Japanese Xbox Releases

[Caedmon]

This is a previous gen thread, so in other words I'm only talking about original Xbox games here, not 360.

Anyway, I wanted to start a discussion on Xbox games with a distinctively Japanese identity. I'd prefer those also released in the US, but they can include games that were only released in Japan. Here are a few of the games I'd like to get started with:

Otogi: Myth of Demons
Otogi 2
Tenchu: Return from Darkness
Genma Onimusha
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Phantom Dust
Metal Wolf Chaos
etc.

Any comments or additions? Please do more than just listing games. I'd really appreciate your input. Thanks!

 

[Breetai]

This is a previous gen thread, so in other words I'm only talking about original Xbox games here, not 360.

Anyway, I wanted to start a discussion on Xbox games with a distinctively Japanese identity...

Ummm.... without being too racist, I'll try:

The Dead or Alive series? The Soul Caliber series? The Street Fighter, VS and every other Capcom fighting game series? The King of Fighters series? The Guilty Gear series? In other words, pretty much any good fighting game.

Most arcade and simulation racers like Outrun, Sega GT, etc.

Any shoot 'em up. Panzar Dragon, of course, but also Metal Slug 3, 4 and 5, The Shiki Gami no Shiro series, etc.

Quirky games like Shenmue 2, Jet Set Radio Future, etc.

Action games like Ninja Gaiden, Otogi, Dynasty Warriors, Tenchu, Omnimusha, Sonic, etc.

Any J-RPG.

In other words, pretty much the best of every genre other than first-person shooters, sandbox games (GTA style), PC RPGS (American stype RPGs that are best suited for computers, like Star Wars KOTOR, The Elder Scrolls, Baldur's Gate, etc., and sports (excluding soccer and baseball, where the Japanese DO make arguably the best games for those sports). The vast majority of the best games, IMO, are Japanese.


What are you looking for, exactly? I mean, Outrun 2006 SP, Panzar Dragoon, Metal Slug 5, Ninja Gaiden and Street Fighter 2 are all distinctively Japanese, but are completely different styles of games.

 

[Caedmon]

Oh man, I didn't mean to sound racist. :o I wasn't trying to single out the Japanese or make fun of them. I also like less publicized Korean releases, among other nations' releases, but I thought I'd limit it to one country. If anyone takes offense, I have no problem asking for the thread to be deleted.

I think what I really had in mind were games that didn't garner as much press or interest among the mainstream American audience, basically, Japanese releases that either slipped under the radar or weren't released here. For instance, I think that Phantom Dust is a really great Japanese release that (thankfully) made it over here, but didn't receive the attention that it deserved. So in other words really great Japanese games that, for whatever reason (unique gameplay, sheer difficulty, lack of publicity/interest, exclusive Japanese release, etc.), didn't get the American fan-base and gaming love that they should have gotten. I'm curious to see what games that I may have missed. I'm open to any genre. I think I'm also interested in Japanese games because I love learning about other languages and cultures in general, and Japanese language and culture are some of my specific interests (among others).

Again, if anyone feels uncomfortable about this thread, I'll have it deleted. I didn't explain it well enough. I hope I've clarified sufficiently. (I was really tired when I posted it.)

 

[Breetai]

Oh man, I didn't mean to sound racist. :o I wasn't trying to single out the Japanese or make fun of them. I also like less publicized Korean releases, among other nations' releases, but I thought I'd limit it to one country. If anyone takes offense, I have no problem asking for the thread to be deleted.

Don't worry. You might've a bit, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I do think *gasp* that racism has its place, and I've come to that conclusion after spending a bit more than four years in Korea and Japan, and it's not all together bad as long as its not taken to far on either a group level or individual level. I agree that a lot of Japanese games have a different feel. Is it racist to say that? I think it is. Or, if you don't want to call it "racist", call it "culturalist". You definitely didn't do any wrong by posting what you did, IMO! You did make a distinction between western and Japanese, which I find interesting because so many of us claim "I'm not racist" when actually it's a natural thing and not even a bad thing all the time.

I think what I really had in mind were games that didn't garner as much press or interest among the mainstream American audience, basically, Japanese releases that either slipped under the radar or weren't released here.

You mean like the gazillion pachinko and love story games? Yuck, no thank you!

For instance, I think that Phantom Dust is a really great Japanese release that (thankfully) made it over here, but didn't receive the attention that it deserved. So in other words really great Japanese games that, for whatever reason (unique gameplay, sheer difficulty, lack of publicity/interest, exclusive Japanese release, etc.), didn't get the American fan-base and gaming love that they should have gotten.

Shenmue and Panzar Dragoon definitely fall into this category, I think. Neither got the attention it deserved.

I'm curious to see what games that I may have missed. I'm open to any genre. I think I'm also interested in Japanese games because I love learning about other languages and cultures in general, and Japanese language and culture are some of my specific interests (among others).

To be honest, I'm not an x-pert on the Japanese X-Box... so if I gave you any more names, it's because I looked them up on the internet (or spent time browsing through titles in a used game shop). Of course, if you're into pro wrestling, there's a ton of Japanese wrestling games here. Same with baseball. Lots of Japanese baseball games. Forget the White Sox vs. the Yankees. How about the Nippon Ham Fighters vs. the Hiroshima Carp? Or, the classic showdown between the Yorimuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers?

 

[Caedmon]

Don't worry. You might've a bit, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I do think *gasp* that racism has its place, and I've come to that conclusion after spending a bit more than four years in Korea and Japan, and it's not all together bad as long as its not taken to far on either a group level or individual level. I agree that a lot of Japanese games have a different feel. Is it racist to say that? I think it is. Or, if you don't want to call it "racist", call it "culturalist". You definitely didn't do any wrong by posting what you did, IMO! You did make a distinction between western and Japanese, which I find interesting because so many of us claim "I'm not racist" when actually it's a natural thing and not even a bad thing all the time.

Well, I think that recognizing cultural differences isn't racism unless it inhibits someone else's freedoms. But I do understand the tension between "races," having seen some Korean friends getting in relationships with people from other countries, including the US and even China. I think that kind of reaction from parents is understandable, if not natural, in most any country, but esp. places with stricter cultural traditions, like Korea.

You mean like the gazillion pachinko and love story games? Yuck, no thank you!

Haha. I think those are cool too, I just don't play them.

Shenmue and Panzar Dragoon definitely fall into this category, I think. Neither got the attention it deserved.

I think when it comes to old-school rail shooters, the exclusive release of Panzer Dragoon Orta on the Xbox is about as good as you're going to get. Everything's near perfect, the gameplay, the visuals, the music.

To be honest, I'm not an x-pert on the Japanese X-Box... so if I gave you any more names, it's because I looked them up on the internet (or spent time browsing through titles in a used game shop). Of course, if you're into pro wrestling, there's a ton of Japanese wrestling games here. Same with baseball. Lots of Japanese baseball games. Forget the White Sox vs. the Yankees. How about the Nippon Ham Fighters vs. the Hiroshima Carp? Or, the classic showdown between the Yorimuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers?

I do love baseball. I mean, I'm not fanatical about it, like I don't have a devotion to a favorite team or anything, but every time I see it on TV, I have to watch, at least for a little while. It's hard to find a baseball game I can really get into though. Maybe I should try some Japanese releases. And I'm not really a fan of pro wrestling either, and I don't watch it on TV, even on impulse, but for some reason, it seems appealing to me in videogames, maybe because it's similar to fighting games (not that I'm anything more than a casual fighting game player).

 

[Breetai]

Haha. I think those are cool too, I just don't play them.

Pachinko games are not cool.

It's hard to find a baseball game I can really get into though.

Konami has a fun baseball series out called Jikkyo Powerful Pro Baseball. Instead of realistic players, it uses cartoon players and is more arcade style. It's pretty fun! I have no idea if any of the games have ever made it outside of Japan, or if it's even on the X-Box in Japan. (edit: there's a version on the Wii in America called MLB Power Pros).

All in all though, the selection of X-Box games in Japan is absolutely minisule compared to the PS2 or even the GC. Why not expand to those systems? I mean, is there a reason you're only interested in the X-Box?

 

[Caedmon]

Pachinko games are not cool.
Konami has a fun baseball series out called Jikkyo Powerful Pro Baseball. Instead of realistic players, it uses cartoon players and is more arcade style. It's pretty fun! I have no idea if any of the games have ever made it outside of Japan, or if it's even on the X-Box in Japan. (edit: there's a version on the Wii in America called MLB Power Pros).

All in all though, the selection of X-Box games in Japan is absolutely minisule compared to the PS2 or even the GC. Why not expand to those systems? I mean, is there a reason you're only interested in the X-Box?

Only because I'm most familiar with that console, and I think it has pretty nice graphics for its generation. Maybe I should try PS2 or GC for Japanese releases. I've got a PS2, but not a GC. Is PS2 (or GC) regionalized? [/ignorance]

 

[Breetai]

Only because I'm most familiar with that console, and I think it has pretty nice graphics for its generation. Maybe I should try PS2 or GC for Japanese releases. I've got a PS2, but not a GC. Is PS2 (or GC) regionalized? [/ignorance]

You'll find a TON of great JPN games on the GCN, and even more on the PS2. The selection of good JPN X-Box games compared to the other systems is pretty small.

Unfortunately, neither the PS2 or the GCN (or a lot of X-Box games) are region-free. You'll either need to get ahold of a Japanese system, mod your own system, or use another method (free loader disc on the GCN, swap magic disc on the PS2).

The ONLY system that I know of that are 100% region-free are the Gameboy (original, Color and Advance), DS, Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, TurboDuo (CD games only), 3DO and PS3. Others that have partial region-protection (meaning that some games are region free, while others are not) include the Genesis, X-Box and X-Box 360. Moreso, some consoles only have physical region locking, meaning that usually the cartridges are different sizes, but if you can get around that, the games will work just fine. For example, on the Genesis, the Japanese carts are a different shape than the American carts... but if you put a JPN cart on a Game Genie, it will work in an American(or PAL) system if there isn't region protection in the game itself (Sonic & Knuckles JPN works fine with a Game Genie, but Sonic 3 JPN doesn't becasue of its region locking). Consoles in this category are the NES, SNES, N64, Master System and Genesis. Other systems are region protected and need to be modified on their motherboard in order to play imports. These would be the , Turbographx-16, Sega CD, 32X, Saturn, Playstation, Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, X-Box (although some games are region-free), X-Box 360 (although some games are region-free), and the Wii.