Tzadeck wrote:
I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge about good PS1 and PS2 games that were released in Japan but never made it to America?
Hell yes! Moon. I'll pm you with a link. It's such a unique game. I'll give a brief description. I think this game is really unique and interesting. Never released in english.
*taken from another forum*
Hehe got it from gamefaqs that was easier. O I am studying japanese now too. Yeah!!
WARNING SOME SPOILERS!!
"Gain love, not levels."
Do you like RPGs? Can you read Japanese at a semi-advanced level?
If the answer to the above two questions is ''yes,'' then you NEED to play this game. It's not just a recommendation, it's an absolute necessity. Moon, for as obscure a title as it is, is quite possibly the world's strangest, most unique, and most openly beautiful RPG. In many ways, it's like a philosophical statement about gaming. And though the game almost ironically advocates NOT playing itself, I believe this is one game that needs to rise from obscurity and join the ranks of the world's greatest RPGs, where it belongs -- and has belonged since its original 1997 release.
The full title of Moon is ''Moon: Remix RPG Adventure.'' While this title appears to be nothing more than ''Japlish'' or ''Nihonglish,'' it actually fits the game perfectly. If Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior is a song, then Moon is the crazy dance remix of it. It's almost like a ''behind the scenes'' look at a typical RPG... but it's also so much more.
Moon's hero is, ultimately, someone we can relate to very dearly: an ordinary little kid, who sits down in front of his TV and GameStation one night to play a new RPG called ''Moon.'' Little does he know, though, that there's a whole other side to this game...
Fake Moon
Moon begins with the game your hero plays on his GameStation, lovingly referred to as ''Fake Moon:'' a 10-15 minute mini-RPG game-within-a-game that takes place in the land of Love-de-Gard, and tracks your hero (whom the strategy guide calls ''Ziegfried'' and depicts in an overdramatic Amano-esque portrait) as he slashes his way through a king's quest to vanquish the evil dragon who, apparently, ate the moon. Along the way, he must face a mad dog in the town (who runs away rather quickly), a slime in the overworld, and a spiky-armored creature capable of splitting in two or bursting out in flames; he must create a rainbow arch over the passage into ''darker lands'' by donning his legendary armor (and helmet, and shoes); and, eventually, he must ride an airship to the dragon's castle, to vanquish him once and for all with the fearsome ''oMete'' spell. Everything in Fake Moon is a brilliant parody of NES- and SNES-era RPGs, especially Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior. Virtually nothing was left un-zinged, from Fake Moon's 8-bit soundtrack to its Dragon Warrior interface to its oversized tile graphics to its ludicrously mismatched character sprites and facial portraits. Even if Fake Moon had no relation to Real Moon, it would still stand out as one of the most thorough and well-written RPG spoofs ever conceived -- and that's saying a lot, considering how often the genre gets spoofed!
But the fact of the matter is, there's a much darker story behind the world of Moon... and things aren't always what they seem...
Real Moon
After pulling what appears to be an all-nighter on his game (with over 20 hours logged into it!), our hero is ordered to bed by his angered mother. He obediently turns off the GameStation and the TV and trots over to his bed... but what's this? The TV has turned itself back on! And when our hero goes to investigate, he finds himself being pulled in... into the world of Moon!
Things inside Moon World are quite a bit different than they appeared in the game, however. Everything looks more vivid, more real. The townsfolk, though disproportionate and super-deformed, look distinct and unique. And the hero limps by to enter the castle, struggling under the weight of his own obscenely long sword and needlessly thick armor. Your character attempts to speak with the townsfolk and get some answers, but they're only aware that someone or something is talking to them. They can't see you, and they can't hear your words. You're... not of their world.
During your wanderings, you become increasingly aware that this is the world of the game you were playing, but things are revealed more for what they are here. Eavesdropping on a few conversations, you quickly discover that the hero is not exactly a welcome presence in the town, and indeed, a few people don't approve of him at all. As you're eavesdropping, he runs by, in pursuit of a dog. Could this be deja vu?
Your travels take you to an old woman's house in the outskirts of town -- the old woman who cares for the dog, as it happens. She can't see very well, but she's quite convinced that you're her son: the son who vanished a while back and was presumed dead by most of the townsfolk. She even calls your name, which you recognize as the same name you entered for yourself when you began playing Fake Moon. Could the hero be her lost son? Could he have just abandoned his mother?
In any case, you've assumed the role of her son, which makes her happier than she's been in ages. You're given her son's favorite outfit, which solves the problem of you being invisible (and, consequently, also allows you to interact with other people, although they still can't exactly HEAR you), and the two of you catch up a bit before she falls fast asleep in a rocking chair. You, too, decide that you could use some rest... but in your dreams, you discover the true purpose for being here.
The hero, as it happens, may unwittingly be the biggest threat to the continued prosperity of Moon World. He cares only for gaining levels, and will stop at nothing to gain them. Considering what a ''hero'' he supposedly is, he conducts in some rather seedy activities, including looting the houses of innocent villagers, brutally slaughtering all the wildlife, etc. It is your job to be a ''messenger of love,'' and help clean up after this dastardly hero. You need to take the time to get to know the people around you and help them achieve their dreams -- or at least do whatever you can for them. In addition, only you have the ability to ''soul-catch'' the wandering spirits of the animals killed by the hero, reuniting them with their rotting corpses and helping them to finally rest in peace.
And remember, this is a philanthropic mission. Even the hero, for as much trouble as he's causing, has dreams and aspirations, just like everyone else. If you can help make the hero feel needed, then that, too, is love. Do you really think that rainbow arch in Fake Moon appeared because of the hero's legendary armor? No, of course not. It appeared because of the ''rainbow arch generator'' hidden behind a nearby rock. Turn it on at the proper moment, and the hero will be overjoyed!
As you aid your fellow man, woman, monster, and increasingly more infuriating hero, and gather lots of love in the process, a surprisingly deep story unfolds. Moon World may initially seem like a stereotypical RPG world, but there's a lot of history to it... and a lot of sadness. Your quest is not only important, but also quite revealing of many of humanity's faults and weaknesses. As you play, the relationship between Moon World and the real world becomes more apparent, and you slowly begin to realize just how deep this game is. Remember, it all comes down to one concept, the golden rule of Moon:
Gain love, not levels.
The World of Moon
Regardless of how good the story is, it's also EXTREMELY bizarre. It makes Earthbound and Okage: Shadow King look perfectly ordinary by comparison. Moon will take you on a journey that's truly unlike any you've ever seen before (and that's an understatement!). You'll be playing a xylophone in an all-monkey band, attending college classes with your good friend Yoshida the purple bird, doing a tribal dance with the shadowy ''Kakunte'' people of the mushroom forest, and even helping a man overcome his writer's block and write the comic book of his dreams. Perhaps the most fascinating events, though, are the ones that come straight out of Fake Moon; in particular, the hero's battle with the spiky-armored splitting flaming creature takes on a radical new twist in Real Moon that's nothing short of brilliance.
Moon successfully does what few games can: it creates a full, living, beautiful world. Every location is TRULY unique, and follows its own set of natural laws that may not have anything to do with life as we know it. Every single person in the entire game, from the most inconsequential townsperson to the King of Love-de-Gard, has a story to tell, and every single person can be helped in some way or another. And there IS a passage of day and night in Moon, as well as days of the week (which are also a bit different than we're used to!), and everyone in the game has a routine they follow, including sleeping schedules, weekend retreats, etc. Learning everything about everyone is part of the fun of Moon, and gives the game's characters an unmatchable depth.
Moon's world is vast, unique, and very much alive...
The Gameplay of Moon
There are no battles in Moon. At all. There ARE monsters, but they're all... well, dead. Their bodies are scattered about everywhere, sometimes with remains of arrows stuck in them, or a nice clean slice down the middle. And invariably, the souls of these monsters will be floating around somewhere in the general vicinity. Sometimes it's just a matter of waiting for the right moment, sometimes it involves giving chase, and sometimes it's far more complicated, but every soul in the game can, somehow or another, be caught and reunited with its lifeless body. Doing this gives you a certain number of ''love'' points, and the UFO that comes by and whisks the monster away generally leaves you a bag of neka (the game's currency) for your troubles.
''Love'' points can also be gained by completing any given character's sub-quest. And when I say ''any given character,'' I mean it: every character in the game has some sort of goal they're reaching for, or some sort of problem they need to overcome. Sometimes, overcoming it is a very simple task, but sometimes it's a long process that may span a good chunk of the game. At any rate, the entire game is basically comprised of monster soul-catching and character sub-quests, only a very few of which are required (as they're the ones that advance the game's surprisingly well-written and intricate plot). By the end of the game, half the world's population becomes very near and dear to you -- as much so as anyone from any other major RPG.
This, of course, means that Moon is quite non-linear.
I've never cared much for non-linear RPGs, so I had my doubts about Moon. But as far as I'm concerned, Moon is the most successful non-linear RPG ever made. The sheer volume of sub-quests in this game is absolutely inconceivable. Unlike many non-linear RPGs, which often leave you wandering the map trying to find something to do, Moon generally leaves you with FAR TOO MUCH to do. Most every character sub-quest involves other characters, and these other characters have their OWN sub-quests. Within a few hours of playing the game, you could literally be on 2 dozen or more different quests at the same time. You may actually have difficulty deciding what to do first!! And even if you should somehow successfully finish every quest you can think of, the world changes over time, and new ones will probably arise on their own before you can even bat an eye!
And as stated above, accomplishing a character's sub-quest nets you ''love'' points. But the question is, what are these ''love'' points, and why is collecting them so important?
Well, your character is, unfortunately, not really part of this world, and can only remain conscious within it for a very short period of time. If you remain conscious for too long, you fade out of existence entirely. Only sleeping can fully rejuvinate you, with food being a temporary solution when you're in a pinch. And let's face it: with Moon World as big and intricate as it is, you're not always going to be near a bed, nor will you always be lugging food around with you. Your only choice is to gather ''love,'' which raises your ''love level'' and, in turn, drastically increases your ''activity limit,'' allowing you to remain conscious for much longer periods of time. In the beginning of the game, this basically limits what you can do, preventing you from exploring too far beyond the old lady's house. As you rescue lost souls and aid people in need, however, this becomes less and less of a worry, until you barely ever have to even THINK about it. Of course, moving out of your ''mother's'' house and getting your own place in the center of the world does, certainly, help matters.
Completing Moon, in the end, amounts to accomplishing a few set sub-quests and building your ''love level'' high enough that you can survive a four and a half game-day flight to... wait, I've said too much.
The Groove of Moon
Moon also has the most unique soundtrack I think I've ever come across. Of course, the songs are quite fitting for such a strange world, and are extremely catchy and well-composed (and largely written by a Japanese group called ''The Thelonious Monkees'' and recorded with real instruments and vocals)... I dare you to play the game and NOT get ''Kera-Ma-Go'' or ''I'm Waiting For the Night'' stuck in your head... but I'm not specifically referring to the music itself.
See, Moon's soundtrack is just as non-linear as its gameplay. With the exception of a few choice areas and plot scenes, the game's BGM is fully programmable. Your main character comes equipped with an MD (Moon Disk) player, and can either find or buy up to 36 different MDs. Most areas have no set background music (and are naturally silent, aside from some ambient noise), encouraging you to create your own MD playlist, which functions an awful lot like an MP3 playlist. The MDs are composed by a large variety of bands in a large variety of genres (everything from dance to pop to traditional Japanese koto music), and each come with their own jacket art. It's easy to collect them all, and fun to periodically update your playlist. And it's surprisingly refreshing to be able to choose your own BGM at will.
Gain Love, Not Levels
Moon is truly one of the best RPGs I've ever played, and is sure to be loved by any and every RPG fan. It's one of the few games that not only picks an extremely difficult theme to work with, but actually succeeds at it, with flying colors (er, sometimes quite literally!). Everything is expertly handled, and any imperfections that exist are so minor as to be negligible. It's truly one of the most well-written, well-realized games I've ever encountered, and I can't recommend it highly enough.
You'll laugh, you'll cry... you'll scratch your head in confusion... in parts, you'll be VERY disturbed... but you'll never get bored of it, and you'll definitely enjoy every minute.
If you live in Japan or plan to visit there soon, Moon is still available new in the ''PlayStation The Best'' section of most Yodobashi Camera shops, for the extremely affordable price of 2380 yen (about $20). It can also occasionally be found in used game shops, like ''Book-Off.''
And remember: playing a game in Japanese counts as STUDYING, so your parents and teachers will approve! (:
And the Original FFIII In Japanese. Ugh Games that are all in Kana are horrible. Anything that's all in kana is horrible... Kanji is so much easier to deal with. Atm I think I have like... between 5 - 10 PSX RPG's in Japanese but i've only played a couple. Can't wait to sink my teeth into BOF3 though after finishing grandia 3! Loveeeed that one in english.
) although I did finish Grandia (somehow), it was when I didn't even knew how to read hiragana...I missed the whole (or most of it) story! Maybe it's time to play it again. Started a new FFIX file today, played it ages ago in Japanese too and had no idea what I was doing and got stuck on the 3rd cd, but this time around... I UNDERSTAND IT!! 幸せ♪
