10 Awesome Japanese Games That Should Be Officially Released Elsewhere

Fatal Frame 4

A more modern game that needs some worldwide action, Fatal Frame 4 is another example of a title that has no real place staying in Japan alone. The three previous Fatal Frame games have all been fairly popular worldwide, and Tecmo have recently just announced that a remake of the second Fatal Frame will be hitting western shores sometime this year. I don’t know if you noticed guys, but we’ve already played that game on PS2 back in 2003. We haven’t played the fourth one though, so sort it out.

Segagaga

A lack of dedicated critical theory means that gaming hasn’t really had any specific intellectual movements as of yet. If we were to have a postmodern movement though, Segagaga would need to be at the centre of it. Set in the near future, you take on the role of a teenager tasked with saving Sega from their decreasing market share at the hands of the evil DOGMA company. A daring concept for this last hurrah for the Dreamcast. With the likes of Jet Set Radio and Space Channel 5 getting HD remakes, this one ought to be on Sega’s priority list as well.

LSD

Released for the PS1 by Asmik Ace Entertainment in 1998, LSD is a dream simulator based on a dream diary kept by one of Asmik’s employees for over a decade. All you do in the game is traverse various dreamscapes, but the amazingly disturbing and vivid environments make LSD unlike anything you’ll have played before. This needs a translation, or a sequel, or anything that will get this unique slice of psychological gaming released worldwide.

Mother 3

The sequel to the cult RPG Earthbound, Mother 3 is considered to be the best title in the series, and is certainly considered one of the most underrated RPGs ever. With a darker and more serious story than previous instalments, Mother 3 managed to wow Japanese audiences with its unique combat system in spite of some of its technical blemishes. We need strong JRPGs more than ever to remind us how strong the genre once was, and Mother 3 would do the trick if Nintendo would give it an official localization.