Hardcore gaming 101 presents: japanese video game obscurities, hardcover/kurt kalata

Description Japan has produced thousands of intriguing video games.

For any number of reasons, not all of them were ever released outside of the country, especially in the 80s and 90s.

While many of these titles have since been documented by the English-speaking video game community - and in some cases, even unofficially translated - a huge proportion of the Japanese game output is unknown outside of their native territory (and even, in some cases, within it).

Some of these games are oddities, the kind of uniquely Japanese title that wouldnt have been commercial viable outside of the country; others may have done well but were victims of circumstance.

Plus, for quite a long time, the Japanese industry developed separately from American and European output, with their own landmark titles that created trends and inspired later games.

Even the older games have a visual and aural style that make them distinct from similar games from around the globe.

Hardcore Gaming 101 Presents: Japanese Video Game Obscurities seeks to catalogue many of these titles - games that are weird, compelling, strange, cool or historically important.

Some of these may be familiar if youve comprehensively read Hardcore Gaming 101 website archives (though the actual text for this book is completely original), but weve also included a large number of titles that arent (currently) reviewed, and in some cases, have little to no English-language coverage whatsoever.

Most of these games are Japanese exclusive, though weve also picked some that are suitably obscure outside of the country, or were only localized many years after their original release.

In some cases, theyre games that were hugely successful in Japan but barely made a mark in the West.

About the Author Kurt Kalata has been writing about video games, mostly old and weird ones, on the internet for twenty years.

He founded the website Hardcore Gaming 101, and has since edited and published over ten books through it, including The Guide to Classic Graphic Adventures.

He lives in New Jersey, USA, with his wife and daughter.

@hg_101.