What is your most RECENT import? Post often!

[luffy744]

I went a bit crazy shopping for new goodies for my Megadrive over the last week, got two packages today contianing (all complete, all japanese):

Alisia Dragoon
Musha Aleste
Strider Hiryuu
Bare Knuckle 2
Sonic 2
Golden Axe 2
Thunder Force 3
Raiden Densetsu

God Japanese cover art is so much better than the US versions.

I am in 16-bit Sega heaven right now. 8-)

[Spartacus]

http://tinypic.com/hve55c.jpg


Atlantis no Nazo (Mystery of Atlantis) -Japan only by Sunsoft 1986
This is one of the games in the Japan only NES games thread, so I picked it up. I have a Pitfall II for my Atari 5200, so it's nice to have a completely different and much better looking version for the NES. In the game you're an explorer who's looking for treasure chests and a door to get out of each level within a time limit. You can jump/duck and throw bombs and you meet up with plenty of enemies who can kill you with a single touch! You get just 7 lives to get through (I'm told) 100+ levels! So far, I haven't found any way to increase the number of lives I have or even the amount of time I'm given to complete the level. Nice enough game, but just way to tough for me!
On a side note, it was interesting to read that DreamTR has the only known proto type of a planned US version called Super Pitfall 2. I've heard that name before somewhere.
GAMEPLAY:8
GRAPHICS:8
SOUND:8
ENGLISH FRIENDLY:10
OVERALL: 8 - but way too hard!!!
http://tinypic.com/hve5ao.jpg



ASO: Armored Scrum Object by SNK 1986 aka Alpha Mission
Well OK, so I didn't know this was their version of Alpha mission until after I got it. [shrug] Well, at least the artwork is different, but I actually prefer Alpha Missions!
I think this game would be a lot better if you didn't have to completely restart the level when you get hit.
GAMEPLAY:7
GRAPHICS:7
SOUND:7
ENGLISH FRIENDLY:10
OVERALL:7 old school
http://tinypic.com/hve5g2.png



Astro Robo Sasa -Japan only by Ascii 1985
Now this game is FUN! In a nutshell, the game is about collecting all the energy cells on a level before you run out of energy, in order to move onto the next level. You control an armed spaceman looking fellow with the D Pad. On the land you can walk left or right. If you push up you'll lie on your back. If you push down you'll lie face down. Each time you fire the gun while you are off the ground you'll move in the opposite direction you're facing/firing in a low gravity type situation. One single shot will not shoot you across the screen, but will start to give you momentum in that direction until gravity takes over again. Your energy level decreases by one point every time you shoot and the game will end when your energy is depleted, so the trick is to get all of the energy available using the least amount of shots. That would be simple except that the game throws in something interesting at you on each level that keeps you from just standing around not using up energy. Plus if you come into contact with any of them, you will give you an electrical shock that REALLY reduces your energy. You'll see cows wandering around, rolling barrels, flying scissors, and shooting helicopters, just to name a few. It's pretty cute and lots of fun!
GAMEPLAY:10
GRAPHICS:9
SOUND:7
ENGLISH FRIENDLY:10
OVERALL:9
http://tinypic.com/hve5j8.gif



Attack Animal Gakuen -Japan only by Pony Canyon 1987
Here's a game with a Japanese schoolgirl and it's about the closest thing I have to an upskirt video. The gameplay is identical to Space Harrier and you'll be blasting away at animals that attack you. Six levels with an endboss at the end of each. The Japanese are certainly fascinated by schoolgirls and if you are too, it may have some charm, but the animals aren't very interesting and the game is short and hard.
GAMEPLAY:5
GRAPHICS:4
SOUND:3
ENGLISH FRIENDLY:10
OVERALL:4
http://tinypic.com/hve5o6.png



Bird Week -Japan only by Toshiba EMI 1986
Another game from the Japan only NES games thread. I think if I wasn't a parent I would have liked his game more. You play as a momma/pappa bird that hunts for insects to bring back to the nest to feed baby birds that fly off when they've been given enough to eat. There are enemies in the air and on the ground that can kill you with one touch, but you can pick mushrooms up off of the ground and bomb them. Everything in the air has an up/down floaty aspect to it and the controls take some getting used to and seemed a bit unresponsive at times. If the game didn't remind me so much of real life, endlessly feeding kids, I might have liked it more.
GAMEPLAY:7
GRAPHICS:8 nice pastel colors
SOUND:7
ENGLISH FRIENDLY:10
OVERALL:8
http://tinypic.com/hve5qc.jpg



Cosmo Genesis -Japan only by ASCII 1986
A cockpit view space shooter that I simply could not figure out! Wish I could tell you more about it but, even though it appears simple enough, I couldn't shoot down anything in the game. It has a space map screen to guide you, frickin lasers and a throttle, but I got nowhere in the game after several attemps!
GAMEPLAY:?
GRAPHICS:5
SOUND:5
ENGLISH FRIENDLY:0
OVERALL:?
http://tinypic.com/hve5ur.jpg



Gyrodine -Japan only by Taito 1986
I liked this game! A simple scrolling helicopter shooter with a pretty good weapons scheme. You'll fly across various terrain and come up against gun emplacements, ships, tanks, jets, dirigible balloons, and other helicopters, of course. You're given machine guns and (I believe cannon - of sorts) that can be aimed at air and land targets depending on which button you press. Pressing two buttons together will launch a fire and forget homing missile. Cool! I liked the fact that you can outrun/out maneuver enemy shots, including their homing missiles, so you have a decent chance at the game. Moby games says it has no levels, but there are points in the game when the scrolling stops and you have to take out an end boss like scenario, be it a fortress of gun emplacements or big ships firing cannons.
This is a Taito arcade game that was also released on the MSX and NES.
On an interesting note, this was the only game developed by a company called Clax before going bankrupt. Some of this team would go on to form Toaplan.
GAMEPLAY:9
GRAPHICS:8
SOUND:7
ENGLISH FRIENDLY:10
OVERALL:8.5
http://tinypic.com/hve5x5.png



Penguin Kun Wars -Japan only by ASCII 1985
A game that I really enjoyed! I wish I knew what Kun means though. You are a penguin who plays best of three timed rounds to win a match against an opponent across the table from you. There are 5 balls on each side of the table when the game starts and whoever has the most balls on his side of the table when the time runs out loses. So you're trying to chuck all of your balls over to the other side while your opponent is trying to do the same thing. You can move from side to side on the table while you chuck a ball to put some angle on the ball and bounce it off a side rail. You can also throw a ball and deflect an incoming ball coming right at you. If you hit your opponent, it will temporarily stun him, giving you a second or two to really chuck a lot of balls over to his side. If he hits you, you get stunned and can fall behind quickly. If either of you gets all the balls on the opponents side before the timer runs out, you win automatically with a perfect score. Simple to play with a lot of strategy! I love games like that. The penguin has good animation and will cry when he loses and clap with glee when he wins. The game will show you climbing up a hierarchy with each match, with variations on gameplay as you win matches, until you reach the championship game. Up to eight people can play, by taking turns. The game is a port of a UPL arcade game. Great fun!
GAMEPLAY:10
GRAPHICS:9
SOUND:9
ENGLISH FRIENDLY:10
OVERALL:9.5
http://tinypic.com/hve63m.jpg



Ucuusen: Cosmo Carrier -Japan only by Jaleco 1987
This game seemed pretty promising and I did enjoy screwing around with it, but it has so much depth to it that it pretty much requires being able to read Japanese. It's a space shooter with an almost RPG type quality to it. It's a shame, because I really think I would have enjoyed it if only I could have understood.
GAMEPLAY:?
GRAPHICS:8
SOUND:7
ENGLISH FRIENDLY:2 (Some menus in English, but not enough!)
OVERALL:?
http://tinypic.com/hve7gk.gif


All of these games were listed individually by a single seller on Ebay. After contacting him, I negotiated a deal that I would pay $3 each for the games, plus $4 each for shipping.
I certainly don't mention what I pay for games to brag. I buy on Ebay, where there's seldom any reason to brag about. I just figure that somebody who's considering getting into imports can read my post and have some kind of reference to cost.

[Julio III]

Hanagumi Taisen Columns 2 for Dreamcast arrived today however it doesn't support VGA so can't play it at the moment. Hopefully Puyo Puyo 4 will be arriving in the next couple of days also and hopefully that does support VGA

[luffy744]

My Sega rampage continued yesterday and today, when I recieved:

Monster World 4 (Megadrive)
Sonic CD (MegaCD)

Still waiting on a couple more packages, hopefully they arrive this week.

[Aridyme]

Received my Berserk, Final Fantasy Tactics, Minna Daisuki Katamari Damacy, Taiko no Tatsujin 3, Wanda to Kyouzou, and Nico DVD!

Also have Virtual On Marz on the way.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

Recently bought complete copies of Shin Nekketsu Kouha: Kunio Tachi no Banka, Ganbare Goemon Kirakira Douchuu and Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Dai Boken for the Super Famicom off of Gaijinpunch.

[Tron 2.0]

Since i, got both imports threads mix up i'll mention it again :embarrassed:

PCE
Chiki Chiki Boys :D

[Julio III]

Couple of Dreamcast games:

Puyo Puyo 4
Ikaruga

[Tachikoma]

Just got a new non-arcade style IIDX controller.

[luffy744]

Nabbed the following off ebay for a total of $22 shipped:

Japanese Saturn:

Burning Rangers (didn't come with the extra music cd, but I knew that going in)
Detana Twinbee Yahoo Deluxe Pack

[evil_genius]

I got 2 copies of Radiant Silvergun on the way and I am waiting patiently.

[luffy744]

I have spent way way too much this month and last, hopefully I get some nice christmas money to help make up for it. @_@

Arrived today:

Shadow Dancer (Megadrive)
Ys Book 1-2 (PC Engine CD)
Popful Mail (Mega CD, brand new!)
Final Fight CD (Mega CD, brand new!)

Played the Mega CD stuff on Kega for a little bit, still waiting for my actual Mega CD system to arrive. 8-)

I think I'm gonna hold off buying anything new for a while and actually play through some of this stuff... I also have a HUGE Saturn bundle on the way, but it's mainly US stuff...

[importaku]

Got jpn sonic rush & oideyo doubutsu no mori (animal crossing) for DS.

Online is going to be a blast on doubutsu no mori.

[dj898]

here are things I picked up in Korea as well as few titles I bought from local EB. :D

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/112/p10506884hh.jpg

Pokemon Edition of GB Micro. I was shopping for DS but when I saw this I had to have it since I also have Pokemon edition GBA-SP... Bit hard to get as many places were sold out whereas 20th Anniv. Famicom version was every where... ? also had hard time to find JPN release of MSAdv sealed as most of places were selling US bootleg... :(

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/209/p10506893ae.jpg

Half-Life 2 is Asian version that I picked up for just over 100 HK$ at TRU and God of War, Sakura Taisen 3 LE, GT4 LE, Come On Baby are Korean version I picked up while I was in Seoul. The rest are brand new PAL releases that I bought from local EB on 50% off day with half the price of RRP knocked off except the Biohazard 4 LE that's from p-a with metal gun - I'm collecting the other three gun models btw...

[Spartacus]

http://tinypic.com/ifydye.jpg



Oh! Bakkyoun/Ghoul Panic is a light gun video game that has a total of 53 mini games all with a haunted house theme. After 4 mini games are completed the player must battle a area boss. This Playstation conversion of the arcade game offers 3 extra extra game modes plus difficulty levels. The ghouls and ghosts in the game are done with an emphasis on cuteness, making the game child friendly. Unfortunately this Japanese version has many menus and little English, but once you do get to where the shooting starts you'll see a very nice looking and fun playing game. A well done Namco port of the Eighting/Raizing arcade game. Released only in Japan and Europe, I choose the safer bet Japanese version when I saw it for $14.99 new on Ebay.
GAMEPLAY: 9
GRAPHICS: 9
SOUND: 9
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 1 (Everything but the scores are in Japanese)
OVERALL: 9

http://tinypic.com/ifye75.jpg



The Operation Deathwing can be completed with just 4 missions in this 1st person space combat game, but missions 2 and 3 are branching, giving you reason to play thru it a few times to see everything. All in-flight information, including the voice of your Bitchin' Betty are in English. Each mission starts with a Japanese narrated cutscene displaying your primary targets and it's defenses in wire frame mode. Aggressive enemy fighter's protecting the primary targets provides fast turn and burn dogfighting gameplay and is the highlight of the game. Fortunately for you, you have shields that will SLOWLY regenerate while your numerically superior opponents do not. Once you managed to clear out the covering fighters you can concentrate on destroying your primary objectives, typically a large space or ground platform. Besides your main gun, with its unlimited supply of ammunition, you're given 3 types of homing weapons of limited quantity. Active radar screens in the cockpit targets and identifies your primary targets so you'll never become disoriented as to which way to go. Which leads you to the games main drawback, it does not do a very good job with scaling large objects. Huge spacecraft will appear as a small target box until you are almost right on top of them. It's very confusing, completely unrealistic and effectively destroys whatever suspension of disbelief the game managed to muster. The game tries hard by giving you multiple missions types, then let's you down by uninspired planets that use a single tileset for the entire surface. The Operation Deathwing was made by a group of enthusiasts who came together to form CyberTech Designs. This is the only game they made before disbanding and if they had spent more time polishing it, they might still be around. As it is, Deathwing just barely manages to be average. Picked up this copy on Ebay for $22.
GAMEPLAY: 5
GRAPHICS: 5
SOUND: 5
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 9 ( Mostly English text and voices)
OVERALL: 5

http://tinypic.com/ifyefr.jpg



Star Ixiom is the follow up to Namco's Star Luster arcade game, which was also released for the Famicom. As far as I know, this game is the final installment for Namco's Star series of games. At it's heart it's a space shooter, but it adds strategy elements by providing you with choices about where to attack and where to defend. The game is very well done with interesting enemies, planets, power stations and bases. There's plenty of NPC's to converse with at the bases, whom I'm sure are telling you vital information, unfortunately it's all in Japanese. Since you're going to be deprived of the epic story, you can at least console yourself with satisfying space combat gameplay with better than average graphics. All the large ships, planets and effects look quite good and I could sense that Namco wanted this game to be the jewel in the series. Found it on Ebay for $4.99
GAMEPLAY: 7
GRAPHICS: 9
SOUND: 7
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 5 (Playable - without understanding the story)
OVERALL: 7.5

http://tinypic.com/ifyeme.jpg


The entire Namco Star saga as I understand it.
http://tinypic.com/ifyetz.jpg

[klausien]

The entire Namco Star saga as I understand it.
http://tinypic.com/ifyetz.jpg

I am a huge fan of this series as well. Star Ixiom is pretty cool. I need to pick up a copy of Star Luster myself.

There is also a System 246 Starblade 2 that never went beyond test: http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=543&page=1#1390 How great would that have been!?! I wish they would have at least released a PS2 version.

Back to topic, I recently picked up Real Bout Fatal Fury Best Collection, Fatal Fury 3 & Hyper Reverthion for Saturn. I never played the Real Bout games before getting them in the mail and I must say that Real Bout Special is especially excellent.

[Spartacus]

I am a huge fan of this series as well. Star Ixiom is pretty cool. I need to pick up a copy of Star Luster myself.


You'd be amazed at how much Star Luster and Star Ixiom have in common. Being only 8bit, Star Luster cuts right to the chase and just gives you the action part, though the map section is still included.



There is also a System 246 Starblade 2 that never went beyond test: http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=543&page=1#1390 How great would that have been!?! I wish they would have at least released a PS2 version.


I didn't know about that one, thanks for the link! That does look good!

[icbrkr]

Candy Pink Japanese DS
Bubble Bobble DS
Animal Forest (N64)
Dobutso Bancho for the GC
and a PC Engine Duo-R (white)

[Aridyme]

Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne.

[klausien]

Got Star Luster from Joe's store :D

[Hokkus]

For Saturn:
Bulk Slash
Linkle Liver Story
Ronde

[Mr.collection]

just got a SFC a boxed mother, mother 2, final fight and some other games but it is the first thing that i have imported

[DTJAAAAMJSLM]

NeoGeo Battle Coliseum arrived in the mail today! So far, it's been rather underwhelming. I guess that's what happens when you hype up a game in your head for about two years...

[mb7241]

Recently, I found a Japanese copy of Namco Museum (PSP) at a local game store. It wasn't cheap ($35), but it's in near-mint-plus condition. I think I'll hang onto it for a while...

[dj898]

latest pick up with x-mas discount sales period...
two more 18+ rated title I found over here - for games MA15+ is the highest we have over here... :( Still Life is another 18+ titles though it's covered with MA15+ sticker)

and those two Bandai MG kits were for a small diorama project... :P

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/6956/p10507363bw.jpg

[dj898]

my second Saturn FDD, third Keyboard, 2nd new arcade stick turned up yesterday along with my old stock (never used brand new basically) Sanyo 3DO Try box set... Oh there were other few small items as well like official smoke black DC case top, Hori PS dual analog stick box set, Cotton omake ocha cup (to be add'd to missus collection)...

I will see whether I can take some pictures tonite... :P

[davidbrit2]

I just got my Monkey Ball DS today. Overall, it's extremely good, but I'm hoping there are still some hidden Extra stages that I haven't discovered yet. Otherwise I've already cleared all the stages. Heh. I haven't tried the various mini games yet, but they look good.

[Spartacus]

http://tinypic.com/jic51j.jpg

For some reason they've been asking me to pull a lot of overtime at work. In fact I didn't get a single day off between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm exhausted and beat, but I do have a minor windfall that I should probably do something mature, something responsible, something adult with. Then again, I could just spend it on imports! And as long as my boss is buying them, I figured I should grab as many as I can of the kind that feels like I'm ripping off a band aid when I click the BUY button! Starting with this monstrosity!!!!

Hyper Duel - Technosoft's classic 2D horizontal shooter with both the original arcade game and a graphically enhanced Saturn version. Choose from three different fighter ships that remind you very much of the Thunderforce ships, which can transform on the fly into to mech-style robot called "Buster Gears". You can also pick up "mini" fighters and gears that will fight along side of you.

What I liked: The game moves along at a good clip with no slow down that I've seen so far. Transforming between a fighter and a mech is a nice game mechanic. Using a continue gives you the option to switch to another ship type. Each ship & gear has it's own unique weapons. 2 player option.

What I disliked: While playing as a mech your aim is pointed either up or down at a 45-degree angle. I know that's a part of the game mechanic to be able to attack all of the stuff that's attached to or traveling along the floor and ceiling, but it's difficult to aim.

Easy to find one on Ebay in the $90 range and that's what I coughed up for it. I'm clueless as to why this game fetches the price it does. Must be a lot of Technosoft fans out there.
GAMEPLAY: 9
GRAPHICS: 8
SOUND: 8
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 10
OVERALL: 7.5 (Takes a hit here because it really doesn't stand head over shoulders above Saturn shooters costing half as much!)
http://tinypic.com/jic55l.jpg



Game Tenkgoku (Paradise) - Jaleco's parody shooter about an arcade being taken over by some evil handle bar mustached dude who infects all of the game machines. The arcade owner calls on different characters from Jaleco coin-op games to remove him. Pretty standard shoot-em-up with power-ups for increased firepower, mini side-ships and a mega bomb. Jaleco added two bonus levels (eight levels in all) for this Saturn port, including a Tate mode.

What I liked: This game is PACKED with anime, voice work and game options, including extra story and time attack modes using different backgrounds. Very cool game! You'll battle your way through through pinball machines, crane machines and even old school vector graphics games, the list just goes on and on! The game covers SO many different arcade games I couldn't even begin to list them all! One of my favorites had you fighting through some cars racing along a track and when you shot one it would jump up and flip over causing other cars to smash into a flaming pileup. Neato!

What I disliked: No fault of the game, but there's a bonus section that goes into great detail about the history of some of Jaleco's coin-ops. I really would have liked to be able to understand it. The LE edition included a VHS tape with about 15 minutes of anime based on the game and the remaining 45 minutes is a documentary about the voice actors. I would have much preferred it were all anime.

I found the LE edition on Ebay with a $55 BIN.
GAMEPLAY: 9
GRAPHICS: 9
SOUND: 10
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 0 (Not much help with the Japanese in this game)
OVERALL: 10 (I can't think of another import game I've bought and felt like I got more than my monies worth like I have with this. Every menu screen is done with talking anime. The longer I played it the more I was amazed at how much they were able to get on a single cd. The amount of effort and extra's that went into this is impressive!)
http://tinypic.com/jic56s.jpg



Hermie Hopperhead in Scrap Panic - by Sony is a 2D platformer about a boy who falls through a garbage pail into a scrap yard world of menacing garbage (I'm not kidding). There he will find lots of stars to collect and eggs with feet who will follow and help him along the way. He can give the stars he finds to his egg buddies and "breed" them into penguins, turtles, chickens and dragons, making them even more powerful allies. Nothing particularly outstanding graphics wise, but it is colorful with parallax scrolling.

What I liked: Pretty standard fare here, but it is a long game with multiple levels. This game never left Japan and nothing's in Japanese.

What I disliked: It's so easy to lose the egg's you've been feeding your stars to that you really can't justify doing it unless you need some temporary help to get past a difficult level.

Got it for $12.95 from JapanGameStock
GAMEPLAY: 7
GRAPHICS: 7
SOUND: 7
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 10
OVERALL: 7.5
http://tinypic.com/jic582.jpg



Steam Hearts is shooter from TGL with a good deal of disturbing anime. As I understand it, TGL had a sub branch called Giga who was responsible for it's Hgames. The Saturn version has an Original mode with long anime scenes before each level and an Arcade mode that just plays the shooter levels without the anime.

What I liked: I love mecha games with an emphasis on "realism", so the worst thing for me to see is the Japanese turn powerful combat machines into dorks wearing samurai hats holding some gigantic laser sword. So when I picked up a power up playing Steam Hearts that stuck a sword on the front of my ship, I reached for the wastebasket with one hand in case I was going to hurl. Much to my delight and surprise I found I could wave yon laser sword completely around my ship with my D pad. It's not the end all be all weapon of the game, but it WAS fun swishing it around and frankly it sounds cool too! The game is just loaded with different kinds of power ups!

What I disliked: The game probably could have been done on the Genesis/SNES graphics wise, although there's a lot of weapon discharges that were probably too much for either system to handle. In fact, in a few places it noticeably slowed down the game on the Saturn. Being a T&A fan, I'm surprised how little I enjoyed the slide show anime between levels. I found listening to multiple sessions of rape victims crying rather depressing. And watching a brother and sister rape team in action, with the sister being the muscle no less, rather revolting. Finally, a "Mature" rated game that gives you maybe two or three seconds of nippleless breasts is something of a disappointment. One can only hope that there's a "Hot Coffee" mod for this floating around somewhere!

$69 on Ebay was the best deal I could find for it when I looked.
GAMEPLAY: 8
GRAPHICS: 7
SOUND: 7
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 0 (All Japanese)
OVERALL: 8 (I actually enjoyed the shooter portion.)
http://tinypic.com/jic5c8.jpg



Gatchaman: the Shooting is by Bandai, which I know could spell trouble for a lot of people. As I understand it the Gatchaman anime went by the name of Battle of the Planets in the US and to be honest with you I've never heard of it. Perhaps someone who had would know all the characters and the game would have more significance. It's a vertical shooter with 5 two-stage levels featuring 5 mid bosses and 5 end bosses. You play the game using 4 young characters that don bird masks and capes to battle evil. They all have their own unique weapons, power ups, bombs and vehicles. They team up together for the last level.

What I liked: It's an anime based shooter, so everything is colorful and cartoony and the cheesyness kinda grew on me. I thought the game was too easy at first, but then began noticing that the game was being subtly ramped up in difficulty as I played on. I have yet to beat the 3rd level final endboss! Truthfully, it's an enjoyable game.

What I disliked: You'll see a lot of the same enemies and that can seem a bit repetitive, but if they intended to keep the gameplay true to the anime, I guess you would have to expect that. The boss's were always unique. No repeat firing forces you to tap the fire button continuously.

$29.95 BIN on Ebay. I'm familiar with this particular seller on Ebay and know this is not a good deal!
GAMEPLAY: 8
GRAPHICS: 9
SOUND: 8
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 0 (It's a shooter, so it's very playable)
OVERALL: 8
http://tinypic.com/jic5dd.jpg



Lattice: 200EC7 was released by Majorwave, a subsidiary of Konami for low priced games. It's a rail shooter with multiple paths across a large three dimensional object that gives a very strong maze element to the gameplay. Many objects, some mindlessly, some menacingly, swirl and hover about the rail and will damage you if you run into them. The rail is four sided and allows you to spiral out of the path of any objects that can't be destroyed, such as walls. It's a neat trick that also let's you navigate your way through the maze, but it can become disorienting. You can reverse your course at any time, but you can never stop, so the game requires you to constantly stay on your toes. Find special energy canisters and destroy them to open up new paths in the maze. You can also find power ups to increase your firepower, give you the ability to jump over obstacles and repair damage to your health.

What I liked: I don't like rail shooters much myself, but this one isn't like anything I've played before. The game places you into a very strange surrealistic world with an appropriate techno beat music to listen to. There are a tremendous variety of things swirling around you while you play. Some are solid, some are transparent, some glow, and all with nicely done graphics so the game puts on quite a show.

What I disliked: Everything you've cleared away with your guns will simply return eventually, so you'll never be able to create a safe stretch to relax a little.

I picked this copy up for $22 as the highest bidder on Ebay.
GAMEPLAY: 8
GRAPHICS: 9
SOUND: 8
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 10
OVERALL: 8
http://tinypic.com/jic5ep.jpg



Namco Museum Vol. 6 (Encore) has seven coin-op games, many of which received ports to various other consoles. King and Balloon plays like Space Invaders with a crossbow. SkyKid is a bi-plane horizontal shooter. Rolling Thunder is a horizontal-scrolling secret agent shooter. Motos (F-GP) is an overhead bumper car game. Wonder Momo is a monster fighting girl platform game. Rompers is a key collecting maze game. And Dragon Saber is vertical dragon shooter.

What I liked: It's nice to be able to play games that weren't ported to consoles I own and there's a nice mix of games in here, but I bought the game primarily to play Dragon Saber, the sequel to NES Dragon Spirit. Dragon Saber has lots of cool looking enemies and if you push the select button while playing you can hear the dragon scream!

What I disliked: The ridiculously short-ranged ground attack weapon in Dragon Saber!

Picked up it on Ebay with a $29.95 BIN from the same seller I bought Gatchaman from so I'm sure this is not a good price!
GAMEPLAY: 8
GRAPHICS: 8
SOUND: 8
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 0
OVERALL: 8
http://tinypic.com/jic5fl.png



Zunou Senkan Galg by DB Soft calls itself a Scroll RPG. It's a vertical shooter, hence the scroll part, and you're trying to collect 100 parts of the "enemy". That would be the RPG part. The game branches at the end of each level forcing you choose which path to take to find more parts and there's also teleporters to whisk you to different areas!

What I liked: It's got a good shooter game with plenty of variation's of enemy to fight.

What I disliked: Three lives to get 100 pieces? You've gotta be kidding!

Found it on Ebay with a $5 BIN.
GAMEPLAY: 6
GRAPHICS: 8
SOUND: 7
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 10
OVERALL: 5 (It would be much higher if I could get more lives!)
http://tinypic.com/jic5j5.gif

[Fighter17]

Twin Hawk Megadrive import.

[KJN]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/neopokekun/various/jimp01.jpg
Some of my reasent JP games include Rhyme Rhider Kerorikan (WSC), Digimon Battle Spirits ver 1.5 (WSC), Buffers Evolution (WS), Mushihimesama (limited edition with figure) (PS2), Oretachi Geasen Zoku Sono: Time Pilot (PS2) and Dokodemo Mahjong (NGPC).

Been wanting Mushihimesama for quite a while. Great game, get it.


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/neopokekun/various/oretachigeasenzokusonotimepilot.jpg
Oretachi Geasen Zoku Sono (http://www.hamster.co.jp/products/orga.htm) is a budget series from Hamster dedicated to direct ports of old arcade games. Each release only contains one game (and only the original, no remake) but at least it has lots of options, including TATE mode, screen zoom, etc. Each release also comes with the following:

* A mini CD with all the music and sound effects from the game (each sfx has it's own track) + a coupple of remixes.

* A mini DVD with a super play movie, one of the music remixes with a visualizer style video and a trailer for the series.

* A trading card.

* A miniature strategy guide.

Also the manual has several pictures of the original arcade board.

Other games in the series are Scramble, Crazy Climber, Karate Michi, Moon Cresta, Time Pilot, Sonic Wings, Burger Time, Super Volleyball, Terra Cresta, Yie Ar Kung Fu, Quarth and Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun.

[drwily008]

Spartacus, your reviews rule! I have been super strapped for cash lately and can't afford to buy much.

Man, I've been missing my import fix...I'll get around to some reveiw soon!

[blue lander]

I assume when most people think of imports they think of "Japan." But my last batch of games came from the UK. I recently got Sorcery, Super Ted, Galletron, Rogue Trooper, Zub, Chimera, and Storm for the Amstrad CPC, and Astro Plumber, Roboto, Jet Power Jack, Bumble Bee, and Stormcycle for the Acorn Electron.

So far I've only played Bumble Bee and Stormcycle. Bumble Bee is a Ladybug clone, and Stormcycle is a pretty simple platforming game. Stormcycle isn't that good, but Bumble Bee is okay. The main difference between it and Ladybug is that there are no special items to collect and the enemy bugs seem to be more aware of you than roaming around randomly like in Ladybug.

[Spartacus]

Oretachi Geasen Zoku Sono is a budget series from Hamster dedicated to direct ports of old arcade games. Each release only contains one game (and only the original, no remake) but at least it has lots of options, including TATE mode, screen zoom, etc. Each release also comes with the following:

* A mini CD with all the music and sound effects from the game (each sfx has it's own track) + a coupple of remixes.

* A mini DVD with a super play movie, one of the music remixes with a visualizer style video and a trailer for the series.

* A trading card.

* A miniature strategy guide.

Also the manual has several pictures of the original arcade board.

Other games in the series are Scramble, Crazy Climber, Karate Michi, Moon Cresta, Time Pilot, Sonic Wings, Burger Time, Super Volleyball, Terra Cresta, Yie Ar Kung Fu, Quarth and Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun.

Thanks for explaining about those Oretachi Geasen Zoku Sono games KJN. I was wondering why they released singles of old arcade games and not put them all in a compilation. Never knew about all the stuff that came with each game. Konami Arcade Classics for the PS1 has Time Pilot on it and that's how I got to play it. Classic game!




Been wanting Mushihimesama for quite a while. Great game, get it.


I am so jealous! Someday, I hope!




Spartacus, your reviews rule! I have been super strapped for cash lately and can't afford to buy much.

Man, I've been missing my import fix...I'll get around to some reveiw soon!

Thank you, drwily008! It's been a great for me too because I often fall into the habit of just expending all of my time towards finding games and never giving them any more play time than just a quick test to see that they work. Sitting myself down to give a short review on these imports has had me playing games more than I probably would have otherwise. And that's what it's supposed to be all about. I've been having a ball lately!
I often go LONG spells where I don't have the money for imports. I don't have them budgeted, so whenever the overtime picks up I try to do the best I can to give myself an import fix.

[Ed Oscuro]

Thanks for the heads-up, KJN!

My addition today was Midnight Resistance, Mega Drive. Got it from dojar, and it's in perfect shape just as advertised. Only problem was it was sent in a bubble mailer so the clamshell case was collapsed inwards. Didn't seem to damage the case, though it would be nice if it'd been sent in a box...

[dj898]

some old stuff and some new...

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/3757/p10508219ld.th.jpg (http://img65.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10508219ld.jpg)
(Anyone know what that GB memory cart is for?)
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/1747/p10508259yc.th.jpg (http://img65.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10508259yc.jpg)
(my 2nd Saturn FDD)
http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/9080/p10508208bb.th.jpg (http://img57.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10508208bb.jpg)
(3DO Flight Stick brand new in box)
http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/8333/p10508197qq.th.jpg (http://img234.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10508197qq.jpg)
(JPN Xbox Grand Thef Auto Double Pack promo pack inc. OST CD sealed, Demo DVD disc, big poster not shown, small poster and pop-up)
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/9334/p10508227dx.th.jpg (http://img65.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p10508227dx.jpg)
(my 2nd Sanyo TRY 3DO console for next to nothing)

[Ed Oscuro]

Newest stuff:

Some flyers from GaijinPunch (!! AWESOME) / import copy of Biohazard (GC remake, great stuff inside IMO - you know, a 59 block memory card and a sticker sheet to let you put stickers on two more). I think I got my FM Towns Galaxy Force II the same day. Much older than Viewpoint, it turns out - this was almost a release game for the FM Towns, but (disregarding the smooth plastic of the shrinking type) it's in better shape). Box is a bit smaller all around, too.

You know what that means? That means Ed has a Galaxy Force II soundtrack for his car, hallelujah! (I'll make a copy of it with Alcohol 120%)

[Fighter17]

Comming in the mail is Soukyuu Gurentai for the Saturn. This is one of the best shmups for the Saturn, and one of the best from Raizing. ;)

Comes with everything except Spine Card, which I don't care at all.

[roushimsx]

some old stuff and some new...


how much are you finding those Saturn FDDs for? I really need one :(

Sadly, my next import won't be until the end of march when my little order from Play-Asia comes in. Under Defeat and Radirgy, hell yea! (and of course I forgot to order Ibara, son of a bitch :( )

[dj898]

this second one which is complete mint cost me U$95 while the first one cost me close to U$70 few years back - it was missing DC adaptor so I haggled the price down a bit...

really it's not much of use unless you play PDS and save at every single stage or something or creating shooting game with dezaemon(?). :P

[Tron 2.0]

Famicom
The Goonies CIB

[DTJAAAAMJSLM]

Sweet Home for the Famicom!

[warswift]

Bought Yu Yu Hakusho Forever for ps2 :)

[le geek]

Chaos Field for DC...

Cheers,
Ben

[Tron 2.0]

Got both of these Famicom games of,off Ebay.

Metroid
http://pz480.hp.infoseek.co.jp/img_019/MET1.jpg

Crisis Force
http://i19.ebayimg.com/02/i/05/f9/a8/8e_1_b.JPG

[lol monster]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/neopokekun/various/oretachigeasenzokusonotimepilot.jpg
Oretachi Geasen Zoku Sono (http://www.hamster.co.jp/products/orga.htm) is a budget series from Hamster dedicated to direct ports of old arcade games. Each release only contains one game (and only the original, no remake) but at least it has lots of options, including TATE mode, screen zoom, etc. Each release also comes with the following:

* A mini CD with all the music and sound effects from the game (each sfx has it's own track) + a coupple of remixes.

* A mini DVD with a super play movie, one of the music remixes with a visualizer style video and a trailer for the series.

* A trading card.

* A miniature strategy guide.

Also the manual has several pictures of the original arcade board.

Other games in the series are Scramble, Crazy Climber, Karate Michi, Moon Cresta, Time Pilot, Sonic Wings, Burger Time, Super Volleyball, Terra Cresta, Yie Ar Kung Fu, Quarth and Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun.

and i take it all of those games are formated to fit on the little cocktail tables?

[Lord Contaminous]

Dragon Spirit (PC Engine)

Tron 2.0: On the Crisis Force :cheers:

[davidbrit2]

I just got my copy of DJ Max Portable yesterday. If you have a PSP and are a fan of music games, then you've got no excuse not to order this. My only complaints are that the song result screen looks like it was made in about 10 minutes with MS Paint, and the loading times are a little bit harsh (though no worse than the older arcade versions of Pump it Up). The music is excellent, and it's got over 50 songs. The difficulty ranges from positively boring to absolutely horrifying, so there's plenty to cut your teeth on.

[agent709]

My most recent imports were from May '05... I ordered Touch!Kirby and Electroplankton, as well as a Nintendogs stylus shell. The stylus:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/nomoreregistering/Touch%20Pen%20Nintendogs%20Version/DSC01553.jpg

[Tron 2.0]

Tron 2.0: On the Crisis Force :cheers:
Thanks it is a damn good shooter that's for sure.

Rather a shame, Konami couldn't have done a, U.S release for it.

[lol monster]

i am jealous of Mushihimesama,do you know of anywhere where i could get the limited edition still?

[DTJAAAAMJSLM]

Samurai Spirits: Tenkaichi Kenkakuten for the PlayStation 2. I love the game, it has become my favorite entry in the Samurai Spirits/Shodown series!

[Ed Oscuro]

Holy Diver

[2Dskillz]

Bleach DS.

Is anyone else playing this?

NO!

Well you really should be. This is an incredible fighter by Treasure. PM me if you have any questions about this game (translation, etc...)

[lol monster]

can you play bleach without knowing japanese?

[Julio III]

Cool Cool Toon - Dreamcast
Just got this in the post today after quite a wait, been playing it a lot

[davidbrit2]

Japanese versions of Gran Turismo 2 and Colin McRae Rally which I found at, get this, Software etc. Uh, yeah. Ha ha.

I can't tell if GT2 is any different than the US version (other than changes in car prices, text language, etc). McRae is barely even localized, with just an added option for Japanese voices for the co-driver and such.

[Xexyz]

On Saturday two PS2 imports arrived. They are ESPgaluda and Sonic Wings (the Hamster budget series).

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/4199/im0003458sq.th.jpg (http://img409.imageshack.us/my.php?image=im0003458sq.jpg)

Note: As you may have guessed, BAM DS is not an import, this is just a recycled photo I used for the Feb. finds in classic gaming.

[Ed Oscuro]

can you play bleach without knowing japanese?
I'd like to know that as well.

[klausien]

can you play bleach without knowing japanese?
I'd like to know that as well.

Yes, but in a sadly limited way until someone does a FAQ, which may be never. The only English in the game is the fighters' names under their lifebars in play. EVERYTHING is in Japanese. The menus require some trial and error, but nothing too troublesome for someone accustomed to playing imports. The tutorial can be tough to get though without the ability to read the move directions at the bottom of the screen, but it is doable. Arcade mode is easy enough to play around with, but I seem to have hit a brick wall in the Story mode as I keep getting bounced back to an earlier match. Might need to use a certain move or something.

There is also the problem of the card system in play. I have no idea what they are for and that makes it tough to progress in any way. This kinda sucks because non-japanese speakers really cannot get the full experience at this point.

It is very unfortunate that the chances of this being translated are so incredibly low. It is very cool and I would love to play some multiplayer. I also would like to gain understanding of the card system.

I would pick this one up anyway though, especially if you are a Treasure fan or collector. When the puzzle is solved by a FAQ, not having this game will be missing out.

[WasherDryerCombo]

Parodius - Famicom
Parodius - Super Famicom
Parodius - PAL Super Nintendo

[Mayhem]

If you can call it an import... well it IS Japanese heh...

http://www.mayhem64.co.uk/misc/vic1001.jpg

Japanese Vic20, launched there 6 months before it came out in the West.

[importaku]

OMG a VIC 20, that was my very first computer. Loved the fact the games came on carts & taped. Theres one game called mega vault that i used to play for hours.

[importaku]

Anyway i managed to win this today, i just need to pay for it.

My 2nd copy of wonder kitchen to replace the piece of shit copy i had originally, this time its mint.

http://img175.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/users/0/1/4/6/ama_2jp-img600x450-11365352072006-1-5_033.jpg

[StealthLurker]

If you can call it an import... well it IS Japanese heh...

http://www.mayhem64.co.uk/misc/vic1001.jpg

Japanese Vic20, launched there 6 months before it came out in the West.

Now that's AWESOME! Great grab. X_x

.

[Julio III]

Coupla Dreamcast games:
Neppachi II
Super Producers

They cost less than a pint each so I'm happy with that.

[DTJAAAAMJSLM]

Gradius Portable finally arrived in the mail.

[Lord Contaminous]

I didn't recently get this but I still felt like showing this off:
http://videogamecollectors.com/albums/Lord-C-s-Room-of-Doom/escaflowne.sized.jpg

[2Dskillz]

Jump Super Stars

[2Dskillz]

can you play bleach without knowing japanese?
I'd like to know that as well.

Yes, but in a sadly limited way until someone does a FAQ, which may be never. The only English in the game is the fighters' names under their lifebars in play. EVERYTHING is in Japanese. The menus require some trial and error, but nothing too troublesome for someone accustomed to playing imports. The tutorial can be tough to get though without the ability to read the move directions at the bottom of the screen, but it is doable. Arcade mode is easy enough to play around with, but I seem to have hit a brick wall in the Story mode as I keep getting bounced back to an earlier match. Might need to use a certain move or something.

There is also the problem of the card system in play. I have no idea what they are for and that makes it tough to progress in any way. This kinda sucks because non-japanese speakers really cannot get the full experience at this point.

It is very unfortunate that the chances of this being translated are so incredibly low. It is very cool and I would love to play some multiplayer. I also would like to gain understanding of the card system.

I would pick this one up anyway though, especially if you are a Treasure fan or collector. When the puzzle is solved by a FAQ, not having this game will be missing out.

A FAQ does now exist for Bleach DS. (On Game FAQS of course). If you have any other questions about the game feel free to ask me. I have everything unlocked now and know much of what things do in the game.

[Julio III]

A coupla Neo Geo Pocket goodies:

Cool Cool Jam
Ganbare Neo Poke Kun

Really looking forward to playing both of them but don't have my NGPC here so will have to wait a month or so. On a sidenote, I don't like fact that these come in cardboard boxes and not the great UK packagaing. It reminds me of stupid GBA boxes but at least SNK still had the decency to provide a case for the cartridge.

[DTJAAAAMJSLM]

Breath Of Fire 3 for the PSP.

[davidbrit2]

Initial D Street Stage. Now here's the part where absolutely none of you acts surprised.

This is a pretty good game. Special Stage is a lot easier to control with the Logitech wheel, obviously, but this is playable enough. It should hold me until Outrun. Heh.

[luffy744]

I just recieved a bundle of joy from play-asia:

Ibara (PS2)
Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan (DS)

and Ibara kicks my butt hard. *rub rub*

But after about 20 minutes of Ibara I tried out Ouendan, and have been glued to it for most of the day. Good GOD this game is awesome beyond words. I love every single song in it (it's a music rhythim game for those who don't know), it's challenging yet not frustrating (so far at least), and the theme about a bunch of guys/punks going around cheering for people when they're down (a student studying for college entrance exams, a ramen chef whose restarant isn't doing well, etc).... I am just in love. Offcially my favorite DS game.

[drwily008]

I didn't recently get this but I still felt like showing this off:
http://videogamecollectors.com/albums/Lord-C-s-Room-of-Doom/escaflowne.sized.jpg

Lord Contaminous, what kind of a game is Vision of Escaflowne? I am a big fan of the series and the movie and have considered getting that set.

Thanks-Ken (DrWily008)

[Kyle15]

Hey,
I recently bought a mint copy of Pocket Monsters
stadium Gold & Silver for the N64. It's really
good, but when I put in my english transfer pack
and game, it is not showing that it is inserted.
Does it only work with the Japanese versions of
the transfer pack and game?