[quote name='Jirotrom,']I find it ridiculous how long its taken this to get hear. It was already translated to english when done in the pal version.[/QUOTE]
There is a long history of games like this - esp on the PS1. If the game does not fit the local strategy for release, then it will not be seen.
Some examples of games never seen in the US, but seen elsewhere:
Kengo 2 -- PS2, UK release with English localization. Crave had the US license but never published it
Intelligent Qube Final -- PS1, UK English language release
Vib-Ribbon -- PS1 localized for the UK, but never brought to the US
Shaolin -- PS1 THQ martial arts brawler that allowed up to 8 people play at once
Shinobido: Way of the Ninja -- PS2 UK English release by the creators of the original Tenchu
That's just scratching the surface. Often, the games just aren't good, or in the case of the Victorious Boxers series are very niche. Publishers like Agetec, Atlus, and Mastiff sometimes pick these games up -- they specialize in doing English localizations of niche games.
If u want to make it easier to see games like Victorious Boxers in the US, then vote with your wallet during the first couple of weeks of release, which are the most critical money earning times for a game. For a game to really suceed, it has to sell out of its initial order iin the first couple of months, and get a reorder placed by the stores. Recent success stories include the Phoenix Wright series, and the original Way of the Samurai. Publishers like Agetec, Atlus, and MAstiff are really our only hopes for some of these more interesting titles. BAM! went belly up, and Agetec has been unually quiet these past few months -- hopefully Agetec can come out swinging with the next gen Armored Core, if someone like Sega does not snag it up first.
This is the Catch-22 of being a CAG -- u tend to be more game literate, appreciate the obscure stuff, and u wait for the price drops -- but by the time the price does drops, the publisher may have already lost a good chance to turn a risky release into a winner. The price is dropping because the title does not have shelf life and is being booted for the next EA sports title.
Agetec had a string of niche releases a couple of years ago with titles like "Echo Night Beyond", "Kuon", and a "Wild Arms" title, but how many did u see in the local EB at their release? Sometimes Zero, or maybe 2. There are a few floating aorund in their now, having been traded from ebay, or the few big box retailers who carried them (not Walmart on those however), but by the time u see used at the game store, the publisher has already made whatever money they could make.