What sort of import games should I try?

[Iceweasel]

I just found out that the 3DS has a region-free hack! I checked the supported firmware versions, and I should be fine. Question is now, which games should I get? I was going to get the Attack on Titan game, but it appears to have been poorly received. Is Bravely Default any good?

I'm not just limiting myself to 3DS games. The region free/broken systems I have are GBA, DS, Wii, and PS3. Technically speaking, my N64 is region locked but the only reason this is true is because of a few plastic tabs that can be removed.

Generally speaking, I'm looking for action-adventure, RPG, and action-RPG games. Maybe a few 2D platformers too. Or anything with mecha in it.

I'm not looking for anything that got released in the US, unless said US release was poorly translated, censored, or had content cut from it. I'm also trying to avoid cartridge games with a battery backup, since a dead save battery is a pain to fix and a replacement has never lasted me more than 3 years.

Soma Bringer is already on my list.
New Mystery of the Emblem is too expensive.


Well, Smashboards? You know anything good?

 

[finalark]

http://smashboards.com/threads/what-game-should-i-get.72357/

Please use this thread when asking for game recommendations.

Also, try Jump Ultimate Stars.

 

[Minato]

I think a topic regarding imports is pretty niche enough to have its own thread, so I'm ok with this.

Is your level of Japanese at least decent? Like, are you playing a game to also test or learn the language?
Or are you trying to mainly experience any games that never really got localized (that's not too hard to understand/play)?

 

[Iceweasel]

@ Minato I have a basic grasp of the grammar, but I don't know many words and nuances are usually lost on me. If you give me a dictionary, I can generally figure out what's going on. So really, I'm trying to test myself and learn more at the same time. I'm also trying to find games that I wouldn't get to play otherwise, or that I technically experienced, but in an inferior way (censored, bad translation, or Woolsey translation). I had a good experience with the Earth Bound/Mother 1 prototype (which did have censorship) and a fan translation of Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru, so I know there's good games that Japan kept to themselves.

I heard a mention of a Xenosaga collection that Japan was trying to keep to themselves, do you know what system that's going to be on? My Google-fu only turned up petitions to bring it to the West, but nobody will say if it's a PS3 or a PS4 release.

 

[Zankoku]

I think everyone should import Puyo Puyo Tetris.

 

[Minato]

@ Minato I have a basic grasp of the grammar, but I don't know many words and nuances are usually lost on me. If you give me a dictionary, I can generally figure out what's going on. So really, I'm trying to test myself and learn more at the same time. I'm also trying to find games that I wouldn't get to play otherwise, or that I technically experienced, but in an inferior way (censored, bad translation, or Woolsey translation). I had a good experience with the Earth Bound/Mother 1 prototype (which did have censorship) and a fan translation of Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru, so I know there's good games that Japan kept to themselves.

I heard a mention of a Xenosaga collection that Japan was trying to keep to themselves, do you know what system that's going to be on? My Google-fu only turned up petitions to bring it to the West, but nobody will say if it's a PS3 or a PS4 release.

Oh, what you're looking for is Xenosaga 1+2 (or aka 1&2) for the DS. It's a retelling of the first two games with the second game being rewritten by Takahashi (so it's probably closer to the original intention instead of Namco's changed one). I haven't played through that one yet, but that's on my plan to list.

I recommend checking out Tales of Vesperia PS3. Way more content than the 360 version that it doesn't even compare. 2 additional characters, more dungeons, and some changes to the story here and there. If you don't have a CFW PS3 to apply an english patch, the translation team put the entire translation onto this site, and it looks great.
http://hyouta.com/vesperia/

The game is 21 dollars on cdjapan iirc, and when you register, you get a 3 dollar coupon.

 

[Iceweasel]

@ Zankoku Thanks for the recommendation, sounds interesting!

@ Minato I've heard of the Xenosaga 1+2 for DS, but I wasn't sure if whether I should get that one or the PS2 version. Truth be told, I have a PS2 copy of Xenosaga Episode 1 sitting on my shelf, but I was gonna wait and see if I can get a cheap copy of 2 and 3 before popping it in. The cheapest version on Amazon that's in English (PS2 being region-locked) and has its case is $60. Used.

The Xenosaga I'm talking about is a new HD remaster, it was announced sometime last October I think. I'd sign the petition to bring it over, but I can't tell if it's a PS3 or a PS4 game.

I'd consider getting a PS4 for Xenosaga, but it won't run on my old CRT, and getting a new TV brings a whole lot of headaches and questions like "Where do I put THIS one?" and "How much display lag does it REALLY have?" Display lag is a big deal for me, since I like my action games fast-paced and most of the figures advertised are presented in a misleading fashion that doesn't tell the whole story. I've heard of http://www.displaylag.com/, but comments about it on other websites indicates that some find fault in its testing methods, and I don't know enough about it to determine who's right. Well, that and it's hard to find $700 in my budget for a new game system and TV before taking new games into account.


I'll have to check out Tales of Vesperia, thanks!

 

[Minato]

Harada of Tekken expressed thoughts on wanting to release an HD collection of Xenosaga. Unfortunately he said that they would need a lot of interest before the company would work on such a thing. The petition did ok. There's a rumor that it really is in the works now from a person that's given out multiple accurate leaks. Of course plans can change.

I'd say to wait on Xenosaga 1+2 for DS. Since it's closer to the original intention after episode 2 and 3 were already made, you'll probably get more out of it after beating the PS2 games when comparing the changes.