Physical Japanese Exclusives on Xbox One | Every game which never saw a physical release in the west

Azito x Tatsunoko Legends

International Release: No

Digital Release: Yes

Ported Elsewhere: No

English: No

A weird game which is going to be hard for those who want to play in English as the game is rather text heavy. The game looks fine, ... recommend only if you're collecting for the console and looking for full, Xbox One exclusives or quirky games if you're familiar with Japanese.

Chaos Child

International Release: Yes

Digital Release: Yes

Ported Elsewhere: Yes

English: No

Initially a timed exclusive, Chaos Child was part of Microsoft's early push to target the Japanese market. The game doesn't have English option, so is more of a curiosity to own. If you do fancy playing this, the game was ported everywhere, starting with PS3/PS4 and Vita 6 months after the Xbox release with English. 

Occultic ; Nine

International Release: No

Digital Release: Yes

Ported Elsewhere: Yes

English: No

I'm not even going to pretend I have played this game. This is another visual novel game which is still locked to Japan. If you do fancy picking this up, the PlayStation 4 and Vita versions have a limited edition which comes with a CD, though you're going to need to know Japanese to get anything from it.

Psycho-Pass: Sentaku Naki Koufuku

International Release: Yes

Digital Release: Yes

Ported Elsewhere: Yes

English: No

Much like Chaos Child, Psycho Pass is another visual novel which launched exclusively on Xbox nearly a full year before it got released on other platforms. Once again, it's more of a curio than anything else at this point, as you can play this on other platforms and PC fully in English.

Puyo Puyo Tetris

International Release: Yes

Digital Release: Yes

Ported Elsewhere: Yes

English: No

If you've not played Puyo Puyo Tetris, you should, it's an excellent little game. This isn't the best way to go as the game was ported everywhere with English physical editions both on Switch and PS4. It should play fine, you may just not understand part of the "story". The sequel did release on Xbox One with a S/X upgrade.

Raiden V

International Release: Yes

Digital Release: Yes

Ported Elsewhere: No

English: No

For a while, it looked like the next Raiden game would be locked to Xbox and a digital release launched a few months later in the west. You're better off getting the Director's Cut, launched nearly 2 years later digitally with a PS4 physical. If you want the original, this is the only physical version available, so has some value to owning.

Senkgokushi 13

International Release: No

Digital Release: Yes

Ported Elsewhere: Yes

English: No

Known as Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the west, Japan saw an exclusive physical release for Xbox. Without Japanese, be warned, this is going to be pretty unplayable. It released digital and on other platforms in English, and if you want to bag an English physical copy, there's a PS4 release if you're interested. 

Shiin

International Release: No

Digital Release: Yes

Ported Elsewhere: Yes

English: No

Shiin, which also goes by Spirit Hunter: Death Mark, is the last visual novel exclusive released exclusively in Japan. Unlike the others, the Xbox was the last version to be released aside from a PC release. English versions of the game released shortly after the Japanese release on Xbox, so that would be the best way to go. 

Stranger of Sword City

International Release: Yes

Digital Release: Yes

Ported Elsewhere: Yes

English: Yes

This last game on the list is a first-person, dungeon crawler. Originally an Xbox 360 Japanese exclusive, it was later ported to Xbox One then to PC and Vita months later. It's worth a go and you can with as it saw an English digital release. If you want the Xbox One physical version, the Japanese release is the only way to go.

The Earily Similar Situation of Xbox Series X/S and Dreamcast

Look, I know this isn't very original and it's not the first time this comparison has been made, but stick with me here. I have been digging a lot into the history of  the Dreamcast for some time now and what I keep finding is how similar some of Sega's moves are to Microsoft with Xbox. So I am going to be comparing the current situation and market strategy of the Xbox right now with the Dreamcast prior to it's discontinuation. Looking at both consoles whilst they're still on the market may help give some context to some of the moves Xbox have been making. As you may hopefully see, there are some similarities to be seen.

Jet Set Radio Future Pre-Release | Early look into early development of the game

 Early Look is a series dedicated to looking at games long before they came out. This month is dedicated to Jet Set Radio Future and the coverage it gained over a year ahead of its Japanese release on 22nd February 2002. The game's development is truly a fascinating story and a great insight into one of Sega's most beloved titles.  

The game was originally planned for an Autumn 2001 release. 

PS3 Demo Disc Collection | Playable games which are now unobtainable

The UK Official PlayStation magazine (OPM) was the only PS3 based magazine that handed out game demos distributed via Blu-Ray. Many other magazines couldn't afford to use Blu-Ray discs such as PSW (Playstation World) and PSM3, both opting instead to use double-sided DVD's which they tried to make up for with their list of videos, themes, pictures, save files and more. 

What makes these particular demo discs even more interesting is the fact that only the UK and some selected European countries (from my knowledge) had exclusive access to these demo discs from their regional official magazine. Finding any information on what is contained on these discs is impossible due to the limited appeal, regional exclusivity and just a lack of coverage in general.

So it's time to scour through my complete collection of these discs and find out what's on them. Here's the list of games that you will never be able to get access to ever again and which never saw a PC release. Officially of course...

Sega's Lost Arcade Game - Jet Squad | Did it ever exist?

I'm a huge fan of lost media, the fact that something got released, or was shown in some capacity only to disappear forever is fascinating to me. There's a huge list of games which we're all well aware of, however one I had not heard of until recently was Jet Squadron by Sega. It's featured in a few YouTube videos after a post on Lost Media Wiki surfaced details it's partial existence. A Sega game? Shown in the Year 2000?  Sign me up

That time when Dreamcast outsold Xbox in Japan

Just a fun little story that captured a few headlines for a short period of time. For a brand new console that hit Japan, it's amazing to think just a short while later the now obsolete Dreamcast would be shifting more of it's left over stock than Microsoft's newest console...

Sega Saturn on PS1? | Sega's plans which never were

When Sega shocked the world by going third party, we all knew what this meant - Dreamcast games on competitors consoles, but Saturn games on PS One?...

The Hunt for Dreamcast 2 | A search for the truth [Intro]

So there's been a lot of talk about the Dreamcast 2, whether it is just hypothetical 'what if' scenarios discussed among fans or made up renders peddling Sega returning back to the console market. However not a lot of discussion, or research, has been made surrounding the possibility or mention of a Dreamcast follow up.

This is just the intro to a huge research project I started a few years back looking into whether the Dreamcast 2 existed. This isn't a fan wish list or a hypothetical look into Sega returning, this is everything or anything relating to an official Dreamcast 2 surrounding 1996-2002.

I started this project started around 3 years ago when I saw a post talking about a Dreamcast 2. In there, it linked to an IGN article back around mid 2000 reporting how Shoichiro Irimajiri had stepped down as president to work on a console successor to the Dreamcast.

This one news article opened the flood gates, and the more I dug, the more I found. I scoured easily over 150 hours on the way back machine, tonnes of game magazines in physical and PDF formats, books and more. As I started to catalogue and assess everything I found, I asked myself - why has no one ever done this before?

A lot of information discussed will also talk about the Dreamcast and Sega's business strategy. When you are looking at hundreds - if not thousands - of articles around business strategies, you start to see parallels with what Sega was doing, and wanted to do at the time. This helps to draw a bigger picture to how the Dreamcast 2 would fit in and what it would be.

So what did I find? Quite a bit...

TGS Autumn 2002 | Dreamcast's Last Trade Show Appearance

Whilst we are all well aware of Dreamcast and it's demise in the west, the Dreamcast continued getting official support in Japan until 2007. However with the console ceasing production in March 2001 I was wondering; when was the last time the Dreamcast hardware was represented at a trade show? Information was quite hard to find on this but after trawling through a few sites, the Dreamcast's last physical appearance seems to be in September 2002. 

Up until then, the last appearance of Dreamcast seems to be E3 2001 with it all but disappearing afterwards. Looking past TGS 2002, there definitely wasn't any representation from 2004 up until the Dreamcast's full discontinuation in 2007 - evident by going through the archived TGS's reports. 

2003 is rather ambiguous, whilst Puyo Puyo was shown at TGS and listed for Dreamcast - along with the other ports of the game, there's no evidence I can find which suggests it was played on a Dreamcast on the show floor. After trawling through countless videos, show floor plans, even finding any videos of Puyo being displayed is something I can't find. The official TGS website will list it as being a Dreamcast title, though this will also list this under the other available platforms also. 

So what was shown? Well there were 2 games shown, both of which were visual novels. First off, there was Ever Seventeen ~The Out of Infinity and then also Me and Our Summer. I haven't played either of these titles simply due to them being visual novels and them not being playable in English. The games were not massively prominent in Sega's line-up at the time with them being relegated to the kid booth of TGS.

Until proven otherwise, 2002 TGS was the last time physical Dreamcast hardware was represented on the show floor at a major event. It's not a spectacular send off for the console, but it does make you wonder what Sega ever did with these final consoles...

References:

http://tgs.cesa.or.jp/2002/release/release20020830.html

http://tgs.cesa.or.jp/2002/booth/booth17.html

http://tgs.cesa.or.jp/2003/english/imgs/r3_7.pdf

http://tgs.cesa.or.jp/2004/list.htm

http://tgs.cesa.or.jp/2003/release8.html

Making Real Life a Game | does gamifying life work for productivity?

One thing that’s bugged me is the inspiration to be more productive, such as working on this blog, or learning a language. I’ve always found it easier to just sit at home after a hard day at work and just sit and watch YouTube to get that easy gratification fix. But I’ve been recently trying to change my lifestyle and the best way I’ve found is to turn your life into a game.

Working to a schedule is hard, it’s easy to look at it and just say “Nah” and do something else. I’ve been struggling to build those good habits, whether it be trying through a journal, planner or finding motivation on forums. 

Habitica is one of the most visually interesting of the bunch

Virtual Fighter X | The story behind VF4's early development known as VF-X

One of Sega's biggest franchises Virtual Fighter is to return some point this year in 2022 under the name Virtual Fighter X Esports. Upon it's announcement I was initially excited, then I felt confused - that name sounds awfully familiar? Well back in the year 2000, Sega's next entry in the franchise was called just that - minus the 'Esport'.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to look back at the inception of the real Virtual Fighter X back before it was known as the 4th entry in the franchise, and what Sega's plans were before it was renamed became a staple in the mainline series as we know it.

Official Logo on Sega AM2 site

Nintendo GameCube Pre-Reveal Information | Everything we knew about GameCube Part 1 (1999)

Nothing got me more excited than following up all the information and rumours leading up to a console reveal. The drip-feed of information, the rumours, the pre-release screenshots and promo footage - it was a magical time. With the 6th generation of consoles looming, Nintendo had a lot to prove. Moving from the Nintendo 64, it had lost a lot of market and mind share. 

So I thought it would be interesting to have a look back at everything GameCube prior to it's release. I have spent hours collecting everything from wild rumours, off-hand comments and official information will be here to get a wider perspective and to really give a perspective of Nintendo from 1999 to it's official reveal at E3 2001.

Early Information on GTA 3 | Coverage of the game from the year 2000

One thing that fascinates me is looking back at early game development of popular games before they changed everything. GTA 3 was a landmark game, It changed games forever, and was a cultural phenomenon in a way not even Rockstar themselves could have imagined. Coming off of GTA2 the series had a strong fanbase, enough to warrant a sequel, but the earlier games never reached the cultural status.

Little did the world know how much the gaming industry would evolve with the release of the 3rd entry. People were interested in the sequel, and Driver 2 gave everyone a taste, but at the time the game did not garner the amount of interest it had once the game released. And this is what makes it so fascinating to look back, to see the history of GTA3 in the public eye, at a time when it was just a small blip on many people's radars...

The Most Interactive DVD Games | Playing golf with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 Family DVD Game

With the advent of the DVD and it's rise to success starting from the early 2000's, the boundaries of what the medium could offer were to be tested. Among the features of extra content and interactive menus also saw the rise of interactive media and gaming on your DVD player.

You've probably seen the countless TV series adaptions such as a Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Deal or no Deal piled among countless of other DVD's now on sale for pennies. These were basically an interactive video footage where you're essentially dictating the next scene which is about to play. The slow paced and methodical nature of these adaptions were a good fit for any generic DVD remote.

However the 2 main games I want to look at are two of the most interesting examples; PGA Tour and Tomb Raider. Trust me, they're more interesting than you think... 

Initial sales in Japan ps5

It’s seems so long ago now when console gaming was synonymous with Japan, yet as the years have gone by, gaming has never felt so western. Japan’s tastes have changed since the early 2000’s as mobile and handheld gaming has taken centre stage. With the launch of the PS5 I thought it would be interesting to see if a new generation and a new console launch has made any impact over the past year, or are things just going to stay the same? 

Japanese Launch Photos

Games Exclusive to Xbox One | Part 2 - Digital Games

Continuing from Part 2, we will look at the digital games that are currently only available on Xbox One consoles. Now there's not as many to look at, well to be honest - there's only 3, but they're well worth looking at. There's plenty of other games that are also on PC, or strange Asian mobile games ported over like Q, but we'll focus entirely on games you can only get on Xbox One. 

Playing Differently | Watch Dogs - No upgrade playthough

Watch Dogs didn't set the world on fire on its release, but it was still a fun game nevertheless and scratched that next-gen open world game for me at the time. One thing that struck me was how quick you can die. The game pushed for stealth; utilising the environment to your advantage. Strangely this went to odds with the fantastic gunplay, probably some of the best in an open world game of it's kind.

Aiden Pearce - everyone's favourite protagonist

The game features a skill tree which offers a range of upgrades. Initially I was going to ignore this entirely. However my only exception was the hack skill tree simply because it's a unique mechanic to the game and is a core gameplay element. The other abilities on offer are arbitrary upgrades that provide no additional gameplay features. Greater accuracy? reduced recoil? Not only does this dilute the gunplay to aim and shoot, but goes against the game's push towards stealth and environmental takedowns. 

Games Exclusive to Xbox One | Part 1 - Physical Games

To say Microsoft has changed gears during the Xbox One's lifespan is a bit of an understatement. At first, their priorities were in shifting consoles and now, it's about shifting subscriptions. Microsoft will happily launch their first party games on PC and Xbox (and in rare occasions, Switch and PlayStation) as long as you play their titles.

Now the Xbox One doesn't have many exclusives to speak about, and notable first-party franchises always get a PC release. So that means, inevitably, some games have been left behind on the Xbox One. So we're going to look back at some Xbox One Exclusive games that you cannot play elsewhere.

Ken Kutaragi on PS4 | The PlayStation's creator input on PS4

The PS4 was the first console not headed by the creator himself, Ken Kutaragi, and ultimately had more western influence then other PlayStation console that came before. We're gonna look back and see if the grandfather of PlayStation had any influence on Sony's most successful console.

Playing Differently | Dead Rising 4 - no combo, no exo and no skill playthrough

Rules:

• No Exo suit (if obtained one, get out straight away)
• No use of combo weapons (if obtained one through story, get out/drop it straight away)
• No Exo combo weapons
• No upgrading of any skills

Exceptions:

• Exo suit was used on the last boss as it was too difficult without it
• Going to be some anomalies in there due to how the game forces you at some point to use combo item/vehicles.

Capcom Vancouver have continuously advertised during release that Dead Rising 4 is "going back to it's roots" with the return of the main protagonist Frank West and the Willamette Mall. Though despite what the developers claim, this is most certainly not a call back to the original Dead Rising. Everything from Frank, to the combat mechanics as well as the location have had major overhauls to the point where Dead Rising 4 resembles very little of the original game. Despite the reception of changes, it's become unanimous that this game is easy, in fact - very easy. The addition of the ludicrously overpowered combo weapons became apparent with the third game, where combo weapons can be created on the fly with many having little to no balancing whatsoever. 

So I decided what better way to play the game than to play with no upgrades and avoiding combo weapons entirely. After all, the developers emphasised it's homages to the original series so I thought I'd play in a way that pays homage too. I want to play the game the developers didn't really intend and hopefully provide some much needed difficulty. I like a good challenge!