25 Best Japanese Games Not Available in the U.S.

(Looking at you,Mother!)

Crank out a half-dozen terribleSonicgames.

Sometimes it seems like Sega is run by a board of drunk chimps.

LSD

1998 | Asmik Ace Entertainment | PSX

LSDwas maybe a bit ahead of its time.

But then an evil toad named Mamu arrives and turns the machine into a nightmare machine.

They all became iconic enemies in the franchise going forward.

Perhaps well get to see them in the original adventure one of these days.

Thats likely why Nintendo passed on localizingDynamic Slash.

Its the story of two angelic siblings fighting legions of giants during the Norse Ragnarok.

Combat is extremely violent, and feels great thanks to the Wii MotionPlus.

2008 | Nintendo | Wii

ThinkAnimal Crossingwith a twisted sense of humor.

You fight zombies and monsters while also maintaining an oxygen supply.

In some ways,Deep Fearwas an underwaterDead Spacea decade ahead of its time.

Thats ultimately what doomed a North American release of the fourth entry in the underratedFatal Frameseries.

Shining Force IIIwas an early experiment in episodic gameplay.

Comprised of three scenarios, each with a separate but overlapping storyline.

You had to play all three games to fully understand whats going on and see the true ending.

Sega must really hate making money.

Its also a very different game.

Its been praised for its detective story, which is no surprise given Kojimas involvement.

You play the U.S. president, a descendant of Woodrow Wilson, piloting a giant mech.

Damn politics ruin everything.

Being a PSP exclusive also didnt help matters.

1997 | DreamFactory | PSX

Tobal No.

Thats a shame becauseTobal 2is superior to the first game in every way.

Square ultimately blamed poor sales ofTobal No.

1and translation issues for the lack of a North American version.

Even more heartbreaking, the official reasons for why Square never brought it here arent entirely clear.

A U.S. release was once announced in the 90s, but canceled due to mysterious programming bugs.

After billions of years of fighting, the Earth has been almost completely destroyed by God and the Devil.

As Ark, one of the last survivors, you must resurrect the planet.

Perhaps such a deep story was thought to be too risky for a release in the 90s.

Chris Freiberg is a freelance contributor.