Japanese Niche Games Deals & Discussion Thread 4.0

shivan128

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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Souffrir said:
They're possibly the biggest online retailer on the damn planet, how is their site so shitty?
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No competition will do that.

And yes using Amazon sucks ass, the catalogue hasn't been maintained worth a damn and it seems like they just don't care if pages are half dead or not.

 
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https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/nintendo-switch/products/cris-tales---nintendo-switch/203389.html

Cris Tales dropped to $9.99 on Gamestop on all platforms.

I had bought it from Amazon, then from GameStop to get the B2G1, then returned my Amazon one today - I don't think Gamestop could process it unless I returned and rebought the whole order, which would still give some savings but only around $7 so I doubt I'll bother.

Monark on PS5 is creeping downward too, it's around $45.24 now

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/playstation-5/products/monark-deluxe-edition---playstation-5/298740.html

 
Too bad they seemingly ended the b2g1 early for gamestop. or at least all the items on the page I clicked on for it no longer have the promo and it isn't activating in my cart. 

 
Ah, looks like it. I was actually going over the B2G1 one last time is how I noticed Cris Tales and Monark were cheaper.

I still see games on the promo page, but it isn't activating in my cart.

Most of mine came in, only a few were sealed - it is still always a bummer getting these gutted 'NEW' copies. My Mary Skelter cover art is worn out along the bottom edge a bit, etc. Another has an outline from where a sticker used to be, etc. but most of them are fine.

 
Yeah with b2g1 over I consider $10 Cris Tales a good time to cash out GS reward points and use online certificates. I can confirm $5+$3+$1 all stack on one copy of the game for an instore pickup order.  If a store shows the game available on the website, right now that means their inventory count is at least 2.  In other words, chances are high for getting a sealed copy.

Just need to decide which platform for Cris Tales.  Apparently load times are poor across the board, but especially so on nsw.  But the game did get at least one update that reduced load times specifically for the nsw version.  Anyone have a recommendation based on experience?

 
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gospelman said:
Yeah with b2g1 over I consider $10 Cris Tales a good time to cash out GS reward points and use online certificates (I can confirm $5+$3+$1 stack on the game) for an instore pickup order. If a store shows the game available on the website, right now that means their inventory count is at least 2. In other words, chances are high for getting a sealed copy.

Just need to decide which platform for Cris Tales. Apparently load times are poor across the board, but especially so on nsw. But the game did get at least one update that reduced load times specifically for the nsw version. Anyone have a recommendation based on experience?
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No experience, but I read similar things about the Switch version, and opted to go PS5. I think I read something about audio sync issues too on Switch? May have also been patched. I think I skimmed some videos to see if the load times were for the turn based battles, as that could be very tiring while grinding. From the video I watched they didn't seem bad for battles, at least.

If anyone has game pass that is curious about it, it's currently on there for PC and Xbox, so you could try it out (then buy the Xbox version to keep your progress if you liked it and wanted a copy, I suppose).

Store closures and server shutdowns are at the forefront of my brain at the moment, so it felt a little silly to want a hard copy if it's going to need a patch to fix some critical stuff. Realistically though that is far off, and ever for the 3DS/WiiU closures I believe free updates will still be available to download - so those/download lists thankfully take longer to die.

 
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I just read on a GameFAQs thread that average load times on the Switch are 11-16 seconds, after the patch. That's a really hard sell, even at ten dollars. If I had that time to fritter away on loading screens, I'd actually bring myself to replay The Legend of Dragoon,

 
gospelman said:
Yeah with b2g1 over I consider $10 Cris Tales a good time to cash out GS reward points and use online certificates. I can confirm $5+$3+$1 all stack on one copy of the game for an instore pickup order. If a store shows the game available on the website, right now that means their inventory count is at least 2. In other words, chances are high for getting a sealed copy.
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Just curious... are you cashing out for personal reasons or is GS pulling/nerfing rewards in some way? I've got more points sitting at GS than I'd like and rarely use them since I only shop during sales and those certs often don't work or result in less favorable outcomes.

 
Vinny said:
Just curious... are you cashing out for personal reasons or is GS pulling/nerfing rewards in some way?
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No driving factor other than that I was going to buy the game at $10 anyway. So I might as well use points to make it cost $1. I consider the best use of GS certificates to be when it also negates sales tax, which always applies for me in TX.

 
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keyblader1985 said:
I just read on a GameFAQs thread that average load times on the Switch are 11-16 seconds, after the patch. That's a really hard sell, even at ten dollars. If I had that time to fritter away on loading screens, I'd actually bring myself to replay The Legend of Dragoon,
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Man, I also need/want to replay Legend of Dragoon. Been a long time - but what still stands out in my mind is loving the art designs of the backdrops / towns and such.

I ended up just getting the ps4 version of Cris Tales. Free ps5 upgrade and I have a ssd in my million ps4 pro. Also the included poster is less tiny than the one that comes in the nsw case.

 
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Has anyone played Chrono Cross remastered yet? Just wondering if the performance is good enough (on PS4/Switch or PS4 on PS5). I'm kind of in a mood to play it, but deciding if I should just wait for a decent sale.

 
gospelman said:
I did an uncommon digital preorder on this. To be honest, it's really rough on pc. And based on what I've read it's worse on nsw. I decided to pretty much wait for fixes to play it on steam deck.
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Be prepared to wait a while, Squenix doesn’t really give a crap about their PC ports.
 
Why can't they make a modern game based on the exploration of Disney's The Magic Kingdom?  like Adventures in the Magic Kindgom on the NES.  That game was great.  Seems like a no brainer to me and it would self-advertise for their own theme park. 

 
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Those Dinsey NES Capcom games were awesome btw.   Should have spent more time buying and collecting those games.  Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, Ducktales, Adventures in the Magic Kingdom.  They were some of the best third party games on the system. 

I never played Darkwing Duck or Talespin.  Wonder how everything has aged though? It sure doesn't look like they've sold too many copies of the The Disney Afternoon Collection on Steam so that's really too bad for the prospects of future efforts. 

 
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Souffrir said:
Be prepared to wait a while, Squenix doesn’t really give a crap about their PC ports.
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It depends on how much backlash they get. Chrono Trigger eventually got fixed. Chrono Cross is popular so if the issues are severe enough they might fix them once there are enough complaints
 
gospelman said:
I did an uncommon digital preorder on this. To be honest, it's really rough on pc. And based on what I've read it's worse on nsw. I decided to pretty much wait for fixes to play it on steam deck.
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The game is the worst running PS5 game believe it or not(through PS4 back-comp). Some parts runs at around 15-20fps.

 
super1upqueen said:
Strap in, boys and girls:

https://youtu.be/j2DSEkYFRh8

https://www.gematsu.com/2022/04/kingdom-hearts-iv-announced

https://www.gematsu.com/2022/04/kingdom-hearts-missing-link-announced-for-ios-android
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I just can't get excited for anything KH related. The saga between KH1 to KH3 was just... so much nonsense. The first two console games were great (thought KHII was starting to get to be a bit much both in story/gameplay), Birth by Sleep was great, but everything else just felt like it was telling such granular bits of the story and did nothing for the gameplay.

 
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Just the fact that they only have 3 numbered entries in nearly 20 years tells you all you need to know about how poorly they managed that series.
 
super1upqueen said:
Strap in, boys and girls:

https://youtu.be/j2DSEkYFRh8

https://www.gematsu.com/2022/04/kingdom-hearts-iv-announced

https://www.gematsu.com/2022/04/kingdom-hearts-missing-link-announced-for-ios-android
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Cool. I'm still amazed that a game like Kingdom Hearts exists today - in this day and age where Disney is hyper sensitive about its licenses and how they're used and by whom. That Square is allowed to intermingle and mash up their storied franchises is truly a wonder.

Given the Avengers/GotG relationship, I wonder if we'll see Marvel characters in this one.
 
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Well I bought chrono cross with saga scarlet grace so I'm gonna stick with it. I've pretty much bought every SE asia remake/port for the switch.

And about KH4: 3 pretty much sucked and ruined the series for me. 4 didn't change my mind. The story is nonsensical. It's impossible for westerner audiences to follow the story because they don't release all the games here. The story for 3 was confusing and bad. The pixar worlds are soulless. The next game looked like a barren tech demo with fake gameplay.

 
Yes, #2 is the traditional artwork (from Japan's physical psp release) so many existing fans heavily favor that option.

 
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Made a tough call today and opted to just cancel my current preorders (two trails games and the lodoss war metroidvania).  For the last six months I've barely played any videogames.  So makese sense to just axe the trails series completely as well as not take in any new franchises which seem interesting.  Right now I'll only buy games from my absolute favorite franchises (Xeneoblade, Zelda, Dragon Quest, and possibly Mario if there's a new 3d platformer... not any of the side series).

Since I had used a $5 cert on one game and $10 on another, BB gave me a new $15 cert which I used for preordering Xenoblade Chronicles 3.  Even if it ends up sitting and collecting dust... I think if anything brings me back to gaming it'll possibly be this.   Total was $49.04... and with Walmart not doing the last couple switch games with the discount... this seemed like the best way to get it.

Amazon wasn't as kind ... the $15 reward I used, gone.  But I'm fine with that as I'd have been tempted to order something else.

 
nightc1 said:
and possibly Mario if there's a new 3d platformer... not any of the side series
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It’s pretty sad that 2D Mario platformers are considered side projects, considering Mario single-handedly revolutionized side-scrolling 2D platformers.

It’s even sadder that Nintendo considers 2D Mario platformers side projects, as well, and puts zero effort into any of them.
 
nightc1 said:
Made a tough call today and opted to just cancel my current preorders (two trails games and the lodoss war metroidvania). For the last six months I've barely played any videogames. So makese sense to just axe the trails series completely as well as not take in any new franchises which seem interesting. Right now I'll only buy games from my absolute favorite franchises (Xeneoblade, Zelda, Dragon Quest, and possibly Mario if there's a new 3d platformer... not any of the side series).

Since I had used a $5 cert on one game and $10 on another, BB gave me a new $15 cert which I used for preordering Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Even if it ends up sitting and collecting dust... I think if anything brings me back to gaming it'll possibly be this. Total was $49.04... and with Walmart not doing the last couple switch games with the discount... this seemed like the best way to get it.

Amazon wasn't as kind ... the $15 reward I used, gone. But I'm fine with that as I'd have been tempted to order something else.
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It's okay to take breaks sometimes, I once didn't play any video games for about 3 years. Helped make everything old, new again. If you never feel the pull to game again so be it too, it's okay to have your tastes change as you get older.

 
gospelman said:
Today NISA launched a poll for fans to vote on the reverse cover artwork for September's release of Trails from Zero.
https://thelegendofheroes.com/crossbell/zero/contests
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all of them suck but 2 sucks the least so there we have it. They don't even have the multiple options that were different like Ys 8 and cold steels 4's? Lazy copy paste work and man the girl on the covers expression is so dumb looking.

 
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shadowysea07 said:
Meh I'd rather not pick either side as far as politics are concerned. Both parties should be dismantled.
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g-streetfighter-teppen-art.png


G for President of the World, please.
 
The main thing about the Trails games is they come out so slowly, so pretty sure only one this year, maybe 2 the next. But I understand cancelling stuff. I likely do need to do that too, but most of my pre-orders are imports or visual novels and some like the Trails games. Everything else is on as I want basis.

 
Three Trails games are scheduled for release in 2023:

Trails to Azure[customspoiler='My rundown w/o plot spoilers']Neither remake or remaster, this is a finally localized game from 2011 (psp).  Direct sequel to Zero.  I've played both fan translations and the source material of the official translation.  Probably my favorite game, ever. 

[/customspoiler]
 
Nayuta: Boundless Trails[customspoiler='My rundown w/o plot spoilers']Have not played.  Remaster of 2012 arpg psp release.  Not previously localized.  Not directly related to the setting & characters of the main Trails arcs, but there's a chance it will connect in some way as the Trails games conclude. Features randomly generated elements and many branches/endings.[/customspoiler]
 

Trails into Reverie [customspoiler='My rundown w/o plot spoilers']Mostly a followup to Cold Steel IV.  Also involves some setting and characters from Zero-Azure.  I imported this last year and played with a fan translation.  Quality game, though not among my very favorites.  Has some weaker plot elements but also improved battle gameplay from CSIII-IV.  Much inspiration taken from the structure of Trails in the Sky the 3rd.[/customspoiler]

 
It's probably very optimistic to say there's a chance we get a localized Kuro no Kiseki in 2024.  So 2023 will be a special year.

 
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https://twitter.com/gematsu/status/1513688300321710082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1513688300321710082%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=

prequel to Tsukihime

 
NEKO-MIMI SWEET HOUSEMATES Vol. 1 was released on Steam and Denpasoft. It's a Kinetic novel and looks to be in the Nekopara alley. It is Animal Herb's first localized VN. Discount available till the 15th. 18+ patch for the Steam version on Denpasoft.

Steam

Denpasoft (NSFW)

18+ Patch (NSFW)

VNDB (NSFW)

Dōkyūsei: Bangin' Summer is coming out April 14th (Thursday) after being delayed before. On Shiravune there is a 30% pre-order discount. An 18+ patch will be released for the Steam version and will have a 20% discount on release.

Johren (NSFW)

Mangagamer is releasing Uchikano - Living With My Sister on April 28th. There is a 10% discount for ordering.

Mangagamer (NSFW)

 
Nothing- said:
Why can't they make a modern game based on the exploration of Disney's The Magic Kingdom? like Adventures in the Magic Kindgom on the NES. That game was great. Seems like a no brainer to me and it would self-advertise for their own theme park.
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I haven't played it myself but it sounds like Disneyland Adventures for Xbox One might be close to what you're looking for?
It's an updated version of the Kinect game for Xbox 360 that allows you to play using a standard controller (or Xbox One's Kinect).

Otherwise, they're not really 'modern' but there were 3 Japan-only games based on Disney theme parks that might be of interest:

-Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken (Mickey's Tokyo Disneyland Adventure) for Super Famicom - 2D platformer featuring Mickey exploring levels based on Tokyo Disneyland attractions

-Adventure of Tokyo Disney Sea for Game Boy Advance - 2D platformer (with some mini-games) with stages based on Tokyo Disney Sea

-Adventure of Tokyo Disney Sea: Ushinawareta Houseki no Himitsu (The Secret of the Lost Jewel) for PS2 - 3D adventure game with areas based on Tokyo Disney Sea

 
So after my change yesterday dropping preoders and then using the reisued combined BB certificates for XC3.... BB sent me another $10 certificate in the latest regular email (this time from "Best Buy Outlet"). So, cancelled XC3... waited for the $15 cert to be reissued... then preordered again stacking the $15 and $10 certificates.... total now is $38.14

:cool:

Souffrir said:
It’s pretty sad that 2D Mario platformers are considered side projects
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I'm also talking about Strikers, Kart, Baseball, Tennis, Dr Mario, Luigi's Mansion, Yoshi's, Donkey Kong, Paper Mario, Party, Mario & Luigi... etc. But yeah the modern 2D mario platformers... just not anywhere near the level of fun I have with the classics. It's like they are both dumbed down considerably in level design but then artificially made way too hard for some things (like 100%'ing Luigi's levels in NSMB-WiiU).

 
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Do these upcoming Trails games fit somewhere between Sky and Cold Steel? I've been meaning to get into the series, are the Trails in the Sky games on PC still the recommended place to start?

 
DplusT said:
I've been meaning to get into the series, are the Trails in the Sky games on PC still the recommended place to start?
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Yes! The original release order is also the recommended play order. Sky FC and SC is the best place to start. After that is Trails in the Sky the 3rd, also localized available on steam. After 3rd, it's time to jump into the crossbell games. These games (Trials from Zero, Trails to Azure) are the games finally getting western releases this year and next year.

so far the series is:
Sky FC, Sky SC, Sky the 3rd, Zero, Azure, CSI-IV, Reverie, Kuro, and (in development) Kuro II

 
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DplusT said:
Do these upcoming Trails games fit somewhere between Sky and Cold Steel? I've been meaning to get into the series, are the Trails in the Sky games on PC still the recommended place to start?
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From what I've heard and read here, the Sky games can only enhance your enjoyment of the Cold Steel games. I need to get on that myself since I still have Cold Steel 3 & 4 in the backlog, and Trails from Zero in September.

 
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