Controversy as Polytron director Phil Fish publicly ridicules modern Japanese developers
Phil Fish, the indie games designer who broke onto the scene with his unpublished platformer Fez, today sparked anger by publicly deriding the work of Japanese games developers in front of a packed audience at GDC.
Following a GDC screening of Indie Game The Movie – a documentary about games design that Fish heavily features in – the Canadian Polytron developer took part in a Q&A discussion with the audience.
A standing ovation for the movie itself set the tone for an open and positive discussion about indie games with the audience, yet when an unknown Japanese developer took to the mic to ask a question, the mood visibly turned.
The Japanese developer praised the movie and said he was pleased to see how many independent developers had been inspired by games such as Super Mario Bros and Zelda since their childhood.
But when he asked what the panel thought of modern Japanese video games, Phil Fish (pictured) immediately replied “your games just suck” – a comment that sparked an audible reaction from the crowd, though some were cheering.
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Others looked on awkwardly as the Japanese developer was then subjected to a string criticisms about game design flaws in his native country. The developer nevertheless thanked the panel for their response and returned to his seat.
After the Q&A many attendees were heard to be privately criticising Fish’s comments, though some went public with their complaints.
Developer and filmmaker Zack Guido tweeted Fish the message: “It's shameful to sit on a panel discussing an inspiring heart-felt film and then arrogantly disrespect someone's culture”.
Miami University student Ben Sironko said that Jonathan Blow, who also discussed the drawbacks of modern Japanese games, was “way more constructive” with his feedback.
Pietro Righi Riva of Milan-based game design studio Santa Ragione, said “the answer to the Japanese scene question at the GDC screening of Indie Game The Movie was a bit unfair and brutal, there were more things to say”.
It appears that, at the time of writing, none of the developers in attendance have defended Fish’s comments on Twitter.
Before his controversial comment, Fish had been answering various questions for about twenty minutes and had built a strong rapport with the audience, perhaps to the extent that he had let his guard down and was speaking without foresight. He had been applauded by audience members before and after he launched into his criticism of Japanese developers.
The Japan games industry – which to many is the spiritual home of the modern games – has in recent years become the subject of criticisms both from overseas and domestically.
Infamous ex-Capcom producer Keiji Inafune surprised onlookers at TGS in September 2009 with a damning appraisal of the nation’s development sector.
After perusing the games line-up on the TGS showfloor, Inafune lamented the lack of high-profile Japanese titles and progress the sector was making as a whole.
“Personally when I looked around [at] all the different games at the TGS floor I said ‘Man, Japan is over,’” he said.
“We're done. Our game industry is finished.”
The infamous quote caused many across the global games industry to re-evaluate the value of Japan’s contribution to the medium.
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What is worst?
That this soon to be one-hit-wonder developer, who took 4+ years to develop a game, called that all the games developed by the country that developed Dark Souls, Pixel shooter, Monster Hunter, Final Fantasy, Pokemon, Mario, Legend of Zelda Suck. Or that we listened to him in the first place?
I am probably over reacting. But as i see, he took what should be a simple answer and used it to unfairly insult the country of the person that asked the question.
Thank you for your article.
"an unknown Japanese" is me.
I couldn't sleep by thinking that....
From PHIL FISH's Twiiter:
"im sorry japanese guy! i was a bit rough, but your country's games are fucking terrible nowadays."
What a prick!
We has his head so up his a** that he can't see that by saying that, he is also indirectly saying that Fez is better than any recent Japanese game.
That said, it's his opinion, and not many people share it.
Apparently he said that no one agreed with him and the audience reaction "was more of a laughing in disbelief kind of reaction."
The Japanese developer in question did not return to this seat, he immediately left. I can't blame him.
It was sad to see the developer's humble attitude met with that kind of insensitivity. Just another example of why the east and west struggle to get along; in a room full of peers, no less.
don't ask what someone thinks if you can't accept his answer/opinion. That's all it was, his opinion. Yeah, maybe he could have answered a little more "politically correct", but who really cares. Perhaps the person asking the question should have asked a better question.
As usual, people are making a mountain out of a molehill here. :(
As someone's whos worked in Japanese game industry for the last 5 years, the guy has a blunt but true point. Japan used to be home of very innovative gameplay and design, now its a joke. The west always seems very cautious to breech the "Japan cool" and has some sense of forced reverence for Japan, but in all honesty, its just not there anymore. Your average dev studio in Japan has THREE times the staff a UK or US studio has and takes twice the time to produce a title. Occasionally a producer with some eccentric flair does emerge, but the majority are Final Fantasy preened pretty shinjuku boys just rehashing the same grounds again and again and again. Kudos to you Phil, tho the Japanese will show nothing but indignation rather than actually take it on board and think "hmm mebbe we do suck"...too busy patting themselves on the back.
Fish's answer was rife with enthusiasm and pomp that, when related to negative feedback, seemed arrogant.
I agree with his points, but not his delivery. The convention has a strong Japanese presence this year, and like it or not, we should welcome their developers and culture with respect. Their dominance in the gaming industry may be waning, but the man was clearly looking for constructive input, not the abrupt, broad, criticisms offered by Fish.
Fish was on the money.
First party Nintendo and Capcom games aside, most of what comes out of Japan is crap. Even big budget releases from major companies.
They can't make a good J-RPG worth a damn anymore. This is too bad. I'd really like to get into a good JRPG, but all we get anymore are re-releases of old games on the DS.
A lot of their big releases look like upscaled, mid-life, PS2 games. Low polygon counts, blurry low res textures, and outdated rendering technology.
Clunky save systems from 199x.
Barely functional (if any) online modes.
Games that are mostly horribly directed 40 minute cutscenes with small playable bits in between. They always drag on forever, and fail to ever actually say anything or drive anything forward.
The dialogue in their games consists mostly of "...". That line pops up about 15 times in every dialogue exchange. Sometimes 5 times in a row.
There are always out of place dating sims or similar activities shoehorned into these games, and designed by people who seem to have never interacted with a real woman before. I always get stuck having to play through the creepy fantasies of some 45 year old virgin that involves starring at, undressing, fondling, stalking, or humiliating women.
Hardware wise it's not faring much better.
Nintendo keeps focusing on gimmicks instead of making a proper machine for the core gamer. Hopefully the Wii-U fares better. They still haven't ditched the worthless friend code system.
Sony spent a trillion dollars creating the hardware for the PS3 and comes up with an overly expensive monstrosity that chokes when held up to the 360 which was cheaply built with mostly off the shelf tech. What a waste.
This generation has not been kind to Japan.
No, comment number 3, criticism does not imply superiority. Saying that something is bad does not imply that anything you do or have done or will do is better. Take issue with the comments, certainly, but 'well - I'd like to see you do better!' will never be a response that holds much water.
Hes just angry nintendo ignored him
Japanese games are personally 90 percent of what I play
Play mario galaxy and tell me it sucks
play devil survivor 2 and tell me
Play suikoden psp
What has this guy done?
Way to generalize and be just as dumb as he is
yes because games in the west aren't ass aswell what we get like 10 to 20 generic copy's of call of duty games every year and nothing in ways of story telling the western devs are no better.
Says the guy who ripped off echochrome...
RE: Fish.
That's great, whoever you are.
Japanese games are not dead yet I think people are simply playing the wrong ones - from this gen off the top of my head heres some great titles:
Demons Souls / Dark Souls
Valkyria Chronicles I, II, and III
3D Dot Game Heroes
MGS4
Katamari (any of them)
Shin Megami Tensei games
Deus Ex HR
Now honestly there are more (especially on psp and ds) but just looking at this list I think the problem is the western gamer audience is simply too Casualized to appreciated truly great games.
Sorry but this isn't much an article! This could've been an interesting piece but there isn't anything in it of much substance. It's fairly obvious enough that it might not be so great to be so offhandedly dismissive. I'm not a big fan of the approach that pontificates in broad strokes (a cancer of modern pseudo-intellectualism, where people feel entitled to deliver summary judgment on a wide array of subjects), but it doesn't mean that nothing of substance was said.
"...subjected to a string criticisms about game design flaws in his native country..."
Heavens no! Not criticism! This is what could've been interesting if you elaborated on this. I suppose that's another story though, I just hope someone covers it!
I know you're on a deadline, but how about some interviews to take your piece up to the next level? Instead of relying on Twitter and other low-hanging fruit. Maybe give this fellow a chance to nuance his statements, or see if he really believes as black and white as he comes off? See what he says about western developers?
p.s. this article isn't that bad
Hello.
We have no problems with people airing their opinions on this matter, but will continue to delete comments that are personal, offensive or profane.
I think it's worth bearing in mind that it doesn't reflect well on the games industry if people are anonymously deriding someone for putting his views forward publicly.
Thanks
I'm all for everyone being able to express their opinions and to offer criticism on another's work, but to flat-out belittle someone and/or his country just because of a few bad video games (at the same time, no less) is pitiful.
It's a shame to see an indie developer with such a potentially broad imagination dwindled by his ego, self-conciousness, and ignorance.
But at the same time, it's hilarious, as Fish is acting like a bigshot merely because he's helping push along an indie game, believing he's it's lifeline. An INDIE game. And one that's been grounded several times, if I recall.
The only reason Indie games are even in the same league as full-fledged ones are because of their cheap pricing (as well as their replay value and easy accessibility). Tell me, how many of you would go out and buy a fourty five-minute platformer, for more than 20$?
In turn, if you went up to someone and offered them a choice between an indie game and a console/PC game, naturally they would pick the console/PC game. This of course could go otherwise depending on the person's situation, (ie: more time outside the home), but I digress.
The funniest thing about this incident is, though, is that he'll still be acting like a hardass until the end, when his excessive pride runs down his and his fellow developer's profits.
GG Fish; you've potentially grounded Fez once more with your damnable pride. Hopefully the next batch of developers will pick it up without offending the potential customers and the founders and revolutionizers of modern entertainment.
TL;DR:
Mister Fish is a few guppies short of a school.
I apologize and thank those that take the time to read.
But the frustrating part is that his comment lacked context. He's an indie, so was he talking about japanese indie games, high-profile studios, or the entire industry?
With Japanese developers trying to capture more of the western market, I can see where he's coming from. Our money makers, america's heritage, is the FPS genre, or shooting in general. The way they design games is more about detail. I think Metal Gear Solid 4 captured that aspect the best. It was a PS3 release, when Japanese developers voiced having a hard time developing for the PS3, and it was fantastic - say what you want about the cut scenes. It had our love of guns, mixed with deep story, characters, humor, etc. It was a good cross.
But you compare that to Final Fantasy 13, and you ask, who was that game for? It was another attempt to capture newer fans, or fans that wanted a more streamlined experience. Did they alienate some fans? Absolutely. Did they provide a fresh experience to others, sure. But this is the 13th game we're talking about here, not mentioning other entries like Revenant Wings or Crisis Core.
To speak to what the first poster, @Guilherme Silva said "[Fish] called that all the games developed by the country that developed Dark Souls, Pixel shooter, Monster Hunter, Final Fantasy, Pokemon, Mario, Legend of Zelda Suck.
Dark Souls, absolutely, a new direction in games. Difficult and challenging. This is an aspect of games the Japanese have been known to like, and something western development has moved away from. Pixel Shooter, though I have never played, sounds like a unique experience (ok, search turns up PixelJunk Shooter, I liked Eden, I enjoy their style).
But citing Monster Hunter, Final Fantasy, Pokemon, Mario, and Legend of Zelda is probably what he was talking about. Hate or Love these games, we have Mass Effect, Call of Duty, Halo, Fallout, Elder Scrolls. If someone thinks we are stuck in a rut (shooter after shooter, etc), then so are they. Three of those franchises are from the same company, and, unless I'm mistaken (and I very well could be), Final Fantasy has more releases than Call of Duty.
Pokemon, Final Fantasy, Zelda, and Mario have been around far longer than ME, CoD, and Halo, two of those found popularity this console generation, enough to wear out their welcome perhaps. Our games may share guns, but those games, aside from Mario, are RPG's.
I think the word "suck" for a game designer (a communicative, detail oriented profession) was a stupid, ignorant word to use. But, people say dumb things sometimes. What I would have said, is that I think Japanese development has positioned itself in a place where the general western audience expects Nintendo First party titles, Final Fantasy like experiences, and stereotypical Japanese/Anime characters.
Not everyone in the mass market has the time to play games like Bayonetta, the Persona series, and who knows what else (Okami?). But they also don't have to, as they may assume they'll fit into the stereotypes.
I apologize and thank those that took the time to read.
"doesn't reflect well on the games industry if people are anonymously deriding someone for putting his views forward publicly."
Then your website agrees with him then. Simple as that. Your website did not follow up on this. You didn't contact Fish nor did any investigation as to the identity of the Japanese developer.
"a comment that sparked an audible reaction from the crowd, though some were cheering."
Sources are saying that it wasn't cheering.
Western developers, publishers, media alike are all in it to push this great white hope agenda.
What a pompous ass.
Hasn't even released his one-hit wonder yet and he thinks he can talk smack for four years straight now.
I agree with Fish but that is beside the point.
Fish was blunt but what he said was just an opinion... and guess what... people are allowed to express their opinions. Even harsh criticism is valid, and now that Fish has got the industry's attention a bit I think he should elaborate on his opinion... who knows... maybe he can save the sinking ship that is Japanese gaming!
@Haipa Sonikk
Understand your feedback but must make it clear that it's not Develop's position to say whether we agree with Phil Fish's comments or not.
For years we have provided news that sticks to the facts, because that's the fairest and most respectful thing we can do for our readers.
I was at the Q&A session and can assure I heard cheering from the crowd, but most people looked awkward after Phil's outburst.
I mentioned both the cheering and the criticisms because I wanted to give a more balanced view of how people responded to Phil's comments.
I didn't even mention how belittled the Japanese developer looked when he was so comprehensively insulted - only because that would demonise Phil when I have to convey to the reader that maybe he had a point.
Again, it doesn't matter what I think about this.
And obviously it would have been easier for me to ignore how some people appeared to support his view - but then it wouldn't be fairer.
Some people have claimed this article is biased one way or another, and unsurprisingly one friend of Phil is claiming the story is completely one-sided. It hardly gets more ironic than that.
Sadly the press often become scapegoats whenever something controversial - or in this case demonstrably offensive - becomes entombed by publication.
Also, the Japanese developer was standing the other side of the room and I did try to find him after the Q&A but had no luck. Apologies for that. I also had an interview with Jonathan Blow immediately after the talk and didn't have the chance to speak with Phil. I had considered a follow-up but he quickly made his views clear on his Twitter account, so thought it wasn't necessary.
Hope that clears some things up.
Rob
Well I feel sorry for you japanese dude. You have an awesome culture that I really respect.
Keep making games and don't listen to this douche.
I for one am not buying FEZ that's for sure.
@#15 - First, Deus Ex wasn't a Japanese game. Eidos Montreal was the dev. Square Enix just did cutscenes and in-game cinematics. Second, I don't consider the rest of your list to be great games. See how that works? It's all just personal opinion. :) The sooner everyone just realizes and accepts this, the sooner everyone can get back to making or playing whatever games they like. ;)
There is a difference between being an ass and giving constructive criticism.
I mean Polytron and this Phil Fish guy isn't even well known. They don't even have their own Wikipedia page!
And their game, Fez, looks bad. It's a Mario rip-off. How can this guy have the gall to say Japanese games are shit when his own game is one? What's innovative with Fez? A Mario game in an X-Box? Oh Rly?
I'd like him to make millions first, then he can go and say that.
Regardless of the essentially never-ending debate on whose/which games are better, and why, the real issue here is Fish's crass treatment of an individual. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but common courtesy, especially among peers, dictates that you engage in civilized discourse. Rather than lashing out at the developer, he could have (and should have) just as easily provided some constructive criticisms, without resorting to crass debasement and tirades.
I'm a big fan of Japanese games and it's true that most Japanese games aren't as good or as popular as they used to. Still, I love playing them since, in the end, all that really matter is how much we enjoy playing the games.
With that said, I still think it's pretty rude to say it to the Japanese guy while in front of other like minded video game fans. This sort of statement is the one you should make on your twitter or your facebook fan page (if you have one).
If I was in the position of this idiot and being asked what problems the Japanese industry could address to improve their games I'd have said the rampant, unpleasant and increasingly tedious sexism and the culture's icky and unacceptable obsession with underage girls. Did any of the panel bring that one up?
Flip the script, what if the Japanese developer let his opinion fly in a crass manner and gross generalization toward Fish.
Indie games suck, no real production value.
Canadian games suck, they are geared for westerners only.
Tall developers suck, they don't get strife.
Bearded developers suck, they lack hygiene.
Ridiculous?
Fish's generalization is the gaff here in my eyes. It's nationalist, culturally insensitive, and questionably racist (he did not define what "your" really inferred to (Japanese people or Japan the country) We all think it's the region but only he knows for sure.
While everyone is certainly entitled to express opinions. This is a professional conference, not a bar or school yard. Knowing when to say what separates the men from the boys.
This is kind of like the video game world equivalent of Kirk Cameron saying that gay people are "unnatural". Yes, you are free to your opinion, but if you're going to express it bluntly in a public forum then you should be prepared for backlash from people who do not agree with you or otherwise feel like you are being a jerk.
"It's nationalist, culturally insensitive, and questionably racist..."
No, it's merely his opinion on games made by Japanese devs. Nothing more, nothing less. People need to stop making mountains out of molehills and get over this. The person asked for an opinion, he got one.
I've been playing games since the Atari / NES days but I don't really think the Japanese games these days suck that much compared to before.
First of all, you all don't seriously think that every NES / SNES / 64 / PS / PS2 game were "amazing" do you?
There have always been sucky games as well as good games whether that is Japanese or Western.
As a matter of fact, I can probably remember as many bad games as good games on the NES...
I do think that Western companies have started to make much better games while the number of bad & good games from Japanese companies have neither increased nor decreased, so it just looks like the West is making better games nowadays.
But then again, maybe it's because I'm Japanese, but not every Western game that was a huge hit over in the States have been that entertaining to me...
(That's probably just a difference in taste though. There are always games that Western people will enjoy more and visa-versa.)
Another reason why people seem to feel that games nowadays are not as good as the past maybe be because... I think it was Keiji Inafune who said this, but "The players have gotten used to playing good games, so their expectations to see something better is a lot greater than before. Even if the creator does a relatively good job in coming up with a game, the players will feel that the game sucked since it did not live up to their expectations. Their expectations tend to be much higher than what we can produce these days."
As a Japanese, I'm not too fond of the Japanese creators trying to create games with an overly "western" touch since they usually don't do a very good job.
Obviously Western people will do a better job on that. So, as far as I can tell, Japanese creators should create something only they can create. Of course, I'm sure there will be games that don't sell that well overseas, but there will always be games like Okami and Catherine that are very Japanese but will get pretty good reviews overseas as well. I just think it's more fun to diversify.
"No, it's merely his opinion on games made by Japanese devs. Nothing more, nothing less. People need to stop making mountains out of molehills and get over this. The person asked for an opinion, he got one."
Incorrect.
A proper opinion, and one that should be presented in a professional manner considering the event and the attendees present, should not consist of the person in question pulling off a crude one-liner dripping with subtle racism and cultural insensitivity, followed by the critical bashing of something as redundant as the quality of video games.
"Your games just suck" is not an opinion. It is the expression of an ignorant man potentially upset that he may never get to be a part of anything bigger than the design of a thirty-minute indie game, one that may also end up being a bust now, considering the reprecussions of his outburst.
Saying "your games just suck" may not directly be translated into a racist implication, but the subtlety behind it is a literal double-edged sword. You say he didn't imply those things, but at the same time, there is no proof that states he did not.
Had Fish thought a little bit more carefully and professionally about what he was going to say, his 'opinion' might have actually been worth something to the Japanese inquirer and his fellow developers. Instead, we have this.
And, frankly, no one is making a mountain out of a mole hill from this. Everything everyone else has stated here about the situation is logical and considerable. If anything, the only people guilty of anything here are you and other commentors similar to you, for jumping so quickly to Fish's defense with nothing better than "it's his opinion, stop making a big deal out of it!!!1!".
Speaking of which, I formally request you think your replies over a bit more before posting them, before you again decide to throw yourself at the feet of a pitiful man who has nothing better to "contribute" to his fellow video game developers, than an attempt to demoralize them.
ha, perhaps this guy has never heard of the doujin scene in japan??? google "touhou" for a start.
Yeah, Japanese games really suck, because the following games don't exist or come from an alternate universe: Goku Makaimura, Red Seeds Profile, Demon Souls and Dark Souls, BlazBlue, Arcana Heart, Senjou no Valkyria, Senko no Ronde, Operation Darkness, Dead Rising, Ico, Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi, GunValkyrie, Do-Don-Pachi Dai-Fukkatsu, or countless others.
Compare that to the likes of Braid, The Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy, Minecraft, LIMBO (LOL), Flower (HOLY **** LOL), and other masterpieces of mediocrity.
And lol that Phil Fish's comment has been reduced to merely being some "racist" remark -- the very allegation of which suggests that Japanese games actually do suck and that we need to hide it to not be "racist". Listen, if Japanese games suck, then all Japanese people can go to hell. On the contrary, as far as I'm concerned, they're in HEAVEN. It's "indie" screensavers that suck, thankyouverymuch.
@superman LIMBO (LOL)? clueless tard
@superman Then is any game good? Modern Warfare's just mass killing, Katamari's just blindly eating sh*t up, Persona 4's about being a pimp, Fez is an 8-bit paper mario-clone, Final Fantasy's too whiny, every game's terrible in that regard, then. I mean, all developers are only human. I kind of agree with Phil, but let's be honest here, ALL GAMES HAVE FLAWS... Going back to Western Games and Eastern Games, Maplestory's too easy, Lumines is just blocks, Mass Effect 3's a rip-off, Dragon Age 2's boring, Skyrim's glitchy, Binary Domain's multiplayer's uninspiring, Megaman's old, Mario is high, Zelda is weak... The list only gets longer and longer, can we start thinking of games as something more than what meets the eye? I mean, look at all those people who played dear esther and amnesia -_-
canadian indie game designer says
"japanese game just suck"
is this some joke?
im sorry i don know much about canadian indie game lol
@ff17cloud
Are you illiterate? I just listed a bunch of games that are not merely good, but AWESOME, and all of them Japanese no less.
"Modern Warfare's just mass killing"
lol, as is like 70-80% of all the greatest games ever made. Probably even more like 90%, I don't know. You don't do a lot of killing in adventure games, but then adventure games are a very small genre relative to, say, STGs (i.e. GAMES WHERE YOU SHOOT EVERYTHING TO DEATH), masterpieces of which are still being made today.
Untermenschen like you just don't get it. Videogames, as with all art, are about glorifying the human experience, AND HUMANS LOVE TO KILL THINGS. THAT IS WHY WE ARE THE ULTIMATE PREDATOR, BECAUSE WE ARE THE MOST RUTHLESSLY AGGRESSIVE SPECIES ON THE PLANET.
You, however, might do better as a nice, docile cow, since you like to play games like Amnesia where you run from enemies rather than facing them. I look forward to domesticating you!
First off, Japan is a Nation. Japanese is a nationality. Asian is a race. So, this is not racist. "All games made by asian people suck" would be racist.
(now on to more important matters)
I agree with what he said for the most part. Of course there are exceptions. You run into problems when you try to generalize anything.
That being said, I think that American developers are just as stuck in a rut as Japanese ones. The American devs just happen to be making what's popular right now.
Good to see someone telling it like it is!
Jap games are just bad through and through, unless you like playing as the outcast demon son of a high god!
We all know its true. Japan used to make all the best games, I grew up playing them. Lately though most Japanese titles suck.
He is not the first person to say so by any means, many others, including the Japanese as quoted in this very article, have said the same thing.
This reaction everyone is having is exactly why nearly all communication between developers and the gaming community is so controlled, if you are open and honest you'll get torn to shreds.
He was right.
He's right about the games, but the guy's a fucking douchebag.
I agree that Japanese games need a lot of work. They're not what they used to be, with gaming legends such as Zelda. They definately do suck. They've come a long way from there, but they just don't have that magic feel that they used to, though I doubt It'll ever be as bad as Zero Wing (all your base are belong to us).
But the guy's a prick. On his twitter after the GDC conference, he said this EXACTLY. This is literally his post:
PHIL FISH @PHIL_FISH
im sorry japanese guy! i was a bit rough, but your country's games are fucking terrible nowadays.
What a dick! To say that after he already humiliated the guy: WHAT A DICK. I would have posted something sincere, saying how the wrong thing slipped out. I would have apologized to the guy and paid for his next meal. But this guy is and arrogant asshole. I'm ashamed as a gamer and an American that the rest of the world had to hear this dick head humiliate this guy. This is why the world hates us
What a freakin moron. Im glad I didnt buy Fez right away, Now i will not buy the game at all. Boycot this shit. Hes basicly insulting capcom, namco, sega, nintendo, and so on. Next time think twice before you come up with such a simple minded statement.
For starters Fish is wrong. There is good stuff coming out of Japan, although admittedly it's dropped off a bit in recent years. The unfortunate truth is that Western studios are currently producing a higher quantity of top games. I'd guess that it'll swing back at some point - Japan monopolized for long enough in the past.
Fish's comment was stupid and wrong. But it was just a flippant remark. I know my mouth runs faster than my brain on occasion and I say stupid things. He made a mistake, if he admits it all is well and good, if not then the man's a douche. But hey loads of people are douches, they seem to do ok :/
What this shouldn't do is stop people buying Fez. I won't - I played the demo and disliked it, but I came to the judgment based on my experience of the game - not on the back of what the lead developer said. That's how a game should be judged :)
Modern Japan is to game developing what modern USA to car making. They suck in it.
Practically all games that have been developed in the last 5 years suck period. There's maybe 10 good titles for each system & only a handful more for the PC market. It's the unfortunate reality in 2012 we have lost what should be at the core of every game that's gameplay. It's easy crap with shiny graphics & cut scenes these days. Good lord I've played games where the cut scenes are 30 minuets + each if I wanted to watch a movie I would go to the cinema.
First of all Fishie additude reminds me of that guy who got fired in Microsoft for being cocky about xbox720 always online comment. I never heard of this guy fishie before aka angry emo. Alot of japanese games that are good i remember playing few japanese horror games on playstation II that was straight up scarey and cool. And nintendo games too but there are total war game new one that came out about japan I know its made by sega. Alot of companies like EA and microsoft people got nothing but bad additudes that make you want look other way. Alot of them dont care what gamers want and tell us what they think we want with additude. Now some angry fishie emo guy just another example of jealousy most likely. Poor japanese guy wasn't rude why belittle him. I wouldnt pass real game or japanese game over 30min indie game by angry emo fishie anyday.
japanese games suck ass, i've met a japanese dude he seemed like a cool guy. but japanese games are terrible, over the top, strange and poorly dubbed into english(i'm not mad because of this though) mgs is a prime example as well as lost planet 2 capcom sucks balls.
