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Best import 3DS games? Japan -> NA/EU & NA -> EU

D

Danj

Member
So now that there's a solution for 3DS region locking, what are the best import* games to get for it?

(* by import games I mean games that aren't already out in the target region and aren't also on a region-free platform.)

EDIT: physical-release games, this won't work with eShop downloads.
 
J

JustAnotherOtaku

Member
Having owned a Japanese 3DS (as well as a PAL one) for over 3 years, the truth is that there isn't all that much. You get stuff a lot earlier in some cases and there's a nice little pile of games that are still only in Japan - Taiko no Tatsujin games, Senran Kagura 2, Lost Heroes, Kenka Bancho 6 etc - but anyone expecting an import scene like there was for the original DS will likely end up disappointed.

That said, Square Enix seem content to keep the Dragon Quest series on 3DS limited to Japan (DQVII, the new Rocket Slime etc) so those games are always an option if you don't mind the more text-heavy stuff.
 
G

gngf123

Member
NA have physical releases of SMT4, Rune Factory 4, and Code of Princess.

Japan has a physical Sega 3D Classics compilation.

Then there's stuff like Slime Mori Mori 3 and DQ7 which is Japan only.
 
F

flohen95

Member
NA -> EU only really has anything to offer if you don't want a digital copy - SMT IV, Rune Factory 4, Code of Princess (and maybe a few others) have had a retail release in NA, but not in Europe.

Also, the Ace Attorney Trilogy from Japan, I heard, has an English text option, so if you don't want to have that as a digital copy, that's an option (if I'm correct, that is).

Which is an absolute godsend for me, as I hate not having a physical copy of a game.
 
Notorious_Roy

Notorious_Roy

Member
I was looking into this as well, but there aren't really 3DS games that I'd like to import from the US.

I do want to play DQVII though, but I can't read Japanese, so I'm still waiting for the new localisation.

:(
 
K

kubus

Member
Daigassou! Band Brothers P is pretty fantastic and doesn't really require any knowledge of Japanese. Huge database of songs to choose from and it's still being updated.

Only the first game in the Inazuma Eleven series has been released in NA (digital only too), the rest can be bought retail in Europe (IE2, IE3, and IEGo). There are two other games that haven't been released outside Japan yet (IEGo2 and IEGo Galaxy). As with all Level-5 games, they are very straightforward as they always have pointers on the map directing you towards the next goal and the battle system is also easy to get a hang of, even in Japanese.

Nintendo Pocket Football Club is EU/Japan only. Very charming football simulator that I've easily sunk 50+ hours into even though I don't even like the sport. I don't think this would be playable if you don't read Japanese as it can get quite tricky.
 
M

MLH

Member
I don't think there is much difference between NA and EU. Some games got physical releases in some regions (SMT IV, Rune Factory etc.) but can still be found digitally. There are also the delays in getting certain games, but they come eventually (Hopefully Europe won't be waiting too long for Etrian Mystery Dungeon).

As for Japan, depending on your knowledge of the language there is a bit more. Obviously the Dragon Quest games (I think they are all in Hiragana & Katakana, so are easy to read).
Capcom's EX Troopers, and whatever else takes your fancy. I've had my eye on Beyond the Labyrinth, somewhat mediocre reviews with some poor design decisions but it's a genre that appeals to me.

There are also games just released that have yet to get localization announcements (Final Fantasy Explorers, Legend of Legacy etc.) but seem to have a high change of localization.

Personally I feel most publishers do a good job of localizing their games. Most the JP only games I see are unappealing to me & most western audiences, and the decision not to localize seems reasonable (Square Enix are not one of those publishers. We want Dragon Quest...).
 
C

CANLI

Member
- Taiko no Tatsujin
- Hatsune miku
- Inazuma Eleven Go games
- Youkai Watch games
- Some square enix games as Dragon quest monsters 2
- One Piece grand battle X
- Kenka Banchou
- Hero bank games
- Puyo puyo teturissu
- Kumatomo
- Tousouchuu hunter game
- Sonipro
- Some trains or airport games
- Game center cx 3
- Pazudora z
- Kobito zukan
- Shingeki no kyojin
- Daigasso band brothers♡♡ barbara
- Some cooking mama games too

I love my jap 3ds
 
S

Stereogatari

Banned
Puyo-Puyo-T.jpg


Not sure how much the 3D adds to it, but presumably the Vita version is better.
 
F

Famassu

Member
Daigasso! Band Brothers P and the future release of Theatrhythm: Dragon Quest are probably pretty import friendly purchases as far as Japanese exclusive releases go (if past games in the franchise are anything to go by, previous Daigassos required some learning of menus but after that it was easy to get around and even use the music editor after some trial & error), among some other rhythm games, I reckon. Though you'll probably miss out on DLC with Theatrhythm.

The rest of Japanese exclusive games are probably too text heavy to be of much enjoyment for a majority of people.
 
T

Takao

Banned
You can buy Medarot 7 Kabuto and Medarot Dual Kuwagata for $30 combined on Play-Asia. Those are solid prices for recentish releases.
 
C

CANLI

Member
norfair_zebes said:
This game will be released in both Europe and North America in 2015. It will even include a new Super Mario Bros. mode which GungHo plans to sell as a separate game in Japan.



Some of the games in this series have been released in Europe and are available in English.
Click to expand...

I know... but Pazudora is available in japan since 18 months. Prefer to buy a jap 3ds than to wait 2 years.
and concerning Inazuma eleven, only go 1 is released in europe while the 3rd was released end of 2013 in japan.

Don't know why people try to cut some threads. All cited games are not difficult to play without japanese knowledge. I didn't add other games as samurai warriors or metal max which is impossible to play if you don t know jap
 
H

HawthorneKitty

Sgt. 2nd Class in the Creep Battalion, Waifu Wars
CANLI said:
I know... but Pazudora is available in japan since 18 months. Prefer to buy a jap 3ds than to wait 2 years.
and concerning Inazuma eleven, only go 1 is released in europe while the 3rd was released end of 2013 in japan.

Don't know why people try to cut some threads. All cited games are not difficult to play without japanese knowledge. I didn't add other games as samurai warriors or metal max which is impossible to play if you don t know jap
Click to expand...
It doesn't matter how long it's been in Japan because we live in the present. Miku (we even get this before Japan) and Pazudora are coming real soon so there's no compelling reason to import something you can't fully understand/ take advantage of Miiverse/ activity log/ etc.
 
J

jax

Banned
Well on my JP N3DS I pretty much rock Omega Ruby, Smash Bros, a slew of DS games and a few VC titles, such as Sonic, Mario 3, and Pokemon TCG (Classic).

I want more games, but the language barrier is stopping me. heh.
 
T

The Bankslammer

Member
Can't recommend Daigasso! Band Brothers P to anyone using this region free solution. Without going online, you'll only be able to play 4 songs. Going online to download new songs and play with other people is the real meat of the game, and without that, there's not a whole lot to do.

Just offering a disclaimer.
 
G

gngf123

Member
publicpwnerer said:
I'm tempted to import some games, but what's the likelihood of this getting patched and people getting left with unplayable games?
Click to expand...

You will only get unplayable games if you update. As with any exploit, if you want to use it absolutely do not update your firmware unless it is confirmed not to touch the exploit.

At some point you will need to decide what you value more, eShop or region free. If you want both you'll need a Gateway.
 
A

AtomskEater

Member
Danball Senki series. I like the one on Vita, I think the 3DS ones are ports from PSP/Vita (minus Wars which is 3DS exclusive). It's also easy enough to play even if you don't understand Japanese, there are map icons and markers for where you need to go and who you need to talk to.

There's also Medabots games, for anyone with fond memories of that series. Haven't played any of them yet but might get 8 sooner or later.

And if you like your sports anime/mamga adaptations, 3DS has that, too. Kuroko no Basuke, Yowamushi Pedal, Haikyuu, etc. Not sure if I'll give any of these a try, the gameplay for KnB looks kinda over my head for example.
 
S

Starwolf_UK

Member
GAMEPROFF said:
Is the Sega Classic 3D Collection coming with english text?
Click to expand...
The games have lots of options including changing between Japanese and English ROM.
Edit: I've heard Sega Classic 3D Collection crashes as soon as you select a game to play (guess it is like IOS reload was on the Wii)

CANLI said:
I know.. the one which will be released in the us is the second version mirai 2 and in the same month, the 3rd version will be released in japan.
Click to expand...
I thought that was just a Japanese release of the one the west is getting (fans demanded it).

Edit:
kubus said:
Nintendo Pocket Football Club is EU/Japan only. Very charming football simulator that I've easily sunk 50+ hours into even though I don't even like the sport. I don't think this would be playable if you don't read Japanese as it can get quite tricky.
Click to expand...
It is eShop only in Europe. The boxed version is a download code in a box and since you can't connect to the EU eShop to use it, I'm afraid it is useless.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Bravely Second Demo

edit: oops, never mind. Physical copies only.
 
D

dallow_bg

nods at old men
Infernal Monkey said:
Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-Kun Special (remake of Renegade)

http://i.imgur.com/PC6mL6P.jpg[/ig]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/sGQ3XKQ.jpg[/mg]

Zoo Keeper 3D

[img]http://i.imgur.com/OyAoL.jpg[img]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/P0E9cjw.jpg[/mg]

Hooooow did this not at least get an eShop release in the west.[/QUOTE]

Zoo Keeper 3D?!

Oh damn.
Click to expand...
 
B

Brian★

Banned
Current Games
Mikua.png

Hatsune Miku - Project Mirai 2
If you don't want to wait for Project Mirai DX (it's being localized in the US, I don't know about Europe) and want to play a vocaloid rhythm game straight away, try Hatsune Miku Project Mirai 2. It has all the Project Mirai songs and plays them in a new format. There's also a new touch version. As long as the inclusion of a Puyo Puyo minigame featuring all of the cast.

Puyo-Puyo-Tetris-Cover.jpg

Puyo-Puyo Tetris
This Puyo Puyo "spin-off" includes Tetris (obviously), includes a story campaign, multiplayer over local and Wi-Fi (via the Nintendo Network). However, this game is multi-platform.

E.X.TROOPERS.full.1401900.jpg

E.X Troopers
Interested in a 3DS shooter? E.X Troopers is probably your best shot. It isn't going to be localized because
Christian Svennson said:
"[E.X. Troopers] was not planned for Western release. You can tell this because all of the text is 'hard coded' as actual art. The text isn’t just standard 'text' that could be swapped relatively easily ... To localize a release, one would have to redo a ton of art in the game, not just do the localization and loc QA.”
Click to expand...
So it ain't happening. There have been many good reviews about it though. There is a PS3 version.

Future Games

Rhythm_Tengoku_425p.jpg

Rhythm Tengoku (tentative title)
Simply titled as Rhythm Tengoku, this is the 4th sequel in the series and will include 70 of the classics from Rhythm Tengoku, Rhythm Tengoku Gold and Minna no Rhythm Tengoku (Everyone's Rhythm Tengoku). It will include 100minigames, 30 new ones.

Confirmed Classic Minigames from the Nintendo Direct trailer are
- Karate Man (GBA)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oFz49GDuqY
- Clapping Trio (GBA and Wii (was included in Minigames))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5An8tthOmys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ12cjr-Hf8
- Onion Pull/Hair Clipping (GBA) (Tentative Title)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHBWMAyi4qs
- Glee Club (DS)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYRx9QKhhhg
- Ringside (Wii)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWy1utqHD0s
- Baseball Star (GBA) (Tentative title)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQB6QS9fZZw
- Lockstep (DS)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrCTHodtzb4
As well as new minigames such as
- The Tango Robot (Tentative title, I made it up)
- The Alien Translation (Tentative, I made it up)

You can see the trailer here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdJEcJRvvwo
 
Z

Zevenberge

Member
I've been wondering this too, and I'm pretty underwelmed by the games. Which is good, as that means the most noteworthy games have already released ;) The only game I'd want is a Riichi Mahjong game, but I don't think it's worth to keep my 3DS semi-offline for.
 
jufonuk

jufonuk

not tag worthy
EX Troopers, how non japanese speaking/reading is it?

I would like to get this game and play it, does it also support CPP?
 
B

Big Papa Husker

Member
I just found this thread and was wondering if there are any other Japanese 3DS games that have english like GYAKUTEN SAIBAN 123? Also, are there any European releases that didn't get released in the US?
 
M

Michie

Neo Member
My brother is currently in Japan, are there any games he should look for not mentioned in this topic? (It doesn't have to be a 3DS game although I own a Japanese 3DS). A lot of suggestions articles on the internet are from before 2016. (I'm most curious in PS4,PSVita,PS3,Gamecube,retro and 3DS games).
 
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