Five Japanese-only Games that Should Be International
Most Japanese titles are destined for a United States or European release, but sadly, some precious gems are left undiscovered by the West. These are some games that wouldn’t see the light of day outside Japan, such as horse racing simulators or traditional ancient board games. It’s more than likely that any title big enough will get a regional release. However, due to licensing issues, most of these games are left without a well-deserved English version.
Here are the best titles from the Land of the Rising Sun, that sadly never got any love from the rest of the world.
1. Seiken Densetsu 3 (The Secret of Mana)
It’s been centuries since we last saw Randi and friends whack away evil monsters in all of its 16-bit goodness. Fans of this innovative turn-based role playing game clamored for a sequel. Unknown to western fans, a follow-up to the highly successful Mana game was released in Japan. To this day, it can only be acquired if you have a certain aptitude on the black market and reading Japanese texts.
It’s one of the firsts games to utilize the class progression system, making Seiken Densetsu 3 a great piece of gaming artifact. To appease our lonesome and nostalgic souls, here is the app for iPhone 5 users out there [ link ]. The original Secret of Mana is available for installation on the iOS App store. According to O2, the device has a 4-inch Retina display that will bring out the rich color and graphic intense gameplay of this title.
2. Monster Monpiece
Out of all the items in this list, Monster Monpiece has the most understandable reason why it was left out of the train ride to the West. This card game features the quintessential Otaku women. Rubbing the PS Vita in its front and back panel is an essential part of the gameplay – and never seen before in an RTS (real time strategy) card game.
The game is intellectually stimulating. Sadly, the risqué gameplay probably won’t do well with the rest of the world. Such a shame, Monster Monpiece definitely needs more players if not just for its novelty.
3. Fainaru Fantaji Reishiki (Final Fantasy Type – 0)
Anything with the words Final Fantasy in its title deserve to have an international release. The franchise and its spin-offs have been notoriously known to rack up serious amounts of cash for developer Square Enix. However, Final Fantasy Type – 0 is yet to have a worldwide audience despite the questionable success of Final Fantasy: Dirge of Cerberus. Critics applauded the spin-off’s brave new attack to the combat-based sub-genre. Square Enix’s lips are sealed regarding an international port for the Vita. With the franchise’s rabid fanatics, it’s likely that we’ll be seeing a translated version of this game on the shelves soon.
4. Yakuza: Kenzan
It seems like the perfect formula for a captivating game includes a massive world, historical references, and samurais. Yakuza Kenzan follows in the footsteps of other samurai games such as Bushido and the Way of the Samurai. The theme is not at all foreign to western gamers. In fact, the trope of the samurai is a widely recognized as well as fantasy game that is known to do well financially. It’s a wonder why Yakuza Kenzan failed to attract even Japanese RPG (role playing game) players. Because of that, an international release might be far fetched.
5. Valkyria Chronicles III
Valkyria Chronicles II is our favorite strategy slash action game on the Playstation 2. Although the series transferred to the mobile (PSP), the game continued to impress critics and casual gamers with its innovative gameplay. Valkyria Chronicles III offers the same classic battles, but can only be fully enjoyed by those who can read Japanese texts. We hope SEGA will see the cash that is waiting to be gained if only they released VC 3 for the Vita.
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About the Author
Lily Sommers can often be found talking about the web, new media, startup companies and gadgets and tech. Aside from blogging she is a fan of playing video games and she also maintains a passion for cooking. You can always find her on Google+ or Twitter.