Translating and localizing a game for release in English-speaking countries costs a lot of money. It is no surprise that many Japanese companies and American publishers often choose not to take a chance with Japanese games that are well-made but not guaranteed to sell well in other countries. Does this mean that we have to miss out on these games entirely? No way!The two biggest problems with import gaming are region lockouts and language barriers. Of course, the language barrier is not a problem with be a legend soccer hack games that have little-to-no important text. Option screens in Japanese games, surprisingly, are usually in English. For story-driven games such as RPGs, a translation guide may be available. Some might find it too much of a hassle to read what the characters are saying on a computer screen or a piece of paper.
It's certainly an inconvenience, but if the game is good enough, experiencing it this way is better than not experiencing it at all. It's important to not be intimidated by text that you can't understand. For example, sometimes a little extra experimentation is all you need to figure out what every option on a menu screen does.Most console developers put region protection on their systems so that games produced on one continent will not be compatible with consoles from others. Fortunately, there are some exceptions, and there are often easy and legal ways to get around this.
Nintendo handheld systems along with Sony's PSP and Playstation 3 do not have any region protection on their games (although a PS3 will not be able to play PS2 or PS1 games from other regions). Some (but not all) Xbox 360 games do not have region protection; a helpful compatibility list can be found at Play-Asia.com.European gamers have plenty of reason to import from Japan and North America because older games produced for European consoles are often inferior to their American counterparts, and some games that were localized and released in America did not reach the rest of the English-speaking world.
However, I have no experience with European consoles, and I do not know the best ways for a European gamer to go about importing, so I cannot give specific advice to gamers outside America in this guide. It might be a good idea to import foreign consoles if you're a European gamer, but make sure you have the proper plug adapters to use them.Region-protected consoles that are (in my opinion) worth the trouble for their imports include the Super Nintendo, the Sega Saturn, and the Playstation 2.
There are two ways to legally play imports on a Super Nintendo. Japanese Super Famicom games have no region protection on them, but they will not fit in a North American SNES. A way to overcome this is to manually cut out the tabs that block the cartridge. However, I do not recommend this method because it can be difficult without the right tools, and because it still will not allow you to play European games (there are a few worth playing, most notably Terranigma). I would recommend purchasing a Pro Action Replay 2 from eBay to serve as a converter. It's a bit pricey (it will cost at least $40), but you'll be able to play games from all regions and you won't have to modify your console. Note that going with the original Action Replay is NOT a good idea (it can delete save data for some games and it will not let you play European imports), and that it's okay to buy the European release of an Action Replay 2 because they are not region-protected. Some Japanese SNES games worth a look are Final Fantasy V, the three Fire Emblem installments, Kirby no KiraKira Kids, Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie, Sutte Hakkun, and Umihara Kawase.Unknown to many, the Sega Saturn was a success in Japan.
This was thanks to a strong library of games and a series of popular commercials featuring "Segata Sanshiro" (a judo fighter who would beat people up and command them to play the Saturn). Because the Saturn was selling poorly in America and Europe, many of its quality games stayed in Japan. Fortunately, playing foreign games on an American Saturn is easy; all you need is an Action Replay (which should cost $25-$35). It should be noted that the Action Replay can store loads of save data, but because it is also a cheat device, they were unable to build a model with which you could save directly onto the cartridge.
The console itself can hold some data, but if the battery is worn out, you might have to take an extra 30 seconds to transfer your save data onto the Action Replay at the end of every playing session because otherwise your data will be lost the next time you play. The Saturn's selection of import-only titles contains an impressive bunch of 2D fighting games and shoot-'em-ups. Because the Saturn was a powerhouse in the way of 2D games, many fighting games enjoyed their most faithful arcade-to-home conversions on the Saturn. Some examples are Street Fighter Alpha 3, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Darkstalkers 3, the King of Fighters series, and the Samurai Shodown series. In the way of shoot-'em-ups, the Saturn has loads to choose from. To name just a few, there's Soukyugurentai Otokuyo, Batsugun, Shienryu, Gunbird, the Parodius series, the Cotton series, and the highly sought after Radiant Silvergun. Perhaps the most notable Saturn imports among other genres are scenarios 2 and 3 of Shining Force III; Americans and Europeans only received scenario 1 and missed out on two-thirds of this epic game.Unfortunately, there is no safe and legal way to play imported games on an American Playstation 2. I would recommend simply purchasing a Japanese Playstation 2 console.
If you're patient, you should be able to get one for well under $100 on eBay. It should be noted that the original Japanese Playstation 2 (I don't know about the slim model) uses a different power chord than the American model, so make sure you don't get the bare-bones console! Fortunately, memory cards and controllers are compatible with systems from all regions. PS1 & PS2 also have some quality shoot-'em-ups to offer, including Gradius Gaiden, Harmful Park, Espgaluda, Strikers 1945 I & II, and Twinkle Star Sprites: La Petite Princesse. On the RPG front, the most notable choice is Final Fantasy X International. The standout features in this version of Final Fantasy X are more optional boss fights and a brand new sphere grid which gives you more freedom to build your characters early in the game because they all start close together on the grid. Best of all, the game can be played entirely in English! Square Enix also released "international" versions of some of their other games (such as Final Fantasy X-2 and Kingdom Hearts), but these games only have English voice acting; the text is in Japanese.
A few Japan-exclusive games in Namco's Tales series are available for PS2. Fan translation guides make these games playable. Tales of Rebirth, Tales of Destiny: Director's Cut, and Tales of Destiny 2 are all quite distinct in terms of gameplay, so one or more of them are worth a look even for casual fans of the series.Import gaming is satisfying because it often allows you to experience more of what your favorite series or genre has to offer. If you're a fan of a video game series that originated and Japan and has been around for several years or more, it's very likely that some part of it did not get released in America. There may be a spinoff, remake, special edition, or a whole installment in that series that you will never play unless you consider importing. If there's a good text-drive Japanese game out there without a good translation guide available, make it known all over the Internet and you could find somebody willing to start a translation project for it! It often takes extra effort to get the most out of import gaming, but the rewards can be well worth reaping.
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