Top Ten: Games That Never Left Japan

They’re big in Japan! Here’s some of the best games that still haven’t gotten Western releases.

By Kyle England. Posted 03/05/2013 10:00 8 Comments     ShareThis

5. Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan

“Agents are… GO!!!!” was the phrase Commander Khan yelled every time the Elite Beat Agents hit the scene to solve another hapless soul’s problem. Unfortunately, 2006’s Elite Beat Agents for the Nintendo DS was the only taste the West got of the infectious iNiS rhythm series. It was based on a game called Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan (“Yeah! Fight! Cheer Squad”) that only came out in Japan. The game also had a sequel, the incredibly long-titled Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2.

Ouendan is a special case in this feature due to its interesting relationship with gamers outside of Japan. Nintendo actually wanted the games to have a Western release, but they were deemed to be too dependent on jokes and references to Japanese culture. So, an entirely new game, the EBA we know, was developed and released everywhere except Japan. An interesting switcheroo, no?

Even though we got a westernized version of the rambunctious cheer squad, there’s a hole in our hearts that desires even more amazing rhythm. Elite Beat Agents is one of the greatest rhythm games ever created, and to see the series get a sequel in Japan while we are deprived is just criminal. So what if Ouendan is too Japanese? The games are based around insane humor, and nobody does quirky humor like Japan. Fortunately, if you know how to play EBA, you can easily import a copy of either Oeundan game and play without understanding a word anyone is saying. Rolling those beach balls to the sound of J-Pop is magical.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

8 Responses to “Top Ten: Games That Never Left Japan”

  • 192 points
    Robin Wilde says...

    While the Satellaview would have been cool, I think placing it above Mother 3 might be giving it more praise than it perhaps deserves.

    GiFTPIA and Homeland have both intrigued me for years. There are fan translations available for at least GiFTPIA but they’re online only and you have to keep scrolling as you play. They’re perhaps overdue for an attempt at localisation.

    Mother 3 is my second favourite game ever. So that’s that.

  • 192 points
    Robin Wilde says...

    I just checked and it seems a translation for Captain Rainbow is available by rather grey-area means.

  • 15 points
    Crit Hit says...

    A VC release of Fire Emblem: Geneology of the Holy War would be most epic and appreciated. If they were to bring over the FE games, I’d rather they have fans translate the names. I was playing Awakening’s first Outrealm map and I still refer to “Deirdre” as “Diadora”. And it’s Celice, not Seliph.

    But I’m splitting hairs. The FE and Mother series need international release.

  • 784 points
    Marc Deschamps says...

    I’m not surprised about the lack of translation in regards to the earlier entries in the Wars and Fire Emblem series’. The amount of localization probably means that the older titles just aren’t worth the effort. The lack of a port for the 2010 Fire Emblem game is confounding, though. Wonder what happened there?

    As a teen, I was so mad at Nintendo for not bringing over the Game Boy sequel to Pokémon TCG. That’s another one I never understood. Seemed like printing money, to me.

  • 222 points
    PanurgeJr says...

    Couldn’t find a place for Tingle’s Freshly Cut Rupee Land? Poor guy never gets any love.

  • 1244 points
    lukas85 says...

    that stellaview thing sounds pretty amazing, also captain rainbow

  • 276 points
    Nicolas Vestre says...

    I like the honorable mention to the Legend of Starfy series! Some years ago I imported Starfy 2 and 3 (the original wasn’t available on Play-Asia) and have since completed them. I also have Starfy 4, but I haven’t even turned it on…

    The only complaint I have about importing Starfy games is the massive amount of text. Every level is overflowing with lengthy discussions; and even though it’s entirely possible to find your way through the games without knowing Japanese (even I did it :P), the sense of loss is still there.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Log In 0 points Log in or register to grow your Ninja Score while interacting with our site.
Nintendojo's RSS Feeds

All Updates Podcast
News Comments
Like and follow usFacebookTwitter Friend Code Exchange + Game with Us Join the Team!