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Is importing a Japanese 3DS and FE13 worth it at this point?


sallas09
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Alright, here's where I'm at: I really, really want to play this game, and I am really tempted to just buy a Japanese system and copy of the game so I can play it. If the 3DS weren't region locked, I'd be sitting here playing the game right now. But because I have to buy the system too, it's a much more difficult decision. I am also aware that the game is slated to get a North American(my region) release, but no one knows when that will be(presumably next year), or when we will even get a release date. I'm just wondering if it is actually still worth it to get the system and game, even with the release confirmation and heavy investment? For my current situation, here are a few points that I've been weighing:

- Money is not a HUGE issue for me here. While it is still rather expensive to get everything I need, I can get it all and still have a decent amount leftover. And making up the cash lost in the process purchase will not be too difficult, since I have a decently-paying job(for a college student anyway, lol) and don't really spend much money anyway. Long story short the actual money involved isn't a grave problem.

- Like I mentioned, the game is set to release internationally, but we just don't know when. Don't know how long the wait would be if I were to hold out until then.

- I don't understand very much Japanese at all, so I'd essentially be reading the game blind. Sure I can recognize item icons and the like, and figuring out key words such as commands and various names could be done with a little time, but I'd be helpless with story and supports unless I read a script of the game as I play(if such a thing even exists yet). The language barrier also comes into play for setting up the Japanese system and working with it from there.

- Having the 3DS just to play Fire Emblem seems like a bit of a waste to me. I'd feel a little better about making the investment if I was going to get the system for more than just 1 game I was, however, planning on buying a 3DS bundle that comes with Monster Hunter 3G, another awesome-looking game with a questionable localization future. This means I'd have to keep an eye out for more Japan-exclusive games for the 3DS(or even buy Japanese version of localized ones), just so I know I get my money's worth. That's a good thing too I suppose; it gives me an excuse to check out cool games that may have never made it stateside(and get other games before they're localized, perhaps?).

- Last point being, I just really want to play this game.

So that's my conundrum. Any input or opinions on whether or not its worth it to still get the game from Japan given that money is not a big concern, or if I should just wait it out, would be very helpful.

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I can't tell you how much your money is worth.

^Pretty much this.

The last point you gave is the thing... "how MUCH do you want to play the game?"

I'm importing it at a later time... because honestly, I doubt the Japanese voice acting will be left in there. But that's just me.

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I'd just wait, and buy more games that are in english in the meantime XD Specially since you'll essentially be paying all that money for the 3DS system and one or two games, one of which you won't play anymore once it gets localized. And then of course you'll have two copies and one will be useless and yeah.

But if you're really that fanatical about somethin'~

Who am I to say?

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I'm in basically the same position as you (except I can read Japanese at about an intermediate level), and I ultimately decided to wait it out. If the 3DS wasn't region-locked I'd have bought it same-day as the release, but I couldn't justify shelling out like $250 for one game (I have a U.S. 3DS so I would only be using it for the one game).

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It's a tough one, but I'd wait. We know it's coming and you don't actually know Japanese so I don't think it's worth it.

If the 3DS wasn't region-locked I'd have bought it same-day as the release, but I couldn't justify shelling out like $250 for one game (I have a U.S. 3DS so I would only be using it for the one game).

I'm also in the exact same situation as this person. I'd have pre-ordered it/bought it the day of the release... if I -had- $250 I'd have even spent that much on the game, but I don't. You don't have that problem, yet you do: even if spending money isn't a problem, you don't seem to have any other solid reason to get a Japanese 3DS besides this one, so I'd say it's not worth it. I can't say I'll be able to not rage a little though, since it'll take several months before it comes out... XP

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Alright, taking all things into consideration, as difficult as it may be, I've ultimately decided to just wait it out until international launch. Biggest reason being that its not only just too much money to put into playing only 2 games, but there's also the fact that at least one of those games becomes obsolete after only a few months(even if I bought the Japanese versions of both games, I still had 100% intention of buying the English versions as well.). If the game hadn't been accidentally leaked at E3, I would have been much more likely to go through with it. And as many people have said before, if the 3DS didn't have a region lock, I'd probably be detailing my 3rd-4th play-through of the game right this moment. It'll be a bit of a wait until it actually arrives, but it will be worth it when it does.

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I'm importing it at a later time... because honestly, I doubt the Japanese voice acting will be left in there. But that's just me.

Me too. ^^

I already got my Japanese copy in the mail. Want to hear the Japanese voice acting as well as English. ^__^

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As someone who imported, I'd say it's definitely worth it if money isn't a big factor. Keep in mind that the international release of FE13 may go through some pretty major changes: the Japanese VA will be gone (and there's no telling how bad the English equivalent will turn out), the harder difficulties may end up getting nerfed / removed, and there's no guarantee all the DLC will make it stateside.

That said, part of the reason I look back favorably on my decision to import is that this has ended up as one of my all-time favorite games. If you feel that could end up the case for you, then I'd reconsider the import route.

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You should probably wait, especially since you can't understand Japanese. The story is part of what makes Fire Emblem fun (and from what it sound like, this game's story is very important since it sort of ties almost all the games together).

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I have bought a second 3DS just for this game, and I'd say it's worth it to me. I didn't regret it at all, and it quickly became my favourite game of all time.

As for whether you should buy it, I'd say... yes if you don't think language is a big issue. You mentioned you also want MH3G, so that'd be a factor to support getting a JP version. Do keep in mind that FE (and especially FE13) does rely on the text a lot (a lot of the more funny things come from the dialogs), and in FE13's case, recognising character names and being able to read all kana characters and such don't help a lot. But then, languages can be self-learnt. Spend some time on Japanese games and you'll end up knowing a bit more.

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I'm looking over FE13's difficulty levels, and Lunatic is really ridiculous. The hardest difficulty mode NoA has localized is FE11 H5, and this goes far beyond that. I suspect they will pull an FE9 again and reduce the highest difficulty level, giving us some mode above the Japanese version's Hard mode but not as crazy as Lunatic. And you know what? I think that's a mode I'd rather have in the game than the existing Lunatic and Lunatic+ modes. The difficulty I'd like to play for FE13 lies somewhere between the Hard and Lunatic modes, and if this turns out to be the case, I can see myself buying a second copy to play that mode on the American version.

So this is something to keep in mind. The localized version probably will take FE13's highest difficulty down a notch, and I suspect it'll be better off that way in the eyes of most, but not all. I don't know which side you'd be on.

---

This all said, I'm very satisfied with my purchase of the Japanese game, as it's become my second favorite video game. But circumstances were different when I made the choice than how they are now, so it's up to you what that means.

Edited by Othin
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I just wanted to comment on a few points that have been brought up so far and go a little further about how i feel about them:

Voice acting: Honestly, I'm not concerned at all about how the English voice acting can turn out. I'm at least expecting the acting to be better than the Tellius games', but even if it isn't, it probably wont bother me. I for one really love hammy/quasi bad voice acting, as long as it isnt excruciatingly bad and doesn't take too much away from the game experience. So there's no need for me to worry about the english acting.

Difficulty: this area I'm really split on. On one hand, lunatic and lunatic+ just sound brutal, and I dont know how much i would miss it in the event that NOA removes it. I'd probably find a comfort at something between hard and lunatic. On the other hand, it sounds like something so extreme that I just have to try it for myself. I juat really want to give it a whirl and see the chaos firsthand. And I don't like the idea of being deprived of content that im really interested in; more on that in a minute. So I'm kind of torn on that; I really want to see lunatic/lunatic+, but I know i don't have to play at the hardest difficulty imaginable to enjoy the game.

DLC: This is the issue that is driving me the most towards importing. I think there's a good chance we wouldn't see some of the DLC, which would be a real shame(need that demon fighter Alm). And this goes back to what I said about losing content; it just wouldn't feel as awesome playing the game knowing that there is existing content that you won't be able to access. But maybe we will get all the DLC that Japan gets, or maybe we won't and they'll give us replacements(which I doubt they'd do), or we'll just go without; we don't know. I just want to be able to have all options available when I really get into playing.

I did just realize something else though: assuming that a Japanese 3DS can play Japanese DS games(not 3ds, original DS), games, and if it couldn't it should be a crime, then I could finally play New Mystery of the Emblem.

Looks like I needs more thinking here.

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I did just realize something else though: assuming that a Japanese 3DS can play Japanese DS games(not 3ds, original DS), games, and if it couldn't it should be a crime, then I could finally play New Mystery of the Emblem.

DS games aren't region locked. You can play Japanese DS games on an american DS. I can't say for certain that you can play them on an american 3DS, but I don't see why you couldn't.

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I have played Japanese DS games on a US DS(Jump Ultimate Stars ftw), so I know that it is possible, but I was pretty sure that the DS and DS Lite are not region locked, but the DSi, DSi XL, and 3DS are. I only have a working 3DS and DSi, as my original DS is broken, sadly , so I don't think I can do that, unless I'm actually mistaken.

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I did just realize something else though: assuming that a Japanese 3DS can play Japanese DS games(not 3ds, original DS), games, and if it couldn't it should be a crime, then I could finally play New Mystery of the Emblem.

Looks like I needs more thinking here.

Yes, a Japanese 3DS will play FE12.

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Your playability depends on the DS game AND your system. Older games have no protections no matter what region they're from. I have a Japanese copy of Tetris DS, a European DS Lite, and an American 3DS, and all my games work on the DS Lite. However, New Mystery of the Emblem has a region lock on it. The original DS and DS Lite don't have any sort of system in place to tell the system that a game has a region code in it, and thus can play any DS game. However, a DSi, DSi XL, and 3DS will all disable your ability to play games from outside your region. More examples:

Pokemon Pearl (JP) + American DS Lite = Playable

Pokemon Pearl (JP) + American DSi = Playable

Pokemon Black (JP) + American DS Lite = Playable

Pokemon Black (JP) + American DSi = Unplayable

If a game is "DSi enhanced", especially if it has wi-fi features, you can expect the game to be region locked. All 3DS games are saddled with region locks. I'm so disappointed in Nintendo for going this route.

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Your playability depends on the DS game AND your system. Older games have no protections no matter what region they're from. I have a Japanese copy of Tetris DS, a European DS Lite, and an American 3DS, and all my games work on the DS Lite. However, New Mystery of the Emblem has a region lock on it. The original DS and DS Lite don't have any sort of system in place to tell the system that a game has a region code in it, and thus can play any DS game. However, a DSi, DSi XL, and 3DS will all disable your ability to play games from outside your region. More examples:

Pokemon Pearl (JP) + American DS Lite = Playable

Pokemon Pearl (JP) + American DSi = Playable

Pokemon Black (JP) + American DS Lite = Playable

Pokemon Black (JP) + American DSi = Unplayable

If a game is "DSi enhanced", especially if it has wi-fi features, you can expect the game to be region locked. All 3DS games are saddled with region locks. I'm so disappointed in Nintendo for going this route.

Huh... well. That sucks.

Seriously, why region lock, Nintendo?

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Personally, I'd wait it out, they announced it kinda, so it's gonna be localized, in time. Being able to understand everything, I feel, gives the better experience. (Not knowing what all them one komas of Ultimate Jump Stars without looking at some guide is very tiresome)

However, if you think that the localization will botch something up, difficulty, VA, character personality, what have you, then by all means, import it.

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