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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Trying to figure out how to best spend my $5 off $30 in the steam sale.  Narrowed it down to the following options:

1.  MuvLuv Triple Threat ("complete your collection").  For me, it's $33 since I already own the first game (initial two story arcs, from what I understand).  This is going out on a limb a bit since I despite owning the first game, I haven't spent any time with it yet.  I do know that most of the high praise is directed specifically to Alternative, which I would be picking up  Also unsure if the new photonflowers content is worthwhile.

2.  Maitetsu ($7.50) + Datealive Rio Reincarnation Deluxe ($20) + FFXV Episode Ardyn dlc ($2.50)
Again, no experience with any of these, but the sale prices seem pretty decent and they are generally well liked & well reviewed.

3.  Something completely different?

I'm just now really getting into the VN's so I welcome any opinions since I know many of you are well versed in the genre.  TIA.

 
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Alternative pretty much completes the MuvLuv story, so it may be worth getting it. I have completed Maitetsu and feel it's a really nice VN overall. It feels a lot more laid back in some ways, but also has it's own quirks. There may be a whole lot of train lingo for your to learn, but I thought it was a pretty good one. Great art and an interesting premise. Maybe not my favorite, but a good VN nonetheless.

 
Some of my BB order showed up yesterday.  What I wasn't expecting was the version of Cytus I ordered said "standard edition", which I figured I'd just settle on, and it showed up as the original release with the bonus disc.  So, I think a standard version must not exist.

 
I bought Langrisser at $36.97 as well in case it doesn't get reprinted. That will make my flip at a "profit" of -$0.50. Could have been worse. I guess NISA has only been doing a single printing. I know Culdcept, Lost Child, and Alliance Alive all dropped to ~$20 but Ys VIII never did. Ys VIII for PS4 had dropped to ~$40-45 and I'm not sure what price the Switch version ever dropped to.

 
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Green Card200 said:
I bought Langrisser at $36.97 as well in case it doesn't get reprinted. That will make my flip at a "profit" of -$0.50. Could have been worse. I guess NISA has only been doing a single printing. I know Culdcept, Lost Child, and Alliance Alive all dropped to ~$20 but Ys VIII never did. Ys VIII for PS4 had dropped to ~$40-45 and I'm not sure what price the Switch version ever dropped to.
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Switch I think also didn't go lower than that from what I recall. Which is why I picked it up for 27 during the buy 1 get 1 50% off promo since I figured I was never going to get a copy otherwise.

 
Green Card200 said:
I bought Langrisser at $36.97 as well in case it doesn't get reprinted. That will make my flip at a "profit" of -$0.50. Could have been worse. I guess NISA has only been doing a single printing. I know Culdcept, Lost Child, and Alliance Alive all dropped to ~$20 but Ys VIII never did. Ys VIII for PS4 had dropped to ~$40-45 and I'm not sure what price the Switch version ever dropped to.
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YS VIII for Switch dropped to $48 ONCE at Bestbuy and it's gone!

Sent from my SM-N970U1 using Tapatalk
 
Blade Strangers, Code of Princess EX, Remilore, Umihara Kawase Fresh

all $10 in eshop. should I just buy 'em all?

Edit: Remembered that I can't put up with fighting game framerates on NS.  Will likely grab the other three.

 
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gospelman said:
Blade Strangers, Code of Princess EX, Remilore, Umihara Kawase Fresh

all $10 in eshop. should I just buy 'em all?

Edit: Remembered that I can't put up with fighting game framerates on NS. Will likely grab the other three.
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If you haven't bought I can play about 10 minutes of Fresh if you're interested and I'll give my thoughts.

 
nitrosmob said:
If you haven't bought I can play about 10 minutes of Fresh if you're interested and I'll give my thoughts.
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Sounds good. When digital items go on sale with clear beginning and start dates I tend to hold off to the final days to purchase. Thanks

 
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Umihara Kawase Fresh is a platformer with the main gimmick being a fish hook you throw out to swing around on a rubber band line. Enemies are defeated mostly by reeling them in or in the case of bosses triggering something in the boss arena. The new one adds a hunger bar and health meter (in prior games you died in one hit.) Collected enemies and items on the map can be used to make food which restores the hunger bar and gives different abilities based on what's cooked.

Later in the game Cotton from the Cotton series of shooters shows up and becomes a second playable character. She can briefly float with her broom which can be put to good use along with the rubber band action of the fishing line. They also advertise Curly Brace showing up but she's a reward for clearing challenge mode (by which point you've beaten everything)

 
Umihara Kawase Fresh is a platformer with the main gimmick being a fish hook you throw out to swing around on a rubber band line. Enemies are defeated mostly by reeling them in or in the case of bosses triggering something in the boss arena. The new one adds a hunger bar and health meter (in prior games you died in one hit.) Collected enemies and items on the map can be used to make food which restores the hunger bar and gives different abilities based on what's cooked.

Later in the game Cotton from the Cotton series of shooters shows up and becomes a second playable character. She can briefly float with her broom which can be put to good use along with the rubber band action of the fishing line. They also advertise Curly Brace showing up but she's a reward for clearing challenge mode (by which point you've beaten everything)

 
shadowysea07 said:
cover #3 for me. 1 was slightly tempting though but at the end of the day that while clean and simple is also kinda lazy.
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I also voted #3. I haven't played the series yet (I plan to start Trails in the Sky this weekend), but that cover looked the most intriguing.

 
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I voted 3 as well, although 2 was a close second, but since the main cover is already a group one, I liked having a solo alternative. Out of the 3, 4 is arguably the worst one IMO, and between 1 or 3, 3 had a different color scheme and design aesthetic than all the rest.
 
So, I bought the Project Diva Future Tone dlc song pack that just released in Japan. However, it will only work when I play it with my Japanese account. I'd really like to be able to play the songs when I'm using my normal US account, since that's where all my stats/progress are. Is that possible? I have the Japanese Future Tone DX physical copy.

EDIT: Both have the system set as their primary PS4.

 
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I played about 30 minutes of Umihara Kawase Fresh. This feels inferior to the previous games. I've only played the original and the one that was on the Vita. This one is pretty much fetch and delivery quest the game so far. You do get to get ingredients and use your fishing hook to get around. It's challenging for sure. You get a story about the girl dreaming about this city and knowing how to get around. You do quests to deliver or get things and that seems about it. I preferred the old method of just trying to reach a door. It seems fluffy but it was fun enough. I will finish it, but this seems more like a play a few quests at a time somewhat repetitive game. Just my opinion of course.

 
scaryice said:
So, I bought the Project Diva Future Tone dlc song pack that just released in Japan. However, it will only work when I play it with my Japanese account. I'd really like to be able to play the songs when I'm using my normal US account, since that's where all my stats/progress are. Is that possible? I have the Japanese Future Tone DX physical copy.

EDIT: Both have the system set as their primary PS4.
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dlc is region locked iirc so it's impossible to use dlc from another region on a account that doesn't match that region.

 
Sometimes I randomly come across a pretty cool looking game. Metal Unit is still in early access but they've completed all the levels and are just ironing out the mechanics before the official release at the end of this year. It's on sale right now for $7.49. Sexy anime girl pixel art!

Also I didn't realize Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town and Fairy Tail are coming out this month. So soon.

 
motaku96 said:
Sometimes I randomly come across a pretty cool looking game. Metal Unit is still in early access but they've completed all the levels and are just ironing out the mechanics before the official release at the end of this year. It's on sale right now for $7.49. Sexy anime girl pixel art!

Also I didn't realize Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town and Fairy Tail are coming out this month. So soon.
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For what it’s worth, Metal Unit is in the current Humble Choice, Humble Bundle’s monthly bundle. I don’t remember how the pricing for that works, though.
 
Tracked down a new Yakuza Remastered Collection (Day One) instore at GS today.  They ring up the same as the 39.99 standard edition that's on sale this week.  Figured it might be one of the last chances I'd have to pick up the Day One collection. 

Still somewhat bitter about missing out on the 19.99 price mistake at best buy.  But I slept well that night so I'll call it a win.

 
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I was quite surprised that Best Buy shipped my order of Disgaea 4 Complete and Super Neptunia RPG (both for PS4)  in an actual box with air pillows and sure enough they arrived in great condition without any floating discs.  Was expecting a bubble mailer so its always good to be surprised like that.

 
gospelman said:
Tracked down a new Yakuza Remastered Collection (Day One) instore at GS today. They ring up the same as the 39.99 standard edition that's on sale this week. Figured it might be one of the last chances I'd have to pick up the Day One collection.

Still somewhat bitter about missing out on the 19.99 price mistake at best buy. But I slept well that night so I'll call it a win.
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Do you know what the Day One edition has that the standard doesn't have

 
gospelman said:
Different packaging. A random ps3 case. Oh and a sticker.
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In other words, not worth it. The PS3 case is, frankly, a weird novelty. I would have preferred Sega include a separate PS4 case as the whole Yakuza series, uncensored, is on the PS4, not the PS3. But who's looking at facts or history nowadays?
 
What bugged me about the Day One edition was how cheap the packaging was. It’s essentially just a foldout stiff paper sleeve with some flimsy plastic to hold the discs in place, not really at all what I was expecting given Yakuza’s Day One edition history.
 
Found a new copy of Utawarerumono Zan at GameStop new for $41.99 after missing the Best Buy clearance deal for $32,99.  It was a little pricey for what it is, but wanted to add it to my physical Utawarerumono collection.  It's getting harder to find this online for anything less than full retail unless I went for the PAL version.  After seeing the rarity for Prelude To The Fallen, I didn't want to take a chance of it selling out... 

 
Souffrir said:
What bugged me about the Day One edition was how cheap the packaging was. It’s essentially just a foldout stiff paper sleeve with some flimsy plastic to hold the discs in place, not really at all what I was expecting given Yakuza’s Day One edition history.
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At this point, I'm just waiting for the $20 price point on several PS4 games, this being one of them. Expect a host of PS4 titles to hit that price over the fall and holidays as stores clear out current gen and publishers reprint to take advantage of holiday sales over what is likely to be a difficult economy and limitef next gen console supply.
 
Played some Ys 8 and finished chapter 1.  It's somewhat similar in structure to celceta so that makes things pretty easy to return to.  Sahad is surprisingly awesome in combat.  Especially aerial attacks.

 
shadowysea07 said:
Played some Ys 8 and finished chapter 1. It's somewhat similar in structure to celceta so that makes things pretty easy to return to. Sahad is surprisingly awesome in combat. Especially aerial attacks.
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LOL same here. In fact I had finished Ys 8 a few years ago but decided to go for platinum right after getting platinum in Celceta.

Man Ys 8 is awesome!!!

 
Yeah I really like the latter 50% of the game.  I still find the game to start poorly with some cringy cutscenes and characters that seem to be extremely rough prima vista.  Thankfully, it doesn't stay that way.

 
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gospelman said:
Yeah I really like the latter 50% of the game. I still find the game to start poorly with some cringy cutscenes and characters that seem to be extremely rough prima vista. Thankfully, it doesn't stay that way.
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Ugh Yes. Mostly stuff with Laxia. That bathing towel scene is so 90's 80's anime cringe. Also where the f did she even get a freshly laundered towel on a deserted isle. Her personality is pretty generic as well. Sahad would be fine if he didn't say stuff without a filter like a little kid.

Dogi not being playable is lame but at least they have a decent excuse unlike celceta.

The dinosaur scenes were certainly exciting. Shame they can't take it as a pet.
 
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scaryice said:
So, I bought the Project Diva Future Tone dlc song pack that just released in Japan. However, it will only work when I play it with my Japanese account. I'd really like to be able to play the songs when I'm using my normal US account, since that's where all my stats/progress are. Is that possible? I have the Japanese Future Tone DX physical copy.

EDIT: Both have the system set as their primary PS4.
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I find that odd. I own some of the dlc on my (digital) japanese version of Future Tone, and play it just fine on my US account. I'll try to look into it

 
Also if people want La-Mulana PS4, amazon has 8 copies left at $45.  Switch version is long gone and I don't see it going any lower

 
Picked up Dragon Star Varnir at a best buy while camping up in NH today. 22.99 I said screw it I'll get it. I know sony made them censor the game, but at the same time I want the dev to keep making games
 
Nocturnx99 said:
Havent bothered with a PC game in like 8 years. I used to PC game but for some reason I never finish games on there
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Pretty much the same here.

The reason I don't play PC games is I sit at a pc most of the day at work, the last thing I want to do when I get home is sit at another PC and mess around with it to get games running optimally.

Plus, go price a current or even 1 year old video card. It doesn't make any financial sense to me either. Maybe when I retire and no longer sit at a desk I'll be more interested in PC gaming.

 
I go where the games are, when PC had AAA exclusives back in the day I gamed on PC more. Nowadays that just doesn't happen, heck even most MMOs are on consoles now too! 

 
It's just a matter of preference.  For me, vastly superior framerates, resolution, load times, and customization options far outweigh any comfort benefits of a console.  Though there are some exceptions, such as VN's, which have minimal performance difference are now difficult for me to play anywhere except handheld.

 
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I like VNs on the PC myself not only for the 18+ content that is never on consoles, but I speed read a lot of it and I find that way easier to control on PCs. I'll still play some on console, but prefer PC. Some games like FPS I just control better with a mouse and keyboard. Also would not want to play some games like a Baldur's Gate on console since the games used the mouse a lot, though I'm sure they work OK. Darkest Dungeon on the Switch was somewhat annoying for me to play too, so I likely will just finish that on PC. Some like Slay the Spire work well enough for me and I like it on the Switch. I barely upgraded my PC to really good status within the past year, but I too enjoy the decent frame rates, though I got used to many a AAA game on consoles, since my PC couldn't handle them. I also like playing niche games on consoles since usually the PC ports can be buggy (sometimes)  and can come months after release. So in other words I like both though the exclusives on consoles are usually cooler now IMHO. Usually PC exclusives are indies, which is cool, but I do like my AAA games now and then as well.

 
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