Or it just seems that way, how many big head kid adventure games must they crank out before we accuse them of being boring and repetative too?
Of course they have a ton of weird, boring clones as well. I was comparing ( or trying to, anyway ) like for like, the best, most original Western games with the best, most original Japanese games. Having said that, I'd still argue that a fairly derivative middle of the road, played it 100 times before big-head Japanese adventure ( FF9? ) would give me a lot more entertainment than a fairly derivative middle of the road, played it 100 times before Western shooter ( Doom 3? )
At the top end, with the Resident Evil 4's, the Final Fantasy VII's, the Metal Gear Solid 1's, or one of those Zelda games I don't enjoy but most people seem to, I can't think of anything from the West which compares.