This year's Japanese game releases have a decidedly retro gaming vibe, and here are some of my favorites.
This is my ninth year in the top ten of Japanese games. Starting in 2016 and continuing through 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Of course, these lists are just my personal preferences based on the games I've played over the year, nothing more.
10. Assault Suit Leynos 2 Tribute to Saturn
This was a great Saturn Mecha game for its time and was only available in Japan. Thankfully, it's now available again, and the rest of the English versions will be released sometime next year. As someone who is committed to publishing Vulcan Assault Suit DecryptedI'm very happy Assault suit The game is finally being loved by more people.
9. The Legend of Iron Empire
I really like this shmup on the Mega Drive, and this remaster is very well done. While I'm fascinated by both steampunk and alternate timeline technology, this is still a solid console game and worth a look if you haven't done so already.
8. Front Mission 2: Remastered
following the first frontline mission Remastered, Sequel is another game that was originally released only in Japan. Surprisingly, it's widely used now and also gets excellent updates.
7. Tekken 8
This turned out to be much better than I expected and I'm happy to follow street fighter Revival, more of this fighting game series is about to return. The game's transition to Unreal Engine 5 has also been smooth, as it looks and operates very smoothly.
6. Sarda: Echoes of Wisdom
Finished in the same style Link's Awakening Remastered, this time around, you finally play as Zelda, but there are a few issues. First, there is a time limit on the set of swords and shields available to Link, but to combat this limitation, you can copy/paste objects found around Hyrule. It's a fun game, but I'd still like to see Zelda get a chance to wield her own sword and shield in a future version.
5. Dragon Quest Builders
The PC port of this long-awaited classic game is really, really good. While it has some interesting quality-of-life improvements, I still prefer the PlayStation 4 and Switch versions. The Switch iteration is probably still my favorite. Having said that, the game now coming to PC is undoubtedly welcome and recommended.
4. Unicorn Overlord
While there's been a lot of controversy surrounding the game's English localization, the game itself is still great. From a visual standpoint, Vanillaware doesn't disappoint, but it's also well-executed and has a great story. As someone who enjoys the tactical aspects of the RPG genre, it's always a pleasure to play new functional games, it's a lot of fun.
3. Ace Combat 7: Deluxe Edition
I never thought there was a game like this Ace Combat 7 Works on Switch, but this new one Deluxe Edition Happily I was proven wrong. I absolutely loved this game on PlayStation 4 back in 2019, and I'm surprised and grateful that I can now play it on Switch anytime, anywhere. Granted, the same goes for the PC version on the Steam Deck, but its battery life isn't exactly friendly when you're out and about.
2. Shadow of Ninja Reborn
What's not so great about it is that it's a perfect remake of an NES classic that's even more technical than the original in a way. It also looks gorgeous and is one of the best pixel art games I've played in years.
1. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remastered Edition
This is the return of the king of role-playing games. Featuring a tilt-shift HD-2D art style, 3D backgrounds are combined with 2D pixelated characters to bring one of the best games of all time back to global attention. Not only does it play great, with various feature updates and changes to the original game, but it also looks adorable. I really highly recommend this game.
you may wonder why Elden Ring: Shadow of the Eldtree Not included in this list. The answer is that it is a DLC version. Also, I like Metaphor: ReFantazio An honorable mention here too, but not quite for me.
Regardless, 2024 will see a fair amount of ports of recent games and remasters of older games. Hopefully next year there will be more new releases to contend with.
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