Japanese Niche Games Deals & Discussion Thread 4.0

shivan128

shivan128

CAGiversary!
Feedback
163 (100%)
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!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 5 Downvote
artego said:
Are these gone? Can't find them in the store anymore.
Click to expand...
The links are fine, but CAG is breaking them when you click on them by removing everything after the apostrophe in the URL thanks to its affiliate linker system. You can see this by mousing over and the URL be fine (apostrophe is %27), but once you click it then it kills everything after the apostrophe. Normally you get around this by pasting the links long form like I do (Which is why I do it that way), but I'm not sure why it's not working anymore. Something must have changed on the site somewhat recently or with some web browser update. It's more Sony's fault for using that shit in URLs anyways.

EDIT: Apparently removing the apostrophes from the URL works fine and doesn't break the PSN links (THEN WHY HAVE THEM, SONY?). I guess that'll have to be my go-to.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
SolidSnake86 said:
Always wondered about this.

Gravity Rush character designer reveals how protagonist Kat puts on her unique outfit
Click to expand...
[customspoiler='Bigger Image']
C14aNJbUsAAy_Ni.jpg
[/customspoiler]

Direct Link if CAG is shrinking it to fit the forum

Basically she wears a trashbag with two holes in it held up my a magically elastic string corset along with some other accessories. Also not very convenient for using the restroom. Game logic though.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Draekon said:
Basically she wears a trashbag with two holes in it held up my a magically elastic string corset along with some other accessories. Also not very convenient for using the restroom. Game logic though.
Click to expand...
I saw some gameplay video of the new one that was put up earlier today, I don't know anything about the series but it seems to me that she's basically doing oddjobs the whole time to get by haha

 
Last edited by a moderator:
SolidSnake86 said:
Always wondered about this.

Gravity Rush character designer reveals how protagonist Kat puts on her unique outfit
Click to expand...
They really need to do this more. Lightning's outfit from FF13:Lightning Returns confused the shit out of me. Not that I'm complaining, I think it looks great, but I have no idea how she puts it on, or how it raises combat effectiveness, or why it looks like it's from Assassin's Creed. Red from transistor's outfit was actually explained super well too,
She tore off the bottom of her dress, and then wore her husband's jacket over it
Quiet from MGS V also had a good explanation for why, as well as seeing her dress and undress a bunch.

 
So the new releases section is updated through March.

I have not added PC/Steam releases. I will look those up.

If you see any mistakes or anything that needs to be added just let me know.

Will add the other months as the days go by.

Thanks in part to Draekon.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
umbry said:
I have not added PC/Steam releases. I will look those up.
Click to expand...
If you do that, make sure to select "Games" from the list on the right after you click "Upcoming Games" to only single out games and get rid of the tons of fluff (DLC/Demos/Movies/etc). It really sucks going through the list if you don't do that.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Draekon said:
If you do that, make sure to select "Games" from the list on the right after you click "Upcoming Games" to only single out games and get rid of the tons of fluff (DLC/Demos/Movies/etc). It really sucks going through the list if you don't do that.
Click to expand...
Ok, thanks for the advice. Will do it tonight while I am catching up on some TV.

 
Future/Colorful Tone review:

The first and biggest thing I noticed was how fast everything was. The module change screen is only a single button away and is integrated into the shop so you can zip back and forth between stage and changing room easily. 

- Menus are more streamlined in general but part of that is because they've completely cut the social aspect (fine with me but if you're a fan of the vocaloids' personalities then you might be disappointed. They don't even cheer for you after clearing songs anymore.)

- IMO the graphics look lifeless and plasticky compared to the other games (esp. Project Diva X, which is one of my favorite looking games on the Vita) But look fine enough on my TV

- Some songs let you choose different voices which is a feature I've wanted for a very long time!

- WAAAAAAAYYYYYYY harder than any of the other games. I consistently can get perfects on hard in F1 but I can barely pass 70% completion on normal in this game. 

- This game feels more score focused than the others, especially X.You can get a "perfect" rating but not 100%/full bar unless you hit every note at "cool". Also as far as I can tell every song is unlocked from the start.

- There is a huge selection of modules and songs as advertised. I don't think you have to unlock any of these either but I haven't checked. I think they cut back on the accessories but I haven't looked into it enough to be sure.

TL;DR Future/Colorful Tone is Project Diva distilled into a pure arcade experience. Fans of the more interactive parts of the Project Diva series may find this one barren but should be pleased with the massive selection of modules. I would not recommend newcomers pick this one up unless they are ready for a challenge-many of the songs and costumes in this game are available in the much more accessible previous games. Personally I'm finding this the most addictive installment yet and already feel like I got my $54 worth :)

 
Aside from the live stream tomorrow and on Friday morning there will be streams this weekend as well for the Nintendo Switch.
 
Nintendo Switch January 14 and 15 hands-on experience event to be live streamed
 
Nintendo NY Store also mentioned they'll be doing pre-orders Friday morning so retail stores should probably be doing pre-orders this weekend or after tomorrows conference.
https://twitter.com/NintendoNYC/status/819305971772227585

It's a good thing I have BlackRockWaifu to camp out for me and reserve one.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Im happy preorders open friday morning lol most ppl will be at work not me =) store manager at my gamestop is a awesome dude and friend so Im good and excited limiting 1 per person at my store with id verification
 
Yea, I probably won't even buy a Switch until I see some exclusive games I actually want. Already have a Wii U so I'll just get Breath of the Wild for that. Lets hope they actually show something worthwhile tomorrow.

 
Nothing371 said:
I'd like to say I'm not buying a Switch but I'm a sucker to get the new Zelda game with the best possible graphics. :bouncy:
Click to expand...
If sources are right, then you'll probably just want to pick it up on the WiiU for that

Plus PC is already emulating WiiU games in 4K, so there's that.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Labyrinth of Grisaia Unrated from Denpasoft finally available. Launch discount of $22.49. Finally! Note on twitter there is a patch as well for it....so be sure to get that.

Link (NSFW)

Da Capo 3 X Rated in a few days on January 20th too. Woot! That's likely the only 2 games i'm getting with maybe Yakuza 0. Really don't want another Tales games (haven't played like the last 2-3), and  still have Gravity Rush remastered in the backlog. Fate....eh will wait for discount....Miku...I will likely wait...still haven't played Diva F 2nd enough.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
nitrosmob said:
Labyrinth of Grisaia Unrated from Denpasoft finally available. Launch discount of $22.49. Finally! Note on twitter there is a patch as well for it....so be sure to get that.

Link (NSFW)

Da Capo 3 X Rated in a few days on January 20th too. Woot! That's likely the only 2 games i'm getting with maybe Yakuza 0. Really don't want another Tales games (haven't played like the last 2-3), and still have Gravity Rush remastered in the backlog. Fate....eh will wait for discount....Miku...I will likely wait...still haven't played Diva F 2nd enough.
Click to expand...
How are the Grisaia animes? I was about to pick them up during the Sentai sale, but then I noticed there were no English dubs.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Dead_Batteries said:
Btw is the PS4 group still active?
Click to expand...
A lot more active now with the mobile app, still no game gatherings though. But we do have a lot of screenshot sharing and someone awesome posts a "cosplay of the day" thing as well.

If anyone doesn't have a PS4 and would like to join the community, you can now do so with the PS4 communities app for Android and iOS (I should be doing their advertising...) It's pretty neat since you can post images directing from your phone and even from your phone's camera! So it makes it a ton easier to share photos now that you couldn't upload on a PS4, and even share pictures that would be hard to upload even on CAG (whether by Imgur or CAG Album.) There's also a tiny bit of chatter, mostly about games we're playing, that isn't in this thread.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
BlackRockWaifu said:
A lot more active now with the mobile app, still no game gatherings though. But we do have a lot of screenshot sharing and someone awesome posts a "cosplay of the day" thing as well.

If anyone doesn't have a PS4 and would like to join the community, you can now do so with the PS4 communities app for Android and iOS (I should be doing their advertising...) It's pretty neat since you can post images directing from your phone and even from your phone's camera! So it makes it a ton easier to share photos now that you couldn't upload on a PS4, and even share pictures that would be hard to upload even on CAG (whether by Imgur or CAG Album.) There's also a tiny bit of chatter, mostly about games we're playing, that isn't in this thread.
Click to expand...
How does one join the community? I'm still new to my PS4 and haven't really utilized any of the features outside of ss
 
Last edited by a moderator:
itzd4n said:
How does one join the community? I'm still new to my PS4 and haven't really utilized any of the features outside of ss
Click to expand...
1. Go to Communties at the top of your dashboard.

2. Click Search. It's under CAG. Don't be confuse by the one that says Japanese Niche Community. Join the one that has a single person playing GTA.

3. Join.

4. New Friend???

 
So how is the Atelier series since I have not played since the Totori days and time limits?

The time was the one thing I hated since I love to explore.

I picked up Sophie from GS during the B2G1 sale and since I do not have a PS3 and Vita but really liked the series.

 
umbry said:
So how is the Atelier series since I have not played since the Totori days and time limits?

The time was the one thing I hated since I love to explore.

I picked up Sophie from GS during the B2G1 sale and since I do not have a PS3 and Vita but really liked the series.
Click to expand...
I played through all of the Arland trilogy and am played through most of Ayesha (took a break from it) and it seems that the time limit gets more lenient in every subsequent game from what I've seen. I could be wrong about the later games though.

I think the games are pretty fun and they always have a decent amount of content for you to go though. If you can get the games for cheap, I would recommend them.

 
umbry said:
So how is the Atelier series since I have not played since the Totori days and time limits?

The time was the one thing I hated since I love to explore.

I picked up Sophie from GS during the B2G1 sale and since I do not have a PS3 and Vita but really liked the series.
Click to expand...
I also really hate the time limits. I didn't like Totori for that reason, but Rorona Plus seemed alright to me. I can't remember the specifics of its time system since it was a while ago, but I do remember really preferring it and thinking the progression I had to do and by when was more clear. I've heard Meruru is even better than Totori/Rorona, but haven't played it yet.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
umbry said:
So how is the Atelier series since I have not played since the Totori days and time limits?

The time was the one thing I hated since I love to explore.

I picked up Sophie from GS during the B2G1 sale and since I do not have a PS3 and Vita but really liked the series.
Click to expand...
I have only played ayesha and the time limit is still there. ayesha wise doing monthly appraisal contest, register items at shops that you use frequently, make the sandals and bag to cut down on travel time help alot. from what I heard timelimit was removed as of shallie the last game in the dusk trilogy.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Dead_Batteries said:
1. Go to Communties at the top of your dashboard.
2. Click Search. It's under CAG. Don't be confuse by the one that says Japanese Niche Community. Join the one that has a single person playing GTA.
3. Join.
4. New Friend???
Click to expand...
Sweet, thank you! I'll do this either tonight or tomorrow depending on work schedule
 
itzd4n said:
Sweet, thank you! I'll do this either tonight or tomorrow depending on work schedule
Click to expand...
Yeah you can search up "CAG Japanese Niche Games Community" on the community tab, or if you have a friend who is already in it, just go to "your friend's communities" and join from there. It should have a neat little icon in green, orange and white over black that says it, and I think Draekon made that for us. The group is also free to join now and does not need approval.

 
Atelier Totori was probably the best PS3 Atelier game in my opinion. Gameplay improved from game to game of course and the time constraints became less of an issue, not that it was really an issue to begin with as you always had plenty to spare after completing your main task. Though your first time playing an Atelier with time constraints can potentially prove to be slightly difficult while you learn how the system works. They more or less removed the time constraints from Shallie, Sophie and the upcoming Firis. Unfortunately the removal of the time system really hinders the games sense of pacing with how the series works in general. It also does a bit to hinder sense of progression as well in my opinion.

For me, the Atelier games are pretty much games that are lighthearted romps where I can just sit back and enjoy the characters and setting without feeling the need to put much thought into it. However that's not to say that the game has zero challenge as post-game stuff tends to kick back quite a bit more. At least until you create great gear with crazy attributes. It's just that with the removal of the time system in the latest three games, any sense of balance is kind of thrown out the window since you can spend as much time as you want/need to create better gear to progress. So most of the difficulty in the latest three are more on self-restraint by resisting putting crazy attributes on gear rather than game forced via time.

Rorona Plus is pretty good, Torori is also good. Meruru wasn't as good as the earlier two but was definitely better than Rorona (Not the Plus version).

Next series I liked Ayesha, but didn't much like Escha & Logy. However Shallie wasn't bad.

The newest series only has Sophie which had some good stuff, but I really didn't like one of the frequent characters and the story went too main stream and hurt the game in my opinion. Still enjoyable, but eh.

BlackRockWaifu said:
I think Draekon made that for us.
Click to expand...
Yes. Not that it's anything special, just colored text and an approximated font.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Personally, I found the removal of the time system really detracted from the later atelier games. I couldn't bring myself to finish Escha or Shallie.

To contrast that opinion, I really enjoyed mana khamia which was built with no time limit in mind. I'd suggest you guys look into that.
 
Curious if Durante was able to get involved with Sophie and/or Firis.  Has anyone read the NeoGAF Steam Community threads about that?

 
Starcrest said:
Personally, I found the removal of the time system really detracted from the later atelier games.
Click to expand...
I agree with this. Though I find many people hating on it but turn around and show an insane amount of love for Persona 3 & 4. While not exactly the same, it still confuses me.

ely said:
Curious if Durante was able to get involved with Sophie and/or Firis. Has anyone read the NeoGAF Steam Community threads about that?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't really worry about it much. Just wait until it releases and wait for player impressions. Or pre-order and then refund it if it has issues within the first two hours.

Usually you have an NDA when you work on something anyways and can't exactly say anything until it's released. I doubt there's anything particularly useful in there if he hasn't stated anywhere else whether he's working on it or not. Even if he's not, he'll still work to fix any issues and improve the game as best as he can.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I never found the time limit in the Atelier games to be too harsh and it drove a sense of urgency to the games that I liked.  I haven't touched anything beyond Logy atm just cause due to them being lazy with the world map in that game which drove me nuts.  I loved Totori (also my favorite Atelier game) for the big world map and the sense of exploration that the story implied and Logy just slap me with the simplest/laziest world map ever since I started playing at Rorona.

I'm hoping for a physical ver. of Da Capo 3 X Rated before I pick it up.  Also would like to know when will I ever get my KS physical copy of Labyrinth of Grisaia.  The zero update on it is annoying.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Last edited by a moderator:
Vinn said:
I'm hoping for a physical ver. of Da Capo 3 X Rated before I pick it up. Also would like to know when will I ever get my KS physical copy of Labyrinth of Grisaia. The zero update on it is annoying.
Click to expand...
I'll keep you in the loop if they announce that. Da Capo 1 and 2 had physical releases, so this one is a shoe in I'm sure. Just wait for the summer cons to get this news. Mangagamer always does physical releases later on, and usually for their best selling games, so I'll help the cause at least.

Also for the KS copy...good luck! Hopefully you'll get it soon enough.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
nitrosmob said:
I'll keep you in the loop if they announce that. Da Capo 1 and 2 had physical releases, so this one is a shoe in I'm sure. Just wait for the summer cons to get this news. Mangagamer always does physical releases later on, and usually for their best selling games, so I'll help the cause at least.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I'm pretty sure your right and it will get announced during the summer cons.

Also quite happy to see Beat Blades Haruka at the #1 spot for 2016 sales. The game was definitely shallow considering it was pretty recommended but I'm hopping this will get Alicesoft to localize Daiteikoku. /crosses finger

 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top