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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nitrosmob said:
I doubt it because in Japan it's not out on PS4. I'll wait till this goes up officially somewhere like Best Buy for sure.
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Which seems odd to me since Steins;Gate and all the rest are there. Ah well. I like trophies, but the portability is hard to ignore for a game like this.

 
shadowysea07 said:
What was there to even censor I wonder? Maybe some swear words.

Granted I have no familiarity with chaos child.
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The PSP, PlayStation 3, and most likely iOS/Android releases were infamously heavily censored, going as far as to basically removing the entire point of the Crying Sky ending (Rough equivalent to B end in C;H PC) as well as completely removing all the big twists in Kozue's ending, among other, smaller Common Route stuff.
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62t said:
The PSP, PlayStation 3, and most likely iOS/Android releases were infamously heavily censored, going as far as to basically removing the entire point of the Crying Sky ending (Rough equivalent to B end in C;H PC) as well as completely removing all the big twists in Kozue's ending, among other, smaller Common Route stuff.
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Oof. I wonder if a new pc version is going to be released as well.

I figured out how to do some light modding / patching on steam deck. Not too difficult in desktop mode.

Edit:
Steelbook doublepack preorder $49.99 on amazon. Notably without vgp's overbearing red text regarding potential cancellations.

 
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Also just a warning but mostly every Spike Chunsoft game has dropped heavily after release usually 50% off or more quickly. I've been burned on Zanki Zero, Yu-no, and Robotics;Notes. I can almost guarantee Gamestop will have it near 50% off for Black Friday. Them and NISA games tend to get the big discounts around BF. Just a warning as it's happened often, just like buying a Yakuza studio game near BF as well.

 
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This is true.  At the same time though I wouldn't think of paying full price for a release like this as getting burned.  Personally I've considered doing the chaos;head fan translation a few times in the past.  For releases like this that could have very possibly never happened, I don't have a problem supporting them with a preorder or realease day purchase.

 
But a few Spike Chunsoft did hold their vale - 428: Shibuya Scramble and AI: The Somnium Files.  Even Yu-no and Steins; Gate Elite Switch are getting more expensive.

 
nitrosmob said:
Also just a warning but mostly every Spike Chunsoft game has dropped heavily after release usually 50% off or more quickly. I've been burned on Zanki Zero, Yu-no, and Robotics;Notes. I can almost guarantee Gamestop will have it near 50% off for Black Friday. Them and NISA games tend to get the big discounts around BF. Just a warning as it's happened often, just like buying a Yakuza studio game near BF as well.
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Zanki Zero and Yu-no were censored (same as Crystar). Robotic;Notes is harder to explain, but I want to say it didn't drop until they had a sudden restock. But they also made Danganronpa, which didn't drop that fast.

This one is a bit of a toss-up. Since it's similar to Robotic;Notes, maybe they'll adjust productions to be lower, and it'll end up being rarer that way. Speculation of course, but I don't think this one dropping quickly is guaranteed.

That said, I'm happy to support a double pack with a Steelbook for $50.

 
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This game is heavily censored too. Frankly I'll think about it, but I'm guessing this takes the Black Friday plunge. AI: The Somnium Files also had a decent discount after release on BF. It just happens too often. I'm all for VNs, but I've been burned in the past. It's pretty much just NISA/Atlus/Spike Chunsoft that do this too, so it's something to notice. Most other physical niche games generally skip the BF sales. I'll likely still support them, as the only visual novels that get released on consoles physically are generally otome games, plus a steel book is pretty cool.

 
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Following up on my short estarland preview earlier this week... This is the Daikatana cartridge I received today[attachment=36769:pXL_20220311_204835929.jpg]

It is BRIGHT pink, and should be red. Lots of fading on it. I'll try to return and see what they say. To me this is damaged and should not be full price.
 
detsportsfan3 said:
Following up on my short estarland preview earlier this week... This is the Daikatana cartridge I received today
attachicon.gif
PXL_20220311_204835929.jpg

It is BRIGHT pink, and should be red. Lots of fading on it. I'll try to return and see what they say. To me this is damaged and should not be full price.
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As someone who's kinda anal about game condition, I'm not gonna lie... that actually looks pretty cool.

 
lol I wasn't familiar with the original label until searching, I agree with both. It should be considered damaged, but it does look pretty cool too.

 
It does look kind of cool. Honestly the pink and white instead of red and yellow seems more fitting. Cherry blossom colors.

But I still don't like them trying to sneak a faded label past without a heads up or discount.
 
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I've been buying games from Starland since the PS1 era.  The first time I saw the original Tomb Raider, it was at Starland, and I bought my Dreamcast there when it was brand new.  Back then, I went to Starland mainly for import games.  They were usually overpriced, but they were a way to browse and buy import games in person.

I drop by the eStarland warehouse in Chantilly once or twice a month to browse (since I'm local).  I picked up a copy of Rule of Rose there in 2019 just before the price really spiked, but I returned it after the game kept freezing on my PS2 (it may have been my PS2).  I've traded in a fair amount of games there over the years (even a few imports), and they do offer decent trade-in values on some titles compared with other places (especially if the game has a trade bonus).  I've actually purchased a couple of high end Castlevania polystone statues from eStarland with trade-in credit.  In addition to games, they carry figures (although their selection isn't huge) and other anime merchandise.  I believe trade-in credit can be used on anything they carry.  I do regret trading in some games there that later became expensive (like Persona 3 Portable), but I guess that's the way it goes.

I've also discovered on several occasions while browsing at their warehouse that they had a game in stock that was listed as out of stock on their website.  I picked up the limited edition of Gun Gun Pixies for Switch for a very fair price that way.  I also spotted the Twinbee collection for PSP in their "collectible/rare" section, although it's OOS on their website.

With regard to the condition of the games and merchandise, I haven't really had any issues (other than that copy of RoR not working on my PS2).  I even bought a PS4 Pro from them a few years back (using mostly trade-in credit), and it was almost like new.  It's probably the luck of the draw with used merchandise, though.  On my last visit, I almost grabbed Guilty Gear Strive for PS5 or Sam & Max (they are stocking some LRG tites now like S&M and the Castlevania Anniversary Collection - I saw a bunch of copies of Castlevania the last time I was there).

 
ricotito23 said:
Shadowverse: Champion's Battle - Nintendo Switch $19.99 at amazon
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Amazon

I've played quite a few hours and think I'm a chapter or two from the end. The grind is a bit real at first to get better cards, but once you find maybe 1-3 styles of decks you like and some good cards, it becomes pretty fun. Kind of corny story, but the gameplay is good.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-78FD9xvc0

Don't remember this being posted yet. Great collection from when Konami was at its best.

 
dragonx said:
Don't remember this being posted yet. Great collection from when Konami was at its best.
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Not very Japanese... though it's Konami... and not very niche. Someone did post it on the nintendo eshop thread. Not that we can't talk about it here too. This is a very solid collection of games.

 
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shadowysea07 said:
Sakuna: of Rice and Ruin (Switch) is $19.99 on Amazon https://smile.amazon.com/Sakuna-Rice-Ruin-PlayStation-4/dp/B08CSH8QK1/
GameStop http://bit.ly/3d81rZ4
Walmart http://bit.ly/30auZTf

Sakura Wars (PS4) is $19.99 GameStop http://bit.ly/30AQHQ4 was 19.99 on amazon now oos.


Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory (PS4/Switch) is $19.99 at Best Buy
switch https://www.bestbuy.com/site/kingdom-hearts-melody-of-memory-nintendo-switch/6427691.p?skuId=6427691
ps4 https://www.bestbuy.com/site/kingdom-hearts-melody-of-memory-playstation-4-playstation-5/6413969.p?skuId=6413969

amazon ps4 19.99 https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08GR2KTMW/
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Now is the best time to buy Sakura Wars if you care about the theater costume cosmetic pack. It's exclusive to the launch day physical edition (I'm assuming all copies are launch day copies), but the code expires 4/28. I don't know if the code will redeem after the expiration date has passed, but some people might care?

gospelman said:
Several 3ds capcom titles are $4.99 on eshop.

Jrpg sale on steam just launched. Prices are still updating and last through 3/21. As usual, it looks to be the same prices but third party sites like gmg/fanatical will probably do better this week. I'll be interested to see how low the recent FFVI release gets.
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Utawarerumono Mask of Truth and Mask of Deception are historical lows. First time they've hit 75% off. Prelude is 60% off. I might actually buy them now. Steam is also the only place to get those, other sites don't sell the steam version
 
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spoderman said:
Utawarerumono Mask of Truth and Mask of Deception are historical lows. First time they've hit 75% off. Prelude is 60% off. I might actually buy them now. Steam is also the only place to get those, other sites don't sell the steam version
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Yup, I might be buying Deception and Truth again since they're $10 and both steam deck verified. Prelude I still have :ps4: physical but I didn't like it enough to double up on the digital version.

 
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Best buy sent out random certs emails again. I actually got one this time for 5$. Email is
 
"W.O.W. Take advantage of our OFFERS"
 
It'll be in a blue banner in the middle of the email.
 
If you are super lucky you could end up with one as high as 500. But usually the average is 5-15.
Expires the 26th.
 
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shadowysea07 said:
Best buy sent out random certs emails again. I actually got one this time for 5$. Email is

"W.O.W. Take advantage of our OFFERS"

It'll be in a blue banner in the middle of the email.

If you are super lucky you could end up with one as high as 500. But usually the average is 5-15.
Expires the 26th.
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Seems to be a no-go for me, but thanks for the notice. I have that email but my blue banner in the middle of the email is just a totaltech membership ad.

 
shadowysea07 said:
Best buy sent out random certs emails again. I actually got one this time for 5$. Email is

"W.O.W. Take advantage of our OFFERS"

It'll be in a blue banner in the middle of the email.

If you are super lucky you could end up with one as high as 500. But usually the average is 5-15.
Expires the 26th.
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Thanks for the heads up. Had a $10 cert but had deleted it since I hadn’t been getting anything.
 
For mine ($10) it was a blue banner about 1/3 the way down and above the picture of appliances.

 
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shadowysea07 said:
Best buy sent out random certs emails again. I actually got one this time for 5$. Email is

"W.O.W. Take advantage of our OFFERS"

It'll be in a blue banner in the middle of the email.

If you are super lucky you could end up with one as high as 500. But usually the average is 5-15.
Expires the 26th.
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I got this email but no cert to be found :(
 
BoxPizzaBox said:
Seems to be a no-go for me, but thanks for the notice. I have that email but my blue banner in the middle of the email is just a totaltech membership ad.
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It should be the banner above the "Best Buy totaltech" which has a "My Best Buy" logo... just above the picture of appliances "Create the kitchen and laundry room of your dreams."
 
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shadowysea07 said:
Best buy sent out random certs emails again. I actually got one this time for 5$. Email is

"W.O.W. Take advantage of our OFFERS"

It'll be in a blue banner in the middle of the email.

If you are super lucky you could end up with one as high as 500. But usually the average is 5-15.
Expires the 26th.
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Thanks for the heads up! I had already deleted the e-mail but was able to recover it and redeem a $5 cert.

 
shadowysea07 said:
Best buy sent out random certs emails again. I actually got one this time for 5$. Email is

"W.O.W. Take advantage of our OFFERS"

It'll be in a blue banner in the middle of the email.

If you are super lucky you could end up with one as high as 500. But usually the average is 5-15.
Expires the 26th.
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Thanks for the heads up, I had a $5 certificate in my email. I didn't think I had anything to use it on since I already have Rune Factory 5 pre-ordered (with a coupon I don't want to lose) and Kirby I'm getting at Gamestop with my monthly $5 coupon, but I had been eyeing Yakuza Like a Dragon so I was able to get that and the free steelbook for only $25. Pretty cool.

 
Also got $10.  Going to try to use it on an Elden Ring steelbook that's already being shipped to store for pickup.  I think I'll have to cancel and rebuy at the cs desk along with a filler item.  Anyone know the cheapest filler item commonly found instore?

 
I'm considering Record of Lodoss War: Deelit in Wonder Labyrinth (Switch).  It's $35 before coupon... so it would be $25... plus $4 shipping.. and tax... so just over $30.   It's not considered a long game by any means but looks pretty enjoyable for a castlevania sotn type experience.

 
nightc1 said:
I'm considering Record of Lodoss War: Deelit in Wonder Labyrinth (Switch). It's $35 before coupon... so it would be $25... plus $4 shipping.. and tax... so just over $30. It's not considered a long game by any means but looks pretty enjoyable for a castlevania sotn type experience.
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Own it on steam and on PS4 (physical). Would recommend the game to anyone that is either a fan of Metroidvanias or a Lodoss War fan or both.

 
nightc1 said:
I'm considering Record of Lodoss War: Deelit in Wonder Labyrinth (Switch). It's $35 before coupon... so it would be $25... plus $4 shipping.. and tax... so just over $30. It's not considered a long game by any means but looks pretty enjoyable for a castlevania sotn type experience.
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It's on Game Pass for Xbox, PC, and xCloud. It's only 169MB. Are you looking to own it?
 
whitereflection said:
It's on Game Pass for Xbox, PC, and xCloud. It's only 169MB. Are you looking to own it?
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After watching reviews, the GamePass version has issues which aren't in the switch version or other versions. I don't have gamepass let alone an xbox nor do I game on my pc as I sit at one at work every weekday. But for those that do, that's a good option even if it's the worst possible option for playing this game.

I went through every single switch game in stock or coming out on bestbuy.com to see if there was anything maybe I missed that might be good or that I should preorder. I already have the next two Trails games preordered (Zero 9/27/22, and Azure ?/?/23) so I could go for Reverie or Natuya Boundless Trails (both 2023 unless one or both get pushed)... walmart will likely carry neither of them so the $10 could be wise to put there. There's also Scott Pilgrim which would be the same price as Lodoss War... though I've resisted the game this long as I have the PS3 version and barely played it. Lastly (for me anyway as I'm VERY picky) there's Xenoblade Chronicles 3 which is a day 1 purchase for me... but it would be a waste as walmart will likely stock this at $10 off.

So long story, all that's left (for me) is preorder another game, seriously consider Lodoss War, buy something else like a jumpdrive or dvd/br, wait to see what the next sales are... or just let it expire and go on with life (lol).

As far as owning it, this seems like the kind of game that has a lot of positive reviews and will hold it's value. So owning it seems like a medium to low risk if I opt later to sell it on. So it could end up a free experience in the long run. It's also a preorder for 4/29.

Souffrir said:
Does it feel as aggressively generic as the Lodoss War anime?
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If it's generic anything it's Castlevania SotN / GBA / DS which I am cool with as I know nothing about the anime.

 
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