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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Souffrir said:
PS5/Switch/PC only. Not rad.
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Is this a "I only have an Xbox or a PS4" post? 'Cause JRPG nerds should have a Switch, PC, or PS5 by this point...

Lost Odyssey is the best out of the ones mentioned, amazing soundtrack, presentation, and pretty good story for what was supposed to be the actual next Final Fantasy game, IMO.

 
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elessar123 said:
I own everything mentioned and haven't played any of them!

Technically, I guess I played 10 minutes of Infinite Undiscovery.
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Can't speak for most of the JP games on that list but Lost Odyssey is a damn fine game... I grew up on SNES/PS1 JRPGs and I loved that game, even with the 15 second load times before every random battle (not kidding). Once they allowed you to install discs to the HD the load times got shorter and I'm guessing the digital copy is shorter too.

Infinite Undiscover is one I've wanted to play but never got around to.

 
TheKbob said:
Is this a "I only have an Xbox or a PS4" post? 'Cause JRPG nerds should have a Switch, PC, or PS5 by this point...

Lost Odyssey is the best out of the ones mentioned, amazing soundtrack, presentation, and pretty good story for what was supposed to be the actual next Final Fantasy game, IMO.
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I mean, I have a PC, but I’d prefer to own it physically for PS4. I’m starting to doubt whether I’ll ever get a Switch the way sales haven’t been happening for that console, and I have zero interest in the PS5 so far.

And if we’re talking about wishes, what I’d really like is for it to be on PSP, it feels like I spend more time gaming on that than everything else I own combined these days. Hopefully the official release will prompt someone to finally inject the fan translation scripts into a patch for the PS1 games.
 
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Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon are both excellent JRPGs, I'd highly recommend them. Lost Odyssey has a phenomenal story and Blue Dragon is JRPG comfort food a la Dragon Quest. Kind of bummed that Mistwalker's been so quiet and that Fantasian is stranded on Apple Arcade.

The Agarest War series is also on PS3 (though Agarest 1 is digital-only in the US). It's an okay SRPG series. It doesn't compare to Tactics Ogre, Fire Emblem, and so on. But it is a niche genre and if you're hungry for something relatively competent it can probably scratch that itch.

Infinite Undiscovery was the most middle-of-the-road game I've ever played. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. The plot twists were predictable (obnoxiously so in some cases) and it takes multiple long playthroughs to get the true ending so I gave up after a while.

Spectral Force 3, Operation Darkness, Magna Carta 2, and Culdcept Saga are other notable 360-only JRPGs or JRPG-adjacent games that I never got around to playing before I bailed and moved to the PS ecosystem. No clue what's available digitally or even BC, but I still have my physical copies and a 360 laying around somewhere.

 
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Souffrir said:
I mean, I have a PC, but I’d prefer to own it physically for PS4. I’m starting to doubt whether I’ll ever get a Switch the way sales haven’t been happening for that console, and I have zero interest in the PS5 so far.

And if we’re talking about wishes, what I’d really like is for it to be on PSP, it feels like I spend more time gaming on that than everything else I own combined these days. Hopefully the official release will prompt someone to finally inject the fan translation scripts into a patch for the PS1 games.
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Sales have happened for the switch and the lite especially but there haven't been many since the pandemic started.
 
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Souffrir said:
I’m starting to doubt whether I’ll ever get a Switch the way sales haven’t been happening for that console,
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Console sales have been pretty minimal. The best ones have been where they bundled in digital game for no additional cost so at least you got something. Software though has had a lot of sales. The main problem is if you want some of the bigger games Nintendo has published that aren't available anymore in physical... you may have to pony up some extra cash or just flip to taking advantage of eshop card sales and then the voucher system to at least bring the price down.

 
Until they fix/change it, I still like the GameStop $5 monthly powerup pro reward for that.

I buy digital cards on sale too, but I also let the GameStop $5 turn into $5 eshop credit every month (or if I want to do it online, I'll buy a $10 one for $5. You can't do a $0 transaction online, but 50% off is still pretty nice). You can also do PlayStation, Steam, or Xbox but Nintendo is my go-to (and them always having a $10 option online is a plus)

I am convinced one day they'll change it, but as long as you still can do it I will do it.

 
keyblader1985 said:
They just did.
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oooh you're right, it says the item in my cart doesn't qualify this month. Welp, nevermind.

I'm guessing it doesn't work in store anymore either, then?

Edit: I glanced over the GameStop thread, sounds like it may still work in store. Though potentially you can't get just a $5 card, you'd have to go for $10 etc. It was definitely way more convenient to do online.

 
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Some visual novel news and releases.

QUALIA ~The Path of Promise~ was released from Sekai Project/Denpasoft from PURESIS. It stars an android who is the first to pass the Turing Test and she goes home with her creator. She develops feelings as well for said creator and also wears maid's clothes. It's a kinetic visual novel meaning it has no choices, but is supposed to be long. It looks alright and has good art. 18+ patch also available for the steam version. 10% off on release. 

Steam

Steam 18+ Patch (NSFW)

Denpasoft (NSFW)

VNDB (NSFW)

Rance IX -The Helmanian Revolution is finally coming out from Mangagamer on February 23, 2023. This has been a long time coming and is supposedly a massive game. We'll see Rance X in like five years or so. There is 10% discount for pre-ordering and this will only be on Mangagamer and possibly JAST USA eventually. There is a 10% discount for pre-ordering.

Mangagamer (NSFW)

JAST USA is releasing Nitro Origin's Tokyo Necro soon and looks really cool. Some people start fighting against necromancers. Looks action packed. Very likely will have an 18+ patch and has a discount on JAST USA.

Steam

JAST USA (NSFW)

VNDB (NSFW)

Committee of Zero has released a restoration patch for CHAOS;HEAD NOAH. This adds a lot of stuff, as the release we got was pretty butchered. The translation is better, many CGs have been put back and I believe it has the 18+ content too. I know someone on here wanted the patch and here it is. I'm going to get this game sometime too and play it.

Restoration Patch

Inochi no Spare also got a fan translation. I have no idea of the quality but it's about some girls and they're terminally ill and a main character.

Patch

VNDB (NSFW)

 
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Target has Buy 1 get 1 50% off select games. Ordering two of one and canceling seems to work for a flat ~25% off including some preorders like Dokapon, Little Witch Nobeta, Alice Gear, etc

 
BoxPizzaBox said:
Target has Buy 1 get 1 50% off select games. Ordering two of one and canceling seems to work for a flat ~25% off including some preorders like Dokapon, Little Witch Nobeta, Alice Gear, etc
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While nice, this just makes me want to wait for the next B2G1 with its flat 33% off after canceling, at least for any $50-$60 things.

 
BoxPizzaBox said:
Target has Buy 1 get 1 50% off select games. Ordering two of one and canceling seems to work for a flat ~25% off including some preorders like Dokapon, Little Witch Nobeta, Alice Gear, etc
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Thanks. Grabbing Alice Gear Aegis, it's always a gamble if switch games get included in these sales.

 
Does NISA still charge for pre-orders a month in advance? Trying to budget my upcoming pre-orders- got quite a few expensive items coming up between now and end of March so trying to see if I wanna trim anything... 

Edit*

Just saw on Reddit that yesterday was the 25th anniversary of Xenogears.

EDIT2* Dear SE, Xenogears Remaster please. Thanks. 

 
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Vinny said:
Does NISA still charge for pre-orders a month in advance? Trying to budget my upcoming pre-orders- got quite a few expensive items coming up between now and end of March so trying to see if I wanna trim anything...

Edit*

Just saw on Reddit that yesterday was the 25th anniversary of Xenogears.

EDIT2* Dear SE, Xenogears Remaster please. Thanks.
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At least via credit card, NISA waits to charge until just prior to shipment.

 
Vinny said:
Does NISA still charge for pre-orders a month in advance? Trying to budget my upcoming pre-orders- got quite a few expensive items coming up between now and end of March so trying to see if I wanna trim anything...

Edit*
Just saw on Reddit that yesterday was the 25th anniversary of Xenogears.
EDIT2* Dear SE, Xenogears Remaster please. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Have they ported it with trophy support yet?
 
Vinny said:
Does NISA still charge for pre-orders a month in advance? Trying to budget my upcoming pre-orders- got quite a few expensive items coming up between now and end of March so trying to see if I wanna trim anything...
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They charged me about a month out from the release for Labyrinth of Galleria.

 
Idea Factory announced a new otome coming to the west, but whoever is in charge of their communications should be fired. They announced that they would have a stream on 2/14.  During that stream they ran over an hour of static before making the 1 minute game announcement.  Pissed the otome community off.  It ties into the game, but at most they should’ve had 5-10 minutes of that, not have people sit for an hour watching static.  
 

Anyway, the game is Charade Maniacs.

https://www.gematsu.com/2023/02/charade-maniacs-for-switch-coming-west-this-summer

 
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I'm always so behind on otome games. If it's anything I remember the livestream of Nekonyansoft or JAST USA panel from Anime Expo and it went as well a live could be, if it failed completely and never went anywhere haha.

Speaking of visual novels Shiravune released BETA-SIXDOUZE the sequel to their other localized game ALPHA-NIGHTHAWK. 20% off for a bit over a day or a bit more if you own the original, and you likely should if you're buying this. 18+ patch for the Steam version as well.

Steam

18+ Patch (NSFW)

NekoNyansoft is releasing The Future Radio and the Artificial Pigeons this Friday. This has been a long time coming ever since that other scam company got some of its licenses bought up. I will provide an 18+ patch when available. I believe this is quite drama filled.

Steam

 
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Has anyone got an opinion on Wanted Dead? I ore ordered it during a Target B2G1 and forgot about it. It arrived today but I see such mixed reviews. IGN seems to be the only review that hated it and I never trust them
 
Nocturnx99 said:
Has anyone got an opinion on Wanted Dead? I ore ordered it during a Target B2G1 and forgot about it. It arrived today but I see such mixed reviews. IGN seems to be the only review that hated it and I never trust them
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Destructoid's review was less negative and more fun to read: https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/wanted-dead-review-destructoid-playstation-pc-xbox-110-industries/

Personally I'm waiting for $20 or less--there's too much else releasing soon that I'm more interested in (e.g., Octopath 2, Wo Long, Resident Evil 4) to spend $40 or more on something that's bound to drop in price quickly.

 
Nocturnx99 said:
Has anyone got an opinion on Wanted Dead? I ore ordered it during a Target B2G1 and forgot about it. It arrived today but I see such mixed reviews. IGN seems to be the only review that hated it and I never trust them
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I plan to pick it up when it drops in price a bit but not because of reviews. I never buy games day-one anymore. The game sounds awesome/fun to me.

 
Game looks like hot trash to me. I'll buy it when it's like $5 bucks. It does look fun in an ultra jank style like that school girl zombie one. The zombie game was pretty bad, but I got it for $5 and had a few hours fun with it.

 
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nitrosmob said:
Game looks like hot trash to me. I'll buy it when it's like $5 bucks. It does look fun in an ultra jank style like that school girl zombie one. The zombie game was pretty bad, but I got it for $5 and had a few hours fun with it.
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What, SG/ZH? That was great, you just have no taste.

 
Thanks I'll bite on it. Also be sure to use the overhaul patch for NOAH and there is a Chaos;Child patch as well for typos and stuff. The overhaul is 18+ though, so it may not be for everyone, but it's a very mature visual novel anyway.

Committee of Zero patches

 
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Yeah similar here.  I decided to keep the double pack steelbook sealed and then use the fan translation on steam deck.  No issues supporting the release twice.  Especially since I've recently read that MAGES is badly struggling profit-wise.

 
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The Future Radio and the Artificial Pigeons is out now on Steam and various other Storefronts. It has an 11% one week discount. The 18+ patch is also linked below for the Steam version.

Steam

18+ Patch (NSFW)

Just a reminder in less than a week Rance IX is coming out I believe only on Mangagamer. There is a pre-order discount and I doubt this will get discounted much for a while.

Mangagamer (NSFW)

 
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Soul-Hackers-1.jpg


Soul Hackers 2 down to $17.99 at several Targets, down from $29.99 from last week. 

I've visited a bunch of stores in the last week and found about 4-5 instances of 1-2 copies of Jojo's Bizzare Adventure on PS5 for $14.99 as well.  These final (70% off) markdowns happen quickly, and then they're gone. 

 
Squarehard said:
https://twitter.com/Squarehard/status/1626045535701569536
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Just curious, do you insure your collection? This is my #1 question now to anyone with a large collection because it seems like it's such a major unknown... many people say it falls under home/renter's insurance personal property coverage but plenty of people think it's highly unlikely that the insurance company honor the full value of any major collection (myself included) given how difficult it would be argue 100s, if not 1000s, of individual item values.

 
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You have to look into your homeowner’s insurance policy.  They have an amount to cover personal belongings, but some may have limits on how much they would pay out for ‘collectibles.’  In which case you can add a rider to your policy, have a schedule of what is included and values for each. 

 
Mine said it's included unless a single item goes over some amount, or had an uncomfirmable amount. So they wouldn't insure a specific thing I asked about, even with a rider.

Like if Bandai sent you a one of a kind Elden Ring package, it wouldn't be covered. But the Malenia statue from the CE should be.

 
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Twilightsparkle said:
You have to look into your homeowner’s insurance policy. They have an amount to cover personal belongings, but some may have limits on how much they would pay out for ‘collectibles.’ In which case you can add a rider to your policy, have a schedule of what is included and values for each.
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Hm... I might need to find a different insurance company or agent. I had this discussion with my agent back in 2020 (after the COVID spike in values) and they just told me "collectibles are very hard to insure because everyone thinks their stuff is worth more and we are going to say, and don't tell anyone I said this, 'no, it's worth much less'. If you want to still value it for that much, we'd need an outside party to appraise the value". I'm para-phrasing some parts of what she said but I've just been struck with this paranoia for the past 2 years...

 
Vinny said:
Just curious, do you insure your collection? This is my #1 question now to anyone with a large collection because it seems like it's such a major unknown... many people say it falls under home/renter's insurance personal property coverage but plenty of people think it's highly unlikely that the insurance company honor the full value of any major collection (myself included) given how difficult it would be argue 100s, if not 1000s, of individual item values.
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For me it just falls under my home owners insurance, which covers up to a certain amount for certain items, and so on, but they collectively add up to a maximum payout limit. If something disastrous happens, what will be will be. As long as I'm not dead, it's a win for me. :D

 
Hmmm ... anyone heard whether the physical release of the next Fatal Frame (Lunar Mask) will have English on the disc or the cart?   Interested in picking that up but definitely not doing so until I know that English is on there.  Last Fatal Frame release (Maiden of Dark Water), English was patched in -- which defeats the purpose of buying it physically. 

 
Squarehard said:
For me it just falls under my home owners insurance, which covers up to a certain amount for certain items, and so on, but they collectively add up to a maximum payout limit. If something disastrous happens, what will be will be. As long as I'm not dead, it's a win for me. :D
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Just remember that homeowners insurance (at least in the US) pays out items at current cash value after factoring in depreciation, not actual cost of replacement. I used to be a claims adjuster for HO claims for one the big boys, and this was one of the things that drilled into our heads during training. I remember some guy's house caught on fire and he claimed around 2000 DVDs. I was authorized to settle the claim at a maximum of $.50 to 1.00 per DVD. Most of the DVDs that were out of print were considered valueless. It didn't actually matter in the end, because the dude's house burned down so he got his policy limit (after a year long SIU investigation).

I only did the job for a few years (people's homes are disgusting), but I only came across a few claims where people claimed a significant amount in collectables that weren't covered under an umbrella policy. One guy claimed over $100,000 dollars in Magic cards. I believe we determined they were valueless (maybe $.009 per card) since he couldn't prove what cards he owned.

It was a terrible job. It made me feel dirty.

 
ZanTheMan said:
Just remember that homeowners insurance (at least in the US) pays out items at current cash value after factoring in depreciation, not actual cost of replacement. I used to be a claims adjuster for HO claims for one the big boys, and this was one of the things that drilled into our heads during training. I remember some guy's house caught on fire and he claimed around 2000 DVDs. I was authorized to settle the claim at a maximum of $.50 to 1.00 per DVD. Most of the DVDs that were out of print were considered valueless. It didn't actually matter in the end, because the dude's house burned down so he got his policy limit (after a year long SIU investigation).

I only did the job for a few years (people's homes are disgusting), but I only came across a few claims where people claimed a significant amount in collectables that weren't covered under an umbrella policy. One guy claimed over $100,000 dollars in Magic cards. I believe we determined they were valueless (maybe $.009 per card) since he couldn't prove what cards he owned.

It was a terrible job. It made me feel dirty.
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Really hate to go off the rails here but I didn't consider this. A few years back, I had to file a claim for theft (laptop, monitor, headphones, new winter coat) and my insurance company did the same- they paid me out for what item cost was after depreciation. However, once I purchased the replacement items, they paid out the difference between original item's depreciated value and cost of the replacement up to the cost of the original item. So for my 2 year old laptop that was $1,200, they gave me $700. But my replacement laptop was $1,300 so they paid up the difference up to the original laptops $1,200 price tag so I ended up getting an additional $500 back. It was kinda cool to get nicer stuff that was negated once you factor in the deductible paid.

 
Interesting info, thanks for sharing :)

ZanTheMan said:
One guy claimed over $100,000 dollars in Magic cards. I believe we determined they were valueless (maybe $.009 per card) since he couldn't prove what cards he owned.
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Out of curiousity, would photos have sufficed? Or would that be too easy to fabricate and you'd need some kind of formal tally & assessment by a 3rd party?

 
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