Varying Style, Or Lack Thereof

I'm one of those folks who can recognize when a game has bad voice dubbing. Wow, can it be evident in several cases. There's also a very good reason for such bad dubbing: the game is not in the native language.

Not only is the language not native, neither is the programmer. Nor the artist, or the concept designer. Welcome folks, to a video game market dominated by overseas conglomerates that dictate what we see and do not see on our consoles.

Money tells these companies what we want to see and what we don't. The american video game market has stated on numerous cases that we like our women's breasts big, panty shots aplenty, and our plotlines very, VERY anime-style (cue Solid Snake: "What the hell?"). The market has said this with millions upon millions of greenbacks. Very influencial: you want something done? Pay for it.

Let me back up for a moment and state up front that I have had a turbulent past with anime; I've seen some very BAD stuff, and maybe that makes me a little tweaked. I can appreciate some of it, but there's some parts about it I simply cannot stand; Like the fact that there must be at least one character with an identity crisis/multiple-personality disorder (Gundam Wing), or that the plots simply drop off for no reason (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within... don't think that's anime? Hah). I do happen to appreciate the good stuff; I don't think this gaming scene would be the same without the sweet, sweet animation of Guilty Gear X. That game moves with a beauty unmatched.

But, for goodness sake, japanese culture is not the center of the universe. However, on consoles, Japan is the only place you can go (well... wait a moment. There ARE exceptions. Crazy Taxi 1 & 2, Grand Theft Auto 1, 2 and 3, and sports titles, including Tony Hawk, and... uh... not much else). I do not have any bitterness with the cultural focus, but I simply feel that there can be a broadening of cultures in console gaming.

Perhaps that's what the Xbox will be good for, with their PC gaming software companies coming to play. What I can't wait for is a 2D fighter (or 3d, if it can be made clear) that does NOT have anime influence. That means (here's a shocker) NO JIGGLE for female characters.

Maybe I'm wrong in asking for variety.

AMENDMENT:
I was afraid that my article would be taken the wrong way, and so I want to give a different angle: Just imagine what would happen, if DC Comics took one of their series', and turned it into an RPG, complete with the twists, turns, and plot you've come to expect from the newer breed of writers? You'd have a hit on your hands. But, alas... no one is willing to step up to the plate and do something like that. It's as if comics are only made to do action titles, whilst neglecting some of the things that comic readers hold dear.

What might be even better would be if one of the american comic stables dreamed up a new character (or stream of characters) for RPGs? Doesn't this happen with manga anyway, along the path to becoming an OAV, a series, etc?

You would have a difference in animation, in writing style, and for gosh sakes, you'd have a worthwhile ending (if, of course, we bar Tim Burton from writing the epilogue). I do NOT feel that Japan or its culture should step OUT of the limelight; hell, if it's working, why not let them earn money that they sorely need to keep their culture alive? Instead, there needs to be another force, a different force.

What do you think? Feel free to post your responses in the Consolevision Forums.