Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00 Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're looking at 10 PS2 games that never left Japan.
00:15 For this list, we'll be looking at weird Japanese games that never made their way stateside.
00:20 For the most part, these games are aimed at a Japanese audience, but some of them could've
00:25 made it out of Japan… if they weren't so wordy.
00:28 What game do you wish made its way to North America?
00:30 Let us know in the comments!
00:42 Before we continue, we publish content all week long.
00:45 Be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to be notified about our latest video.
00:54 Initial D - Special Stage
01:00 Initial D may be one of the best car-related animes ever.
01:04 There have been many arcade games from the iconic Drifting series, and a handful of them
01:08 ended up leaving Japan.
01:10 However, there was a PS2 game that never made it to us in the West.
01:14 Initial D - Special Stage didn't stray far away from the arcade games.
01:18 You race against other racers from the Amazing Manga.
01:21 Special Stage also has a story mode unlike its arcade counterparts.
01:26 Initial D - Special Stage is an arcade drift racer, so don't expect a driving sim here.
01:31 The game is full of JDM horsepower and anime flair.
01:43 The Rumblefish - With a name like that, it's no wonder this 2D fighter never made its way
01:55 outside of Japan.
01:57 The Rumblefish isn't a game changer when it comes to fighting games, but it's still a
02:00 solid fighting gem that could have found a bigger fanbase.
02:03 The Rumblefish is praised for its ability to create easy combos and dual gauges.
02:08 You'll have an offense and defense gauge, each filling accordingly to your offensive
02:12 and defensive capabilities.
02:14 Filling the gauges will allow for more damage, and if both are full, they'll merge into the
02:18 critical gauge that can be unleashed for max damage.
02:30 Namco X Capcom - Is there anything better than a crossover game?
02:42 Namco X Capcom took the two iconic Japanese publishers and put each of their rosters head
02:48 to head in a tactical action RPG setting.
02:51 It features over 200 characters from classic Namco and Capcom games, which is most likely
02:56 why it didn't leave Japan, as some of these characters never left either.
03:01 The gameplay is unique here, with battles playing out in two phases.
03:05 The first stage is your typical tactic game.
03:07 Simply move your character in the grid to get in position and prepare for phase two,
03:12 which is where the action is.
03:14 While not a super in-depth fighter, the RPG elements make up for it.
03:18 Namco X Capcom never left Japan, like I said, mostly due to their roster not being as well
03:24 known outside of Japan, as well as the wordy story that would have been difficult to translate.
03:38 Kuma Uta - This game screams Japanese weirdness in its best form.
03:50 Kuma Uta stars a polar bear that leaves his peaceful polar bear life to pursue his dream
03:55 of becoming a singer.
03:57 We don't get to play as the bear, as fun as that would be, but instead help Kuma create
04:02 lovely music.
04:03 We suggest an array of topics for Kuma to write about, and he'll burst out songs for
04:08 us to approve.
04:10 This all seems rather straightforward, but the real kicker here is that no songs are
04:14 pre-recorded, so we're not going to hear the same song from playthrough to playthrough.
04:26 Tales of Destiny - Director's Cut The Tales series has a few PS2 games that
04:38 never left Japan, the most notable being Tales of Rebirth and Tales of Destiny - Director's
04:44 Cut.
04:45 The Director's Cut amped up everything from the original release.
04:49 Stats were buffed to higher numbers, taking your puny 999 character stats and maxing them
04:55 to just under 2000.
04:58 Tales of Destiny - Director's Cut also included a second difficult ranking that was introduced
05:03 in Tales of Destiny 2.
05:04 However, the coolest new feature has to be the new stage called Rank 6, which essentially
05:10 is a boss rush mode.
05:12 Everyone loves a good boss rush.
05:20 Fantasy Zone - Complete Collection There were many volumes of the Sega Ages series.
05:34 The Sega Ages line included remakes, ports, and compilations of classic Sega games.
05:39 The Sega Ages 2500 line was a great budget line for these ports, remakes, and compilations,
05:44 coming in at 2500 yen.
05:46 While there were many great titles in this line, the final release is full of classic
05:50 cute shoot 'em up action.
05:53 Fantasy Zone - Complete Collection is the ultimate collection of the cult Sega Classic
05:56 series Fantasy Zone and includes 8 games in the series.
06:00 If this collection had left Japan, we'd have more fans of Fantasy Zone.
06:11 Hungry Ghost - Complete Collection Japan knows how to do survival horror, and
06:22 most of the PS2 survival horror classics made their way out of Japan.
06:27 Hungry Ghost didn't.
06:28 Hungry Ghost is a Kingsfield clone that we missed out on.
06:32 The controls will feel similar to FromSoft's Kingsfield series, but focuses more on the
06:36 mythological lore of a hungry ghost, which is referred to in Buddhist scripture.
06:42 Hungry Ghost oozes with creepy set pieces and even creepier ghosts and excellent audio
06:47 that only ups the eerie atmosphere.
06:57 Vib Ripple - Complete Collection A follow-up to the 1999 PS1 cult classic
07:08 Vib Ribbon, Vib Ripple is just like its predecessor, allowing the player to import a piece of media
07:14 - this time photos - and transform them into a playable level.
07:19 While Vib Ripple has 60 photos or levels in the game, players can upload their photos
07:23 from a camera or a cell phone via the PS2's USB port or over an online network.
07:30 Once we have our photo uploaded to the game, gameplay starts.
07:34 The photo is essentially turned into a trampoline.
07:36 As we jump on them, PETA characters will emerge from the photo for us to collect.
07:41 Simply complete this before the time expires and you'll move on to another photo.
07:45 This is a weird one for sure, but there's something charming about Vibri.
07:56 Shadow Tower Abyss - Complete Collection Nowadays we see From Software as a top-tier
08:07 developer, but they weren't always seen in that light.
08:11 Before creating the Souls-like genre and one of the best games of all time in Elden Ring,
08:16 From Software created strange role-playing games like Kingfield and Shadow Tower Abyss.
08:21 The game has players ascending the tower, all while encountering enemies.
08:26 The thing that sets Shadow Tower Abyss apart from other classic FromSoft games is the sheer
08:30 number of unique weapons, with 500 available.
08:34 Shadow Tower Abyss almost made its way out of Japan, as an English version was in the
08:38 works but was ultimately cancelled.
08:48 Chain Dive - Full of over-the-top action that makes you feel cool when pulling off combos,
09:01 Chain Dive is one of the games that could've easily been localized, but sadly never was.
09:07 Chain Dive is pure fun action, with a story that just keeps you going from level to level.
09:13 Evil invades and it's up to Shark with his blade and plasma chain to save the world from
09:17 the invaders.
09:18 The gameplay is rather simple, chain together combos with your blade and chain.
09:22 While you're doing this, the camera will zoom in and out, making the game feel much faster
09:27 and more action-packed.
09:28 Chain Dive somewhat made it out of Japan, a demo of the game was released in the US
09:33 with the official PlayStation Magazine, Volume 79, but the game was never released.
09:46 Did you enjoy this video?
09:47 Check out some other clips from Mojo Plays, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
09:51 to be notified about our latest videos.
09:54 Thanks for watching.