"Your games just suck." That's what Fez creator Phil Fish responded at a panel at this year's GDC when a Japense developer asked him what he thought about Japanese titles. Those four words were enough to create an awkward silence and a bit of tension in the air during the panel. Furthermore, those four words were enough for the overly sensitive denizens of the internet to go on rants all over the web and call Fish a racist. Ouch.
First off, I have to say I completely disagree with Fish. Sure, we've gotten garbage from Japan such as Final Fantasy XIII, but we've also gotten some stellar titles. Games such as No More Heroes, Street Fighter X Tekken, Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and countless others have been critical and commercial successes, and they were so because they were damn fantastic.
Still, I would hardly call Fish racist. Since the debacle, Fez has gone from being highly praised and anticipated to heavily criticized. That's a shame, because it's still one of the more awesome games to look forward to on the Xbox 360. It's insane how the internet can just flip flop like this, but hey, can we really expect anything else? These are the same people who take to forums to express their hatred of Japanese games, but when someone like the guy who's working on bringing the coolest Xbox 360 exclusive in years to light says it, it creates a sh*tstorm. Really, internet? Really?
Fish went on to explain his statement, and he even tweeted that he liked retro Japanese games, but that he really couldn't stand modern titles. It's no secret that Japanese games have come under much scrutiny. Last year, the CEO of Platinum Games, a Japanese studio, said himself that Japanese games worthy of praise were a thing of the past, and that the games from Japan that actually mattered were slowly "slipping away."
Internet, get off Phil Fish's ass. Saying Japanese devs make sh*tty games isn't racist, it's an opinion. One that I don't personally agree with, but an opinion nonetheless. There's no racism there.
[Develop]
