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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Nothing- said:
Another gambit is: I want to play Disgaea 7 badly, and buy the collector's edition, but the PS5 deluxe edition is $39.99 on Amazon already today. Another obvious candidate for Woot.

Is anybody even playing these games anymore?? Game has a 6.0 user score with 29 votes, an 84 metacritic, and yet it feels like nobody is playing it or cares.

There is no way that NISA isn't struggling.
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It's so much better than D6 but I think it sold worse. I could see the series ending if things don't pick up soon because to your point I feel like I am the only person who plays them anymore.
 
Disgaea wise I pre-ordered 6 for switch and that was about it. I don't play them often because backlog.

Saw a tweet that p3r sold 1 million copies. Atlus can't fathom how much they have jumped since vanilla having 75k copies waaaay back.
 
Nothing- said:
Trails games. I kinda stopped buying all the NISA CEs I wanted after they transitioned to including Switch. I ordered a couple of sets on both Switch and PS4 but then collecting them all became overwhelming. It costs too much to keep up and I didn't know which platform to buy for. Handheld option is great! but then it often has inferior performance. Performance disparities are obfuscated and not really published. The time I stopped I guess was when they were doing those NIS Classics Volume LEs 1,2,3 re-releases. They were buggy and unpolished, but I wanted to order those.

Trails-CEs.jpg


I think going forward I'm just going to start submitting orders on Playstation, and complete the collection there. You never know which ones get graphical or engine downgrades with an inferior version.

My collecting has been disorganized for years, and it's time to fix it. Their website changeover really put a damper on things as well. For instance, Trails Through Daybreak is only sold out on the PS5 now because they have to sell their plushies with it. Can't imagine that sales are going very well at NISA these days. Discussion over them has pretty much halted on here. Customers are confused, physical is dwindling, and now they want money up front. So if you're anything like me then you wait until the last minute before they sell out.
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I've actually been selling a few collector's editions, particularly NISA ones, because I'm trying to encourage myself not to buy collector's editions for games I'm not going to play right away or for games I don't know I'll love. I sold Cold Steel 3 and 4, as well as Reverie, but kept Zero, Azure, and the XSEED special editions of Cold Steel 1 and 2. I honestly don't think I'll keep up on the Trails series (I've still only played Sky 1-3) because I only have so much time to game and I've been less and less motivated to devote the time necessary to long JRPGs, especially ones like Trails that need to be played in order and have such huge scripts. I had a tab open on my computer for Daybreak for months, seriously turned off by the payment up front thing, and when the PS5 version sold out, I just shrugged and closed it. Basically, if it's a 100 hour JRPG that's not a Persona, Megaten, Xenoblade, Dragon Quest, or Final Fantasy, I'm going to be more picky about if I want to play it and especially if I want its collector's edition.

Oh, but I didn't sell Mishy from the Cold Steel 3 collector's edition. No way man, he's my little buddy. I gave him his own scarf and everything.
20240207_210036.jpg
Nothing- said:
Another gambit is: I want to play Disgaea 7 badly, and buy the collector's edition, but the PS5 deluxe edition is $39.99 on Amazon already today. Another obvious candidate for Woot.

Is anybody even playing these games anymore?? Game has a 6.0 user score with 29 votes, an 84 metacritic, and yet it feels like nobody is playing it or cares.

There is no way that NISA isn't struggling.
Click to expand...
I almost pre-ordered the collector's edition of 7 because I liked the stuff it came with, but again, trying to cut back. I'm also tempted by the $40 deal, though I have a feeling it'll get down to $30. I've played 1 and some of 3, and as shadowysea07 said, the backlog has prevented me from playing the others.
shadowysea07 said:
Disgaea wise I pre-ordered 6 for switch and that was about it. I don't play them often because backlog.

Saw a tweet that p3r sold 1 million copies. Atlus can't fathom how much they have jumped since vanilla having 75k copies waaaay back.
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I saw that tweet, too. My first thought was, "damn, maybe it won't get cheap any time soon." I kind of regret canceling my $60 Gamestop pre-order, but I need to stay strong and wait for a good sale. I have plenty more games to play in the meantime.

There's a rumor Atlus is working on remasters of Persona 2 and 4. I'll believe a 4 remaster is coming before I believe one for 2, but it would be really nice to have a definitive version of 2 with both games. As for 4, I'm not sure if I want that game getting any kind of remaster, as I fear what they'd do to try and "fix" Kanji's character arc...
 
super1upqueen said:
Can you just save as soon as you're allowed in the demo and still get the bonuses?
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Demo save data of any kind gets you the bonus item. Demo clear data is only required to skip the demo gameplay of the full release.
super1upqueen said:
Speaking of, got the Deluxe edition pre-ordered at Best Buy (double steelbook, baybee) and they never added the DLC to my order. It's not the end of the world if I don't get the pre-order bangle or whatever, but I still hope I do.
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Exact same situation. Dlc items for remake were pathetic anyway so it will likely be available for free eventually.
Nothing- said:
I think going forward I'm just going to start submitting orders on Playstation, and complete the collection there. You never know which ones get graphical or engine downgrades with an inferior version.
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Solid decision. Zero & Azure are best on nsw. For the rest I collect the PS4 CEs and then also buy the standard PC versions for playing handheld or otherwise. The switch versions of CSIII-Reverie are basically the exact same PH3 builds done for the PC, just locked at the lowest settings. The PS4>PS5 upgrade was added late by nisa but ended up working fine for me. More than fine actually.

If anyone cares, when I checked a couple months ago, the PS5 upgrade for Reverie using the PS4 disc was completely broken. Claiming the PS5 upgrade on console made you eligible to claim the full PS4 version for free. And then having the PS4 licence allowed me to add the full PS5 license free. I don't even need the disc anymore.

As for Disgaea, I care but only consider buying the complete releases. I actually bought that huge dlc bundle for Disgaea 3 on PS3 and learned my lesson going forward. Bloated dlc and hot sauce are pretty much my only memories of that game.
 
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Finished two games this week. Can't sleep, so I'll give each a paragraph.

Atelier Sophie 2. 8/10.
I'm not sure if I'm ready to call it the peak atelier experience as i've heard from others. Any story that focuses on experience in an alternate world with little bearing on the actual character's world feels kinda cheap. Like Sophie 1 there is zero real threat or antagonist for nearly the whole game. And yet despite some cliches and the abundance of fuzzy trite plot elements, there is eventually a mature message ("Remember your dream!") that hits home. The game unsurprisingly spotlights the female alchemist characters who are all well done. Yet this leaves a backdrop trio of a weak/generic supporting cast that made me miss the "Hey, fat guy!" variety of party members in Sophie 1. The game only runs acceptably with low settings on steam deck, so I used handheld for alchemy sessions and the hdtv for exploration. This game's main variation gimmick, weather changing, eventually feels like a chore. Dlc was a waste of money. Pretty good game.

Ace Attorney Justice for All. 7.5/10.
Previously I had only played the first PW game (was just ok) as well as GAA Chronicles (which I loved). I bought Apollo Justice recently and figured I needed to grind out PW 2&3 first. Anyway Pt2 starts with a ho-hum introductory case but then an excellent 2nd case (which stands as my favorite PW case so far). The third case is just so-so and drags at times. But at some point I had the clear thought, "at least they improved from all that terrible steel samurai case" ..and then bam the final case happens. I didn't like the plot or gameplay flow of the final case but understand how it was a necessary transition to the ending. The ending is EXCELLENT. What they do with Edgeworth is profoundly superior to what they mimic with Kazuma in GAA. (Although Susato is still firmly my favorite companion/assistant.). Trials & Tribulations this weekend.
 
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My main RPG series are DQ & XC... but I still care about the genre as a whole and will buy something if I find it interesting enough. Most other series I either have opted to stop buying for them, I'm on a pause until I play them more, or I'll decide on a game by game release.

Talking about organizing games, I built out a basic 8'tall x 6'wide set of shelving from some 1"x6" pine a few weeks ago for my spare room that I use as a home office. I have been organizing my collection and getting the stuff out of boxes that I was considering selling or I just didn't have a good place to display. I think when I'm done with game organizing, I will add shelves for DVD, BR, and CD's as well as other collectables and make this more of a media library space. It would be nice to have everything in a single space with nothing in boxes and it'll be a bit easier to organize what I might want to go ahead and sell off since I'll have it out in the open to look at and space to separate it. Plus having space to actually display stuff in the open is nice. Maybe I'll take a couple pictures when I'm done and share them here.

XC Definitive Edition update: Tuesday night I ended up polishing off all the side quests (including a half dozen or more additional ones found explorting the Eryth Sea) except two which were for the next area in the game. Those last two I finished last night along with Chapter 8. The side missions, while many in number, weren't that bad and didn't require much beyond basic exploring (which I was already going to at minimum use all the transporters). There was one side-mission boss that got me twice because of all the other enemies surrounding it... so, I ended up going casual mode to get past it. Nothing else was too much of a challenge on normal. Currently I'm level 45, two cut scenes into Chapter 9, and the play time is just under 46 hours (I love exploring in games like this). I have zero side quests available (unless something unlocked in another area since starting chapter 9) and I have a single item missing from the Collectopedia on the Forest and then everything in the Bionis Interior which isn't really unlocked yet beyond that one path with no enemies or item drops.

I'm still loving the experience. The side quests initially feeling overwhelming had me concerned but then I cleared them so quickly (maybe 2 hours or less?) given my level is above everything and so much you are going to naturally stumble into on the way to the next objective. So those that got stuck on that, it's really not too bad. Especially since everything needed for every side mission taken will have an exclamation mark on the map for it even if you don't have it set as an active mission.
 
Target has a Buy One Get One 50% off sale this week.
Buying 2 and canceling one for about a 25% discount works. It's not quite as good of a deal as B2G1F using the same method, though.

What's applicable is hit and miss, some preorders eligible of note:
www.target.com

Sea of Stars - PlayStation 5

Read reviews and buy Sea of Stars - PlayStation 5 at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more.
www.target.com www.target.com
Sea of Stars PS5 (Xbox also eligible)

www.target.com

Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters - Xbox Series X/Xbox One

Read reviews and buy Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters - Xbox Series X/Xbox One at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more.
www.target.com www.target.com
Neptunia: Sisters Vs Sisters (Xbox only - PS4 version is eligible but that's an older version and there should be better prices)

www.target.com

Visions of Mana - PlayStation 5

Read reviews and buy Visions of Mana - PlayStation 5 at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more.
www.target.com www.target.com
Visions of Mana (PS5, PS4 and Xbox versions also eligible)

Not a preorder, but Eternights PS5 is eligible at $23.99 before the discount, and works out to be a couple bucks cheaper than Amazon's $19.99
www.target.com

Eternights - PlayStation 5

Read reviews and buy Eternights - PlayStation 5 at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more.
www.target.com www.target.com

I'm hoping Stellar Blade makes an appearance and is eligible before the week is over, but I haven't seen it yet.
For most preorders remember you can usually get better deals later, so it's really only a good deal if you wanted to play that game right away, or if you find a game with a decent price that's also eligible (like Eternights)

All eligible video games:

Target : Expect More. Pay Less.

www.target.com www.target.com
 
Agreed there isn't much. The preorders are probably the 'best' deals (if it's something you really want immediately) as they're discounts on stuff that isn't out yet, but 25% off full retail price still isn't amazing. I had a preorder that Target never fulfilled (just kept asking me to approve delays forever - I've heard of this happening to others with Target, but it was the first time for me) for P5T on Xbox using of those previous B2G1F sales and that thing dropped like a rock, I'm glad now they never fulfilled it.
 
Pheria said:
Agreed there isn't much. The preorders are probably the 'best' deals (if it's something you really want immediately) as they're discounts on stuff that isn't out yet, but 25% off full retail price still isn't amazing. I had a preorder that Target never fulfilled (just kept asking me to approve delays forever - I've heard of this happening to others with Target, but it was the first time for me) for P5T on Xbox using of those previous B2G1F sales and that thing dropped like a rock, I'm glad now they never fulfilled it.
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Yeah, I can't stand pre-ordering from Target because of the chance of getting trapped in the infinite delay loop. That happened to me with the deluxe edition of Horizon Forbidden West (thank goodness I got a copy at Gamestop later) and it looked like it was going to happen with the Sephiroth amiibo, which I canceled when I found it in a store.

Literally the only thing I'd want in this sale is Visions of Mana, so I may just do the buy 2, cancel 1 trick to save $15 on it. I'm with you hoping for Stellar Blade, but I doubt it would qualify for this deal, anyway.
 
super1upqueen said:
Yeah, I can't stand pre-ordering from Target because of the chance of getting trapped in the infinite delay loop. That happened to me with the deluxe edition of Horizon Forbidden West (thank goodness I got a copy at Gamestop later) and it looked like it was going to happen with the Sephiroth amiibo, which I canceled when I found it in a store.

Literally the only thing I'd want in this sale is Visions of Mana, so I may just do the buy 2, cancel 1 trick to save $15 on it. I'm with you hoping for Stellar Blade, but I doubt it would qualify for this deal, anyway.
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Finally put my pre-ordered in

THE CALIGULA EFFECT 1 & 2 on VGP. It's nice if VGP re-print HYRULE WARRIORS DEFINITIVE EDITION (S)​

 
Masterkyo24 said:
Finally put my pre-ordered in

THE CALIGULA EFFECT 1 & 2 on VGP. It's nice if VGP re-print HYRULE WARRIORS DEFINITIVE EDITION (S)​

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I didn't know it was hard to come by (Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition).
I do see it's sold out at most major retailers, but there are still some sealed with free shipping ESRB copies on sites like eBay for MSRP ($59.99):
www.ebay.com

Hyrule Warriors - Definitive Edition - Nintendo Switch 45496592745 | eBay

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition - Nintendo Switch.
www.ebay.com

I didn't notice right away, but I see they're 'World Edition' UAE copies- is that what you're trying to avoid?

The UAE copies seem to perhaps keep the price down on a handful of 'like new' used ones that aren't World Edition, but yeah fair enough- that's not quite the same as getting a sealed new copy for a similar price.
(Ex: https://www.ebay.com/itm/3554467704...sh=item52c2474b17:g:f3kAAOSwkwhlwRR5&LH_BIN=1 )
 
Pheria said:
I didn't know it was hard to come by (Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition).
I do see it's sold out at most major retailers, but there are still some sealed with free shipping ESRB copies on sites like eBay for MSRP ($59.99):
www.ebay.com

Hyrule Warriors - Definitive Edition - Nintendo Switch 45496592745 | eBay

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition - Nintendo Switch.
www.ebay.com

I didn't notice right away, but I see they're 'World Edition' UAE copies- is that what you're trying to avoid?

The UAE copies seem to perhaps keep the price down on a handful of 'like new' used ones that aren't World Edition, but yeah fair enough- that's not quite the same as getting a sealed new copy for a similar price.
(Ex: https://www.ebay.com/itm/355446770455?epid=18045308975&hash=item52c2474b17:g:f3kAAOSwkwhlwRR5&LH_BIN=1 )
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Why are collectors so down on those UAE copies? Are they not compatible with USA region DLC or something? Collectors say they won't buy PEGI games because they hate the "ugly logo" so what's the excuse for UAE games? Personally I couldn't care less what ratings logo is on the box, I just want to play games.
 
kevers7290 said:
Why are collectors so down on those UAE copies? Are they not compatible with USA region DLC or something? Collectors say they won't buy PEGI games because they hate the "ugly logo" so what's the excuse for UAE games? Personally I couldn't care less what ratings logo is on the box, I just want to play games.
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Uniformity probably. Like having original releases versus greatest/platinum/all-star/player's choice/ etc. releases. If there's an ESRB release, I prefer it, again for uniformity, but if there isn't an ESRB release I have no problem owning a copy from a different region.

The UAE releases don't bother me either. It's just the little blue and green circle on the front. Yes, a sticker on the shrink wrap would've been preferred over the printing on the cover art, but absolutely everything else is the same, including the region, so North American DLC works with it. A couple of years ago I bought a bunch of 3DS UAE releases, because they were sealed and often times the same price or even cheaper than used regular ESRB releases.
 
HaloGX said:
Uniformity probably. Like having original releases versus greatest/platinum/all-star/player's choice/ etc. releases. If there's an ESRB release, I prefer it, again for uniformity, but if there isn't an ESRB release I have no problem owning a copy from a different region.
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This. I don't bother kidding myself anymore, I don't have time to play games like I did in my younger days, most of my purchases are because I like the collecting aspect...

Yes, yes, I know "games are meant to be played" but...
1707496050823.png
 
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kevers7290 said:
Why are collectors so down on those UAE copies? Are they not compatible with USA region DLC or something? Collectors say they won't buy PEGI games because they hate the "ugly logo" so what's the excuse for UAE games? Personally I couldn't care less what ratings logo is on the box, I just want to play games.
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I don't mind UAE copies either. I do question if it's worth paying a few bucks more for a non-UAE version just for resale prospects, but that just comes down to "People find stuff valuable because they find stuff valuable". If people care, even without a good reason, non-UAE is worth more. I don't care though, and I don't resell very often either so I don't fret about them.

I assume it's just a "what is this? Why is this different? I'll just get the normal one just in case" reaction or similar to wanting a first print run if there was a cover art difference or something for most people.
 
Thanks for the responses, all fair points. I consider myself a "collector" by some definition (I have over 2000 physical games) but I only ever buy games that I am interested in. I will never play every game in my backlog but I don't consider resale when I buy a game, only whether or not it is a game that I want and actually see myself playing. I used to buy games just because they were stupidly cheap and would convince myself that "I will maybe play this game someday" but I reassessed my spending habits when I had the time to reflect on this during COVID. I buy far fewer games these days and use that extra spending money on other things I actually want. When I do buy games now I don't care about ratings logos or anything like that, just whatever is the best deal whether it be a Japanese/Asia/EU/UK import. We are spoiled with region-free gaming ecosystems nowadays so I take full advantage of that. The only thing that gives me pause is language barriers and DLC incompatibility.
 
HaloGX said:
Uniformity probably. Like having original releases versus greatest/platinum/all-star/player's choice/ etc. releases. If there's an ESRB release, I prefer it, again for uniformity, but if there isn't an ESRB release I have no problem owning a copy from a different region.
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Yeah, that's my problem with the UAE copies. Unless the game doesn't have a US release, I prefer my games to be ESRB/North America. I've paid more for ESRB copies of games to keep my collection uniform. I'm also extremely anal-retentive, though, so that doesn't help.

Finished Persona 5 Tactica yesterday. The ending seriously falls off a cliff since the final boss is just another big, stupid god. They even compare him to Yaldabaoth, but at least Yaldabaoth was build up and foreshadowed throughout the game and his existence made sense for the game's society (and real life society, too). It also sort of becomes a gauntlet at the end (complete with having to rematch the previous bosses), since it's speed running the remainder of its story. It was really disappointing that the game just ended up being about this new character Toshiro. Whereas Strikers was absolutely a Phantom Thieves story with some new characters to spice things up, Tactica is a Toshiro story with the Phantom Thieves tagging along. If the story had been stronger, this wouldn't have been an issue, and at times, it can be pretty entertaining, but its cliched presentation just further highlights this game's budget feel. I was losing interest quite a bit and I started skipping cutscenes so I could just finish it up and play something else.

Oh, and I watched a couple of scenes from the Repaint Your Heart DLC, but that story looks like crap, too, so I didn't even finish it. Never been a big fan of Kasumi anyway (she felt so shoehorned into Royal). Glad I didn't blow $14 on it. Should have been $5 at the most, or, you know, just in the fucking base game.
 
It's also worth noting the the UAE releases came out of nowhere as far as being available in North America (including on sites like Amazon), and despite the ERSB rating, people, myself included, were really confused at first since the 3DS is region locked. I think a large part of it is people just want to make sure the game will work with their system, though there's enough online Q&A and video proof NOW that there's no difference in releases.
 
If there's an ESRB version with regular retail release, that's the version I want. I may not sell everything off, but I've sold enough off in the past to know it's much harder to unload a non USA released games in this situation. Uniformity is also part of it, which is why I'm so leery of buying from Amazon as it's so easy to end up getting different region version than what is pictured and then yes if there is DLC then you do need another regional account to get it (even if it's free). So, I want to keep it simple and know I have an easy path to sell later if I decide I'm fully done with something. I don't think I've ever gotten a UAE version of a game. So far I've avoided that even if it works fine, I wouldn't want the hassle later if I decide to sell something.

As for Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition, the stock for that was drying up back when Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity was about to release. I was lucky to just find a copy at a local walmart back in 2020. I opted out initially because I had grabbed the 3DS version when it was something like $20... but then playing the demo for Age of Calamity and I realized, I needed the original in Definitive Edition.

I made more progress on Xenoblade Chronicles last night. Chapter 9 was pretty easy to finish and before progressing deep into chapter 10, I went ahead and pulled a map for the Eryth sea and visited the three or four places I hadn't gone so the map would auto complete. I'm now into the next part and working the handful of new side missions (also completed the new side mission in the forest).
 
Pheria said:
I don't mind UAE copies either. I do question if it's worth paying a few bucks more for a non-UAE version just for resale prospects, but that just comes down to "People find stuff valuable because they find stuff valuable". If people care, even without a good reason, non-UAE is worth more. I don't care though, and I don't resell very often either so I don't fret about them.

I assume it's just a "what is this? Why is this different? I'll just get the normal one just in case" reaction or similar to wanting a first print run if there was a cover art difference or something for most people.
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Yep. People do things that are safe, and because "that's the way I've already done things". Nintendo fanatics are super screamy and stuck in their ways too. They want what they want when they want it.

Sure I will always try to get a domestic copy whenever possible. But when it's a price disparity of like say $60 for a US copy versus buying an EU one on Amazon for 30 bucks, well then the answer is obvious. The only time I've seen it make a difference is when there is a DLC code on a Playstation game or something, and then you can't redeem it on US PSN. But that's not even a thing with Nintendo; their games come complete. I also don't believe there are (m)any instances of separating multiplayer player pools or matchmaking for different regional discs any longer.

A few years ago I enjoyed importing several Switch CEs from the EU because they had much nicer editions. XC1 SE, BotW EU SE, Astral Chain, A Link to the Past, and Smash. It has been ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC that we are allowed to go region free now, and any cart will work with any NA eShop account or system. The freedom is lovely, and building a new age collection has never been more affordable.
 
Nothing- said:
A few years ago I enjoyed importing several Switch CEs from the EU because they had much nicer editions. XC1 SE, BotW EU SE, Astral Chain, A Link to the Past, and Smash. It has been ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC that we are allowed to go region free now, and any cart will work with any NA eShop account or system. The freedom is lovely, and building a new age collection has never been more affordable.
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I used to import a lot of EU CEs but as vendors started to just get worse and worse with the packaging, I stopped. I used to import like 5-10 games a year during the 2010s (which granted isn't a lot) but starting around 2019, this just went downhill fast and nearly every other import I got was badly damaged and shipping costs started to spike.

I loved that Sony stuck with region-free since the PS3 days but a lot of the import CEs I wanted were on the Wii/Wii U and 3DS, most of which I passed on except for Xenoblade, Last Story and Pandora's Tower before they got localized, and even splurged on extra copies/purchases to get the steelbooks from the CEs along with the box (from UK's Club Nintendo I think?):

UKWiiRPGS1.jpgUKWiiRPGS2.jpg

EDIT* I actually have no idea what that Xenoblade steelbook is from though... don't think that game had a CE with a steelbook.
 
Vinny said:
I used to import a lot of EU CEs but as vendors started to just get worse and worse with the packaging, I stopped. I used to import like 5-10 games a year during the 2010s (which granted isn't a lot) but starting around 2019, this just went downhill fast and nearly every other import I got was badly damaged and shipping costs started to spike.

I loved that Sony stuck with region-free since the PS3 days but a lot of the import CEs I wanted were on the Wii/Wii U and 3DS, most of which I passed on except for Xenoblade, Last Story and Pandora's Tower before they got localized, and even splurged on extra copies/purchases to get the steelbooks from the CEs along with the box (from UK's Club Nintendo I think?):

View attachment 322View attachment 323

EDIT* I actually have no idea what that Xenoblade steelbook is from though... don't think that game had a CE with a steelbook.
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It was possible to region lock on PS3, though rare. Persona 4 Arena was region locked out of fear of reverse importation.
(Just an interesting fact, no real other point to my message)
I didn't know about most of those steelbooks/box, it looks nice - I had seen and considered purchasing The Last Story's steelbook off eBay in the past, it's pretty.
 
I had that collector's box that holds Pandora's Tower, The Last Story, Xenoblade Chronicles, and the collector's artwork book. You got it by buying Pandora's Tower at HMV. I remember they shipped it to me in a bubble mailer and it arrived beat up, so I sold it on ebay.
 
scorponok said:
I had that collector's box that holds Pandora's Tower, The Last Story, Xenoblade Chronicles, and the collector's artwork book. You got it by buying Pandora's Tower at HMV. I remember they shipped it to me in a bubble mailer and it arrived beat up, so I sold it on ebay.
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I bought it from eBay, took me like a month to find a seller who was willing to pack it up safely as long as I paid the shipping. Glad I did though. I also have the coins from... something, but no clue where they're from.

I still can't figure out where I got this Xenoblade steelbook.
 
Vinny said:
I bought it from eBay, took me like a month to find a seller who was willing to pack it up safely as long as I paid the shipping. Glad I did though. I also have the coins from... something, but no clue where they're from.

I still can't figure out where I got this Xenoblade steelbook.
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Micromania in France is where it came from, preorder bonus.
 
Vinny said:
I used to import a lot of EU CEs but as vendors started to just get worse and worse with the packaging, I stopped. I used to import like 5-10 games a year during the 2010s (which granted isn't a lot) but starting around 2019, this just went downhill fast and nearly every other import I got was badly damaged and shipping costs started to spike.

I loved that Sony stuck with region-free since the PS3 days but a lot of the import CEs I wanted were on the Wii/Wii U and 3DS, most of which I passed on except for Xenoblade, Last Story and Pandora's Tower before they got localized, and even splurged on extra copies/purchases to get the steelbooks from the CEs along with the box (from UK's Club Nintendo I think?):

View attachment 322View attachment 323

EDIT* I actually have no idea what that Xenoblade steelbook is from though... don't think that game had a CE with a steelbook.
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That is dope as hell Vinny! and one thing I do not have in my collection.
 
Nothing- said:
That is dope as hell Vinny! and one thing I do not have in my collection.
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Thanks! Yeah, definitely one of the cooler things in my collection.

Vigilante said:
The FF7 Rebirth demo was so good. Can't wait until it's out and I have a full week off work to enjoy the full game.
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I just finished it myself and I'm just... way too excited for it. Nibelheim was huge, I feel like I missed a ton of stuff...

But at the same time, it was a refresher of how bad I am at games these days. I was fine with Remake but struggled hard here on that one Mako boss.

EDIT* Also just got a shipping notice for the CE from SE store.
 
Has anyone played Gotta Protectors Cart of Darkness? I literally just found out about this game. I'm late as hell, but it looks fantastic. I'm a sucker for NES era games. I saw it at my local game store. They have the physical copy for $40.
 
I haven't played Cart of Darkness, but I just finished the 3DS prequel and it was excellent. Especially if you're able to play co-op. There's a fair amount of depth in how you build your characters and a good amount of variety in the levels. Plus it's made by Yuzo Koshiro and Ancient.
 
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gmsick said:
Has anyone played Gotta Protectors Cart of Darkness? I literally just found out about this game. I'm late as hell, but it looks fantastic. I'm a sucker for NES era games. I saw it at my local game store. They have the physical copy for $40.
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I have a copy, but I haven't played it yet. For what it's worth $40 is only $5 more than the original release price, which would be about what it cost to buy and ship from LRG.

At that price, I would pick it up if interested. It has all the content on the cart.
 
gmsick said:
Has anyone played Gotta Protectors Cart of Darkness? I literally just found out about this game. I'm late as hell, but it looks fantastic. I'm a sucker for NES era games. I saw it at my local game store. They have the physical copy for $40.
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I watched a video for it as I had no clue what this was... and it doesn't look that fun to me for $40. Maybe for $20 physical complete or $5 for the basic version digital and I'd be more open to it. The game loop looks kind of simple but could be fun on the cheap.

 
I played the Rebirth demo some more last night and this time around, I was a bit more observative...
1. There's a lot of pop in for me during the forest area from the town on the way to the reactor
2. It would be nice to have something like the OG game, where it would mark entry paths for me. My first time through, I missed the city hall and Tifa's house because I didn't realize you could go inside. I only found Cloud's house because there was a blue marker.
3. The valve turning QTE (or whatever you wanna call it since it wasn't quick), and really any QTE... just needs to go away or be more fun that hold button of X seconds.
 
Started up Granblue Fantasy Relink last night, instead of watching the Superbowl, though I did tune in for Usher's halftime show and he killed it. When Turn Down for What hit, I lost my shit lol anyway, I really like it so far. I only have the starting characters for now, but they all play totally differently from each other. I think I like Eugen the most, since he legit turns the game into a shooter with his sniper mode and that is so unique for an action RPG, but really everyone is fun to play as. The story is...there lol but whatever, it's really just the tutorial for the postgame, which I'm really looking forward to getting to. Since I got the Deluxe Edition, I got a whole bunch of mastery points I can use to fast-track the starting characters' skill trees, but I'm trying not to go too crazy and make the game too easy. The music is very good and the visuals are fantastic, like this may be the nicest-looking anime-graphics game I've ever seen. Sucks it only hits 1080 in performance mode, though. Overall, super-fun so far.
 
BTW for anyone screwed out of the Sol Press Irotoridori No Sekai - The Colorful World Kickstarter (this guy for sure) be sure to follow the instructions of the Nekonyan Twitter page to send an email of your backer details on Kickstarter and they will send a Steam key to you. They don't need to cover up for those absolute screw ups, so this is really nice and why I support about 90% of their titles. I will be linking the 18+ patch when the game comes out.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1756804626236448968

Shiravune has licensed The Shell Part 2: Purgatorio. This is a sequel to The Shell, which is a remake of another VN.

Steam
VNDB (NSFW)
 
nitrosmob said:
BTW for anyone screwed out of the Sol Press Irotoridori No Sekai - The Colorful World Kickstarter (this guy for sure) be sure to follow the instructions of the Nekonyan Twitter page to send an email of your backer details on Kickstarter and they will send a Steam key to you. They don't need to cover up for those absolute screw ups, so this is really nice and why I support about 90% of their titles. I will be linking the 18+ patch when the game comes out.
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Thanks for mentioning this, I had forgotten I backed the kickstarter so email sent.
 
videogamesplus.ca

TriggerHeart Exelica

VIDEOGAMESPLUS.CA
videogamesplus.ca videogamesplus.ca
VGP has Triggerheart Exelica ESRB physical pre-orders open. There is a special edition limited to 500 that's the same price as the standard (both $55 CAD - ~$40.50).
$80CAD is their free shipping limit, it defaults you to a paid one in PayPal checkout, but if you expand the shipping options the free one is there.
 
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is $5 on PSN. I'll add that to the digital backlog.

.hack G.U is also $5. Never played the series, but looks worth it.
 
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