Recommend any good Japanese PS2 Games?

[HazyUK]

I thought as my PS3 plays Japanese PS2 games I wondered if anyone could recommend any good Japanese titles for me?

I would love to of been able to play games like Metal Gear 3, but I would not be able to due to the dailogue and text being in Japanese.

Any help is appreciated.

[Teppo Holmqvist]

I thought as my PS3 plays Japanese PS2 games I wondered if anyone could recommend any good Japanese titles for me?Any help is appreciated.

 

It's really hard to recommend anything without knowing what kind of games you prefer? Are you, for example, interested about japanese rhythm games? Shooters? Action stuff?

[HazyUK]

I like my FPS's, Action/Adventure, RPG's, and would definitely try rhythm/musical games.

At the moment I'm really liking my oldskool style shoot-em-ups like R-Type and Parodius.

 

Also I was wondering does anybody know if the Metal Gear Solid series has an English subtitle option in the japanese ntsc-j version?

I have not played a Metal Gear game since Sons of Liberty on the PS2.

 

Thanks.

[Teppo Holmqvist]

All right, I will start discussing about rhythm games, because I know quite much about them. I don't play them, but my little brother does, and as a result I have seen nearly every possible japanese rhythm game that is on the market. Notice that I have listed only those rhythm games that are readily available on the japanese market.

 

POP'N MUSIC

 

Pop'n Music is Konami's oldest rhythm game series and quite popular in Japan. In this game, you use special Pop'n Music controller that has nine, big, round buttons, to hit notes that appear from top of the screen. If you miss the note, sample that was assigned to note won't play. If you hit button too early, sample plays too early. Each correctly played note raises power meter on the bottom of the screen. Misses, in the other hand, lower it. Your mission is simply to survive to the end of song and have power meter at least 75 percent full. If you do that, you pass the song.

 

The greatest thing in Pop'n Music is its variety. Each game has variety of song that range from polkka to country and hardcore techno. There is also some licensed songs, though most of them are from various animes and TV-shows (and probably not easily recognisable to westerner). Each song has at least three different difficulty levels, making it possible to even beginner to play most songs. Hardest difficulty levels are really hard, and make Guitar Hero II look like child's play. Links below have sample tracks from Pop'n Music games:

 

SAMURAI SYNDROME (EASY):

SCOTLAND (MEDIUM):

DRAGONBALL Z THEME (MEDIUM):

LOVE SUGAR (MEDIUM):

RUSSIA (MEDIUM):

GRADIUS (MEDIUM):

CONTEMPORARY NATION (SUPER HARD): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09UmZ6zgBkM

OI PUNK (SUPER HARD):

 

 

Self-made Pop'n Music arcade controller. Real ones cost about 400 dollars.

 

BEATMANIA

 

Beatmania is Konami's second oldest rhythm game series, and currently most popular rhythm game series in Japan. Game is controlled by special DJ Controller that has seven buttons and DJ turntable that is used to play certain samples. Mechanically Beatmania works in pretty much same way as Pop'n Music, with only exception being rather hard judge. Power meter drop few bars for each missed note, making it possible that you fail in the song even if you hit perfectly 97 percent of the notes and miss last 3 percent. Musically Beatmania isn't so varied as Pop'n Music. In fact, most songs are some kind of dance music, ranging from ambient to eurobeat and speed rave. Links below have sample tracks from Beatmania games:

 

BLOODY TEARS:

REAL ANOTHER:

RED ZONE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXPTp1Kv8uI

 

 

GUITAR FREAK & DRUMMANIA

 

Guitar Freak and Drummania are two relatively obscure rhythm games from Konami, that have been since PS2 packed into same disc, as there wouldn't be enough demand for seperate releases. Guitar Freak is controller by guitar controller that has only three buttons, making it basically Guitar Hero lite. Drummania, as you could guess from its name, is drum game that works mechanically in same way as Pop'n Music and Beatmania. The catch is that Drummania is played using real, life-sized electronic drum kit. Neither of the games features nearly any licensed songs with only few anime TV-tunes. Most of the song selection is recycled from Pop'n Music, Beatmania and DDR. Links below have samples from Guitar Freak and Drummania:

 

GUITAR FREAK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uD23A_DqcM

DRUMMANIA:

 

 

PUMP IT UP: EXCEED

 

Pump it Up is Korea's answer to Konami's superpopular Dance Dance Revolution series. Instead of using normal dance mat, you have special Pump it Up mat that has arrows on each intercardinal point and one arrow on the middle of mat. Game's basic mechanics don't differ that much from DDR, but different arrow placement forces you to move much more than you would ever do in DDR. Unlike other DDR clones, Pump it Up has good, well-done steps and quite good music. Unfortunately only one of the Pump it Up games has been released for PS2, as Koreans prefer PCs over any console. Links below have some samples from PS2 Pump it Up:

 

BEETHOVEN VIRUS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csdjU38Vza4

BEETHOVEN VIRUS (WITH STEPS SHOWN): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITqQw6MTdB0

CSIKOS POST: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bMZn2FOTis

BLAZING: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCZB1czqS1s

 

 

TAIKO NO TATSUJIN

 

Taiko No Tatsujin is Namco's drum game, that is controlled by special taiko controller. Mechanically it works in exactly same way as Donkey Konga*, except that you don't clap at all, just drum using drum sticks. Music ranges from standard J-pop to licensed anime songs and weird covers such japanese version of YMCA. Namco doesn't make Taiko No Tatsujin games anymore, but company has kept all 12 games on the print. Link below has good compilation from Taiko no Tatsujin 7:

 

TAIKO NO TATSUJIN COMPILATION: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEnIOu8o7t0

 

 

* In fact, Donkey Konga uses same engine.

[Owen]

^ Actually Teppo is 100% spot-on, theres loads of great looking Jap music games on the market which probably never saw the light of day here! and all that cool music they get in the games as well. Good choices there. :awesome:

[Domstercool]

I have Taiko! And it's a load of fun too!

[Dcubed]

Tales of Destiny, Tales of Destiny 2 and Tales of Rebirth!

 

Yeah I like Tales games

[HazyUK]

Thanks for the replies. I'm gonna give one of the rhythm/music games a go.

Is there one game that stands out as one of the best?

 

Also I ordered a PS3 japanese import called Railfan for my nephew to play on as he loves trains....Linky

[Domstercool]

I had a Bus game for the Dreamcast that was a little bit like that. The game was called Tokyo Bus Guide. To say it was a sim of some sorts, it was pretty good, somewhat challenging though. I remember you'd fail instantly if you hit a pedestrian.

[Teppo Holmqvist]

Thanks for the replies. I'm gonna give one of the rhythm/music games a go.

Is there one game that stands out as one of the best?

 

Well, I would go either with Pop'n Music or Taiko no Tatsujin. First of all, both series are beginner friendly. Secondly, there is budget releases for both games, and controllers are relatively inexpensive, if compared to other rhythm games.

 

With Pop'n Music, I would choose either Pop'n Music 8 or Pop'n Music: Best Hits for beginner. Pop'n Music 8 has really good song selection. There is few decent songs for beginners, and some really hard songs too. Pop'n Music Best Hits is compilation of songs from Pop'n 1-6. Songs are good, but they are really easy. It's good thing if you are beginner, but there isn't much challenge here after you learn more advanced techniques. I'm not, however, sure how well Pop'n games work with PS3... I have heard that there is some incompatibilities, but I haven't been able to confirm this.

 

With Taiko no Tatsujin, all discs are good. Later discs have more songs, so I would focus on them.

[AshMat]

I ahve the PAL version of Beatmania and the turntable controller. I loved that one.

[Teppo Holmqvist]

I ahve the PAL version of Beatmania and the turntable controller. I loved that one.

 

PAL? For PSOne? Goddamn that is rare game.

[The3rdChildren]

If you're an anime man, you're in luck.

[AshMat]

PAL? For PSOne? Goddamn that is rare game.

 

Are you sure.? I have this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Playstation-Game-Beatmania_W0QQitemZ320076608925QQihZ011QQcategoryZ72489QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Unless it's rare and people just don't want it.

[Teppo Holmqvist]

Unless it's rare and people just don't want it.

 

Yeah, it is rare. Konami has tried to release Beatmania twice in west, and failed miserably each time. First time was in 1999 with the game you just link. Game was based on Beatmania, Beatmania IIDX's predecessor, that had only five buttons on the controller. Print run was around 40 000 copies.

 

Second attempt was in 2006. Game was once again called "Beatmania" and this time it was based IIDX series. Package retailed for normal price, but came with Beatmania controller that Play-Asia sells seperately for 60 dollars.