This weekend on Chalk Talk we discussed the impact Japanese game development had on gaming culture as a whole, as you can see by many of the blogs and comments from the peanut gallery there was no clear side that GameSpotters sided on with this particular hot topic.

　　JustPlainLucas: Way before Square was SquEnix, it was known as SquOft. Uh, that doesn't sound very good. Let's just keep it pure and say SquareSoft. SquareSoft was Nintendo's best buddy back in the days of gaming when games were not on optical discs, but rather bulky grey cartridges. Life was good. Nintendo was on top. The role-playing game franchise was huge, and Nintendo had it covered, thanks in part to SquareSoft… read more.

　　NeonNinja: Maybe Japan wasn't part of the revolution that changed gaming in 2001 when Grand Theft Auto III and Halo: Combat Evolved changed what people expected from videogames and made the West more relevant than ever. But the simple fact remains that many Japanese developers have taken the biggest risks imaginable this gen, and their games show it in every way that matters…. read more.

　　ZanarkandTidus: People say gameplay is the most important thing when we play a game,but a great story,especially an emotional one can make a game with not so good gameplay a memorable experience.I've been addicted to numerous Japanese games because I loved their stories so much it was hard for me to stop playing those games because I kept wanted to see what would happen next in the story…. read more.

　　Gelugon_baat: Japanese game designers may have some of the most outrageous ideas for games, which may be a blessing in the eyes of jaded game consumers. However, the actual realization of these ideas may not make for a worthwhile consumer product…. read more.

　　DraugenCP: Whether these differences are grounded culturally or the mere result of socio-economic factors cannot be said with absolute certainty, but this doesn't prevent us from making - and I stress this - very general and vague outlines of game design cultures based on geography. These models would by no means be obligatory - who would claim that Dark Souls is a typically Japanese game? - but you could certainly identify certain trends and tendencies…. read more.

The Peanut Gallery

　　A very special thanks to everyone who contributed to this week's Chalk Talk! To read all of the entrants, you can check out this link here.

Extra Credit

　　- My Journey Through Metal Gear Solid: Part 1By:Setho10

　　- A Little Bit Of: Spirits By: lim_ak

　　- From Gamepad to Notepad, So you want to be a games journalist By: SuperMassive20

Next Week's Assignment: Achievement Unlocked

　　In game Achievements, something that simultaneously holds a great amount of pride and bile in the gaming community. Some games hold true to insuring that an achievement earned is one that took effort to do, while other games give you achievements for simply pressing play. Are they a complete waste of time? Do gamers really care about the number of achievements unlocked? Or do they help to establish a sense of value to the time you've put into a game, and possibly add depth to your gaming experience? Special Thanks to GameSpotter Jbul for helping to inspire this weeks Chalk Talk topic! Mark your blog as editorial and to sound off in the roll call thread here with your awesome Chalk Talk entry! Roll-Call.

Last week on Chalk Talk - Rated M for Murder