The Gamer's Quarter

[TheRumblefish]

I have tried many of times to write in article detailing the use of first person camera views in Eastern game philosophy, and have failed every single time. I can however document the games that I have played that implemented the use of first person incredibly well such as the Dungeon Crawling Mecha Trilogy: Kileak: The DNA Imperative, Epidemic!, and Brahma Force. All of which I am 110% sure are connected in some way or another. Similar mechanical designs, level designs and weapon designs. The stories all vaguely deal with some sort of virus as well, which further links the games.

The number one problem with further detailing all of the games is finding information on the games themselves. No listings on any websites except small reviews, no rock star game designers who got their start with the projects, poor sales, e.t.c. So what has been your experience if any with these FPS? Perhaps, what has been your experience with any FP game itself from Japan?

King's Field? Eternal Ring? Coded Arms? Deception? What stands above the rest? IS there a paramount to all of it, or has it remained a shallow and stale genre trying to imitate it's Western counter parts? Does it have an evolution? So many questions, and yet very few answers.

So for fun, is there any future with the use of First Person in Japan?
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[dessgeega]

x operations is a pretty swell doujin freeware fps that i have been playing.

it's a lot like goldeneye.
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[Cycle]

Jumping Flash! is a pretty cool FPS/Platform game!

Well, apart from the FPS levels.

I hear Breakdown on the xbox is pretty swell... when it's not trying to be an FPS.

Hmm.

Deception isn't really a FPS at all. I don't remember shooting anything.

[TheRumblefish]

[Mr. Mechanical]

[Sushi d]

[DaleNixon]

Breakdown is pretty amazing. It's the first FPS I've played where you have legs when you look down and items you pick up are consumed or equipped in real-time. Even putting on a jacket shows you slipping it over each arm in first person! It's absolutely the most immersing first person game I've ever played.

[squidlarkin]

Rumblefish, please tell us more about the three games you mentioned because they're obscure PSX games that I won't be able to download and I've never heard of them.

[TheRumblefish]

[dessgeega]

so x ops online is pretty great, especially since each game is over in about a minute.
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[Cycle]

I also like how you only have one life, and once it's gone, it's off to the next map. Encourages tactics and actually valuing the life given to you.

I also love that on some levels, one side is way under-powered than the other team. You hardly ever win, but I think it's more fun being on the under-powered side and when you do occasionaly win, it's very rewarding.

And yeah, levels that last for about a minute. Then it's off to the next one with no loading times.

I remember playing a prank on my friend, trying to convince him that nintendo were making a Mario FPS called "Mario Paintball". Xops is how I imagined a Nintendo FPS game.

Let's all start a clan!

[calintz]

FPS is generally a genre which the Japanese have kinda failed to really rise above mediocrity, something of a similar story in terms of the west trying to create fighting games or turn base RPGs.

Coded Arms is my hope for the Japanese market, but seriously, when looking for FPS, why look to the east?
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...九龍で会いましょう...（*☼＿☉*）

[player 2]

HOLY FUCK.

Lost Planet, that mech game set on a snowy planet developed by Kenji Inafune who also made Megaman and Dead Rising, is, at least partially, INSPIRED BY HALO.

WHAT?
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Wii #: 8749 9109 9732 3653

"It is a peaceful way of understanding life, to play"
_Marcel Duchamp

[TheRumblefish]

[player 2]

You guys, the FPS is totally in contrast to Eastern art in general.

In Eastern art, representing reality completely is almost sacreligious. It would be like taking the soul of the object. That's why there are so many generalizations in Eastern art. It's also probably why they accept cartoons a lot more over there. In Western art, representing reality is almost the end goal. Even abstract paintings are explained in terms of reality.

In a Western RPG you create your own character and that's you. It's all about you. In jRPGs your character is your character. You are a separate entity completely. Itoi makes you completely aware. In fact, in any Western game you'll find that your characters are generally more bland, more tabula rasa so you can feel comfortable putting your big feet into their digital shoes. Compare this to Japanese games where you'll find that your characters have superfluous details like Blood type and Favorite Sport in their character sheets. And these things matter -in-game-. So while in the West you are free to do whatever you want, in the East you're still doing whatever the character in the game wants.

Now, you can find exceptions, but this is just how it works in general.

How does this apply to FPSes? Well, it's just fucking weird to abstract sight. 90% of Japanese games are 3rd person because it still is a system, an abstraction of reality. There are other reasons, but this is probably the biggest overarching one. In fact, any differences between Western and Eastern games can be described by the differences in Western and Eastern art.
_________________
Wii #: 8749 9109 9732 3653

"It is a peaceful way of understanding life, to play"
_Marcel Duchamp

[calintz]

You make an intersting point in reference to the art, which also can be a reference to the state of mind between eastern and western people. Generally, by eastern (gaming wise) one refers to the Japanese, right?

ok, once it has been theorised that the Japanese mind is different to that of the western. The Japanese think with logic as opposed to the emotional thinking of the west.
Given this, and taking it to the FPS point of view, can't one see that a systematic and almost workman-like rigor is placed in Japanese made FPS games, where as the western FPS, it relies in the gamer's emotions, providing an atmosphere, and a persona embodying all aspect of masculinity.
Japanese FPS (and JRPG) provide a logic in how everything is attained, from your emotion and your skill. In a western FPS, I think generally, atmosphere is made for one to delve into, become engrossed and eventually become experienced enough to continue on, not thru skill points or level points.

err...umm...I don't know if that made sense -_-"
it's like 3:45am here...and I should be asleep, not theorising FPS games :p
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...九龍で会いましょう...（*☼＿☉*）

[dhex]

[calintz]

it's been awhile since I researched this, but in short, Tsunoda Tadanobu (角田忠信) theorised in 1978's The Japanese Brain (under the influence of nationalistic pride that is Nihonjinron) that the Japanese thought differently than those of the west. He believed that the Japanese utilized the logical side of the brain when speaking, intercting, thinking etc. as opposed to the west using the emotional side of their brain. This in turn allowed him to raise his nation and say that no one but the Japanese can speak, read or write Japanese, since it all has to do with the way our brains work.

Obviously, this is was all taken to be pseudo-science, as he had nothing to back up these claims, and wasn't really considered a scientist, but he wrote alot of books regarding this topic in Japan.
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...九龍で会いましょう...（*☼＿☉*）

[dhex]

gotcha. thanks. that's interesting.
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[dessgeega]

[TheRumblefish]

[dark steve]

I bought Maken X new in a store

[TheRumblefish]

[OtakupunkX]

I've always wanted to play Maken X, but I've never been lucky enough to stumble upon it anywhere, and I don't check eBay as often as I should.

I do own GunGriffon, which was mentioned earlier in the thread. It's an FPS in the very basic sense of the term (as in it's presented in a first-person perspective and you can shoot things), but I've always thought of it as a mech sim more than anything. It's worth tracking down if you like that sort of thing.

[player 2]

Have you guys ever played the either of the games in the Phantom Crash series? They're pretty much Japanese FPSes with giant robots and 3rd person... I mean... well, they play like FPSes. And they have an FPS mode that is pretty rad.
_________________
Wii #: 8749 9109 9732 3653

"It is a peaceful way of understanding life, to play"
_Marcel Duchamp

[TheRumblefish]

[player 2]

The original has the best soundtrack from any game I've ever played.
_________________
Wii #: 8749 9109 9732 3653

"It is a peaceful way of understanding life, to play"
_Marcel Duchamp

[TheRumblefish]

[player 2]

japanese ska and punk for half of it, some techno and other stuff fill out the rest
_________________
Wii #: 8749 9109 9732 3653

"It is a peaceful way of understanding life, to play"
_Marcel Duchamp