Top 30 Games Japan is excited about in 2013 (Kotaku via Famitsu)

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GreggD

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#2  Edited By GreggD

Really? Japan is excited about GTA V? Be right back, gotta mark my calendar...

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FancySoapsMan

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#3  Edited By FancySoapsMan

ha it's kind of odd seeing The Last of Us and GTA V on there, as you already pointed out.

Some good looking stuff on there though. Mostly Shin Megami Tensei IV, which I can't wait to play ;3

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JasonR86

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#4  Edited By JasonR86

It's cool to see Last of Us and GTA 5 up there.

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Coombs

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#5  Edited By Coombs

Well, I'm looking forward to one of those, Would be two but I don't have a Vita

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xaLieNxGrEyx

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#6  Edited By xaLieNxGrEyx

Looks like Japan still has good taste

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dandead

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#7  Edited By dandead

Ha weird that Dynasty Warriors 8 of all games is so high on that list considering that game has the same rep as it does here. I guess this might finally be the one where everything clicks together this gen...

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frankfartmouth

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#8  Edited By frankfartmouth

Interesting. Some good stuff on there. No big surprise that a Dragon Quest game is #1.

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GreggD

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#9  Edited By GreggD

Honestly, Last of Us doesn't surprise me as much as GTA. The former seems more in line with the kinds of games that Japan loves, from what little I know about it.

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Animoz

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#10  Edited By Animoz

The fact that there is even still PSP games coming out surprises never mind the the fact that there are several on the list.

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chrissedoff

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#11  Edited By chrissedoff

@frankfartmouth: A re-make of a Dragon Quest game. Guys, we often lament to one another here on the GB forums that gamers in North America and Europe seem to only want the same things over and over again. Let Japan be a cautionary tale and let's all agree to try to spend some of our money trying new things this year.

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AlexW00d

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#12  Edited By AlexW00d

I don't care about any of those games. I am the least japanese.

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UitDeToekomst

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#13  Edited By UitDeToekomst

this list affirms what i have always suspected: I am not Japanese.

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deactivated-5a46aa62043d1

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@xaLieNxGrEyx said:

Looks like Japan still has good taste

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Bourbon_Warrior

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#15  Edited By Bourbon_Warrior

@FancySoapsMan said:

ha it's kind of odd seeing The Last of Us and GTA V on there, as you already pointed out.

Some good looking stuff on there though. Mostly Shin Megami Tensei IV, which I can't wait to play ;3

Do you think Japan only playes Japanese games? They love Call of Duty and Halo as well.

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Pepsiman

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#16  Edited By Pepsiman

@GreggD said:

Really? Japan is excited about GTA V? Be right back, gotta mark my calendar...

I wrote about why a decently sized niche of Japanese gamers typically look forward to GTA games a while back on GAF, so I'm just gonna copy-pasta my remarks since they're more or less just as relevant here, too.

GTA games regularly do a pretty respectable 100k+ units in Japanese sales whenever they come out, at least from what I've read. It's usually a pretty solid number for any localized title in general from my understanding, but it's still noteworthy in GTA's case in particular considering the heavy legal restrictions imposed on CERO Z games in Japan in terms of advertisements and in-store presentation. They're liked for reasons similar to why the Yakuza/Ryu Ga Gotoku games have a decent following overseas: it gives players a relatively unfiltered, if obviously very stylized and often (humorously) exaggerated take on a foreign life and culture they might not otherwise have much personal experience with that's presented in a way their own native industry can't typically achieve. It's obviously not for everyone given the violence and how the games are very deliberately given minimal localization efforts (I believe nothing more than subtitles and translated menu options have ever been given to Japanese releases), but, again, much like the Yakuza games, that can also be precisely why they're so appealing to the right type of gamer over there. They also just tend to be one of the few reliable bets you can make as a Japanese gamer in having a solid open world experience, given how few of them are even developed in Japan, let alone ones that have the sort of polish and reputation that GTA games have garnered over the years.

To add on to that a little more, speaking from experience, the super hardcore players in Japan are pretty much into the same sorts of stuff you'd find super hardcore guys liking most anywhere else, which is to say that they're a pretty cosmopolitan bunch and are down for games from most anywhere given that access isn't an issue. Whether or not the games they're interested in have official Japanese localizations isn't even necessarily a problem for all of them. Like anywhere else, you definitely have guys that will just import the games that they want raw from the west and rough it out with their English fluency and there are game shops that manage to somehow stay in business mostly catering to that group (and maybe foreigners from elsewhere?). But even if they aren't willing to go so far as just straight up play English versions of games, a lot of the big name stuff over here still makes it over in their language in some capacity. I remember being pleasantly surprised when I found a copy of The Witcher 2 for the PC about a year back in a Japanese game shop I was perusing. And it was complete with Japanese voices, too, I believe. This was all before the 360 version was out and so I figure if even something like that can come out in Japan for a platform that many people erroneously say is a dead market (it's niche for sure, especially excluding visual novels, but not dead), then most anything having an audience there doesn't particularly surprise me at this point. It ties in to a really long history of a very healthy foreign book translation market, too, but that's another can of worms and I figure what I've said is probably good enough as it is.

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Animasta

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#17  Edited By Animasta

I will never get the fervor for Dragon Quest.

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poisonjam7

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#18  Edited By poisonjam7

Such different tastes than Americans and Europeans...

I'm also quite surprised to see GTA V on there, let alone so high.

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EVO

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#19  Edited By EVO

No Wonderful 101?

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ExplodeMode

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#20  Edited By ExplodeMode

I'm into that list too. I'm going to get DQ7, MH4, KH1.5 and SMT4 as soon as they get localized and Last of Us and GTA5 easily look like the best western games coming up. What I'm saying is:

@xaLieNxGrEyx said:

Looks like Japan still has good taste

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GreggD

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#21  Edited By GreggD

@Pepsiman: Thanks for the info dump, that's actually pretty cool to know there are Japanese gamers who like stuff like GTA, much in the same way we like stuff like Persona. Oh yeah, and you bringing up the Witcher 2 reminded me that since I bought it at GOG, I have access to ALL of the localized versions, including localized bonus content bundles, as you can see here, on the lower-right:

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sprode

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#22  Edited By sprode

Lists like that only serve to remind me that I'm far more interested in Japanese games than Western ones.

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Cold_Wolven

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#23  Edited By Cold_Wolven

Wait they're actually excited for GTA V and The Last of Us?

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ch3burashka

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#24  Edited By ch3burashka

@xaLieNxGrEyx said:

Looks like Japan still has good taste

Dynasty Warriors 8 at #5. 'Nuff said.

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Fredchuckdave

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#25  Edited By Fredchuckdave

Dynasty 8 at number 5! Suck it SMT fans/Final Fantasy fans. Good times (though Monster Hunter is almost in the same boat)

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TheManWithNoPlan

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#26  Edited By TheManWithNoPlan

I definitely want to try out the new SMT and I didn't know a Tales game was coming out for Vita. There's definitely a few on that list I'm excited for, when or if they get localized.

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Hunter5024

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#27  Edited By Hunter5024

I find it a little strange that there are two remakes in the top 5, even if they are Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts. I wonder what the Japanese public perception of modern development in their country is. Do they think the games have taken a drop in quality, like many in the west believe? If so, that would explain the remakes.

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Seppli

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#28  Edited By Seppli

That's a pretty horrible list for the most parts. The only games on this list, that I agree with, are the game that would overlap with a similar list written for the European or American markets - namely GTA V and The Last of Us.

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probablytuna

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#29  Edited By probablytuna

Huh, didn't even know there's gonna be a follow up to Dragon's Dogma.

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WightnNerdy

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#30  Edited By WightnNerdy

Yup, RPGs.

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deactivated-629fb02f57a5a

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This only serves to remind me that I simultaneously love and hate Japanese taste in games.

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BBAlpert

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#32  Edited By BBAlpert

@frankfartmouth said:

Interesting. Some good stuff on there. No big surprise that a Dragon Quest game is #1.

And that a Monster Hunter game is #2.

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toowalrus

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#33  Edited By toowalrus

Japan knows what's up, this is all (err, mostly) good stuff.

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EXTomar

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#34  Edited By EXTomar

Isn't Soul Sacrifice out now?

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recroulette

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#35  Edited By recroulette

So many games that won't come out over here for a year or so. And I'm glad I'm not alone in being surprised at GTA being as high as it is on the list.

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WinterSnowblind

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#36  Edited By WinterSnowblind

Of that list, I'm looking forward to PSO2 and Dragon Quest VII, if they ever make it over here.

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Phatmac

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#37  Edited By Phatmac

Fuck yeah Ace Attorney 5!

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Snail

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#38  Edited By Snail

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

@FancySoapsMan said:

ha it's kind of odd seeing The Last of Us and GTA V on there, as you already pointed out.

Some good looking stuff on there though. Mostly Shin Megami Tensei IV, which I can't wait to play ;3

Do you think Japan only playes Japanese games? They love Call of Duty and Halo as well.

Do you realize that there are only two western-developed games on that list?

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#39  Edited By Nottle

@EVO: I don't think Wonderful 101 has a confirmed release date does it? Could be why.

I think it's funny that people are surprised that remakes are what have people excited, I'm sure plenty of people bought the GOW HD collection or the ICO collection over here.

Also of course the Rockstar and Naughty Dog games are the popular western games. They are made by big western studios that have been around for ages. Rockstar takes a lot of influence from cinema, and the modern Naughty Dog stuff is very polished like a japanese game and also is very cinematic.

I'd be interested to see a most excited poll done in Europe and the USA. I bet the only japanese stuff people are excited about are from Square, Nintendo and Capcom. Even then it's going to be stuff like Street Fighter, Resident Evil, and Final Fantasy because that is the stuff that has been around forever. People aren't going to be excited for some Japanese game with no real history to it.

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ArtisanBreads

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#40  Edited By ArtisanBreads

Crazy GTA V is up there.

Otherwise, about as expected.

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pw2566ch

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#41  Edited By pw2566ch

I'm interested in Shin Megami Tensei IV. Why don't we see that game in the US since the SMT brand is becoming pretty famous out here now? And I want some Super Robot Taisen in the US. Those games are graphically awesome.

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Sooty

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#42  Edited By Sooty

I'll probably try a few of these games when I'm living there next year, can't fucking wait to watch the World Cup in 4K.

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Animasta

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#43  Edited By Animasta

@pw2566ch said:

I'm interested in Shin Megami Tensei IV. Why don't we see that game in the US since the SMT brand is becoming pretty famous out here now? And I want some Super Robot Taisen in the US. Those games are graphically awesome.

SMT IV will come out in the US, since it hasn't even come out in Japan they haven't announced it yet, because that's what atlus do. but it will be (they're putting out soul hackers of course they're going to put out SMT IV).

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Bourbon_Warrior

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#44  Edited By Bourbon_Warrior

@Snail said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

@FancySoapsMan said:

ha it's kind of odd seeing The Last of Us and GTA V on there, as you already pointed out.

Some good looking stuff on there though. Mostly Shin Megami Tensei IV, which I can't wait to play ;3

Do you think Japan only playes Japanese games? They love Call of Duty and Halo as well.

Do you realize that there are only two western-developed games on that list?

Of course there is, it's a Japanese article, but apart from Sim City, Tomb Raider and Bioshock Infinite being excluded from that list, the western games they included are really the only 2 games this year I am really looking forward to.

@ArtisanBreads said:

Crazy GTA V is up there.

Otherwise, about as expected.

Famitsu gave GTA IV a 39/40 so not that crazy

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Blu3V3nom07

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#45  Edited By Blu3V3nom07

No Dragon Quest X? When's that shit coming out?

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pw2566ch

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#46  Edited By pw2566ch

@Animasta said:

@pw2566ch said:

I'm interested in Shin Megami Tensei IV. Why don't we see that game in the US since the SMT brand is becoming pretty famous out here now? And I want some Super Robot Taisen in the US. Those games are graphically awesome.

SMT IV will come out in the US, since it hasn't even come out in Japan they haven't announced it yet, because that's what atlus do. but it will be (they're putting out soul hackers of course they're going to put out SMT IV).

What about the other 3 SMT games? Or are they under a different name in the US?

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Animasta

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#47  Edited By Animasta

@pw2566ch said:

@Animasta said:

@pw2566ch said:

I'm interested in Shin Megami Tensei IV. Why don't we see that game in the US since the SMT brand is becoming pretty famous out here now? And I want some Super Robot Taisen in the US. Those games are graphically awesome.

SMT IV will come out in the US, since it hasn't even come out in Japan they haven't announced it yet, because that's what atlus do. but it will be (they're putting out soul hackers of course they're going to put out SMT IV).

What about the other 3 SMT games? Or are they under a different name in the US?

well the latest releases SMT I and II had were for the playstation 1, and SMT 3 was released already (unless you were talking about If..., which was also released on the playstation)

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Turambar

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#48  Edited By Turambar

@pw2566ch said:

And I want some Super Robot Taisen in the US. Those games are graphically awesome.

Never gonna happen. The Original Generations sub-franchise doesn't sell well enough here (Atlus localized the first two on the GBA) and any other ones is a giant licensing nightmare.

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Bourbon_Warrior

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#49  Edited By Bourbon_Warrior

How many of those games are for portable systems, seems like a lot.

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casper_

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#50  Edited By casper_

although im psyched about a bunch of these games (disgaea d2, smt iv, jojos etc) its really strange to see how far east/west's tastes have diverged. i imagine if we had a most anticipated games list of 1997 for NA and JP they would be much closer.