Thanks for stopping by.
OP
OP
Fair enough. Yeah I don't expect people to make selections because the game is from a region they like. I realize it's because that region makes games that tend to resonate more with them. That is the thread's intent.
Matters to me less in this day and age compared to previous generations but my favorite games of all time are still from eastern developers.
I'm shocked that eastern is wining on this forum. It's not like we have thread once or twice a month how Japanese games are superior in every possible way and it's true art compared to that by the numbers designed by focus groups western schlock
I play both, but my tastes line more so with eastern games, due to their style of gameplay mechanics and music.
I don't think you are reading into this correctly. It's just a matter of which ones you tend to like more, not because of being from that region, but that you just happen to like more from that particular region.
Western. I grew up playing Japanese games and love them for what they are, but these days I find the lack of representation in Japanese games problematic. It also seems to me that western devs are willing to take more risks in storytelling (probably the most important aspect of games to me)... at least in ways that I can relate to, being a westerner.
Yes, it is strange that Eastern would be winning on a console centric form mostly consisting of gamers that carry strong nostalgia for Nintendo, Sony, and Sega consoles.
Going on an adventure and killing a demon-god with a squad of best bros/girls never gets old to me.
OP
OP
Correct. Thank-you. I'm a bit surprised by the number of people who are not understanding that.
Ori is a metroidvania game, heavily inspired by Eastern game design and Ghost Of Tsushima looks like Sekiro lite. I mean, why don't you play Nintendo games? Games like BOTW show Eastern games with heavy influence of Western design... This is a poor thought process because we're at a point where both hemispheres influence the other greatly.
Im honestly surprised its not a total landslide for eastern here, given era heavily leans that way.
About 5 years ago I would've said Eastern all the way, but in recent years some of my most favorite games were actually made by Western studios. For example The Witcher 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, Spider-Man etc.
So I guess I enjoy Western and Eastern games equally.
So I guess I enjoy Western and Eastern games equally.
OP
OP
It's not a poor thought process. Ghost of Tshusima LOOKS like Sekiro in terms of setting, but by all accounts seems to have more of a Western play style. In terms of Ori: I mean, OK? There are always some exceptions. That is one game off the list that I'm excited for.
I don't like the art style in BOTW, nor the storytelling or characters I have seen. Does not appeal to me.
My playing habits are something like 70% Western 30% Eastern. But at the end of the day, its all about quality.
My main gripe with Eastern games is their representation of female characters and lack of ethnic diversity in their titles. Whereas Western games are far ahead of the curve in this regard.
My main gripe with Eastern games is their representation of female characters and lack of ethnic diversity in their titles. Whereas Western games are far ahead of the curve in this regard.
Really? No, not true at all. they influence each other but they have unique style, different approach and there is a big difference in culture which culminates in products with different flavors.
I like a good game no matter where its made, but in general I prefer Japanese games because they are more human. also, they have less bugs and - usually - better gameplay mechanics.
Eastern games definitely. I think they are better at trying new gameplay mechanics, and the games allow for player experimentation there.
Western games generally are better at giving players a particular "experience" but I find a lot of the underlying mechanics pretty cookie-cutter.
Western games generally are better at giving players a particular "experience" but I find a lot of the underlying mechanics pretty cookie-cutter.
Have you seen all the Western indie games that are inspired by Japanese titles? Not to mention the fact that western RPGs heavily influenced Dragon Quest, which in turn influenced other Japanese RPGs.
If I had to make a list of my top 20 games, it would probably be a pretty even split. Eastern side is mostly Nintendo for me though
I suppose I'd lean Western a bit, but mostly because PC has been my main platform for a long time, and there haven't been many Eastern games there until recently
I suppose I'd lean Western a bit, but mostly because PC has been my main platform for a long time, and there haven't been many Eastern games there until recently
Up until 5 years ago I pretty much exclusively played Western AAA games. Now when I look at my top ten, eight of them are Japanese. I think it's because there's more variety and originality in regards to gameplay and gameplay systems.
SotC, FFXII, Persona 5's calendar regimentation, etc.
SotC, FFXII, Persona 5's calendar regimentation, etc.
i grew up thinking japan was the mecca of gaming (and i guess in sense it was back in the day) and that was where "real" games are from. then around the HD era, partially because of their trouble adapting, partially because of taste, i generally clinged more to the western style and there was hardly any japanese developed games i'd play
i think there's more parity between the two "schools" now however. mostly indstinguishable at this point for jrpgs or something obviously niche
i think there's more parity between the two "schools" now however. mostly indstinguishable at this point for jrpgs or something obviously niche
Western indies, Nintendo, and a sprinkle of Western and Eastern large company games. Can't really choose one or the other.
Of course, most of my gaming time is spent playing indie games :)
honestly, I was only thinking about packaged titles. in terms of indies, They are far superior to Japanese/Eastern indie games. and it is true they captured the same spirit perfectly.
Dragon Quest was influenced by WRPG yet JRPG walked a different path to be honest, up to the point that I sometimes feel like they are completely a different genre.
I enjoy good / fun / entertaining games and don't care about the origin. Both offer a lot of choice for my taste. I don't start to count total playtime / by year just to vote in a poll that only accepts a black and white view.
Soulsborne is my favorite series, and I adored/played the shit out of Dragon's Dogma ... but that's about as far as it goes for me with respect to Japanese games. Everything I else I play or favor - strategy, open-world action/adventure/survival, FPS, multiplayer in general - tends to be from Western developers.
Same here. I like them equally and would have voted no preference. I don't know if Morrowind is better than Dragon's Dogma or Dark Souls is better that The Witness. They're just great games.
I probably spend most time on western games, but that's simply due to there being more of them and I'm drawn to the indie market, with a lot of prolific western developers.
Japanese games used to appeal a lot more to me in the past. There are still some really good times coming out now and then, but they're few and far between compared to how it used to be.
Western it is.
Western it is.
I like games from anywhere in the world. With that said looking at my all time top 10 it's 6-4 with Western games leading so I'll vote for that.
Besides, even if you had a preference, that wouldn't tell the OP what he thinks that it would. Nowadays there's just so much cultural cross-pollination between developers from all parts of the world, that the lines between Eastern games and Western games become blurred and rather meaningless.
Most of the games I love are Japanese, so eastern. I love a strong focus on gameplay and I also like colorful aesthetics and over the top style.
That's not to say there aren't western games which provide some of that. I do enjoy my fair share of western games. Just on an overall scale my tastes skew towards Japan more.
That's not to say there aren't western games which provide some of that. I do enjoy my fair share of western games. Just on an overall scale my tastes skew towards Japan more.
Western because I don't understand most Japanese games, especially in terms of storytelling. My top 10 games are western.
With that said, I loved some Japanese games, like RE2 Remake and Super Mario Odyssey, and I enjoyed a few more, like DMC5 or Nier: Automata.
With that said, I loved some Japanese games, like RE2 Remake and Super Mario Odyssey, and I enjoyed a few more, like DMC5 or Nier: Automata.
The "Eastern" games I've played tend to have really obtrusive UX choices more commonly than Western ones, especially with tutorialization, input methods, options in general. I also have a strong distaste for fan service in games that aren't explicitly meant to be titillating. Anime tropes and such also really rub me the wrong way. So my preference definitely goes to Western stuff. In the RPG space it's even more pronounced. I feel like most of the RPG output has been mechanically in a rut for like two decades now, not to speak of plot, pacing or player-world interactivity.
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OP
OP
The lines are definitely not meaningless. There have been loads of people in this thread alone with clear preferences. Not to mention my clear feelings. Some people here can say there are no distinctions all they want, but that is not true.