Japanese Import Games for Non-native speakers

[Xillia]

IA/VT, Utakumi 575, Miracle Girls Festival, Bakumatsu Rock: Ultra Soul, Taiko no Tatsujin V Version.

I haven't heard of the majority of these. I'll have to check them out as well.

[HcG Clawz]

I would seriously like to know what's the purpose of doing this?

This is literally buying trophies... What's the point?

If you have >100 Japanese Plats, isn't that reason to actually give Japanese a try? =D To actually know what you are playing?

I don't understand the purpose of this? Why would you want to have 100% trophies for a game you didn't understand or enjoy?

 

Thats what you do when you want to climb the leaderboard

[Bucknerd]

I'm surprised no one (especially Satoshi!) has mentioned Moe Chronicle. The Hong Kong version contains English subtitles.

 

http://www.amazon.com/MOE-CHRONICLE-ENGLISH-SUBTITLES-PS-VITA/dp/B00XW96OOC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452608742&sr=8-1&keywords=moero+chronicle

 

Other games I've heard that aren't hard to play in Japanese are:

• The Gundam Breaker series
• Taiko Drum Master
• IA/VT Colorful
• Bullet Girls
• Gal Gun (though this one is coming West somehow)
• E.X. Troopers
• There's also the Macross game if you like that series.
• K-On Houkago Live

I'd say 2D fighters aren't too difficult to manage as well though I can't think of any that haven't made it stateside yet.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Bucknerd

[Nygo95]

If you enjoy tales of games, i'd recommend tales of innocence R... Maybe you won't understand the whole story (though you can guess quite a bit) but most menus and items are in katakana and the combat system is very similar to other recent games in the series... Of course, if you don't know or like its combat system, or absolutely wanna understand the story, you'd better avoid it

[Satoshi Ookami]

I'm surprised no one (especially Satoshi!) has mentioned Moe Chronicle. The Hong Kong version contains English subtitles.

Well, you answered yourself =D

It has English subs =D

 

 

Thats what you do when you want to climb the leaderboard 

 

Again, what's the point? As I said, it's literally buying trophies, where's the freaking feeling of achievement there? =D

Edited January 12, 2016 by Satoshi Ookami

[Unknown_v2_0]

Others I didn't see mentioned are Last Rebellion (although it has a English version) and Hello Kitty Block Crash. Yeah rythm games would be good but i think there is one where you have to match Kanji or Hiragana or something, but I guess could be a good learning tool.

 

I have seen a lot of the items and stuff where you need to know like 1-2 words to understand the use or whatever be in katakana and like mentioned earlier this is much easier to translate or decipher. If you say the sounds for a word to yourself it will sound very much like an English word 99% of the time. Here is a chart maybe it could help starting out by writing the words down and writing the sounds under them or something.

 

 

the stuff on the right are the base symbols and on the left are what the either placing a small Y sounding symbol does or what adding 2 small dashes or a dot does.

 

Then maybe know that

- はい means yes

-  いいえ means no

 

That should probably get you pretty far....maybe the kanji for things like directions (under, over, left, right, east, west etc.)

 

an lots of games has wikis where they will tell you what all the japanese items are and what they do  in english

[Satoshi Ookami]

 

 

Americans need to know the pronunciation as well?

Like yea, I hear many people Englishing Japanese words, but seriously? =D

[Xillia]

Americans need to know the pronunciation as well?

Like yea, I hear many people Englishing Japanese words, but seriously? =D

There's so many different possible pronunciations for a single letter (and various spellings of the same sounds) in English, so English speakers often have problems when pronouncing foreign words.

 

When you think of English vowels, the ones that probably come to mind are A, E, I, O, U, and maybe Y, but there's actually 20 of them. It's just that they're all expressed with only those few letters. Take for example the "a" in "late", "mad", and "barn":

 

In <late> /leɪt/ <a> is pronounced as the diphthong /eɪ/, then you have /æ/ in <mad> /mæd/, and /ɑː/ in <barn> /bɑːn/.

 

Taking all this in account, it makes sense to explain a foreign sound, say ア, by using a native word /kɑː/ instead of having weebs running about and calling it /æ/.

 

 

I'm sorry, I just took a Phonetics & Phonology exam yesterday.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Xhillia

[JapanimeGamer]

On the subject of pronunciation, my Japanese teacher (who is Japanese) pronounces everything correctly as you would expect, and in early classes we was drilled heavily with correct pronunciation, almost military in style of teaching which I really liked. Correct pronunciation is vital, absolutely so.

It was really weird hearing her for the first time pronounce words starting with 'R' as they sounded like 'L' to me where in reality it is a kind of blend between both R and L.

I cannot stress how correct pronunciation is everything, the way each letter is spoken in Japanese never changes, unlike in English where it can: Eye and Egg for example, the 'E' sounds different. In Japanese this is never the case 'e' is always 'e' the sound never changes

**The letter 'E' is pronounced as 'e' in Japanese, like 'egg' and not 'Eel'.**

One such mistake a lot of foreingers make is words like Kyoto, it is always pronounced 'KEY O TOE' not 'KYE O TOE'.

If you nail pronunciation early things get easier... but of course this is just the very start of things.

Edited to explain 'e' better.

Edited January 12, 2016 by JapanimeGamer

[Drew-013]

Luckily I have the pronunciation pretty down.. I took a semester of Japanese at Uni and the pronunciation drills will stay with me forever.

I'm just working on re-learning all the Kana then I need to start working on my Vocab.. I'll get there, but it'll just be a long road.

[Raine_Evenstar]

I think just being exposed to Japanese audio, whether from songs, games or anime, will really improve your pronunciation to native speaker level. Back when I first started learning Japanese, my teacher was quite surprised at me and this other persons' pronunciation compared to the other students in the class. She asked both of us, and I found out that the other person listens to a lot of japanese songs, while I watched a lot of anime back then haha

I think if you're always listening to a language, you'll eventually begin to mimic the sound unconsciously.

[iamDTS-X]

Deemo: The Last Recital if you like Rhythm games and it's coming out next month, E.X Troopers if you have a PS3, very easy to understand.

[TheVader66]

Others I didn't see mentioned are Last Rebellion (although it has a English version) and Hello Kitty Block Crash. Yeah rythm games would be good but i think there is one where you have to match Kanji or Hiragana or something, but I guess could be a good learning tool.

 

I have seen a lot of the items and stuff where you need to know like 1-2 words to understand the use or whatever be in katakana and like mentioned earlier this is much easier to translate or decipher. If you say the sounds for a word to yourself it will sound very much like an English word 99% of the time. Here is a chart maybe it could help starting out by writing the words down and writing the sounds under them or something.

 

 

the stuff on the right are the base symbols and on the left are what the either placing a small Y sounding symbol does or what adding 2 small dashes or a dot does.

 

Then maybe know that

- はい means yes

-  いいえ means no

 

That should probably get you pretty far....maybe the kanji for things like directions (under, over, left, right, east, west etc.)

 

an lots of games has wikis where they will tell you what all the japanese items are and what they do  in english

 

On the subject of pronunciation, my Japanese teacher (who is Japanese) pronounces everything correctly as you would expect, and in early classes we was drilled heavily with correct pronunciation, almost military in style of teaching which I really liked. Correct pronunciation is vital, absolutely so.

It was really weird hearing her for the first time pronounce words starting with 'R' as they sounded like 'L' to me where in reality it is a kind of blend between both R and L.

I cannot stress how correct pronunciation is everything, the way each letter is spoken in Japanese never changes, unlike in English where it can: Eye and Egg for example, the 'E' sounds different. In Japanese this is never the case 'e' is always 'e' the sound never changes

**The letter 'E' is pronounced as 'e' in Japanese, like 'egg' and not 'Eel'.**

One such mistake a lot of foreingers make is words like Kyoto, it is always pronounced 'KEY O TOE' not 'KYE O TOE'.

If you nail pronunciation early things get easier... but of course this is just the very start of things.

Edited to explain 'e' better.

 

 

I tried so hard right now but I already have difficulty with English (my native's language) and Spanish (my family's language) because I learn how to talk at age 5 because my vocal cords were damaged because I had a cord around my neck. I can speak normally now but certain syllables I have a hard time saying.

[Komrade_Konrad]

Thanks heaps, I picked this one up!

 

I'm hoping it'll help me make the jump from Kana to Kanji.. though at the moment I'm still looking up most kana words, my Japanese is VERY basic.

 

I'm a huge fan of Japanese games in general, and do want to learn the language.. there are some Japanese exclusives that I'm dying to play, but need to get a better grip on the language first.

 

I'm a sucker for JRPGs, Visual Novels and Rhythm Games

 

That's awesome! I picked up IA/VT, Utagumi and Miracle Girls Festival!

 

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you.  I've been learning Japanese on my own through Genki and WaniKani for a bit now (I know my Kana, some basic grammar, ~400 Kanji, and ~1000 Vocabulary).  I've been trying to find a decent introductory VN/Light Novel to read in Japanese, but haven't had much luck.

 

How do you get your import games? Do you always grab physical copies or buy digital? If I want to buy through PSN, do I have to make a Japanese account?

 

On another note, are there any games on NA PSN that have options for switching text to Japanese?  La-Mulana EX does, but the puzzles in that game are hard enough in English; I'd never figure it out in Japanese.

[Satoshi Ookami]

 If I want to buy through PSN, do I have to make a Japanese account?

Yes, but they are usually much more expensive than their physical counterparts so you are better of buying physicals.

 

 

On another note, are there any games on NA PSN that have options for switching text to Japanese?  La-Mulana EX does, but the puzzles in that game are hard enough in English; I'd never figure it out in Japanese.

Don't think so. We apparently should be glad to even get Japanese audio, let alone the whole text.

[crimsonidol38]

 

 

On another note, are there any games on NA PSN that have options for switching text to Japanese?  La-Mulana EX does, but the puzzles in that game are hard enough in English; I'd never figure it out in Japanese.

 

You may have luck with the US PSN-version of Okami HD. The japanese version contains english and some european languages, so maybe it's also the other way round:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/674775-okami-hd/65961822

 

Maybe you grabbed it when it was in PS+ so you can try  if it also works the other way round. =)

[Shadiochao]

A lower priced version of IA/VT Colorful is being released in March. It's ¥3000-4000 depending on where you shop.

 

http://www.play-asia.com/iavt-colorful-playstation-vita-the-best/13/709op5

Play-Asia is almost always the most expensive but I don't know all the sites, so look around if you can. Unfortunately AmiAmi preorders are already closed.

 

And even though it's cheaper, there is a catch:

[Komrade_Konrad]

Yes, but they are usually much more expensive than their physical counterparts so you are better of buying physicals.

 

Don't think so. We apparently should be glad to even get Japanese audio, let alone the whole text.

 

Thanks for the info!  I won't even bother trying to set up a Japanese account for digital then (thought about it for Phantasy Star Online 2, but didn't have a spare memory card).

 

I guess I'll try to find a good physical VN to import.  Are there any import websites that are particularly good/sketchy?

[Satoshi Ookami]

I guess I'll try to find a good physical VN to import.  Are there any import websites that are particularly good/sketchy?

I've been mainly using eBay since the prices are cheapest and sometimes you can even get used versions for half the normal price =D

But Play-Asia and AmiAmi are the most recommended.

[Komrade_Konrad]

 

You may have luck with the US PSN-version of Okami HD. The japanese version contains english and some european languages, so maybe it's also the other way round:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/674775-okami-hd/65961822

 

Maybe you grabbed it when it was in PS+ so you can try  if it also works the other way round. =)

 

 

Thanks for the tip! Unfortunately I don't think Okami HD came to NA PS+, and if it did I probably missed it.  On the other hand, I hear the game is great, so I'll probably grab it at some point, and will definitely check to see if Japanese text can be enabled.

 

A lower priced version of IA/VT Colorful is being released in March. It's ¥3000-4000 depending on where you shop.

 

http://www.play-asia.com/iavt-colorful-playstation-vita-the-best/13/709op5

Play-Asia is almost always the most expensive but I don't know all the sites, so look around if you can. Unfortunately AmiAmi preorders are already closed.

 

And even though it's cheaper, there is a catch:

 

Good to know, thanks! March is so far away though

 

I've been mainly using eBay since the prices are cheapest and sometimes you can even get used versions for half the normal price =D

But Play-Asia and AmiAmi are the most recommended.

 

That's a good idea. I hadn't thought of using eBay.  Thanks for the recommendations!

[Komrade_Konrad]

If you are looking for a good study tool, Time Travelers has furigana above all the kanji making it very easy to look up the words

 

I quickly looked up some footage of Time Travelers and I was curious if it's particularly cutscene heavy or if that's just the intro.  I'd like to use it as a study tool, but I'm not going to be fast enough follow cutscenes.  Furigana is definitely a big plus for finding the words, but is there an option to toggle it?

 

More importantly, what anime is that gif in your signature from.  I must know.

 

Would anyone recommend Mind Zero or Demon Gaze for studying?

[JapanimeGamer]

To get above the absolute basics and be able to read even small amounts of text I would recommend at the very least a good text book (or three) and a good dictionary (or three).

Here's mine... (i've got loads, and I apologise for that, its become an obsession now).

I know a lot of people say they can read Japanese and understood it by playing video games or from watching anime but for people reading this who want to learn Japanese let's be straight here... all that will ever teach you is the absolute very basics of Japanese with poor grammar at best and no grasp of any particles let alone kanji.

I am just being realistic and truthful here, there's no short cuts, you can either be happy saying a couple of dozen words in Japanese and typing them in romaji or you can put the work in and actually know what's being said rather than only understanding 1 word in every 20, it all depends on what you want to achieve.

.

This is not a criticism, but they are very easy to spot, they throw out random words of romaji here and there, no-one uses romaji except for people who can't write Japanese (that's why it was created basically).

Again, I do not mean the tone of this post to be negative, but you reap what you sow.

Edited February 2, 2016 by JapanimeGamer

[Omega8FattyAcid]

I'd recommend

 

Lost Planet EX troopers

 

 

you can find it on amazon really cheap these days.

 

The game is really straight foward and arcadey third person shooter in the lost planet universe, in the hub worlds you are guided with arrows to all main story missions. And npc characters with side missions have indicators.

There is only a single side mission near the beginning with a quiz, but you can search the answers online and i dont remember ever getting stuck again after that.

 

my second recommendation would be

 

IdolM@ster 2

 

 

This one is a bit heavier with text but the real fun for me was the Trainings, Minigames and rhythm game. I think there are some dating sim like elements

mixed in. but your main objective is to make the girls famous.

 

This one can also be picked up cheap on amazon.

 

The only other games I'd recommend is anything in the musou genre and Gundam breaker.

 

EDIT: Didn't realize this is for vita, sorry haven't imported vita games yet.

Edited February 2, 2016 by Lifeisgook

[Drew-013]

EDIT: Didn't realize this is for vita, sorry haven't imported vita games yet.

 

Don't stress, Any recommendations are appreciated, only reason I posted this in the Vita section is because that's the console I find myself playing the most. I do have PS3 and PS4 at home, so anything is helpful.

[Raine_Evenstar]

A lot of the more classic RPGs like Dragon Quest, Zelda, or the early FFs use furigana mostly. So for those weak with kanji but still would like to play some sort of rpg, I recommend those games 

Edited February 2, 2016 by Raine_Evenstar