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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Black Rock Shooter was so popular for a few years (so many anime figures and such). Same as most things...its time is gone. Anyone play the game and have an opinion on it, as I don't think it has been on sale in a while?

 
ow the edge

Guitar is being played by Jun Senoue for Crush 40 fans.

Sonic Forces reveals new villain Infinite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn6uqp_mr98

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKjOJuPjiu4

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite adds Spider-Man, Frank West, Nemesis, and Hagger

Unreleased Crash Bandicoot stage ‘Stormy Ascent’ now available as free Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy DLC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-occLXw964


motaku96 said:
GET HYPE! The vita game was a big disappointment. I've spent hours playing WoT with GuP voice mods. I can finally play a proper GuP game now.

Black Rock WaifuShooter is on sale in the PSN flash sale for $6.
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Hope that mod includes Katyusha being played the entire time you choose Russia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2SJjnyTojo

ar4757 said:
First Girls und Panzer had a collab in World of Tanks

Now they're here to destroy World of Tanks
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_2wPH7R00w

 
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SolidSnake86 said:
Have to admit, I liked FFXIII. Actually, it was one of the few FF games, outside of FFVII, that I had any interest in. I wasn't in love with the game, but it had interesting characters, a decent story, and the music was good.

I played a few hours of FFXV at a friend's house and it was enough to know that I'd never want to play it again. That "horror" chapter sounds awful (we didn't get to that part), but It was really the characters that ruined it for me. I tried, but couldn't find anything in it that resonated with me.
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Yeah, I actually really liked FFXIII, and I am always really hesitant to say I do since there's such a negative rep for it. Most of the hate is justified but I do think a lot of it is wildfire that spread even to people who haven't played it or played very little and was just sad it wasn't what they wanted. If FFXIII started off with the open world in chapter 12, or a battle system like Lightning Returns, it would've be even better. But yeah, the music was just a spectacle, and the story really pulled you in and made you care for the characters on an emotional level.

I do think FFXV had that in the very beginning, the characters like Aranea, Iris, Luna, Gentiana were super interesting and well designed. But after chapter 6, and not to spoil it, I just completely lost any interest left, and seeing the cast of One Direction argue over and over again just isn't very compelling.

motaku96 said:
Black Rock WaifuShooter is on sale in the PSN flash sale for $6.
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Awesome! I always say this but if you buy this game, me on the left, you on the right.

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Yeah, if people didn't know, Black Rock Shooter is what inspired my CAG name, and to this day, the character, BlackRockShooter/Mato Kuroi/Stella is my favorite character of all time, in really any form of fiction.

nitrosmob said:
Black Rock Shooter was so popular for a few years (so many anime figures and such). Same as most things...its time is gone. Anyone play the game and have an opinion on it, as I don't think it has been on sale in a while?
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Sadly this is true, even though it was super popular for a time, it was very underrated. Both the OVA and Anime were fantastic, but never became classics people would refer to. The figures were a hot topic, but even then it quickly lost popularity and never became a figure staple like Sonico or the Fate series. I do see a ton of people still cosplay the character though, so that's pretty cool. But yeah, it's possibly my favorite fictional series of all time, and it's sad to see it vanish so fast.

I actually just started playing the game recently, on Howlongtobeat it takes roughly 11 hours to finish, and I'm like 7 hours in right now. I know that SolidSnake86 has played it before as well, I've seen him play it but I'm not sure how far he got or his opinion, although I have been meaning to ask him.

To me, I actually really like the game. It definitely didn't age well, especially if you play it on a Vita. The game got a pretty rough score on Metacritic (although it was the 2nd best PSP game released that year... in 2013...) The gameplay gets highly repetitive, the graphics are pretty crappy, even for a PSP game. Levels and enemy designs are meh. But the story and characters are super captivating. If you know me, I never play games without trophies, especially if they are bad, but the story in BRS is really good, I can't stress that enough. It's got me really into the game, and it's very rare that a game where everything else is below average, can keep me so engaged just through story alone. The story has this very metaphorical, Evangelion-like feel to it. The voice acting is also superb as well.

So I definitely recommend getting this, and trying to overlook it's flaws. At least for the first few stages once you get to the thick of the story. Then the game will reel you in by itself.

In terms of price, this is probably the best it'll be. I think it was $4 or so a few years back, but even at $15 it's already a discount, at $6 it's a steal. I bought it at $20, because Image Epoch closed down years ago in Japan, and BRS and Fate/Extra were actually taken down from the PSN store. So I thought eventually it would be gone here too. Seems like that isn't the case, but it's still nice to have the game.

 
BlackRockWaifu said:
I actually just started playing the game recently, on Howlongtobeat it takes roughly 11 hours to finish, and I'm like 7 hours in right now. I know that SolidSnake86 has played it before as well, I've seen him play it but I'm not sure how far he got or his opinion, although I have been meaning to ask him.
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I like the Black Rock Shooter character and enjoyed anime, but the game was really mixed for me. I definitely appreciated the first half of the game, but felt it lost its luster during the second half. The story and characters are definitely what shines here. The gameplay, enemies, and levels eventually become quite repetitive and, by the end, it was turning into a chore to finish. Also, to unlock the "true" ending, I think you have to replay a bunch of the same levels (with only slight differences). I finished the game, but only got the first ending, I couldn't bring myself to play anymore after that.

That said, it's worth the price for $6. I paid $10 and, for the amount of time I played, especially with that fun first half, I have no regrets.

 
So I decided to make a list of 6 reasons (one for every dollar) on why you should buy Black Rock Shooter, and more importantly, give it a try. (Accompanied by gifs.)

1)      The story is amazing. (It really is, the story is deep, there are a lot of little mysteries they expand on, and twists to keep you off guard. There are many metaphorical scenes, where they’ll ponder about things like what it means to be human, and what the main character is really fighting for. It’s less of a clear cut story, and one that is more focused on morals and ethical choices, think more along the lines of Nier: Automata.) 
giphy.gif

2)      The soundtrack is fantastic. (The music really stands out amidst the bland graphics and environment. It varies a lot, and fits perfectly with the mood of the game. There are piano melodies for the forest stages, guitar riffs for the boss battles, etc.) 
caramelldansen_brs_by_arsenixc-d2bzbrz.gif

3)      Characters are super interesting. (The character designs are highly stylized, and their personalities are well developed. The main character herself is really shy and unsure of her place in the world, reminds me a lot of Aigis. After the first boss fight, you get a little cutscene ofl the other bosses, and each one has their own mannerisms and agenda. Similar to the seven deadly sins in Full Metal Alchemist, you’ll want to find out what each one wants and their chemistry they have or lack there of.) 
1e5196366e0a9acc4a7ba2f11485eede.gif

4)      The dialogue and voice acting are very well done. (The dialogue gets pretty emotional at times, and the voice acting is really good at bringing out each character’s feelings. You’ll notice this immediately from The Commander, who talks about the past a lot and the backstories are pretty cool.) 
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5)      Gameplay is unique. (I wouldn’t go on to say the gameplay is really fun or polished, but it is really unique. It plays sorta like an arcade shooter, similar to Galgun, but there’s RPG elements involved too like special attacks, blocking, dodging, item using, and customizing your stats. It’s not the most engaging, but it’s unique enough that you’ve probably never played a game quite like it.) 
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6)      It’s cheap, and it’s rare. ($6 is pretty cheap, especially given its $15 now, and there’s no physical English copy. Even if you were to import a physical copy, it costs quite a bit. The version in the Japanese PSN store has already been delisted as well. And it’s a PSP game that only runs on the Vita, so there’s no telling how long it will stay supported, and once the Vita is gone, it’s probably gone as well.) 
tumblr_md5rr7KU2L1rcj8eco1_500.gif

P.S. J-Rock band One OK Rock did the opening soundtrack, and these guys are pretty great. 

 
Song of Memories....I will support that. I don't know much about it, though it seems like it has songs and some risque 17+ moments...not 18+ cause console and stuff...i don't know. I just saw the OP and saw some underboob, a girl pushing another girl's nipple....I guess. I always support VNs though.

 
 
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For those who bought Splatoon 2, I'm assuming there isn't any same console multiplayer? I'm leaning towards not picking up my preordered copy right now.
 
Thatguy1513 said:
For those who bought Splatoon 2, I'm assuming there isn't any same console multiplayer? I'm leaning towards not picking up my preordered copy right now.
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You're right. I got my copy yesterday and the back of the box only says 1 local player per console :(

Also, that Drive Girls game looks horrible.....but I feel like I need to have it.

 
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dsman3717 said:
You're right. I got my copy yesterday and the back of the box only says 1 local player per console :(

Also, that Drive Girls game looks horrible.....but I feel like I need to have it.
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Eh yeah... I'll pass on Splatoon 2 then. Too many other good multiplayer games I could play instead on ps4 (with a legitimate voice chat system). I'm far more interested in switch games that I can play in tabletop mode with another person.
 
I beat the European release of Drive Girls recently and I have a few tips if anyone wants to keep them in mind.

The game tutorials actually leave out a TON of information on controls.

I first ran into problems around mission 8 since it's very lengthy, so I started digging on how to improve.

1. Mission 6-1 was a good grinding mission for me. It's one static area with one boss. Spam the infinite respawns until 'overdrive' then finish the boss. It takes 1 minute and awards 20-25k credits. Use those to buy L-Gear upgrades for the character you want to use (be aware there's one boss fight later in the game you can't use Galaxa for, if you're dumping all your upgrades into her)

2. Ranged enemies will feel VERY cheap when you're not used to them. Some control tips: UP on the D-pad is a lock on that's very helpful for pursuing them. You can also hold combo buttons for a different than a press. If you hold square instead of tap it, you do a dash attack. Combine that with a lock on and it makes closing the gap a little easier

3. Overdrive is awesome and you can force it. It increases your damage and defense 2x for 1 minute so use it a lot. To get it, you need to max out the 6th gear in the top right. This will go up on it's own by getting KO's on the fodder enemies, but what if you're stuck in a boss fight with no fodder, etc? Melee attacks (or items) can fill your EP gauge. Hold circle and you'll convert that into shifting up gears. You can dash in, do a combo or two, convert EP to gear level 2-3 times and then get into overdrive for a huge advantage for 1 minute.

4. Racing missions were a little confusing at first. You're in car mode racing another car. Melee enemies you drive by with Square, it'll give you EP. Tap Circle to use that EP for a boost and they're easy. (Right trigger to accelerate in this mode). You won't win with just pushing gas and going forward by a long shot.

 
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the Arika fighter looks good, lol at kairi still having that rape grapple xD.
I have all the other EX games, i might just pop in the disc for a few matches now.
 
Say_Jayx3 said:
One to keep NIB Obviously. :rofl: (Joking)

Getting my copy of Splatoon 2 over the weekend.

Need to add my Switch FC ( :oldman: ) so we can party up.

Won't be voice chatting though, because nintendo's contraption is just ridiculous. :beer:
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"Contraption" says it all. LOL

I still have to give them props for their region free efforts, but damn if that voice chat don't make me want to take it all back.

I swear, for every 1 step forward......

 
When you miss the SNES preorders you waited literally almost an entire week for to go up....

because they decide to put them up on a random friday night weeks later. 

Yea....if i dont snag a BB or Amazon order im just gonna call it on this one.

Not trying to kill myself for this because of  "Nintendo Shortage"®

I'll continue playing all these games on my N3DS, WiiU, Vita and Phone for free since nintendo wont take my money for them.

 
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