Japanese Games Get A Free Pass According to AC3 Director. In What Universe Sir?

During an interview with CVG, Assassin’s creed 3 lead director Alex Hutchinson had some rather interesting things to say about Japanese games and how they are treated by gaming journalists. Hutchinson believes that games from the land of the rising sun get a free pass while western developed games are scrutinized harshly.

[jc48573]

If they did get free pass, wouldn't we see high scores? To be honest, AC is pretty much falling under the same trap as Japanese games where their scores used to very high. I like AC, but I still disagree with Japanese games getting free pass. Rarely do I see 9s for Japanese games.

[Nimblest-Assassin]

He was blasting the stories in Japanese games.... which is not fair as some Japanese games (Zelda and MGS) have great stories... but there are games like Bayonetta (which was the one he was complaining about) and Resident evil that have some really crazy stories.

It is weird, because people just dismissed Bayonettas story completely when reviewing it, but Japanese games are reviewed fairly in story as well

Reviewers cracked down on other M (metroid) because the story was god awful. They cracked down on Kingdom Hearts 3d. They cracked down on NSMB 2, since the game is more of the same, except you need to collect coins...

Personally, I do not know why some games are reviewed in the way they are... I mean war for Cybertron and Gears of war have the same idea, but gears gets better reviews.... its peoples opinions in the end... some let it slide, some don't

Now games are percieved fairly, and frankly I think Hutchinson was acting immaturely there, thinking that reviewers have subtle racism. And lets face it... the future stuff in AC really requires you strech the imagination

Also AC1 was mixed, AC2 and ACB got critical acclaim, and ACR was mixed (since it felt like a feature gimped brotherhood, and imo should have never been made), but I think AC3 will be great

However I agree with the author of this article with this statement

"Both Fallout 3 and Skyrim are by Bethesda, a company whose collective cock must be red from all the sucking done by journalists. This company releases some of the most bug and glitch filled games ever seen yet they are constantly showered with love. The bugs are seen as endearing."

I was baffled that "journalists" were praising this game for simply being big. The combat was meh, the story was also meh, and the bugs were ridiculous... and it won the most GOTY's last year.... WTF?

[srcBFMVBMTH]

"I was baffled that "journalists" were praising this game for simply being big. The combat was meh, the story was also meh, and the bugs were ridiculous... and it won the most GOTY's last year.... WTF?"

AGREED 100% when talking about Fallout 3 and Skyrim. I thought it was pretty ridiculous as well. LOL.

[OOG]

Yeah I wont lie I'm one of those people that look at a game like Skyrim or Fallout and since the scale is so large give it a little bit a room for mistake due to the sheer size of the project.... the bigger the project the more issues I expect.... but I don't know

[r2kcipher]

skyrim hate is getting old guys. no one played it for the story. people that played it on pc or 360 had very little bugs. and the combat has improved since oblivion, especially the magic.

lets see if you can name some sandbox rpgs on the same level as fallout and elder scrolls. honestly ill love to play them. the closest ive gotten to is mount and blade and that game has its own problems.

[Nimblest-Assassin]

@r2kcipher

I honestly felt all those things are lacking, and the game didn't do anything well, except for the scale... I don't hate the game, I just think its overrated imo.

And honestly, I would prefer a polished linear game, over a large game filled with bugs... but thats just me

[OOG]

if you prefer a more polished smaller game... then maybe a Bethesda game isn't for you.. its not like people don't know what they are getting into... the games are huge and in a league of their own ... not all games can be judge through the same point of view... different styles of games need different formats of review....

[stragomccloud]

It's kind of funny, especially considering that the game is super small compared to Xenoblade which is about the size of California.

[ALLWRONG]

I disagree. Japanese games do not have great stories, at least for most western gamers. Western games are on a rise because they have stories western gamers can relate to.

This guy says "western developed games are scrutinized" that's because western reviewers and media are picky and don't have a problem kicking you when you're down.

[kostchtchie_]

well said mate

[Jazz4108]

It seems like most people on n4g think the world is against anything japanese and sony when this is not true. There was a time when sony and japanese companys ruled all things electronics and they were regularly praised. Times have changes as the what have you done for me latley philosophy rings true when companys like samsung,lg, apple and microsoft have passed them up in quality and price. Even the japanese eat there apples regularly which says alot as japan is very much a loyal bunch to their own companys while the rest of the world buys whatever makes sense and is in there budget. Sony to be specific is no where near the company they were five years ago and microsoft is no where near the profit house they were in the middle of the .com phase where they were the richest company in the world. Times change and in ten years new powerhouses will emerge but japan and Sony have to start changing with the times because that is what is hurting them as the world is not loyal to them like the japanese market. When a Japanese person says the word Sony its so funny as there eyes light up and the excitement shows. This type of feeling needs to be put in there products and there advertisements or Sony will be nothing more then a memory soon.

[Kin23g]

I completely agree with the article!
Japanese games -if anything- are being overshadowed by western ones.

[deathman6001]

This guy is out of his mind if he really thinks this.

[OOG]

lol

[Xof]

Maybe he's suffering from a some mental condition? If he'd said it the other way around, he'd have been right on the money (and probably generated twice as much controversy due to that particular brand of bigotry being so prevalent these days).

[g5bay]

i agree

[ThanatosDMC]

I thought it was the other way around as long as reviewers get something nice.

[OOG]

yeah...... reviewing is a interesting thing since people can swayed on little things.... perks etc

[sashimi]

whatever he's smoking, i'd like some.

[PoSTedUP]

ok he gave me his number: 1-631-256-crystal meth, only call during whenever you want tho, he doesn't really even sleep.

[amaguli]

A free pass? Buggy games like Skyrim get released and gets showered with GOTY awards left and right, while gamers are begging Namco to release the latest in the Tales series. Honestly, this guy is just talking out of his ass.

[Blastoise]

True that

[SnipeySnake]

You said it perfectly.

[nihonlight]

Hey Ubisoft guy,
It's the other way around.
Sidenote* Skyrim really proved you can release crap And get GOTY.

[wishingW3L]

I understand the point of the author but this article was badly written.

"FFXIII’s supposedly linearity was also critiqued yet Call of duty games do nothing but funnel you through the game and those are the best-selling, highest rated games in the industry"

The opinion piece or whatever this is it's all over the place.

[user5467007]

In the Universe where Japanese devs get free pass's....come on

Does this know nothing about the Multiverse Theory

"Every decison thats made in this universe is played out in another universes"

So theres a universe where Japanese developers always get a free pass...for whatever reason

YEAH SCIENCE

http://25.media.tumblr.com/...

[PS3PWNSALL]

uh o multi universe stuff... *head explodes

[bubblebeam]

Love all that theory. Quantum Suicide was another head twisting one, my personal favourite.

[sugadaddy]

"Both Fallout 3 and Skyrim are by Bethesda, a company whose collective cock must be red from all the sucking done by journalists. This company releases some of the most bug and glitch filled games ever seen yet they are constantly showered with love. The bugs are seen as endearing."

Finally someone had the balls to say it. Though I don't see it changing soon. People are already foaming at the mouth for Fallout 4 which will surely go the way of Fallout 3 and will be described as Skyrim with guns yet will still praised almost universally by western video game "journalists."

[UnitSmiley]

Yeah exactly. I'm tired of seeing such obvious biases for big name games like that.

Personally I've tried both of those games (even bought Skyrim on launch). Hated them both.

[Romudeth]

"Finally someone had the balls to say it."

Exactly. Bethesda gets a pass, not Japanese games.

[PS3PWNSALL]

but with the size of what Bathesda has done... doesn't it have to be looked at with a different point of view..... there are games like Bayonetta that had little to no story or was totally retarded but they also got high reviews because people gave it a pass....

[GupX19A]

I highly enjoyed this article.

[OOG]

good to hear ill pass it on to the writer... come back for more some time lol

[tiffac008]

Free pass? Japanese games are more ridiculed this generation more than anything else. People have forgotten to accept the culture as it is and has branded almost everything Japanese in games as inferior.

Good job on the author for actually pointing that out. I think Mr. Hutchinson is still living in the pass when JRPGs were popular.

[PS3PWNSALL]

I wish that they would of had the guy be more specific so we could know what he is thinking because there are some games that get free passes but thats Japan and America

[PS3PWNSALL]

preach preach..... the guy must have not been thinking when we said Japan gets a pass.... most games are trashed

[tordavis]

Great read!

[ShiftyLookingCow]

oops! sorry for the disagree, it was accidental.

[Bimkoblerutso]

It was definitely a stupid, arrogant thing for that dev to say.

Though don't get me wrong. I actually think the way Westerners review Japanese games IS THE RIGHT WAY TO REVIEW GAMES -- a review is meant weigh the pros and cons of a given game and award a score accordingly. It's just that big AAA Western games are not afforded the same critical eye most of the time.

As much as I love Bethesda's games, given the amount of problems with not only their bugs, but their narratives and presentation, it absolutely amazes me how often those things are overlooked when it comes time to review them.

[Romudeth]

That's a good point. Western games aren't reviewed as critically as Japanese games are. ALL games should be reviewed critically regardless of what country they're from.

[vyke3]

Oh yeah. Just like how FFXIII got a free pass....oh wait... What about Capcom games!? Those get plenty of free passes too right?..Right???...No?...Oh well..

[iWishTifaWasReal]

eyy this guy does have a good point.

Western Games = Gameplay - priority first, Story - dont care at all, Final Product - filled with bugs and glitches

Japanese Games = Story and Gameplay - priority first, Final Product - Excellent *except Capcom *cough DLC milking company

anyway, not all western games and j-games are like that (thats pretty much obvious) but you get the point.

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

Nobody gets a free pass except Nintendo.

[Romudeth]

Nintendo is one of the few Japanese companies to get a pass. This is true.

[bubblebeam]

Could not have said better Heavenly sword guy. A lot of Japanesew games are overlooked, but Nintendo ones are god aweful sometimes.

Assassins creed revelations is criticised for not changing much, a lot like the last ten thousand mario games, yet they get a FREE PASS.

Zelda for instance. Excellent games, but a little light on variety these days. Darksiders 2 is a clone (Love it, playing it right now), but it has brought levels to the table, skill tress, many combos with moves, heaps of sidequests etc etc the list goes on.

But if the next Zelda game still has none of these, it will still be geting 10 out of 10 from most reviewers. Pretty unfair tbh, not saying the games are bad, just that Nintendo get a massive free pass. Must be all that nostalgia...........

[MacDonagh]

Good article.

Some Western games get away with a lot. Binary Domain for instance was unfairly panned in my view because so many journalists wrote it off as merely a Gears of War clone without actually examining any of it's merits.

[Nacho_Black]

I couldn't agree with this article more.

The bandwagon jumping in the case of XIII was ridiculous and XIII-2 was an amazing game that didn't get the overall scores it deserved.

Western devs don't even come close to implementing the level of depth into their games that jrpgs have.

[Kureno_Nakamura]

Want to make people not want to buy AC3? Say dumb crap like that...it's working on me.

[omarzy]

I have a possible reason The percentage of Japanese games that get released outside of Japan is horribly low which results in the West only localizing critically acclaimed franchises, system sellers, and series that are known to be loved all over. If you only get a chance to review what is probably a good game due to selective localization, then this "free pass" idea pops up. Also, Japanese games are made around the culture of Japan and what Japanese consumers want, Shin Megami Tensei was not developed for GTA fans, so you have to review it with that it mind. He says reviews with one question "is the story any good" That is how it should be, and maybe that is exactly what is happening(who would have thought)

[BuffMordecai]

Japanese game stories are usually miles better that than their Western counterparts. Nier's story was probably the best I've seen this gen.

[Hicken]

Nier was superb. Loved the world, the characters, and especially the music. The extra things you learn on subsequent playthroughs was mind blowing.

I wish we'd gotten the other version, Replicant, as well.

[HonestDragon]

Japanese role-playing games so do not get free passes. If anything, I refer everyone to a review on Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland on Gamedynamo.com. N4G actually has a link page for it, too.

In it the reviewer talks about how, "Japanese video games have gotten a bad rap in the past few years for being stuck in clichés with little appeal beyond the island nation's shores. This is especially true for Japanese RPGs, once the international emperor of the game industry, but now reduced to an increasingly inaccessible niche." In particular, he bashes this game. His reasons, however, stem from the very thing he mentions here:

"Many JRPG developers have responded to these accusations by producing more innovative titles, and they have gotten all but the most narrow-minded and xenophobic game critics to take notice."

Read his summary at the bottom for his score to see more details why the game got the score it did. You can see my comment on the N4G link for the story. Without a doubt, Japanese role-playing games face more scrutiny over here then yearly releases of sports games and shooters. Reviewers over here clearly favor those types of games over anything (doesn't matter where it's from) that tries to be different or is something familiar.

[knifefight]

Sounds like some butthurt.