A portion of a CVG interview with Ubisoft's Alex Hutchinson...

CVG: Why do Nintendo get it right? It releases a new edition of the same franchise every year and no one bats an eyelid. Why?

AH: You want my real answer? I think there's a subtle racism in the business, especially on the journalists' side, where Japanese developers are forgiven for doing what they do. I think it's condescending to do this.

CVG: Seriously?

AH: Yeah. Just think about how many Japanese games are released where their stories are literally gibberish. Literally gibberish. There's no way you could write it with a straight face, and the journalists say 'oh it is brilliant'.

Then Gears of War comes out and apparently it's the worst written narrative in a game ever. I'll take Gears of War over Bayonetta any time.

It's patronising to say, "oh those Japanese stories, they don't really mean what they're doing".

CVG: You feel there isn't a fair universal standard?

AH: I just think the simple question should be; is the story any good?