Importing?

[Sol-Ratcht Saporro]

Do any of you do imports? Just curious. I recently started. I have 4 JPN PS2 titles. Of course I plan to add more to the import list. Especially when I get a PS3.

Many people do it for the fact that they just cannot wait until US launch date so they import to ease the pain. I and some others import because the game is only available in a certain region. Mainly Japan.

[Sabre]

I've imported a few games in my time. It's easier these days with internet and region free systems.

The main thing is research, cost and paitence.

Don't get games just because you don't want to wait that extra month. The potential problems outway the benifit of getting it early, unless your a games are fasion type person, in which case your a sholow excuse for a creature. Also a game can take weeks to get here. I got a US DVD recently that took 3 weeks to arrive, so you could be waiting a month or 2 for your game.

Also, don't get text heavy games. I have the japanese version of 18 wheeler for dreamcast and it's perfect playable, but the save screen is all in gibberish, so you have to feel you're around that stuff or risk losing data. Most 'exclusives' are JRPGs and thus totally unplayable unless you are fluent in the lingo. An no, a few animes and a book won't help you. You need experience such as living there a while. I know a guy who lived there a year and he can barely manage the basics.

Also, most stuff thats decent is ported, just hard to find. The few that aren't are usually not because they are banned. There are ways to maximize your chance of getting stuff through, but there is always a chance you could lose your stuff, and you can't exactly ask customs to see where you filthy hentia game is at.

Lastly, cost. As well as paying for the game, it has to be shipped, and as I said, if something goes wrong chances are you will never see your game or your money. It's rare but it does happen. Sometimes you can go to a middleman who specialises in this stuff. If that's the case expect to pay full price and then some.

Keep to EU and US stuff and you should be fine. If you want more info let me know what you're planning and I might be able to help out. Most of my exp is from EU and US, but I've got the odd jap game and I know people who've imported before.

[Sol-Ratcht Saporro]

^Yeah, that's where handhelds and the PS3 rule. We need more region free systems.  Cuz, I don't use PC. For some odd reason.

A lot of the times PAL/NTSC-NA games are the same thing, but I'm still thinking about importing some games from the PAL. As for the Japanese, you don't have to tell me twice. I don't even bother with the text. I've only imported fighting games, they may have a lot of text but some of the things (key things) they do have the text menus in English. (Well, I know Melty Blood and Fate/Unlimited Codes does)

This guy lived a year in Japan and barely got the basics down? I can understand, Japanese is one of the most difficult languages to learn. This just discourages me from learning it even more.

At first, I was a total noob didn't know where to go. I didn't think of the risk of losing the package or whatever, I just wanna to try this Japan only fighting game. So, I just searched and got Play-Asia as the first thing that came up. I can tell you now, I've been doing business with them for almost all my imports well console wise. Yeah, the cost is a bit above average for the most part but they do have sales every now and then.

Oh no, I don't get games because I can't wait. I don't have the money for that. I only get them if I get a feeling/or I know that its not going to be released outside of Japan/Asia. I've only made one mistake. I never thought Fate Unlimited Codes would have an NA release. 

I couldn't help but smile at your third passage.

Thanks Sabre, I'll keep that in mind if I run into something.

[Sabre]

My friend imported mario, and I waited and got it British, however, we couldn't play multi cart multiplayer because they wouldn't talk to each other.

[Sol-Ratcht Saporro]

Which Mario? DS? Wii? It's probably something else huh?

Yeah, I found that most of these games you can't play others if you have different region games. Which is another downfall of importing.

[Sabre]

new Super Mario on DS

[North_Star1980]

The only type of games that I import are shumps, or shot'em up games, because a good majorly of them don't get a US release date, plus the menus on those games are in English. But, if you have cut scenes, with are few in shumps, you can't understand what is going on. 

[Sol-Ratcht Saporro]

^I never could get used to shumups. God they are so crazy. The dodging and epileptic like patterns. How do you do it? I had the chance to play ( I know I'm gonna butcher it) Mushashima Futari 1.5 it's FSKING HAAAAAAARD! >.> I think it's meant to be played with an arcade stick.

[Sabre]

Urg. I hate the term 'shmup' it's a bit like calling suvival horror games 'Shogs'. Also people have to explain it every time, making the word pointless.

Plus, the term bullet hell is much more fun and descriptive.

"It's like a firework display being sick." -Charlie Brooker

[Sol-Ratcht Saporro]

^Shogs? The hell? I never heard of that one before. I was also tempted to import Death Smiles for Xbox but was damn glad they decided to port this one in English.

I love it when Japanese games get ported for English