Japanese Niche Games Deals & Discussion Thread 4.0

shivan128

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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guy3467 said:
If you don't care if its the European version you can get a copy from https://store.nisaeurope.com for about $36, not counting shipping. They have a bunch of games that have gotten expensive if try to get them from ebay or Amazon. I've picked up some pricey games way cheaper from them.
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Appreciate the suggestion about NISA Europe. I never thought to look there for games. Great prices on some of the games. Was able to get 5 PS4 games I had been wanting, but didn't want to pay the amount they are going for on eBay and all the usual gaming outlets. Shipping is the same no matter how many games you buy, so the 20 GBP for shipping 5 games averages out to not too much per game for shipping. Saved a boatload on the games themselves compared to how much I would have to pay doing the eBay or Amazon marketplace thing.

 
Looks like Disaster Report 4 (for Switch at least) got a reprint?  I see multiple copies from 3rd party sellers on Amazon for around $30 and Play-Asia also has it for $30 (with free shipping and 5% off from one of their many coupon codes).

 
People around here seem to think that Disaster Report 4 is pretty good.  Is there a reason why it has received such low user and critic scores on metacritic?  Why the huge disparity?  It's not often that a poorly received game receives the kind of discussion that I see pop up on here repeatedly.  There are dozens of niche JP games coming out each year that don't receive this level of attention.  What's the difference?

 
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Nothing- said:
People around here seem to think that Disaster Report 4 is pretty good. Is there a reason why it has received such low user and critic scores on metacritic? Why the huge disparity? It's not often that a poorly received game receives the kind of discussion that I see pop up on here repeatedly. There are dozens of niche JP games coming out each year that don't receive this level of attention. What's the difference?
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I thought it's just a meme, that everyone here just piled on for the sake of said meme.
 
Nothing- said:
People around here seem to think that Disaster Report 4 is pretty good. Is there a reason why it has received such low user and critic scores on metacritic? Why the huge disparity? It's not often that a poorly received game receives the kind of discussion that I see pop up on here repeatedly. There are dozens of niche JP games coming out each year that don't receive this level of attention. What's the difference?
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It happens.

God_Hand_vs_Party_Babyz.jpg


 
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Nothing- said:
People around here seem to think that Disaster Report 4 is pretty good. Is there a reason why it has received such low user and critic scores on metacritic? Why the huge disparity? It's not often that a poorly received game receives the kind of discussion that I see pop up on here repeatedly. There are dozens of niche JP games coming out each year that don't receive this level of attention. What's the difference?
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I haven’t played it, but from what I’ve heard of it, I imagine the discrepancy is mostly because, in spite of being poorly made, it does something that’s both intriguing and pretty different from basically anything else on the market.
 
redman77 said:
Appreciate the suggestion about NISA Europe. I never thought to look there for games. Great prices on some of the games. Was able to get 5 PS4 games I had been wanting, but didn't want to pay the amount they are going for on eBay and all the usual gaming outlets. Shipping is the same no matter how many games you buy, so the 20 GBP for shipping 5 games averages out to not too much per game for shipping. Saved a boatload on the games themselves compared to how much I would have to pay doing the eBay or Amazon marketplace thing.
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I'm glad to have helped out. Another place to check for games that are getting pricey other places is The Idea factory's website. The North American site has sales pretty often. Also the European site at https://store.iffyseurope.com has some good deals on expensive games. I was able to get multiple games from them for the price of buying one of them off Ebay.

 
In prep for Neo TWEWY, last week i also bit the bullet and grabbed a copy of TWEWY Final Remix for switch ($60+tax on ebay).  I spent  8 to 10 hours this weekend playing it. 
I'm a couple days into week two.
.  I could have just played my DS copy... but I'm so used to the big screen and it's just super comfortable to play it that way.  People complained about the controls but up until where I'm at now they've been remarkably great.  It's only where I'm at now that I'm starting to feel like it's getting a bit complex for triggering some of the pins and the support character.  Still, I'm glad I opted to just get Final Remix... seeing these graphics all huge on the big screen is a treat.  I will put this on hold though when Neo TWEWY shows up.  Tracking from GS says Wednesday.   As good as TWEWY is on DS and Switch... the new battle system is a nice step up.  Especially using the pro controller.   It uses a similar team dynamic strategy to what I grew to love in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and XC2 Torna.

 
Can anyone recommend some Asia English games or EU games for PS4 that I should get before the free shipping promo ends?

I already have Legend of Mana, Ninja Gaiden Master Collection, Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Fortune, Deadlight Director's Cut, Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, inFAMOUS: First Light, Alienation & Matterfall.

 
Kaiser499 said:
Can anyone recommend some Asia English games or EU games for PS4 that I should get before the free shipping promo ends?

I already have Legend of Mana, Ninja Gaiden Master Collection, Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Fortune, Deadlight Director's Cut, Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, inFAMOUS: First Light, Alienation & Matterfall.
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Romancing Saga 3 might be worth preordering: https://www.play-asia.com/romancing-saga-3-english/13/70csbt

 
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I never thought about tracking down inFamous First Light... sold out on PA though not too bad else where.

 
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Kaiser499 said:
Can anyone recommend some Asia English games or EU games for PS4 that I should get before the free shipping promo ends?

I already have Legend of Mana, Ninja Gaiden Master Collection, Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 Fortune, Deadlight Director's Cut, Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, inFAMOUS: First Light, Alienation & Matterfall.
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Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition (PS4) is one I'd recommend. $29.99 at Play-Asia.

 
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Imports in general + shipping are expensive. It's why I rarely buy figures (along with the massive price hike they've had in the past few years) and other import goods. Play-asia is always a bit expensive now, but it's still one of the better places to get Asian-English releases like I usually do for the Super Robot Wars games. The free shipping is great and I ordered the newest along with Fatal Frame Asian-English for Switch. For everything Play-Asia does wrong (somewhat lame customer service, wonky pre-orders, high prices), they pack things well enough and give decent shipping information once stuff does ship. Just be warned if you put a pre-order way in advance the package will not ship until everything is in. Stuff may go out of stock and you will likely get screwed. Nonetheless the best time to order is now until the end of July for the free shipping as it pretty much negates a bit of the higher prices for games.

 
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I've pre-ordered a lot of stuff from Play Asia this month. The free shipping promotion is a pretty big money saver. I used to get a lot of Japanese games from Amazon JP since after shipping they would come out a little lower than Play Asia, and get to my house a lot sooner. As of late, Amazon JP shipping rates have gone up quite a bit on games, so Play Asia is now a lot more competitive price-wise. Then with free shipping it makes it a no-brainer to get stuff from Play Asia. Expedited shipping charges for Play Asia are about the same or even a little lower than Amazon JP now.

 
nitrosmob said:
Imports in general + shipping are expensive. It's why I rarely buy figures (along with the massive price hike they've had in the past few years) and other import goods. Play-asia is always a bit expensive now, but it's still one of the better places to get Asian-English releases like I usually do for the Super Robot Wars games. The free shipping is great and I ordered the newest along with Fatal Frame Asian-English for Switch. For everything Play-Asia does wrong (somewhat lame customer service, wonky pre-orders, high prices), they pack things well enough and give decent shipping information once stuff does ship. Just be warned if you put a pre-order way in advance the package will not ship until everything is in. Stuff may go out of stock and you will likely get screwed. Nonetheless the best time to order is now until the end of July for the free shipping as it pretty much negates a bit of the higher prices for games.
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Any recommendations on what to pick up? I'm mainly looking for games not available in the U.S.

 
Jiles001 said:
Any recommendations on what to pick up? I'm mainly looking for games not available in the U.S.
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I mostly collect for Switch and have been focusing this sale mostly on the Square Enix titles that aren't getting a US physical release (Romancing Saga 3, Legend of Mana, etc).

 
I mainly get games I know wont get physical releases here, such as the Atelier game trilogies on the switch. I recommend the Super Robot Wars games if you like turn based strategy games. There is quite a few with the majority on the PS4 and some of the newer ones also for the Switch. The S-E ones not in the US that are available are good choices too (Romancing Saga 3, Legend of Mana, FF games on Switch (7-9)). Maiden of the Black Water is not coming out physically in the US. Some good games are out of stock/print like Gundam Breakers 3 complete (play this over New Gundam Breakers). There are lots of shooters that are digital only in the US like I believe the new Cotton collection is. Lots of JPN games also have English subs such as the Ace Attorney Trilogy, some visual novels. You can search by Asian English and also for English subs as well. There is a whole lot for sure. My highest recommendations are the Super Robot Wars series, but I know they're pretty niche.

 
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nightc1 said:
Just preordered Neo TWEWY (Switch) over at GameStop.com of all places. Magnet set is cool (though that wasn't a factor)... they have the game $49.94 right now on sale with free rush shipping. So came out to just under $55 for me... same as if Walmart had it... but now I don't have to gamble that walmart stocks this game... and being pre-order GS shouldn't f with my copy unlike older stock new games which can come in any condition.

Repeating...

Neo The World Ends With You (Switch) $49.94 w/free rush shipping
https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/nintendo-switch/games/products/neo-the-world-ends-with-you---nintendo-switch/11137921.html

If gamestop is looking to get my preorder business... that's how you do it. No club requirement... free shipping... and they throw in a bonus.

I was close to just getting it from BB (they have 2 months of funimation+ as a bonus)... but GS won which is shocking.
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Dammit I missed this. I wish they auto adjusted my preorder price since I had it preordered at gamestop since last month.

 
Nothing- said:
People around here seem to think that Disaster Report 4 is pretty good. Is there a reason why it has received such low user and critic scores on metacritic? Why the huge disparity? It's not often that a poorly received game receives the kind of discussion that I see pop up on here repeatedly. There are dozens of niche JP games coming out each year that don't receive this level of attention. What's the difference?
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Souffrir said:
I haven’t played it, but from what I’ve heard of it, I imagine the discrepancy is mostly because, in spite of being poorly made, it does something that’s both intriguing and pretty different from basically anything else on the market.
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I would say it's pretty much exactly this. The game itself runs pretty poorly even on a PS4 Pro. The graphics are incredible dated... Like it looks like an early PS3 game. The audio production is... There I guess but not great. It's just not a super well developed or optimized game. It's also not well written from the perspective of those who like quality story driven games. I think that explains the negative reviews. That said the game is incredibly original and there really aren't any other games like it. It's quirky and the characters are all weird in a fun and enjoyable way (as long as it's your kinda thing. I always equate the characters and dialogue to that of the Yakuza game substitutes... Albeit not as good). It really stands alone in what it tries to do. And once you get over the quirky and oddball dialogue and characters it's easy to get sucked in and really appreciate the game for what it is. I ended up getting really into the character plots and I enjoyed it a ton. It's not a game I could recommend to any of my irl friend's. They'd all hate it and say it's an awful game. If you've got the personality and can appreciate the originality and quirkiness of it though I think it's easy to fall in love with. I think that's why it seems to get so much love in this thread in particular.
 
I actually did manage to get $10 back from my instore TWEWY pre-order, felt very ymmv though. I showed the manager (at least I think she is the manager) at my store the website price and she told me she would just manualy overwrite the $60 when I picked the game up. Was surprisingly cool and easy.

Ended up just throwing the $10 at a Lost Judgment pre-order. It and Tales of Arise (and some other crap I forget) are part of some promotion that gives you a $10 coupon if you pre-order. 

 
Miker525 said:
If you've got the personality and can appreciate the originality and quirkiness of it though I think it's easy to fall in love with. I think that's why it seems to get so much love in this thread in particular.
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I think it gets love because this is the Japanese Niche thread. It would be more surprising (to me anyway) if I was the only one here that thought the game was worth playing.

 
Pre-ordered TWEWY awhile back and found out the clerk pre-ordered the Switch version instead of PS4. Luckily my store had one PS4 version left. I didn't bother trying to price match on top of it since it was already kind of a pain. In the future I will probably just pre-order online and switch my store preorder to something else if they pull the same thing again. 

 
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In case anyone cares, an Asian English physical edition of F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is now available to preorder from Play-Asia for $31.99:

PS4 (includes free upgrade to PS5 version): https://www.play-asia.com/fist-forged-in-shadow-torch-english/13/70eq9j?tagid=578221

PS5: https://www.play-asia.com/fist-forged-in-shadow-torch-english/13/70eq9p?tagid=578221

Not a bad thing to get with the free shipping promo if you were interested in the game; I don't think there's confirmation of us getting a physical release, but that could always change. Don't forget the GEMATSU coupon code to take 5% off.

 
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My preorder of Neo:TWEWY showed up today from GS.  Waiting 1 day for the same price as walmart without having to go to walmart is great.  Especially since walmart usually stocks things at different times and days and sometimes that's multiple days after launch of a game... so this likely saved me a couple of visits to the store.

Packaging was two pieces of thick cardboard sealed into an envelope... which normally I'd scoff at but they are easier to dispose of if you are a privacy nut like me that shreds everything that has their name & address on it instead of just throwing it away.  The plastic bags can be a bit of a nightmare as I usually have to just go to town with the scissors and manually shred the info.   This wouldn't be good for anything that can be crushed though.  Switch games are pretty well built.

The magnets are a magnet sheet with everything printed on it and then the bits cut out.  Not really impressive at all since they aren't remotely close to pin size... though I was only after saving $$$ ... the magnets were a bonus.   Of course now I kind of want to either track down or make a few TWEWY pins.  Especially after playing Final Remix so much the last five days.  I MIGHT just opt to finish Final Remix before getting back into Neo... even though I'm looking forward to Neo so dang much.  I'm at a good part in Final Remix and more than half way to the end.

 
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I was left thinking at what point do the neptunia characters become ninjas? Genuinely wondering as I haven't played more than 5 minutes of a neptunia game.  Maybe that's already giving too much thought to the Honeypa Style Shinobi of Gamninjustri.

 
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What is the difference between this and this (besides the amz exclusive digital wallpaper)? I'm not sure why I should keep my order at amazon.co.jp for $97 if I could get it from play-asia for $70. 

 
Vigilante said:
Don't forget the GEMATSU coupon code to take 5% off.
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Nothing- said:
What is the difference between this and this (besides the amz exclusive digital wallpaper)? I'm not sure why I should keep my order at amazon.co.jp for $97 if I could get it from play-asia for $70.
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Thanks for pointing out the code. I was holding out on a price drop for digital on this. But might cave and order the ps4 version since NA isn't getting any physical ps4 version. And $66.50 shipped seems really good.

 
Vinny said:
I'm trying to think if games were ever this pervy when I was younger.... I mean, we had the ridiculous chest bounce of the original Dead or Alive but nothing like this. Not to mention the technology these days like touch screens and VR and whatnot.
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Hmm only thing remotely close would probably be artonelico series and it's a far cry from those. Stuff didn't really hit this level until the wii generation from what I remember. Or at least I'm unaware of older examples.

The writing for palace #3 is soo terrible. Like seriously whoever wrote this is a complete moron. If he wanted to blackmail them maybe not have them in the room while trying to do so while holding a hostage? seriously how stupid can one person be.

 
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Pervy games have always been around. I know since I've been playing Eroge for quite a while. The ecchi games did explode more in the PS2 and forward though. Senran Kagura games really got them into some type of spotlight though. Nonetheless they are fun games and I enjoy them. I don't really play the Neptunia games, but I'll play a crossover. I've played the 1st Neptunia game at least.

 
I think it's pretty obvious what I think of Senran Kagura.

Looking forward to the crossover game, hoping for minimum Sony Content Changes.

 
nitrosmob said:
Pervy games have always been around. I know since I've been playing Eroge for quite a while. The ecchi games did explode more in the PS2 and forward though. Senran Kagura games really got them into some type of spotlight though. Nonetheless they are fun games and I enjoy them. I don't really play the Neptunia games, but I'll play a crossover. I've played the 1st Neptunia game at least.
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vanilla or one of the fixed versions? I never played the original and from the sounds of things I don't want to.

 
shadowysea07 said:
vanilla or one of the fixed versions? I never played the original and from the sounds of things I don't want to.
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Both. I played the original PS3 one (terrible gameplay for sure) and the Vita one (better gameplay...still meh on everything other than cute characters and story). I would never recommend the original ever. This one has been remade so often even recently with reverse. For all I know I will have Neptunia 1 a 4th time eventually on PS5 even though I don't love this series hehe (have it on PC also). Also random facts but Neptunia Mk2 was my first PS3 game. I ordered the LE and had that available when I got the later release PS3 reiteration version. Selling that LE soon since I found it while moving and don't need that one anymore.

 
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