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
L&S is a good choice. Even though it's the third in the Mysterious series, the story isn't connected to any other game's plots. The previous characters trickle in and you see some resolutions to their stories, but it's told from the point of view of the twins. 

 
Though you have to lower expectations as the later ateliers lack english voice work.  Granted its not like the games had much to begin with.

 
Oh I own that one.  How much is it going for? Not that I would part with it.  I seem to have a habit of buying games that end up really rare and expensive. like the 7 .hack titles or suikoden 2.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
shadowysea07 said:
Oh I own that one. How much is it going for? I seem to have a habit of buying games that end up really rare and expensive.
Click to expand...
Recently about $80-$100, but a lot of the sales were from Singapore/Malaysia and people are usually willing to pay a little more of a premium when something is shipped from the US (lower wait time, better tracking, etc.).

 
Olengie said:
Prices are already high up for the Vita version. As the title went OOP last year
Click to expand...
Crap. I knew I should have picked one up when it was $40 or so. Oh well.

Speaking of which, any Vita fans on here that can suggest physical games to look for in these darkening days? Thinking mainly in terms of games with english subtitles at least although I'd pick up a shmup without translation but I have never seen many on Vita.

Only thing I don't really get into are the visual novels.

 
well there is the famous persona 4 golden.  

tales of hearts r is engrish sub.

exist archive was an alright dungeon crawler though it starts out really hard since until you get your 5th party member you are at the mercy of rng for items and equipment.  I did the evil ending for the lulz. it is very cheap to find.

I have not played akibas beat but it is also cheap.

trails of cold seel 1 & 2 are good two is significantly better paced than one.  but both have better versions elsewhere.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oh no dont play exist archive on vita, super long loading,and potential crashes in dungeon that could cost you up to an hour of progression. Altho if u just collecting the game, it's pretty cheap on both ps4 and vita. I just plat it last week, super grindy, but I liked the characters and some of the funny conversations/events
 
If you do the story stuff and skip optional dungeons it isn't grindy.  Or at least wasn't for me.  I didn't 100% more than a few dungeons either once I unlocked double jump and such.

Oh as a warning the game is insanely heavy platforming for an rpg.  Some of the dungeons are a total nightmare to get through.

Loading wise it was maybe five seconds an area, two per battle outside bosses and three during screen transitions on my og vita.  I don't recall having the game crash on me either.  Combat system is very unique too. never played anything like it.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
well most grinds comes from post game and some of the trophies where u rely on RNG whether the MC learns a skill/class from your teammate. I'd say main story is about 20-25 hours depends on your choice of ending  in the "evil" ending you get mass stat boost to your party so u dont have to grind for items and levels. and 60-70 hours for plat,

 
meanwhile I saw an ad on facebook about a guy selling fire emblems, ogre battle 64, chronotrigger snes, soul blazer, lufia ect for 1$.  Figure it has to be some kind of scam.  Either that or a pissed off ex girlfriend.   It's in columbiana ohio for any of you interested.

Oh and a friend told me they have a bunch of free 1 seasons of anime on microsofts store.  I looked through the list and it has yu yu hakusho right off the bat.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
The Dead Texan said:
Saved over 250 quartz for Merlin in FGO and didn't get shit. It's all up to the iTunes gift cards I get from my clients to come through now.
Click to expand...

Dead_Batteries said:
I laughed too hard at this. I know the pain.
Click to expand...
am sorry that rng was not on your side, i feared that outcome myself but got lucky and pulled him with the tickets i saved up. just keep in mind he will have another rate up so you can always try for another shot later.

 
Going through the 7.99 and under list for gamestop now. Will update as I find things.
 
ff15 ps4
quantum break
no more heroes wii
ff tactics advance gba
yugioh forbidden memories ps1
super monkey ball adventure gc
final fantasy 1 & 2 dawn of souls gba
ragnarok odyssey ace ps3
ff theaterhythm 3ds
disgaea 4 ps3
disgaea 3 ps3
rodea the sky soldier 3ds
ff4 gba
chrono cross
project xzone 1 3ds
castlevania judgement wii
phantasy star universe xbox360
mega man battle network 5 team colonel
record of agarest war 
record of agarest war 2
mega man battle network 5 team protoman
super monkey ball touch & roll ds
Akiba strip undead & undressed ps3
freedom wars psvita
time & eternity ps3
space invaders gba
yoshi topsy turvy
knights in the nightmare ds
majin and the forsaken kingdom ps3
mega man network transmission gc
bully scholarship edition wii
adventure time finn and jake investigations ps3
super monkey ball step & roll wii
deception 4 blood ties ps3
quest 64 n64
eternal sonata
killer is dead
enchanted arms ps3
ff theaterhythm curtain call
natural doctrine ps3
tokyo twilight ghost hunters ps3
digimon battle spirit 2 gba
touch detective 2 1/2 ds
 
Also yakuza 0 bayonetta bundle on fanatical for 17.99 
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Starcrest said:
The XXX-mas hentai bundle has zero holiday themed books. Total missed opportunity.
Click to expand...
Just edit the screens and put santa hats on everyone.
NeoMonk said:
Sony censors Brave Neptunia, Switch version remains uncensored.
Click to expand...
This comment is not about the changes themselves, but it really annoys me that they're comparing in-game PS4 footage to promotional images and saying "See? Switch is uncensored." Unless I misread that, they have no actual in-game proof of Switch content. It's like saying a movie is censored because a scene from the trailer wasn't in the actual movie.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
NeoMonk said:
Sony censors Brave Neptunia, Switch version remains uncensored.
Click to expand...
Damn, between the US government and gaming censorship, I feel like I'm in a bad episode of the Twilight Zone. You know the ones that end and your more confused than when the episode started? LOL

The days of "N" forcing change in games seems to be dying off, while Sony is keeping it fresh and at the forefront of gaming. WTF has happened? I guess at this point it's safe to assume the PS5 will be an epic nightmare, as Sony has gotten a "big head" again, and seem ready for some more PS3 levels of going full retard.

 
chrislaustin said:
Damn, between the US government and gaming censorship, I feel like I'm in a bad episode of the Twilight Zone. You know the ones that end and your more confused than when the episode started? LOL

The days of "N" forcing change in games seems to be dying off, while Sony is keeping it fresh and at the forefront of gaming. WTF has happened? I guess at this point it's safe to assume the PS5 will be an epic nightmare, as Sony has gotten a "big head" again, and seem ready for some more PS3 levels of going full retard.
Click to expand...
Since the PS4 launched Sony's had a big head. I've been doing my best to shift away from buying PS4 games and getting most of my games on X1 now as Microsoft clearly has future proofing in mine and games look better on my X1X. Sony has been my go to obviously for exclusives and for the weirder Japanese games but it looks like the Switch will be taking over for my weird Japanese games leaving Sony with just the exclusives for me. And I'm honestly excited to be more or elss ditching the PS4 as much as I can. It's a great system but Sony has been getting so anti-gamer I feel that I'm more than happy to move as much of my business as I can back to Xbox
 
Miker525 said:
Since the PS4 launched Sony's had a big head. I've been doing my best to shift away from buying PS4 games and getting most of my games on X1 now as Microsoft clearly has future proofing in mine and games look better on my X1X. Sony has been my go to obviously for exclusives and for the weirder Japanese games but it looks like the Switch will be taking over for my weird Japanese games leaving Sony with just the exclusives for me. And I'm honestly excited to be more or elss ditching the PS4 as much as I can. It's a great system but Sony has been getting so anti-gamer I feel that I'm more than happy to move as much of my business as I can back to Xbox
Click to expand...
Yeah, I always thought the PS4 was going down the same road as the ONE, but once MS announced first, Sony was able to correct course, and get back gamers goodwill. I also liked how they really built the PS4 around what developers wanted, and that helped get the bulk of the support.

I'm a handheld gamer mostly, so while I always planned to get a PS4(and still do), I was never in a rush to do so. And I can't argue with the library that system has built, but I've seen this shit to may times, and know how it ends. Do any of these guys look at gamings history? It's not that old, and the epic level of poor choices has been made on all sides, by all involved.

Not since the NES, has any one company dominated two gens in a row except for Sony(PS1-PS2), and the DS came real close to PS2 numbers, so I would that wasn't a clear two gen dominance. So do they just think they are going to dominate this next gen simply because the PS4 did well? Boy they are in for a rude awakening, but it's not like I haven't seen this many, many times over a rather short 30-40 year span of modern gaming.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
chrislaustin said:
Damn, between the US government and gaming censorship, I feel like I'm in a bad episode of the Twilight Zone. You know the ones that end and your more confused than when the episode started? LOL
Click to expand...
When they remake The Obsolete Man it's gonna be about Videogames. The government will be burning our Steam accounts, Burgess Meredith will be swearing on a Gamecube instead of a bible, it'll be great.

 
Yeah it's a shame that sony is doing what nintendo did on the wiiu.   You have to wonder why nintendo slowed down.  I guess the mad hatter of gaming said change places again?

 
The Dead Texan said:
I hope the Switch gets Catherine. No way I'm supporting Sony anymore. I'm done.
Click to expand...
I was excited for the Catherine remaster but with how Sony has been acting I just instead rebought og Catherine for Xbox since it's backwards compatible with Xbox One. It's on sale for $4. Well worth it since I originally played on PS3
 
roger watersmelon said:
Just edit the screens and put santa hats on everyone.
This comment is not about the changes themselves, but it really annoys me that they're comparing in-game PS4 footage to promotional images and saying "See? Switch is uncensored." Unless I misread that, they have no actual in-game proof of Switch content. It's like saying a movie is censored because a scene from the trailer wasn't in the actual movie.
Click to expand...
Misleading headline aside, the article does mention that the Switch version isn't out yet and they'll update when they hear from the devs or upon it's release, but considering how all the other releases that have been censored on the PS4 aren't on the Switch, they're presuming it will be the same case here until they have more info.

 
I wonder what would happen in Microsoft swooped in and made some big announcement denouncing censorship and how it stifles creative freedom, then promising to bolster their library with more niche, international titles.

Kinda like how Sony kicked Microsoft in the teeth when they announced that their system wouldn't be online-only and would play used games.

I know Nintendo is being looked at as the new hope for estranged fans of niche, Japanese titles, but their console isn't nearly as powerful as Xbox and PS4. DOAX3 Scarlet is much better on the Switch, in terms of content and lack of censorship, but it runs at a lower resolution and half the frame-rate. Microsoft could offer the complete package for titles like that.

How would you guys react?

 
AugustAPC said:
How would you guys react?
Click to expand...
I'd fully jump ship, but it's never gonna happen. The sales for Xbox in Japan are all but nonexistent. It's hard enough for Microsoft to get exclusive content in the West, it'll be near impossible to do it in Japan.

I don't mind the middling power of the Switch since a lot of these niche titles are hardly graphical powerhouses to begin with. VNs and JRPGs don't need 4K HDR.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oh my God, after just six loot boxes I got Mercy's new event skin. I hadn't played Overwatch all week, but I said, what the hell, getting wins in Yeti Hunter is easy.

In the Halloween event I got Pharah's skin in seven loot boxes. Why couldn't my luck be this awesome when I was regularly playing the game?

 
JCAll said:
When they remake The Obsolete Man it's gonna be about Videogames. The government will be burning our Steam accounts, Burgess Meredith will be swearing on a Gamecube instead of a bible, it'll be great.
Click to expand...
I just wanted to take a second to say that this is a great episode and I love the reference. It's one of my favorites.

If anyone is actually curious, I'd probably say my favorite episode of The Twilight Zone is Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up.
 
roger watersmelon said:
I just wanted to take a second to say that this is a great episode and I love the reference. It's one of my favorites.

If anyone is actually curious, I'd probably say my favorite episode of The Twilight Zone is Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up.
Click to expand...
The Monsters are Due on Maple Street is my favorite. Others in no particular order:

Walking Distance

The Old Man in the Cave

The Masks

Living Doll

The Rip Van Winkle Caper

The Odyssey of Flight 33

On Thursday We Leave for Home

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

 
The Monsters are Due on Maple Street is my favorite Twilight Zone episode as well. 

That ending is just too perfect.

 
I don't know if I can pick a favorite TZ episode, but it's probably my favorite show of all time. Some of my favorites are:

The Monsters are Due on Maple Street
Nick of Time
What You Need
The Shelter
The Little People
A Most Unusual Camera
It's a Good Life
To Serve Man
Five Characters in Search of an Exit


... I could go on. Just can't resist chiming in whenever Twilight Zone is brought up.
 
Uh oh, what can of worms did I open? LOL

To many great episodes, and many of my favs have already been mentioned, so I'll try to throw some in that aren't as popular as some others, but very good all the same(in no particular order).

Two

A Nice Place To Visit

Where Is Everybody?

A Passage For A Trumpet

The Howling Man

Nothing In The Dark

Perchance To Dream

The Masks might be my personal fav, but the Hitch-Hiker, Eye Of The Beholder and so many others could also make my top 5, 10 or even 50 list. While they are some duds across the seasons, the TZ always had amazing acting, that always brought a level of joy, even when some of the stories may not have been the best. One of TV's finest offerings over the years, no question.

 
Saw a couple of OK Amazon deals on the CAG front page:

SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy (Switch) - $22.04

https://www.amazon.com/Snk-Heroines-Team-Frenzy-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B078YN79KH/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1545666385&sr=1-1&keywords=snk+heroines

Punchline (PS4) - $22.99

https://www.amazon.com/Punchline-PlayStation-4/dp/B07G4RKT81/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1545666599&sr=1-1&keywords=punchline

For both these are at or near all time lows on Amazon (but they have been dropping and could go lower).  I would suggest ordering with the delayed shipping as you might be able to cancel and reorder if they go much lower. I have been able to do that before, but Amazon will usually catch on to what I am doing in a little bit and eventually send the stuff right away no matter how delayed I pick the shipping to be.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
The nice thing about The Twilight Zone is that any episode someone mentions as one of their favorites you can usually go "oh yeah, that IS a good one." I think the only way you can be blatantly "wrong" would be if you said something like "The only good season is the hour long episodes from Season 4." :D

My list (sorry non-TZ fans, it's just that time of year when at least one channel runs a marathon and it's fresh on my mind).
Shadow Play
Death's Head Revisited
Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up
The Obsolete Man
Nothing in the Dark
To Serve Man
A Passage for Trumpet
The Shelter
Third From the Sun
A Quality of Mercy
 
I was just at a GameStop, on the back wall was a PS4 Fate Extella new/sealed for 20. Online its 30, so not sure if that was a price mistake or it was really used or what.
Dunno if that info helps anyone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top