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Comment by bugsy | Hacker News Reader

I have found most Japanese video games to be really linear. Go from level to level following for the most part a set path. I know these things are popular but I find them pretty boring compared to western developer produced games.

There are exceptions. Pacman was great. But things like Mario and Donkey Kong are about pressing the button at the right time, timing skills, not problem solving or exploring.

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With the exception of the major western RPG makers (BioWare, Bethesda), most western games are either just as linear as their Japanese counterparts, or their exploration is almost completely pointless.

Also, I've been very disappointed with the "problem solving" in modern western games, which boil down to "we liked Half-Life 2, so move some crates around!"

Personally, I agree, but on the other hand, Hideo Kojima has been quoted as saying that Japan has lost to western developers.

Here's where: http://www.1up.com/news/hideo-kojima-japan-lost-compared

And here's a translation of the original article: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl...

He seems to think it's a technological and budgetary issue, not a Japanese-ness issue.

To further play devil's advocate, there's another article here: http://www.1up.com/news/kojima-younger-generation-japan-losi... - which seems to point toward disappointment in the education system.

    "The engineering population in Japan may be in jeopardy. We should first review our education system here in Japan."

Your experience with Japanese video games is extremely limited, and extremely outdated.

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