Interesting/Good Japanese Only Gamecube Games?

[Steamflogger Boss]

Finally got around to grabbing a Japanese Gamecube. My previous experiences with enabling Japanese games (NES, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, PS1/2, 360 etc) is that it opens up a ton of interesting games. I'm very far from a huge Gamecube fan however, so I don't know much. I am researching myself just with google and random mentions/lists online but I would love to get input here since I know lots of people on here actually play a lot of games and would have valuable input.

[M.Knight]

Some of the very few shmups on the console are JP-exclusive, though you may have played them on other consoles already : Radirgy, Hudson Selection Vol 2 : Star Soldier, or Shikigami no Shiro 2.

Aside from that, Mr Driller : Drill Land is fun and has an interesting variety of modes so I recommend it.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Mr. Driller was definitely on my radar as I still play the original frequently.

I do already have Radirgy and Shikgami 2.

Star Soldier appears to be...a remake of some sort? Looks good.

[M.Knight]

Star Soldier is some sort of remake of the Famicom game in 2.5D, but it changes plenty of things too.

-The first thing is that the main game has all the features of a caravan shmup through and through. Floor tiles are there, special Z-tiles too, you can quick-kill the waves to get more of them, secret bonuses such as killing eyes at the same time are there, there are point items to collect, and so on and so forth.

-On top of that, the player weaponry has a short range blaster with a cooldown that allows you to cancel bullets in front of you, deal big damage to what it hurts, and also make some point items spawn from their floor containers. It does not make the main shot any less useful but it helps making the game more dynamic and aggressive.

-The weirdass "hiding under the walls" mechanic from the Famicom Star Soldier is gone too, thankfully.

This is a pretty overlooked game in my opinion, and probably one of the most fun Star Soldier games IMO. It does have some flaws though :

-You need a rapid fire controller. The difference between the regular firing rate and a 30Hz rate is just crazy. I imagine the game was made for something like 15Hz or so as 30Hz is very powerful, but I can't say for sure. In any case, playing the game with the default firing rate and without tapping the button isn't very enjoyable. Also don't uncover/break the rare laser floor powerup container as this one is not useful at all and needs not to be tapped otherwise it just keeps getting cancelled.

-When you max out your power ups, the powerdown system gets weird. It gives you three shields, and whenever you get hit by a bullet, you lose one of the shields but your firepower still goes down one level. (enemy collision is still insta-death) If you try to pick up another powerup while shields are still active, they will act as smart bombs. However, if you no longer have shields, the next powerup you grab gets you back to full power. So sometimes, you'll run into bullets on purpose just so you can get rid of those pesky shields and grab a powerup right afterwards.

[Steamflogger Boss]

I appreciate the in depth analysis. Thanks.

[Koa Zo]

Kururin Squash was a favorite of mine. However, while enjoying the way the game plays on Gamecube the music and graphics sort of wear on me after awhile - a little too saccharine. Somehow the same style doesn't bother me when playing the GBA versions.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Pool Edge - I've not really played it yet, but it seems pretty import-friendly. Nice boxart as well.

I did happen to play a bit of another one by NDcube - Tube Slider - which, quite puzzlingly, is US-only for a change. Also a boxart I wouldn't mind seeing amongst my 'Cube games. The very game seemed way too easy on default settings (like, the first tournament or whatever looked most inviting on the menu), but if you like its era game engines, it has that almost-launch title, tech-demo feel going for it.

Oh yes, if you are playing on real hardware, you'd better get a memory card exclusively for Japanese games (different file format there, apparently, so accessing memory card with NTSC US/C or PAL savestates on it, when a Japanese game is on, erases those older savestates).

[Steamflogger Boss]

Kururin Squash was a favorite of mine. However, while enjoying the way the game plays on Gamecube the music and graphics sort of wear on me after awhile - a little too saccharine. Somehow the same style doesn't bother me when playing the GBA versions.

This was on my list bu thank you.

Pool Edge - I've not really played it yet, but it seems pretty import-friendly. Nice boxart as well.

Oh yes, if you are playing on real hardware, you'd better get a memory card exclusively for Japanese games (different file format there, apparently, so accessing memory card with NTSC US/C or PAL savestates on it, when a Japanese game is on, erases those older savestates).

Interesting combination of not many copies on eBay but cheap. I would assume because the interest level is very low. Added to my list after checking it out.

Thank you for confirmation on the memory card thing. I read some stuff about it but wasn't 100% sure. I was planning to get a couple memory cards to be on the safe side anyway, but good to know.

[ptoing]

I also can highly recommend Mr. Driller: Drill Land. Easily the best version of the series, imo.

One thing to note though. If you use a memory card that was formatted on a non Japanese system, the game will kill everything that is on it. Saves be gone.
I am not sure if this is because of the system the memory card was formatted with or if this has to do with how you play the game. It happened to me when playing on a PAL system with a swap disk.

[garrz32]

If your into racing games try Cyber Formula: Road to the Evolution.

I believe it came out on other systems though.

Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3..JP Gamecube only release,simple fighting game but the 4 player frantic mode is awesome

[professor ganson]

The Japanese version of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is by far the better version because it has a better range of difficulty options.

While the limited edition of the DC version of Shiki II is the best overall package (with the soundtrack included), I love the little cat figure which comes with the GCN version. And the GCN version always looked amazing on my set-up with s-video cable. I had to use a different controller, though, because the d-pad on the standard Gamecube controller is pretty sucky.

[Koa Zo]

(...) Shiki II (...)

That reminds me, Radirgy GeneriC was my preferred version of that game. It's been too long to remember exactly why, I suppose the extra mode put it above the Dreamcast version. ...and that petite JPN GC software packaging is always fun to handle.

[trap15]

One thing to note though. If you use a memory card that was formatted on a non Japanese system, the game will kill everything that is on it. Saves be gone.

For whatever reason, gamecube formats memory cards differently between JP and US (dunno about PAL). So even with a region switch you need two memory cards if you want to ever switch between them...

[Steamflogger Boss]

Yeah I'm just going to keep all the Japanese stuff separate, and have two memory cards for the JP console.

[theclaw]

One thing to note though. If you use a memory card that was formatted on a non Japanese system, the game will kill everything that is on it. Saves be gone.

For whatever reason, gamecube formats memory cards differently between JP and US (dunno about PAL). So even with a region switch you need two memory cards if you want to ever switch between them...

Memory card format is normally based on the console's region. But breaking the lockout complicates matters.

Many games can save onto a different region memory card. Other games may refuse to save, or freak out and erase it.

[GaijinPunch]

Kururin Squash was a favorite of mine. However, while enjoying the way the game plays on Gamecube the music and graphics sort of wear on me after awhile - a little too saccharine. Somehow the same style doesn't bother me when playing the GBA versions.

It was good... GBA one is a must though!

[Jonathan Ingram]

There honestly isn't a whole lot to recommend. The Gamecube's library of Japanese exclusives is a far cry from what one might expect of a system that sold six times as many units in its home country as the Dreamcast. Giftpia is probably the most interesting one overall, certainly the most original. Aside from that there's a strange pilgrimage game Ohenro-San, the aforementioned Mr.Driller: Drill Land and Kururin Squash, a few shmups you can play elsewhere, four remakes of Hudson classics also available on the PS2(Star Soldier, Cubic Lode Runner, Adventure Island and PC Genjin), Nintendo Puzzle Collection, a straight port of The Tower of Druaga, Dragon Drive from Treasure(quite awful, really) an SSB-like fighting crossover DreamMix TV: World Fighters(also on the PS2), Jikkyou Powerful Pro baseball games and a bunch of anime-lisensed shlock from Konami, Namco, Banpresto and Tomy not really worth mentioning. And that's pretty much it.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Two Naruto games appear to be "Japanese only": Naruto: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! 3&4, namely. Thing is, the Naruto 'Cube series used to be highly regarded by SOME Naruto fans as a "far better than the PS2 Naruto games" fare, or something like that. Back when GameCube was widely considered as decidedly least rich in valuable exclusives, mind.
I for one have to say that the PS2&PSP Naruto games looked bloody handsome to me in their time, so if they PLAYED half as good and they looked, and if 'Cube games were even better, that's one hella feast to enjoy.

[Despatche]

Mr. Driller: Drill Land cannot be recommended enough times. Literally one of the best games ever.

Nintendo Puzzle Collection is pretty darned important. Far as I know, all of the games on it were supposed to be 64 titles. Dr. Mario 64 did get released, but not in Japan. Panel de Pon 64 got converted to Pokemon Puzzle League and was once again not released in Japan. Yoshi's Cookie 64 wasn't released at all. They're all really great games, too.

Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 is pretty fun. It's by the Bloody Roar guys. You know... Eighting. Yeah. Those guys. 4 is the best and is surprisingly competitive for a console-exclusive (in a time when console exclusive fighters were dodgy).

Battle Stadium D.O.N is also neat. Also by Eighting, but it doesn't play like the GNT games or anything... plays more like Smash. While it does have a PS2 port, the GC version was the intended platform and it probably runs better on it.

I also get the feeling the Hudson games are meant to be played on GC. I do recommend getting a Game Boy Player controller, if you can find one.

If I remember right, the Japanese version of Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II Plus is the absolute best version of the game outside of Blue Burst. Apparently there were a few quests or something like that removed from the American version of Plus. Not a lot of people talk about this change, and unfortunately I don't remember the details. Like a lot of other Sega games at the time, all versions of the game have multilanguage support.

The Japanese version of Path of Radiance is indeed better. In the localization, the highest difficulty was taken out, and an "Easy" difficulty was added in when there was none. The Easy difficulty is not that necessary and not having the highest difficulty really hurts replayability.

Homeland looks wild. Never played it though. I wonder if there's couch co-op...

There's a pretty cool Super Robot Taisen for the GameCube, just called GC. Some years later, this was ported to the 360 as XO, though. Both are Japan-only.

[theclaw]

Jikkyou Powerful Major League is a curious installment. It has licensed American teams.
Don't know much in particular. I'd played a little of the well-received sequel MLB Power Pros years ago.

Wonder if anybody has subtitled the Lupin III game? Looks like an interactive anime, and I of course enjoyed The Castle of Cagliostro.

The Japanese version of Pokemon Colosseum is slightly better. eReader cards add some exclusive content.
Amusingly most of its extras, counting stuff from the Celebi disc, were left partially translated in the game when Nintendo abandoned the accessory.

Sonic Gems Collection removed games like the Streets of Rage trilogy in the US. Similar goes for Starfox Assault as well.

[Koa Zo]

Does anyone have experience playing Radirgy Generic on a PAL GameCube?

I recently sold my copy to someone in the Netherlands and he is not able to get it to load using an Action Replay loader on his PAL unit.

He has many other Japanese games that do load with no issue.

[Mr_Horizon]

Kururin Squash was a favorite of mine. However, while enjoying the way the game plays on Gamecube the music and graphics sort of wear on me after awhile - a little too saccharine. Somehow the same style doesn't bother me when playing the GBA versions.

Kururin Squash would have been my choice too!

I recently played "Spinnys Journey" on Switch, which is a fun spiritual successor.

oh wait you wrote this three years ago. Nevermind ^^;

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Yes, the 3rd-party Hori Gameboy Player controller is an obligatory purchase if getting the GCN Gameboy Player add-on accessory. It was sold/distributed stateside in limited quantities though. I bought one brand new for a mere $9.99 usd + tax back when the Gamecube hardware & software were being marked down on clearance. Fetches insane prices on the secondary video game collector's market nowadays.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~