What are good JP only games?

[Himu]

Hi,

I'm about to start the next phase in my Japanese learning. I "know" 500 kanji - "know" because I'm using Heisig's Remembering the Kanji which doesn't teach meaning - and 1000 core vocab words, so I'm starting to try to find ways I can put in hours during hobby time. I've started reading Yotsubato! manga in Japanese for practice, but I also need some good JP only games. I plan on knowing 2000 kanji and being lower-intermediate level by the time Ryu Ga Gotoku: Ishin comes out on ps3.

So far I'm looking at...more basic things. That have A LOT of spoken dialogue and text. So nothing too arcadey and something preferably story or exploration-based, because I'm trying to use games as a learning tool, not just to have fun.

Things like:

Boku No Natsuyasumi 3



At the same time, I don't want to get something that'll probably feel overwhelming like Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan or an rpg. I just don't know. My goal is to be able to play something like Nobunaga's Ambition, or a high level rpg like Sora no Kiseki, or a Murakami novel in its native tongue. How fast should I dive in?

Any good Toro games for ps3? Toro Let's Party has an English option but I want Japanese.

I guess I'm going to need a Japanese 3ds for Dragon Quest VII. It's definitely the game that fueled my spark to start learning Japanese.  Shame, because I don't want to buy another 3ds. Why did Nintendo have to region lock it? Then again, I pretty much only play Japanese games on 3ds, so this is good practice time!

[Smooth Groove]

Your main goal for learning Japanese is to play games? 

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

weirdly enough, I think the JP 360 actually has a better exclusive lineup, what with all the shooters and such.

Probably the last console to ever have a retail and region locked shooter library to it.

[Himu]

I am a fan of Japanese games. These days, it's not guaranteed we will get Japanese games. We haven't even gotten a highly lauded Final Fantasy for the psp yet. Reason dictates that in order to continue play Japanese games, one must learn Japanese.

weirdly enough, I think the JP 360 actually has a better exclusive lineup, what with all the shooters and such.

Probably the last console to ever have a retail and region locked shooter library to it.

Shooters aren't really a good means to learn the language. They really aren't that dialogue heavy. They're pretty straight forward.

[Himu]

http://www.jrpgclub.com/community/

http://www.jrpgclub.com/community/thread-438.html

[Joe Molotov]

Play visual novels on the vita breh

[Himu]

MMm, I think I'll start with stuff that's free. And by free, I mean stuff I can pirate. Haha! I'll try my hand at DQ 1-5 in Japanese.

[tiesto]

As far as visual novels go, 428 for Wii, and Stein's Gate for 360 are supposedly 2 of the best (the Stein's Gate anime in particular was fantastic). Stein's Gate is getting an English PC release early next year though. As far as RPGs go, the 16-bit era has a goldmine of games that were never translated or fan translated. Romancing SaGa 2, Tengai Makyou: Manjimaru, Startling Odyssey 2. And for the 32-bit era, Tengai Makyou: The Apocalypse IV and Linda^3, the latter being one of the most unique and interesting RPGs I've ever played (imagine Noah's Ark + Pokemon + dark murder mystery with freaky horror elements, all with Genesis-level 2D graphics).

[Himu]

Holy shit.

I can totally play Mother 3.

[DCharlieJP]

play the GBA Slime Mori Mori game because it's great.

[Rahxephon91]

I can only speak about what games I'm interested in importing, but..

There's The Last Ranker, that Capcom/Imageepoch rpg where it's 1 on 1 battles I think. Character designs from the Breath of Fire guy. It always looked cool and it's not very expensive to get.

Also Gran Knights History, that Vaniliaware rpg on the PSP. Looks cool enough.


Yet you want something not overwhelming. How about EX Troopers on the PS3? It seems like a cool Japanese teenager anime game. I know I want to buy it and probably will.

I don't know. I also am just getting into importing and these games are next on my list.

[Mr. Gundam]

Yet you want something not overwhelming. How about EX Troopers on the PS3? It seems like a cool Japanese teenager anime game. I know I want to buy it and probably will.

I was going to suggest EX Troopers, actually. It's a good starter game.

[cool breeze]

This might sound like an odd suggestion since it came out on PS2 in English, but I'll suggest way of the samurai on PSP.

It's a short game meant to be replayed with different choices.  You'll end up encountering similar dialog the second or third time through, good for practice? and you can always compare your translation with the English one if you want to.
 

[Bebpo]

Holy shit.

I can totally play Mother 3.

(Image removed from quote.)

Yeah, I'm having a hard time thinking of any since almost everything this gen came over outside Gundam vs or Super Robot Wars and Gundam doesn't have much text and SRW is pretty difficult with 20+ min visual novels between stages.  Mother 3's a really good choice.  It's a great game too.

The Tales of games are always good practice since they're pretty entry-level Japanese aimed at 13 year olds.  Maybe something like Tales of Rebirth would be worth playing even though the story is awful, but battles are pretty solid.  Tales of Destiny Remake is another good one.

[Himu]

I've already played Mother 3 but in English. I'd like to do so in Japanese. Right now I'm playing DQ1 in between Kanji breaks though.

[bork]

Himu, I saw a good suggestion in the GAF version of this thread- try your hand at translating some manga.  Pick something aimed more towards kids.  You can go at your own pace this way.

Yet you want something not overwhelming. How about EX Troopers on the PS3? It seems like a cool Japanese teenager anime game. I know I want to buy it and probably will.

This game is garbage.  Just an FYI.

[Himu]

What's a good kids manga aside from Yotsubato!

[Great Rumbler]

What's a good kids manga aside from Yotsubato!

Aria

[Joe Molotov]

One Piece

[DCharlieJP]

Get the app "japanese" from the apple store - it's got a load of useful features and it can "gamify" your learning.

I've had to pick up a load of financial terms and it's helped get my japanese to where it needed to be for the job

[Himu]

One Piece is for kids, but I'm pretty sure it's aimed at older kids. Yotsubato's age group is pretty damn young, I think. I could be wrong. That said, it's my favorite comic ever so I'm not really complaining and I'm sure it's on par with Dragon Quest. I can parse the dialogue now and then in DQ, and I already know what's going on in OP so.

The issue is: where to get raws? JP companies like Shounen Jump have cracked down on Raws.

[Tasty]

If dcharlie ain't straight trolling (I don't think he is), Monster Hunter fucking 4, but it better not stay that way for much longer.





Edit- Probably doesn't match the OP criteria unless they didn't cut back the tutorial stuff dc always bitches about.

[DCharlieJP]

As great as MH4 is i'm not sure i'd recommend it for Japanese - hell, get Pokemon instead and switch it into Japanese. That'd be fine.

[Himu]

You can switch to Japanese for Pokemon X?

Won't that have a lot of katakana?



I love kanji now. I loathe katakana.

[DCharlieJP]

I love kanji now.

i assume you're learning compounded kanji and not just individuals ?

Anyways, then just seek out a game with furigana - i'll have a think but none are jumping to mind instantly.

[Himu]

I love kanji in the sense I am able to appreciate its historicity and each individual story. I find it very beautiful.

Katakana however is the devil.

[Mr. Gundam]

Katakana is easy. Deal with it.

So the katakana-ization of lots of things is nutty. However, it's really easy for westerners to learn. Good stepping stone before diving into kanji.