A couple of these games have been announced for localization, though the fact remains that they hit Japan while arriving nowhere else, and I'm a man of facts. So lemme tellya 'bout six pretty neat games that you can either look forward to in 2015, shake your fist at the sky angrily, pine for while you moisten your pillow with tears, or just force out of your mind forever.
Because your heart can't take the breaking anymore.
Or ignore, if you're an ignorant baka gaijin who isn't kawaii enough like that.
Ugyuu.
2014 Best Imports
-
Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines (Vita)
This sequel to a 1999 PSX game — another game North America never got — arrived during the summer in Japan. The original title is actually Ore no Shikabane wo Koete Yuke, which means "Walk Over My Corpse," or the more fun, "Over My Dead Body." This references the gameplay mechanic of leveling up characters and marrying them off, with payoff to come in the future generations of the family. Since your family's destiny is to go to war with demons, you need all the procreative advantages you can get! This game has been announced for localization, but no timetable has been set. -
Yakuza Ishin (PS3, PS4)
Yakuza (Ryu Ga Gotoku) games are known for their cool characters, endless optional-yet-interesting quests, and extremely detailed worlds that are fun to explore. Ishin has all of that, but it's set in samurai-era Japan. It's cross platform on PS3 and PS4, so its visuals in some ways have a bit of a PS3 look to them — mostly the character models — but the PS4's strength really comes through in the backgrounds, the environments, combat effects, and all of the other little details. It's not only the best Yakuza game to date (including 5), it might be the best Samurai game of all time. I was in Kyoto in the 17th century and can confirm that this game nails it. It's not been announced for release outside of Japan. That's a sexy paper-rock-scissors game in the screenshot. So yeah. -
Yokai Watch 2 (3DS)
This shit right here is the new Pokemon. Look I don't mean any disrespect to Nintendo and I don't want to say Pokemon is doomed, but Pokemon is doomed and fuck that stupid shit anyway — no offense. Feast your eyes upon the future, for it has arrived, and its name is Yokai Watch. The first game is expected to be released in North America this year, while the second will probably depend on the sales of the first. -
Girls Und Panzer (Vita)
You know that dream you have, when you're a schoolgirl in Japan, and the the fate of the school rests in your hands, and to secure funding for continued operation, you need to win tank battles, because tank warfare has become a completely safe high school sport now? No? I'm the only one who has that dream sometimes? Well that's Girls Und Panzer, anyway. No release date announced, and I sadly don't expect one. That's a super drag, because the tank action gameplay in this game is surprisingly good. I thought this would suck because of the anime license, but find myself still going back to it, months after finishing the story. -
Puyo Puyo Tetris (Vita, PS3, PS4, 360, Xbox One, Wii-U, 3DS)
Two classic puzzlers collide, and the results are fresh, fun, and when it comes to adventure mode, downright hilarious. But even without adventure mode, this is so easily playable that I encourage an import (keeping in mind that PS3, PS4, and Vita are region free). The multiplayer modes are great, and it's always nice to simultaneously support the Puyo franchise while giving Ubisoft a giant middle finger. Because fuck Ubisoft. -
Dragon Quest VII (3DS)
Okay, so this wasn't actually a 2014 release, but hey, when we're talking about a remake of a game from three generations ago, it doesn't really matter, does it? Point is, this still hasn't been announced for localization. And that's kind of a bummer.
