Nigel Kershaw, lead designer on MotorStorm, has said that the reason the Japanese version of MotorStorm doesn't have online play was simply because the Japanese market wasn't "as bothered about online".
The US and European version of Sony's mud-curdling racer shipped with full online play, while the first game out for the doors, the Japanese version, went solo. Many thought the online mode may have been dumped in order to get the game out of the door in time for the Japanese launch.
Not so Kershaw said in a recent interview, "Well, the European and American versions have online. The Japanese version does not, they weren't as bothered about online. We also tweaked a lot of things under the hood. Nothing you'd probably notice - we played around with some of the numbers and some of the graphics - but the main thing we did was add online play."
There are no plans to add online to the Japanese version either. We've just ploughed our way through the entire single player game and now look set to take the online world by storm. Except Japan, by the looks of it.
I'm quite surprised as I would of thought that the Japs would have been quite a good apponent!
I'm disappointed that V. Tennis and V. Fighter ain't network games! Shame on sony and sega!! I do hope they bring an add on out for network play for V. tennis as i'm kinda bored with winning against the computer!!
I got motorstorm yesterday... so if anyone wants a race... add me to your list... the PS3 ID is the same as my username on PSM3.
& here lies the problem..., sony don't care about online gaming, a bunch of PS3 owners don't care about online gaming & so the developers don't bother to make the PS3 games online compatible. The 360 versions of both of Virtua Tennis & Virtua Fighter will be fully online....sucks aye?, did u keep the receipt?
Yeah b******s, so your happy to play the same old boring computer opponents all the time and not up the challenge against real people online eh? Big downfall games not beind online it increases the games life by at least 3 or 4 times being online. Who would still be playing Gears of war or Halo 2 or PGR 3 if they weren't online?
seems strange they would release the game there early without the online, but hey, developers know better than i do.
considering the PSN was only launched in November, i think theyve done a great job. itll take a while til its on a par with live, but at least most of live's best features are on there and the majority of games have online support. Few more demo's and games for download and ill have no complaints on the free service.
Sounds like he's lazy as hell, he should have included online gameplay whether most Japanese people bothered or not. It's not something he could have estimated correctly in any way.
& here lies the problem..., sony don't care about online gaming, a bunch of PS3 owners don't care about online gaming & so the developers don't bother to make the PS3 games online compatible. The 360 versions of both of Virtua Tennis & Virtua Fighter will be fully online....sucks aye?, did u keep the receipt?
With Virtua Fighter Im guessing you mean: leaderboards, times and ghosts ? Because you cant just play one-on-one online with Virtua Fighter on the PS3 OR the 360.
On the subject of Motorstorm: Even if you dont think your players want it, its nice for them to have the option.
This is more a lazy developer issue than a "Sony doesn't care about online" issue.
Ridge Racer 7 is full of Japanese players.
And to whoever said that Sony don't care about online gaming, I suggest actually playing MotorStorm and/or Resistance online, and THEN tell me that Sony don't care about online gaming.
Almost anyone who owned a PS2 never used it online....or wasn't even aware of an online facility?, but MS back with the xbox1 saw that online gaming was gonna be a big part of the next gen step & got in early, & so the developers see the XBOX & 360 as online consoles with an online minded gamer, unlike Playstation owners, where developers see the online side of things as an after thought, a bolt on. Hence why GTA5 R* are making exclusive downloadable content for the 360 & online modes, that's been in there plan since day 1 with the 360. Sony may care all they like about online gaming, but if developers see it as wasted cost....forget it.
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Shame on sony and sega!! 
