So I've decided to start up a discussion on all games japanese related. This is not to comment about anime or manga or characters. Just games. Talk about your favorite japanese games. Your games you were saddest never made it over seas. Or ones that are rare and that you'd Recommend.
I'll start with a few of my favorite series:
Super Robot Wars SRPG
Soma Bringer ARPG
Seiken Densetsu 3 ARPG (Secret/Legend of Mana 3 for you non japanese literate)
"Tales of" games and their offshoots. A/RPG hybrid
Honorable mention:
Uncharted Waters series (it really only remained popular in asia and still today is one of the best sea faring series of all time)
I'll start with a few of my favorite series:
Super Robot Wars SRPG
Soma Bringer ARPG
Seiken Densetsu 3 ARPG (Secret/Legend of Mana 3 for you non japanese literate)
"Tales of" games and their offshoots. A/RPG hybrid
Honorable mention:
Uncharted Waters series (it really only remained popular in asia and still today is one of the best sea faring series of all time)
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I'll comment on Uncharted Waters and few other games after what first came to mind after you mentioned Japanese games.
It's funny because Japanese games for so long in my early gaming life dictated how I viewed what games were. And you know, it might seem strange but ill list of some badass Japanese games:
Super Mario Brothers
The Legend of Zelda
Donkey Kong
Final Fantasy
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
So really, Japanese games ruled gaming and my life for damn near half of it. I got into programming because of games and dreaming about one day making them.
Anyways, kind of got all wild eyed and sentimental for a minute there, anyways.. :D
Uncharted Waters and all other Koei games are pretty unqiue and a few made it into my all time most beloved games list.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2 [ To my mind one of the most perfect strategy games, holds up well now too. ]
Genghis Khan 2: Clan of the Grey Wolf: Wrote about my love for this one here: http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/191
I played Le Emperor and rented Uncharted Waters on the Super Nintendo. I really like Uncharted Waters, the ship trading, upgrading the ship and traveling around the wold. It was a really fun idea I haven't had as much fun with in a modern game like it(I guess Sid Meyers Pirates is sort of similar?).
Koei still makes stuff and they released a version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms on the iPhone, one of these days ill break down and get it but I don't want every second of the day spend playing it so.... It waits, un-purchased. :D
I never played too many of the japanese ones. Seiken Densetsu had a spot on my emulator for a while, and I quite enjoyed it. Dragon Force on the Saturn (woah, that brings me back) was quite a good time, and most certainly very Japanese. I've always wanted to pick up the translation of shining force III... but other than that I've been pretty western.
i agree with you there tungsten i too wish to pick up the shining force III translation thats a classic. Romance of the three kingdoms is amazingly fun as well. Romancing Saga is a completely different game but also unbelievably amazing. Pirates! that most people are familiar with is nowhere close to as good as uncharted new horizons was. Sorry pirates! fans out there.
Here's a game (series really) that might not get mentioned so I feel I should: Katamari Damacy. These games are so addictive. The mechanics are so simple, you pick up smaller objects so that you grow and can pick up larger and larger ones. You start of picking up thumbtacks and end up rolling up entire galaxies!
Insanely fun, insanely addictive, and insanely frustrating. The new one released on the Vita is quite literally the only thing that makes me want to buy a Vita.
Oh man Katamari Damacy is great but when you get game over? Man seems like a childrens game but thats simply terrifying. Love the music tho. daaaa-dadadada haha
Yeah the King of all Cosmos does not tolerate failure. I mean, even when you hit your size goal he isn't too happy with you unless you do around 200% usually. Such a hard father.
For real and I think he can also be considered a mass murder. As he does kind of turn the entire world into a big shining ball of fire (i.e. a star)
Well, from all of the absolutely bizarre flavor text you can see on items and such in the game, it seems like being rolled into the katamari is somehow euphoric. So at least they all went out happy.
hahahaha ya. that game is what happens when your high and decide to make a video game. such a funny game
I have a Katamari demo on my xbox from years ago. It's so unique and mesmorizing that I'll probably keep the demo forever.
Uncharted waters was awesome! I actually picked up Pirates! because it looked like an updated uncharted waters.
As far as games that didn't make it stateside, Seiken Densetsu 3 and Mother 3 were my two big ones. Luckily they both were fan translated. :) I also just picked up a fan translated version of Brigandine Grand Edition which I haven't tried yet but I'm excited about. I've heard Bahamut's lagoon was a good SNES RPG that never made it stateside, but I've never seen or played it.
One of my favorite tactical RPG games is Disgaea, and it is VERY Japanese, lol. Here's the trailer for the first game in the series (and my favorite in the series so far): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOsvsyIElRI
The game is absolutely insane in just about every way. There are so many different ways to improve your characters and make them more powerful that I had to kind of force myself to stop working on leveling them up and actually go do the main storyline at one point. The game is also genuinely funny. My wife liked it when I would play the game when she was around because she enjoyed the cut scenes so much.
And of course my childhood was ruled by Japanese video games: Zelda, Mario, The Final Fantasy series, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Mega Man, Metroid, etc. :)
Secret of Mana. So good. So very good.
Chrono Trigger is on my list of shame for games I haven't played much of or beaten....
Please don't judge me.
@Jdodson you should check out one of the steam greenlight games called secret of grindea. looks like kind of a funny name based on the sterotypes of ARPGs however it basically looks like a revamped and newer version of something like secret of mana but it has 4player co op
@Whiteboy I remember buying both Disgaea and La Puccell Tactics together on ebay when it was like impossible to find for ps2. They were so expensive. This was before the DS and PSP remake. Nippon Ichi really is a savoir of old-school styled SRPG's
Also bahamut lagoon is pretty cool and worth playing. Its a rather typical SRPG except you have dragons that you can feed and depending on what you give them they get different stats and evolve in different ways.
Also can't believe I didn't mention Lufia II. Lufia II is probobly one of my greatest games from my childhood or of all time. Anyone else played and beaten it?
I've never beaten it, but I have played Lufia II. That's another great game! I should go back and finally beat that one. :) I think the farthest I ever got was I the tower that randomly generated new floors. I don't know how far into the game that is though.
The soundtrack is very cool as well. Not sure how to embed a video but this is an AMAZING orchestral version of one of the songs in the game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHpgHXghgLw
P.S. for those who dont want spoilers and want to finish or play the game. Do not read the comments. Unless you already have played other lufia games.
Nice post, I'm here =P There are too many Japanese games that are good.. I mainly play their PSP games.. From Monster Hunter that takes a while until we get the English version, the new Digimon Frontier n many other games..
n yeah, Disgaea, one of the best..
Btw don't forget Rockman/Megaman too =)
Ah Monster Hunter Is up there as one of my favorite game series. I've sunk probably 1000hours into that series
Wii version worth picking up? Heard good things about it but I haven't snagged a Wii Title since Just Dance 3.
the Wii version is what i started on. I loved the game immensely. It's a bit old now but its still the last monster hunter we've ever received in the US. It is challenging as heck though. If your not ready to spend some time trying to learn a weapon style and get pretty darn good at it; it's probably not worth it.
However, If your looking for a game with challenge amazing animation and some of the best group play out there. I'd say it's amazing and a definate must own.
Split screen group play or online? How does it work.
Going to look into this one, getting more good Wii games would be cool.
its online. I think the online servers are up. its been awhile. It had like lobbies you join.
Good to know, thanks!
If you like horror, they have some great horror Japanese game too on Wii.. E.g. The Grudge / Ju-on.. Tried that on my friend's Wii, twas fun =)
I think one of the best "secret" horror games is on the gamecube. Eternal Darkness. Believe that was it. You have sanity and as you get scared more and more your guy literally starts to look creepy as hell and you start hearing things. Look it up.