I have a few ideas why the Japanese developers are struggling maintaning their grasp on the industry and the audience.  I'm not claiming I'm right and I encourage debate, so don't be all hateful and stuff, ok? 

Here I'm gonna cover one factor where Japanese developed games always dominated in the past:  Graphics.

This used to be the driving factor for most games.  Who could make what game look better than it's competition.  Each system offered more memory which meant better graphics.  This went on for years, but has sorta died down in this generation.  It used to be we looked to the Metal Gears and such to set the standard for graphics.  Gran Turismo's and the like helped make games a little more believable with each iteration.  I just think this is less of a factor today, considering the amazing graphics all of the systems can pump out.  I constantly hear gamers complaining about everything being brown and gray with games these days, and I agree with some of that.  I see games that look crisp and clear and things that would be shiny in real life are shiny in games.  I see things that look rough and course look the same in games these days.  Translation:  They all basically look the same, but in a GOOD way. 

Some games have more DETAIL than others.  This is true, no doubt.  Games like Gears of War and LittleBigPlanet stand out for their polish and amount of details in the game, but none of them are really making people stop and say "wow" anymore. 

Bigger concerns I hear about these days include load times, control issues, or game length, just to name a few.  These things are a universal complaint, no matter what system or genre, I see these same things popping up.  Have we moved past simple eye candy?  Are gamers overall actually starting to dig a little deeper under the surface and wanting better quality as well as wanting the big "S" ?  Story?

Well, tell me what you think.

It's late.  I'ma continue this later.


Wesman