Import obscurities

What's the most obscure and/or downright rare game you own that never received a release on these shores? Was there any particular reason why you purchased it?

I actually can't remember if I own any truly obscure releases (this is where I wish I had joined the backloggery crowd), though one import 3DS release which I have on the way could be classed as such...

Perhaps it's The Legendary Starfy on the DS for me - there's no chance your casual Nintendo fan in Europe will have heard of that...which is a shame, as it plays a good 2D platformer.

The only thing that comes to mind is importing Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations as never saw it down here.
And as for obscure I guess the One Piece unlimited cruise games from the UK.

I've played a couple of obscure import games - but, er, illegally. Don't import much myself, and there's less incentive to given how Nintendo are ramping up their import protection.

I don't have any really "obscure" ones but I do have two or three that didn't make it over here originally.

Two of those being Front Mission, by Squaresoft, for the Super Famicom, and Sin & Punishment on the N64.

I have Xandra's Big Adventure for the SFC too, a glorious platformer where you play what looks like a jelly baby with a pitchfork. Not sure if that recieved a very limited PAL release. Maybe not in the UK but I'm sure it reached France as 'Whirly' or something similar.

Good thread! I've got quite a few US & Japanese import games, some of which are obscure, others that just don't get mentioned that often. I've done a very quick copy & paste from my spreadsheet so a few of these games might've had a PAL release.

DS games

9 HOURS 9 PERSONS 9 DOORS
AGAIN
ATELIER ANNIE ALCHEMISTS OF SERA ISLAND
BREAK 'EM ALL
CHIBI ROBO
DARK SPIRE
DRONE TACTICS
EMERGENCY! DISASTER RESCUE SQUAD
ETRIAN ODYSSEY 3
HERO'S SAGA
INTELLIVISION LIVES
JAKE HUNTER DETECTIVE STORIES MEMORIES OF THE PAST
JUMBLE MADNESS
KNIGHTS IN THE KNIGHTMARE
LUFIA: CURSE OF THE SINISTRALS
MONSTER TALE
N+
NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD
ONTAMARAMA
OSSU! TATAKAE! OUENDAN
PANZER TACTICS
PIKUPIKU: TOKU TO E NINARU 3-TSU NO PUZZLE
PUCHI PUCHI VIRUS
RADIANT HISTORIA
RETRO GAME CHALLENGE
RONDO OF SWORDS
SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI DEVIL SURVIVOR
SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI STRANGE JOURNEY
SLITHERLINK
SNK CARD FIGHTERS
SOROERU PUZZLE DOUWA OUKOKU
SQUISHY TANK
SUPER ROBOT TAISEN OG SAGA
TAIKO NO TATSUJIN DS TOUCH DE DOKODON! WITH DRUMSTICK
THE LEGENDARY STARFY
THETA
TOKYO BEAT DOWN
TOUCH PANIC
WIZARD OF OZ
WORDJONG

GBA

GURU LOGIC CHAMP
CAR BATTLER JOE
COMPLETE BIT GENERATIONS COLLECTION
KURU KURURIN PARADISE
LEGEND OF STAFI

GAMECUBE

KURURIN SQUASH
CUBIVORE
MR DRILLER DRILL LAND

N64

SIN & PUNISHMENT

The only imports I have are Warioware Twisted, Fire pro wrestling D & Rhythm Tengoku and I wouldn't like to guess which is the rarest.

Balladeer wrote:

I've played a couple of obscure import games - but, er, illegally.

It's much the same with me - my collection itself is rather boring, but I've played quite a few import-only oddities through emulation. I've always wanted to start importing things and to build up a collection, but I never know where to start, nor whether it's really worth it...

Nice topic! I've got a fair few import games. Mainly for DS because there are as many untranslated/PAL-region-absent gems as there are actual PAL releases.

Here's a link to my DS collection: http://backloggery.com/games.php?user=stu_the_great&console=NDS

Can't be bothered to trawl through it myself.

I suppose the most obscure import game I have is Doki Doki Majo Shinpan 2 Duo for DS. Otherwise know as the sequel to the infamous 'witch touching' game. Please note: it's the huge collector's edition and it remains firmly sealed. I'd never play it if it weren't the collector's edition. *shudder*

Ouendaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!

Also Ouendan 2.

Darunia wrote:

It's much the same with me - my collection itself is rather boring, but I've played quite a few import-only oddities through emulation. I've always wanted to start importing things and to build up a collection, but I never know where to start, nor whether it's really worth it...

What with Nintendo's import control, it really isn't any more.

Foreign 3DS games are as obtainable as ever, but unfortunately you have to pay the ultimate price of importing a whole new console to bleddy play 'em on.

Hurray for the Vita in that regard.

Yes! Though I haven't dipped into the Vita import scene. Yet. The PAL release line-up (or lack thereof) is fast persuading me to reconsider.

a few jap and american dreamcast games like king of the fighters thats about, ohh and genesis games but nothing that i couldnt have pal versions of like lion king

My my, that's quite a list, Fancy_Fancy!

After having a long think (well, split up over the course of a few days), I probably own more of these sorts of games than I thought I had.

Recently I purchased Senran Kagura Burst on 3DS, as well as DJ Max Techika Tune on Vita. And, er, this 3DS release from Japan that would draw parallels with the limited edition game Stu posted up.

I'm trying to hunt down Hudson's Slitherlink DS game, as I read 3DS Slitherlink isn't implemented in as an excellent a way.

sporkhead wrote:

Recently I purchased Senran Kagura Burst on 3DS, as well as DJ Max Techika Tune on Vita. And, er, this 3DS release from Japan that would draw parallels with the limited edition game Stu posted up.

If you're happy to admit to owning SKB, I shudder to think what your "limited edition" game is.

Balladeer wrote:

sporkhead wrote:

Recently I purchased Senran Kagura Burst on 3DS, as well as DJ Max Techika Tune on Vita. And, er, this 3DS release from Japan that would draw parallels with the limited edition game Stu posted up.

If you're happy to admit to owning SKB, I shudder to think what your "limited edition" game is.

I know, it was a tough one. It's actually a fairly decent game - has a deep combat system - but falls foul to repetition and dumb AI.

The 'other' game appeared in an issue of Nintendo Gamer, I think...

sporkhead wrote:

My my, that's quite a list, Fancy_Fancy!

After having a long think (well, split up over the course of a few days), I probably own more of these sorts of games than I thought I had.

Recently I purchased Senran Kagura Burst on 3DS, as well as DJ Max Techika Tune on Vita. And, er, this 3DS release from Japan that would draw parallels with the limited edition game Stu posted up.

I'm trying to hunt down Hudson's Slitherlink DS game, as I read 3DS Slitherlink isn't implemented in as an excellent a way.

I didn't realise that I owned so many! I've also bought the US import of DJMax which just arrived today.

As for Slitherlink, I thought it was quite rare, but there's copies on eBay, so obviously not!

Slitherlink DS? I tracked that down about two/three years ago with very little trouble. I fact, it looked brand new and came from a British eBay seller.

spork: Testament to my ignorance of the 3DS import scene, I've no idea what that 3DS game is (though any parallels to Doki Doki cannot be good).

Stu_the_great wrote:

Slitherlink DS? I tracked that down about two/three years ago with very little trouble. I fact, it looked brand new and came from a British eBay seller.

spork: Testament to my ignorance of the 3DS import scene, I've no idea what that 3DS game is (though any parallels to Doki Doki cannot be good).

Maybe they actually did do Witch Touching 3D?

Thanks for the input, guys. I really want to track it down, such a shame that Hudson no longer exist anymore. I suspect their 3DS collection of Japanese puzzlers (Sudoku: The Puzzle Collection?) might have had the same attention to detail applied to it as those DS ones. But it doesn't include Slitherlink!

My copy of Taiko Drum Master 3DS arrived today, it's bundled with two adorable styli - both which are a lot more substantial (and thus can be held more like the real drumstick) than I had expected!

beemoh wrote:

Stu_the_great wrote:

Slitherlink DS? I tracked that down about two/three years ago with very little trouble. I fact, it looked brand new and came from a British eBay seller.

spork: Testament to my ignorance of the 3DS import scene, I've no idea what that 3DS game is (though any parallels to Doki Doki cannot be good).

Maybe they actually did do Witch Touching 3D?

Nah.

Actionloop (with DS Rumble Pak)
Warioware: Twisted

Stu_the_great wrote:

Foreign 3DS games are as obtainable as ever, but unfortunately you have to pay the ultimate price of importing a whole new console to bleddy play 'em on.

Which I am actually thinking about doing.

And if we are naming everything we ever imported:
All Pokemon Games from Diamond up
Jump Ultimate Stars
And a couple of One Piece games other then the ones I mentioned