A while back my partner's-brother's-wife's japanese friend came over to Sweden for some sightseeing. Being the game enthusiast that I am, I asked him if he was into games (which he was) and proceeded to ask him if he knew of Hideo Kojima, that guy what took part in making the Metal Gear saga. It was the first japanese gaming franchise that popped into my head, you know, so we had something to talk about.
Apparently he'd never heard of him! He didn't even know what Metal Gear or Metal Gear Solid was! Even after my partner's brother said it "in japanese" (meaning: pronouncing Metal Gear funny).
Now, I realize there are probably a ton of games more popular than any Metal Gear game ever was in Japan, but I really thought both the franchise and Kojima himself were well-known. Aren't they? Maybe my japanese acquaintance wasn't as much into games as I thought? His english was a bit rusty =)
Metal Gear
Tactical, Espionage, Action. A revered and long-running series directed by Hideo Kojima.
Is Metal Gear not big in Japan?
I don't think your partner's-brother's-wife's japanese friend is a good litmus test for an entire country's interest in MG.
It surprised me because I have a lot of friends who play games, many who never even touched a Metal Gear game - and they're still quite aware of the series for one reason or another.
I thought Metal Gear was huge in Japan, so I assumed the average japanese gamer would know of it.
It is bigger in the West, but the displays I saw here for Peace Walker were still significant. It isn't on par with Mario or Dragon Quest or something, but the marketing push it got told me it's no fringe game either. Clothing store Uni-qlo (which is like the Gap in Japan) had a custom line of Metal Gear Peace Walker clothing, and all the mountain dew cans here had MGS branding (with codes for in game downloads). Also, last TGS, the Metal Gear booth was HUGE and took up a large bit of space to show off the Peace Walker Trailer, and demo stations, as well as the Metal Gear Arcade game.
I don't know about Japan in general. But nobody out there is a fan of absolutely everything. All of us have never heard of some game before and I guess Metal Gear as big as it is, is a wierd game to never have heard of. But I guess it just doesn't fall into the interests of this guys gaming habits.
" It is bigger in the West, but the displays I saw here for Peace Walker were still significant. It isn't on par with Mario or Dragon Quest or something, but the marketing push it got told me it's no fringe game either. Clothing store Uni-qlo (which is like the Gap in Japan) had a custom line of Metal Gear Peace Walker clothing, and all the mountain dew cans here had MGS branding (with codes for in game downloads). Also, last TGS, the Metal Gear booth was HUGE and took up a large bit of space to show off the Peace Walker Trailer, and demo stations, as well as the Metal Gear Arcade game. "This is the answer I was hoping for, thanks! My curiosity is sated =)
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