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[PepsimanVsJoe]

It's been quite awhile since the last thread so I figure there may as well be a bit of a revival.

After turning my game collection upside down and shaking out 90% of what I own, I realized that there are a ton of import PS2 games I'm still interested in getting a hold of.

Thing is though is that I don't know a damn thing about some of them.

ACE: Another Century Episode- Some sort of Mech game from what I hear, there was a sequel but neither game reached western shores and supposedly it's pretty good? Curious.

Homura- I believe it's a 2D shooter by Taito, just recently got a budget re-release. Sounds tempting but I don't know if it's any good.

Oh and also any other general recommendations, comments, thoughts, and all of that other stuff are quite welcome.

Currently playing:

Shinobido Takumi- I just got back into this game after nearly a year. The game is a append-disc to Shinobido Imashime(A Tenchu-like Ninja stealth action game) and it consists of close to 200 missions. Some are standard like "kill everyone" or "find the scrolls" but a few have you delivering packages, rescuing maidens, or simply getting from point A to point B. The main game is structured by a series of towers, by completing towers you unlock hidden characters, videos, and well...more towers(whoo).

All of the stages were developed by the Shinobido's fan community and the other major portion of the game is the Mission Editor, which lets you design levels from scratch. Obviously it being entirely in Japanese doesn't do me a whole lot of good but hey it doesn't hurt. The hidden characters are a hoot btw, I just unlocked this armored guy with a flamethrower and a super jump. Slow as hell but funny when he can grab people and toss them over cliffs.

It's not all good though. The load-times tend to suck and the framerate is generally mediocre to poor(depending on the action going on). Also the game uses some old version of Havok so the ragdoll effect is in full force and can look quite silly. I think it's like $10 at Play-asia right now so hey it's worth it...I think.

Also playing Mushimisama(I could never spell it right). I decided to get back into it after choking horribly on my last play(I reached stage 4 with a full stock of lives, lost them all in less than a minute). Decent I guess but still IMO Cave's weakest of their PS2 lineup.

Upcoming:

Ibara (Re-release)- http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-fe-49-en-70-1o8h.html
As a huge Raizing nut I feel sort of ashamed I haven't picked this game up already but for $30 all I can say is oh well.

NeoGeo Battle Coliseum (Re-release)- http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-fe-49-en-70-1o8m.html
The load times are a bad joke at times but other than that I can't recommend this game enough, especially for $30 less.

Samurai Spirits Tenkaichi (Re-release) http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-fe-49-en-70-1o8l.html
The best Samurai Showdown game at a budget price. Hopefully KoF XI gets a cheapie re-release too.

Taito Memories 2 volume 1: http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-fe-49-en-70-1o8k.html
Basically this set has Bubble Symphony and a bunch of other games. Required purchase IMO.

Not JPN but whatever
Guilty Gear XX Slash (US release?) http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-fe-49-en-70-1sru.html
Maybe Play-asia knows something or I just suck at keeping up with the news but okay. Could be wrong...definitely. Oh and yes it's getting a budget re-release as well
http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-fe-49-en-70-1s29.html

Sega Ages Vol. 29: Monster World Collection http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-fe-49-en-70-1s1r.html
Yes this is another required purchase. Basically every game under the Monster World title is included and if the Treasure Box was any indication expect to get all formats and all regions included as well(So US versions of Monster World and Dragon's Curse? cool). Shame Monster World IV never saw the western shores...ah well.

Persona 3: Fes: http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-fe-49-en-70-1s2c.html
Just throwing this in here for the people who can actually play jrpgs in japanese. I suck.

-----------
Again additions, comments, and all of that other stuff feel free to say something. I'm trying to get more recommendations and try new things, get more out of this PS2 than simply arcade games and old game compilations.

 

[Finaika]

ACE: Another Century Episode- Some sort of Mech game from what I hear, there was a sequel but neither game reached western shores and supposedly it's pretty good? Curious.

Yes the sequel is better, with added mechas (Macross!) and whatnot. Highly recommended. Oh and speaking of Macross, get the Macross game by Sega AM2. Best anime to videogame conversion ever.

If you're interested in fighting games then look out for Garou Densetsu (Fatal Fury) Battle Archives 2 coming out in February by SNKP. Its a compilation of all the Real Bout Fatal Fury games. Personally I love the Real Bout series so this is a must buy.

 

[radios shipping overview]

So Shinobido is playable with little Japanese knowledge? I've been holding out for a US release, which seems to have evaporated, because I wanted English text for the simulation elements.

Taito Memories 2 (first half and second half) rehash a lot of the utter trash that was found on Taito Legends 1, and throw in some decent titles that they were holding out on. I honestly don't think they're required purchases at all...but then, I'm not a huge fan of Taito's cutesy platformers.

There are a couple of Simple 2000 releases coming out in February/March that I'm kind of interested in. The Overwhelming Hell gives me an Illbleed sort of feeling, and the concept (keep from succumbing to fear instead of death) is interesting enough that I'm willing to accept that its developer (Tamsoft) means it'll be trash. And Tamsoft has a new female heroine in an action game set in a weird alternate-present Old Edo. Since this one is something that would need to actually be playable to be enjoyable, it's likely that it will be quite a bit more painful.

Oh, and Kikikaikai 2! I hope they don't screw it up. I can't believe they're making a sequel to Chuka Taisen, too... that game always seemed like an average gimmick-shooter, and it's hard to imagine why they ported it to as many consoles as they did.

Monster World Complete Collection! March! Woo!

Hamster have a couple of new Oretachi Game Center Zoku emu-releases coming out in February: Thunder Cross and Trio the Punch. These are the first two titles that were decided upon by a fan survey that Hamster held. Thunder Cross is a pretty decent Konami shooter; it's not on a level with Gradius or Xexex, but it holds its own. Trio the Punch is a totally bizarre beat-em-up that has a different mini-game-like setup for each short stage. A lot of the enemies are evil Karnovs (yeah, Data East made this). It really feels like an early Wario Ware sort of thing, but with only the sort of wacko humor that could have come from an 80s arcade game. Hamster did a pretty good job with the Contra release, and all of their packs use true low resolution now, so I think I'll be going for Trio.

I think I'll pass on Milestone's Karous. I hardly put as much time into Radirgy as I would have wanted, and I thought it was notable more for its art style and music and characters than for how it played. And since Karous looks like a desaturated carbon copy...I don't see any need to reward their lack of creativity.

Trigger Heart Exelica has a more interesting approach, with the way you swing enemies like a Scotsman tossing a hammer, and the soundtrack is pretty neat. Yeah, it's ugly, but it's nice to see Warashi not simply ripping off Raiden and Truxton again.

I'll probably think of more to add later.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

So Shinobido is playable with little Japanese knowledge? I've been holding out for a US release, which seems to have evaporated, because I wanted English text for the simulation elements.

I'm not sure actually as the Append disc I'm playing is simply missions. The descriptions are entirely in Japanese but with a little fumbling around the missions can be solved easily(okay maybe not easily). I thought Europe got a release of Imashime(it was reviewed at one time wasn't it?) but who knows. I understand Imashime has simulation elements but Takumi has none of that. It's just the simple Tenchu-esque gameplay.

Taito Memories 2 (first half and second half) rehash a lot of the utter trash that was found on Taito Legends 1, and throw in some decent titles that they were holding out on. I honestly don't think they're required purchases at all...but then, I'm not a huge fan of Taito's cutesy platformers.

Understandable, I think I need to toss in a few more IMOs around my first post. But yeah essentially Taito Memories vol 2 is Bubble Symphony..and a bunch of other junk. FWIW while Taito Legends 2 isn't perfect(Darius Gaiden in particular is dreadfully emulated) it's probably the best value, Elevator Action Returns, G. Darius, Cameltry, along with a handful of others make it pretty decent. Well at least volume 1 of TM2 has Warrior Blade, great soundtrack at least.

There are a couple of Simple 2000 releases coming out in February/March that I'm kind of interested in. The Overwhelming Hell gives me an Illbleed sort of feeling, and the concept (keep from succumbing to fear instead of death) is interesting enough that I'm willing to accept that its developer (Tamsoft) means it'll be trash. And Tamsoft has a new female heroine in an action game set in a weird alternate-present Old Edo. Since this one is something that would need to actually be playable to be enjoyable, it's likely that it will be quite a bit more painful.

That's the thing that bugs me about Simple2000 games. There doesn't seem to be any websites devoted to previewing/reviewing them and basically telling people if they're even worth a purchase. Granted pretty much everyone already owns the only required Simple2000 release(EDF2) but it'd be nice to read about the other games. The only other title I took a chance on was "The Fighting All-Stars" I believe. Weird little cel-shaded fighter, with characters from Simple2000 games, kind of neat, not that great, but neat.

Oh, and Kikikaikai 2! I hope they don't screw it up. I can't believe they're making a sequel to Chuka Taisen, too... that game always seemed like an average gimmick-shooter, and it's hard to imagine why they ported it to as many consoles as they did.

I barely played the original Kikikaikai so I guess I better get on that.

Trio the Punch is a totally bizarre beat-em-up that has a different mini-game-like setup for each short stage. A lot of the enemies are evil Karnovs (yeah, Data East made this). It really feels like an early Wario Ware sort of thing, but with only the sort of wacko humor that could have come from an 80s arcade game. Hamster did a pretty good job with the Contra release, and all of their packs use true low resolution now, so I think I'll be going for Trio.

Not sure if I'm entirely interested in the games Hamster has re-released so far but I have to appreciate the chances they take. Aside from Konami's stuff they seem to publish quite a few obscure games.

 

[radios shipping overview]

That's the thing that bugs me about Simple2000 games. There doesn't seem to be any websites devoted to previewing/reviewing them and basically telling people if they're even worth a purchase. Granted pretty much everyone already owns the only required Simple2000 release(EDF2) but it'd be nice to read about the other games. The only other title I took a chance on was "The Fighting All-Stars" I believe. Weird little cel-shaded fighter, with characters from Simple2000 games, kind of neat, not that great, but neat.

This is what I've been trying to do with Namako Team, but...as I have limited time and budget for this kind of thing, I haven't been able to review that many of them. And me, duckroll, and only a couple of other people I know of are the only English-speaking people who are insane enough to care about Simple 2000 releases. I have a few titles I haven't reviewed, though, so I should write up some of those.

 

[dark10x]

I'm still playing (and enjoying) Wild Arms The Vth Vangard. It is, without a doubt, the best Wild Arms game to date. I'm having a lot of fun with the gameplay.

One thing I did not realize prior was the fact that the story was supposedly written by an actual novelist. I am unfamiliar with the name, however, so it really means little to me, but it is interesting nonetheless. I do feel that the character building is *much* stronger than previous Wild Arms games, though certainly nothing beyond a number of other games out there.

 

[The Mighty Schwein]

Well speaking of imports. I'm looking for the Neo Geo Stick for PS2. Seems the only one I can find now is the maybe-not-so-ugly-as-sin-but-still.. white one, or the Ougi version as they call it.

I'd like to find either the original black one or preferably the sexy as hell Mark of the Wolves version. Are there any import shops on the net that still carry these by any chance? I'd like to have one by time the MS Anthology releases in the US.. and should it not I'd like to have one for when I import Metal Slug 6.

In other news, there isn't enough ESP Galuda love in this thread.

 

[radios shipping overview]

Espgaluda rocks! It's my favorite PS2 shooter, and one of my all-time favorites. I just wish Cave hadn't apparently given up on console ports of any of their shooters, because Espgaluda II looks like it's being left in the lurch.

 

[klee123]

I've been enjoying Dynamite Deka of the Sega ages 2500 range. I've been having a lot of fun with the various modes such as gun mode and altered beast mode. I give it 8/10

 

[Sad_Panda]

I'm currently playing through Sengoku Basara 2, and it rocks. Hard. And I wasn't a Devil Kings fan in the first place. SB2 has nearly 3 times more missions, 22 playable characters, more than half of them being interesting to play with, and above all : no silly name and context change. The only way SB3 could improve on it is by the addition of a 2-player mode.

 

[radios shipping overview]

I'm currently playing through Sengoku Basara 2, and it rocks. Hard. And I wasn't a Devil Kings fan in the first place. SB2 has nearly 3 times more missions, 22 playable characters, more than half of them being interesting to play with, and above all : no silly name and context change. The only way SB3 could improve on it is by the addition of a 2-player mode.

Sounds like I'll be picking this up when it hits Capcom's "Best" rerelease line. What's the music like in this series? I never did play SB1 or Devil Kings, so I don't know what to expect, and I need to know how to adjust my expectations away from buttrock.

 

[distantmantra]

I'm currently playing through Sengoku Basara 2, and it rocks. Hard. And I wasn't a Devil Kings fan in the first place. SB2 has nearly 3 times more missions, 22 playable characters, more than half of them being interesting to play with, and above all : no silly name and context change. The only way SB3 could improve on it is by the addition of a 2-player mode.

I really want Basara 2, but I'm waiting for a price drop before I take the plunge.

 

[Danj]

ACE: Another Century Episode- Some sort of Mech game from what I hear, there was a sequel but neither game reached western shores and supposedly it's pretty good? Curious.

It never reached Western shores because it would have Super Robot Wars-style licensing issues, since it draws its mechs from a whole bunch of different anime shows. It is possible to play (and enjoy) the game without knowing Japanese (it's what I did) but there still isn't any kind of translation FAQ or storyguide out for it (only walkthroughs), so if you're the kind of person who prefers knowing what's going on then you might want to look elsewhere. I'm told the gameplay is somewhat similar to Zone of the Enders (which I haven't played, so I wouldn't know) which did get a Western release.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

I really want Basara 2, but I'm waiting for a price drop before I take the plunge.

Ditto. I like the Musou style games but I usually don't buy them at fullprice(especially when said full price is $65+)

 

[TreIII]

I'm currently playing through Sengoku Basara 2, and it rocks. Hard. And I wasn't a Devil Kings fan in the first place. SB2 has nearly 3 times more missions, 22 playable characters, more than half of them being interesting to play with, and above all : no silly name and context change. The only way SB3 could improve on it is by the addition of a 2-player mode.

Agreed on this. Though I would humbly ask for larger levels, as well. Granted, SB is meant to be more along the lines of classic style hack-n-slahers/beat em ups than any of KOEI's Musou games, but part of the charm of some of the well done brawlers past was that they had pretty large levels, with branching paths that you could earn access to.

If Capcom keeps this up, and adds more to it, I could easily see this becoming the brawler game line that I have had the most fun with since the likes of Final Fight, Bare Knuckle (Streets of Rage), Double Dragon and Guardian Heroes was abound.


Any way, to get more on topic with this post, I hereby post pictures of other games I'm slated to get over the next few months (besides what's already listed).

Been waiting for this game for what seemed like forever. Took long enough, but FINALLY is in sight. Now all I really hope was that Arc Systems wasn't lazy and actually added a number things to make the home port the "definitive" version of the game. Including, but not necessarily limited to, 1-4 more additional characters (Shuu and Jyuuza at least!).

The first KB game was an awesome game, in my eyes, pretty much answering my want for a 3D, large-scale, sandbox "River City Ransom/Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari", and possibly then some. Now, after 2 years, a sequel is coming out, and it's looking even better. Among other things, you get to eventually get your own bike, and customize it however you please! ^_^

The guys behind Black Matrix 00 and the Summon Night series are at it again, this time doing something original as they sever their ties with Banpresto and set off on their own. Doesn't look to be re-writing the book on SRPGs, but to say the least, it does look fun, and definitely looks a lot more prettier than anything Nippon Ichi has done...

CURSE YOU FOR DELAYING IT AGAIN, BANPRESTO!



Finally, I'm also keeping an eye out for Bleach DS 2nd, as well as KOF 98 Ultimate Match. One is a sequel to an awesome game from last year (made by Treasure), while the other is possibly a stylish re-make to what is possibly the most popular KOF game yet. If nothing else, the 96 Boss team of Krauser, Mr. Big and Geese is in this game, along with updated movelists for everyone else in "Arranged" mode! This definitely makes me a happy man...

 

[dili]

I never understood what some people saw in ibara. Seemed like an average shmup to me.

 

[distantmantra]

I'm told the gameplay is somewhat similar to Zone of the Enders (which I haven't played, so I wouldn't know) which did get a Western release.

ACE2 is more similar to ZOE2 than ACE1, but it's still much slower. Good game, though.

 

[radios shipping overview]

I never understood what some people saw in ibara. Seemed like an average shmup to me.

It's a new game by the same director and programmer as Battle Garegga, one of Raizing's finest shooters, so a lot of fans of that enjoyed it. I anticipated it for a long time and really, really wanted to like it, but...

Okay, with Garegga, a lot of players have complained about how the small bullets blend in with shrapnel and are difficult to see. I never had a problem with this. However, with Ibara, the bullets are just as small AND are often pastel-colored and washed-out. They're almost grey at times, and the backgrounds are also pastel-ish. Now, with Ibara, I understand what people who had a hard time with Garegga felt like, because I constantly get killed by bullets I didn't see because of the lack of contrast. Drives me nuts.

 

[Aaron]

So Shinobido is playable with little Japanese knowledge? I've been holding out for a US release, which seems to have evaporated, because I wanted English text for the simulation elements.

Yep. There are maybe a half dozen mission types, so the goals are fairly clear, and obvious once you start a mission anyway from a cut-scene. If it's not clear, it's probably the collecting mushrooms mission. Generally, you want to do well in the mission by not taking damage and not being seen, the latter is especially important since you'll be playing off three evil lunatics that give you your jobs. The only thing that's difficult is item making, but you won't even need to touch that to complete the game.

Really fun game. Shame about the framerate though. It can get bad in places.

 

[pilonv1]

So Shinobido is playable with little Japanese knowledge? I've been holding out for a US release, which seems to have evaporated, because I wanted English text for the simulation elements.

Buy the PAL version then.

 

[Tain]

Espgaluda rocks! It's my favorite PS2 shooter, and one of my all-time favorites. I just wish Cave hadn't apparently given up on console ports of any of their shooters, because Espgaluda II looks like it's being left in the lurch.

I'm seriously starting to worry. =/

Back to the days of Dangun Feveron and Esprade, I guess.

 

[Lyte Edge]

I was unable to get into Shinobido Imashime due to the framerate. Some of the missions also really put me off, so I sold it off. The best Shinibido is the PSP version, Shinobido Homura, which just plays much better than the PS2 games IMO.

There's also a (what seems to be) little-known thief game from Acquire called Kamiwaza. It has a much better framerate and is a more original game than Shinobido, IMO.

When I look at some of the more current games in my PS2 Japan-only collection, this is what I'd recommend:

-KOF XI
-Neo-Geo Battle Coliseum
-Samurai Spirits Tenkaichi Kenkakuden
-Twinkle Star Sprites La Petite Princess
-Vampire Darkstalkers Collection
-Garou Mark of The Wolves
-Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box
-Sengoku Basara 2
-Melty Blood Act Cadenza
-Guilty Gear XX Slash (Although with Accent Core in arcades, you know it will hit the PS2 sooner or later. Plus the Japanese GG Judgement on PSP contains this game plus the Judgement beat-em-up game in one.)

I also have to recommend the upcoming Fatal Fury Battle Archives Volume 2 as well. The Real Bout games are awesome and all three still hold up quite well, especially RBS and RB2 with their Street Fighter Alpha-style looks. Hokuto No Ken is going to be awesome too.

I'm waiting to hear of an announcement of Arcana Heart for PS2, too. I doubt it's going to be released on anything else...

 

[MegaTen]

Taito Memories 2 Vol. 2 will be worth it for Night Striker alone! Zuntata <3

 

[Sad_Panda]

Sounds like I'll be picking this up when it hits Capcom's "Best" rerelease line. What's the music like in this series? I never did play SB1 or Devil Kings, so I don't know what to expect, and I need to know how to adjust my expectations away from buttrock.

I'm afraid I can't tell ya, as I never cared much about the usually crappy generick rock music in brawlers. I usually set the music volume to low so it doesn't bother me while playing. From what I've heard, SB2 is no different, so don't expect too much. I remember SB1 had a remix of a DMC theme which was quite nice, and that's about all.

With SB3 coming for PS2/Wii (probably a summer release), the "Best" version of SB2 should be right around the corner. Get it when it's cheaper, it's well worth it.

TreIII : Agreed. Another thing that Capcom could put in SB3 is multiple/upgradable Basara, or whatever-it's-called-kickass-über-attack. Only one per character is a bit lame, especially when you've seen it 100 times.

Was Kenka Bancho 1 playable without understanding one bit of Japanese ? I was kinda interested in it, but never got around to play it. Maybe I should pick up the "Best" version.

 

[Dr Zhivago]

Woo! One of my favourites, a hugely underrated game. I'd hoped that Konami might slip it onto one of their PSP collections.

 

[SlaughterX]

I just want the damn Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box so I can play Alien Soldier, but I'm too cheap to spring for a Japanese PS2, I'll probably jsut wait for a LE JP PS3 later on down the line if they're a reasonable price...

Well speaking of imports. I'm looking for the Neo Geo Stick for PS2. Seems the only one I can find now is the maybe-not-so-ugly-as-sin-but-still.. white one, or the Ougi version as they call it.

I'd like to find either the original black one or preferably the sexy as hell Mark of the Wolves version. Are there any import shops on the net that still carry these by any chance? I'd like to have one by time the MS Anthology releases in the US.. and should it not I'd like to have one for when I import Metal Slug 6.

In other news, there isn't enough ESP Galuda love in this thread.

And ohh yeah...