Using the Michael Bay method is not the way to go Shinji

In a recent interview with director Shinji Mikami, the man behind Resident Evil, God Hand, and Vanquish stated that “Japan needs to make games like Hollywood makes movies.” The director’s not the only person to say something about Japan’s influence on the gaming industry. Keiji Inafune, then-co-designer of the Mega Man franchise, has also mentioned that he felt that Japanese game designers have fallen behind. And Phil Fish, creator of Fez, recently said “Your games just suck.”

Shinji continues with stating, “Japan used to have the lead in the game industry, but now it’s quite clearly America. To be told that Japanese games suck is a bit harsh. But personally, 80% of the games I play at the moment are not Japanese. Skyrim, Batman…games like that are more interesting to me right now. Japan needs to make more good games if it wants people to think otherwise.” When Shinji is asked about any games that are of the exception he states, “Yes, there are amazing games, just not enough of them… So many are based on anime or fantasy – games that only appeal to Japanese people. Most gamers overseas aren’t interested in anime.” Shinji then moves to comment on a game that’s closer to home, “We made Okami at Clover. It was such a breathtaking game, yet it didn’t sell. If that’s the case, westerners obviously don’t like that sort of game. Maybe they prefer something a little more straightforward.”

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