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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ǝ˥ǝuoʌ said:
Don't sleep on your local pawn shops. Even they have Christmas deals.
Got this from EZPAWN, I believe they are nationwide. There were even PS4 Slim w/ games and controllers for under $200.

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Nintendo switch w/ joycons

Pokemon Shield

Animal Crossing case w/ official charger inside

Stay safe and Happy Holidays.
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Got a couple by me. Deals vary by store; pricing is all store level and depends on person's mood. Last time I went, games had no prices on them. Guy came up with numbers on the spot.

 
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Wow, that english translation and that voice acting... I'm usually the guy that's like "eh, it's not that bad... I prefer the dub"... but wow... not the case here.

I have the third game on Wii.

 
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Somebody needs to make a new Clock Tower game. Only it should be a spinoff called Clock Tower Defense, and it’s a tower defense game where you defend an actual clock tower from scissormen and giant babies and suits of samurai armor.

I’d buy it for like, five bucks.
 
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They kinda made a new Clock Tower game with NightCry. It's written by the same guy and even has a scissor-wielding bad guy:

vita-nightcry6-1024x719.png


Unfortunately, the game is just... not good. It's extremely glitchy and has a ton of performance issues.

 
https://twitter.com/VideoGamesPlus_/status/1610692546543456274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1610692546543456274%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=

3000 copies

 
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hahaha.  I sold my copy for $260 on Amazon but the dude returned it because it was imperfect with some shattered plastic.  I was going to open it, get a new case, and sell it as 'used - very good' but it looks like that ship has sailed now! :bomb:

Sell your hot items when they peak, kids! You won't miss anything. Those gobs of money can be spent on more collectables and consoles.  Most things become much more available again, one way or another. 

 
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Yea I have 2 copies of Blue Reflection I was going to sell when they hinted a reprint was coming.  Got too busy around the holiday.

 
62t said:
https://twitter.com/VideoGamesPlus_/status/1610692546543456274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1610692546543456274%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=

3000 copies
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Pretty sure I said this would happen at some point because I paid like well above MSRP for a used copy. fuck me.

Atelier Lulua is next I bet.

 
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I think that is an error given how blue reflection released on the ps3 in na not ps4 so they can't do a reprint of something that never was printed here.
 
I have an imported PEGI copy that's cheaper than a new ESRB copy, so I guess I'll live. Glad for others getting a fair market value copy!

I overpaid on Crystar, so that'll be on deck, I bet.
 
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shadowysea07 said:
I think that is an error given how blue reflection released on the ps3 in na not ps4 so they can't do a reprint of something that never was printed here.
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You might be thinking of another game because Blue Reflection was never on PS3 but did release on PS4 in NA in 2017.

 
Vinny said:
Pretty sure I said this would happen at some point because I paid like well above MSRP for a used copy. fuck me.

Atelier Lulua is next I bet.
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Lulua isn't that rare, is it? I have two copies and it wasn't hard to find at all. Nelke on the other hand...

Edit: Huh, it's like $180 now. Eh.

 
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New lowest price for Persona Dancing collection. Every time I'm tempted to buy it I'm reminded that it has a ton of DLC, and that I can just play all that on my Vita..
 
I bought the pegi version of Blue Reflection years ago for $30 because I was too cheap to spend around $50 for the esrb version.  I remember the game having tons of grammar/spelling errors, fun game though.

 
shadowysea07 said:
I thought it had released on ps3 and vita. Not sure how I came to that conclusion that it was on ps3.
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Atelier Sophie was PS3/Vita/PS4 in Japan with only a PS4 physical / Vita Digital release in the west. Without a PS3 version Koei Tecmo could pretty much never do a PS4 > Vita conversion right for BR, Firis, Lydie & Suelle, Nights of Azure, and I think Nelke was the last one.

 
Man, should I just sell every game in my collection worth over retail? Seems like every game is reprinted these days.

Blue Reflection, Liar Princess, Senran Kagura 3DS are games I own that were all $100+ and reprinted. Although I did expect BR to get a reprint when the sequel came out and it never did. I'm sure there's tons more. Attack on Titan 2 comes to mind. Oh yeah and my $100 Corrine Amiibo just got a reprint as well.

I guess at this point my risk is pretty low though, not sure what game what expensive games I even have left, maybe Crystar on PS4. Ironically that did get a port on Switch.
 
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Feels like publishers/retailers realized there is money to be had. Unless you see your games as investments and want to speculate I'd just be content with the collection you have, or (downsize if you aren't). The speculation game would exhaust me, personally, but if it seems enticing to you give it a shot.

 
reprints vary on a game by game basis and by company.  Tecmo koei in particular is very weird about reprints since they did reprints of fairy tail and years later blue reflection 1 which I didn't think would happen. but don't typically reprint the atelier titles besides ryza since it prints money.   Atlus obviously did the reprint of p3p and p4g because of the prices going to 300+ during the pandemic for p3p as an example.  Almost surprising that nintendo doesn't get in on it with the fire emblem series given how path of radiance for going for 800. 

 
My hot take is... sell games if you are fully done with them.  Don't sell something high dollar if you are expecting/hoping for a reprint.

The hard thing is just figuring out what you won't ever want to return to if it doesn't get a reprint.  For this I have a rule for series I follow and that's... Just keep everything.  But I'm not following many series.

...

Unrelated, I started DQ Treasures this weekend.  Overall a bit hand holdy for the first couple hours but I can see how it unfolds and there is a lot of exploration.   Also gave Pocky & Rocky Reshrined some time and that game kicked my rear on normal.  I'll probably play it after finishing DQ Treasures before diving into something meatier.

 
Physical titles wise since most stuff is available digitally that at least helps a little to offset on missing out/missing a game you owned physically. And those digital titles occasionally go on deep sale like underwater ray romano did, smt, or the persona dance games. Though being the oddity I am and for backup reasons I picked up some stuff digitally and then later got them physically when they went low enough. 

 
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As others have said, buy games you want or intend to play, and not just because you speculate that it'll be worth something more in the future.

So long as you keep that mindset, it just won't matter whether something gets reprinted, or whether some price goes up or down.

I miss when video game discussions were just about getting good deals on games we all wanted to OPEN and PLAY. While I couldn't care less how others spend their money, the so-called investors and speculation that have invaded this space have led more and more publishers to leverage and exploit FOMO tactics to squeeze consumers/make us pay more. This of course hurts everyone. It's just a spiral of greed and money-making that it seems everyone now just accepts as part of the business.

It's all too bad. I'm certainly no fan of any of it, and it's among the growing reasons for why I'm losing more and more interest in gaming generally.

Oh well, I figure this gen is the last round for me buying in, anyways. I don't see myself caring much once games go fully digital and live titles like Fortnite become the predominate way folks play. No thanks.
 
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detsportsfan3 said:
Man, should I just sell every game in my collection worth over retail? Seems like every game is reprinted these days.

Blue Reflection, Liar Princess, Senran Kagura 3DS are games I own that were all $100+ and reprinted. Although I did expect BR to get a reprint when the sequel came out and it never did. I'm sure there's tons more. Attack on Titan 2 comes to mind. Oh yeah and my $100 Corrine Amiibo just got a reprint as well.

I guess at this point my risk is pretty low though, not sure what game what expensive games I even have left, maybe Crystar on PS4. Ironically that did get a port on Switch.
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no, but I think anything that's well over $200-$300+ is well worth the consideration. The thing with VGs and CEs is to go wide: buy all the strong niche stuff when it goes on sale/clearance, and be willing to part with things. Like right now those P5 Royal steelbooks for $25-$30 are probably an outstanding 4-year investment. It would be a very smart move to buy a stack of them to sell later. That's the type of thing that is almost sure to fetch $100+, and possibly much, much more when people can no longer acquire them. As collectors start building their seminal Nintendo Switch and PS collections before moving on to the next system.

It takes a good amount of money to be a player-collector in this hobby, and buying everything all the time is simply 'spending tons of money' and not feasible. You want to be able to identify and all the nice stuff, like the Fire Emblem collectors edition coming out this month, and afford to buy all of them.

 
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shadowysea07 said:
reprints vary on a game by game basis and by company. Tecmo koei in particular is very weird about reprints since they did reprints of fairy tail and years later blue reflection 1 which I didn't think would happen. but don't typically reprint the atelier titles besides ryza since it prints money. Atlus obviously did the reprint of p3p and p4g because of the prices going to 300+ during the pandemic for p3p as an example. Almost surprising that nintendo doesn't get in on it with the fire emblem series given how path of radiance for going for 800.
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I think whatever deal KT have going with VGP will lead to any of their rare games getting reprinted. It seems like VGP takes all the risk so KT is cool with just picking up their money.

VGP just posted that Attack on Titan 2 Final Battle for Switch will have copies available tomorrow.

 
I agree buy what you want to play and sell what's going for ridiculous amounts if you wont play it again/never will play it/not worth it anymore. There are so many mediocore and worse RPGs/Strategy Games/Niche whatever in general. You likely wont play it all...not even 50% of what comes out, so pick and choose your battles. Few games are worth repeating over and over, and I'm not taking rogue type games that are meant to be replayed. Plus sometimes you go back for the memories of games you liked years ago, such as Bubsy for the Genesis for myself, and they are just not very good or have aged considerably for the worse.

I'm mainly just clearing out old junk, bringing in new junk I hopefully try soon after I buy it and try to play it right away, and get bundled/cheap stuff digitally other than stuff I really like to support developers on (mainly visual novels and very, very niche games or games I'll play with friends).

On one other note maybe don't support EA games that much (early access to be exact though EA also may be true) as they just don't have a lot of content often or are just way too early. I have bought some EA games cheaper a few months before they're scheduled to leave EA for savings purposes, but it's still better to get them when they come out.

Video games are a terrible investment IMHO and are meant to be played and loved. That's just my opinion on this whole topic.

 
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I tend to sell of many of my games when I am done playing them, but I have a weakness for JRPG and you'll have to pry them from my cold dead hands. Blue Reflection 1 & 2, the Atelier games, and any of my Compiler Heart or X-Seed trash tend to be mostly what I keep in the collection. I know I will never play them again BUT just in case I might want to I really don't want to pay $200+ for a copy. You can blame Shadow Hearts and Suikoden for this habit. 

 
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The only reason rarity is a concern is that our ownership of things has been grossly eroded and will be non-existent in the fully digital age.

That's my hottest of hot takes.

Otherwise, reprint all the things that are way over MSRP. Speculation in collectibles is also very dangerous and not recommended.
 
Photophonic said:
I tend to sell of many of my games when I am done playing them, but I have a weakness for JRPG and you'll have to pry them from my cold dead hands. Blue Reflection 1 & 2, the Atelier games, and any of my Compiler Heart or X-Seed trash tend to be mostly what I keep in the collection. I know I will never play them again BUT just in case I might want to I really don't want to pay $200+ for a copy. You can blame Shadow Hearts and Suikoden for this habit.
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That used to be me... then I just started caring about everything. Now I keep everything.

fuck me.

 
My two cents - video games are a bad investment medium. For every Earthbound, there are thousands of games below their original MSRP. If you want to collect, more power to you. It can be a fun hobby and a fun community. Just make sure you're doing it because you want to and not because you're chasing the next Stadium Events or using it as a retirement plan. If a reprint has an averse impact on how you feel about the games in your collection, you might want to reconsider what you're doing.

 
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Photophonic said:
I tend to sell of many of my games when I am done playing them, but I have a weakness for JRPG and you'll have to pry them from my cold dead hands. Blue Reflection 1 & 2, the Atelier games, and any of my Compiler Heart or X-Seed trash tend to be mostly what I keep in the collection. I know I will never play them again BUT just in case I might want to I really don't want to pay $200+ for a copy. You can blame Shadow Hearts and Suikoden for this habit.
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emulate
 
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