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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I've been expanding my collection of Level-5 games this week and one of my purchases, Snack World, that I got on ebay showed up yesterday.  I gave that a try so I could pop back on ebay and post a review for the seller (as I got it at a good price and the seller was quick to ship).   Part of the reason I got this is the reviews actually made this look like something I'd enjoy.  I'm not big on dungeon crawlers as a genre but it has a lot of food, pop culture, and gaming humor and the actual action (and humor) reminds me a lot of Cat Quest.  So an easy decision to get it... plus I got a fantastic deal.

Sure enough, I had a great time with it.  There are a lot of systems and terms to learn ... but it was fun (and funny).   Some reviews mentioned you don't need to even run around the town and that was a negative (because why make a town when you can quick travel to all the major locations) ... but those reviewers clearly didn't play the game and read the content provided by the npc's as it's made clear very early on that there are side quests in the town to find and those side quests typically result in upgraded weapons or other stuff that will help with the main quest boss battles.  This is true too as I found the first side quest exploring the town which added it to the quest list.   I like that before you start a quest you can just press a button and it'll optimize your character for the quest.  I can see this coming in handy for later quests as the collection of stuff gets to be overwhelming.   Overall... I'm VERY happy with the purchase.   Yes it makes the backlog grow a bit... but I'm growing it with stuff I will 100% play.

I also grabbed Yo-Kai Watch ($5 at Five Below) and Yo-Kai Watch 2 Fleshy Souls (ebay for under $15 after a coupon ebay gave me).  I played the demo for the first game ages ago and though it was good but at the time I wasn't playing videogames that much so I passed on it.  The second game going the pokemon route with multiple versions also was a turnoff.   I'm not sure if I'll bother with tracking down a complete copy of the third game... it goes for a solid $100 or more.  I can cross that bridge later.

 
This morning I received the Scarlet Nexus "5 Weapon DLC" from Bandai Namco for subscribing to e-mails, in case anyone else subscribed and was looking for theirs.

Subject is "Your Weapon DLC code is inside!"

The DLC includes:
Spin Visions Set of 10
Yuito & Kasane Weapon Set "Light" "Thorns" "Saw" "Star" and "Shine"
 
Looking at picking up the blaster master trilogy from play-Asia. Do I have to go with the PS4 Asian released over Japanese if I want English? Asian release is more expensive.
 
I'm not sure why some releases are more expensive than others. Ninja Gaiden Master Collection is $44.99 for the Japanese version but $39.99 for the Asian one but I know the Asian one has English so I have no clue.
 
caggamers said:
I'm not sure why some releases are more expensive than others. Ninja Gaiden Master Collection is $44.99 for the Japanese version but $39.99 for the Asian one but I know the Asian one has English so I have no clue.
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Not sure if this matters to anyone, but the Asian version is apparently censored--no human characters can be decapitated, only monsters.

 
Vigilante said:
Not sure if this matters to anyone, but the Asian version is apparently censored--no human characters can be decapitated, only monsters.
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Thanks for pointing that out. That should be more explicitly stated on the page because I'm sure there's going to be people not knowing that and then getting pissed that they unknowingly bought the censored version.
 
The Japanese version offered a "D" version which was censored so it could be sold digitally without the restrictions of the Z rating (which requires verification of identity to purchase) so it does exist.

 
Vigilante said:
Nothing specifically regarding the Japanese version, but I found out the Asian English version was censored from the GFAQs topic: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/313565-ninja-gaiden-master-collection/79520388?page=2
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Fact is the Sigma versions are toned down, regardless, from Itagaki's original versions. Loss of the decapitations is hardly the only change. If you're looking for the "uncut" versions, you need to just go back to NG Black and NG 2.

That all said, I'm not bothered by the loss of decapitations and the other changes in Sigma. They're just such small changes to me that don't affect the overall experience.
 
Apparently decapitations were missing in the NA release as well, at least with NG2, not sure about the other games. Haven't gotten to it myself since I only finished NG1 a few days before Scarlet Nexus came out, but, there was a reddit thread about it. The decaps were added back in with a day one patch.

Don't really know the history of the sigma versions, so no clue if that was a problem with the Vita version as well (which I think is the version the new release is based on?) Either way, found it really weird they'd just be missing even in that version.

 
Zenax[zd] said:
Apparently decapitations were missing in the NA release as well, at least with NG2, not sure about the other games. Haven't gotten to it myself since I only finished NG1 a few days before Scarlet Nexus came out, but, there was a reddit thread about it. The decaps were added back in with a day one patch.

Don't really know the history of the sigma versions, so no clue if that was a problem with the Vita version as well (which I think is the version the new release is based on?) Either way, found it really weird they'd just be missing even in that version.
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I believe Team Ninja came out and said that these are NOT the Vita version.

 
Sadly, I got my code today and the weapons are already useless to me. I'm last phase of my first playthru

JohnnySako said:
This morning I received the Scarlet Nexus "5 Weapon DLC" from Bandai Namco for subscribing to e-mails, in case anyone else subscribed and was looking for theirs.

Subject is "Your Weapon DLC code is inside!"

The DLC includes:
Spin Visions Set of 10
Yuito & Kasane Weapon Set "Light" "Thorns" "Saw" "Star" and "Shine"
Click to expand...
 
I finished Adventure mode in Mario Golf this extended weekend ... which was fun as I played as my Lupin mii... and ended up putting the rest of my game time into Snack World (where my character is Jigen).  That game ticks so many boxes... glad I decided to pick it up.  I finished everything in chapters 1 & 2 and am early into chapter 3.   It took a bit for everything to click but I'm liking the progression in this.   The humor is just my style.  The game doesn't take itself seriously AT ALL... which I love.  I've taken so many screen shots at the funny stuff people say in this game that make fun of the genre, pop culture, and of course food.  I googled to see how many chapters are in this.. and I think I'm going to press on and finish over the next week or two before moving back to focus on other games.  I MIGHT pick up a copy of Fantasy Life next.

 
nightc1 said:
I finished Adventure mode in Mario Golf this extended weekend ... which was fun as I played as my Lupin mii... and ended up putting the rest of my game time into Snack World (where my character is Jigen). That game ticks so many boxes... glad I decided to pick it up. I finished everything in chapters 1 & 2 and am early into chapter 3. It took a bit for everything to click but I'm liking the progression in this. The humor is just my style. The game doesn't take itself seriously AT ALL... which I love. I've taken so many screen shots at the funny stuff people say in this game that make fun of the genre, pop culture, and of course food. I googled to see how many chapters are in this.. and I think I'm going to press on and finish over the next week or two before moving back to focus on other games. I MIGHT pick up a copy of Fantasy Life next.
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It's fun but the endgame gets grindy AF. I loved it, but didn't do anything after the more or less ending, because the grind got baaad

 
georox said:
It's fun but the endgame gets grindy AF. I loved it, but didn't do anything after the more or less ending, because the grind got baaad
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That's kind of what I'm expecting. My only goal is just to finish the story off. I might play it from time to time after that.. but will move on to something else as my main focus.

I went ahead and grabbed the cheapest complete copy of Fantasy Life on ebay that I could find with a decent seller. Under $50 total so I'm not feeling too burned in missing this when it was at retail. I could have waited and sniped a regular auction listing... but that's such a gamble and there are only so many complete copies below $50 as is.

 
Ys9 is out on PC today. Currently best deal is to get it at Fanatical with code Fanatical18 to take off 18%. It's msrp everywhere else.

 
nightc1 said:
That's kind of what I'm expecting. My only goal is just to finish the story off. I might play it from time to time after that.. but will move on to something else as my main focus.

I went ahead and grabbed the cheapest complete copy of Fantasy Life on ebay that I could find with a decent seller. Under $50 total so I'm not feeling too burned in missing this when it was at retail. I could have waited and sniped a regular auction listing... but that's such a gamble and there are only so many complete copies below $50 as is.
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That sucks. Should have picked it up when it was under 25 at gamestop albeit cart only last year or so. Or at least of the 2 or 3 copies I ordered all came cart only :/

 
shadowysea07 said:
That sucks. Should have picked it up when it was under 25 at gamestop albeit cart only last year or so. Or at least of the 2 or 3 copies I ordered all came cart only :/
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There were some loose cart only options on ebay for around the $25 mark... but I aim for complete copies of games. I think my entire 3DS collection is all complete games. The vast majority (high 90% range... maybe 98%?) of what I own is complete. The main games I have that aren't complete are dude to liquidation sales at gamestop where games were $1 to $3... and that's mostly just PS2, GBA, and DS... but probably only around 20 titles total.

 
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nightc1 said:
There were some loose cart only options on ebay for around the $25 mark... but I aim for complete copies of games. I think my entire 3DS collection is all complete games. The vast majority (high 90% range... maybe 98%?) of what I own is complete. The main games I have that aren't complete are dude to liquidation sales at gamestop where games were $1 to $3... and that's mostly just PS2, GBA, and DS... but probably only around 20 titles total.
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3ds games keep going up. I picked up Fantasy Life complete off eBay beginning of May for $34.
The Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology that I picked up when Best Buy was clearancing it out not even a year ago also has gone up in the secondary market. It is just insane right now.

 
Twilightsparkle said:
3ds games keep going up. I picked up Fantasy Life complete off eBay beginning of May for $34.
The Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology that I picked up when Best Buy was clearancing it out not even a year ago also has gone up in the secondary market. It is just insane right now.
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Yeah, the prices going crazy is part of what lit a fire under my butt to at least play some of each of the games I have in my backlog so I can decide if I'm chasing any series or setting them aside to sell. I'm glad I bit on a lot of those clearanced 3DS games. Like Persona Q Wild Cards edition... $170->$200 right now. I'm glad I got it while I decided about the series... and more so now that I'm going to sell it. Same for Solotorobo on the DS... which is fetching around $500 for a new copy... of which there are none on ebay right now so I could likely ask more and get it.

 
side scrolling running section of scarlet nexus is horrible.  Since the last trophy for finishing chapter 9 was 31% I imagine the next one will probably be below 20 possibly even under 10.   I highly advise bumping up arashi gemma and luka's links to 4 minimum as well as either crafting or buying the sas recharge gauge speed increase accessories. 

 
nightc1 said:
Yeah, the prices going crazy is part of what lit a fire under my butt to at least play some of each of the games I have in my backlog so I can decide if I'm chasing any series or setting them aside to sell. I'm glad I bit on a lot of those clearanced 3DS games. Like Persona Q Wild Cards edition... $170->$200 right now. I'm glad I got it while I decided about the series... and more so now that I'm going to sell it. Same for Solotorobo on the DS... which is fetching around $500 for a new copy... of which there are none on ebay right now so I could likely ask more and get it.
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I think I paid $10-15 for Solatorobo on Amazon years ago. Mine is opened (I played it a bit), but still mint. Looks like even used copies are worth $300ish. That's crazy

 
spoderman said:
I think I paid $10-15 for Solatorobo on Amazon years ago. Mine is opened (I played it a bit), but still mint. Looks like even used copies are worth $300ish. That's crazy
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This is one of the many cases where my procrastination to play something has paid off since I don't open games unless I'm about to play them (unless it's switch and gold coins are still available). Same for Vita where I ended up getting a lot of games cheap digital and never opened my cheap physical copies. None as big a deal as Solotorobo... but still they all fetch much more than I paid by 4x or more.

 
Twilightsparkle said:
3ds games keep going up. I picked up Fantasy Life complete off eBay beginning of May for $34.
The Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology that I picked up when Best Buy was clearancing it out not even a year ago also has gone up in the secondary market. It is just insane right now.
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I mean basically all games went up this past yr, but some games seem so much more random than others... I had a copy of Shantae Pirate's Curse 3DS listed for $20 for months and it didn't sell so I decided to just pull the auction and just hold on to it back in Feb or Mar. Now that game is going for $60+ cart only so now's a great time to re-list it.

On the opposite side, I have a spare disc only copy of Job Simulator that I passed on listing when it was selling for $130+ range but is now down to $80 range.

I know everyone's like sell your games now but I've honestly been too busy with work to list anything. Sucks because I know I missed the COVID/free govt money peak.

 
nightc1 said:
This is one of the many cases where my procrastination to play something has paid off since I don't open games unless I'm about to play them (unless it's switch and gold coins are still available). Same for Vita where I ended up getting a lot of games cheap digital and never opened my cheap physical copies. None as big a deal as Solotorobo... but still they all fetch much more than I paid by 4x or more.
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If you have smt 4 a and smt 4 you can get a decent chunk for those too.

 
Vinny said:
I mean basically all games went up this past yr, but some games seem so much more random than others... I had a copy of Shantae Pirate's Curse 3DS listed for $20 for months and it didn't sell so I decided to just pull the auction and just hold on to it back in Feb or Mar. Now that game is going for $60+ cart only so now's a great time to re-list it.

On the opposite side, I have a spare disc only copy of Job Simulator that I passed on listing when it was selling for $130+ range but is now down to $80 range.

I know everyone's like sell your games now but I've honestly been too busy with work to list anything. Sucks because I know I missed the COVID/free govt money peak.
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Same here. If there was ever a time to sell a Vita collection it was this most recent bump, but selling stuff on the internet is a PITA and I've been pretty busy with work as well.

 
shadowysea07 said:
If you have smt 4 a and smt 4 you can get a decent chunk for those too.
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Yeah I have both SMT IV and IV Apocalypse... as well as both Devil Survivor games on 3DS.... all still sealed. I checked last night.

If a game got cheap enough and I thought I wanted to give the series a chance... I'd just buy it and worry later about finding the time. This was mostly for RPG's and niche japanese games.

Sadly I looked at my Solotorobo while scanning through the media cabinet I have what I plan to sell and I was wrong... the actual game got opened at some point. Maybe it was me... maybe that's how I bought it at GS all those years ago (very likely). Not the end of the world at all... but I try to post correct information. The cd is still sealed. I guess now if I want to play it... I might as well give it a try (if I haven't already). Gosh I feel old.

 
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caggamers said:
Is there anything to buy on Play-Asia before the free shipping is over?
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There were tons of things I wanted. Unfortunately, I had already just done an order before the sale started for Onechanbara Origins and Legend of Mana. I nearly got the Atelier collections for the switch, but I think I want the ps4 versions instead. In the end I grabbed - They are Billions, The Great Ace Attorney, and Romancing Sage 3 (Thanks to Vigilante for the heads up :D ).

Melty Blood, Fatal Frame, Super Robot Wars 30 were some others I was considering. I will most likely grab Melty Blood before the free shipping ends. Plus with the free shipping, a lot of UK imports were cheaper than amazon uk.

 
BoxPizzaBox said:
I see US versions listed on Play-Asia for Fatal Frame Maiden of Blackwater (Switch, PS4, Xbox). Are those new?

https://www.play-asia.com/search/fatal+frame+maiden
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Listings have been up for a while but hadn't been purchasable.

For people asking about what to order, I'm probably not saying anything that wasn't already recommended but these were my purchases:

  • Monthly Vita exclusives (Scourgebringer + Pushy & Pully)
  • Legend of Mana Remaster
  • Romancing SaGa 3
  • Super Robot Wars 30th
  • Melty Blood
  • Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection
  • Blaster Master Zero Trilogy
  • Pop Up Parade figures
Will likely add Maiden of Black Water to that list if a listing doesn't pop up on Amazon or BestBuy by the end of the month.

 
Scarlet Nexus was a massive disappointment. On paper it should have been a great game but so many areas were so poorly executed that when added together were just too much for me to tolerate. I think the aspect I disliked the most was how they presented the story by forcing it into two separate runs. Had they instead ping-ponged back and forth each chapter, I feel it would have helped the story flow better vs. characters just appearing for 0 reason and exposition dumping you with made up words and massive spoilers then bouncing back as quickly as they came. 

I sold it off and picked up MonHun Stories 2 and also splurged to get Y's IX.

 
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Yeah dumping so many spoilers when you can't see the scenes that lead up to those points on one route was poorly done.  

I also agree on some of the characters joining or leaving for no reason part.  As they definitely should have explained Gemma leaving Kasanes side given that he starts out there. 

The time travel bs also was not well explained. like how a certain character and another one went to the future but that never happened during the story to set up and account for that. And the cast seems to forget things that happened pretty frequently.  

 
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Does PA bust your balls for canceling pre-orders? I don't think I've ever pre-ordered anything from them so I have no idea how those work here. 

I just don't wanna get into another Amiami situation. 

 
Vinny said:
Does PA bust your balls for canceling pre-orders? I don't think I've ever pre-ordered anything from them so I have no idea how those work here.

I just don't wanna get into another Amiami situation.
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No. They'll ask for a reason, but I've told them things like "I no longer want this" or "A US version was announced and I'd rather have that" and they didn't give me trouble. There's a little bit of a language barrier and they'll generally ask if you're okay with a wallet refund (read as: store credit) first, but they're not going to ban you or anything like AmiAmi.

There are specific items on their store that say "must be paid immediately and can't be cancelled". I've never tried to cancel one of those and I imagine they'd give you more grief there.

 
In case it wasn't previously mentioned, Play-Asia's 15th anniversary t-shirts are marked down to $4 and $5 (Raglan sleeve) if you can find one in your size.
 
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