The return of NTSC UK?

[nakamura]

Ok not quite but with recent trends in gaming could we see a return of the need to import? Lost Planet EX Troopers is not looking likely to be localised and Ni No Kuni on the DS never made it here as we know.

Due to the way only big budget titles or XLBA arcade games seem to make any money nowadays, I am beginning to feel that importing is going to make something of a comeback. Even titles like Persona 4 Arena had to be published in the EU under a different publisher as Atlus didn't seem to bother.

Obviously we have plenty of decent bigger titles released as the western market is so big now. I feel Japanese gaming is on the slide in localisation terms and importing will return to the more serious gamer.

Thoughts?

[J0e Musashi]

Told you. In reality though, there have always been Japan-only titles, so I don't see any change in the current trend.

[originalbadboy]

Can't be arsed with that anymore ... I think it was about 2 years ago that I finally decided there wasn't any point in the import game ... It's just too much hassle these days what with having seperate online accounts etc .. Really no point.

If these companies want my money they can release ALL the games in ALL the territories, otherwise basically they can jog on .. Vote with your wallets

[J0e Musashi]

It's wrong to dismiss import gaming. For instance, if it wasn't for the likes of me, you wouldn't have even been able to buy Dark Souls. They wouldn't have localised Demon's Souls, and it wouldn't have been so popular that they made a sequel...

[ETC]

Yup I still love an import I'm sitting here waiting for my Ryu Ga Gotoku 5 which hopefully is coming today/tomorrow can't bloody wait

[originalbadboy]

It's wrong to dismiss import gaming. For instance, if it wasn't for the likes of me, you wouldn't have even been able to buy Dark Souls. They wouldn't have localised Demon's Souls, and it wouldn't have been so popular that they made a sequel...

Elitest much? 'For the likes of me' ... I imported everything up until the last couple of years, I could argue this site wouldn't even have existed if it wasn't for the likes of me .. but that would be blowing my own trumpet as it were ...

[J0e Musashi]

Elitist much?

Wii U is my first PAL console, so what would you say?

[charlesr]

The difficulty is in obtaining digital content that is J-locked.

[J0e Musashi]

Pre-paid cards are your friend

[Neon Ignition]

There's always been the few exceptions eqch year but generally I don't see it changing unless Sony decide to go back to region locking and some feel they need to import hardware again. If not the region locking situation will be the same next gen as this so that's the hardware import scene not moving. Smoftware side its like Charles says, how easy it is to access accounts per region. Given the state of the industry in Japan and the move to new gen I don't see the import scene growing to be honest. Good to have, but nothing like it was.

[sj33]

After a rather sane couple of years with regards to region locking, I fear that the tides might be swinging back towards the dark days. Nintendo seem to have strengthened their region locking policy (even extending this to handhelds), and Sony's decision to only allow one active digital account on the Vita is a bad omen for the next generation.

Ironically enough, I'm having to resort to purchasing digitally from the UK because prices of games in Japan are absurd (at least twice that of the UK, possibly more given that all stores here seem to sell for RRP), and release dates for anything bar Japan-centric titles are getting worse with even the UK getting games weeks in advance. The ability to purchase Japanese games is nice until you realise that the days when Japanese games were actually better than western games are long-gone.

[teddymeow]

I'm with CTN in that there are always a few titles a year that will need to be imported.

For me "recently" its been the Vita HW and the K-On! games on PSP and PS3.

The main issue I have is that I've got such a back log that justifying the cost of importing a certain game only to have it sit on the pile of unplayed stuff isn't possible.

[dataDave]

Same in Singapore, games are expensive, and ****.

I really miss importing. Games kinda went **** as soon as they went 'global'.

[J0e Musashi]

I import all my games. It's costly, and they don't get played. This is why I now rely on the luck of the draw. Whatever turns up on forums or eBay I'll go for. My game buying is almost totally random this way. Unless it's a must have title, then I just wait until it crops up. I've only just completed Uncharted 3 for instance, a year after everyone else. The only games I bought new last year were Dark Souls, and Ridge Racer for Vita. I don't think I've bought anything on release in 2012.

[kryss]

For 3DS games my imports literally cost twice what I have to pay here. Price aside, I really enjoy playing games in Japanese. I don't like having to buy two lots of hardware though.