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[German Hops]

So, I started playing Wachenröder. It’s a late-Saturn, turn-based strategy RPG with a lot of heavyweight talent:

・Art by Range Murata (Blue Sub. 6, Spy Fiction)
・MORE art by Yoshitoshi Abe (Serial Experiments Lain)
・Character designs by Katsumi Yokota (Panzer Dragoon series)
・Compositions by Ian McDonald (King Crimson, Foreigner)

BUT IT WAS NEVER RELEASED IN THE WEST!!

Nevertheless, Oh… man I kind of love this game. I was supposed to sell it a few days ago, but sat down to test it and was playing for an hour. It’s a very interesting mishmash of gameplay systems and visuals, with the standout being the 2D art and sound – maybe the UI as well if you’re into that. This is not Ogre Battle, though. I do want to play a bit more into the story just to uncover the world, but Wachenroder still remains one of my favorite Japan-only titles.

My second choice would be Valkyria Chronicles 3 for PSP. They released all the other ones except for this one because of the underwhelming Western sales of Valkyria Chronicles 2, also for the PSP. What a travesty .

The third thing that comes to mind is Front Mission 2. I think the physical copies were only released in Japan. All the voiced dialogue is in Japanese with English subtitles. Front Mission is a great series of srpg's, yet we've only seen half of the games release outside of Japan, with the better entries (2 & 5) being skipped over.
And of the Front Mission games we did receive, one of them was. . . Left Alive, one of the worst games on EVAR!

So, what are you favorite Japan exclusive games?

 

[anthony2690]

Mushihimesama futari 1.5 absolutely beautiful game, that I imported for the Xbox 360 back in the day.

I really hope city connection pick it up and do a release for all platforms like they did with deathsmiles collection

 

[kunonabi]

Eyeshield 21 Amefuto no yarouze yaha

It's a card based football game based off an anime. Currently sitting at number 9 all time for me. Got plenty of others in my top 100 too.

 

[Danjin44]

Ace Attorney Investigations 2

 

[Nankatsu]

Not one, but two:

 

[Northeastmonk]

Berserk: Millennium Falcon
Sengoku Basara X Cross
Hokuto No Ken

Berserk because it’s a flawed action game, but the setting and characters are fantastic. Devil Kings and HNK because they’re fun fighting games. You can perform crazy combos and enjoy the cast of characters. These games only appeal to a certain group of people it seems. I bought Basara X Cross the day it came out in Japan and I paid close to $100 for it due to shipping.

 

[The_hunter]

Mother 3

 

[intbal]

Magatama (Xbox)

Supposedly the digital version of this game will work on a North American Xbox 360 (Microsoft support even told me it would), but I'm too cheap to pay the $13 to buy it and find out.

 

[ChazAshley]

Ore no Ryouri.

Played the demo on a random PS1 disc. Only to find out that it wouldn't be released here. Ended up getting a copy and it's just as awesome as the demo presented it to be.

Basically a one player Overcooked/Tapper arcade game but you use the analog sticks to mimic the cutting, stirring, and washing dishes. All while trying manage your customers satisfaction levels.

Tons of fun and I think still pretty cheap to pick up an import copy because it came out as a greatest hits in Japan.

 

[Craig of War]

RapeLay (PC)

"is a 3D eroge video game made by Illusion, released on April 21, 2006, in Japan. Compared to Illusion's previous games, the main story is shorter, it features an improved 3D engine and is mainly played through mouse control. The game centers on a male character who stalks and rapes a mother and her two daughters. Three years after its initial release, the game garnered international attention and controversy for its content, resulting in it being banned in several countries."

 

[Naked Lunch]

Fire Emblem Super Famicom games.
Complete masterworks yet insanely difficult. Theyve all gotten top quality fan translations thru the years.
Absolutely the most difficult games with Nintendo's name on it (tied with F-Zero GX).
Im guessing the difficulty is why Nintendo never brought the series over here back then. As I kid I would have loved trying the crack the challenge.

DoDonPachi (Arcade)
This has yet to have an official release to my knowledge outside of Japan. The OG granddaddy of Cave's bullethells is still the most pure and fun hardcore shmup ever made.

Also worth mentioning:
Batsugun (Arcade)
Soukygurentai (Saturn)
Dragon Force II (Saturn)
Front Mission 5 (PS2)

 

[YeulEmeralda]

There's Zero no Kiseki but that's getting an international soon I think?

 

[remember_spinal]

Mother 3

Yep

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

 

[TintoConCasera]

Yeah, uh...

Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier Exceed

It's the sequel to Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier.

Pretty cool JRPGs with a combat system more or less like the one in Valkirye Profile. First one was released in the wesr, but the sequel never left Japan. It got a translation patch tho, so it's perfectly playable.

 

[Mister Wolf]

If you know, you know.

 

[Aion002]

E.X Troopers (PS3)





Basically a Lost Planet anime like spin off. I own the ps3 version (is also available on the 3ds), great game that deserved a global release.

 

[Guilty_AI]

This desperately needs a steam release

 

[Twin Drive System]

E.X. Troopers
A gem that was never really given a chance. Very stylish and had a great soundtrack.

 

[ranmafan]

Wow, where to start. There are a ton on my list:

Most of the super robot taisen game - the Alpha series especially. The recent english releases have been great for the series, but there are so many classics in the series that needs a western release.

Mobile Suit Gundam Ghiren's Ambition series - a fantastic turn based srpg that not only is a fantastic gundam game but a fantastic srpg game. And one that allows a lot of what if scenarios in the original universal century timeline. Sadly the series has been dormant in Japan for many years now.

Sakura Taisen 1-4 - aka the good ones. Its a shame the best games in the series never made it to the west. All four games are well overdo for a remake.

70's Robot Anime Geppy X - a rare and amazing shooter that paradies 70s robot anime like getter robo. A true gem and also hilarious.

SEGAGAGA - the weird sega rpg made at the end of the dreamcast's life where you take control of SEGA and try to turn things around for the company.

Revive - A long forgotten dreamcast trap adventure game from Data East. Interesting point and click adventure game, heavy on the visual novel and fan service aspects.

Outside of that, a ton of classic srpgs from the past like fire emblem and front mission games, as well as some kuso games as well.

also a nod to many of the gams listed by others, especially ex troopers.

 

[wyvern_bloodfist]

a few hundred of my games are japanese only titles. Most of them couldn't do well in the west ; especially these days.

 

[wyvern_bloodfist]

I own these , (all but the dragons destiny psp game) there great games .

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

E.X Troopers (PS3)





Basically a Lost Planet anime like spin off. I own the ps3 version (is also available on the 3ds), great game that deserved a global release.

I have this game too on ps3.

Capcom should launch it again in PC and ps4 or switch

 

[ReBurn]

No

 

[Omali]

Ouendan 1 & 2



As well as Daigasoo Band Brothers which was technically released outside of Japan but with a completely different song list. I'm talking about the Japanese version.

 

[jimmypython]

Front Mission 5 stands out for me…not sure why didn’t they release it

 

[Y0ssarian]

The only Japan only game I played was Project Zero 4 aka Fatal Frame 4. I put all that shit on the wii to run the game and it was actually pretty good

 

[e0n]

Jump Ultimate Stars

 

[ACESHIGH]

Policenauts

 

[autoNamed]

Berserk: Millennium Falcon
Sengoku Basara X Cross
Hokuto No Ken

Berserk because it’s a flawed action game, but the setting and characters are fantastic. Devil Kings and HNK because they’re fun fighting games. You can perform crazy combos and enjoy the cast of characters. These games only appeal to a certain group of people it seems. I bought Basara X Cross the day it came out in Japan and I paid close to $100 for it due to shipping.

I would actually argue that Millennium Falcon is one of the best action games of all time, no kidding.

 

[ParaSeoul]

 

[TLZ]

Captain Tsubasa 1 to 5 and the Sega CD versions. All only Japanese. There are more but these are the ones I care to see get a western release.

Not one, but two:

These too please.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Men of culture here. I like this.

Mine was ptobably Seiken Densetsu 3 before Sqex pulled the remake card out of absolutely nowhere and made it Trials of Mana. Ridiculously beautiful late SNES game, not the best gameplay but a shitton of possibilities and a good story.

Recently I discovered For the frog the bell tolls (I think it goes by other translated titles). A little Game Boy gem, its engine (and one character, too) would later be used for Link’s Awakening. Super fun game, it keeps things extremely simple and it’s pretty charming. One of those little, memorable games that you don’t see anymore.

 

[Badlucktroll]

 

[Labadal]

Many great games mentioned, and some of those belong to my favorite games.

My contribution is Treasure of the Rudras.

Very cool SNES JRPG developed by SquareSoft. Party-based, turn-based, pixel graphics, and a cool magtic system, where you create your own spells.

I hope this will some day get a western release.

 

[GymWolf]

Parasite eve 1 didn't arrived in europe but it was released in the us.

it's the only almost pertinent example i have.

 

[Kokoloko85]

Shining Force 3: Parts 2&3

 

[Werewolf Jones]

 

[cireza]

Wachenroder is a great pick. The game is being fan-translated in English.

My pick is Terra Phantastica on Saturn. It is a T-RPG using an isometric view. Medieval setting with fantasy and a huge focus on political affairs. Gorgeous pixel-art and great gameplay. No idea if this will ever get translated...

There are also many Mega-CD RPGs I would have loved to try : Shadowrun, Illusion City and the SMT port.

And on MegaDrive, the Hybrid Front looks great. This one might get translated.

 

[Nok Su Kow]

City Shrouded in Shadow ( 巨影都市 )

It's a Disaster Report game but with Kaiju like Godzilla instead of earthquakes

also features Gamera, Ultraman, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Patlabor

 

[Vampire On Titus]

There are some Japan only adventure games I've really enjoyed. Countless others that I suspect are fun but have only looked into.

Tokyo Twilight Busters was great. It's a split between menu based sections where you go around a map of Tokyo following leads, and point and click sections where you explore and puzzle your way through an environment. The P&C part has a real-time component and you control multiple characters. There's some pretty interesting uses of that mechanic, plus the story and art were great.

Mikagura Shoujo Tanteidan is another game I really like. It's a detective adventure where 3 high school girls solve crimes under the tutelage of genius detective Mikagura. The mysteries are divided amongst chapters with my favorite being a two-parter family drama on an old mansion estate with a ton of viable suspects. The main mechanic of the game is called "deduction trigger" where certain lines of dialogue or objects in the environment will display highlighted text. If it's relevant to the case or suspicious you can use one of your limited deduction triggers, but if you run out you have to restart the case. It's a simple system but it wound up being really fun because of the games relative non-linearity. It's kind of like if the "press" mechanic in Ace Attorney was super high stakes.

Never played Fushigi Deka since it's not text-hookable but I hope to one day because it looks like a hidden gem from Capcom. Weird style that's cute and a lot of fun. Also, fun fact, the characters on Phoenix Wright's shirt in the first game's flashback are from Fushigi Deka:

A lot of the Jinguji Saburo games look cool to me, particularly the PS1 and PS2 entries. Some of the games in this series were released outside of Japan as "Jake Hunter" but it feels like we never got the really good ones that people actually enjoyed. Of all the games in this series, I think Innocent Black has the coolest style.

 

[TheTony316]

Yakuza Ishin and Kenzan

 

[GeekyDad]

Played the ever-loving fuck out of it back in the day. Still one of my prized gaming possessions.

 

[GrayFoxPL]

Spriggan: Lunar Verse

 

[p_xavier]

Ys IV. Immediate sequel to Ys II.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Not one, but two:

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

City Shrouded in Shadow ( 巨影都市 )

It's a Disaster Report game but with Kaiju like Godzilla instead of earthquakes

also features Gamera, Ultraman, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Patlabor

One of my pending purchases, so many games have come out that I haven't had time to buy it

 

[PhaseJump]

 

[Nok Su Kow]

One of my pending purchases, so many games have come out that I haven't had time to buy it

I really enjoyed it, it's very obviously a small budget game but I still had fun with it

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

I really enjoyed it, it's very obviously a small budget game but I still had fun with it

I really like games with different themes.