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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super1upqueen said:
Play 1 first, 3 references it. If you haven't played 2, play that one after 1, then 3. If you don't feel like playing 3 connected Xenoblade games, then go with X since that's a spinoff. It has Easter eggs from the first 2 Blade games, as well as Xenogears and Saga (and longtime fans are still trying to connect it to the larger Xeno canon), but it can 100% be played by itself. Plus, it's an amazing game. All the Xenoblade games are amazing (though I'm one of the few fans who was less than impressed with 3).
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I played 2 first (put maybe 160 hours into it, loved the hell out of that game and world), and then Torna. That's what got me into the series. I was going to play 1 on 3DS but then the Switch version was announced and I waited for it. I'm so far behind on games, but at least already own the bulk of what I want to play (minus those Xenosaga games).

scorponok said:
Playasia now says the Japanese versions of Infinity Strash are multi-language.
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Oh, that's great news. :applause:

 
There aren't any special holidays or events or anything that happen soon resulting in PA normally usually offering FS, is there? Wanna import some games but wanted to see if it's better to wait. 

 
Vinny said:
There aren't any special holidays or events or anything that happen soon resulting in PA normally usually offering FS, is there? Wanna import some games but wanted to see if it's better to wait.
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They still advertise free shipping if you spend over $99.99. There's Baten Kaitos !&II in stock on the 20th... and I'm sure I could easily do a bundle of three games at that point to get over $100.

 
nightc1 said:
They still advertise free shipping if you spend over $99.99. There's Baten Kaitos !&II in stock on the 20th... and I'm sure I could easily do a bundle of three games at that point to get over $100.
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Oh snap, didn't even realize this. Thanks! Baten was what was I gonna get, prob gonna add Fatal Frame Lunar Mask to it but then would need to find some super cheap filler to hit 99.99.

 
nightc1 said:
I played 2 first (put maybe 160 hours into it, loved the hell out of that game and world), and then Torna. That's what got me into the series. I was going to play 1 on 3DS but then the Switch version was announced and I waited for it. I'm so far behind on games, but at least already own the bulk of what I want to play (minus those Xenosaga games).
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Well, you might want to get to X sooner rather than later, since Nintendo just announced they're shutting down all online play for the Wii U and 3DS in April. X is singleplayer, but there's a pretty cool online integration where you can take on exclusive missions that are great for finding otherwise-rare collectibles. You can also trade in earned reward tickets for collectibles, offer and accept "treasure deals" (basically a way to get high level equipment early), and find other player's avatars out in the field (doesn't do much, but helps make it feel like there are other BLADE members out and about).

Everything is described really thoroughly here: https://xenoblade.fandom.com/wiki/Network None of it is necessary to finish the game, but it's just a cool feature that will be sorely missed.

 
super1upqueen said:
Well, you might want to get to X sooner rather than later, since Nintendo just announced they're shutting down all online play for the Wii U and 3DS in April. X is singleplayer, but there's a pretty cool online integration where you can take on exclusive missions that are great for finding otherwise-rare collectibles. You can also trade in earned reward tickets for collectibles, offer and accept "treasure deals" (basically a way to get high level equipment early), and find other player's avatars out in the field (doesn't do much, but helps make it feel like there are other BLADE members out and about).

Everything is described really thoroughly here: https://xenoblade.fandom.com/wiki/Network None of it is necessary to finish the game, but it's just a cool feature that will be sorely missed.
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I wouldn't rule out a port for X on Switch. Nintendo has pretty much ported everything over, including even titles I thought would require too much adjusting (e.g., Tokyo Mirage Sessions).

Nintendo has said it intends to continue to support the Switch next year, which probably means more ports are coming. You have to think X is in that mix, as are the long-rumored Twilight Princess/Wind Waker titles.

At this point, I think the only one of the Big N's Wii U titles that won't make it over is Game & Wario (and Devil's Third, though that's not a Nintendo-made game).

 
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super1upqueen said:
VIII is tied with Origin for me as my favorite Ys game. The first Ys game I played was actually Memories of Celceta and I thought it was just ok, but gave VIII a chance based on how beautiful the character art was. So glad I did, since it made me play the other Ys games and hooked me on the series. I actually think IX is a weaker entry, since it tries to do a lot of stuff VIII did but doesn't execute it as well, and the story wasn't as interesting. It's not bad by any means, but a little disappointing after VIII.
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This isn't the first time I've read that IX is "worse" than VIII--considering I have both in the backlog (only played Celceta and enjoyed it), would I miss out on anything by playing IX before VIII? I'd prefer to play the better game later and I know the Ys games are largely self-contained.

 
Mattiful-Joe said:
I wouldn't rule out a port for X on Switch. Nintendo has pretty much ported everything over, including even titles I thought would require too much adjusting (e.g., Tokyo Mirage Sessions).

Nintendo has said it intends to continue to support the Switch next year, which probably means more ports are coming. You have to think X is in that mix, as are the long-rumored Twilight Princess/Wind Waker titles.

At this point, I think the only one of the Big N's Wii U titles that won't make it over is Game & Wario (and Devil's Third, though that's not a Nintendo-made game).
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I want your optimism, but I've heard several times that Nintendo had no interest in porting X since they felt it wouldn't be profitable. Now, that may have changed since 3 did so well, but X would require a lot of work to port (much more than TMS, which only needed to have the maps and phone texting pulled from the gamepad).

I don't think Kirby and the Rainbow Curse will make it, since you pretty much play that exclusively with the gamepad's touch controls, and I'm really hoping Star Fox Zero makes it since they can shift the motion controls to gyro (or just remove them, please). Yoshi's Wooly World needs to be ported, it was so much better than Crafted. And yeah, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess have to be coming. Switch 2 launch titles maybe? Maybe X will make it onto the Switch 2, actually.

 
Vigilante said:
This isn't the first time I've read that IX is "worse" than VIII--considering I have both in the backlog (only played Celceta and enjoyed it), would I miss out on anything by playing IX before VIII? I'd prefer to play the better game later and I know the Ys games are largely self-contained.
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No, nothing. IX and VIII are totally separate stories, taking place during different times in Adol's life. IX has connections to previous games due to it taking place last in the timeline, but it's all just Easter eggs. The only order I personally recommend playing the Ys games in is to play 1 and 2 before Origin, since Origin has a huge surprise at the end if you know 1 and 2's story. Otherwise, play them in any order you want.

 
super1upqueen said:
Well, you might want to get to X sooner rather than later,
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I unfortunately already f'd up a bit with X because even though I tracked down a copy once I fell in love with XC2... I didn't know to install it and get the High Speed Data Loading or any of the other free data packs until pretty much the day after the store closed. I thought it was just basic updates, not free dlc that needed to be claimed. What a bone headed way to release that stuff.

I can probably live without the online extras... but it's good food for thought. Thanks.

Mattiful-Joe said:
I wouldn't rule out a port for X on Switch.
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That's what I'm hoping for... and it would make sense they'd do that with maybe an announcement around February with a summer release date.

 
Vigilante said:
This isn't the first time I've read that IX is "worse" than VIII--considering I have both in the backlog (only played Celceta and enjoyed it), would I miss out on anything by playing IX before VIII? I'd prefer to play the better game later and I know the Ys games are largely self-contained.
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celceta leads directly to 8 and references here and there and one or 2 characters are in both like the lady general. No idea on 9 or 10 since they are at different places in the timeline.
 
nightc1 said:
I unfortunately already f'd up a bit with X because even though I tracked down a copy once I fell in love with XC2... I didn't know to install it and get the High Speed Data Loading or any of the other free data packs until pretty much the day after the store closed. I thought it was just basic updates, not free dlc that needed to be claimed. What a bone headed way to release that stuff.

I can probably live without the online extras... but it's good food for thought. Thanks.
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Oh, don't worry about the data packs. The faster loading is nice, but I actually recently replayed the game without those packs (my Wii U is currently in the process of killing itself and will crash if it needs to access any DLC or game patches, so I can only play games with no patches or DLC until the system completely dies) and yes, the load times were a little longer than I remembered, but it's not a huge deal. You'll get used to it very quickly.

Twilightsparkle said:
Not a Wii U game, but I want Tomodachi Life on the Switch. Thought we’d get it since they ported Miitopia.
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OMG YES. I love that stupid game. It was an impulse buy when I just saw it in Wal-Mart right after it came out and it has provided so many laughs over the years. I think one time my husband married my mother. :rofl:

 
Anyone got an email from NISA said an order was shipped but nothing displayed? Theres an item code but doesnt correspond with anything. Im not expecting anything and also didnt get charged for this as well, so it very confusing

Sent from my SM-N970U1 using Tapatalk
 
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Vigilante said:
This isn't the first time I've read that IX is "worse" than VIII--considering I have both in the backlog (only played Celceta and enjoyed it), would I miss out on anything by playing IX before VIII? I'd prefer to play the better game later and I know the Ys games are largely self-contained.
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My perspective differs a bit. I would say Ys VIII and IX both have different strengths. Overall I like VIII more due to my partiality for the soundtrack. But it's not superior in every way. The setting and sense of adventure is superior in VIII but IX is more self-contained, more mystery-novel like in plot, and more polished in its technical and combat aspects.

There's also something in the plot of IX that is a recycled idea from Trails (Zero onward). So you'll probably appreciate it less in whichever you play second.

The differences are minor but if I had to pick an ideal sequence, I'd play VIII before IX. The events in Balduq (IX) are last on the timeline of the released games. And references to earlier adventures do happen at a couple different points of the game.
 
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Vinny said:
Oh snap, didn't even realize this. Thanks! Baten was what was I gonna get, prob gonna add Fatal Frame Lunar Mask to it but then would need to find some super cheap filler to hit 99.99.
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I wanted to suggest these $1.99 blind box splatoon magnets, but they're a pre-order that won't ship until December.

https://www.play-asia.com/splatoon-3-chara-magnets-2-random-single/13/70gg4f

I usually go through the various categories until I find a list of products that I can sort by ascending price. I didn't check everything, but that's one of the cheapest I found. In the past I think I bought a travel adapter for electrical plugs, etc.

There is a carrying case for your GBA wireless adapter for $3.99 as well lol, but I feel there must be something cheaper on there somewhere.

https://www.play-asia.com/wireless-adapter-carrying-case-leaf-green/13/703qy

https://www.play-asia.com/wireless-adapter-carrying-case-fire-red/13/703qz

https://www.play-asia.com/wireless-adapter-carrying-case-black/13/703r0

Edit:

Cheap DVDs could also be a filler option at $2.99

https://www.play-asia.com/ultara-kids-dvd-ultra-kaiju-dai-eizo-zukai-jack-ace-hen/13/703zmf

https://www.play-asia.com/bruce-lee-my-brother/13/7043ee

https://www.play-asia.com/underworld-evolution/13/701daa

$3 keychains:

https://www.play-asia.com/airasia-project-kavvaii-airi-gwynevere-acrylic-keychain/13/70fvod

https://www.play-asia.com/airasia-project-kavvaii-mikazuki-mai-acrylic-keychain/13/70fvon

$1.99 stickers:

https://www.play-asia.com/obake-pam-bonus-sticker/13/70fv8j

https://www.play-asia.com/aka-mana-bonus-sticker/13/70fv8r

 
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BoxPizzaBox said:
I usually go through the various categories until I find a list of products that I can sort by ascending price.
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I was thinking I would just throw a $20 3DS Dragon Quest Monsters 3 on mine, just to have it in the collection. I haven't modded my 3DS/New3DSXL/2DS for imports yet... but plan to do it on at least one of them.

 
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I mean honestly, there's just tons of Asian English releases I'd love to get but the prices are just crazy since they never seem to go down for anything I'd want. 

EDIT* Saw there's a Asian release for Ghost Trick NS but it's sold out. Darn...

 
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Vinny said:
I mean honestly, there's just tons of Asian English releases I'd love to get but the prices are just crazy since they never seem to go down for anything I'd want.

EDIT* Saw there's a Asian release for Ghost Trick NS but it's sold out. Darn...
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VGP has copies if you still want it.
 
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I really liked Death End re;Quest 1 and 2, it's nice to know a sequel is in the works. Curious what the spinoff will be like, too.

 
Are the reprints at VGP exactly the same as the original printings?  Or are there differences to tell them apart?  I know Steins;Gate 0 isn't exact.  I ordered Steins;Gate 0 off them to upgrade the condition of mine.  That is the only reprint I have ordered off them, I already have most of the other ones they did.  There are a lot of differences to the front and back cover.  Here are a couple ebay auctions for comparison.  Original print, reprint.

Also, they put up a bunch of Koei Tecmo reprints yesterday.  Atelier Lulua and Nelke sold out instantly.

 
scorponok said:
Are the reprints at VGP exactly the same as the original printings? Or are there differences to tell them apart? I know Steins;Gate 0 isn't exact. I ordered Steins;Gate 0 off them to upgrade the condition of mine. That is the only reprint I have ordered off them, I already have most of the other ones they did. There are a lot of differences to the front and back cover. Here are a couple ebay auctions for comparison. Original print, reprint.

Also, they put up a bunch of Koei Tecmo reprints yesterday. Atelier Lulua and Nelke sold out instantly.
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The different cover for Steins Gate could be due to being Canadian version with French text.

The THQ PS3 reprint has different company logo on cover and no manual.

 
Vinny said:
Wait what..? Was this announced beforehand? I feel like I usually see posts on here about VGP reprints, don't think I saw any for those two.
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I don't think they were announced beforehand. VGP just made a twitter post when everything was already up on their site to order. Here is the link they posted: Koei Collection

 
62t said:
The different cover for Steins Gate could be due to being Canadian version with French text.

The THQ PS3 reprint has different company logo on cover and no manual.
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That could be it but the few Canadian sellers on ebay that are selling that game only have the version without the French text.

 
scorponok said:
That could be it but the few Canadian sellers on ebay that are selling that game only have the version without the French text.
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Ran into this enough times to know not to trust stock images. If you're seeing stock images, I wouldn't count on the image being correct. Same as with "World Edition" for 3DS games, a lot of sellers just use the stock image because they either don't notice the difference or because later runs are less valuable.

 
GameStop has discounts on new games (well, Gamestop 'new' anyway).

Wario64 has some links that go by discount percentage, but note that they aren't mutually exclusive. IE, 75% off will only show 75% or more off but 25% off will show all of the same items

Gamestop's website barely works, keep in mind the price you see when searching may be BEFORE the discounts. IE, Tactics Ogre Reborn shows $49.99 on Switch, but if you click through (and select 'new', it defaults to pre-owned) then you'll see $24.99

Wario64 post:

https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/1710890604522299696

Pro members can get 10% more off as well.

A few finds but not exhaustive:

Tactics Ogre Reborn (Switch PS4 PS5) $24.99

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/products/tactics-ogre-reborn---nintendo-switch/352245.html

GrimGrimoire OnceMore (Switch $24.99 - PS5 is $12.50! But sold out for shipping on PS5 :( Check local stores maybe):

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/products/grimgrimoire-oncemore---deluxe-edition---playstation-5/355852.html

Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society (Switch PS4 PS5) $24.99:

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/products/labyrinth-of-galleria-the-moon-society---playstation-5/345364.html

R-type 3 Final 3 Evolved (PS5) $24.99:

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/playstation-5/products/r-type-final-3-evolved-deluxe-edition---playstation-5/357840.html

Raiden IV x MIKADO remix (only Xbox version on sale) $19.99:

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/products/raiden-iv-x-mikado-remix---deluxe-edition---xbox-series-x/351153.html

Process of Elimination (Switch on sale, PS4 version is not) $24.99:

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/products/process-of-elimination---deluxe-edition---nintendo-switch/355856.html

The King of Fighters XV (PS5) $19.99:

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/products/the-king-of-fighters-xv---playstation-5/313491.html

Pokemon Shield seems to be about $15, but not available for shipping

WarioWare Get it Together (Switch) $24.99):

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/nintendo-switch/products/warioware-get-it-together---nintendo-switch/305250.html

Metroid Dread ($29.99):

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/nintendo-switch/products/metroid-dread---nintendo-switch/307731.html

Tales of Symphonia Chronicles Remastered (PS4 and Xbox versions only on sale) $14.99:

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/products/tales-of-symphonia-remastered---playstation-4/351938.html

Ys VIII (PS5) $19.99:

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/playstation-5/products/ys-viii-lacrimosa-of-dana-deluxe-edition---playstation-5/342190.html?utm_id=3613654&utm_kxconfid=tebx5rmj3&cid=afl_10000087&affID=77777&sourceID=y9ozrjBcgg8-v7HNriEFfrIsu2rTQGFFhQ&ranMID=24348&ranEAID=y9ozrjBcgg8&ranSiteID=y9ozrjBcgg8-v7HNriEFfrIsu2rTQGFFhQ

void* tRrLM2(); //Void Terrarium 2 (PS4 / Switch $24.99):

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/products/void*-trrlm2%3B---void-terrarium-2---deluxe-edition---nintendo-switch/355836.html

 
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If their website gives you an error about not being able to ship to your address, or something similar, give the app a try. I've had that problem in the past and a few others seem to be encountering it now.

 
I just nabbed a ton for 50% off.

Sadly Ryza 3 was sold out on Switch, but I got Grimgrimoire, Labyrinth of Galleria, Void Terrarium 2, Labyrinth of Zangetsu for switch and Dungeon Munchies, Diofield Chronicles for PS4.

Legit sale. Now let's see how many come sealed.
 
TheKbob said:
Legit sale. Now let's see how many come sealed.
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I ordered a few games but I'm assume these days they're going be opened copies. The last time they had a major sale on new games, I ordered 8 games, 6 arrived opened, 1 sealed, and 1 was disc only with an apology note for not having the case. But Crisis core and SF6 are too good to pass up... assuming the GS stores actually have them in stock to ship.

 
Grimgrimoire once more has been pricematched at Amazon for 24.99 if you want a sealed copy.

Mato anomalies is 9.99 but don’t know if it’s even worth it at that price.

 
I like how all the recent SquareEnix jrpgs from the previous year are 20 bucks or less if you had just waited. 

-Octopath

-DioField

-Valkyrie

-Tactics Ogre

-Crisis Core

-Star Ocean

-Stranger of Parasie: FF Origin

All sorts of NISA SE's too.  I haven't played even one of them yet.  There's so many games to play if you don't spend all your time doing it. 

 
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I've spent way too much after thinking I'm not gonna spend that much. 

Star Ocean 

Valkyrie E 

Crisis Core (extra copy, figured can give to my brother) 

Ys VIII 

GrimG 

Dread (semi-far store showed a copy not sure it'll actually be available) 

 
Waiting on these worked well in the end. Snagged the following for roughly $100 gs trade credit:

GrimGrimoire OnceMore nsw
CRISIS CORE xsx
Void Terrarium 2 nsw
Tactics Ogre: Reborn nsw
Stranger of Paradise xsx

In-store:
Tales of Arise ps4 $4.50
Pokemon Shield $13.50
Neo TWEWY ps4 $5.62
Edit: Don't place in-store pickup orders, the system is broken.
 
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I went to my local store, got Wanted Dead and Star Ocean, both for PS5. Then had them search for Ryza 3 on Switch. One store had a copy 15 minutes away.

Managed to get the last copy in my greater metro area.

Probably a better sale than Black Friday if they're dumping all of these titles in October.
 
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