Import the Fun Vol. 1

Having been importing so many games this past year or so, I’ve decided it was about time to share how they are and whether any are worth importing for yourself. There’s no set system I import for, tho PS3 has generally been the easiest & cheapest so far, so you can expect a good variety of games as this feature continues. This is only Vol. 1 after all…


Girls Und Panzer: Dream Tank Match (PlayStation 4)

Dream Tank Match takes place straight after the exploits of Das Finale, as all the girls from the numerous schools get together for a debriefing of the battle. This means plenty of missions that take place during the movie, with various viewpoints to play that offer some new dialogue on the situations. There’s even a bunch of classic missions based on previous battles to offer more offline goodies. Surprisingly the game does sport an online PvP mode too, which allows you to create your own tank crew from all the girls and head into battle in your tank of choice. Admittedly you’ll need to unlock some stuff offline first, but it won’t be too long till you venture into battle with others – you can also customise the look of your tank to stand out from the crowd a little more.

If you’ve played the previous GuP game on PSVita, you’ll be able to get to grips with this quickly, tho now there is an added layer of depth with regards to Commanders and target specific damage. The main issue with the game for me has to be that it still feels like a handheld release at times, and this is mainly due to areas like mission length more than anything else. Graphics & audio are really good, but sometimes you’ll only get to sample that for like a minute on some missions during the story mode. Luckily there’s a sizeable amount of missions to get through and a surprisingly fun multiplayer mode to keep you busy. Worth an import? definitely as a fan of the series. If you import the asian release then it also features a full English translation so you can fully enjoy everything the game has to offer.


Saki Portable (PlayStation Portable)

You may remember a while back I reviewed a certain Tottemo E Mahjong on PSVita and came away thinking it was the best way to play on the go. I was wrong. Saki Portable is certainly the one to seek out, especially if you’re a fan of the series. The game offers a full story mode that follows the anime, all characters from the schools in the first season are playable, with a richi mahjong gameplay loop that is more accessible for newcomers. Unlike others I’ve tried, this one will actually notify you when furiten, as well as show which tiles can be discarded to change your hand and be rid of it. This also applies to being tenpai, as the game will show exactly what tiles you need to win and scanning your hand will show any changes with possible discards too.

It wouldn’t be Saki if there wasn’t monsters at the table, with each character having a special ability. Fukuji Mihoko for example can see the how a hand is built when her right eye opens, not the tiles themselves but the suits are colour coded so you can see the makeup of the hand. Personally I tend to play as Takei Hisa as, aside from being best girl, winning on those hell waits is a most satisfying victory. Saki Portable is relatively easy to import and would certainly breathe some life into a dusty PSP you may have sat around, tho I do have Saki Zenkoku-hen for the PSVita on the way so it’s current status as go-to portable mahjong may be toppled.


Magical Girls Festival (PlayStation Vita)

So you enjoy playing the Project Diva series but have gotten a little fed up of Hatsune Miku & Co? Then this game should be perfect for you. Effectively a clone of Project Diva F, the vocaloids are done away with here and replaced with characters from numerous anime – music to be played is also taken from the same anime’s. Featured are characters from the likes of YuruYuri, Kin-iro Mosaic, Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Wake Up, Girls!, Go! Go! 575, No-Rin, Engaged to the Unidentified, amongst a few others. The main focus of the game is on the festival tour mode, which offers a little story as the girls hit the road to perform, and is where you’ll gradually unlock goodies.

Song choice goes along with the anime characters featured, so you’ll likely find some songs you’ll enjoy and likely some not so much. For a PSVita game tho the graphics are impressive, generally better than its peers, but it does come at a slight cost to performance. The odd stutter can really kick you in the shins on a game like this. As a fan of the genre it was a no brainer to import this one for me, having seen most of the anime’s was a bonus too, but whether you should will depend on the same reasons I did myself.


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Geoffrey Wright

Rocking the world of gaming since the Atari 2600, has now settled down to bask in the warmth of moe. Moe is life for a moe connoisseur.

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