Tokyo: Microsoft
Poor Microsoft. Even with a giant dragon, Akira Toriyama and a gaggle of Japanese cuties, the Big M couldn’t seem to make a dent in the land of Sony. But you can’t fault them for not trying.
Poor Microsoft. Even with a giant dragon, Akira Toriyama and a gaggle of Japanese cuties, the Big M couldn’t seem to make a dent in the land of Sony. But you can’t fault them for not trying.
Blue Dragon was obviously the star of Microsoft’s booth. With its Japanese RPG developer and character designs by Dragonball’s Akira Toriyama, you’d expect this game to be an easy sell. You’d be wrong! The crowds seemed unimpressed despite the game’s pedigree. Nevertheless, Microsoft pulled out all the stops. Bags emblazoned with the game’s logo. A giant dragon (pictured) at the booth. Babes at the nearby rail stations handing out posters. Ads all over town. Could it be that we’re more excited about this game than the entire Japanese populace?
A game industry vet explained it to me thusly: the Japanese just don’t want to buy an American console, no matter how good the games are. Okay, but then can someone please explain the popularity of Snoopy and his pals? (And don’t get me started on Disney.)
As far as I can tell, the Japanese don’t know what they’re missing. With support from heavy hitters like Capcom (Dead Rising) and niche titles to please the otaku, what’s to complain about? Check out the shot of a “Battle Robot” style game (pictured) that was playable at the booth. You know that one won’t be coming to America…
No one knows if the X360’s Japanese sales are going to pick up, but if Microsoft can’t move the needle after this showing, maybe it’s time to throw in the towel. Heck, I think the Japanese fanboys were more excited about the piece of equipment on the right:
MegaMatt
Posted to Video Games on 24 September 2006
· Comments (2)
Other stuff like this: blue dragon, microsoft, tokyo game show
I can and will blame them for not trying. Their Do! Do! Do! campaign is a joke and they just don’t have enought that appeals to a Japanese audience. During their show, Moore didn’t really show anything interesting, instead talking marketing (something that no one cares about). Just offering a big title like Blue Dragon would never be enough, they need to back it up with more and more JRPGs that get the Japanese blood pumping.
In regards to the ‘Battle Robot’ game above at the demo kiosk – the game is Super Robot Taisen (Wars) XO, which is (if memory serves me correctly) a port of the Gamecube Super Robot Taisen game from not too long ago. The Super Robot Taisen series has been around forever, with literally dozens of games, and it’s a turn-based strategy series with licensed robots from various anime. It’s really good stuff – we’ve never seen any of the licensed titles here, due to the legal licensing complications, but about a month or two ago, Atlus published Super Robot Taisen Original Generation for the GBA, since it includes no licensed robots. If anyone is a fan of turn-based strategy and/or big robot anime, check out the series.