PLEASE RELEASE ME
Believe it or not, being a retro gamer has always been a rather expensive hobby, especially if you were into the exciting and eclectic world of collecting Japanese imports. There are thousands of great games that never made it out of Japan, many commanding high prices through specialist retailers or online auctions and many of those requiring that you learn the Japanese language to understand them. But the situation is slowly beginning to change.
Thanks to online services and countless compilations, previously import-only games are now being made available to Western gamers thanks to the relatively risk-free arena of digital distribution. Where once the likes of Sin & Punishment or Cho Aniki were once the preserve of wealthy importers, they’re now easily accessible to all as they deserve to be.
With that in mind, here are our picks of the Japan-only games that we would like to see localised and re-released for modern, western gamers. But you needn’t necessarily wait for some plucky local publisher to pick one of these games up; many of them are import-friendly already and some even have fan translations available. So if you have the disposable income and the tech to play them, then every one of these games is worth tracking down. If not, take to social media and start making your desire for a modern re-release known.
JOY MECH FIGHT
Format: Famicom Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Year: 1993 Fan translation available?: Yes
Think Super Smash Bros was Nintendo’s first foray into the fighting game genre? Think again. Joy Mech Fight predates it by six years, and on the technically impoverished Famicom no less. The limbless fighters get around those technical constraints pretty well and lend Joy Mech Fight a distinct personality perfectly in keeping with Nintendo’s upbeat stylings.
For fans of: Super Smash Bros, Ballz
TOBAL 2
Format: PlayStation Publisher: Squaresoft Developer: Dream Factory Year: 1997 Fan translation available?: In progress
While Tobal No 1 demonstrated superb mechanics in the ring, its Japan-only sequel focused more on improving the RPG-style quest mode, developing it into a fully fledged third-person adventure in its own right. Translation might be a hard job but we’d still love for the world to see how much better this forgotten fighting franchise got before it passed away.
For fans of: Dead Or Alive, Virtua Quest, Dissidia: Final Fantasy
BORDER DOWN
Format: Dreamcast Publisher: G.rev Developer: G.rev Year: 2003 Fan translation available?: No
A side-scrolling shooter from the Dreamcast’s twilight years (well, from
