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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The sky/sora games are very much worth playing through, even if it's on easy and using turbo mode.  The "ending" of FC was the point of addiction for me.  Also I would add - what I consider to be the best plot element in Zero (this year's release) is the conclusion of something that begins in Sky 3rd.  Those concluding Zero scenes trigger my eyes to start sweating excessively.  :shock:

 
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Nothing- said:
it's no problem just jump into nine different 100hr jrpgs

KWEH!
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Nine, nothing, the Trails/Legend of Heroes/Dragon Slayer series stretches back to 1984, with 28 games total (though this includes questionably canon spinoffs like the Ys crossover), plus another 6 Xanadu games (another spin-off of Dragon Slayer) and at least 11 Sorcerian games (yet another Dragon Slayer spin-off). I mean, you really can’t call yourself a Trails fan unless you’ve played all of them at least once.
 
I realize I'm responding to parody here, but the Trails / Kiseki series began with Trails in the Sky FC (2004).  The full scope of Trails games, according to an interview with the Falcom president, was  ~60% done at the end of Cold Steel IV.  And for the record 100 hours total is about right for efficient playthroughs of Sky FC, SC and 3rd combined.

WARK!

 
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What about the unconnected ghargrav sp? Trilogy? Vermilion, ocean and moonlight ? those are not directly connected to sky cold steel etc and are their own self contained grouping.

Oinkmoo
 
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Yes, to my knowledge you described the Gagharv games correctly.  Haven't played them - though I wish I knew enough of the language to do so. I've heard that the psp localizations are terrible to the point of being unplayable.

Unrelated: I started my $20 copy of Caligula Effect 2 from the GS sale today.  I've heard good things (about the soundtrack, at least).  But was expecting something persona-like edgy, but so far it's more bizarre jpop weirdness.  Having that moment of .. What did I just buy? 

 
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gospelman said:
Yes, to my knowledge you described the Gagharv games correctly. Haven't played them - though I wish I knew enough of the language to do so. I've heard that the psp localizations are terrible to the point of being unplayable.
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They're not unplayable, but it is Breath of Fire 2 levels of bad. Plus they were released in the wrong order.

 
I thought tear of vermillion was good enough. Most of the typos my brain just auto corrected and they wern't super noticeable like in wild arms 2 or xenogears.

 
shadowysea07 said:
What about the unconnected ghargrav sp? Trilogy? Vermilion, ocean and moonlight ? those are not directly connected to sky cold steel etc and are their own self contained grouping.

Oinkmoo
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I've played all three, and I think they're great. Some of the typos bothered me especially in A Tear of Vermillion, but the other two are much better in that regard. Vermillion in my opinion has the best story. They're a bit shorter than the Trails games, you can probably complete all three in ~110 hours.

That said, Trails in the Sky is (IMHO) definitely better, but I'm one of those who really likes Trails in the Sky. Doesn't mean Gagharv is bad by any means.

I'll note that the three Gagharv games were released in a different order than the originals were released in Japan, although it's probably best to play the US games in release order and the links between the games are not as direct as the Trails games (the third largely ties it all together.) Also, some Falcom fans are salty about the PSP English releases, because they changed the battle system to be less unique compared to the original PC-98 games. It's probably a shame, but I haven't played anything but the PSP ones, and I still think they were worth playing.

I got mine back when they were out and relatively cheap, I think they're not insane prices now, but they cost more than their original prices.

-[Unknown]

 
How would you compare Trails in the Sky to Suikoden, especially Suikoden II? I have Trails in the Sky but never got around to playing it.
 
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blueweltall said:
How would you compare Trails in the Sky to Suikoden, especially Suikoden II? I have Trails in the Sky but never got around to playing it.
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I'm going to mostly leave this answer to others since I've only played one Suikoden and it wasn't II (this is a reminder that I really should). I've seen a number of people draw the comparison between Suikoden and Trails on the grounds of the games' commitment to world-building. Though Sky FC might not seem so right away since it does by design start small/slow.

I've also seen comparisons specifically between Suikoden III and Trails into Reverie for ..reasons. (I opt to not post details about Reverie in respect for many fans waiting another 1.5 years to play it's official localization.)
 
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lol Grimgrimoire is getting remastered within a year of me playing it for the first time on my modded PS2. It was fun though, I'll definitely pick this up. 

 
blueweltall said:
How would you compare Trails in the Sky to Suikoden, especially Suikoden II? I have Trails in the Sky but never got around to playing it.
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I enjoyed Trails in the Sky, but it's nowhere near the caliber of Suikoden II. Trails started really slowly and is just... very unnecessarily text dense. Trails does a great job of feeling like a more modernized PS1 era JRPG in terms of everything else though. Suikoden II just had a more intriguing story, and the duels/large scale battles and the home base (or castle, can't remember what it's called) added a lot to the gameplay. Trails just didn't have anything like that, though the whole NPCs being in battles was kind neat.

Trails also ends on quite a cliffhanger, which as I've never played the 2nd chapter, don't really know how the story wraps up. And I think it's actually a trilogy so there's a third game too, LOL.

 
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Guess it's bring back all the old IPs for NISA. I kind of wish we were getting new entries in these series, but this is a lot cheaper for them.

 
blueweltall said:
How would you compare Trails in the Sky to Suikoden, especially Suikoden II? I have Trails in the Sky but never got around to playing it.
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Well, it's better than Suikoden 1, but I haven't played 2 yet. A good benchmark for whether you might like Trails in the Sky:

Over the course of the game (as you complete milestones), NPCs will have evolving sub stories. A fighting married couple will work things out. A child will leave the nest. A researcher will ascend the ranks.

Just one of the games has more text (when you count all the variations of NPC dialog over time, etc.) than the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy.

If you value character development in a JRPG, and having development even among NPCs sounds great to you - you'll probably like the game.

If on the other hand, the very concept that NPCs would not be exactly identical in the beginning and the end of the game, always and forever unchanging and not even aging, irks you - then it's probably not for you. If you're the type that usually skips or fast forwards cutscenes/dialog in games like FFX, it's probably also not for you.

There's a lot more to Trails in the Sky, and this is just a small aspect of it overall. But I think it's somewhat representative.

-[Unknown]

 
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Super Bullet Break announced for PS4/Switch/PC for release in 2022. It's an anime inspired deck builder Slay the Spire like thing. It looks okay and is getting physically released as well.

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s2h2ySpxBk[/media]

 
used my 10$ bestbuy outlet email cert to preorder pokemon violet. I didn't get the 2 previous mystery certs they had sadly otherwise I would have used them on violet and scarlet. 

 
GrimGrimoire is ok. It's been many years since I played it but I remember there were some slowdown issues at certain parts so I guess now's their chance to optimize it. Really wasn't expecting a rerelease of it though. If they keep the slowdown I'll just consider it a lazy port lol
 
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spoderman said:
GrimGrinoire is ok. It's been many years since I played it but I remember there were some slowdown issues at certain parts so I guess now's their chance to optimize it. Really wasn't expecting a rerelease of it though. If they keep the slowdown I'll just consider it a lazy port lol
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It sounds like they're adding at least two new components (great magic and skill trees) to the gameplay. I'm also curious about the "illustrated cut-ins".

For my money the best thing VW could announce is a Dragon's Crown sequel. A port of Muramasa Rebirth seems like a no brainer though, the Vita version already looks incredible just port it.

 
https://youtu.be/-NQreEUAoU8

Just gotta say, I adore Hitoshi Sakimoto's music. He's part of what make Vanillaware games Vanillaware games. The Final Fantasy XII soundtrack is extremely underrated.

Anyway, I had GrimGrimoire on my PS3, but the console kicked the bucket before I could play it, so I'm really looking forward to this remaster. Now, put Odin Sphere and Muramasa on Switch, please!

gospelman said:
The sky/sora games are very much worth playing through, even if it's on easy and using turbo mode. The "ending" of FC was the point of addiction for me. Also I would add - what I consider to be the best plot element in Zero (this year's release) is the conclusion of something that begins in Sky 3rd. Those concluding Zero scenes trigger my eyes to start sweating excessively. :shock:
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Me, too (just look at my sig lol). A lot of people say SC is better than FC, but I actually liked the laid back approach to FC a little more than the admittedly bloated narrative of SC (though the twists and turns in the last third are edge of your seat exciting). I didn't find FC to be boring at all because it was so easy to get lost in such a well-developed world, and relating to likeable characters like Estelle and Joshua (who I call Joshy because of some commercial I saw where the grandparents called their grandson Joshy lol) trying to make their way in the world was such a treat. SC is a great game, but I just felt being on Estelle and Joshua's journey in FC was even more rewarding. The 3rd was all right, a little repetitive, and I feel Kevin wasn't as interesting of a protagonist as bright-eyed Estelle (pun intended) and soft-spoken, meticulous Joshua, but I'm sure playing it will be important for when I finally get to the Crossbell and Cold Steel games, so I'm glad I finished the Sky trilogy.

But like, the narrative is overwhelming. I'm gonna need to watch a recap video of the Sky trilogy or something before Zero comes out lol

 
https://twitter.com/XSEEDGames/status/1515012120588476417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1515012120588476417%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=

No More Heroes 3 on PlayStation and Xbox

 
Word is out today that the Chrono Cross remaster has
a new story scene following the combined credits once both games are cleared. 
Looking forward to that bit, but still waiting on fixes to the steam version (whether official or fan sourced). 

 
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I get foreign imports all the time. Got plenty of Asian versions and some Japanese ones. I generally only choose the European ones if the NA ones don't come out at all. NA releases are my preferred though. For LRG I have to really want a game because it's usually +$20 to the MSRP with shipping for each game. That's a lot to me, and I only order ones I really want.

 
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I've imported since ps3. I normally just go for which is the cheapest disc version.  There are times the imported disc is cheaper than the digital only NA version lol.  

Just make sure to dbl check the Asia versions actually have English.  It is rare, but there are a few cases where sellers claim it is but itsn't.  Demon Gaze Extra is the only one I can think of atm.

 
gospelman said:
Word is out today that the Chrono Cross remaster has
a new story scene following the combined credits once both games are cleared.
Looking forward to that bit, but still waiting on fixes to the steam version (whether official or fan sourced).
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Whoa... this sounds cool. Any idea if it's already included with game or is it downloadable content? I've been trying to minimize what I see about the game since I don't wanna spoil Radical Dreamers.

I'm still waiting for the physical release from PA but this is exciting to hear, so I'm hoping it's already on the cart vs a download.

 
Does anybody know if Gamestop ever had the collector's edition of the Prinny Classics games? Trying to decide how much I should go in on gift cards while Dollar General is doing 10 percent off GS cards.
 
keyblader1985 said:
Does anybody know if Gamestop ever had the collector's edition of the Prinny Classics games? Trying to decide how much I should go in on gift cards while Dollar General is doing 10 percent off GS cards.
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I'm not exactly sure what you're asking, but I bought the boxed Prinny nsw release for around $35 on the gs website a while back. The one with the lego prinny.

If you're talking about the NIS classics vol1-3, yes they carry those - though they might send one that's been gutted/opened.
https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/nintendo-switch/products/prinny-nis-classic-volume-1-deluxe-edition---nintendo-switch/254673.html

 
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I'm talking about the Collector's Edition of the NIS Classics games. I want to get that version of volume 3 whenever it releases, but if Gamestop doesn't/won't carry it then there's no point trying to save on it by buying a discounted GS gift card from Dollar General.
 
With Volume 1, GameStop had the 'Deluxe' edition as it was basically the only edition, I believe.

They didn't have the $99 limited edition from NISA's website though, I don't think.

 
Collector's Edition (for $100) is exclusive to NISA Store:

full_le_white_esrb_4.jpg


https://store.nisamerica.com/prinny-presents-nis-classics-volume-3-la-pucelle-ragnarok-rhapsody-a-musical-adventure-limited-edition-nintendo-switch

Deluxe Edition ($60) is available at every major gaming retailer:

prinny-presents-nis-classics-volume-3-deluxe-edition-713879.1.jpg


https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/nintendo-switch/products/prinny-presents-nis-classics-volume-3-la-pucelle-ragnarok-and-rhapsody-a-musical-adventure---nintendo-switch/342183.html

 
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cagnewbies said:
Is there any safe way to actually buy games like these that come in cardboard boxes? Every online store seems to ship them in bubble mailers where they end up crushed and the store copies are always either gutted or also crushed from their security devices. I basically gave up on getting perfect copies of these types of games and just accept that there's going to be some sort of damage to them.
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If you're interested in the NISA Store-exclusive collector's edition, I have never had them ship me a video game collector's edition in anything less than a cardboard box. Their packing is top tier and they often get you your games before release. My rule of thumb nowadays is to only get collector's editions in person (like in store pick-up, so there's no security strap on it) unless it's from a website that packs well (NISA, XSEED, Play-Asia). I will never order one from Amazon unless I have no choice.

Of course, I've gotten beat up collector's editions from Best Buy despite picking them up in person. But, they lost my business a while ago and I only choose them for exclusive steelbooks or if they have the best deal/I have no choice.

 
Amazon is the worst. Best Buy/Gamestop(for a pre-order) used to be okay, but I got Volume 1 from Best Buy and it arrived dinged up in a bubble mailer. In person pre-order from GameStop is probably still fine.

I don't like picking up from Best Buy because they slap a huge sticker on it sometimes. It's fine if it has outer shrinkwrap, but most Nintendo CE's are usually a box with a few circular stickers for seals.

NISA had a problem exactly once that I recall, right after they switched to a new shipping partner? I forget which game it was - either mine was fine or I skipped it. They replaced damaged boxes for anyone, and made sure to tell the shipping company they needed better packaging in the future. So yeah, they are very good.

GajiinWorks is the strangest I can recall, not that they release many things. They frequently create a shipping box themed for the game and then slap a label on that too (or put some stickers on the shipping box.. I've felt compelled to keep most of theirs for some reason or another). On the one hand, it was a cool box that wasn't part of what was ordered, on the other hand hey, put this cool box in a box. xP

ie, order this:

99249aef18a9708d4b08bfe138763dea.jpg


get it in this sweet box, but with a label just slapped on it

summon-night-5-mailer-3.jpg


summon-night-5-mailer-2.jpg

 
GaijinWorks and its owner, Vic Ireland, have also seemingly fallen off the face of the Earth. As much as I appreciate their eccentricity, I'm not optimistic we'll ever see more from them at this point.

 
Even way back when during the PS3/Vita era NISA always delivered for their LEs. I haven't bought from them in forever. Amazon is trash, and you are risking a lot going through them. Best Buy can disappoint but they usually send the bigger stuff in boxes and packed alright. I don't think I've bought from other places other than LRG (trash for normal releases). Not a fan of the FF aniversary shirts. The FFIV is likely the best and I like the kind of simple FFV one. FFVI sucks and that's my favorite of the series. 11 is probably the nicest of all of them other than the OG FF1 for nostalgia, but I have no history with that game and never will.

 
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My most recent deluxe edition type stuff purchase came from Target arrived in a cardboard box and undamaged (despite relatively limited packing material inside the box to cushion it). I don't purchase enough stuff from Target to be able to tell you if this is representative.

 
Amazon wise I've found a trick that in order to get a box all I have to do is get a sd\micro sd card and they'll send it plus whatever else in the biggest box they can find if I combine the order. That trick has always been reliable for me. Of course it sucks ordering something you don't need just to get a box.

Hilariously When I ordered some small candy (2 boxes of twix sized milkyways, and 6 packs of candy straws) they also sent it in 2 microwave sized boxes filled with air pillows.
 
Nothing- said:
Final Fantasy UNIQLO Shirts Celebrate Franchise's 35th Anniversary Lineup of 16 shirts hits US stores on May 16

Bookmark this for May 16th if you care. I'm in for #1, #3, #4, and #6.
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For those of us who know nothing of cloths outside of Target brands, what's UNIQLO? Is that a brand or store or something? Is it one of those collector brands, like Supreme? Googling it, I can't really tell because it looks like there's a retail store near where I work but I've never actually seen it even though I walk that area regularly.

Tothoro said:
GaijinWorks and its owner, Vic Ireland, have also seemingly fallen off the face of the Earth. As much as I appreciate their eccentricity, I'm not optimistic we'll ever see more from them at this point.
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Honestly completely forgot about that guy... still salty about how he pulled bait and switch a few times, like how he kept doing Class of Heroes 2 releases, first making it sound like the PSP release would be it. Then doing a PS3 release, but that would be it. And then reprinting the PS3 release.

Vigilante said:
So I'm guessing that's a "no"?
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Usually I just google playasia coupons and find one that works, but could be there's nothing active right now.

 
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Vinny said:
For those of us who know nothing of cloths outside of Target brands, what's UNIQLO? Is that a brand or store or something? Is it one of those collector brands, like Supreme? Googling it, I can't really tell because it looks like there's a retail store near where I work but I've never actually seen it even though I walk that area regularly.

Honestly completely forgot about that guy... still salty about how he pulled bait and switch a few times, like how he kept doing Class of Heroes 2 releases, first making it sound like the PSP release would be it. Then doing a PS3 release, but that would be it. And then reprinting the PS3 release.

Usually I just google playasia coupons and find one that works, but could be there's nothing active right now.
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UNIQLO is a Japan-based clothing store selling casual and dress clothes. In addition to their own clothes, they partner with outside designers or brands to make things for them. I have a couple of t-shirts based on modern artworks, stand-collar button-up shirts, etc. They have some unique things as well, like a 3d printed sweater with no seams.

 
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