The sad part is, everyone is right: Microsoft fucked up. We got 6 launch titles, and of them, Ridge Racers and (perhaps) Perfect Dark were the only standout entries. The EA games were complete garbage. Every Party didn't even try for the "next gen" label, and as for the Tetris game... you can make your own assumptions on that.
If MS had waited, they would have been able to launch with a few more localized American games, and the big Japanese hits (DOA4, 99 Nights, eM eNCHANT ARM) that were delayed, could have made the line-up as well. But still, as nice as a success would have been, in my heart I knew it wasn't going to happen. This is the same company that released their "World Collection" as a means for pulling the original Xbox back into the mainstream, then filled out that catalogue with titles like the Cat in the Hat, and Rapella's Fishing. MS Japan really doesn't have a fucking clue.
Japanese retailers aren't much better though, many of them didn't get behind the product at all. Online reports suggest there were instore displays, and promotions out the yingyang, but that was the exception and not the norm. Most places I visited (including the big electronic stores) had minimal promotional materials, with posters, banners etc seeming scarce. One place (Best Denki you SUCK)had the Xbox 360 crammed into a half sized shelf with a hand painted sign announcing the product and an old EA Sports monitor playing clips of DOA4 . It looked cheap and nasty, and I can understand why the locals didn't go for it.
Furthermore, what instore displays I saw were often stuck in the corner behind PS2 stuff. I once moved a Perfect Dark cardboard stand into a more prominent position, only to find the next day some smart arse had put a Rogue Galaxy cut out in front of it. Plug the RPG, screw the FPS... how very Japanese.
Seriously though, fuck Japan. They don't know what they're missing out on. Let them have their Marios and their PS3, I have a power supply that could potentially kill someone, and that makes me twice as manly as the rest of those fruits. Some American games are region free already, and with the system's launch in Asia next March, the bulk of the Western catalogue will be compatible with my NTSC-J machine.
Fuck you MS Japan. I don't need your incompetence...
/end venom
| Most recent blog posts from Michael Scott... | |
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Genj - December 13, 2005 (08:52 PM) I sure enjoy living in this America place :) |
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midwinter - December 13, 2005 (10:09 PM) Yeah your crack houses, drive by shootings, beer swilling red necks, and orange cheese are second to none :) |
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lasthero - December 14, 2005 (05:28 AM) Wait...cheese isn't orange other places? o_O I must rethink my life now. |
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goldenvortex - December 14, 2005 (07:33 AM) Hmm, you have a lot of hate towards the world. Try playing Hokuto no Ken 2 at your local arcade to relieve stress. You do have one of those, right? |
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Genj - December 14, 2005 (08:02 AM) In my 19 years, 5 months, and 10 days of living, I have never experienced first hand crack houses, drive by shootings or beer swilling rednecks. Also, I don't see what you have against orange cheese. |
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lasthero - December 14, 2005 (09:31 AM) I've never seen any crack houses or drive-by shooting, though I have seen my share of beer-swilling rednecks. And orange cheese is awesome. Grilled Cheese+Tomatoe Soup=A very good day. It really depends on where you live, though. I live in the suburbs, and aside from this jackass spray painting what may or may not have been a swastika on my storage house, things are relatively peaceful. |
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