Great Japan-only games

[Gamelore]

So this morning I find myself in Tokyo.

Only waited about 25 years to cough up the money to fly here. For the next few days I'm a man on a mission: Buy all crazy Japanese games I never had the chance to buy in the US (despite the weak-ass dollar today).

The question is, which great games were never released in the US and might be commonplace in Japan? I'm particularly looking for older games (from Megadrive to Dreamcast), but I'd also easily buy newer games (PS2, DS, PS3 etc) if they were just great. I don't care if I can't play due to the language (studying).

Games I like:
Top-down, Sim-City-like, turn-based strategy. Beat games. Side-scrolling beat-em-ups. Deep anime-influenced RPGs. Censored games. Other wackiness.

[Fenrir]

Go to any video game store, especially if you're anywhere near Akihabara in Tokyo.

I'd venture to say it's about half and half for Japan-only titles, maybe more, depending on how raunchy the shop is.

[XZero]

Mother 3 GBA
Tales games for PS2 (Destiny remake, Destiny II)
Soul Bringer DS - Edit: SOMA Bringer

[The Pezman]

I don't care if I can't play due to the language (studying).
You're going to have more of a problem than that. The DS is region-free, but just about any other system isn't. So you'll need to buy an appropriate system there or use... shall we say... alternative means.

[The Coop]

-=Sega Master System=-
Dragon Crystal (Maze) *
Ninja Gaiden (Action Platformer) *
Power Strike II (Shmup) *
Sagaia (Shmup) *
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Platformer) *
Sonic Chaos (Platformer) *

*= May not be a Japanese version available, but there are European versions that may show up in Japanese shops.


-=MegaDrive=-
Alien Soldier (Run 'N Gun) *
Eliminate Down (Shmup) *
Gley Lancer (Shmup) *
Monster World IV (Action Platformer RPG) *
Pulseman (Action Platformer) *
Super Fantasy Zone (Shmup) *
Thunder Force IV (Shmup) *
Twin Hawk (Shmup) *
Undead Line (Shmup) *
Zero Wing (Shmup) (European version)

*= Japanese version


-=Saturn=-
Assault Suit Leynos II (Action Platformer) *
Battle Garegga (Shmup) *
Blast Wind (Shmup) *
Darius II (Shmup) *
DonPachi (Shmup) *
DoDonPachi (Shmup) *
Dungeons and Dragons Collection (Hack 'N Slash Compilation) * +
Galaxy Force II (3D Shmup) *
Gradius Deluxe Pack (Shmup Compilation) *
Hyper Duel (Shmup) *
Kyukyoku Tiger II Plus (Shmup) *
Layer Section II * (Shmup)
Marvel Superheroes vs Street Fighter (Fighting) * +
Metal Black (Shmup) *
Night Striker S (3D Shmup) *
Radiant Silvergun (Shmup) *
Salamander Deluxe Pack (Shmup Compilation) *
Samurai Shodown Best Collection (Fighting Compilation) * +
Sokyugurentai (Shmup) *
Stellar Assault SS (3D Shmup) *
Strikers 1945 (Shmup) *
Thunder Force V (Shmup) *
Thunder Force Gold Pack 1 (Shmup Compilation) *
Thunder Force Gold Pack 2 (Shmup Compilation) *
Vampire Savior (Fighting) * +
X-Men vs Street Fighter (Fighting) * +

*= Japanese version
+= Requires 4MB cart


-=Dreamcast=-
Border Down (Shmup) *
Ikaruga (Shmup) *
Under Defeat (Shmup) *
Zero Gunner II (Shmup) *

*= Japanese version

[Gamelore]

You're going to have more of a problem than that. The DS is region-free, but just about any other system isn't. So you'll need to buy an appropriate system there or use... shall we say... alternative means.

Yeah, I have that covered. I bought this gigantic suitcase (3" x 2" x 1") entirely empty to fill up with all required Japanese consoles. :) Not going to alter my existing systems.

I feel like I'm going to enter one of these stores in Akihabara and spend 6 hrs in a daze, and walk out utterly confused about what's actually good.

[The Coop]

A few more...


-=PC Engine CD=-
Akumajō Dracula X Chi no Rondo (Action Platformer) *
Rayxanber II (Shmup) *
Rayxanber III (Shmup) *
Spriggan (Shmup) *
Spriggen Mark II (Shmup) *
Super Darius (Shmup) *
Super Darius II (Shmup) *

*= Japanese version


-=Playstation=-
Gradius Gaiden (Shmup) *
Namco Museum Encore (Compilation) *
Raiden DX (Shmup) *
X2 (Shmup) *

*= Japanese version

[Hawkwing]

If you can find Seiken Densetsu 3 for the SNES, buy it.

[Gollgagh]

If you can find Seiken Densetsu 3 for the SNES, buy it.

This.

Buy it.

[Mr. Fox]

I suggest getting Scenarios 2 and 3 of the Shining Force Trilogy for the Sega Saturn. Good Stuff.

[Dhsu]

Ah yes, a weeaboo's paradise. Although if games were all you were after, it would've cost a lot less to just import/eBay.

DS:
Osu Tatakae Ouendan 1 and 2
Jump Ultimate Stars
Densetsu no Stafi
Daigasso Band Bros

DreamCast:
Trizeal

PS2:
Mushihime-sama
Ibara
Espgaluda
Arcana Heart
Melty Blood Act Cadenza
The Rumble Fish

Saturn:
Grandia

PC:
Touhou series. All of it. :P

[The Pezman]

Saturn:
Grandia
K, this exists for the PSX. What's so special about the Saturn version?

[Dhsu]

The voice acting won't make you kill yourself.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Final Fantasy IV DS.

Do it. Do it now.

[Arek the Absolute]

Mother 3 GBA
Tales games for PS2 (Destiny remake, Destiny II)
Soul Bringer DS - Edit: SOMA Bringer

you are my new ocr good buddy

whatever he said times infinity YESSS

[Gollgagh]

Final Fantasy IV DS.

Do it. Do it now.

He said "japan only" and I think I can be pretty sure in saying that they'll bring it stateside eventually if not fairly soon

[Z3120]

I love the PS2 Tales of Games (not the U.S. ones).
Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix+ and Final Fantasy 12 International Zodiac Job System are awesome deals for Director Cuts imo.

[Dhsu]

Oh yeah, the 3D Chain of Memories remake on PS2 looked pretty sweet.

Also check out Beatmania IIDX 13 Distorted and the Taiko no Tatsujin games.

There's also a GBA Fire Emblem game that didn't come out in the US.

[I-n-j-i-n]

To me, the gist of the Japan only games that are noticeably absent in the American market is the dating-sim/visual novel games. Many recent lot of them being excellent or just masterpieces like Ever 17.

I used to think Touhou games were great, but there are better alternatives out there I believe.

Then there are the fighting games like Fist of the North Star and a few others.

Most notable releases do come to the States, so I don't think that niche is much to talk about anymore.

[CHIPP Damage]

I completely agree with the guy who said Tales of Destiny PS2 Remake. I haven't played it, but I played the original and this is more than just a port like FF Chronicles or whatever it was. To quote http://www.videogamerecaps.com/: This RPG is all about guys with "big swords and even bigger hair!" If you're into that kind of game, I think Tales of Destiny for PS2 is the way to go. I'd also recommend the PS1 remake of Tales of Phantasia. These remakes never came out in America yo!

Another good SNES title that I think nobody mentioned is Bahamut Lagoon.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

He said "japan only" and I think I can be pretty sure in saying that they'll bring it stateside eventually if not fairly soon

They'd damn well better...

[Infinity's End]

Vib Ribbon if you can find it. It's a very quirky PS1 title. It's kind of a rhythm based game. It's made by the guy who did the Parappa series.

[Brushfire]

Wangan Midnight for the PS3.

http://epicgaming.us/?p=73

[GeckoYamori]

Vib Ribbon if you can find it. It's a very quirky PS1 title. It's kind of a rhythm based game. It's made by the guy who did the Parappa series.

That's not Japan-only.

[Raziellink]

Berserk for PS2.



I'm getting it.

[Nulion]

Could try "Takeshi No Chousenjou" for the Famicom, I've heard stories about how ridiculously over the top difficult that game is. Even requires you to sing into the Famicom's 2nd controller microphone for an hour.

There's also the Cho Aniki (Or is it Choaniki? Or spelled differently? I have no idea o.O ) series. Pure, ridiculously homosexual weirdness. It's a PS2 game. Something about "Legend of the Holy Protein". I'd love to play it just to laugh at it, hehe.

There's also Altered Beast for PS2...I know it was cancelled here, but was released over there. I have no idea how good it actually is though, but I always wanted to play it.

As for the last one I've heard of that was real good, but never came out here, it's Tobal 2 for the PSX. Heard it's a great game, but they cancelled the US release just like Altered Beast PS2. Not sure if it'd be your type though, since I don't recall seeing "fighting games" on your list of interests there.

[Kizyr]

Here's a suggestion on location...

If you exit the Akihabara JR station (the one off the JR Yamanote Line - the 'green' line), then head towards the 'electric town' end, walk up to the main street, and turn left. Along that main street will be Laox, ASO Bit City, and a lot of other major stores. There'll also be small stores on both sides of the street.

I've had much better luck going into the small stores for old games--particularly for Mega Drive, Mega CD, Super Famicom, and Saturn. The place is always changing, but I seem to remember more of them being on the opposite end of the street from the JR station.

As for games... The only one that comes to mind is Magical School Lunar, for the Saturn. Though, that's only since I've been working on a walkthrough for it. It's worth it if you're already a fan of the Lunar series. KF

[Z3120]

Also check out Beatmania IIDX 13 Distorted and the Taiko no Tatsujin games.

I knew I forgot something. Beatmania IIDX is incredibly fun. I still suck at DJ Max Portable 2 though.

[ILLiterate]

PC:
Touhou series. All of it. :P
You mean 7 to 10

Also, Arcana Heart 1 comes out in NA next month, so get Arcana Heart 2 instead

[Dhsu]

Ooo, nice. Although I doubt a console version will be out in time for him to get it.

[Effef]

Mother 3 Mother 3 Mother 3 Mother 3 and Mother 3

[Gollgagh]

I still suck at DJ Max Portable 2 though.

I wonder how much I suck comparatively. (cause it's almost no use trying to compare myself to those insane koreans)

[Dhsu]

You mean 7 to 10
No love for EoSD? :(

[Brycepops]

Namco x Capcom for the ps2. How did nobody else mention this -_-

[Z3120]

Namco x Capcom for the ps2. How did nobody else mention this -_-

Because the fan translation is 100% complete for it, and the beta-testers are testing it :razz:

And plus, it's not everyone knows most of the characters in Namco X Capcom (I think).

I wonder how much I suck comparatively. (cause it's almost no use trying to compare myself to those insane koreans)

lol. Like the only one (who happens to be Korean) who has the Grand Master ranking (or whatever the highest rank in DJ Max Portable 2 is) is insane...

[Brushfire]

Mobile Suit Gundam: Bonds of the Battlefield.

Costly but one of the best arcade experiences you can have.

[Raziellink]

Wait, tell me how one could obtain a copy of Namco X Capcom then?!

[TheSnowStorm]

Fire Emblem- Dark Dragons and Light Blade
Fire Emblem 3: Mysterious Emblem
Fire Emblem 4: The Holy War
Fire Emblem 5: Thrica 776

They are pretty good games if you are a fan of the Fire Emblem games.

[Arek the Absolute]

Because the fan translation is 100% complete for it, and the beta-testers are testing it :razz:

And plus, it's not everyone knows most of the characters in Namco X Capcom (I think).



lol. Like the only one (who happens to be Korean) who has the Grand Master ranking (or whatever the highest rank in DJ Max Portable 2 is) is insane...
whoa whoa whoa

wha?


details please!

[Brycepops]

whoa whoa whoa

wha?


details please!

Yes. This is relevant to my interests, also.

[Dhsu]

http://transgen.890m.com/

[Z3120]

http://transgen.890m.com/

Thanks for the link. Thought I lost it when I couldn't even google it.

[Smoke39]

Ganbare Goemon: Tokai Dochu Oedo Tengu ri Kaeshi no Maki for the DS

[mr.wholesome]

Alien Soldier for the MegaDrive(Genesis)
if you come from north america that is.

Also Daigasso Band Bros for the DS. i need to import that sometime.

AND!!! you must find and buy the Omega Five soundtrack, for the sole reason because i cant(yet) badass game with badass music composed by Hiroyuki Iwatsuki (he did the music in The Ninja Warriors for snes aswell)So get it bought! thank you.

[Brushfire]

Jump Ultimate Stars

You can't touch me when I play as Ichigo and Luffy.

[Mewtation]

Fire Emblem- Dark Dragons and Light Blade
Fire Emblem 3: Mysterious Emblem
Fire Emblem 4: The Holy War
Fire Emblem 5: Thrica 776

They are pretty good games if you are a fan of the Fire Emblem games.

What this guy said. God, I'm disappointed that in five pages no one mentioned Fire Emblem. :'(

[Vurez]

Ys: The Oath in Felghana (http://www.falcom.co.jp/ysf/index.html)

Ys: Origin (http://www.falcom.co.jp/yso/index.html)

Seriously. At least check the links and look at the pics and demo videos to see if they are something you are looking for.

[Dhsu]

What this guy said. God, I'm disappointed that in five pages no one mentioned Fire Emblem. :'(
I did. :P

Although why would he recommend Fire Emblem 1 when Fire Emblem 3 is pretty much a remake of the original?

[TheSnowStorm]

I did. :P

Although why would he recommend Fire Emblem 1 when Fire Emblem 3 is pretty much a remake of the original?

Eh, yeah. But still, he can still brag about having the original game.

I also forgot Fire Emblem 2- Gaiden. It's not a bad game, but it's not that great as well.

[yangfeili]

Ys: The Oath in Felghana (http://www.falcom.co.jp/ysf/index.html)

Ys: Origin (http://www.falcom.co.jp/yso/index.html)

Seriously. At least check the links and look at the pics and demo videos to see if they are something you are looking for.


Massively seconded. Oath in Felghana is pretty much the only JRPG I've enjoyed at all in the last several years. Although that probably has something to do with the fact that it's a hardcore action game disguised as a JRPG for marketing purposes.

[Dhsu]

Did anybody suggest Rhythm Tengoku? Because I'm suggesting Rhythm Tengoku.

[Mewtation]

Eh, yeah. But still, he can still brag about having the original game.

I also forgot Fire Emblem 2- Gaiden. It's not a bad game, but it's not that great as well.

Bwahaha, go dhsu and SnowStorm.

If anything, I'd suggest Fuuin no Tsurugi for GBA if you're looking for recent games, last Fire Emblem to NOT be released here. (I'm currently ROMming it with a translation patch.)

[bucky o'hare]

I've thought of Final Fantasy 3 as easily being one of the best rpgs for the famicom, never released here until the DS remake.

Recca is a ridiculous shmup for the famicom--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t_Ve4Ljs8I

[Admiral_C]

I also forgot Fire Emblem 2- Gaiden. It's not a bad game, but it's not that great as well.

Hmm... I thought Fire Emblem Gaiden was all kinds of Awesome. Hard as all get out. Good music too.

[Gamelore]

Well, I've returned from Japan. Thanks for all the recommendations. I took a lot of them into account during my initial search. I spent most of my time around Akihabara -- there is just so much to see in each part of Tokyo! I'll plan a more diverse trip sometime else.

I visited a lot of retro game stores, tempted to buy out the entire store. At one point, I had my arms full of MegaDrive strategy-RPG games and space shooters. I decided I needed a better approach (only 4 suitcases, only so much money), and MegaDrive gamepacks are a little big. I ended up focusing primarily on those PS2 story games: Ever 17, Never 7, another game in that series (#34?). I bought another 4 random story games. Also picked up Black/Matrix+ and Vib Ribbon.

I bought the Cowboy Bebop Limited Edition PS2 game -- I found it the last day I was there, sitting in a corner, thinking it was some used, battered game, that had gone through hell and back. It was actually new/sealed! AWESOME packaging. The abundance of tape on the plastic wrap is a nice touch -- totally fooled me.

I randomly found Warsong and Populous for US Genesis, being sold for almost nothing. I imagine them thinking "Who will ever buy this English garbage from us? Let's mark it down to 50 yen!"

I picked up the Nights into Dreams re-release special edition for PS2. I looked at Trizael (PS2) in a few stores -- not too expensive. However, I saw some videos of it online, and thought I should probably try beating Ikaruga first. Looks insane!

I am SOO buying Populous, Sim City 2, and Super Dodge Ball for DS, but I am going to wait to see if they're released in US first. I picked up this new paintbrush game for writing kanji, Electroplankton, a handful of mech-based DS games, and about 5-6 GBA games including a Dr Mario + Tetris Attack combo cart -- sweet!

I saw that they were selling Mother 1 + 2 for GBA, rather cheap even. To get full resolution, I'm going to pass. I already played Earthbound Zero (was this an official translation?).

I was thoroughly confused by all the "Tales of" games, so I just passed on them. I don't know where to start and I'm a completist. I decided I should just work on the US-ported RPGs I already have, and I don't like this new-fangled 2D+ RPG-type. FF6 and under for me. I mean, hell, I haven't even bothered with FF7 yet.

Finally, I picked up a new ceramic white Japanese PS2, so now I can take my sweet time researching what to buy, and just pick it up online if necessary. I nearly bought a used 60GB Japanese PS3 for 62,500 yen, but decided I'm not *quite* that hardcore yet (since I already have the US 60GB PS3). Plus it had a scratch in it...

[Dhsu]

I was gonna suggest Cowboy Bebop...not sure why I didn't! Guess I forgot. Glad you managed to get your hands on a copy anyway though, I heard it's quite good.

[Steben]

I already played Earthbound Zero (was this an official translation?).

Yeah, it was. It was fully translated by NOA, but never released.