Japanese Niche Games Deals & Discussion Thread 4.0

shivan128

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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Yeah, Prime Day is a complete bust. However, my problem was that I had a ~$200 cart loaded up at Woot for weeks, and can't decide what to buy. It hasn't been that "there are no sales". It's that I'm trying to trim away carted listings which I don't need, or am never going to play. I ended up going with these for $81, on rebate day:

Woot-7-14.jpg

I've had a satisfying time buying several games off of Woot this month. I don't need more things to buy. Such a common fallacy; much akin to "there aren't any good games to play". The problem is that it's hard to sift through the junk, even find accurate or trustworthy reviews or scores, and deciding which discounts and clearances to prioritize. It's that filling out a particular console's jrpg catalogue has gotten murkier, and the games more substandard. There are always CEs from NISA and other places which I want to buy. Funds which can always be better spent elsewhere. Like order a BGIII CE from Larian for collector's sake; that's the type of thing you're going to want to own in 10 years. There's always additional first-party Nintendo titles which I'm still missing.

My problem this week is what I actually want is the ToCS 3&4 Deluxe from NISA for $100. Buuut it doesn't make sense to skip the game for $40 now. Well, so....buy this one now. Then when I shell out for the DE later I could simply sell the sealed game inside. Don't skip the discounted game when that's the one you want to play soon.

Kinda the same deal with Unicorn Overlord CE right now; don't skip the SE for $30 if that's the game you want to play. Even moreso if you don't open your CEs. The regular version is at a great price.

There are five CE games and five anime box sets I could go pick out right now for $100-$120+; the problem is staying away from the dumb shit. and misappropriating your funds.
 
Anyone have some suggestions for the Xbox 360 store closure they want to throw out there? Most things I'd be interested in are backwards compatible (so they won't be delisted), or have ports elsewhere, thankfully.

The main thing I've discovered is Guwange - an arcade cave shmup that doesn't seem to have a port to other consoles. Though I decided not to buy it.

I did grab Virtual-On OT (This one is playable on Xbox One / Series, so it should still be available after the closure, I just thought it was 360 only for some reason):

Buy Virtual-On OT | Xbox

(Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) The classic mech arcade fighting game Virtual On Oratorio Tangram・releases on the Xbox LIVE Arcade intesifying the thrilling visceral action with new HD graphics and an online 1 on 1 multiplayer battle mode. Choose from 15 unique Virtuaroids with...
www.xbox.com
 
Pheria said:
Anyone have some suggestions for the Xbox 360 store closure they want to throw out there? Most things I'd be interested in are backwards compatible (so they won't be delisted), or have ports elsewhere, thankfully.

The main thing I've discovered is Guwange - an arcade cave shmup that doesn't seem to have a port to other consoles. Though I decided not to buy it.

I did grab Virtual-On OT (This one is playable on Xbox One / Series, so it should still be available after the closure, I just thought it was 360 only for some reason):

Buy Virtual-On OT | Xbox

(Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB) The classic mech arcade fighting game Virtual On Oratorio Tangram・releases on the Xbox LIVE Arcade intesifying the thrilling visceral action with new HD graphics and an online 1 on 1 multiplayer battle mode. Choose from 15 unique Virtuaroids with...
www.xbox.com
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Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey are easy recommendations. By the studio Sakaguchi (creator of Final Fantasy) made after leaving Square - Mistwalker. Blue Dragon is nice JRPG comfort food, Lost Odyssey has some of the best writing I've encountered in any game. Both have physical copies, but I expect they'll get pricey if they aren't already.

I guess Alan Wake's American Nightmare since that has never been ported to another console, but I'm not convinced they won't re-release it later. No physical version there.

I really enjoyed Ska Studios' older titles. Charlie Murder, The Dishwasher, etc. Those are only on 360 (and Steam) and no physical was made.
 
62t said:
As for Legend of Legacy you are better off moving to Alliance Alive HD, but that is now OOP and cost more than $60.
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I picked up Alliance Alive HD digitally a good while back and enjoyed it for the most part, so that's why I keep looking at Legend of Legacy. I know they're somewhat similar, with Legend of Legacy being even more bare-bones than Alliance Alive; I never played either back on the 3DS though.
 
I got both Legend of Legacy and Alliance Alive launch editions on 3DS back in the day, and since I heard the remasters are really nothing more than upgraded graphics, I've decided to just stick with my 3DS copies. They really weren't the best games in the world anyway, though I'm one of those weirdos who actually liked LoL more than AA.

SO, went to Gamestop today to pick up the "new" PS5 copy of Trails into Reverie they were holding for me and...hoo, boy. The box is in decent shape, like a really good used copy. The mini art book and OST download code, however, are beat to hell. I used those exact words when I inspected the game before they sealed it in their stupid cellophane wrapper and the woman behind the counter said weakly, "Well, it's because it was in the drawer." I'm sorry, but how much of a disaster is your drawer that shit is getting bent up like this? But honestly, I had a feeling it wouldn't be great because that Gamestop is awful. The ones closer to me keep their drawers organized, with inserts in plastic bags or sleeves, and gutted copies of games stay in pretty good shape. Plus, I really feel corporate sends all the asshole employees to the one I went to today and all the nice ones to the places near me, because every time I go to that one, I get an employee who's straight up rude to me. It's probably because the area it's in is kind of a dump.

I really didn't want to go to this location further from me, in a gross mall that's barely air conditioned and has had a massive flooding problem for months now, but I had no choice. I could tell I wasn't going to be able to get them to give me the game cheaper since they really didn't give a shit I was upset. But then, with how little they're paid at Gamestop, can you blame them? Still, they can be at least a little understanding. Not even a damn apology for the condition.
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As for Prime Day, it's been a major bust for me, too. I got a Kirin Squishmallow for $7.49 (half off), so I mean, awesome. I do count the recent Woot deals as part of Prime Day since I got Cold Steel 3/4 for $40.49 after that 10% off coupon. But yeah, that's it. And yes, Prime Day is absolutely a way for Amazon to unload overstock items, just like Black Friday is, too. Though, Black Friday hasn't been any good for years now. The days of walking out of Target or Best Buy with a shopping cart of amazing games you only spent like $50-100 total on are long gone.
 
Saw some talk of Shiren, sold out at $40 on Best Buy. It’s $40 on Amazon now. Seems this might be the floor. I went ahead and got it on Amazon. Just double checked, GameStop and Target don’t carry it, so Amazon is pretty much it.

Never played the series, but is my type of game, and Nitrosmob’s (I think it was) review sounded great.

***Welp, gone within 30 mins at $40 on Amazon, that was fast. Hope anyone got it that wanted it.
 
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Shiren is the best roguelike series for my money. Very fun, lots of variety with enemies, items and equipment, high difficulty, and it scratches both the roguelike and roguelite itch. The main game isn't too hard and you can save and take items with you, but once you finish that you unlock a ton of other dungeons that are much more more unforgiving and must be started from scratch. I bought both this and the Tower of Fortune at launch to support the series (I got the Vita version of Tower of Fortune).
 
super1upqueen said:
I got both Legend of Legacy and Alliance Alive launch editions on 3DS back in the day, and since I heard the remasters are really nothing more than upgraded graphics, I've decided to just stick with my 3DS copies.
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Same. And mine are still sealed. I checked my amazon order history, paid $22.54 after tax for The Alliance Alive (Jan 2019) and $22.95 for The Legend of Legacy (Dec 2015). The only reason I'd upgrade is if I found them similarly cheap now and I was actually going to play them and was ready to flip my old original sealed copies to ebay. Seems like (especially for Legend of Legacy at closing in on 9 years) I'm probably not going to play either. It's nice to have stuff to play, but I think I'd be better off just selling these (even with LoL not being profitable, at least AA is) and resisting the new versions even if they got cheap.

Side note,
you left your soundtrack code exposed in that image. Not sure if you meant to do that.
 
keyblader1985 said:
Shiren is the best roguelike series for my money. Very fun, lots of variety with enemies, items and equipment, high difficulty, and it scratches both the roguelike and roguelite itch. The main game isn't too hard and you can save and take items with you, but once you finish that you unlock a ton of other dungeons that are much more more unforgiving and must be started from scratch. I bought both this and the Tower of Fortune at launch to support the series (I got the Vita version of Tower of Fortune).
Click to expand...

I mean it’s no Angband, but it’s okay.
 
For all you nerds out there I do think Shiren is the best console rogue game. I loved the previous version (beat it on Vita) and I haven't played the new one but ordered it on release (I could saved $20 haha). I do love on the PC the old school Nethack, Angband, and of course my favorite ADOM. I have not really ever liked the Chocobo's Dungeon rogue games, and the Pokémon ones are usually good to bad (I know at least of the 3DS ones was a total turd).
 
nightc1 said:
Side note,
you left your soundtrack code exposed in that image. Not sure if you meant to do that.
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Whoops, thanks for telling me! Thankfully, only one use was gone, so either someone swept in on here or someone at the store redeemed it (wouldn't be surprised). Good thing NISA makes these codes good for three uses.
 
My Unicorn Overlord CE came in (in a bubble mailer, naturally), and this is a personal first. There was very minor superficial damage to the external box, nothing remotely worth complaining about in this day and age of CS not giving a fuck , but the contents were somehow way more damaged. The game, CD sleeve, and artbook were fine, but both the box holding the cards and the internal cardboard supporting everything were ripped up, with some obvious crushing for the support. A couple cards had bent corners, too. Not even sure how that would have happened with everything still in the shrink wrap, unless it was assembled in the factory like that, in which case where the hell is the QC. Very disappointing.
 
Souffrir said:
My Unicorn Overlord CE came in (in a bubble mailer, naturally), and this is a personal first. There was very minor superficial damage to the external box, nothing remotely worth complaining about in this day and age of CS not giving a fuck , but the contents were somehow way more damaged. The game, CD sleeve, and artbook were fine, but both the box holding the cards and the internal cardboard supporting everything were ripped up, with some obvious crushing for the support. A couple cards had bent corners, too. Not even sure how that would have happened with everything still in the shrink wrap, unless it was assembled in the factory like that, in which case where the hell is the QC. Very disappointing.
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That happened to me too when I got it at launch. I received it from Amazon in a box surprisingly, and everything was in great shape except the card game, which had managed to spill all over the place. A few cards were creased in the process. I actually found a lot of people saying the same thing happened to them, so clearly it's a QC issue. I don't know why they chose to just bind the cards with shitty, paper sleeves instead of shrink wrapping them, allowing them to shift so much in transit. You're asking $130 for this thing and you can't spend the extra nickel on real wrappers? Cheapskate company strikes again.
 
super1upqueen said:
That happened to me too when I got it at launch. I received it from Amazon in a box surprisingly, and everything was in great shape except the card game, which had managed to spill all over the place. A few cards were creased in the process. I actually found a lot of people saying the same thing happened to them, so clearly it's a QC issue. I don't know why they chose to just bind the cards with shitty, paper sleeves instead of shrink wrapping them, allowing them to shift so much in transit. You're asking $130 for this thing and you can't spend the extra nickel on real wrappers? Cheapskate company strikes again.
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Even the cheapest of board/card games shrink wrap their cards. Stuff like Uno I'm pretty sure comes shrink wrapped and it doesn't cost very much. That is a pretty massive oversight. They also could have gone for another one I've seen maybe once or twice where the cards are in baggies, but I'm not sure that would have saved them much in moving.
 
I don't usually post speculation buys, but also for those interested in pretty niche stuff Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club has a physical up for pre-order releasing 08/29/2024. Everything here screams this is likely a more limited physical release being a mature rated game, Nintendo published, and a very short turn around for release. There is a Japanese collector's edition that also lists English as a language, but I want the ESRB release. I wouldn't sleep on this one and also wouldn't expect it to drop much. I also believe this game was added to the digital voucher list.

Best Buy
Gamestop
 
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Oh man, that takes me back. The DS was one of my most played systems but the 3DS was just... not that meaningful for me. But still, I can't help but feel nostalgic for it....
 
Nothing- said:
Remember these things? I was going to collect the shit outta them.

Faceplates-3-DS.jpg


Then I remember one day I sold my day1 3DS to buy another XL model.
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I remember & love those things.. if those are yours and you want to trade em/sell em let me know cause I'm interested for sure-
 
So I contacted Woot CS and told them about the situation with the damaged items in my UO CE, and asked whether an exchange would cost me anything. The CS said nope, emailed me a return label, and shipped out a new copy. Naturally this one also had some minor damage and wear, so I spent half the afternoon comparing the contents of the two packages and exchanging damaged stuff (mostly cards) between the two sets, and I now have a complete CE in relatively acceptable condition. Still have some ripped parts on the internal support and the box for the card game, but all the cards themselves are at least in good condition now.
 
Looks like Woot dropped the price of the UO CE another $10 to $69.99 but only the Xbox version; the PS5 is still currently sitting at $79.99. Hoping this is a good sign for the PS5 to follow suit - I'd bite if it hit $59.99.🤞

I went ahead and finally picked up Granblue Fantasy Relink Deluxe Edition though since tomorrow is payday, so I feel good about that one at least!
 
I haven't ordered from Amiami in many, many years now but usually Air Mail was the cheapest, and usually good enough for orders with 1-2 things. DHL/EMS are the ones you really want for multi item orders and if you really want the best, although I remember it being expensive and priced by volume, which is why I preferred doing bigger item orders. Others who ordered more recently can chime in.
 
gospelman said:
Thanks for posting. Tempted by this as that ringo would pair nicely with my old ps2 devil summoner plush. Any idea on what the cheapest shipping would be for this item only?
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I think DHL is usually the best deal, so shipping might be in the $20s. Last year I ordered Witch on the Holy Night Limited Edition PS4 and a standard edition PS5 game. I think air mail was about the same price as DHL and EMS was a lot more expensive. If this helps any, my order cost $22.78 (3,493JPY) to ship DHL. There is a cheap surface shipping, but it will take months to arrive.
 
scorponok said:
I think DHL is usually the best deal, so shipping might be in the $20s. Last year I ordered Witch on the Holy Night Limited Edition PS4 and a standard edition PS5 game. I think air mail was about the same price as DHL and EMS was a lot more expensive. If this helps any, my order cost $22.78 (3,493JPY) to ship DHL. There is a cheap surface shipping, but it will take months to arrive.
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I actually don't mind waiting months. That's what I used a year or so ago when buying a trails figure and I did eventually receive it. I guess I will just put in an order and see how much they quote me.
 
gospelman said:
I actually don't mind waiting months. That's what I used a year or so ago when buying a trails figure and I did eventually receive it. I guess I will just put in an order and see how much they quote me.
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You can submit a ticket including the shop codes of the items you want to purchase, and they will send you a shipping estimate if you don't want to place an order yet.
 
gospelman said:
Thanks for posting. Tempted by this as that ringo would pair nicely with my old ps2 devil summoner plush. Any idea on what the cheapest shipping would be for this item only?
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Not sure if you’re already aware, but the picture describes the item as a “figure,” so I don’t think it’s a plush like the Raiho one you’re talking about.
 
I decided on Witch Spring R (PS5), Tevi (Switch), and Kemco Selection Vol 8 (Switch). The Kemco Vol 8 games are Hit Point releases, which is considered the better/best ones outside of Rideon titles. Rideon games don't seem to get into the RPG Selections or there hasn't been a Rideon only one so far.

I'm still waiting on Lost Ruins, Sea of Stars, and Mercenaries Lament: Requiem of the Silver Wolf (all Switch) from the last time around.

Just make sure you do your homework and double check pricecharting or ebay before pulling the trigger, as some stuff is totally overpriced in that massive pile.
 
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