Japanese Niche Games Deals & Discussion Thread 4.0

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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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Yeah honestly so far I think Square is winning simply by how bad all the other conferences were. I've already forgotten everything that was in the Bethesda conference other than Fallout battle royale. Ubisoft started strong but then immediately hit a brick wall with the tv show stuff and it never recovered. Microsoft seemed alright I guess, but I didn't have an interest in any of those games. Was especially disappointed by the Ninja Theory reveal, was hoping for something single player or co-op focused. Bleeding Edge looks like a game that would launch on early access and then be cancelled before launch because a lack of interest.
DOOM Eternal was the sole victor from Bethesda's conference IMO. Based on what they showed, it looks like the awesome DOOM gameplay from 2016 with welcome additions.

 
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Oh yeah Doom, I totally forgot about that. Mostly because I still haven't played the 2016 game, really want/need to just haven't gotten to it yet.

 
Yeah, FF7 gameplay is a hard pass for me. That boss battle demo was horrible. I didn't mind long boss battles in a JRPG because it's about moves, but I don't want to have to be micro managing meters while dodging and switching characters for 20 minutes at a time. It's all meant to look really cool, but looks a tedious nightmare to manage.

At least they got Tifa's look down perfectly.
I really think they were only switching characters so much to show them both off. You can probably play 95% of the game as Cloud if you want.

 
I've honestly been a fan of SE's showings. FFVII Remake looks promising so far and the FFVIII release, as much as I didn't care for FFVIII, has me excited because I've been wanting to replay that game and give it a second chance... and I'm HOPING, it's a sign that SE might do more Remasters of their PS1 RJPGs in the future (Xenogears, Chrono Cross, Parasite Eve- drool) and possibly other companies follow suit. But with all that said, it's said that I'm excited for re-releases of old games...

Nintendo easily has the best E3 presentation and we're not even done.
I'm buying a Switch the day Link's Awakening comes out, but besides that anything else noteworthy? I'm at work right now and can't follow everything... all I've seen are some last gen ports to the console which don't interest me on the existing hardware given how bad the ones I've played on my brother's Switch look and/or run (Skyrim was ok, Doom was disappointing, TWEWY was just flat out disappointing). I'd also love to know if an actual, hardware improved Switch is being released (and not the overclocking update).

 
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I'm buying a Switch the day Link's Awakening comes out, but besides that anything else noteworthy? I'm at work right now and can't follow everything... all I've seen are some last gen ports to the console which don't interest me on the existing hardware given how bad the ones I've played on my brother's Switch look and/or run (Skyrim was ok, Doom was disappointing, TWEWY was just flat out disappointing). I'd also love to know if an actual, hardware improved Switch is being released (and not the overclocking update).
A new Zelda using the BotW engine, so hopefully it doesn't take 3-4 years, but don't hold your breath. LOL Then Panzer Dragoon reboot/remake, and Banjo-Kazooie coming to Smash, that's about it, but a great showing overall, as there where tons of games and to the point. Oh, and Animal Crossing is coming in March 2020, and looks cool as well.

 
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I've honestly been a fan of SE's showings. FFVII Remake looks promising so far and the FFVIII release, as much as I didn't care for FFVIII, has me excited because I've been wanting to replay that game and give it a second chance... and I'm HOPING, it's a sign that SE might do more Remasters of their PS1 RJPGs in the future (Xenogears, Chrono Cross, Parasite Eve- drool) and possibly other companies follow suit. But with all that said, it's said that I'm excited for re-releases of old games...
Yeah, I'm hoping mainly for a Legend of Dragoon remake/remaster. That would be hype for me.

I'm buying a Switch the day Link's Awakening comes out, but besides that anything else noteworthy? I'm at work right now and can't follow everything... all I've seen are some last gen ports to the console which don't interest me on the existing hardware given how bad the ones I've played on my brother's Switch look and/or run (Skyrim was ok, Doom was disappointing, TWEWY was just flat out disappointing). I'd also love to know if an actual, hardware improved Switch is being released (and not the overclocking update).
Most of the games shown are coming out this year, so yeah, a bunch of stuff that looks great. Panzer Dragoon and Astral Chain off the top of my head, Mana Collection (eshop only), Trials of Mana remake (hopefully better than Secret of Mana remake). Highlight reel of a bunch of games coming out to this, too many to remember at this point, but hype all way this year.

Full game sequel to BotW in development.

 
I may not speak for everyone but just about everything Nintendo showed is a must play. Been waiting for that Mana collection so I'm buying that immediately after work. Daemon x Machina looked pretty cool. Link's Awakening looks kind of cute and I haven't played that game in ages. Trials of Mana looks pretty cool. Contra looks OK enough. Astral Chain looks super cool too. Been waiting to play DQ11 so will play that later in the year. Just a lot of good stuff and I have to say Luigi's Mansion 3 looked pretty cool. I want to be slamming some ghosts and doing some co-op. Plus Gooigi. Really want everything honestly. Animal Crossing is a must when it comes out. 

 
No More Heroes 3 is such a huge thing for me. Really glad Travis is coming back. Astral Chain looked awesome, too. And that Banjo trailer made me feel like a kid again. 

 
Mana Trilogy (+ Trials of Mana) and the Smash DLC were cool, but I still think I liked Square's conference better.

Nintendo's first-party games are usually pretty good, but they announced all of the games too early and we didn't get much in the way of actual news. A delay for Animal Crossing, a date for Link's Awakening, and teasers at No More Heroes, Panzer Dragoon, and Zelda.

Ironically, I think Nintendo's going through the same pains Square did a few years ago. Square jumped the gun on announcing FFVIIR, KH3, Avengers, and many other titles by revealing them before they had any real sense of when they'd release. Now that those games are actually coming out (and they seem to be trending positively) they're getting some good publicity.

Nintendo announced everything at once a while back (Animal Crossing, Luigi's Mansion, Bayonetta 3, Metroid Prime 4, etc.) and they haven't been able to deliver on much because it was announced too early. I have no doubt the games will be good when they come out (insert the Miyamoto quote here), but for me it's hard to stay excited about something for years on end.

 
Most of the games shown are coming out this year, so yeah, a bunch of stuff that looks great. Panzer Dragoon and Astral Chain off the top of my head, Mana Collection (eshop only), Trials of Mana remake (hopefully better than Secret of Mana remake). Highlight reel of a bunch of games coming out to this, too many to remember at this point, but hype all way this year.

Full game sequel to BotW in development.
No way, Panzer Dragoon? fucking dopeeeee! Other stuff doesn't excite me as much, I'm prob one of few that thought BotW was overrated... it was a good Zelda game in a meh open world, nothing that blew me away (Mario Odyssey is easily the best NS game IMO). Otherwise, more remakes/re-leases it sounds like. Was hoping the rumors of a HD Skyward Sword (with traditional controls) would be proven true.

EDIT* Actually, I completely forgot about this but was it reveal what, if anything, Retro Studios is working on? Last I heard, they weren't doing Prime 4 and I don't think they've released a game in ages...

 
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DOOM Eternal was the sole victor from Bethesda's conference IMO. Based on what they showed, it looks like the awesome DOOM gameplay from 2016 with welcome additions.
DOOM Eternal looks amazing, but no love for Wolfenstein: Youngblood? It also looks like a lot of fun, it adds co-op for those into that (not I!), and from we saw I think the sisters will be an entertaining spin away from playing as their dad.

 
No way, Panzer Dragoon? fucking dopeeeee! Other stuff doesn't excite me as much, I'm prob one of few that thought BotW was overrated... it was a good Zelda game in a meh open world, nothing that blew me away (Mario Odyssey is easily the best NS game IMO). Otherwise, more remakes/re-leases it sounds like. Was hoping the rumors of a HD Skyward Sword (with traditional controls) would be proven true.

EDIT* Actually, I completely forgot about this but was it reveal what, if anything, Retro Studios is working on? Last I heard, they weren't doing Prime 4 and I don't think they've released a game in ages...
Well, after the **** up that was Metroid Prime 4, "N" went running back to Retro for help. So whatever else they have been working on has been shelved, or is still happening behind the scenes. It was rumored last year, the Star Fox Racing was being done by them, but of course that was never confirmed to be true(fingers crossed it's real).

Yeah, BotW is the only other Zelda title besides Majoras Mask that I never finished. I loved MM, but at the time, the thing that made it cool and unique, was also the thing that stopped me from playing(The time mechanic). It was a love hate relationship for sure, but I've been meaning to go back and finish it on the 3DS, as I hear it's much improved in regards to ease of use.

BotW fell way flat for me, and the reason I didn't finish that game was because it was boring as hell, and in no way felt much like a Zelda title to me. I'm hoping the same way MM was the complete opposite of OoT, I'm hoping whatever this new title will be, will have a similar take on the world. As I don't mind new, just something that is also good. BotW while new, was far from good IMO, and if they go back to that well, I don't see myself bothering again. I am looking forward to Link's awakening, as that's probably my favorite title in the series, and a revisit with improved visuals is a no brainer.

 
No way, Panzer Dragoon? fucking dopeeeee! Other stuff doesn't excite me as much, I'm prob one of few that thought BotW was overrated... it was a good Zelda game in a meh open world, nothing that blew me away (Mario Odyssey is easily the best NS game IMO). Otherwise, more remakes/re-leases it sounds like. Was hoping the rumors of a HD Skyward Sword (with traditional controls) would be proven true.

EDIT* Actually, I completely forgot about this but was it reveal what, if anything, Retro Studios is working on? Last I heard, they weren't doing Prime 4 and I don't think they've released a game in ages...
Definitely watch the direct when you find the time tonight or read someone's article detailing all the games. There's a lot more than just remakes, a good amount of original/new content.

 
The Nintendo Directs are so effective.  I can't believe what a good job they do communicating their message and getting me excited about upcoming games.  

 
The Nintendo Directs are so effective. I can't believe what a good job they do communicating their message and getting me excited about upcoming games.
Even if you don't like what they're presenting everything for the most part is given just enough time and then moved on. They leave the longer game play parts to their Treehouse Lives. I also like their general kind of playfulness. It's all pretty fun and nice. I enjoy them quite a bit.

 
Even if you don't like what they're presenting everything for the most part is given just enough time and then moved on. They leave the longer game play parts to their Treehouse Lives. I also like their general kind of playfulness. It's all pretty fun and nice. I enjoy them quite a bit.
Aye, the presentation is exceptional. They make things bright and colorful, know how to hit many of the notes for announcements that people are interested in hearing, plus they have excellent pacing. It's all about the games; not wieners in sport coats.

 
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They leave the longer game play parts to their Treehouse Lives. I also like their general kind of playfulness.
The treehouse streams are honestly one of the smartest things about their setup. Most demos during a presentation tend to bring the whole thing to a screeching halt where I end up just going afk if it's a game I am not interested in. But just cutting all that out they can keep the pace up and then also have a demo for basically every game you can seek out yourself. It's literally a win-win.

 
Why is no one talking about how insanely embarrassing the new Contra looks? I'm pretty baked right now, so this might just be me, but I really think it's not just me and this is just a legendarily ugly game.

LOOK AT THIS SHIT!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIoOkTHZuVM

2mjryu.png

When has a respected title like Contra ever been so publicly eviscerated??

2zsmphf.png

I went to find more information on how this ever got by any quality control and stumbled on an interview. I barely got 3 minutes in and had to stop and post about this. Usually games that are just complete dumpster fires try to hide by not showing much of their content. Konami is just laying it all on the line, here.

Look at this interview.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x17S-6BPBJc

Like I said, I'm only 3 minutes in and the questions are being answered with such lack of passion and anything of actual substance. I had to stop this guy started saying, "this game has everything that makes Contra, Contra" while the game literally zooms in for an embarrassing cinematic kill that brings the gameplay to a complete halt, lasts way too long and looks even worse as enemy projectiles just pass right through your character!

Am I insane? This is fucking CONTRA. Characters are running around doing, back-to-back, shitty, cinematic kills in CONTRA, the game most known for its constant, non-stop action! People care about this franchise and it's being mutilated with no sense of shame.

 
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people care about this franchise
I’ll have to take your word for it. I mean, not doubting you, and I know it had its fans back in the day, but it’s not a franchise I really hear about... ever? For the past several years? So maybe I’m just not in the right parts of the internet to see that kind of passion. Which is why I’m taking your word for it.

I swear this is sounding douchier than I intend it to be.
 
Why is no one talking about how insanely embarrassing the new Contra looks? I'm pretty baked right now, so this might just be me, but I really think it's not just me and this is just a legendarily ugly game.

LOOK AT THIS SHIT!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIoOkTHZuVM

2mjryu.png

When has a respected title like Contra ever been so publicly eviscerated??

2zsmphf.png

I went to find more information on how this ever got by any quality control and stumbled on an interview. I barely got 3 minutes in and had to stop and post about this. Usually games that are just complete dumpster fires try to hide by not showing much of their content. Konami is just laying it all on the line, here.

Look at this interview.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x17S-6BPBJc

Like I said, I'm only 3 minutes in and the questions are being answered with such lack of passion and anything of actual substance. I had to stop this guy started saying, "this game has everything that makes Contra, Contra" while the game literally zooms in for an embarrassing cinematic kill that brings the gameplay to a complete halt, lasts way too long and looks even worse as enemy projectiles just pass right through your character!

Am I insane? This is fucking CONTRA. Characters are running around doing, back-to-back, shitty, cinematic kills in CONTRA, the game most known for its constant, non-stop action! People care about this franchise and it's being mutilated with no sense of shame.
We're talking about Konami. At this point, that the publisher even cares enough to do anything in the realm of game development is probably the best we can hope for.

This game looks bad - though I suppose when Cannon Spike was announced, I felt the same way. The big difference there being it was Capcom so I had no reason to believe the game would be horrible as an arcade title. In this case, the last few Contra games Konami made for PS2 (Shattered Soldier and Neo) were actually pretty good.

Unfortunately the Konami that made those games isn't the Konami now. We'll have to see but I don't think how it looks is exceptionally any worse than how the PS2 titles looked.

 
Contra looks whatever. It looks like a budget game but it doesn't look terrible. If you take a screenshot while a character is spinning, it'll obviously look bad.

In other Nintendo news, the digital version of Collection of Mana being $40 is a joke. 

 
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Hey there is a Panda even though he's not a Panda and is a cyborg. It doesn't look amazing. Kind of reminds me of a game like Mamorukun Curse. If it's cheap enough and i'm bored i'll get it. When it comes out is not a good time though.

 
We'll have to see but I don't think how it looks is exceptionally any worse than how the PS2 titles looked.
Honestly, that is a pretty sad statement to make in 2019, a little more than a year off of the PS-friggin'-5.

That being said, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Exhibit 1: Contra on the PS4 (why the fuck is there a panda in this game, again?)

8y518g.jpg

Exhibit 2: Tekken 5 on the PS2

n15dg0.jpg

 
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Meh, there hasn't been anything that makes me particularly excited yet. However, I am excited that Cadence of Hyrule releases tomorrow at $25.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATtLpjXTc7I

[customspoiler='Some Gameplay']
Bad player:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKDORspwSgY

Decent player who gets worse by the end:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpdTcbbLgnY[/customspoiler]

Music seems pretty good. Looks like the remixes were done by DannyB.

 
I still don't know what to think of this. I think I'll grab Crypt, which is on sale right now on psn for $3, to get a feel for it.
So long as you have a decent ability to move in line with the rhythm, it shouldn't be much of an issue. The main difference between the two games will be that in Cadence of Hyrule, enemies can drop health and the better you are with hitting the beat, the more drops you get. Whereas in Necrodancer, you're very lucky if you get health recovery. Crypt of the Necrodancer should be a much more difficult game than Cadence of Hyrule.

Though, I still recommend giving Crypt of the Necrodancer a go. More so since it's on sale. I enjoyed it quite a lot.

EDIT: Cadence of Hyrule doesn't "restart" you from the beginning when you die either. You respawn from checkpoint stones.

 
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I highly recommend crypt as well. I played and beat it a few times on PC. It's very tough especially for the character where you die if you miss a beat (almost won with them). It's cheap and good. I'm picking up Cadence of Hyrule mainly cause it looks very polished, I like Zelda games, and the beats sound cool. That's the type of game I want on my Switch portable.  

 
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Honestly, that is a pretty sad statement to make in 2019, a little more than a year off of the PS-friggin'-5.

That being said, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Exhibit 1: Contra on the PS4 (why the fuck is there a panda in this game, again?)
8y518g.jpg

Exhibit 2: Tekken 5 on the PS2
n15dg0.jpg
Happy to see it'll be coming to PS4. That's what I'll be getting it for.
 
Honestly, that is a pretty sad statement to make in 2019, a little more than a year off of the PS-friggin'-5.

That being said, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
Look at the Best Buy product page for it...

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/contra-rogue-corps-nintendo-switch/6352159.p?skuId=6352159&ref=199&loc=FKSJxY2VJAk&acampID=1&siteID=FKSJxY2VJAk-NYCi.q1nC9Roxn00mdrCng

kxcR0TJ.jpg


Wu20h2T.jpg

The cutscenes look pretty good somehow...

But that's all they are willing to show... the box art and cutscene screen shots, no trailer or gameplay screenshots...

 
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