I agree,I don't think there is really a need for that, I mean, Castlevania:LOS is the exception to the rule since it was made by western devs, but with the assistance of Kojima Productions... Silent Hill didn't do well being done by western devs, same applies to Ridge Racer & Resident Evil:ORC.
I honestly don't think there is any need to make a game appeal more to western audiences, it should be able to appeal to everyone regardless of region.. This is why the Japanese game industry is in a decline, cause of developers & publishers obsession with those COD sales that the western audience buys so foolishly.
Anyway i didnt open the article(will do later) but just from this "but is the motherland of video games making a big mistake in trying to cater to Western audiences?"
If you look at it closely most Japanese video games are based on Western Stuff or SWAG.
Mario, Final Fantasy, Sonic, Donkey Kong, Legend of Zelda, Metal Gear & Resident Evil etc. all Western concepts.
It has been how things are going since Pac Man & Space Invaders.
The writer of this article have things in reverse. He does not know what he is talking about.
Shinji Mikami's Vanquish was influenced by Gears of War? What a laugh. Blezinksky is a huge Biohazard buff. Gears is a homage (I will not use rip-off)to RE 4!
Western developers has learned and adopted the Japanese style of interpreting western ideas from the early Japanese video game invasion to the present and made them their own.
Complete with their own local designs & with bigger financing and budgets compared to meager Japanese budget.
Sure western developers have their own great contributions to gaming in their own turf.
But most of those games published by Japanese publishers like Capcom, Sega, Sony, Nintendo etc. that sucked are not made by Japanese people but by westerners. And some joint projects by Japanese & westerners sucked because of disagreements. So its not all Japan's fault.
Someday there will be a game that will shine as a synergistic effort of East & West.
20°
60°
50°
40°
Ad 
40°
10°
20°
30°
30°
40°
I honestly don't think there is any need to make a game appeal more to western audiences, it should be able to appeal to everyone regardless of region.. This is why the Japanese game industry is in a decline, cause of developers & publishers obsession with those COD sales that the western audience buys so foolishly.
Anyway i didnt open the article(will do later) but just from this "but is the motherland of video games making a big mistake in trying to cater to Western audiences?"
I say no. Not worth it.
*coughMonsterHuntercoughcough *
Mario, Final Fantasy, Sonic, Donkey Kong, Legend of Zelda, Metal Gear & Resident Evil etc. all Western concepts.
It has been how things are going since Pac Man & Space Invaders.
The writer of this article have things in reverse.
He does not know what he is talking about.
Shinji Mikami's Vanquish was influenced by Gears of War? What a laugh. Blezinksky is a huge Biohazard buff. Gears is a homage (I will not use rip-off)to RE 4!
Western developers has learned and adopted the Japanese style of interpreting western ideas from the early Japanese video game invasion to the present and made them their own.
Complete with their own local designs & with bigger financing and budgets compared to meager Japanese budget.
Sure western developers have their own great contributions to gaming in their own turf.
But most of those games published by Japanese publishers like Capcom, Sega, Sony, Nintendo etc. that sucked are not made by Japanese people but by westerners. And some joint projects by Japanese & westerners sucked because of disagreements. So its not all Japan's fault.
Someday there will be a game that will shine as a synergistic effort of East & West.
enjoy your games no matter what others say of it.