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This year changed my perspective on Japanese games
- Thread starter More_Badass
- Start date
foxuzamaki
Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
The answer is somehow yes and no
blue_phazon
Member
OMG there's so much you need to play!!
I guess you can also get a lot of SBES classics in WiiU as well. If I were you, I might hold off and maybe get a Switch if it gets Virtual Console to play classic Nintendo games
foxuzamaki
Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
We need to hook you up with a nintendo
Thanks for sharing your impressions, being open to new genres and seeking new kinds of experiences seems like the best way to keep the hobby engaging for yourself. And your comparison between indie games and Japanese games seems spot-on, it's what drew me to indie games last gen when the Japanese output suffered for a while.
Have you tried the "classics"? Like the Metal Gear Solid series, Silent Hill 1-4, Resident Evil REmake or RE4, the other Souls games, the Team Ico trilogy or Jet Set Radio.
And I couldn't agree more when it comes to The House in Fata Morgana, it's an incredible story told as a Visual Novel without any anime cliches. Another great gateway game for Visual Novels is 999 for the DS which recently got a re-release on PS4/Vita/Steam. Mind-bending scifi-thriller with some horror elements and not a lot of "anime stuff" apart from some outfits.
Have you tried the "classics"? Like the Metal Gear Solid series, Silent Hill 1-4, Resident Evil REmake or RE4, the other Souls games, the Team Ico trilogy or Jet Set Radio.
And I couldn't agree more when it comes to The House in Fata Morgana, it's an incredible story told as a Visual Novel without any anime cliches. Another great gateway game for Visual Novels is 999 for the DS which recently got a re-release on PS4/Vita/Steam. Mind-bending scifi-thriller with some horror elements and not a lot of "anime stuff" apart from some outfits.
Same, the game looks phenomenal to me. Didn't know there was a lack of confidence about it on GAF.
More_Badass
Member
MGS 3 was the first game I ever finished, so I remember it quite fondly. Thinking of playing SH 2 and 3 through PS Now. And of course the Souls games and Ueda's games are classics.
I don't tend to think of those games when I think of Japanese games. I guess I should. It's kind of like saying Witcher 3 is an independent game. Technically, it is, since CDPR developed and published it, but you'd never include it in a list of the best indie games.
This year is what made me realize I've always preferred Japanese games. They seem to have no problem combining the serious tone with the absolutely ridiculous. Yakuza 0, RE 7, Nioh, Persona 5 and more all have very serious elements alongside some of the goofiest things I've ever seen.
I get what you mean, there's "Japanese Games" like most from your OP and then there's games made in Japan with the Western audience in mind like MGS or RE.
SH2 and 3 should be right up your alley if you enjoyed Junji Ito's work. 1-3 are the best games in the series and definitely still worth playing. And the Yakuza series is constantly great, some of the best story-telling and world-building I've ever seen in a game. You can go from Zero to Kiwami and then finish the story with 6.
More_Badass
Member
Gravity Rush 2 is the best evidence that the best way to make an open world enjoyable (besides being all systemic and emergent like a STALKER or Zelda) is fun traversal. Just mastering the movement and plummeting across the environments in Gravity Rush is endlessly satisfying
TheKastorian
Member
Persona 5 is a freaking masterpiece. Love, love, love that game. Nioh has also been amazing (haven't finished it yet!). Need to play Nier and the Yakuza games too
Iva Demilcol
Member
To me every year is like early 2017: every month there's a 3DS or PS4 title that I want to play and I cannot keep up with game releases. When people complained that there were no Japanese games to play I'd always reply that they needed to get a handheld device because in terms of quantity and quality there was always something to play. To me it's been like that since the GBA era.
Can't disagree; only bought four new games this year, all 2017 titles and they are all Japanese.
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch) is one of the best games I've played in years. It's glorious.
- Persona 5 (PS3) was an amazing ride.
- Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow of Valentia (3DS) is cool.
And I'm playing through Resident Evil VII for the first time and the opening is amazing; I really like what Capcom did with this game, especially when you think about RE 6...
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch) is one of the best games I've played in years. It's glorious.
- Persona 5 (PS3) was an amazing ride.
- Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow of Valentia (3DS) is cool.
And I'm playing through Resident Evil VII for the first time and the opening is amazing; I really like what Capcom did with this game, especially when you think about RE 6...
Omg, this lol
I really need to give Binary Domain its fair chance already. The good impressions had me curious but last week I found out it was made largely by Yakuza devs and now it's a must.
Yeah I get where people come from since this is the first year in a while where Japan is dominating the home console space front and center, but I agree that to me Japan never stopped being king, thanks to my love for handhelds. It's a real pity so many people aren't into them because IMO most of the best libraries in history are in portable systems.
Hell, the Switch is my dream system because not only it's a Nintendo handheld but it promises to be the most amazing yet due to its nature, I'm loving it.
I dont know about that.
I love the world, the characters, the gravity gimmick... But its such a frustrating game, with utterly tedious and unoriginal quest design.
A real shame that i basically have to force myself to play it, every time, and after one mission i feel exhausted and have to stop.
Personally, I played western and Japanese games on SNES through PS2/GCN, but the Japanese ones tended to be the ones that stuck with me the most and when I went/go back and fill in classics I've missed, I tend to dig into Japanese support streams I missed/left incomplete.
Also, speaking as a person who mostly slept on DS/3DS until relatively recently--that's where the "missing" games are, whose "absence" drove me into a fairly small, disgruntled niche wrt to stationary consoles last generation where pretty much only Nintendo was pleasing me, and even there I wasn't entirely satisfied with things like Metroid disappearing.
Learning to treat the Nintendo portable as more than a "I get cheaper/simpler Nintendo games in my favorite franchises and Pokemon!" has played a huge part in getting me into a better mood wrt to gaming these past couple years.
I do last autumn through this spring has been the time where a bucket load of great Japanese support suddenly landed on PS4. I've enjoyed that immensely, and it is the reason I finally bought a PS4, but...skipping portables is skipping a lot in terms of Japanese games.
...
As far as JRPG goes, I'd also recommend Dragon Quest if it is mostly "teen" tropes you want to avoid. Dragon Quest is very "all ages" with some subtly adult stories that take advantage of the wider angle of DQ story-telling.
It is sort of the Nintendo of JRPG in that it is a) wider audience, b) colorful, c) Japanese and cartoony, but d) not "too anime."
The less character/story heavy Atlus games are also very good and I wouldn't be afraid of them if what attracts you to Persona is the characters/story/slice-of-life. They're different beasts, but Atlus is very good at making turn-based combat engaging and fun. SMT is also darker and more old-school science fiction than Persona, which, from what you've said, you might enjoy.
Also, speaking as a person who mostly slept on DS/3DS until relatively recently--that's where the "missing" games are, whose "absence" drove me into a fairly small, disgruntled niche wrt to stationary consoles last generation where pretty much only Nintendo was pleasing me, and even there I wasn't entirely satisfied with things like Metroid disappearing.
Learning to treat the Nintendo portable as more than a "I get cheaper/simpler Nintendo games in my favorite franchises and Pokemon!" has played a huge part in getting me into a better mood wrt to gaming these past couple years.
I do last autumn through this spring has been the time where a bucket load of great Japanese support suddenly landed on PS4. I've enjoyed that immensely, and it is the reason I finally bought a PS4, but...skipping portables is skipping a lot in terms of Japanese games.
...
As far as JRPG goes, I'd also recommend Dragon Quest if it is mostly "teen" tropes you want to avoid. Dragon Quest is very "all ages" with some subtly adult stories that take advantage of the wider angle of DQ story-telling.
It is sort of the Nintendo of JRPG in that it is a) wider audience, b) colorful, c) Japanese and cartoony, but d) not "too anime."
The less character/story heavy Atlus games are also very good and I wouldn't be afraid of them if what attracts you to Persona is the characters/story/slice-of-life. They're different beasts, but Atlus is very good at making turn-based combat engaging and fun. SMT is also darker and more old-school science fiction than Persona, which, from what you've said, you might enjoy.
Is there a non-Steam way to play this game? I haven't really heard of it before this thread and it sounds pretty interesting...
And yeah, I am actually surprised you haven't played too many Japanese games, More_Badass. You can see where a lot of the indie games you're into get a lot of their inspirations from...
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Is pizza a sandwich?
Sumio Mondo
Member
Since OP is a fan of Western RPGs - give Final Fantasy XII HD Remaster a go.
Also, give the SRPG genre as well from Japanese studios (God Wars: Future Past just came out on PS4 and Vita) and the new Fire Emblem on 3DS is very good as well. There's a treasure trove of them on the original DS (if you have a 3DS, you're set) and PSP (if you have a Vita, you're set).
As far as upcoming games goes - The Evil Within 2 and Yakuza Kiwami (which is a remake of Yakuza 1) are definitely high up on the list.
Also, give the SRPG genre as well from Japanese studios (God Wars: Future Past just came out on PS4 and Vita) and the new Fire Emblem on 3DS is very good as well. There's a treasure trove of them on the original DS (if you have a 3DS, you're set) and PSP (if you have a Vita, you're set).
As far as upcoming games goes - The Evil Within 2 and Yakuza Kiwami (which is a remake of Yakuza 1) are definitely high up on the list.
It's actually on sale right now directly from MangaGamer. If you meant platform other than PC, a Japanese Vita version came out in March and there's an older Japanese 3DS port. The Vita version is rumored to be up for localization, but nothing official has been announced so far. And check out the GAF Thread for Fata Morgana, it had a recent resurgence thanks to word-of-mouth and some very generous give-aways.
eyeball_kid
Member
In terms of pure joy, I think you're really going to enjoy Yakuza 0. It's the closest I've felt as an adult to the joy of being a kid playing videogames. Everything about it seems like a love letter to the best parts of videogames; the over-the-top action, great soundtrack, the absurd humor, the massive amount of things to do. And yet it also has a really compelling story and characters, and really captures the atmosphere of the city. I can't say enough good things about the game.
More_Badass
Member
This could mean anything though, especially now that weeb as a term has been abused for just about anything in general
There are still more awesome Japanese games to come this year. Gundam VS which is a popular fighting game series in Japan that's actually being localised, and then there's Knack 2 which is supposed to be a lot better than the first game. Everybody's Golf also comes out soon, and that's always a good one. EDF5 is out this year in Japan but probably next year in the west.
Speaking of next year, the greatest PS4 game, Monster Hunter World, will be out early 2018. If you love Japanese action games, Monster Hunter is imo the finest.
Speaking of next year, the greatest PS4 game, Monster Hunter World, will be out early 2018. If you love Japanese action games, Monster Hunter is imo the finest.
Mihael Mello Keehl
Banned
Im pretty sure I exclusively play japanese games. I probably buy like 1-2 western games a year. Call of duty is one of them lol. I dont count sport games.
beachsam0rai
Neo Member
same with the OP. I played souls series before and this year bought a ps4 for bloodborne (not really). after finishing that masterpiece I wanted it kinda peace of mind and found gravity rush. such a sweet game.
anyway I always interested game like persona, nier, yakuza, dragon quest, final fantasy etc but this year my journey finally began...
now I'm playing yakuz 0 and...
subscribing to thread for other suggestions. ur da best GAF.
anyway I always interested game like persona, nier, yakuza, dragon quest, final fantasy etc but this year my journey finally began...
now I'm playing yakuz 0 and...
subscribing to thread for other suggestions. ur da best GAF.
I never quite understood why people thought Japanese developers weren't releasing quality games in the past few years. Japanese games never went anywhere, a lot of amazing ones have been released every single year...
they were just developed by Nintendo exclusive to Nintendo platforms so of course a lot of people thought Japan was dead...
Chaos2Frozen
Member
Was RE7 made by Capcom's Japanese developers or did they outsource? I heard that at least for the story part it was outsource to western writers or something
What happened this year was mid-budget Japanese console games came back.
Ironically I haven't played any of these games yet because Zelda has taken up 100 hours of my life and counting. Before I even think about looking at Gravity Rush 2 and Yakuza 0 I still need to take care of my unplayed copies of Gravity Rush Remastered and Yakuza 5.
Ironically I haven't played any of these games yet because Zelda has taken up 100 hours of my life and counting. Before I even think about looking at Gravity Rush 2 and Yakuza 0 I still need to take care of my unplayed copies of Gravity Rush Remastered and Yakuza 5.
Wiiu's never got cheap because no one bought one. Better off getting a Switch.
As for Yakuza 0... Please do a LTTP thread. I have a feeling you are going to like it a fair bit.
Ultimadrago
Member
This is a little bit how I feel about the first one, though I was more exhausted by getting used to the camera swings and did finish it. I love all the things you listed as positives, but they sorta simply hide a mediocre game (level design/combat included) underneath. I did all of the sidequests in Remastered since there aren't many and the context for enough of them is fun for a chuckle, when not varied. I like the game and its core mechanic, but it's a less-than-sum overall.
Unfortunately, hearing from multiple sources that Gravity Rush 2 bloated itself so much versus its handheld-originating predecessor, I don't have much faith that the same trick can work twice and especially over such a greater amount of "content". I'll check it out eventually.
Mirroring this. Yakuza 0 was so much fun, as my first entry into the series. It's still in my Top 3 for 2017 games at this moment. The world is small, but dense and very well-realized.
Corpsepyre
Banned
Get down to playing Shadow of Rome and the four Onimusha games.
almostjuliuscaesar
Member
I too am glad to see Japan back to making big, console release games & not focusing on mobile & handheld all the time
StrongBlackVine
Banned
Resident Evil 7 should get some love too. I know it's a Westernized IP, but it belongs on the list.
Jack The Nipper
Banned
Gamers missing out on japanese games is just so so wrong.
Exentryk
Member
I like psychological horror, but don't like shooters. So if this is light on action elements, then I might have to give it a go.
It plays almost exactly to the original RE trilogy except in firt person, so it's not a traditional FPS nor action game by any means.
Personally I can't stand the action focused RE games but found 7 pretty damn good. I love the older ones though.
Exentryk
Member
Never played any RE game, but I did try out the Kitchen demo for 7 and it was decent. I can definitely go for more of the same, so I'll get this game during a gaming lull. I wish it were on GOG though.
MatrixMan.EXE
Member
And we still have Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, Ni no Kuni II, The Evil Within 2 and Monster Hunter Stories coming later this year. What a fucking time.
