Japanese Niche Games Deals Thread: Atlus, NISA, Aksys, XSeed and More!

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The following thread are for niche-based Japanese video games by smaller companies such as Atlus, NIS America, AKSYS, XSEED, D3 Publisher, KOEI/TECMO, SNK Playmore, Ignition, Natsume or any sweet deals for those who are passionate and hardcore about Japanese video games even from the bigger companies like SquareEnix, Sega, Bandai Namco, etc.

But to avoid any messiness of links everywhere, we'll focus on games within the last 2-3 years as opposed to the last five-ten. [although, if you do see older titles on sale, please post them regardless].

The theme of these deals are Japanese video games distributed in the US by the smaller niche companies. The thread is literally for those who love Japanese games. There will be a few Korean games that you may see on this list, such as the "DJ Max" games.

If you see a deal, please post!

NOTE: Please check the most recent page for the latest deals.

And I want to thank many of you in advance who submit their deals and their support!!!
 
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Asmith906 said:
Yeah I shot them an email and they said I would be charged the $54.00 but when it shipped they would credit me the difference back to my account. We shall see how this works out
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Well that's good news - bodes well for the rest of our preorders not getting canceled. :)

 
JakeM17 said:
I hope they do a LE of DanganRonpa 2.
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I don't see why they wouldn't. The first was a big success and the LE sold out VERY fast!

As for the Escha and Logy deal, thanks for the heads up! Was able to get one earlier in time. I guess it was a flash deal they have? Do they have those often on pre-orders?

 
Thanks for mentioning it went back down to $20, ordered one. Hoping they honor it and that I won't have to deal with customer service either.

 
I've got to say, NISA Customer Service is TOP NOTCH all the way. In regards to my Danganronpa LE, I've gone back and forth a few times for a complete sealed replacement, as well as for just a replacement sleeve.

Over the last few days, I received my LE shipped from Texas in a proper box, with proper packaging. It was also sent FedEx next day with a return label included within the package for my smashed return. I also received just a replacement sleeve, and that was shipped in a box from Texas, and was also very well protected.

NISA seems to have gotten their Texas operation in line, and are delivering great replacement service. I'm also very impressed that they held back proper qty for replacements. Amazon, GS & BB should take notes, as this is LE CS done right. NISA now has a fan for life, and I plan to continue supporting their future releases, GREAT WORK GUYS!

 
chrislaustin said:
I've got to say, NISA Customer Service is TOP NOTCH all the way. In regards to my Danganronpa LE, I've gone back and forth a few times for a complete sealed replacement, as well as for just a replacement sleeve.

Over the last few days, I received my LE shipped from Texas in a proper box, with proper packaging. It was also sent FedEx next day with a return label included within the package for my smashed return. I also received just a replacement sleeve, and that was shipped in a box from Texas, and was also very well protected.

NISA seems to have gotten their Texas operation in line, and are delivering great replacement service. I'm also very impressed that they held back proper qty for replacements. Amazon, GS & BB should take notes, as this is LE CS done right. NISA now has a fan for life, and I plan to continue supporting their future releases, GREAT WORK GUYS!
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Not to be overly critical, but none of us should have had to deal with their CS at all. I know they made a mistake, but they sent out replacement copies in the same packaging with the addition of a flimsy bubble mailer. I feel like they really don't get it and the fact that it took them a week to ship my replacement is infuriating, especially when their CS person repeatedly told me it was being shipped immediately. I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and as long as the next CE is packed properly I'm fine, but I'm not gonna celebrate this current set of experiences with their CS as it was full of frustration.

 
Green Card200 said:
I've never played any Atelier game before. What is the gameplay/story like? Do they usually drop to $20 anyway?
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Nope they do not drop to 20. Even used goes for over 20 :/ 25 is the cheapest they ever hit since I've been watching them and even that's an uncommon occurrence. All I know about the series I that they are item creation type of games where you have to schedule it though as said on a few pages back they are less strict in the more recent ones. and for 20 you can always play it not like it and quickly resell it for a profit so its more like a free rental.

 
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Thanks for the posts on the $19.99 Atelier Escha & Logy @ GoHastings. I also noticed that Atelier Ayesha: Alchemist of Dusk was on clearance for $19.96, so I picked that up too.

 
shadowysea07 said:
Nope they do not drop to 20. Even used goes for over 20 :/ 25 is the cheapest they ever hit since I've been watching them and even that's an uncommon occurrence. All I know about the series I that they are item creation type of games where you have to schedule it though as said on a few pages back they are less strict in the more recent ones. and for 20 you can always play it not like it and quickly resell it for a profit so its more like a free rental.
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Never played one before so I guess I'll give this one a shot. $20 shipped is good and I'll be able to get it back if I change my mind.

 
bojay1997 said:
Not to be overly critical, but none of us should have had to deal with their CS at all. I know they made a mistake, but they sent out replacement copies in the same packaging with the addition of a flimsy bubble mailer. I feel like they really don't get it and the fact that it took them a week to ship my replacement is infuriating, especially when their CS person repeatedly told me it was being shipped immediately. I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and as long as the next CE is packed properly I'm fine, but I'm not gonna celebrate this current set of experiences with their CS as it was full of frustration.
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The replacements I received, weren't my first ones. I received them the same as you. I wrote back, and said they arrived damaged again. Then I asked specifically for better packaging, and how it should have been shipped better the first go around.

True, none of this would be necessary if items would have been packaged properly the first time, but as long as I'm satisfied in the end, I'll give a good review. I deal with online retailers, utility services, mortgage companies, etc on a monthly and sometimes weekly basis, due to poor business practices and CS in general.

So to say NISA should be perfect, is just dreaming. They make peanuts compered to all the other BIG BUSINESS I deal with, and they delivered in the end. I can't say as much for others who take hundred, if not thousands on a monthly and yearly basis, and provide crap in the end.

 
I'm kind of on the fence about E&L. I've never played one before and it's not the first in the series. I'm tempted by it, but also realize I could take it to BB or something and get $50 out of it. OTOH, the games never drop below $20 and rarely even get there...excepting Hastings' big used game sales that have been going on in recent months, anyway.

E&L is ridiculously pretty, though. I do like pretty games.

Oh, and by the way...if anybody else bought ToSC standard and is annoyed about the lack of a manual (digital or physical), Namco posted the PDF for it yesterday: http://media-center.namcobandaigames.eu/manuals/TOSC_PS3/TOSC_PS3_Manual_GB.pdf

 
shadowysea07 said:
Nope they do not drop to 20. Even used goes for over 20 :/ 25 is the cheapest they ever hit since I've been watching them and even that's an uncommon occurrence. All I know about the series I that they are item creation type of games where you have to schedule it though as said on a few pages back they are less strict in the more recent ones. and for 20 you can always play it not like it and quickly resell it for a profit so its more like a free rental.
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They may not drop to exactly $20, but they're not rare JRPGs like you would guess. You can find some of them for around $25 - including shipping - on Amazon. I don't think the series is that popular since all the games are related, new installments seem to come out all the time and no one wants to start from midway into the series. Just look at these release dates:

Atelier Rorona - September 28, 2010

Atelier Totori - September 28, 2011

Atelier Meruru - May 31, 2012

Atelier Ayesha - March 5, 2013

Atelier Escha & Logy - March 11, 2014

So this is the fifth game in the series in less than four years, not even including the enhanced Vita ports. The games are also not newcomer-friendly because you have to be really careful with time management in these games. If you pick up Escha, I'm sure you can recoup your costs when you sell it somewhere, but why would you want to start from so far into the series?

 
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Actually Rorona, Totori, and Meruru are part of the  Arland series, while Ayesha and Escha are part of the Dust series.  You really don't need to play the previous games and each new game is easier to get into.

 
chrislaustin said:
The replacements I received, weren't my first ones. I received them the same as you. I wrote back, and said they arrived damaged again. Then I asked specifically for better packaging, and how it should have been shipped better the first go around.

True, none of this would be necessary if items would have been packaged properly the first time, but as long as I'm satisfied in the end, I'll give a good review. I deal with online retailers, utility services, mortgage companies, etc on a monthly and sometimes weekly basis, due to poor business practices and CS in general.

So to say NISA should be perfect, is just dreaming. They make peanuts compered to all the other BIG BUSINESS I deal with, and they delivered in the end. I can't say as much for others who take hundred, if not thousands on a monthly and yearly basis, and provide crap in the end.
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I think the disappointment for most people is how good they were before in comparison. Every CE I got from them came in a box and was then snuggly covered in bubble wrap. My first and second packages for this CE were packed like everyone else's. A piece of cardboard and then a piece of cardboard in a bubble mailer. I also had to keep bothering them every few business days or they just wouldn't reply to emails at all.

It was definitely a step down for them but they're still better than most.

 
whitereflection said:
They may not drop to exactly $20, but they're not rare JRPGs like you would guess. You can find some of them for around $25 - including shipping - on Amazon. I don't think the series is that popular since all the games are related, new installments seem to come out all the time and no one wants to start from midway into the series. Just look at these release dates:

Atelier Rorona - September 28, 2010

Atelier Totori - September 28, 2011

Atelier Meruru - May 31, 2012

Atelier Ayesha - March 5, 2013

Atelier Escha & Logy - March 11, 2014

So this is the fifth game in the series in less than four years, not even including the enhanced Vita ports. The games are also not newcomer-friendly because you have to be really careful with time management in these games. If you pick up Escha, I'm sure you can recoup your costs when you sell it somewhere, but why would you want to start from so far into the series?
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The time management actually decreased as the series release progressed, Ayesha so by far the most laxed or the series and Rorona was the strictest. So the series actually became more and more newcomer-friendly. From what I recalled, the synthesis system also became more friendly because it takes less time and rates of failure lowered to the point that it can't fail in Ayesha.

Oh right, Ayesha and Escha have nothing to do with the previous 3, it's like different regions with no relations to each other.

 
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sabanoo said:
I think the disappointment for most people is how good they were before in comparison. Every CE I got from them came in a box and was then snuggly covered in bubble wrap. My first and second packages for this CE were packed like everyone else's. A piece of cardboard and then a piece of cardboard in a bubble mailer. I also had to keep bothering them every few business days or they just wouldn't reply to emails at all.

It was definitely a step down for them but they're still better than most.
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I understand this completely, but as they themselves have stated, they are using a new operation and they thought shipping would be done as it always had been. We all make mistakes, but few people are ever willing to admit them, they DID. Considering how many times they have sent me a replacement for this one purchase speaks volumes.

When was the last time anyone around here got a LE from Amazon, GS, or BB that arrived damaged and was completely SOLD OUT, and was able to get a replacement? I would wager to say NEVER. I've actually had this happen from all three of these places, and they give me the same old song and dance, with their deepest apologies, and "better luck next time".

NISA has sent me several replacements for this same item, and yeah, it took a few times for Texas to get it right, but after many attempts, they did. I haven't seen that service from any online retailer around here(Amazon, GS, BB), so for me personally, they are TOPS.

 
Oh I looked it up and yeah you have to play totori before meruru due to spoilers.  

atelier wise there are 10 games in the series counting the mana khemias that I know of off hand.  

iris trio 

mana khemia duo (generally called the best due to gameplay and such)

annie ds

arland trio

and now the current dusk duo

But of course to some its just better to start with the most recent/user friendly game then decide if they want to go try the others and whats also the best price point for testing the waters. 

And 25 is uncommon for them new (I would know I have been tracking ayesha totori meruru and rorona since october) and I wouldn't bother with used as you get descrips like case has been chewed on/disc only.  Who the hell is gonna pay for disc only when the difference between new and used is 7 at best? 

 
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chrislaustin said:
I understand this completely, but as they themselves have stated, they are using a new operation and they thought shipping would be done as it always had been. We all make mistakes, but few people are ever willing to admit them, they DID. Considering how many times they have sent me a replacement for this one purchase speaks volumes.

When was the last time anyone around here got a LE from Amazon, GS, or BB that arrived damaged and was completely SOLD OUT, and was able to get a replacement? I would wager to say NEVER. I've actually had this happen from all three of these places, and they give me the same old song and dance, with their deepest apologies, and "better luck next time".

NISA has sent me several replacements for this same item, and yeah, it took a few times for Texas to get it right, but after many attempts, they did. I haven't seen that service from any online retailer around here(Amazon, GS, BB), so for me personally, they are TOPS.
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I don't know, CS from BB, Amazon and GS have never lied to me about something shipping and I've had some pretty remarkable CS from BB and Amazon where they essentially gave me a full refund and then enough in gift cards to offset the cost of getting a sold out item on Ebay or elsewhere. Like I said, I'm willing to give NIS another shot, but this was a terrible experience and their CS person was very nice but frankly either dishonest or incompetent. I shouldn't have had to call multiple times to get them to ship my replacement and they shouldn't have shipped the item badly the second time. It also shouldn't take 5-7 days to get an e-mail response. Using a new shipping vendor is not a valid excuse. They hired the vendor and they gave that vendor instructions for how to ship the item and the replacement. If NIS really cared, they could have immediately had the bulk of the replacement items shipped back to their office and hand labeled and shipped them out properly. They didn't do that. Yes, I'm glad it's finally handled, but they shouldn't be commended since this entire problem was of their making and likely an attempt to squeeze out a little more profit by using a new shipping vendor.

 
Thermopyle said:
e&l is back at 19.99. I guess it wasn't a glitch? Either that or they've got some weird script triggering early in the day that's setting the price to that.

http://www.gohastings.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=9640194&sku=293273567&departmentName=GAME&productVariantId=11955803&quantity=1#.UxIUjfldV6D

don't forget earlybird for free shipping.
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I haven't ordered from the Gohastings site before but I just tried to order this and is Paypal usually unavailable for pre-orders?

 
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Ordered Escha & Logy for $20.  REALLY hope this doesn't get canceled, but the fact that they lowered the price AGAIN is a damn good sign it won't.  Fingers crossed... Was gonna get the game day one regardless but this is just too sweet.

 
I pre ordered as well. I own all the other atelier games for ps3 except for the one that came out last year so I figure why the hell not
 
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I gave in and got a copy too.

Brand new game at that price with free shipping and no taxes is too great of a deal to pass on.

And if I don't like it, I guess I will just sell it at a high price.

 
Thermopyle said:
e&l is back at 19.99. I guess it wasn't a glitch? Either that or they've got some weird script triggering early in the day that's setting the price to that.

http://www.gohastings.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=9640194&sku=293273567&departmentName=GAME&productVariantId=11955803&quantity=1#.UxIUjfldV6D

don't forget earlybird for free shipping.
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When I sent them an email about my order they said that $19.99 was indeed a pricing error. Weird that it got lowered back

I finally got around to starting time and eternity..............

ive-made-a-huge-mistake.png


 
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...    isn't that like rule #1 to not contact companies about stuff like this hoping it flies under the radar through their auto system...

 
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wasabi5858 said:
... isn't that like rule #1 to not contact companies about stuff like this hoping it flies under the radar through their auto system...
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I didn't really have a choice since Whil I as placing my order the game was $19.99 but when I hit complete order I was billed $54 and there was no way to cancel on their website

 
I missed out on the Tales of Symphonia CE.

If someone grabbed two, and want to trade for something like a Bioshock Infinite CE or The Last of US Survival Ed, PM me.

 
JohnnySako said:
Thanks for the posts on the $19.99 Atelier Escha & Logy @ GoHastings. I also noticed that Atelier Ayesha: Alchemist of Dusk was on clearance for $19.96, so I picked that up too.
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Good luck getting a sealed copy of Atelier Ayesha from gohastings. I saw that as well, but I passed since they've sent me opened display copies (with nice fingerprints on the disc) the last several times. There's also a note saying this is a 'new' display copy that has been repackaged with all the original contents (just like gamestop)

When you order 'new' items, they basically ship sealed copies first (if any), and then gutted display copies last. Fortunately, Atelier E&L copies should all be sealed

 
wtf... NISA has gone to shit. Anyone gotten their replacment copies in for Danganronpa? I did.. the 'proper packaging' i got was the exact same shitty paper thin cardboard foldover... thrown in a friggin manilla envelope! I dont think it even really had any padding in it. It was kinda like the padded envelopes amazon uses for books and sometimes regular games but without the padding.

Naturally this copy was smashed too, but not nearly as bad as the first. I'm not sure what to do now. I guess i can call them again but not sure where to go from here since the lady claimed it would be packaged properly and that all future orders would be packaged well. Im honestly considering canceling my preorders with them and saying screw it. I know i have witch and the 100 knights CE preordered and 2 copies of demons gaze CE at least. THis just really sucks since NISA used to always package and ship their stuff well. Ive been buying stuff from them for years and really would hate to just write them off. But if they cant ship me their expensive collectors editions without them getting smashed then im not sure what else to do

did you guys who got replacments get them in better packaging? Or were they all crap like this? *sigh* this really sucks since theres nowhere else to get their collectors editions usually.

 
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