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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ar4757 said:
Yeah literally almost every good game on the Wii U has been ported at this point. I had hoped but never expected Tokyo Mirage Sessions to be ported to switch. I really want to play Wind Waker HD though, please Nintendo
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Still waiting for a physical copy of Fatal Frame...

Also, I wasn't very impressed by Wonderful 101 when I played that. It's a step down from other Platinum games imo, nothing you need to play.

 
Josef said:
I've been burned by too many Kickstarters. I'll just wait for the retail release of Wonderful 101 and get whatever bonus it has that Kickstarters don't get.
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Their new slogan should be: Kickstarters, they kick you when you're down.

 
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Yeah, got bored, felt like doing something fun, and decided to use my Vita games and build something.

Originally I set out to make something really wide and big, but then start to stack them on top of each other, and as I kept going, it sort of started to turn into something else.

Eventually, it just turned into this in the end, which I have dubbed, Vita Metropolis.

Welcome, and enjoy your stay! 

P.S. Yes, I had too much free time today...

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Squarehard said:
Yeah, got bored, felt like doing something fun, and decided to use my Vita games and build something.

Originally I set out to make something really wide and big, but then start to stack them on top of each other, and as I kept going, it sort of started to turn into something else.

Eventually, it just turned into this in the end, which I have dubbed, Vita Metropolis.

Welcome, and enjoy your stay!

P.S. Yes, I had too much free time today...
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Clearly you don’t have kids or pets. My daughter wouldn’t have let that stand for even 5 seconds. Pretty impressive building.
 
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Squarehard said:
Eventually, it just turned into this in the end, which I have dubbed, Vita Metropolis.
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My hat is off to you, sir. That is a very fine example of game stacking, as well as a clear indication of having a very great number of Vita titles.

 
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I think the problem with Kickstarters is by the time you get said Kickstarter you might not be as interested in said Kickstarter anymore or a lot less interested. Also at least some board game Kickstarters I backed had somewhat lackluster gameplay and ended up being donated/gifted/etc... Not to mention some may never come out like me still waiting for Cryamore, Delver's Drop went to poop, and I also funded Soul Saga for Vita I think and I'm pretty sure that specific version wont release. You've gotten lucky. I don't do Kickstarters unless they really need them like a visual novel that succeeded by like $2000 I think, or they have cool exclusives. If you can get the stuff afterwards I'd say just wait unless you just really want or love something. 

 
ar4757 said:
Oh and speaking of Platinum games, I beat Astral Chain yesterday. While initially the game didn't feel that amazing to me, the combat really expanded after a few chapters, and I overall really enjoyed it. I recommend checking it out
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I beat it just last week too. I liked it alot, reminds me alot of like Nier Automata x Evangelion.

I also thought the game initially dragged on, got amazing towards the middle, then started to drag on again towards the end. But overall, the gameplay is very smooth and I love the amount of detail put into the different combination attacks.

The one complaint I have though is that the game and promotional material seems to emphasize the male protagonist being the true one, but I actually liked playing the female protag more.

 
Squarehard said:
Wargroove Deluxe Edition Switch, Used for $14.99

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/switch/games/products/wargroove-deluxe-edition/11096960.html
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Squarehard said:
Yeah, I've been eyeing it for awhile myself, and finally got to this price point.

I probably would've picked it up at $19.99 to be honest, but this drop was like drastic, and didn't go down by the usual increments, so didn't even get the chance to consider it used at a slightly higher price.

Though, I probably won't get all the goodies from the used set when I go pick it up later today, but fingers crossed.
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Thanks for the tip! I was waiting for new copies to drop to $20 again, but used @ $15 right now is too good to pass up.

Took a slight detour to an out of the way GS that had a copy and luckily, all the extras were still in the case (though a tad beat-up).

 
evilgordo said:
Thanks for the tip! I was waiting for new copies to drop to $20 again, but used @ $15 right now is too good to pass up.

Took a slight detour to an out of the way GS that had a copy and luckily, all the extras were still in the case (though a tad beat-up).
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I've talked to a few stores, and apparently, the new was converted to used, which is strange since the new still has a listing up.

The one I got from one of the stores was still sealed too. And the other stores had the new guts on the pre-owned section.

Strange indeed...

 
BlackRockWaifu said:
I beat it just last week too. I liked it alot, reminds me alot of like Nier Automata x Evangelion.

I also thought the game initially dragged on, got amazing towards the middle, then started to drag on again towards the end. But overall, the gameplay is very smooth and I love the amount of detail put into the different combination attacks.

The one complaint I have though is that the game and promotional material seems to emphasize the male protagonist being the true one, but I actually liked playing the female protag more.
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Weird as I only recall them showing the female protagonist more in videos and such back when they were showing it off.

 
lilman said:
For those that don't have stock nearby, you can order the UK ver (same content, region free) on eBay for $32: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Gun-Gun-Pixies-Day-One-Edition-Nintendo-Switch-Game/202784057019
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Received my Euro copy of Gun Gun Pixies. This was my first time importing a Switch game. I'm happy to report it plays fine, software update works on US store, and I was even able to earn gold coins (wasn't expecting that). I also heard the US dlc is compatible (not that I want it for this game). Nice region free work Nintendo >_>)b

 
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bojay1997 said:
No, there was DLC released after the carts were released, so no carts have "all" of the content.
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Why would that entail a discount? That just sounds like every game released this generation.

Also, I didn’t look deeply into it, but wargroove has lots of user created dlc that you can download for free. I got it on switch, and it doesn’t require the Nintendo online subscription.
 
Starcrest said:
Why would that entail a discount? That just sounds like every game released this generation.

Also, I didn’t look deeply into it, but wargroove has lots of user created dlc that you can download for free. I got it on switch, and it doesn’t require the Nintendo online subscription.
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Maybe make a new run of games with the new name? We're in a world where Sonic Mania was released physically after Sonic Mania Plus (which included DLC)

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqCnqfFRdjEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqCnqfFRdjEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqCnqfFRdjEPsikyo Shooting Stars Alpha is pretty great.  Glad that NIS America made physical copies available for the approximately 3-5 people in the target demographic.

Strikers 1945 II is the main draw here -- one my favorite shmups.  I played a ton of this on PSP when it was confusingly called Strikers 1945 Plus.  The Switch version is head and shoulders over the PSP remake which is more like a pale imitation.

Dragon Blaze is a gem I'd never played or really heard of before being included in this compilation.

Only complaint is about TATE support.  Yes, you can rotate the screen 90 degrees.  But instead of letting you use the left controller's analog stick and buttons for control (rotated to the bottom of the screen), you're stuck with one hand on top and one on bottom. Unless anyone can explain what I'm doing wrong!

There are a few reviews around for more, like Bullet Heaven #202.

 
Anyone here get in on that yakuza humble key resale from yesterday?  Allyoucanplay had 0 for 4$ and kiwami 1 for 1$  But the site crashed due to all the traffic.

 
Two big releases came to Steam this week for VNs/eroge games.

First VenusBlood FRONTIER International is now officially on Steam. It is currently 15% off. There is an 18+ patch available on Jast USA's website.

Steam

JAST USA 18+ patch site (NSFW)

 
Renowned Key VN Summer Pockets released on Steam. This is an all ages VN and considered among the elite of VNs. There is a slight 10% discount currently on Steam. Also know that there is an updated version coming out in Japan and there is a very real chance they will look at the sales of this game to see if they localize that too. If it is localized it could take years. I'm buying this.
 
Steam
VNDB (NSFW)
 
Also just mentioning a free VN that came out called Moe Era. Supposedly better than its cost. It doesn't hurt to try it, which I intend to and will likely give a review eventually on here.
 
Steam
VNDB (NSFW)
 
Also Amayakase – Spoiling My Silver-Haired Girlfriend is 30% off and is a JAST USA store exclusive so may be one of those times you can get it if you want it.
 
JAST USA store (NSFW)
 
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Pets0undz said:
Only complaint is about TATE support. Yes, you can rotate the screen 90 degrees. But instead of letting you use the left controller's analog stick and buttons for control (rotated to the bottom of the screen), you're stuck with one hand on top and one on bottom. Unless anyone can explain what I'm doing wrong!
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Yep, TATE in handheld mode doesn't quite work (I guess devs where only thinking of dock mode?).

But thankfully, FanGamer has got it figured out. I haven't received my copies of Psikyo Alpha/Beta yet, but FlipGrip is a godsend for PinballFX.

 
Ooh man, amazon tried to charge me a $30 restocking fee on an unopened game return. I got on that chat quick and they issued the rest of the refund as an "exception". Watch out!

 
The 4 years from that one charity stream run out roughly in November save for people who maybe were giving it as a christmas gift that year.

After that it's going to be extremely rare.

 
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Mine is done as of the 14th, so thank goodness Ys appeared just under the wire. I dropped about $250 this morning on stuff I've been holding out on, likely with more to come in the next few days.
 
Not having GCU cut out quite a bit of impulse spending for me. Now I get stuff as it's cheaper usually after a while instead of around release. Still get high wanted games around release.

 
Physical version of the Yakuza HD collection is out today (the one that comes with the PS3 case for 5.) Just got mine and all the corners are damaged because they shipped it with nothing but a thin layer of plastic around the box. Not really sure if that was Amazon's call or Sega's but it kinda sucks.

I'll live though lol, seen way worse in this thread when it comes to damaged stuff.

 
Zenax[zd] said:
Physical version of the Yakuza HD collection is out today (the one that comes with the PS3 case for 5.) Just got mine and all the corners are damaged because they shipped it with nothing but a thin layer of plastic around the box. Not really sure if that was Amazon's call or Sega's but it kinda sucks.

I'll live though lol, seen way worse in this thread when it comes to damaged stuff.
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Just got mine in an oversized bubble mailer. Some minor wear in the corners of the opening, thanks Amazon. More than that, I’m kinda surprised at the lack of quality in the materials, though. The outer box is sorta flimsy, the inner box even moreso. The accompanying paper materials were essentially loose in a foldover flap, and had settled into the fold where they had gotten creased. I was kinda expecting all three games to be on separate discs, but that may have been misremembered on my part.

After the Day 1 editions of the last couple Kiwami games, pretty surprised at how cheap this feels.
 
Souffrir said:
Just got mine in an oversized bubble mailer. Some minor wear in the corners of the opening, thanks Amazon. More than that, I’m kinda surprised at the lack of quality in the materials, though. The outer box is sorta flimsy, the inner box even moreso. The accompanying paper materials were essentially loose in a foldover flap, and had settled into the fold where they had gotten creased. I was kinda expecting all three games to be on separate discs, but that may have been misremembered on my part.

After the Day 1 editions of the last couple Kiwami games, pretty surprised at how cheap this feels.
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I'm looking at the set more from a value-based perspective--$48 after GCU for three 100+ hour games that each cost $25 digitally is a good enough deal for me.

 
Vigilante said:
I'm looking at the set more from a value-based perspective--$48 after GCU for three 100+ hour games that each cost $25 digitally is a good enough deal for me.
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I don’t regret getting it, I just find it curious, and a bit disappointing, that the packaging is so flimsy after the much better presentation made for the Kiwami games.
 
Just came from work and found out my copy of the Yakuza Remastered Collection didn't even come in a bubble mailer or box. Amazon literally just slapped the shipping label on the back of the game case/box and sent it out. 

 
henry32689 said:
Just came from work and found out my copy of the Yakuza Remastered Collection didn't even come in a bubble mailer or box. Amazon literally just slapped the shipping label on the back of the game case/box and sent it out.
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This happened to me with a record I bought for my brother's x-mas gift. So cheap and lazy.

 
Oof.  Sounds like it's getting worse.  I'm hoping my preorder of P5R (qty: 2) forces them to use a box.

When doing returns for these kind of things I write "was damaged from being shipped in a bubble mailer instead of a box."  Starting to feel that this is doing nothing but increasing my chances of a flagged account from all these returns over time.

 
henry32689 said:
Just came from work and found out my copy of the Yakuza Remastered Collection didn't even come in a bubble mailer or box. Amazon literally just slapped the shipping label on the back of the game case/box and sent it out.
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Unbelievable! If they sent a lot like that I'm expecting a bunch of damaged ones to be offered on AWD in a month or so.

Best Buy shipped mine in a box with air packets and it arrived in great shape.

 
Josef said:
Unbelievable! If they sent a lot like that I'm expecting a bunch of damaged ones to be offered on AWD in a month or so.

Best Buy shipped mine in a box with air packets and it arrived in great shape.
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Hmm well that will work out for some of us I guess. I'm not big on damaged goods but if it is a big enough discount I'll take it.

 
62t said:
After they destroyed my Bravely Default CE back in 2012 I stopped buying any SE or CE from amazon.
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My bravely default CE was from Best Buy store pickup. That CE had no plastic wrap - they slapped the big red sticker directly on the box.
 
henry32689 said:
Just came from work and found out my copy of the Yakuza Remastered Collection didn't even come in a bubble mailer or box. Amazon literally just slapped the shipping label on the back of the game case/box and sent it out.
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Was the sticker just attached to the box itself? Cause that sounds really annoying. At least in my case it was attached to a thin layer of plastic and that was wrapped around the box. But yeah that was it.

After sleeping on the whole thing and reading more in this thread the more annoyed I am about it all. Might end up complaining to Amazon I guess. I don't really mind some wear and tear on a box but one corner in particular (top left of the spine) is bad enough that it'll probably rip off eventually.

 
Zenax[zd] said:
Was the sticker just attached to the box itself? Cause that sounds really annoying. At least in my case it was attached to a thin layer of plastic and that was wrapped around the box. But yeah that was it.
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It was on the plastic, but still. Who thought it would be a good idea to ship a game without a box/mailer?
 
I had a few pc components delivered this way recently.  Thankfully not a game (yet).

I'm going to try marking future orders as "this is a gift" to at least force them to use an external container of some kind.

 
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Got my Yakuza Collection in a bubble mailer. Don't know if it makes a difference, but it was delivered by Amazon's delivery service instead of UPS/USPS. Since I moved last year, I think I've only had one Amazon package come through any other service and no label-on-item issues.

 
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Josef said:
Best Buy shipped mine in a box with air packets and it arrived in great shape.
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Ditto. I really don't care for the PS3 case though. Kinda stupid in the sense that why would anyone want the PS3 collection when the point is that it's makes it a complete PS4 collection?

henry32689 said:
It was on the plastic, but still. Who thought it would be a good idea to ship a game without a box/mailer?
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Awhile back, Amazon DE sent me the boxed set of the Hobbit Steelbooks with just a label on it. Cost them like $35 for me to ship it back for a replacement.

 
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Amazon really is getting to be the worst company to buy anything physical from, and I can’t even blame the warehouse employees too much—I have a friend who used to work in one of their warehouses, and the conditions he described were pretty horrible. He’d personally stepped on nails multiple times in his tenure there, there seems to be very little regulation of any kind, be it for the safety of the workers or the satisfaction of the customers. Amazon just doesn’t care enough to spend the money to oversee their own operations. Their CS these days is a joke, as well.
 
Souffrir said:
Their CS these days is a joke, as well.
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Amazon customer service is the one I've actually had nothing but good experiences with for whatever reason, shockingly good in a few specific cases actually. Thankfully they took care of this for me as well, told me I could either get a replacement or they'd give me back 20% of the cost. I just went with the 20% cause like I originally said the damage wasn't too bad, plus who knows if they'd actually get the replacement to me in perfect condition anyway.

 
All this talk of shipping issues with Yakuza Collection, I'm kind of glad I cancelled mine.  Figured I'd wait for the inevitable price drop or get it at Walmart so I could save $10.  I bought enough Yakuza releases at launch and haven't yet bothered with the playing the PS4 my son has as my switch has been eating all my game time.  Still when I get around to it, I have a lot to play.

 
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