Square Enix: Japanese tech is just as powerful

Think that Japanese developers aren't using all the technology at their disposal and are in danger of falling behind Western developers? Think again - Square Enix is quick to point out that they can make graphics just as pretty as Western developers.

Speaking about his new engine to Gamasutra, the General Manager of the new Crystal Tools engine - the one which powers Final Fantasy XIII - Taku Murata wanted to make it clear that he is just as good as his Western counterparts.

"Until the PS3 was launched, regarding the 360 and PS3...I agree that maybe Japanese game technology was behind because there was no previous experience, or a base in that PC market in Japan back then," said Taku Murata. "Since then, things have changed."

"I do think that in terms of the language barrier, yes, it still is a challenge. We do face those challenges in terms of communication, but in terms of technology, I don't think we're behind. We probably have conquered that problem...or probably we have gone across that point and advanced."

There you go then - Japanese developers can code with the best of them, so long as nothing gets lost in translation. Do you think translation problems are a big problem for Japanese games, or is this whole thing kind of a non-issue? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.