LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
Speevy made this quick guide for Japanese PS1 games.
I hope it helps. Will update the OP according to new releases as time permits.
Let me explain the categories.
Genre is self-explanatory. I perhaps got a little more specific than I should have, but I want you to know exactly what to expect when you grab one of these games.
Playability is not a review score. It's how I think the average player will find this game years after the fact.
1-2.75 means you probably shouldn't bother.
3-3.5 means decent but flawed experiences. Perhaps the game has slight control issues or maybe it's showing its age.
3.75 means the game is unique enough to warrant play time despite any shortcomings.
4 and above are good to great, definitely worth adding to your PSN library
Readability refers to the ability to play the game if you can't read any Japanese, which applies to many of us.
Difficult means the language barrier dramatically effects gameplay progression to the point where figuring out the simplest menus and instructions can become frustrating. These games might be great, but a guide is necessary to get through them. For example, My Hot Cooking's recipes.
Moderate means there is a significant amount of Japanese text/voice within the game, but you can still progress despite that barrier. Games which allow you to easily select the first menu and skip past the Japanese story segments fall into this category. The use of Japanese is definitely noticeable, but offers a minimal detraction from the English speaker's enjoyment. For examples, the story segments in Magical Drop F.
Easy means there is either a large amount of English text or very little text at all relating to your gameplay instructions. Games falling within this category are straighforward for both Japanese and English speakers to play.
Visuals relate to how these games stand the test of time. Many PSX games are just hard on the eyes, and Playstation-era 3D is an unfortunate example of this.
1-2.75 - Poor visuals, distracting to the user.
3-3.75 - Decent, maybe not remarkable, but gets the job done. Could be high production values for the time.
4-5 - Good to exemplary, graphics in this category are clean and crisp enough.
Description is just a short but fun few words about the game. What I'm trying to convey here is what you can expect with the game, and if there's room, I added a note about its quality. My impressions of these games are by no means the definitive ones, but you should at least have some idea of how the game is.
NA/PAL Version is a new category I added specifically to let players know whether a North American or PAL version exists. This doesn't mean there is a NA or PAL version on the store already, but it does mean one is possible. I also added an asterisk to games with a version on the NA or PAL Playstation Store. Hopefully this will help you decide whether to invest in a Japanese PSN ticket or wait for your region's store to come around.
Thanks to contributions by - SiegfriedFM, Bootaaay, Grayman
If anyone wants to make any contributions please PM Speevy or me. Suggestions are welcome.
I hope it helps. Will update the OP according to new releases as time permits.
Let me explain the categories.
Genre is self-explanatory. I perhaps got a little more specific than I should have, but I want you to know exactly what to expect when you grab one of these games.
Playability is not a review score. It's how I think the average player will find this game years after the fact.
1-2.75 means you probably shouldn't bother.
3-3.5 means decent but flawed experiences. Perhaps the game has slight control issues or maybe it's showing its age.
3.75 means the game is unique enough to warrant play time despite any shortcomings.
4 and above are good to great, definitely worth adding to your PSN library
Readability refers to the ability to play the game if you can't read any Japanese, which applies to many of us.
Difficult means the language barrier dramatically effects gameplay progression to the point where figuring out the simplest menus and instructions can become frustrating. These games might be great, but a guide is necessary to get through them. For example, My Hot Cooking's recipes.
Moderate means there is a significant amount of Japanese text/voice within the game, but you can still progress despite that barrier. Games which allow you to easily select the first menu and skip past the Japanese story segments fall into this category. The use of Japanese is definitely noticeable, but offers a minimal detraction from the English speaker's enjoyment. For examples, the story segments in Magical Drop F.
Easy means there is either a large amount of English text or very little text at all relating to your gameplay instructions. Games falling within this category are straighforward for both Japanese and English speakers to play.
Visuals relate to how these games stand the test of time. Many PSX games are just hard on the eyes, and Playstation-era 3D is an unfortunate example of this.
1-2.75 - Poor visuals, distracting to the user.
3-3.75 - Decent, maybe not remarkable, but gets the job done. Could be high production values for the time.
4-5 - Good to exemplary, graphics in this category are clean and crisp enough.
Description is just a short but fun few words about the game. What I'm trying to convey here is what you can expect with the game, and if there's room, I added a note about its quality. My impressions of these games are by no means the definitive ones, but you should at least have some idea of how the game is.
NA/PAL Version is a new category I added specifically to let players know whether a North American or PAL version exists. This doesn't mean there is a NA or PAL version on the store already, but it does mean one is possible. I also added an asterisk to games with a version on the NA or PAL Playstation Store. Hopefully this will help you decide whether to invest in a Japanese PSN ticket or wait for your region's store to come around.
- -Advanced Variable Geo- -Adventure of Little Ralph- -Arcade Hits Frisky Tom- -Arcade Hits Raiden-
- -Arcade Hits Shienryu- -Arcade Hits Sonic Wings Special- -Arkanoid Returns-
- -Biohazard: Director's Cut- -Bishi Bash Special- -Blockids- -Bloody Roar- -Brave Fencer Musashi- -Brigandine: Grand Edition-
- -Bushido Blade- -Bushido Blade 2- -Carom Shot 2- -Crash Bandicoot Team Racing- -Culdcept Expansion Plus-
- -Dead or Alive- -Dezaemon Kids- -Dezaemon Plus- -Dig-a-Dig Pukka- -Ehrgeiz- -Einhander-
- -Fatal Fury Dominated Mind- -Fire Pro G- -Fish Eyes 2- -Front Mission Alternative- -Front Mission 2- -G-Darius- -Gaiaseed- -Goemon-
- -G-Police- -Guilty Gear- -Gunner's Heaven- -Harvest Moon- -IQ Final- -Jigsaw World-
- -Jumping Flash 2- -King of Fighters 98- -King of Fighters 99- -King's Field 2- -Kula Quest-
-Little Princess of Marl Kingdom 2- - -Love Game's Wai Wai Tennis- -Magical Drop F- -Metal Gear Solid- -Metal Slug X- -Money Idol Exchanger-
- -Monster Farm Jump- -Motor Toon- -Mr. Driller- -Konami MSX Collection 2-
- -My Hot Cooking- -Panekit- -Philosoma- -Poitter's Point- -Pop n' Pop- -Project Gaiaray-
- -Psychic Force 2- -Puchi Carat- -Puzzle Bobble 3DX-
- -Rakugaki Showtime- -RayCrisis- -Raystorm- -R-Type Delta- -Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure-
- -Samurai Showdown 1 and 2- -Samurai Showdown IV- -Saru Getchu (Ape Escape)- -Silent Bomber- -Soukaigi-
- -Space Invaders- -Cotton Original- -Tail of the Sun- -Tall Infinity- -Tall Twins Tower- -Tilk- -The Last Blade- -Tiny Bullets-
- -TOMARUNNER- -Um Jammer Lammy- -Waiwai Kusayakyu- -Xi (Devil Dice) - -Xi Jumbo-
- -Yamasa Digi Guide- -Yo Yo's Puzzle Park-
Thanks to contributions by - SiegfriedFM, Bootaaay, Grayman
If anyone wants to make any contributions please PM Speevy or me. Suggestions are welcome.
