Japanese Niche Games Deals & Discussion Thread 4.0

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shivan128

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Welcome to the Japanese niche games deals and discussion thread!  Feel free to talk about local and import Japanese games here.  Our goal is to maintain a thread dedicated to active deals on niche games including RPGs, Visual Novels (VN), Shoot'em ups (Shmups), Musou, etc.  Also maintained are pre-orders for standard, limited and collector's edition games with key release dates provided.

I've wikified the thread to make it more friendly and open to others that can actively update with important information. You can find the wiki post directly below this one.

NOTE:  Please, leave the censorship discussion away from this thread.  It's common for japanese games to have questionable content outside of the country.  We want to keep discussions to the game itself and not about cultural/societal tolerance.

A message from Thorbahn:

Our CAG Japanese Niche Games Thread also has a community on PS4, where you can interact and game with other members of the thread.

Our moderators are: Draekon, Las_Hole, and Waffleswanton

You can basically friend any of our members, or any moderator, and you will be able to request to join the community under "Communities friends are in" tab, and a mod will approve your request.

You can also leave your PSN ID in the thread, saying you want to join, and we can invite you directly as well.

As always, have fun and enjoy your stay!

 
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heavy liquid said:
Hmm, I think none of those points are entirely accurate, although I can somewhat understand why some of them were made.

-They're not like visual novels at all. VNs usually have multiple paths that you can take to get to multiple endings like a Choose Your Own Adventure.

Combat/Exploration/Dungeon Crawling is a huge part of Trails. I find the combat very fun, and you can make it very easy or much more difficult. I won't go into a description here but there's lots of gear to level up, and spells to learn, etc.

-Trails has a LOT of voice acting, and you can switch between English and Japanese. Lots of voiced dialogue both in cut scenes and other parts, like voices when during combat and exploration. Text only dialogue usually reserved for talking to NPCs and other insignificant parts of the story.

-The games do take time, and can be quite long. Have you played Persona 4 or 5? It is somewhat similar in structure (and length) to those, where you have objectives to complete within certain days. You do not have to spend 10,000 hrs speaking to every NPC in the game, although one of the things the series is famous for, is giving many of the NPCs lives and stories in the game, and they will say different and new things as the story progresses. I don't bother speaking to everyone either. In fact, I've followed a guide for each game, and found I've really enjoyed the game that way as I don't feel like any of my time is wasted trying to figure out what to do or where to go next. There are lots of side quests that you do not have to do or complete if you don't feel like it. Just like most FF games. There is cooking and fishing, but you don't have to partake in it if you don't want.

-The story is great, and you'll see almost everyone as a recurring character from the multiple games at some point. Lots of twists and turns and quite a bit of typical anime stuff if you're okay with that, but I love it. People will tell you to start with the first one Trails in the Sky, but I would say maybe start with Cold Steel 1 and see if you like. Since it's cheap and on a modern console.

Also, those two games super1upqueen posted above, Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki, are the two "Crossbell" games that came out before Cold Steel. I went back and played an excellent fan translation of them on PC after I finished the first two Cold Steels and they are now my favorite of the series.

Here is a trailer for Zero.

https://youtu.be/CQWEc9rPhR0
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gospelman said:
Yeah, most of that is hearsay that's not particularly accurate.

The one thing I would say is fair is that it requires a significant time/life investment to appreciate fully. And that's okay. It means there's a ton of content to play & replay. It's not for everyone but there are developments that only shine across the long scale. There's not a bad game in the kiseki series and they're best when played in order, for the most part . My opinion is that Ao (Azure), currently only accessible through a fan translation, is the best installment. They're my favorite games currently being made and I place them up right with the squaresoft favorites that locked-in my love for the genre.

I'd post more but I'm busy playing IV. I'm playing on Hard and just squeaked through a max AP finish to Act I. Enjoying the challenge. Thankful to have it localized.
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Thanks! May be I'll pick up the first one and give it a try.

 
Hopefully with Trails 1 & 2 and these other two games getting ported to switch... nisa will get them and localize some physical releases.  It would be nice to play more of the series on switch.  I would like to see the sky series get ported for switch as well as other older games.  Maybe as a collection or something.

 
Ah Trails...I keep trying to get into you, but I keep getting out. I still buy the games when they get cheap and hopefully TOCS IV reaches around the $25 mark which would be my buy point.

 
I meant to play the Legend of Heroes games on PSP but I never did. So I didn't start Trails in the Sky nor Cold Steel. At this point, I'm pretty much waiting for a complete edition of Cold Steel.

 
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elessar123 said:
I meant to play the Legend of Heroes games on PSP but I never did. So I didn't start Trails in the Sky nor Cold Steel. At this point, I'm pretty much waiting for a complete edition of Cold Steel.
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That would be ideal. I'd like that. May be with the end of the PS4 cycle, the publisher would consider compiling them into one complete set along with the release of No. 4? Having to buy these separately at ~$30-40 a pop seems high for a blind-buy that I'm not entirely convinced I'm going to play longer than an 2-3 hours.

 
gospelman said:
The ending of Sky FC is the moment I was hooked. (See: super1upqueen's signature line). Up to that point was kinda ehhh about it all.
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Right?!

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I beat Sky FC pretty late at night, so I had to go to bed right after, but I just couldn't sleep after seeing that ending. I had heard the ending was a doozy, and I was sort of expecting what happened, but seeing it still hit me HARD. I wanted to rush to play SC right away, but this is the kind of series that's best played slowly, so you don't get burned out. I've only played FC and SC so far, but I'll probably get to the 3rd soon, then it'll be onto the Crossbell duology fan translations (unless they translate them before then *pokes NISA*) and then Cold Steel (I pre-ordered the Switch version of IV, but I probably won't even be that far into the series by the time that comes out lol).

I also dragged my feet about getting into this series, just because the idea of having to play every game in order is a bit daunting. But, one day I decided to just start them already and it was so rewarding. Sky FC is known for being a bit slow, but I was just consumed by its incredible world and characters. There is really no other game company like Falcom.

 
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Glad to hear that I'm not the only one that has dragged his heels playing TiTS 1&2.  I have a saved game from a year ago that I've had trouble going back to.  One gripe that I have is that it's ambiguous in the game where I'm supposed to go to next.  So I did a little aimless running around (with no world fast travel) and then didn't feel like picking it back up again.  Every month I debate saying "screw it" and starting Cold Steel 1 but I haven't been able to pull the trigger.  Lots of FOMO. Decided that I was honestly just going to start Cold Steel the first week I got my new Playstation 5.  (Not knowing if the save files would transfer over has kept me from starting new things on my PS4).

But after reading these posts today I think you all have talked me into going back to FC and seeing that one to completion.  Getting into this series sure can be daunting.  The first game has kept me from getting into and starting TiTS 2 and Cold Steel for several years now. 

 
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I also haven't gotten in to the Trails series, but would like to at some point. I have the Cold Steel games, but haven't started those because I don't want to start a later game in the series before playing the earlier games. I have the PSP Sky game, but with the rest on PC, there's no reason to start that. So far the Sky games haven't gone on sale for a price I like (it's always 50%, 33% and 25% for 1, 2 and 3 respectively), and the fact that two games in the middle still haven't been localized (fan patch or not) is also annoying

With all this I just throw my hands up, leave it in my backlog and play something else -_-

Hopefully the Switch releases come over here. A switch port of the Sky games to go along with that would be nice, especially if they put it in one package. Maybe then I could firmly start it lol

 
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elessar123 said:
I meant to play the Legend of Heroes games on PSP but I never did. So I didn't start Trails in the Sky nor Cold Steel. At this point, I'm pretty much waiting for a complete edition of Cold Steel.
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Ps4 or pc assuming that the switch version doesn't include anything more than those 2 already do.

I've played cold steel 1 and 2 myself on the ps3. The original versions were fine minus Reans missing voice work (original they had issues with being sporadic and they fix in all the other versions) and the map and in game weird text sizes and the really bad pacing in cs1. It killed me that they didn't show what happened on class 7 b's side given how much important stuff happens. I couldn't read the map at all. cs2 is wonderful besides the stratums (yeah the series is known for huge final dungeons but daaaaang) and interlude dungeon (if only you could carry over your stuff and the 2 characters didn't suck) and its crazy how many characters you have to play with. I NEVER want to hear the word stratum in a dungeon again for the rest of my life. (shh etrian and persona q)

tldr cold steel 2 for all its faults is pretty fun and definitely worth getting to.

 
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Fred Gordon Herbert said:
Kandagawa Jet Girls is $39.99 at BB early Black Friday right now. I know it didn't get the best reviews and it's sad to say but these waifu games are usually fun... plus they appeal to lonely guys such as myself.
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Being a fan of Takaki's other work I really wanted to like this.... really, I tried, but it's just not the same. The racing is pretty bad, the weapons are there, but worst of all is how they did all the characters dirty and made them G rated versions of what they could have been. The Sony Censorship squad really did a number on the direction of this one. Do I regret buying it? Not really, but honestly unless you are dying to get it I'd just hold out until it hits $20. Had this been on the Switch lord knows what type of mayhem this could have been. I cannot believe I just typed that.

 
It's probably better that some of you guys didn't play Trails on the PSP, as both the PC and PS4 versions (not sure about PS3) have Turbo Mode, which is one of the best quality of life additions they've done. Some of the scenes and actions can be quite slow, and this makes it much more enjoyable.

As for where to start in the series, I read a fantastic article from Jason Schreier on Kotaku that he wrote about four years ago on just that. I only jumped into the series in May or June, as I found myself with a lot more free time from the pandemic. It's now easily one of my all time favorite series.

https://kotaku.com/how-to-get-into-trails-one-of-the-best-rpg-series-out-1786275078

Where to start
Because of the way Trails is structured, there are actually a couple of good places to jump in. Assuming you’re in North America, here are the best two options:

Start with Trails in the Sky FC: Because it’s awesome, and why not start from the beginning?

Start with Trails of Cold Steel: Also a good option! Cold Steel has some pacing issues but is a great game overall and a solid place to jump into Trails.

You should not play Trails in the Sky SC or Cold Steel II without playing, respectively, Trails in the Sky FC or Cold Steel. You will be confused and unhappy. Both SC and CSII are direct sequels, taking place immediately after their predecessors, and playing them first is akin to starting a novel on page 200.
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Btw, for those who don't know, FC=First Chapter aka game 1, and SC=Second Chapter aka game 2. It took me a bit to realize that out when I was trying to figure out what to play.

I agree with him, don't be afraid to start wherever you want. Be it Trails in the Sky, Crossbell, or Cold Steel. After reading his article, I played the first two Cold Steel games, and then went back to play the others from the beginning. There's no right or wrong, but you will definitely get more enjoyment when you see characters from the past pop up and know their backgrounds.

 
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One thing I will say is that you can start from cold steel 2 and skip 1 as very little of importance actually happens in 1 until the tail end of it and 2 covers what is important from the end of the game at the start of it.  Doesn't necessarily mean you should play 2 first but it's more than doable.   It's kinda like those games or tv shows where the first episodes/few hours are crappy or even in some cases the first season like in hitman reborn. But it gets better after that.

 
I almost bit on that remake, but knowing there is a new one coming next year, and I'll be busy with backlog and PS5, I'm just waiting for the new one. I did play the old one to death already on the PS1 and GBA back in the day.

 
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Sony Music Entertainment Japan (Aniplex/Funimation) =/= Sony Interactive Entertainment (Playstation)

They're both subsidiaries of Sony Corporation at a high level that only cares about the profits on stock returns at the end of the year.

It's like getting mad at Pizza Hut for Taco Bell discontinuing Fiesta Fries (since they're both owned by Yum Brands)

 
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Tower and Sword of Succubus (18+) is now available on Steam.  This 3 game bundle includes the two Zelda inspired games Tower of Succubus and Sword of Succubus as well as Succubus Hunter which is inspired by the original Gameboy Castlevania games.

See official trailer or Steam Reviews page (both NSFW). (Didn't link to the store page since you have to be logged into Steam to actually view it since the game has adult content).

 
So I somehow missed that SD Gundam: G Generation Genesis got a Switch physical release in Japan. It doesn't look like it got an Asian/English release. Does anyone know if the Japanese physical has English subs? I'm struggling to find info online as it's all mixed together with info on Cross Rays.

 
Zaku77 said:
So I somehow missed that SD Gundam: G Generation Genesis got a Switch physical release in Japan. It doesn't look like it got an Asian/English release. Does anyone know if the Japanese physical has English subs? I'm struggling to find info online as it's all mixed together with info on Cross Rays.
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Judging by the Amazon answers, looks like Genesis does not have English subs.

 
Zaku77 said:
So I somehow missed that SD Gundam: G Generation Genesis got a Switch physical release in Japan. It doesn't look like it got an Asian/English release. Does anyone know if the Japanese physical has English subs? I'm struggling to find info online as it's all mixed together with info on Cross Rays.
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It's very, very rare for Japanese versions to have English subs. I think Ace Attorney Switch did, and I'm having a hard time thinking of a second.

 
Just an FYI, physical release of Onechanbara Origin is available at PlayAsia.

Might want to get one if you're at all interested in securing a physical copy since I sincerely doubt this one will get published on disc by anyone in North America. Also suspect this has a fairly moderate to low print run on PS4 since it was already released digitally, and that looks to be how the company intends to mainly make it available everywhere else.

It says the Asia release is fully dubbed in English.

https://www.play-asia.com/onechanbara-origin-english/13/70dbd1
 
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Dead_Batteries said:
Judging by the Amazon answers, looks like Genesis does not have English subs.
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elessar123 said:
It's very, very rare for Japanese versions to have English subs. I think Ace Attorney Switch did, and I'm having a hard time thinking of a second.
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Well, I'm a bit bummed that there's no English physical copy, but it's also bloody expensive, so my bank account is at least happy about it. Haha

 
elessar123 said:
It's very, very rare for Japanese versions to have English subs. I think Ace Attorney Switch did, and I'm having a hard time thinking of a second.
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I Am Setsuna, Clannad, Little Busters Switch all have English text for Japanese version

 
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It doesn't hurt to look at the JP eshop and see if English is a supported language.

That helped when I was deciding to buy DoA Xtreme 3 and My Girlfriend is a Mermaid.

 
Fred Gordon Herbert said:
Sony are huge hypocrites. They allow violent gun games on their system and disturbing violence and graphic sex scenes (Last of Us 2) but much tamer Japanese games are censored. It's ironic that ever since they've moved their headquarters to a liberal hipster area (California) they've unironically become xenophobic and racist because far worse western content is fine but Japanese stuff is censored.
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Actually, the censorship comes from the Japanese CEO. Sony of America moved to California in 2016, yet the censorship didn't start until 2018, which was coincidentally when CEO Kenichiro Yoshida took the helm. It also affects only Japanese games, which he has the most control over. Despite California being a convenient scapegoat, it's not at all the reason behind it.

 
HouraiTeahouse said:
Actually, the censorship comes from the Japanese CEO. Sony of America moved to California in 2016, yet the censorship didn't start until 2018, which was coincidentally when CEO Kenichiro Yoshida took the helm. It also affects only Japanese games, which he has the most control over. Despite California being a convenient scapegoat, it's not at all the reason behind it.
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I've heard the same. Too bad people are making false assumptions about all this being the work of Sony Cali. Sony Japan is trying to impose Ex-Nintendo P.C. rules on its own regional titles, which is bizarre given Nintendo has pretty much lifted all restrictions. My hope is Sony Japan will return to normal policies to ensure PS5 sales don't suffer.
 
Your JRPG releases for November 2020:
 
- Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia (Switch)
- Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin (PS4, PC, Switch)
- Demon's Souls (PS5)
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series)
 
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IceyD said:
Your JRPG releases for November 2020:

- Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia (Switch)
- Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin (PS4, PC, Switch)
- Demon's Souls (PS5)
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series)
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I can't believe Sakuna is finally coming out. Got my collector's edition pre-ordered!

Not niche Japanese, but I finally started Hades last night and it's SO GOOD. It doesn't matter if you don't like rougelikes/lites, if you dig action games or dungeon crawlers (a la Diablo), you'll love it. Combat-wise, it's what that disaster Oninaki could have been. I wanted to like that game, and I want to like Tokyo RPG factory (I actually really enjoyed Setsuna), but good god Oninaki was such a snooze-fest.

 
I recommend Hades too beating it to the ending at least on PC. Sakuna and Yakuza are high wants and I paid them both off months ago (yes I pay off pre-orders way in advance at BB). I will likely play them later December though with most of my time likely going to Demon's Souls and CoD Cold War with friends in November. Been wanting Yakuza for a while though, so am excited for that and it will very likely be my next RPG.

 
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Going to get Yakuza Like A Dragon after it goes on sale... probably for $30 or $40.  I won't bother playing it for ages... so... I just want to eventually secure a copy for the collection.   Plus I'm not exactly sold on the changes to the series.

 
super1upqueen said:
I can't believe Sakuna is finally coming out. Got my collector's edition pre-ordered!

Not niche Japanese, but I finally started Hades last night and it's SO GOOD. It doesn't matter if you don't like rougelikes/lites, if you dig action games or dungeon crawlers (a la Diablo), you'll love it. Combat-wise, it's what that disaster Oninaki could have been. I wanted to like that game, and I want to like Tokyo RPG factory (I actually really enjoyed Setsuna), but good god Oninaki was such a snooze-fest.
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What the shit, I can't believe I Sakuna was not on my radar at all until today. Honestly thought it was another harvest moon type based on the title, which I like, but there's so many of them already that I didn't bother to look into it.

Will wait for best buy to put the divine edition back up for order, but pre-ordered the standard for now.
 
itzd4n said:
What the shit, I can't believe I Sakuna was not on my radar at all until today. Honestly thought it was another harvest moon type based on the title, which I like, but there's so many of them already that I didn't bother to look into it.

Will wait for best buy to put the divine edition back up for order, but pre-ordered the standard for now.
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XSEED's website still has the Divine Edition in stock for both Switch and PS4. Shipping is free and should arrive on release day, and their packaging is top-notch.

https://store.xseedgames.com/product/sakuna-of-rice-and-ruin/

 
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