Get ready for an onslaught of Listen UP episodes this week because Garnett and crew are doing daily podcasts from the Tokyo Game Show.
The first half of this one is taken up by Justin Epperson, John Ricciardi and Mark MacDonald talking about Dragon Quest and Monster Hunter. These games dominate the Japanese gaming landscape for reasons that don’t translate in the Western Market.
The second half is where the really interesting discussion takes place. The group discusses the state of the Japanese game market and game developers. This generation has seen a huge shift in the dominance of Japanese developed games to Western developed games and the group here have a lot of interesting insights to share.
No one is expecting any huge announcements at TGS, but we can hope.
Covered games and topics: Dragon Quest, Monster Hiunter, Tomodachi collection, Japanese vs. Western dev philosphy, development trends
We start our Tokyo Game Show coverage by catching up on the hottest games in Japan and a general look at the videogame scene here with Justin Epperson, John Ricciardi, and Mark MacDonald of 8-4. Sam Kennedy and David Ellis also join Garnett at the table as the group gets up to speed on Monster Hunter, Dragon Quest, and more. The second half of the show then gets into some of the trends here including the popularity of handheld gaming and a breakdown of the current situation for Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360.
Runtime – 1:13:55
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Great episode. Loved the Japanese discussion; what they said about the online services and differences with players with the US and Japan is so true. Always great to have Mark MacDonald back on.