First game you bought in Japan.

This is aimed at people that have physically been to Japan, rather then getting games bought for them by friends, family, dogs. etc.

What was the first game you bought whilst in Japan? I'm sure most people can remember it.

Mine was Side Pocket for the Nintendo Famicom, which I bought at Trader Honten as it was one of the few stores still open. I've always like Side Pocket and have every version for every console now.

It was quite nice just walking down Akihabara for the first time under the neon lights and see the arcades that were around.

 

Well i couldn't pin it down to one game, but i bought about a dozen neo geo cd titles from a shop a couple of doors down from the big softmap on the corner in akihabara. I didn't take a map with me of the gaming shops and it took me two trips to find super potato - of which i then blew a month wage.

 

Mmmh.. it was actually a whole bunch of (cheap) games that I bought, just because it was all so well-priced and, err, available all of a sudden. I have a photo of my first evening in the hotel and that says: DigiCharat LE (DC), Sakura Taisen LE (SS), Guilty Gear X (DC) and a shitload of soccer games for the Saturn. The first shop I hit for that shopping-spree was Liberty 5 (I think? Does it have games?) where I bought Puzzle Bobble 3 (ss) among others. This was probably the first game I bought in Japan though not even on my list of what to buy. I just figured out how much I have always loved to play Puzzle Bobble (esp. online multiplayer with friends on MAME) when I saw it complete & in nice shape for just 5$ and I still play it regularly from time to time (this particular version I mean).
My first day in Akihabara was a really unique experience to me. I went there after a 25h journey (as it was just 12am when I arrived at the hotel) and was so amazed by all the games that I have only seen on webpages untill then. I also always dreamed of walking into Club Sega next to the bridge and all I needed to do was crossing the street :nod:

Watching those superplayers in Hey!Akiba and the like was mindblowing, too. I always used to watch a lot of shmup superplays, but never saw the (Japanese) people who belong to them. Now I know... :V

 

I don't remember the game exactly, but I'll never forget the experience of finally discovering a real game shop in the small, small city where I first lived. I even wrote about it:

http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/gamehunt.html

As far as I can remember, the first thing I bought was a black PC-Engine, an RF unit for it, and a few games like Rastan Saga II, Jinmu Denshou, Blodia, Ninja Ryukenden, Thunder Blade, Zipang, and Parodius. Even though that's a bunch of shitty games, I still had fun while saving up my money and looking for other shops.

 

mine was Dungeon Master Theron's Quest for the PCE. when i first time went to akiba in '98 i wasn't expecting too much retrogames there anymore (which of course was a BIG delusion :lol: ), so i went into one of the first shops right after leaving the station and saw sealed copies of the said game which then i bought one without further thoughts.

 

The first time I went to Japan is probably 1996 I bought about 15 or so games for Saturn which included the likes of Slayers, Virus, Thunder Force V SP, Road Blaster & Thunder Storm FX, Time Gal & Ninja Hayate, Namie Amuro Digital Dance Mix and a crap load more such as Street Fighter Zero etc. Actually some of them may have been bought on my 2nd trip in 1997.

All I can say though is walking down Akihabara in the hight of Saturn and PlayStation was an experience that has now vanished. Streets were packed with demo kiosks, street sellers, almost no F*ing made cafes and stupid DVD shops and more arcades and better back street gold mines.

Yakumo

 

"Mario 2", "Wizardry Summoner", and "Mother 3" for GBA at a Sofmap in Akihabara.

 

FC Kirby at a Trader for I believe Y300.

 

you lucky bugger i only know what its like to see these games on ebay must be a great feeling to see them in a store.

geppy x took me many plays to think this game was any good
and now i think its a must for any psx fan.

i need to go to japan man :crying:

 

In 2001, my first exploration around eastern Tokyo, wandering through the ghetto, past the bums, I stumbled into a mom & pop video shop. When you first see Saturn games in mint condition for 100 yen each, you just start scooping them up:

X-Mas Nights
Digital Dance Mix
VF Kids
Wipeout
Gungriffon (for the JP-only MPEG intro, getting use of the VCD card finally)
Goiken Muyou (Anarchy in the Nippon)
Gale Racer (RadMobile)
Ages Galaxy Force II
a new pair of DC Twinsticks for $50

Hitting Akihabara the next day was a shock to me - I didn't know there existed a place on earth you could walk into shops and buy almost any game ever made, used & new, mostly cheaper than I would imagine. I still enjoy the history and energy of akiba despite tourists like me, otaku, maid cafes, the disturbing new room rentals for otaku to enjoy their porn, etc. You can still find some dreams there and enjoy the arcades.

 

so not much, my fren:noooo:

they could have translated rad mobile very easly to the SS. but what did they do? foozled it as max as possible, and gave us a completely degraded and different game.

 

Really? I never saw or played it in the arcade, so I wouldn't know. It looked the same as the screenshots I've seen.

 

see the difference here:

Rad Mobile Arcade:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b-cRVBjgvM

Gale Racer SS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnFli0f-r7A

but of course, the real difference you will only see if watching at the real arcade.

 

While it's indeed a bad port, it is also one of the cheapest Saturn-games out there and still fun to play. The pop-ups are fucking annoying, but the overall feeling was conserved.

 

Hmmm... It was a few Super Famicom games I had been after:

Wonder Project J
The Firemen
SFC メモリ カセット w/ Mother 2

To date since then, i've picked up a Gameboy Color and a ton of cheap classic and color games. I've got no space damn it! All the cool shit I ever wanted I can now buy, but currently have no space to keep it. Ahh well, in the future.

 

Gale Racer was a bit of a disappointing port, but it still was a lot of fun when I first bought my Saturn system (300 yen!), again, one of the first purchases I made in Japan.

Are there any other good "super scaler" (racing) games for any system? I already have all the Sega Ages games, and Hang On GT '95 looks like crap.

Horned Owl on the PSX is pretty cool as far as sprite-scaling games go.

 

I think Power Drift is by far the best scaling racer, but as you already own it I guess that didn't help you much^^

just check the music.... so awesome.
http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=power-drift-sit-down-model&page=detail&id=2023

 

i like the c course BGM the most. genius FM use :clap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8cHVAjslRY&feature=related


very sad, this was never ported to the SS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wjXFupyvEk&feature=related

 

the Chase H.Q. / S.C.I. compilation for the SS comes to my mind which is quite good