What is your most RECENT import? Post often!

[drwily008]

I think this would be a great way to share with your fellow importers on what is hot & what is not. We could post our most recent imports and what we thought of them to the DP gaming community. This will be a good way to help each other save a little cash when considering your next import!

I think the way below (quick paragraph summary and a score for certain categories) would be the best way to do this, but feel free to make suggestions! If this takes off I think it would be a great way to help newcomers into the import scene as well.

Here I go to start it off:

RADIANT SILVERGUN (Sega Saturn)

I recently remembered playing this with a friend about 5 years ago. I haven't seen him in a few years so I decided to give him a call. I ended up paying $150 for Radiant Silvergun (minty-mint-mint), Panzer Dragoon Saga (U.S. release), and Albert Odyssey (U.S.).

I really love the feel of this shoot-em-up, it has a total anime flavor and the challenge is definately there. The integration of 2-D & 3-D graphics works perfectly and the soundtrack (with japanese voice overs) is awesome. Control isn't as tight as I've grown used to over the years, but I works for this type of shooter. I would highly recommend this shooter to anyone who loves a good shoot-em-up (and had a large chunk of cash to spend).

On a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (perfect):

GAMEPLAY: 9.5
GRAPHICS: 9.5
SOUND: 10
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 10
OVERALL: 9.5

[Crush Crawfish]

Good idea! I'll give it a shot.


Hammerin' Harry (Super Famicom)

It's a 2D platformer from Irem. You play as Harry, a carpenter wielding a huge mallet. It doesn't do anything revolutionary, but it's just a very well-made game. The graphics are very good, with detailed backgrounds, and large well-animated sprites. It's also very english-friendly. Overall, I highly suggest picking it up if you like platformers.

Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 9
Sound: 8
English Friendly: 9
Overall: 8.5

[howdoin]

Ai Go for the PSP - as the title say it is a Go game. It seems good so far but I wish I could read japanese because there is what seems to be a "tutorial" part where you can learn many things about the moves and trategies but it is all in japanese (oviously).

Graphics : 7 (good but it's only a board game so...)
Sounds : 7
Gameplay : 9 (not much to do here)
English Friendly : --- it depends: if you only want to play go then it's easy just start the game and you are in but if you want to benefit from all the submenus and tutorial optons and so on... then you will need knowledge of japanese (extensive).
Overall : 7 (entertaining board game).

[InsaneDavid]

The Super Dimension Fortress MACROSS: Scrambled Valkyrie (Super Famicom)

Based upon arguably the most influential anime series of all time, (Macross, AKA - the first 1/3rd of Robotech in the US) Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie is a side scrolling shooter with amazing graphics, great play control and an excellent soundtrack. It basically follows the plot line of "Macross The Movie: Do You Remember Love?" from start to finish and you have three different valkyrie fighters to choose from, (Hikaru (VF1SOL-S), Max (VF1SOL-A), or Millia (VF1SOL-J)) each with different weapon systems. Each valkyrie has three modes (fighter, gerwalk, and battroid) which change how the weapon systems operate - which in turn can also be beefed up by collecting powerups. You also have a special weapon in the form of the Minmei Cannon which allows you to convert enemy ships into option wingmen - like in G-Darius.

The amount of detail is incredible! From the signature Macross missile swarms, to huge Zentran battleships defolding in the background of debris-cluttered asteroid fields, to your fighter kicking up a spray when flying close to water. How many shooters of this era have realisting weather effects such as rain? The bosses are HUGE, we're talking R-Type size huge, and are incredibly detailed. One mission has you blasting through the inside of the SDF-Macross while concert videos of Minmei play on the internal ship displays. It's a fairly challenging game as well, which is a nice surprise given how quickly these anime games were usually slapped together. Additionally the entire game is in English.. well, "Engrish" I guess you could say.

On a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (perfect):

GAMEPLAY: 9.0
GRAPHICS: 10
SOUND: 9.5
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 10
OVERALL: 9.5

If you have a Super Famicom, sliced the tabs out of your SNES, or are a Macross or shooter fan - you should already have this. It's a shame that the Robotech game on the GBA was that newly constructed train wreck instead of just porting this over and changing the names to the Americanized versions.

[Lemmy Kilmister]

Sort of been on a quest for all the import Konami "Deluxe Pack" games as of late, so I decided to pick up Detana!! Twin Bee Yahoo! Deluxe Pack for the Saturn next on my list.

Much like Mario Allstars or the recent Megaman Anniversary Collection, Detana!! Twin Bee Yahoo! Deluxe Pack is basically a combination of two classic titles in this somewhat weird and colorful shooting series. In this case it happens to be Deta Na!! Twin Bee which I believe was an early SFC title, and Twin Bee Yahoo! which was a japanese arcade exclusive around 1995 or so. As far as game play goes, both titles play rather similar in the fact you only use two buttons for the controls (one to shoot and the other to drop bombs on grounded opponents) and that you must collect bells for power ups, points, ect. However, it sould be noted that after have playing Twin Bee Yahoo! with its colorful graphics and upbeat music it's kind of hard to go back to the somewhat primitive feeling Deta Na!! and it's over all weaker feel without be somewhat underwhelmed.

That being said I think the game deserves a score of..

GAMEPLAY: 7
GRAPHICS: 8
SOUND: 8
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 10
OVERALL: 8

they are both excellent games and quite worth the 15 to 20 US dollars you would most likely end up paying for them. Give it a shot next time you're looking for a cheap, good import shooter.

[GaijinPunch]

Touch! Kirby

GAMEPLAY: 10
GRAPHICS: 9
SOUND: 8
ENGLISH FRIENDLY: 8
OVERALL: 9.5

Fantastic game. Beatiful 2D sprites. A touch-pad only game, much like Catch! Touch! Yoshi! but way better. Much more to do.

It's basically a platformer, and you keep Kirby out of trouble, so to speak. Find medals along the way and "buy" options. Sometimes it's old Kirby songs, sometimes it's something in gameplay, like changing the design of the lines you draw with the stylus (default is rainbow, but I just bought Zebra-skinned).

There's also mini-games between stages, and also time-attack (where you try to get through the stage in the shortest amount of time) and "line" attack (where you try to finish the stage drawing as few lines as possible). Both modes offer medals so you can buy extra stuff.

It comes out in the states in June, but you should really buy the imoprt now. This is the most into a new game I've been in months.

[Trevor Belmont]

Great idea for a post, Wily. I can't get enough reviews about import games, so hopefully, this thread will become an invaluable resource for those looking to get more involved with the import scene (like me).

I've imported two games recently, Iga Ninden Gaiou and Download II, both for the PC Engine Duo/Turbo Duo. I'll give a brief description of each (I've only played them briefly) and my first impressions of each one.

Ida Ninden Gaiou
Pretty interesting game thus far. Started off with a very cool cinematic cutscene (this seems to be standard for a lot of PC Engine Duo games!) which was entirely in Japanese. Didn't have a clue as to what they were saying obviously, but it was nice to watch. The game itself is your standard side-scrolling action game so far with decent graphics and music. The gameplay is straightforward and the game is challenging so far. While it can't compare to Dracula X (then again, what game can?) it's still solid thus far.

Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 7 in game, 9 cutscenes
Sound: 7
English Friendly: 8 (the game is entirely in Japanese, but it's an action game, so the story might not be as integral as an RPG)
Overall: 7.6

Download II
Wow, this game is amazing. That's the first thing that ran in my head when the opening cinematics played out on screen. Very nicely animated. Then the game itself kicked in. Precise controls, good challenge, and some very nice, detailed graphics. And the music ... wow. Very catchy and thrashy during the first boss fight, which was so cool. I usually have a tougher time getting into shooters, since I tend to suck badly at them, but this one kept me coming back. An excellent game overall. This is a game shooter fans shouldn't be without, especially given its affordable price tag.

Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 9 in game, 9 cutscenes
Sound: 9.5
English Friendly: 8 (the game is obviously in Japanese, and the story does seem neat ... but the shining gameplay overshadows this a bit)
Overall: 8.9

Both of these games were purchased in the $20-30 range, which are very affordable for PC Engine Duo games. I'd recommend both thus far, especially for the price.

[davidbrit2]

Beatmania IIDX 9th Style

If you've played the series, you pretty much know what to expect here. The music this time around is up to the usual quality. Though the game feels a lot tougher overall than previous releases. It's also the first home version of Beatmania to use the hi-res interlaced mode of the PS2. But it doesn't support progressive scan like the arcade version, for whatever reason.

The series is generally pretty English friendly. You'll only be missing out on reading a couple song titles here and there, and the instruction text in Beginner mode (which isn't all that necessary anyway).

Overall, if you like Beatmania, you'll like this one as well. If you've never played the series, I'd suggest starting out with an easier one, though, perhaps IIDX 3rd Style for PS2, or even some of the older PS1 Beatmania games.

[dj898]

...[ok these are gone now]
both complete with spin card and SS SA w/ the sticker too...

and this one for my kid...
... [and this one too]

and my impression will coming up once I managed to find time to play them...

[Lemmy Kilmister]

A bunch of sexy imports

Damn dude, nice lot! How much did Cotton for MD run you though?

[dj898]

close to 20000 yen inc. o'cha cup...
sadly the cup's with my daughter now - just hope she doesn't beak it...

[InsaneDavid]

both complete with spin card and SS SA w/ the sticker too...

and this one for my kid...


and my impression will coming up once I managed to find time to play them...

Those are some great imports, but I think the thread DrWily008 was going for would be brief reviews of the most recent game you imported at the time...

I think this would be a great way to share with your fellow importers on what is hot & what is not. We could post our most recent imports and what we thought of them to the DP gaming community. This will be a good way to help each other save a little cash when considering your next import!

I think the way below (quick paragraph summary and a score for certain categories) would be the best way to do this, but feel free to make suggestions! If this takes off I think it would be a great way to help newcomers into the import scene as well.

I don't think he was looking to turn this into an import finds thread - just slows down the loading for something it wasn't intended to be anyway.

[Dimitri]

Most recent import: Kujaku Ou 2 (Megadrive) a.k.a. Mystic Defender.

A daft little game with very nice cover art. And boobies! :P

[dj898]

some more of recent arrivals...


and since my Wondermega is stored away and I'm still waiting for MagicKey III I can't play MD carts till then...

I will give Xbox/PS2/GC/SS/DC titles a spin when my kid is gone to bed...

p.s. and don't tell me this picture will slow down the loading since it's just lousy 640x400 picture...

[Trevor Belmont]

Bringing this thread back in hopes that it catches on again ... I thought it was a great idea for a thread and hopefully it will introduce import games to a whole new audience.

Anyway, I received the very rare side-scrolling action game Kaze Kiri today in the mail for the PC Engine Duo/Turbo Duo. My thoughts on the game follow below.

Kaze Kiri

This game caught my attention right off the bat with a unique introduction. There is actually no speech during the animated introduction. There are sound effects and neat sounding Japanese drums that serve as background "music," but that's mainly it. There's also no text. The entire story is told through the anime visuals, which I thought was a unique touch.

Then the game starts. Let me start by saying the graphics are very well animated and detailed. The sound effects are great as well. Every clang of the sword and reflection of throwing knives when blocked by an enemy sounds exactly like you think it would. Music is great as well, as with a lot of Duo games.

The controls bothered me a bit. Everything moves smoothly and Kaze flips and jumps around just like a ninja - on foot, however, is another matter entirely. I was surprised that Kaze moved so slowly when walking with him. I would often find myself forward flipping or jumping through the level instead of walking on foot, which would've likely taken me twice as long. Kaze can perform a throw manuever when up close. He can also utilize his ninja sword, but only when in close combat. Throwing knives are used when further away, and, interestingly, each knife thrown takes away a bar from Kaze's life meter. This might sound problematic, but sort of like the Ys series, Kaze can regain his energy when standing still.

The most interesting aspect of this title so far is that instead of making it from point A to point B throughout a level - you actually have to kill a certain amount of enemies before you can progress, which is indicated by a meter at the top right hand portion of the screen. This might sound strange, but it's actually pretty well done.

I'm a bit torn about this game. The graphics and cutscenes are truly extraordinary; same with the music and FX. Some aspects of the controls (flipping, fighting) are satisfying and a blast to use; for example, it's fun tossing a bunch of throwing knives at an enemy, only to have him block all of your throws, forcing you to change your strategy and get in close for the kill with your sword. On the other hand, walking just seemed very slow to me. It might be a small problem to some, but I found it ironic that a ninja would move like he's walking in quicksand.

Recommended if found at a good price. I'm very glad I bought it and am proud to own such a unique and ultimately enjoyable action game. Get it if you can!

Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 9 in game, 9 cutscene
Sound: 9
English Friendly: 9.5
Overall Average: 8.7

[PS1Expert]

Most recent import is Gunpey Puzzle something for PS1. How it plays: dunno. It'll take a year before I actually remove it from the case. However, with luck, some more imports PS1 titles will be coming soon! Muahahaha. One of them you guys should be surprised at.

[Fuyukaze]

For the past 3-4 weeks I have been giving Iron D a run for his money on Saturn import colecting. I will stick to the most recent purchases, or to be more specific, those that have arived. Today that would be Desire, Daytona USA, and Find Love 2.

Desire is a game, that realy isnt much of a game. From the hour I have spent playing it, its very text heavy and features plenty of conversation selection. For the average american gamer, and even for some hard core gamers, this is a serious turn off. I myself find it an interesting change of pace as it lets the player get up and leave for breaks while playing it. Though I cant help but wonder what can of worms I opened when I bought it as I have no decent understanding of the Japanese language, and honestly it looks a bit adult in nature. Perhaps playing it in front of the family is a bad idea? To rate it honestly, is beyond my means as my lack of language skills would prevent me from ever understanding the story. I would definitly recomend it to people who have a great understanding of the language and enjoy story driven games as the charcter designs are incredable and the voice acting is well done.

Find Love 2
I must admit, even after an hour of game play, I am still lost as to what I am doing, why I am doing it, and what the entire point of the game. I believe my best hint lies somewheres in the name as it appears you are dating 3 girls at the same time. The charcters look nice, and the voice work sounds good as well, but I have even less of a clue over this then I do with Desire. Help would actualy be apreciated.

Daytona USA
When this game got a NA release, I passed on it as I hated the Saturn at the time. When it got a DC release, I still passed on it as I felt there were better out on the DC. Now that I have it, years later after any form of review for it is a moot point, I consider it a decent if not great game. The selection in cars leaves much to be desired, but the controls are very well done. The graphics look dated compared to most racing games on curent systems, but on whole, I would recomend it to anyone looking for a fun racing game where they just wanted to have fun and not worry about the fine tuning of their engine.

Next Post(s) will cover the following....
Giga Wing (DC)
Saturn Bomber Man (Saturn)
Galactic attack (Saturn)
Tokimeki Memorial (Super Famicon)

[joshnickerson]

Bonk's Adventure for the Cube.

I borrowed a friend's TG-16 last year and I fell in love with Bonk's Adventure, so I decided to import the Cube remake. And you know what? I love the Cube version better than the original. Hudson tweaked stuff just enough to iron out any wrinkles and really give you a condensed, fun experience.

8 out of 10.

[drwily008]

Courtesy of a deal I got from GaijinPunch (thanks man ):

Popful Mail Demo for PC Engine

This is the original verison of the "anime styled" action RPG. I think this version is great and while the full version of the game is quite expensive, I totally think it is worth getting.

First thing you will notice about this game if you ever played the Sega CD version, is they are alot different. The gameplay mechanics are tradition FALCOM style. Mail (main characters name) plays like a side-scolling Adol (of the Y's series). She doesn't swing her sword just runs into them strategically. I like the controls quite a bit, but if you didn't dig on Y's stay away.

Second the game is overly easy. I'm not so good at games but I blew through the bosses with style. People I had a tough time in the Sega CD version I would DESTROY on my first try in the PC Engine version.

Third graphics are different, not worse mind you, just smaller sprites. Anime cut scenes were in almost full screen and very fluid.

Overall a very worthy cause if you can afford it (the full version). I'm not sure but I think this demo is the full version. I played a long ways in but never saw any signs of an end. Possibly this "demo" is an in store display disc for the kiosks and their Duo's shut off after a certain time?



Gameplay: 9 (if you like Y's and I sure as hell do )
Graphics: 7.5 in game 8 cutscenes
Sound: 6
English Friendly: 9
Overall Average: 8.5

[klausien]

Well I finally treated myself to Gradius Gaiden (was waiting for a first print to show up on eBay for a while) and it was worth the wait.