Survey Cements Japan's Growing Acceptence Of Western Games

As Western titles gain momentum in Japan, gamers there have voted Uncharted: Golden Abyss as their most anticipated game for PS Vita, according to an online survey recently conducted by Famitsu. The SCE Bend Studio-developed game is one of the biggest titles that will launch with the system in Japan on December 17 and in the West on February 22. This first portable version of Naughty Dog's action-shooter PS3 series received 361 votes from Famitsu.com's readers. SCE's Hot Shots Golf 6 (315 votes), Atlus' Persona 4: The Golden (192 votes), Namco Bandai's Ridge Racer (146 votes), and Spike Chunsoft's Shin Kamaitachi no Yoru (129 votes) -- all PS Vita launch titles with the exception of Persona 4 -- received plenty of votes, too, according to a report from Andriasang. While Uncharted: Golden Abyss is the only Western-developed title in the top 20 results of the poll, which asked participants to select the PS Vita games they intend to buy (multiple entries allowed), its presence at the top appears to be part of an emerging trend for gamers in Japan. In recent months, games developed in the West have seen increasing acceptance at retail from Japanese consumers, who typically favor titles created by Japanese companies. Two weeks ago, the Square Enix-published PS3 version of first-person shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Subtitled Edition was the top-selling game in Japan after selling more than 180,000 copies. The Xbox 360 release was the seventh best-selling title that week. Rockstar's L.A. Noire for PS3 took the top spot in the week it launched there as well. And last month, Battlefield 3 for PS3, published in Japan by Sega, stayed in the top ten for two weeks, as SCE's Uncharted 3 debuted at the #2 spot. Ubisoft's Just Dance Wii and SCE's Resistance 3 made the chart, too. The growing popularity of Western games has extend beyond just sales and to critical acclaim too: Bethesda Softworks's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim received a coveted perfect 40/40 review score from Famitsu -- a first for a Western-developed game. That title releases there for PS3 and Xbox 360 on Friday.