The Best Games of 2020: Japan vs America

With PlayStation and Xbox both launching new consoles at the same time at the end of the year, there's a lot of excitement in the gaming industry. It's a bit early in the year to draw conclusions, but as we head towards the end of the year, the year in review columns are starting to come out. Today's column offers a glimpse into some interesting differences between Japanese and American video game trends.

　First of all, here are the top 15 best-selling video game titles of the year in Japan, as cited by the website "Game Sales Index.”

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

2. Ring Fit Adventure

3. Final Fantasy VII Remake

4. Pokemon Sword and Shield

5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

6. Ghost of Tsushima

7. Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics

8. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

9. Minecraft

10. Splatoon 2

11. Super Mario 3D Collection

12. Super Mario Party

13. Adult Nintendo Switch Training for the Brain

14. Paper Mario Origami King

15. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX

　The centerpiece of this year's gaming world will always be No. 1, Animal Crossing, which has sold an astounding 5.79 million copies as of October, beating out the second-place finisher. While there are many bleak games, adults and children alike are excitedly engrossed in the game together, and the fun of being able to share the enjoyment of this game across generations has become a hot topic of conversation. The second-ranked game, "Ring Fit Adventure," also made a respectable entry in the rankings for its innovative way of blending games and fitness. It also surpassed the one million unit mark, which is a good sign. Notably, both these games are exclusive to Nintendo’s Switch.

　Other than that, there weren't many new titles that made the list, and I got the impression that the solid sellers from the previous year continued to add to the results.

　An oddball smash hit was "Ghost of Tsushima", which is an American game with an imposing Japanese samurai action theme. It's a surprise to learn that this is a purely American game by Sucker Punch Productions. The game's design, specs, and graphics are as sophisticated as if it were made in Japan, which is why it's so popular. Of course, the parent company of Sucker Punch Productions is SONY, the PlayStation company, so it's not hard to imagine that they had the backing of a large scale production, but it seems that the game was planned and developed by an American staff.

　I wonder how they managed to take up a historical subject that very few people outside of Japan know about, such as the invasion of Japan by Mongolian pirates. Looking at a scene from the game, the influence of Kurosawa's movies is obvious, and I imagined that they were just going to make a cool samurai game like Kurosawa's. The setting, the details of the items, and the way the samurai hold their swords are all very similar, and I'm surprised that they don't look out of place.

　As of now, it is hard to obtain definitive sales numbers for video games in the US. Instead, we can compare Japan’s results to the 15 best video games of 2020 as compiled by the popular American magazine ESQUIRE. The 15 titles listed, in no particular order, are:

1. The Last of Us Part II

2. Final Fantasy VII Remake

3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

4. Ghost of Tsushima

5. Streets of Rage 4

6. Moving Out

7. Murder By Numbers

8. Doom Eternal

9. Dreams

10. Ori and the Will of Wisps

11. Half Life: Alyx

12. Journey to the Savage Planet

13. Paper Mario: The Origami King

14. Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics

15. Carrion

　However, the games on this list are all major games that have been featured on other game evaluation sites, so it's a pretty accurate list of the most popular American games of 2020.

　Doubling with Japan are "Animal Crossing", "Final Fantasy VII Remake", "Ghost of Tsushima", "Paper Mario Oligami King" and "Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics".

5 titles. Do you consider this to be a lot or a little?

　In the past, original Japanese games were released first, followed by foreign ports, but in the U.S., a unique feel for games has begun to develop in the U.S., and in the last 10 years, due to the cultural background of the games, there has been a difference in the way games are evaluated between the U.S. and Japan.

　In the United States, it seems that games that pursue a rich and powerful sense of authenticity have always been popular. The sequel to the smash hit "The Last of Us" delves deeper into the deepest human love and hate than its predecessor, and it's as realistic as a HBO or NETFLIX drama. And, as always, the shooters' favorite games like "Doom Eternal" and "Half Life: Alyx" also make the list, which is very American.

　Speaking of Americana, games like Ori and the Will of Wisps, with its unique worldview and critically acclaimed graphics, are released almost year after year. The United States is a nation of many ethnicities, and games have the potential to be created from a variety of backgrounds, from Western history, to Middle Eastern flavors, to Asian tastes, to Latin American styles.

　In addition, super-realistic sports games have formed a huge genre of games that have gained an unshakeable popularity. I have a feeling that American games will continue to diversify in the future by making full use of their vast resources and abundant human resources.

　This difference in orientation toward games between Japan and the U.S. will undoubtedly grow in the future. Of course, games such as the Mario series and Final Fantasy, which have become a part of Japanese culture that we can be proud of, will continue to be popular worldwide, but I also have high hopes for the American companies to make a comeback.

　

     As you can see, there are many interesting aspects of Japanese and American culture, even if it's just one game. Personally, I'm waiting for a full-fledged critique that compares Japanese and American culture through games, but I've only seen miscellaneous stuff yet. I'm secretly hoping that delving into this area will reveal some pretty interesting theories of civilization.

　Whenever I get a chance in the future, I'd like to write about the future of video games with my foolish son, who aspires to be a game creator. I hope that both Japan and the U.S. will work hard together to stimulate each other and form a better video game culture.

Celebrating the Halloween Season in Japan

 

In the United States, the weeks leading up to Halloween are always an exciting and memorable time. At this point there are too many Halloween traditions to count, most notably the decorations, the costumes, and for the kids, trick or treating. That said, many of these traditions are not as common outside of the US. However, in recent years more people from around the world have started to celebrate Halloween, including Japan. But as you might expect, the way in which these traditions have been adopted have led to some interesting differences.

Until recently, Japan’s only exposure to Halloween came in the form of American media. Movies, cartoons and books  imported from the US often contain references to the Halloween season, which gradually led to an increased awareness of the holiday among the Japanese. As a result, Halloween in Japan has much in common with the US at a basic level. It is a celebration of the strange and macabre, and an opportunity to dress up as any outlandish character you can think of.

Many other things one might expect from the season also emerge, such as Halloween themed products in stores, and an increased focus on released horror movies and other media. But when you take a closer look at Halloween day, we begin to see the most key differences.

Most notable is the difference in demographic. While Halloween tends to offer enjoyment to people of all ages, the focus in American is mostly on kids. Going from house to house collecting candy is a memory that many people who grew up in the US share. In contrast, trick or treating is rarely practiced in Japan. While Japanese children might participate in Halloween-themed activities in school or at home, the act of going door to door looking for candy is not widely practiced, and considered unusual.

Instead, Halloween celebrations mostly revolve around teens and young adults. Costume parties are increasingly common in Japan, especially in urban centers like Tokyo. These events might be held privately, but the most noticeable are the huge outdoor gathering hosted by bars, clubs and communities. Costume parades are also a popular activity on the night of Halloween, with crowds of people gathering to show off their costumes, drink, and celebrate. Costumes vary widely, from old school monsters like vampires and zombies to popular characters from movies, video games and anime.

These celebrations have only gotten bigger and bigger in the last few years, which suggests that the adoption of Halloween by the Japanese will only grow more widespread in the future. It is good to see so many people enjoying new traditions, and evolving their own unique ways of celebrating them. While these large scale celebrations will certainly be less prominent this year, hopefully they will continue to be enjoyed for years to come.

Xbox Series X Vs PlayStation 5: Who Will Win?

 

2020 marks the beginning of a new decade, and with it comes a new generation of gaming consoles. As has been the case for decades now, the two biggest competitors (aside from Nintendo) are Microsoft's Xbox and Sony’s Playstation, which will both be releasing new hardware by the end of the year. These new consoles, dubbed the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5, will be competing directly with each other for a place in households around the world. The question is, which one will prevail in the impending console war?

A bit of background might be required to better understand what is at stake. Gaming consoles have come a long way since their origins in the 80s, when Nintendo and Sega dominated the landscape. While Nintendo is still going strong today, they owe their continued success by investing more in experimental hardware and the strength of their exclusive properties. In contrast, the Xbox and PlayStation have focussed on delivering the most powerful and versatile home consoles, capable of displaying impressive graphics and multimedia capabilities.

As such, the marketing for both of these brands in the past has largely focussed on displaying large and graphically impressive games made by big developers like Rockstar and Ubisoft. But in terms of power, it seems like the gap in quality is becoming harder to discern. It is widely known that neither console will be able to compete with a high end gaming PC when it comes to power and performance, but even when compared to each other, there are few noticeable differences as of yet. While Xbox technically has a slight edge in hardware, few people claim that this will have a significant impact on what it will be capable of.

The issue of console exclusive games is a more complicated matter. While Sony almost certainly has a wider range of exclusive franchises under its belt, Microsoft has been making moves to close the gap. Most notably, it was recently announced that Microsoft has acquired Bethesda, developers of the extremely popular Fallout and Elder Scrolls games, among many others. This could be a huge shake up to the status quo depending on how exclusive future Bethesda titles will be. That said, Xbox has yet to announce any significant games that will be launching with the system, leaving many to doubt if there will be much reason to buy the Series X when it comes out. On the other hand, Sony has some big names like Spiderman and Demons Souls and Horizon Zero Dawn on the way, which for some is more than enough to ensure a purchase.

One final difference worth taking into account is the business model. Both consoles will be priced at $499 at launch, and both have stated their intention to raise the price of first-party games from $60 to $70. In that regard, the decision is basically a toss up, but there are other factors to take into account. Most pressing is the Xbox game pass, a subscription service that provides access to hundreds of games as well as game streaming functionality. While Sony has also experimented with this business model, Microsoft has invested more into this idea, with a more modern selection of games and more support for cloud gaming.

With all this in mind, who is most likely to succeed in the next generation of gaming? Obviously, it is too soon to tell at this point, but we can speculate. The Xbox One was decidedly less popular than the PS4, bogged down by restrictions on used games and a lackluster line of exclusives. That said, it seems that they have made an effort to shore up their weaknesses this time around, with their possession of Bethesda being a potentially huge asset. On the other hand, if history is anything to go by, Sony is in a good position to hold on to their place at the top. Their exclusive games have remained strong over the years, and that trend shows no signs of stopping. Combined with its competitive price point and hardware, it’s hard to imagine much reason for a PlayStation fan to switch sides at this point. Still, nothing is guaranteed in the gaming industry, and it's just as likely that some unpredictable factors will swing the advantage in one direction or another.