330°

Miyamoto Believes Japanese Gamers Dislike Difficult Games

Shigeru Minamoto: “I’ve been making action games for some 30 years, and I’ve been thinking about the difference evident in how their popularity has been gradually declining in Japan whilst in America it has been maintained.

The issue is that Japanese who cannot overcome the level of difficulty in an action game no longer want to play them. This perception then spreads to all games as a whole, and people avoid them because they see them as difficult.

In the case of America, there are a lot more people who enjoy a challenge and will stick with it for you and try to overcome the initial hurdle.

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nintendoenthusiast.com
pedrof933939d ago (Edited 3939d ago )

Action ? I would called it Platform.

“It’s because they only know how to make games for children now.”

“Nintendo, the reason you’ve declined is because of your endless remakes, that’s all.”

100% Right.

wishingW3L3939d ago

most likely lost in translation.

NewMonday3939d ago

lol, the Japanese can troll as good as anyone..

“Certainly, you need perseverance to play on the Wii U. Holding that horribly heavy pad was just too much for me"

“Who wants to play a game where if you miss one pixel on the screen it is an instant game over.”

“Games are supposed to be fun. Playing them needn’t be treated as an act of self-mortification.”

adorie3939d ago

Says the guy who made Super Mario Bros. 2, A.k.a The Lost Levels.

pixelsword3939d ago

I prefer difficult games where the difficulty is remedied by intellect, not reflex; that being said, I also like reflex games.

So I do understand the attitude of the Japanese gamer, and it does explain the type of games I do see in Japan.

ChickeyCantor3939d ago (Edited 3939d ago )

"Says the guy who made Super Mario Bros. 2, A.k.a The Lost Levels."

He didn't. That was done by a small team. He wasn't much involved other than being part of Nintendo.

adorie3939d ago (Edited 3939d ago )

For Sidar:
"The game was designed by *Shigeru Miyamoto* and Takashi Tezuka,[13] the creators of the original Super Mario Bros. Visually, it looked very similar to its predecessor, but it had a higher level of difficulty. Smooth level designs were replaced by tough obstacle courses."

Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Also, if you're referring to Super Mario Bros 2.? (Super Mario USA in Japan) Shiggy gave some ideas to that small team you're referring to, such as suggesting that Luigi's legs do a little wiggle when he jumped, to display his ability to jump higher than the rest of the selectable characters.

I've beaten them all. I'm a Mario nut when it comes to the classics. and I <3 Koji Kondo

kreate3939d ago

Easy or not, just give me the games.

Games other than mario, zelda, pokemon, etc.

ShinMaster3938d ago (Edited 3938d ago )

Does Miyamoto not know of the existence of difficulty options at the start of other games? Maybe he should try implementing them.

Super Mario 3D Land was way too easy and short. And the new Wii U Mario looks exactly the same.
It's a real shame.

indysurfn3938d ago

Wait he Cleary states action games. He is talking about difficult action games. Plus this guy has been know to what black people call "TRY TO BELONG". Look at the games sold their 40% are JRPG's those (at least the turn based ones) are NOT EASY. They are always made easier when they are shipped here. So most people are missing that he is talking about action games. Hand eye coordination, Reflex, hand eye based. But I have to also agree with the poster that said you mean platform games! In fact has this guy ever made a turn based RPG? EVER?

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 3938d ago
live2play3939d ago

idk man just because they are games for everyone doesnt mean they are childrens games

and getting 100 percent or meeting specific requirements for their games is freaking hard

my wife can finish a game but she cant %100 on all of em

3939d ago
zeal0us3939d ago

Well the Legend of Zelda is action-adventure so maybe he is referring to that.

Some of those comments from Japanese gamers really didn't seem like they came from actual Japanese gamers.

ritsuka6663938d ago

For real, Mr. Miyamoto is one of the most inspirational people of the last decade. In a sense he is Mr. Nintendo,and has done more for the gaming industry than just about anyone. So, you have all my respect Myamoto-san!

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 3938d ago
Snookies123939d ago (Edited 3939d ago )

BULL! Those bullet hell games over there are crazy hard!

Snookies123939d ago

Oh yes, can't forget about Cat Mario!

webeblazing3938d ago

lmao yoooo the funniest video i seen all week

Donnieboi3939d ago (Edited 3939d ago )

I respect you Mr. Miyamoto, as one of my favorite game designers right now, and as the best to ever do it.

BUT, whenever I need a really challenging, deep YET fair game, I often turn to Japanese-made games.

Games like:
-Dark Souls
-Demon's Souls
-Monster Hunter
-Catherine
-Metal Gear Online
-Soul Sacrifice
-God's Eater
-Valkyria Chronicles series
-Mega Man 9 & 10
-Hard Corps: Uprising
-BlazBlue series
-Disgaea series
-Gran Turismo
-Shin Megami Tensei games
-MG Rising Reveangance
-Ninja Gaiden (the modern beat-em-up genre versions)
-Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
-Vanquish
-Resonance of Fate
-Yggdra Union
-Trauma Center/Team series
etc

And these are just games from THIS generation (despite the fact Japan has had a dismally small representation this console gen). So many of these hard games can only be found in Japan: The west has hard games or even hard modes, but all they do is give u less health, ammo, etc,

I look for games that have challenging GAMEPLAY, not just the Western gimmick of giving u limited health/resources in a game.

So if so many of the challenging (yet balanced) games that I like are mostly only found in Japan, than clearly there is a large market for it in their own country. I don't know if Miyamoto plays other companies games, but Japan loves lengthy and tough games. That's why they like portables. So they can find the time for these tougher games while on the go.

Dj7FairyTail3939d ago

Gran Turismo is not Japanese game being published doesn't tie to all IP.

MrMister3939d ago (Edited 3939d ago )

Gran Turismo is 100% Japanese. WTF are you talking about? Also Nintendo has kind of been insulating (or should I say isolating) itself from 3rd partys so no wonder they are out of touch with what other games are doing on the market (no offense to Nintendo fans, please don't start).

Japanese games are very very hard and challenging. So my guess is that those people there like it that way.

Dj7FairyTail3938d ago

so easy to get dislikes lol sony fans are so easy to anger LMAO

TOOK DA DAMN BAIT

Stroke6663939d ago

I'm guessing he's going by the games that r selling and ones that are not recently. I dont believe he'd just pull these comments out of his arse. I won't pretend to kno how yhe games you mentioned sold in japan, but maybe there is a delcline in their sales over there. They just did the study where gamers now had a tough time completing the original mario. Rated e doesn't really mean rated kiddy alot of their games present a real challenge and some people just aren't as hardcore as they'd like to believe

AsheXII3939d ago

Apart from Monster Hunter all of those games sold pretty badly in Japan.

Donnieboi3939d ago (Edited 3939d ago )

Dude u have the facts to back that up? Because I can prove that almost EVERY one of the games I mentioned were top sellers of their time in Japan (and/or were well received and praised).

First of all, the games I mentioned were console games mostly. The games on portables (which Japan prefers) are actual even harder.

Here are sales figures for these games (all of these games were the top sellers in their first months in Japan):

-Demon's Souls ("boosts ps3 sales in Japan" and "sells out" http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

-Monster Hunter (no need to post this--we all know it's a bombshell series there)

-Catherine ( http://www.computerandvideo...

-Metal Gear Online ( http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed...

-Soul Sacrifice (Boosted Vita sales above 3DS for a while due to just this one game http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

-God's Eater (sold 200,000 copies it's first week in Japan http://www.ign.com/articles...

-Valkyria Chronicles series ( http://www.1up.com/news/jap...

-BlazBlue series (Both console versions of the game debuted in the top ten of Japanese sales charts during their week of release. The PlayStation 3 version entered at number five with 34,000 units sold and the Xbox 360 entered at number 6 with 25,000 units sold http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

-Disgaea series ( http://www.vgchartz.com/gam...

-Gran Turismo (do I really need to to show you? seriously. Ok fine: http://www.polyphony.co.jp/...

-Shin Megami Tensei games (wow the amount of these sold is staggering, don't even bother. Series is hot as hell in Japan).

-MG Rising Reveangance (During its first week, the game topped Japan's Media Create and Enterbrain Japan charts list selling 308,681 units according to the former and 335,791 units according to the latter http://gematsu.com/2013/02/...

-Sin & Punishment: Star Successor (Famitsu 8/8/8/7 (31/40))

-Vanquish (this did well, but not great--so it's the only one here so far to not do great (but it was still highly rated in Japan)

-Resonance of Fate (Famitsu 34 out of 40 http://www.vgchartz.com/gam... Pretty good for consoles in Japan.

-Trauma Center/Team series (another one of the few on this list to not sell well in Japan, but was still highly received. Famitsu 31/40[7])

So as u can see, MOST of these games were great sellers in Japan.

gamertk4213939d ago

Someone has a hell of a lot of free time.

360ICE3939d ago

Also, Devil May Cry. DmC: Devil May Cry was easier though, but then again, that didn't perform well in Japan!

fsfsxii3939d ago

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 gave me nightmares on Ultimate Ninja mode.
I still can't beat NGS1

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3938d ago
Zodiac3939d ago

Those were provoked readers? Most of them agreed with him.

Moncole3939d ago

I like games with a challenge like Super Meat Boy or Dark Souls and not games that are cheap hard like when the make the enemies bullet sponges.

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60°

Megaton Musashi World Cup: Preview and First Round Results

Game Rant participates in the Megaton Musashi World Cup, checking out the game a little bit beforehand and winning the first round match.

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gamerant.com
260°

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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theverge.com
darthv7223h 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.

solideagle10h ago

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

Sonic18817h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio7h 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:

Lightning772h ago

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

Cacabunga9h 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.

shinoff21838h 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.

Cacabunga7h 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

itsmebryan3h 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

romulus232h ago

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

darthv722h 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.

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purple10112h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos12h ago

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

DOMination-1h 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.

XBManiac11h ago

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

SimpleDad11h ago(Edited 11h 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.

purple10110h ago

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

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos10h ago(Edited 10h 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

Kornholic8h ago

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

MrDead2h 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.

thorstein21h ago

Shouldn't be allowed in any field.

Inverno18h 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.

jwillj2k416h 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.

MrCrimson16h 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.

Zenzuu17h ago

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

MrCrimson16h 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" -