Japanese Niche Games Deals & Discussion Thread 4.0

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:
Don't forget about Deep Down, no telling how much money they wasted on that.

Honestly, if they just budgeted better and stopped trying to target the Call of Duty audience, they'd probably make their fans happier while making some money.
Sadly, the industry has changed over the years, and instead of a company like Capcom playing to their strengths, they instead try to follow/compete in areas where they have no clue. They have tons of great games, that while not selling millions, would sale well enough to make money.

They have had tons of cool LE sets in Japan, and their store here is the worst part of their whole business in my opinion. They release the worst of the worst retail items here, and then wonders why no ones buys them. They made a cool Street Fighter chess set years ago, but made like 5000 or some off the wall numbers, and of course after the hardcore bought in, they where left with tons of inventory(probably over 4000).

Who the fuck is going to buy an expensive item like that? Of course they discounted them for ages, and probably lost money. In Japan, they had a really cool Okami Snow Globe, and something like that limited to a few hundred would sale out instantly, and make money. Instead, we get Mega Man jackets and other crap BS!

I used to love Capcom, but I stopped supporting them when they started treating the Ace Attorney series like shit in the West, restricting it to the eShop and only localizing the main games. It was nice to see The Great Ace Attorney 2 announced this week, but bittersweet because it'll never be available officially in English.
The great attorney games I'm sure will see fan translation somewhere down the road, so we will be able to play them some day I hope, but for now, I agree they have handled that series super poorly.

you are more likely to get the Darkstalkers HD collection remaster ill take that lol
I agree this is more likely, but in their current financial situation, it's about just as likely as a new game(not gonna happen).

 
For Persona, do you have to have played the last games in the series to understand the new ones?
For Persona 5, No.

For previous Persona games like Persona 3 there's some cameos of Persona 4 characters but they're very small & don't have anything to do with the story. Persona 4 works the same way with small cameos of Persona 3 characters. Now Persona Q however does have a bit to with both P3 & P4 as far as references & time that takes place, but not the main story.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I just...I just hate CAPCOM so much right now.
Yeah, I know what you mean. Look at the production values in that video, that game must sale well enough in Japan to warrant the funds spent making it, but yet they can't be bothered to bring it anywhere else.

Maybe we'll see this game here if the "Sherlock Holmes" character isn't in it, although I thought that was just an excuse for them not bringing it here, but who knows? Licensing can often be issues in certain territories, but I'm sure they could have named that character anything and made it work.

 
Got my P5 CE Famitsu DX crystal today ^_^
Where did you order from and how much? Right now I see $260 on ebay. My nephew just happened to see Persona pics out of the corner of his eye and is now in agony trying to bargain with me to get him one.

 
Yeah, I know what you mean. Look at the production values in that video, that game must sale well enough in Japan to warrant the funds spent making it, but yet they can't be bothered to bring it anywhere else.

Maybe we'll see this game here if the "Sherlock Holmes" character isn't in it, although I thought that was just an excuse for them not bringing it here, but who knows? Licensing can often be issues in certain territories, but I'm sure they could have named that character anything and made it work.
I read a while ago on another site that one reason why we didn't get The Great Ace Attorney is that there's some blatant racism towards the Japanese protagonist while he's in London, which fits the time period in the game but might not sit well in today's world.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I read a while ago on another site that one reason why we didn't get The Great Ace Attorney is that there's some blatant racism towards the Japanese protagonist while he's in London, which fits the time period in the game but might not sit well in today's world.
If that's true, than it's a really stupid reason. It's ok to portray racism in movies set in certain time periods like Django but not in a video game? I'm not even a big ace attorney fan, but I dislike stupid censorship.

 
If that's true, than it's a really stupid reason. It's ok to portray racism in movies set in certain time periods like Django but not in a video game? I'm not even a big ace attorney fan, but I dislike stupid censorship.
comic331_zps0e179cf7.png


 
For Persona 5, No.

For previous Persona games like Persona 3 there's some cameos of Persona 4 characters but they're very small & don't have anything to do with the story. Persona 4 works the same way with small cameos of Persona 3 characters. Now Persona Q however does have a bit to with both P3 & P4 as far as references & time that takes place, but not the main story.
persona 3 has no cameos outside of yukiko when she was a little girl exclusive to the femc side in p3p I believe.

 
"Excuses" is the order of the day at "N", and every time someone opens their mouths over there, I want to sit down and cry, or punch someone in the face.

They really are just slowly circling the drain at this point, and the only reason they haven't fallen as far as SEGA, Capcom and Konami is due to their ip's, but I can honestly still see the writing on the wall(and it's not looking good).
So long as they have their handhelds and pokemon I don't see them going anywhere anytime soon. They may bow out of the console section but not completely.

 
I played the game for about an hour now. It's really stylish and looks (and sounds) great. Not all the conversations are spoken though and there's a lot of kanji, so I probably won't play much more, but it's making me look forward to the US release even more!

The 20th set also came with some dlc. I haven't gotten far enough to use the in-game items, but it does come with a dynamic theme that plays music in the background :D

Found someone who posted it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM97Z5kH8zU

I like the first & last posters, gonna keep an eye out to see if i can buy them somewhere.
Me too! The first was actually put on a steel book as one of the store's pre-order bonuses, but I don't think they sold it online.

That set looks incredible. Grats, Covnam!
It is! Thanks =)

Where did you order from and how much? Right now I see $260 on ebay. My nephew just happened to see Persona pics out of the corner of his eye and is now in agony trying to bargain with me to get him one.
I got it from amazon.co.jp (https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B01GHN9R3Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). It was ~$220 shipped since the yen is so strong to the dollar right now -_- I ordered it with amazon as the seller, but it looks like you'll have to go through a 3rd party now =/

That's awesome. Makes the amiami CE I'm getting in the mail look like garbage.
Did you get the one with the pre-order bonus? This one didn't have any, plus I ordered way too late for that even if it did have one. It's always nice to get a freebie :) You'll still be getting everything that was in the 20th box, so it's still pretty great =)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Did you get the one with the pre-order bonus? This one didn't have any, plus I ordered way too late for that even if it did have one. It's always nice to get a freebie :) You'll still be getting everything that was in the 20th box, so it's still pretty great =)

Nothing free about the preorder bonus from amiami. Its a pouch that costs an extra 1500 yen

Yup, this. Would've preferred the crystal, but that was an extra $60 I wasn't really willing to spend.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Not much to say this week, except that if you didn't pre-order Summon Night 6's physical edition by now you've missed out on the $20 discount.

Other stuff that released without warning last week that are all on PC/Steam:
- Super Jagua (Platformer)
- Carrie's Order Up! (Action / Simulation?)
- Artisan: Going Home Again (Visual Novel / Simulation?)
- Beautiful Japanese Scenery - Animated Jigsaws (Puzzle / Jigsaw)


Weekly Releases (September 18th - September 24th)

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
- Platform(s): 3DS
- Genre: RPG
- Demo: N/A
- Online: N/A
- Comments: This is a sequel to Shin Megami Tensei IV, not a remake/director's cut/enhanced edition. Seen a few people with that misunderstanding.

Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters: Daybreak Special Gigs
- Platform(s): PS3, PS4, Vita
- Genre: Strategy RPG / Visual Novel
- Demo: N/A
- Online: N/A
- Comments: Enhanced version of Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters. PS3 & Vita versions are digital only.

Diorama Battle of NINJA
- Platform(s): PC
- Genre: Strategy / Musou??
- Demo: N/A
- Online: Yes.
- Comments: I'm not really completely sure what to label this as.

Harmonia
- Platform(s): PC
- Genre: Visual Novel
- Demo: N/A
- Online: N/A


Past Releases
September 11th - September 17th
September 4th - September 10th
August 28th - September 3rd
August 21st - August 27th
August 14th - August 20th

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Props to the Walmart employee I saw the other day trying to sell an older gentleman on Gal*Gun for his kid.  It's not something that WM carries, the guy was just making recommendations.  I stuck around to see how he would try explaining the game, he obviously left out a few details but had the guy interested.   Really would like to be a fly on the wall for when he watches his kid play that game.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I read a while ago on another site that one reason why we didn't get The Great Ace Attorney is that there's some blatant racism towards the Japanese protagonist while he's in London, which fits the time period in the game but might not sit well in today's world.
If that's true, than it's a really stupid reason. It's ok to portray racism in movies set in certain time periods like Django but not in a video game? I'm not even a big ace attorney fan, but I dislike stupid censorship.
Honestly, I see that as a pretty dumb reason as well, but if true, I can understand it. For some reason certain video game developers just don't consider what they do as "art" that can stand along side movies and other creative mediums. It has more to do with self loathing I guess, than any actual facts, but I don't see a Capcom willing to stand up and say this is what was "real" at this point in history and then stand behind it as a creative product.

Also, depending on the content, the rating might become an issue as well. It's sad that in this day and age, real topics can't be portrayed in gaming, but it is what it is. Capcom can't stand up for characters like Mega Man who deserve better than he has gotten over the years, so to think they are going to "stand" for something, it just ain't happening.

So long as they have their handhelds and pokemon I don't see them going anywhere anytime soon. They may bow out of the console section but not completely.
I don't see them throwing in the towel anytime soon either, as they have a good size reserve to feed from, and with their new mobile endeavors and the other crap they are spitting out, they should last at least through this next gen or two.

Even if they hit rock bottom, they are just to flat out stubborn, stupid, and to self important to ever stop making hardware, as that would be admitting that they failed, and they NEVER accept responsibility for any failures.

Even when they talk about the Wii U, and how poorly it did, they spin it in some round and about way to say "we fuck up, but we really didn't". It's this kind of broken rational and thinking that keeps them from ever learning from their mistakes.

 
Does anyone know what happens when you place an order with NISA containing a pre-order and a not-pre-order, and then that not-pre-order item goes out of stock?

I pre-ordered Criminal Girls 2 along with CG1 and now it looks like CG1 was removed from their store. If my copy of CG1 isn't secured then I might as well get 2 from amazon.

Can't find anything on their faq other than the fact they'll ship together.
If you have a pre-order for it, it means you have one secured. Sometimes a lone copy of something that was released a while ago will pop up and you could've ordered the only one they had. Since it's allocated to you, now it's out of stock - At least that's how it's gone for me when I've ordered an older LE I've seen pop up.

 
This Dragon Quest VII translation makes it feel more that I'm creating The European Union rather than fixing the world. I do have to say that the game does flow much better than the original did. Though they really could have stood to use some quality of life updates instead of keeping with this god awful tradition of continuing to use these super old, slow and cumbersome menus and such. It's really frustrating putting up with some of this old shit at times.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Props to the Walmart employee I saw the other day trying to sell an older gentleman on Gal*Gun for his kid. It's not something that WM carries, the guy was just making recommendations. I stuck around to see how he would try explaining the game, he obviously left out a few details but had the guy interested. Really would like to be a fly on the wall for when he watches his kid play that game.
LOL! I wonder what details were left out

 
Sure!

Box & Packaging:
vnFHxbN.jpg

daVQZBa.jpg

JOy9URW.jpg

Figures (I don't have a place for them just yet, so I didn't put them together):
YENgmFq.jpg

Crystal & Stand (the stand rotates through colors):
F2V5iSH.jpg

gZ5OZU7.jpg

RAi4Waa.jpg

Sk4cE1Q.jpg

Velvet Room "Invite" & DLC card:
n3HDhr4.jpg

H5dnPww.jpg

LkW9Q9b.jpg

Game & Soundtrack:
0s7POQ0.jpg

hQ4L4d2.jpg

rQ8n10m.jpg

Artbook:
dae1ezm.jpg

Posters (I was surprised by their size, I was expecting them to be much smaller. PS4 game for comparison):

jr3hlTy.jpg

HQwtw0q.jpg

lrEYJFL.jpg

dSq0j8G.jpg
I really appreciate you posting those pictures. It's making me regret not ordering it.
 
Nothing free about the preorder bonus from amiami. Its a pouch that costs an extra 1500 yen
Yup, this. Would've preferred the crystal, but that was an extra $60 I wasn't really willing to spend.
Oh? Sorry, I thought it was just a store specific pre-order bonus >_<

I really appreciate you posting those pictures. It's making me regret not ordering it.
Happy to oblige! You can still get it through some 3rd parties on amazon japan I think.

 
For those few Cold Steel players, here's the tumblr page of Rean's voice actor. He's been putting up some audio for dialogue that wasn't actually voiced in game but people have requested. I'll wrap the links in spoilers just to emphasize that these are spoilers if you haven't beaten the first Cold Steel. One of them might be from Cold Steel II, but I can't specifically recall. It's more random side dialogue than anything though and doesn't really spoil the main story of the second game.

[customspoiler='Seriously, don't click on these links if you haven't beaten Cold Steel I']
All can be found here: http://sonicmega.tumblr.com/

And for the one that everybody probably wanted from the first game that takes place in the final chapter:

http://sonicmega.tumblr.com/post/150519010861/there-are-many-lines-of-dialogue-rean-didnt-get[/customspoiler]

EDIT: Also some very random voice lines from him as well that aren't actually from the game itself, but done in Rean's voice.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Also got my Persona 5 CE on Friday and played for a bit. I saw those Rise and Kanami posters in the beginning of the game and thought they were cool cameos.

This game is awesome, but the overwhelming amount of difficult kanji is really throwing me off. I thought I would be somewhat ok with my limited Japanese knowledge (based on the extent that I could understand when importing the Yakuza games), but this is on a whole new level.

I'll keep playing, but at a much slower pace than I expected lol.

 
OMG, finally beat Dungeon Travelers 2, and I'm prepping for post-game.

I'm still not really sure why people rave about it so much. Personally, I think Demon's Gaze was a better game.

The map designs are kinda boring, especially with the limited number of shortcuts after exploring. Some of the teleport pad colors are also impossible to discern on maps that are filled with them. There are also way too many one-way, no-warning paths that are just artificially there to make you walk more.

The quest rank system is weirdly limited. You do quests, and all of a sudden you're locked out of the quest objectives because you ranked up. I'm currently at Rank 10 but can't complete a single Rank 10 quest, but I can't do any Rank 9s.

The equipment upgrading is unnecessarily random.

The skill points are so limited relative to the cost that you can maybe max a handful of skills. If you don't max them, most of them are pretty worthless. For example, one of the bow skills does like 3 hits a level before max, and like 6 at max. So if you don't max it, it's a pretty big waste up to that point.

There are so many characters and so many classes. And you supposedly need pretty much all of them in end-game cause of locked doors.

A little better than average, I suppose. I just don't see why people here all say it's the best DRPG.

 
Anyone else excited over Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky on PS4?

I watched a few videos on it, looks very interesting and the spiritual successor of Valkyrie Profile!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
New Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gKAR0uRZZ0&feature=youtu.be
So not to be that guy but, someone tell me how to play Kingdom Hearts. I played the original when it came out and I have no idea how to play them all with all the updates and what not. I want 2.8 and definitely 3.

 
So not to be that guy but, someone tell me how to play Kingdom Hearts. I played the original when it came out and I have no idea how to play them all with all the updates and what not. I want 2.8 and definitely 3.
1. KH 1.5 HD (2 games and a "movie")

2. KH 2.5 HD (another 2 games and another "movie")

3. KH 2.8

4. KH 3

 
OMG, finally beat Dungeon Travelers 2, and I'm prepping for post-game.

I'm still not really sure why people rave about it so much. Personally, I think Demon's Gaze was a better game.

The map designs are kinda boring, especially with the limited number of shortcuts after exploring. Some of the teleport pad colors are also impossible to discern on maps that are filled with them. There are also way too many one-way, no-warning paths that are just artificially there to make you walk more.

The quest rank system is weirdly limited. You do quests, and all of a sudden you're locked out of the quest objectives because you ranked up. I'm currently at Rank 10 but can't complete a single Rank 10 quest, but I can't do any Rank 9s.

The equipment upgrading is unnecessarily random.

The skill points are so limited relative to the cost that you can maybe max a handful of skills. If you don't max them, most of them are pretty worthless. For example, one of the bow skills does like 3 hits a level before max, and like 6 at max. So if you don't max it, it's a pretty big waste up to that point.

There are so many characters and so many classes. And you supposedly need pretty much all of them in end-game cause of locked doors.

A little better than average, I suppose. I just don't see why people here all say it's the best DRPG.
I put it down despite being quite a ways in to it (at least I think) and moved on to something else. I enjoyed the writing in the game the most (even though the story seemed pretty predictable), but I already had a set team by the time they started adding new characters and didn't see the need to power level / grind them for classes I didn't necessarily need. The limited skill points and map designs, like you said, were annoying too. I want to finish it one day though.

 
This Dragon Quest VII translation makes it feel more that I'm creating The European Union rather than fixing the world. I do have to say that the game does flow much better than the original did. Though they really could have stood to use some quality of life updates instead of keeping with this god awful tradition of continuing to use these super old, slow and cumbersome menus and such. It's really frustrating putting up with some of this old shit at times.
I have to say, that seems to fall into "not a bug, a feature" territory. Dragon Quest does everything short of using the same font it did on the NES, and that's always really been a selling point. At least for really old guys like me.

 
I have to say, that seems to fall into "not a bug, a feature" territory. Dragon Quest does everything short of using the same font it did on the NES, and that's always really been a selling point. At least for really old guys like me.
I'll just say that it feels more dated than Dragon Quest IV, V & VI remakes do but that could be because I haven't played them in a long while (and that I came from Cold Steel II, which has some of these QOL things). I'm also not asking for a makeover and believe you could incorporate many of the things on an acceptable level easily without destroying the nostalgia factor or staples of the series.

I'm not exactly young either. I just have the mindset of an engineer that when I see things, my mind goes to work on ways that things can be improved and more efficient.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
bread's done
Back
Top