Pet Peeve: Japanese handheld developers.

[Zeta]

They're developing for a Japanese market without thinking of overseas markets. Specifically, most handheld games have features or even an entire half a game of content that can only be accessed via multiplayer features. Kingdom Hearts, Monster Hunter, Pokemon, Dragon Quest.

In Japan, where the population is so thickly packed and everyone is carting around consoles and the most popular games, that's fine.

But if you're an American (or really any non-Japanese), chances are you're living in a more sparsely populated area, where you might never even meet another person who plays the same portable console game as you. Finding a person who plays the same console AND wants to play with you AND has the exact same copies of all the titles is almost impossible outside of one of the US's larger cities.

So we have all these handheld titles coming out that are like 50-60% built around multiplayer features that most American players might not even see. This is even worse if you're an adult, because sometimes you get so desperate you want to run up to the kid in the mall you see playing a DS, but then you get arrested for kidnapping.

Basically, JPN devs need to make nearly all of their content accessible without having to play with someone else. Kingdom Hearts and their 20-something characters that you can only play if you have a bunch of friends who ALSO have Kingdom Hearts, I'm looking straight at you.

This is why Japanese developers don't get why Americans whine about not having online play. Yes, in Japan you'll be in a subway carriage with 10 other people who all have Dragon Quest DS. In the US, you'll be lucky to ever SEE another person playing your console, and you'll probably be hit by lightning before you see someone playing your console AND the particular game you want to play.

I wish someone would bring this to the attention of the Japanese handheld developer community as a whole.
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[Our Wasted Years]

American's whine like bitches yet they buy their products. You really think the Japanese are that stupid? Their making money and you think they care because you're crying over your keyboard? If you don't like their games, buy another one that has online play, there are plenty of them out there.

 

[Mooites]

Aw, no need to be mean...

But weren't the games designed for kids to play on the playground between school hours? So they'll all be together when they play. Maybe thats the reason its so centered around multiplayer.

 

[fate]

This is why when I heard DQ9 had no wifi co-op I was like "AW HELL NO". The wireless connection co-op is useless outside of Japan, since a) gaming in public is still considered "lol wut a nerd" and b) Dragon Quest outside Japan, lol.

However, Japan will market to Japan first and the rest of the world later, if at all.

If you don't like their games, buy another one that has online play, there are plenty of them out there.

Theoretically sound, however those other games may not appeal to the person. In my case, I was hyped for a little over a year about playing Dragon Quest with people around the world, going and playing something else as a substitute won't exactly fulfill that.

Also, I must agree with a point made in the OP, it's very annoying when single play features are stuck hidden in these mutliplay things.

Examples that annoyed me: legendary blacksmith in FF3 DS, secret weapons in FFT: War of the Lions...

This ESPECIALLY concerns me, again, about Dragon Quest IX over here. Dragon Quest IX has a series of wifi events going on that add to the game. I know for certain Square Enix NA will not care enough about the game here to give us those, and bam, we get like 60% of the game due to that.

 

[Mitchman]

This is why the golden crown hunt in KH 358/2 Days is done if you do the missions solo as well.

 

[Juicy Jazzy]

So you're complaining that a Japanese country is making games that suit their own demographic/population?

Why should they bend over backwards and spend more money on a game which will still be bought by millions of people all over the world. Sure, it'd be nice to have these features but complaining is a bit too much.

I understand you're probably spoon fed a lot of shit by game developers to your own demographic but it doesn't always happen. In some cases it does though (Ultime Ninja Storm I'm looking at you, although that was a PS3 game and not a handheld one).

(... but Nintendo WFC sucks ... dunno why you'd want it in the first place when its so annoying to use ...)