Author Topic: Questions for the NWR Japan crew  (Read 89534 times)

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Offline famicomplicated

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #25 on: June 19, 2010, 03:45:07 AM »
i found this video on youtube

i really wanna hear what Iwata says when he's being native, and not what gets filtered, and fed to us through planning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8mYdB2Ggh8&feature=related

somebody translate it!

Just talking about Nintendo's financial results, DS sales etc. Incredibly boring..

He's a nice guy even when talking in his native tongue, were you expected the Japanese equivalent of the f-bomb being dropped?!
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Offline ThePerm

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #26 on: June 19, 2010, 04:34:14 AM »
no no no, its just there is always a communications gap between translations, i think if he is in his own country speaking his own tongue he can be a little bit more candid and less gaurded/prepared. Everyone knows that the western market is an afterthought for Nintendo. Even if its bigger. I just want details on how he is with his base consumers. I don't speak japanese, but iv adjusted to how it sounds when people speak it. It is interesting that he has a different accent when speaking english then japanese. Hard to explain.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2010, 04:37:22 AM by ThePerm »
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Offline TJ Spyke

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #27 on: June 19, 2010, 02:02:40 PM »
The accent part is not surprising, I see that a lot with people who are talking in a language that is not their primary one. I think it's more interesting when Miyamoto speaks English since he rarely ever does it (and I don't think he is as fluent in it as Iwata is ad that is probably why he usually sticks to Japanese).
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Offline ThePerm

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #28 on: June 19, 2010, 05:17:16 PM »
actually, it sounds like Iwata also sounds different in the Iwata asks video then he does on the news show. He talks much more smoother in those.

I wonder if he moved a lot growing up. I have lived in Arizona most of my life, but i lived in Georgia till age 10. I have an Arizona accent, but occasionally i will get inflected with a Southern one.
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Offline S-U-P-E-R

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #29 on: June 22, 2010, 02:46:29 AM »
How's the mayo?

Offline noname2200

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #30 on: June 22, 2010, 09:08:41 PM »
What level of interest is there in Japan for Western-developed titles?  Is it a niche, or a super-niche?

Offline BlackNMild2k1

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #31 on: June 22, 2010, 09:12:35 PM »
Whats the HYPE level like in the land of the Rising Sun now that it's gonna be doing it in 3D from the palm of your hand?



Oh, and those wannabWii's from Sony & MS too.... does anyone care?

Offline famicomplicated

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #32 on: June 24, 2010, 09:00:01 AM »
actually, it sounds like Iwata also sounds different in the Iwata asks video then he does on the news show. He talks much more smoother in those.

I wonder if he moved a lot growing up. I have lived in Arizona most of my life, but i lived in Georgia till age 10. I have an Arizona accent, but occasionally i will get inflected with a Southern one.

Maybe he's more comfortable in the Iwata asks segments, as they're probably done at Nintendo HQ with predetermined questions..

On the News he's in more of a "I'm a CEO representin' on national TV" kinda mode.
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Offline famicomplicated

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #33 on: June 24, 2010, 09:01:53 AM »
How's the mayo?

Not very good. (No Hellman's!)
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Offline famicomplicated

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #34 on: June 24, 2010, 09:05:33 AM »
What level of interest is there in Japan for Western-developed titles?  Is it a niche, or a super-niche?

If a Japanese guy buys Gears of War, I'd say that's the equivalent of an American guy buying a Japanese date sim.
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Offline famicomplicated

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #35 on: June 24, 2010, 09:11:07 AM »
Whats the HYPE level like in the land of the Rising Sun now that it's gonna be doing it in 3D from the palm of your hand?

Impossible to judge yet, get back to me in a few months time.


Quote
Oh, and those wannabWii's from Sony & MS too.... does anyone care?

The only thing I can be sure of is that Kinetic will fail, if that even gets released in Japan. That's not a hit against the tech, just the fact that it's an accessory for a system which is practically unknown of here.


As for Sony's Move, it will be very interesting to see how well that goes down, as of yet I couldn't possibly comment.
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Offline BlackNMild2k1

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #36 on: June 24, 2010, 12:45:11 PM »
Whats the HYPE level like in the land of the Rising Sun now that it's gonna be doing it in 3D from the palm of your hand?

Impossible to judge yet, get back to me in a few months time.


Quote
Oh, and those wannabWii's from Sony & MS too.... does anyone care?

The only thing I can be sure of is that Kinetic will fail, if that even gets released in Japan. That's not a hit against the tech, just the fact that it's an accessory for a system which is practically unknown of here.


As for Sony's Move, it will be very interesting to see how well that goes down, as of yet I couldn't possibly comment.
I will be sure to copy/paste the same exact 2 questions again in the Fall since it's still too early to tell :)

Offline noname2200

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #37 on: June 28, 2010, 10:21:06 PM »
What level of interest is there in Japan for Western-developed titles?  Is it a niche, or a super-niche?

If a Japanese guy buys Gears of War, I'd say that's the equivalent of an American guy buying a Japanese date sim.

That's pretty much what I figured.  Thanks for the response!

Offline TJ Spyke

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #38 on: June 28, 2010, 11:03:46 PM »
Is that just for games from western publishers, or does it include games developed in the west and published by a Japanese company (like Sony's Ratchet & Clank games)?
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Offline vudu

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #39 on: June 29, 2010, 01:37:11 PM »
I see in a lot of Japanese games, particularly RPGs, a tendency towards an emphasis on game elements that are simply not fun and never have been, such as grinding (1/128 drop rates, anyone?); fetch quests; and other similar time-wasting tasks.  Is this developer laziness or simply part of the Japanese gaming culture (much as they enjoy Dragon Quest with its glacial evolution)?  I find it hard to believe that a country so thoroughly dominated by Blue Ocean gaming also enjoys tedium so much.
 
Similarly, how do the Japanese tend to view things like achievements?  I've noticed in many Japanese games that their achievements tend to feel tacked on and arbitrary, and tend to lean towards grinding-type tasks.

That's a good observation and can be answered by looking at the Japanese cultural belief of "perfecting ones art" through constant repetition and practice.
Samurai's would spend days riding their horses shooting arrows at wicker targets till they could hit it every time. (OoT?) Same for Karate masters who repeat the same basic moves ad-nasuem. (Wax on, wax off..)
This mentality still exists today, people love "collecting everything" or "levelling everything up", even if it means repeating the same monotonous tasks thousands of times, the reason being they will have perfected their character and be the best they can be.
If you have a level 100 Celebi or DQ character, people will know how much effort has gone into that and can bow to your awesomeness.

Of course, in my opinion I think there are ways of doing that without boring the player to tears, but at least I (kinda) understand why those game-play elements exist in certain Jpse games.

Hope that makes sense!

I think this subject is interesting enough to warrant a full-blown editorial (or blog, if you prefer) if you have the time and inclination.
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Offline ThePerm

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #40 on: June 30, 2010, 09:04:42 PM »
its also interesting because repetition goes against time management and conservation of movement.

then again

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_memory#Fine_Motor_Memory
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Offline famicomplicated

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #41 on: August 05, 2010, 11:20:08 PM »
I think this subject is interesting enough to warrant a full-blown editorial (or blog, if you prefer) if you have the time and inclination.

Ask and ye shall receive! (eventually)

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/23829
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Offline vudu

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #42 on: August 06, 2010, 05:25:01 PM »
Wow--thanks!

I'd also like a pony!
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Offline balzzzy

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #43 on: August 09, 2010, 05:08:05 AM »
Why do certain games in Japan get dubbed "too difficult" for the North American market? I can understand reasons like Japanese specific anime/manga games, cultural differences, lack of funds and the game didin't do well. But I enjoy challenges. What are they basing the difficulty on and whom are they basing the difficulty against? Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden 2 were chaotic, but I think a lot of people enjoyed that. I found this article to be an interesting read. On a side note there are games like Soma Bringer for the DS where I can see no good reason at all for not releasing the game here in North America. The game was so good that a local, dedicated team of people have been translating it and have near completed it. However, the only way to play this game version is through a card such as the R4.
« Last Edit: August 09, 2010, 05:18:37 AM by balzzzy »
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Offline famicomplicated

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #44 on: August 10, 2010, 11:05:22 PM »
Why do certain games in Japan get dubbed "too difficult" for the North American market? I can understand reasons like Japanese specific anime/manga games, cultural differences, lack of funds and the game didin't do well. But I enjoy challenges. What are they basing the difficulty on and whom are they basing the difficulty against? Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden 2 were chaotic, but I think a lot of people enjoyed that. I found this article to be an interesting read. On a side note there are games like Soma Bringer for the DS where I can see no good reason at all for not releasing the game here in North America. The game was so good that a local, dedicated team of people have been translating it and have near completed it. However, the only way to play this game version is through a card such as the R4.

Great questions, although I don't have all the answers, I can give you some.

As you know, certain games often get released in Japan way ahead of the NA and EU markets, which is why sometimes Jpse publishers use this as a "testing phase" for their games. If they get feedback from fans that they loved the game BUT it was way too difficult in certain parts, they can then make slight tweaks to the game before they release the English version. Some people may see this as "dumbing it down", but in fact they are possibly trying to make it less annoying for the western market, who may not have the patience that Jpse gamers do (see my latest Editorial for more on that) and it may get poorer reviews as a result.

One famous example is Majora's Mask where the original version didn't have the "save owls", which made the game a lot more difficult and time-consuming, compared to the tweaked western version which did.

In fact I'd argue the opposite, that Jpse gamers prefer games slightly easier than us. Take Yoshi's Story (N64) as an example, that was actually made more difficult because Nintendo thought it wasn't challenging enough, they even added extra collectables which affected the ending, something that us westerners like in our games. (apparently)

As you mentioned, the original Ninja Gaiden games were also a lot more difficult than their Japanese originals, doing crazy-harsh things like taking out continues and unfair damage from enemies.

As for games like Soma Bringer not coming to the west, your guess is as good as mine. As you probably know, it's usually down to financial reasons, not enough sales potential, don't want to waste money to translate the game and publish it abroad if it won't sell etc etc
Heck, even Nintendo did it with Sin and Punishment (which was in English anyway) and more recently the Starfy games, absolutely no reason for not bringing them over.
Talking of fan translations, I'm sure you're aware of famous examples like Mother 3 and the Fatal Frame 4 English patch, it's scary when fans go to more effort than the publishing houses themselves...

I wonder if there are any Japanese gamers that are frustrated that a certain western game doesn't get released in Japan!
The only example that comes to mind was Grand Theft Auto, but now they're seeing releases here thanks to Capcom.
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Offline famicomplicated

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #45 on: March 04, 2011, 08:19:21 PM »
Hey guys, with the Japan team now at 3 people, I'd like to reboot this thread to help with a new feature that could be happening soon....

Keep your questions succinct, clean and interesting if you please!

J-C
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Offline leroypantweather

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #46 on: March 08, 2011, 03:04:15 PM »
Two questions:


Could you describe japan's arcade scene.  Is it still thriving, is it more of a retro machine type of thing, or are people still flocking to play the latest stuff competitively at the arcade.






Are public bathrooms in Japan as weird as I hear?  I recall on one of 1up's podcasts they were describing how one of the urinals at the bathroom was shaped like a clown face and when you peed in it the clown laughed at you and swayed its head. And when you were finished it flashed a camera as if to be taking a picture of your junk.(all in good fun i presume).  Another feature they mentioned was that some bathrooms had a sound tunnel of sorts so you could hear the women in the bathroom from the mens room. Or that there are one sided windows above the urinals and on the other side on the window is the women's bathroom mirror.   Can you confirm any of this or have you run into similar things?

Offline vudu

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #47 on: March 29, 2011, 10:04:51 PM »
Talk about your experiences with video game-themed bars.  (Did Matt ever get into the Dragon Quest bar?)  Ooh--and love hotels!  We want to hear about those, too!

I'd like to hear general stories about Akihabara and such.

What did you guys do when you first moved to Japan?  I'm sure you went out and bought all sorts of random Japanese-exclusive Famicom and Super Famicom games, right?  Anyone blow their entire paycheck on a copy of Radical Dreamers just because they could?

Come to think of it, I really just want to hear about the retro scene in Japan.
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Offline famicomplicated

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #48 on: March 30, 2011, 07:01:53 AM »
Thanks for the questions guys!
Keep 'em coming, we could be recording a new Famicast very shortly - last call for Japan questions!

J-C
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Offline noname2200

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Re: Questions for the NWR Japan crew
« Reply #49 on: April 25, 2011, 09:55:51 PM »
Question: what is the current state of PC gaming in Japan? Is there some kind of stigma attached to it? Is it becoming popular and mainstream? Or is it just plain ignored?