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 4 Downvote
in loving memory of the last cool ability animation i saw
nakagami-starlight-ezra-fairy-tail.gif


 
IceyD said:
in loving memory of the last cool ability animation i saw
nakagami-starlight-ezra-fairy-tail.gif
Click to expand...
I remember the OG Hyperdimension Neptunia PS3 game was particularly bad about this, in that skipping animations actually could be used to help you do more damage.

Once you break an enemy's guard there is a set amount of time that lasts, and it doesn't pause its countdown for attack animations.. So spamming attacks and skipping animations was your best option.

 
A lot of clearance Best Buy niche games had price drops last night.  A lot of NISA, Aksys and PM Studios games among others.  Too many to list right now and I don't have the time, just go to the site and search by console, then Clearance under Deals.  Some of them had small drops some had bigger ones.

 
ffffuuuuuuuu- I wish I had seen this sooner.

In case anyone is just seeing the above posts now, like I am, don't even bother checking the switch selection. Anything halfway decent for sub $21 have already been cleared out by the vultures.

You may get lucky with some PS4 titles, however.
 
Imported and just beat City Shrouded in Shadow. It's the second time I've imported a game, and a long time between imports - last one was Jump Super Stars a good fifteen years ago.

I don't know how the other Disaster Report games hold up, but this game has some serious technical and gameplay issues for something that generally acts like a last-gen game. I did appreciate that it was easy enough for a non-Japanese speaking person to play through without needing any hand-holding; I guess the point is of the game is generally just to enjoy the Kaiju cameos. How the hell did the protagonist end up in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean!?

 
aight i just finished the main story of Fairy Tail in 15 hours. with how low budget and rushed the story was, and the game length, it makes the DLC that much more absurd lol.

anyway some Kagura:

kagura-fairy-tail-game.gif


 
Last edited by a moderator:
BoxPizzaBox said:
Here's a link to PS4 Clearance: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/video-games/outlet-playstation-4/pcmcat748302046032.c?id=pcmcat748302046032&qp=currentoffers_facet%3DCurrent%20Deals~Clearance

Switch Clearance: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/video-games/outlet-nintendo-switch/pcmcat748302046033.c?id=pcmcat748302046033&qp=currentoffers_facet%3DCurrent%20Deals~Clearance
Click to expand...
Thanks for this link.

Ended up grabbing the following games 20% off w/ GCU & an additional 5% back by paying with my Discover card through PayPal.

Onimusha XB1

Just Cause 4 Day One Edition XB1

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series XB1

Scribblenauts: Showdown PS4

Scribblenauts: Mega Pack PS4

Mars Odyssey PSVR

Not too shabby, pretty good prices.

4 games were available for pick up & 2 of the games I had to go w/ free shipping option since no copies were available in my area.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
dragonx said:
Lost Ruins Kickstarter (ongoing with initial funding goal met)

https://youtu.be/21WAznVgSTI

Really cool retro inspired game that draws from Castlevania, Shantae, Bloodstained CotM and even Higurashi When They Cry.

Will be released on PC (including DRM-free option), Switch, PS4 and Xbox.
Click to expand...
Mac and Linux platforms added in the latest update. The update also explains the modes unlocked by stretch goals so far including Witch Mode.

8562cdc31f640e4f684fae28d1814559_original.gif


 
Playing Ys 8 and I happened to catch an error.  Quina during the last S link rank is mistakenly called Kuina.  That's pretty sad it slipped past them after fixing the translation.

 
IceyD said:
aight i just finished the main story of Fairy Tail in 15 hours. with how low budget and rushed the story was, and the game length, it makes the DLC that much more absurd lol.

anyway some Kagura:
Click to expand...
Took me about 45 hours for the platinum, and I didn't turn off animations until maybe 20 hours in (turned them back on for new characters).

I will say, there's a lot of content. There's about 180 "skits" between the playable characters, out of a possible ~400. I'm sure these skits took a huge, huge chunk of time. There's definitely some fun ones that were semi-canon, like
Lucy asking Gajeel about Natsu eating his own fire, or people giving Gajeel trash to eat.

There's some odd skit omissions though. It's understandable if they skip like Ichiya with Sheria, but having no skits between Sting and Rogue was really odd.

Final attack skill were gated behind max rank, which you can't do unless you do S quests.

Played on hard, and nothing was remotely hard until S quests. If you 'retire' characters back to level 1 and level them back up a couple times, they end up at 999 all stats and mow through even the 100 year quests.

This would get too wordy, so final thoughts: They were => <= this close to having made a good game. It's still probably the best anime game out there, and I get the sense that they ran out of time more than anything nefarious. The DLCs though, f those.

 
elessar123 said:
Took me about 45 hours for the platinum, and I didn't turn off animations until maybe 20 hours in (turned them back on for new characters).

I will say, there's a lot of content. There's about 180 "skits" between the playable characters, out of a possible ~400. I'm sure these skits took a huge, huge chunk of time. There's definitely some fun ones that were semi-canon, like
Lucy asking Gajeel about Natsu eating his own fire, or people giving Gajeel trash to eat.

There's some odd skit omissions though. It's understandable if they skip like Ichiya with Sheria, but having no skits between Sting and Rogue was really odd.

Final attack skill were gated behind max rank, which you can't do unless you do S quests.

Played on hard, and nothing was remotely hard until S quests. If you 'retire' characters back to level 1 and level them back up a couple times, they end up at 999 all stats and mow through even the 100 year quests.

This would get too wordy, so final thoughts: They were => <= this close to having made a good game. It's still probably the best anime game out there, and I get the sense that they ran out of time more than anything nefarious. The DLCs though, f those.
Click to expand...
Given that they had to scrap the original combat and go turn based that likely ate up a good portion of time and budget.

 
elessar123 said:
Took me about 45 hours for the platinum, and I didn't turn off animations until maybe 20 hours in (turned them back on for new characters).
Click to expand...
Yeah I'm sure I left a lot undone. I just didn't feel all that compelled and wasn't too impressed with the skits, but then again I never saw the show so maybe there's little value in it for me.

I'm gonna try Atelier Ryza next and see if I can get a proper Gust fix in.

 
IceyD said:
Yeah I'm sure I left a lot undone. I just didn't feel all that compelled and wasn't too impressed with the skits, but then again I never saw the show so maybe there's little value in it for me.

I'm gonna try Atelier Ryza next and see if I can get a proper Gust fix in.
Click to expand...
I stopped playing Fairy Tail when it caught up to how far I had seen in the anime. I switched to Ryza. It’s an interesting game, but I’m still not really sold on the real time combat they switched to. And with the complete calendar removal, and with the calendar completely removed combined with fast travel, there’s no reason to worry about efficient gathering.

I don't know when it was added, but I just saw Ryza 2 (switch) on BestBuy's website. No release date listed.

Looks like Dec 3 for Japan with a planned for (hoped for) worldwide release at the same time. Considering the amount of text, I hope they spend a bit more on getting good english translations of traits and descriptions this time. Some of the stuff is very unclear.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
off current topic. But has anyone checked out Snack World on the switch? I got a clearance copy at GS, and a second at Best Buy yesterday since my 7 yr old daughter has become obsessed.
Its a fun little dungeon crawler with 4 player co op. The anime isn't too shabby either. Decent humor
 
Nocturnx99 said:
off current topic. But has anyone checked out Snack World on the switch? I got a clearance copy at GS, and a second at Best Buy yesterday since my 7 yr old daughter has become obsessed.
Its a fun little dungeon crawler with 4 player co op. The anime isn't too shabby either. Decent humor
Click to expand...
I bought it at launch but didn't play it much (due to playing other things). What I did play was good though. Looking forward to diving into it again in the future. The current price at BB is $32.99, which is a pretty good deal especially if you still have GCU.

 
I had planned to put more time into Code Vein this weekend but those plans are now officially on hold as my Death End Re:Quest 2 LE for PS4 arrived from Ifi today. The messenger bag is far larger than I thought it would be and while not the highest quality bag, the image print is really well done. It also came with a bonus 10th anniversary Nep Nep card and face mask that I will not be wearing in public... except maybe at a Con.  

Package Contents: https://imgur.com/2WWIAgU

Between this package and the Azur Lane LE, I am quite pleased with Ifi's offerings and will continue to buy them for the games I am interested because I am sucker for Compile Heart trash. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Photophonic said:
I had planned to put more time into Code Vein this weekend but those plans are now officially on hold as my Death End Re:Quest 2 LE for PS4 arrived from Ifi today. The messenger bag is far larger than I thought it would be and while not the highest quality bag, the image print is really well done. It also came with a bonus 10th anniversary Nep Nep card and face mask that I will not be wearing in public... except maybe at a Con.

Package Contents: https://imgur.com/2WWIAgU

Between this package and the Azur Lane LE, I am quite pleased with Ifi's offerings and will continue to buy them for the games I am interested because I am sucker for Compile Heart trash.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your thoughts on this. I'm guessing the game was not packed into the CE box but separate?

 
The game comes in a standard PS4 case with reversible cover. This was packaged inside the shipping box with the LE contents, similar to Azur Lane. I have not yet received my digital code from Ifi for the theme, digital OST, DLC, and avatars but should receive that next week after the game is on PSN. 

The DE:RQ 1.5 short novel, shown in the upper right of my picture, is 48 pages long and says to read after completing the game as it contains spoilers. It's job is to help link RQ 1 and RQ 2.

It seems Ifi is now selling just the LE contents for both Dragon Star Varnir and DE:RQ 1 as Keepsake Boxes at $40 a pop. While I personally don't find the contents in either very interesting, it's nice they are making them available for those who might have missed out on them originally. Hopefully Neptunia Virtual Stars will have an LE on par with the Nep RPG bundle. 

Not too far into RQ2 yet but they are leaning all the way into the horror mystery aspect only mildly touched on previously. I just hope they improved the dungeon design and means of traversing them from the first game. I really enjoyed the story in RQ 1 but dropped it and just finished it out on Youtube because those levels did not respect the player's time in the slightest. 

Sorry for the broken trains of thought here, still early, enjoying coffee. Summary good LE, good game, thanks Idea Factory.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Has Idea Factory ever made a great game though? I haven't played them all other than some Neps and a few other ones. I don't mind their games, but I know they generally trend around the good territory.

 
nitrosmob said:
Has Idea Factory ever made a great game though? I haven't played them all other than some Neps and a few other ones. I don't mind their games, but I know they generally trend around the good territory.
Click to expand...
I found their games to be wasted potential. Some good ideas,that never come together due to a lack of budget,which is obvious by the constant recycling of content.
 
Dur, totally forgot they had announced the Corpse Party scenario writer was involved with Request 2 which explains the shift in tone. The music is really good too and have enjoyed this one more than the first one, so far.

nitrosmob said:
Has Idea Factory ever made a great game though? I haven't played them all other than some Neps and a few other ones. I don't mind their games, but I know they generally trend around the good territory.
Click to expand...
Simple answer, no as they tend to range from really bad to that was pretty okay as they are the super market novels of the video game world. The limited budget and staff really shows with the recycled assets, lots of stills or black screens with just text, figure cutouts sliding left/right for "action" scenes, or pretty much every game using the exact same engine for the last 10+ years. They are solid C+ tier games with the occasional standout such as Neptunia VII.

That said, IF!/Compile Heart/Galapagos, are still my favorite developer/publish group out there and tend to pick up the majority of their catalog despite their shortcomings. They generally have interesting stories and humor and somehow manage to find new ways to mix things up despite playing what is more or less the exact same game with a different coat of paint. Example, Dragon Star's multi tier broom combat. They are also willing to take large chances with their IP's and co-development studios and crank out some rather off-the-wall stuff with varying degrees of success.

When I used the term Compile Heart Trash earlier, it is a term of endearment, because that is exactly what it is.

 
For anyone familiar with the NS Shop... what are the odds an obscure game gets a drop? Specifically Moon Remix. It's coming out on the 27th but... I can't make myself pay full price (though it's pull price is pretty cheap) for a digital game and I don't trust Nintendo's online anything. 

But I gotta say, I wouldn't mind diving into a JRPG from the golden era. Especially one that I have never even heard of until it was randomly announced and some people lost their shit about how amazing this game is. 

 
Vinny said:
For anyone familiar with the NS Shop... what are the odds an obscure game gets a drop? Specifically Moon Remix. It's coming out on the 27th but... I can't make myself pay full price (though it's pull price is pretty cheap) for a digital game and I don't trust Nintendo's online anything.

But I gotta say, I wouldn't mind diving into a JRPG from the golden era. Especially one that I have never even heard of until it was randomly announced and some people lost their shit about how amazing this game is.
Click to expand...
They seem to run decent sales regularly. Some games get pretty serious discounts (80-90%), but those are usually small titles. Most major release have much smaller discounts (10-20%).
I'm sure it will eventually go on sale, but it might be a while for a decent %

 
mrliquid said:
Should I play Re:Quest 1 before 2? 2 looks far more interesting
Click to expand...
2 is a direct sequel to 1 and a number of characters and events carry over. While not 100% required it would be akin to watching Empire Strikes Back without having watched A New Hope first. At minimum I'd recommend reading a plot summary or if you have a little free time watching a play through and then watching the true ending for
Shina

 
Josef said:
Thanks for your thoughts on this. I'm guessing the game was not packed into the CE box but separate?
Click to expand...
For what it's worth, this has been how all IF CEs have been packaged in the last year or two. Also worth noting that the steel cases are G1 for some weird reason.

 
Squarehard said:
Any Re:Zero fans? My Beatrice figure arrived. <3
Click to expand...
I pre-ordered my first figurines ever last night thanks to WhoKnows. It's the new Bunny Ram and Rem figurines, I always wanted the previous one but the prices were way too high on eBay however these new ones look much better. I'm looking forward to them and can't wait for June 2021... we'll all be dead by then...

Rem: Bunny Ver. 2nd

Ram: Bunny Ver. 2nd

4UxWyEP.jpg


Now if I can only get their life size figurines that would be great... or just see Inori Minase and Rie Murakawa cosplay Rem and Ram that would work too.

UN0vyXI.jpg


 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have about 8 Rems I won from Toreba or bought on Amazon or eBay after getting frustrated from not winning them on Toreba, and a few more on the way that haven't shipped yet. Thinking of selling a bunch of my figures and maybe just buying a couple of the more expensive ones instead though. Just don't have the space! My office room has literally become anime figure/comic book statue box storage. Most of the comic statues I bought from GameStop when they were clearancing a bunch for $10 a piece, but some were closer to normal price. Below is one of my comic book/game figure displays I posted on Reddit. Still trying to make find display space for my anime figures and put together some good looking displays - it becomes hard when they are different sizes and scales. The image below is one I'm working on, but it was a little too small to hold much and I'm still figuring out how/where to hang it!

yvw4gezcenh51.jpg
[attachment=34492:20200817_160912.jpg]

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm more of a quality over quantity for figures. Nonetheless you will have to pry from my dead hands my massive collection of Miku nendos and Figmas. Also got about 80% of the Sailor Moon figuarts and all but one of the main line of Seven Deadly Sins figures. Those are likely my favorite parts of my own collection other than a bunch of Kuroneko figures and my dollfies. There is nothing like a dollfie and you just don't know how awesome they are until you have seen one. They have a high price, but I like them a lot.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
EdJericho said:
I pre-ordered my first figurines ever last night thanks to WhoKnows. It's the new Bunny Ram and Rem figurines, I always wanted the previous one but the prices were way too high on eBay however these new ones look much better. I'm looking forward to them and can't wait for June 2021... we'll all be dead by then...

Rem: Bunny Ver. 2nd

Ram: Bunny Ver. 2nd
4UxWyEP.jpg
Now if I can only get their life size figurines that would be great... or just see Inori Minase and Rie Murakawa cosplay Rem and Ram that would work too.
UN0vyXI.jpg
Click to expand...
I hate that sculpt of Rem. Get the kimono life sized one instead.

4988111657343_figure-rem-ukio-e-ver-re-zero-limited-life-size-altX.JPG

It's only $40k.

My Subaru Nendo came in this weekend. Now I just have to find where I put Rem/Ram/Emilia. Wish I bought Betty.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
nitrosmob said:
I'm more of a quality over quantity for figures. Nonetheless you will have to pry from my dead hands my massive collection of Miku nendos and Figmas. Also got about 80% of the Sailor Moon figuarts and all but one of the main line of Seven Deadly Sins figures. Those are likely my favorite parts of my own collection other than a bunch of Kuroneko figures and my dollfies. There is nothing like a dollfie and you just don't know how awesome they are until you have seen one. They have a high price, but I like them a lot.
Click to expand...
Did someone say Miku figmas and cold dead hands???

My collection so far.

Lights off:

https://imgur.com/TaBUBSN

Light on:
https://imgur.com/G3yQzVG
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top