Great games I CAN'T PLAY!!

[XYXZYZ]

I just bought Langrisser Dramatic Edition (Langrisser I & II) for the Sega Saturn. I don't know why, I just wanted it. I have the illustration book, and I really like it, I really like the animated cut scenes, and I keep hearing about what a great game it is.

But the game is not only Japanese, it's a stratrgy game... I'm not good at strategy games in English to begin with, so there's pretty much no hope of me being any good at this game. I could proabably dig up some walkthroughs and learn the kanji for the menus and stuff, but I rarely have the attention span for that. But... I knew all of this before I bought it. And now, I have this game that I do want, for reasons other than playing it (Also, I have a promo poster for it displayed in my game room- nice to own the actual game as well)... but at the same time it drives me nuts that I have a game I can't play.

For a long time I was looking into getting Lady Phantom for the PC Engine, it's also a Japanese strat-sim but I hear it's not too complicated for the kanji-impaired and looks like something I'd enjoy...

Anyway, do you ever do that? Buy games you know you can't play? What do you think?

Oh, I'm not talking to collectors here- just gamers who only buy games to play them.

[CosmicMonkey]

I really would like the Japanese Eternal Arcadia Limited Edition box set. Also, all the Sakura Taisen box sets for the Dreamcast came with excellent stuff like keychains, VMUs and even Music Boxes! Whether I'll actually get those is another thing but they're damn cool.

At least I can play SoA in English. Pity I can't say the same for Sakura.

Edit: Started looking into all the crazy Sakura Taisen boxsets. There's absolutely bloody loads of them. The Saturn ones have mousemats/mice, and there's one for the GBC that has a MiniPokemon style device with it. Some of the PS2 boxsets have DVDs too. I've just found a rather nice boxed PS2 Sakura Memory card on eBay. Very cool. Maybe I shouldn't have started looking at all this.....

[Lemmy Kilmister]

I know what you mean, I'm the same way about the Tengai Makyou games regardless of the fact that I own about 6 or 7 games in the series. Sucks too, 'cause I've heard Manjimaru's supposedly an awesome RPG.

[sirhansirhan]

I bought a Japanese Mother 1+2 cart for GBA a few years ago so I could play Mother 1 (Earthbound 0), even though I didn't speak Japanese. I did okay with a walkthrough. (Later I bought one of leonk's English language NES reproductions of the game.)

Earlier this year I bought Mother 3. I didn't get very far, but I didn't have a walkthrough this time around.

[Dimitri]

I've got a lot of Japanese RPGs simply for the artwork and packaging. A few of them also have CD singles, though they tend to suck so that's not really any part of the reason. ;)

I also have Sonic CD despite not owning a Sega CD, and Spy vs Spy despite not owning an XBox, but there's good reasons for each of these.

[scorch56]

My friend can't play Halo.. it makes him throw up & pass out.. no seriously (He says it actually messes with his vision as well). The only FPS that does make him do that (I know.. not what you're talking about.. but it fits the subject line ;) ).

There are a couple of FPS's on the PC that used to make me get all "clammy" and nauseous if I played them too long too.. Descent and the original GunMetal game from way back.

I only even attempt to play Japanese games if they're translated. I've always wanted to thank the guys who translated the first SuperFam Front Mission; and the guys who put up a translation guide for Wachenroder for the Saturn as well. I enjoy playing them both.

[djbeatmongrel]

hehe i know this all to well. i can play most of my wonderswan collection because of this LOL

[Vigilante]

I don't play any FPS because I get dizzy, like motion sickness.

Games like Decent or even MS Flight Sim throw me off. I'm used to walking on the ground and moving in 2 directions. Games that give you full 3 directions throw me off, I can never get which way is up.

[smork]

I don't really ever have this problem, I only try to play games I can understand at least mostly. Then again, my Japanese is decent, decent enough to play games, at least.

I guess I don't understand the point of playing something you don't at least partially understand. I can understand COLLECTING it, but playing? Hmm, not so much.

[Steve W]

I have some first person perspective games that nauseate me after playing a bit. 3D Worldrunner on the NES was the first game to do that to me, and the last one was A Dog's Life on the PS2. Using that smell-vision mode, with it's fish-eye lens effect, made me disoriented after a while.

[Ed Oscuro]

I can't play my SPINAL BREAKERS PCB. This makes me a very sad waffle. :(

[nebrazca78]

The one that I love and even played halfway through despite not reading Japanese is Dragon Force II. That's a lot of trial and error. Thank god at least they released Dragon Force 1 in English.