View Full Version : Complete, annotated list of JPN Mega CD exclusives

goldenband Browsing the archives, we've had lots of discussions about Japanese Mega CD games, but it doesn't look like we have a single thread that:



(a) lists all the Japanese exclusives,

(b) describes them a bit,

(c) talks about whether they're playable if you don't speak Japanese,

(d) talks about whether they're exclusive to the Mega CD and/or available elsewhere in English, and

(e) talks about compatibility on US/EU hardware with a hacked BIOS (i.e. whether they have hardcoded region lockout).



So I thought I'd start one. Work in progress! I'll edit the first post as new info comes in, either from your posts or my research. The archived SegaBase (http://www.segacd.org/segabase/CD/SegaBase-SegaCDGames.html) site was a big help with the more obscure games.



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Titles in blue are linked to the corresponding Sega-16 review.



A Rank Thunder Tanjouhen (http://www.sega-16.com/2019/06/a-rank-thunder-tanjouhen/) (Aランクサンダー 誕生編)

Visual novel/card RPG hybrid. Not really playable without knowing Japanese.



After Armageddon Gaiden (アフターハルマゲドン外伝 魔獣闘将伝エクリプス)

RPG. Unplayable without knowing Japanese. Featured in the Sega-16 article Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/).



Aisle Lord (アイルロード)

RPG. Unplayable without knowing Japanese. Dungeon crawler. Here's a gameplay video. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4aG383ALTI)



Alshark (アルシャーク)

RPG. Unplayable without knowing Japanese. Ported from the X68000, and there's also a Turbo CD version (released after the Mega CD release). Featured in Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/). At least one Sega-16 member doesn't think much of it (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showpost.php?p=117230&postcount=4). A walkthrough (http://www.gamefaqs.com/segacd/579202-alshark/faqs/8851) is available at Gamefaqs. Here's a review at Mobygames (http://www.gamefaqs.com/segacd/579202-alshark/reviews/review-12282) and a gameplay video. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbOh_JL92j8)



Anetto Futatabi (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/09/anet-futatabi/) (アネット・再び)

Side-scrolling beat-'em-up. Mega CD exclusive. Cutscenes, title screen and closing credits are in Japanese, but completely playable without knowing the language. Works for me (WFM) on US hardware with Everdrive.



Arcus 1-2-3 (http://www.sega-16.com/2012/03/arcus-1-2-3/) (アークス I・II・III)

RPG. According to A Black Falcon (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?15351-Complete-annotated-list-of-JPN-Mega-CD-exclusives&p=635610&viewfull=1#post635610), this is "a collection of three games originally released separately on several Japanese computers, including the PC-8801, PC-9801, MSX, and X68000." Allegedly playable without knowing Japanese, if you use Zigfried's guide (http://www.unlimitedzigworks.com/228/faq-arcus-1-2-3-quickstart.html) cited in Melf's review. Described as a very lengthy dungeon crawler. Featured in Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/), and reviewed by Melf in March 2012.



Arslan Senki [The Heroic Legend of Arslan] (アルスラーン戦記)

Tactical RPG. Unplayable without knowing Japanese. Racketboy calls it a "turn-based strategy RPG". Featured in Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/). Review at Defunct Games. (http://www.defunctgames.com/review/910/the-heroic-legend-of-arslan)



Bakuden: The Unbalanced Zone (爆伝 アンバランスゾーン)

A "musical action-adventure game", or that's what this guy says (http://www.segacd.org/segabase/cd/CD-BakuDen.html) at least. Also on the Turbo CD.



Burai: Hachigyoku no Yuushi Densetsu (ブライ 「八ハチ玉タマのノ勇士ユウシ伝説デンセツ」)

RPG. Unplayable without knowing Japanese. Also on the MSX, Turbo CD, and SNES.



Capcom no Quiz: Tonosama no Yabou (カプコンのクイズ殿様の野望)

According to this site (http://www.segacd.org/segabase/CD/CD-CapcomQuiz.html), a historical quiz game. I'd imagine you actually have to be Japanese to play this one.



Captain Tsubasa (キャプテン翼)

Soccer sim. Probably playable for non-Japanese speakers? Or, um, it's been translated into Arabic (http://www.romhacking.net/translations/2962/), if that works for you.



Cosmic Fantasy Stories (コズミック ファンタジー ストーリーズ)

RPG. Apparently somewhat playable without the language. Two games in one, both ported from the PC Engine. Featured in Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/). Cosmic Fantasy 2 was released in English for the Turbo Duo. Review at Mobygames. (http://www.mobygames.com/game/sega-cd/cosmic-fantasy-stories/reviews/reviewerId,6226/) This is currently being prepared for translation (www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?26705-Cosmic-Fantasy-Stories-translation); the script of the first game has been completed and is awaiting insertion!



Cyborg 009 (http://www.sega-16.com/2012/04/cyborg-009/) (サイボーグ００９)

Platformer. Cutscenes are in Japanese (and allegedly numerous). Playable (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showpost.php?p=330296&postcount=8) without the language.



Daihoushinden (大封神伝)

RPG. Unplayable without knowing Japanese. Apparently hard to find. Featured in Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/).



Death Bringer: The Knight of Darkness (デスブリンガー)

RPG. Unplayable without knowing Japanese. Dungeon crawler. Also available on the Turbo CD, PC-9801, and X68000.



Detonator Organ (デトネイター・オーガン)

Graphic adventure. Unplayable without knowing Japanese.



Devastator (http://www.sega-16.com/2012/04/devastator/) (デバステイター)

Shooter/platformer. Playable without Japanese.



Dynamic Country Club (aka 3D Simulation Dynamic Country Club) (ダイナミックカントリークラブ)

Ported from Sega System 24, an arcade-style golf game. Playable without the language. Reviewed (http://www.gratuitousscience.com/?p=2922) by Gratuitous Science.



Earnest Evans (http://www.sega-16.com/2011/08/earnest-evans-mega-cd/) （アーネスト エバンス）

Platformer. Pretty much identical to the cart version, except with added cutscenes (in Japanese) and Redbook audio. 100% playable w/o Japanese language. WFM on US hardware w/ Everdrive.



Eegawa Suguro no Super League [Super League CD Deluxe]（江川卓のスーパーリーグCD）

Baseball game. Sequel to Super League CD (listed below).



F-1 Circus CD（Ｆ１サーカスＣＤ）

First-person racing game. Totally different from the top-down cart version, according to this post (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showpost.php?p=156667&postcount=26) and A Black Falcon. Also reviewed (http://www.gratuitousscience.com/?p=5355) by Gratuitous Science (scroll down a bit). Looks to be mostly in English.



Faeria (aka Seirei Shinseiki Fhey Area)（精霊神世紀フェイエリア）

RPG. In Japanese, but Racketboy and Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/) say it's somewhat playable without language skills. Zigfried has written a walkthrough of the game (http://www.unlimitedzigworks.com/2777/faq-fhey-area-walkthrough-mega-cd.html).



F.H.B. - Funky Horror Band (惑星ウッドストック - ファンキー・ホラー・バンド)

RPG. Unplayable (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3357) without knowing Japanese. Heavily text-based. A fan-translation may be in the pipeline (http://suprise.oddigytitanium.com/tvgp/hey.html).



Gambler Jikko Chuushinha 2 （ぎゅわんぶらあ自己中心派2 激闘！東京マージャンランド編）

Mahjongg game. Apparently it's quite a good one (http://www.segacd.org/segabase/CD/CD-GamblerJikkyoCyusinha2.html) if you're into that sort of thing.



Game no Kanzume Vol. 1 & 2 [Sega Games Can Vol. 1 & 2] (セガのかんづめ）

Game collections taken from Sega's Meganet download service, most of which are available elsewhere and/or are easily playable without Japanese. The exceptions are the Phantasy Star text adventures, which have recently been translated (http://www.romhacking.net/trans/1567/).



Genei Toshi: Illusion City (幻影都市)

RPG. Completely unplayable without knowing Japanese. Enhanced port of the MSX original; also released for FM Towns. A translation has been attempted; current status unknown. Featured in Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/). Poster McMasters notes that "A translation of the MSX Turbo R version was released a few years ago but the last 25% of the game was untranslated." Here's a review at Mobygames. (http://www.mobygames.com/game/sega-cd/illusion-city-genei-toshi/reviews/reviewerId,6226/)



Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf [Aoki Ookami to Shiroki Mejika: Genchou Hishi] (蒼き狼と白き牝鹿 元朝秘史)

Simulation/strategy. Probably not playable without Japanese, but ported to a zillion other systems. That includes an English version on the Genesis/MD, to which this adds Redbook audio and not much else (http://www.segacd.org/segabase/CD/CD-GenghisKhan2.html), apparently.



Heavy Nova (http://www.sega-16.com/2014/01/heavy-nova-cd/) (ヘビーノバ)

Fighter. Supposedly (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showpost.php?p=149765&postcount=25) just the cart version with Redbook audio, more or less, so language shouldn't be an issue. Reviewed on Sega-16 on 2014-01-02. (http://www.sega-16.com/2014/01/heavy-nova-cd/) Later released on X68000.



Ishii Hisaichi no Daisekai [Hisaichi Ishii's Political World] (いしいひさいちの大政界)

A political sim? With a title like this, I don't think there's much hope for non-Japanese players.



Jango World Cup (雀豪ワールドカップ)

Mahjongg game. Supports four players (http://www.segacd.org/segabase/CD/CD-JangoWorldCup.html), or so I'm told.



Mahou no Shoujo: Silky Lip （魔法の少女シルキーリップ）

RPG. Unplayable without knowing Japanese. Heavily text-based.



Mega Schwarzschild (メガシュヴァルツシルト)

Strategy game set in space, a la Starflight. Probably unplayable without knowing Japanese. Port from MSX and/or PC Engine. Featured in Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/).



Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra （マイト アンド マジックIII Isles of Terra）

RPG. Probably unplayable without knowing Japanese. PC version, in English, is widely available. Featured in Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/).



Night Striker (http://www.sega-16.com/2006/07/night-striker/) (ナイトストライカー)

Rail shooter. Arcade port, later ported to PSX and Saturn. The whole game is in English (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showpost.php?p=328576&postcount=7).



Ninja Warriors, The (http://www.sega-16.com/2010/05/ninja-warriors/) (ニンジャウォーリアーズ)

Beat-'em-up. Arcade port. 100% playable in English -- in fact, the whole game is in English, including audio! Only the subtitles for the story scenes are in Japanese (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showpost.php?p=328576&postcount=7). Also on PC Engine (though according to A Black Falcon that version is dramatically inferior), plus multiple computer ports in Europe.



Nobunaga no Yabou: Haouden (信長の野望 覇王伝)

Strategy/sim. Another entry in the long-running series from Koei. Also on the Mega Drive, SNES, and 3DO, but I don't think any of those were translated. If you don't speak the language, it's probably better to stick with one of the localized games in the series.



Nostalgia 1907 （ノスタルジア １９０７）

RPG/graphic adventure set aboard an ocean liner in 1907. Probably not playable without Japanese. Ported (?) from PC-98.



Pro Yakyuu Super League CD (プロ野球スーパーリーグＣＤ)

Baseball game. Apparently (http://www.segacd.org/segabase/CD/CD-SuperLeagueCD.html) it's almost the same as the cart version, just with added Redbook audio (and maybe FMVs).



Psychic Detective Vol. 3: Psychic Detective Aya (サイキック・ディテクティヴ・シリーズ Vol.3 アヤ)

Psychic Detective Vol. 4: Psychic Detective Orgel (サイキック・ディテクティヴ・シリーズ Vol.4 オルゴール)

RPG/graphic adventure. Also on FM Towns, PC-98, PC Engine CD, and Windows. The US-released 3DO FMV game (Psychic Detective) is unrelated.



Quiz Scramble Special (クイズスクランブルスペシャル)

The name pretty much says it all. I'm sure it's a lost cause if you don't speak Japanese.



Ranma 1/2: Byukuran Aika [Ranma 1/2: White Orchid Serenade] (らんま１／２ 白蘭愛歌)

A mix of story scenes (still pictures + audio dialogue) and...rock-paper scissors battles (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showpost.php?p=328576&postcount=7). Doesn't sound very appetizing, but might be playable for fans of the series?



Record of Lodoss War [Lodoss Tou Senki: Eiyuu Sensou] (ロードス島戦記)

Strategy RPG. Apparently playable without the language, especially for those familiar with the series; that, with a knowledge of katakana, may suffice (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showpost.php?p=309449&postcount=13). Featured in Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/).



Romance of the Three Kingdoms III: Dragon of Destiny [Gekijoban Sangokushi III] (三國志III)

Strategy/historical sim in typical Koei style. Available in English on the Genesis/MD and any number of other platforms. Anything to recommend this one besides the Redbook audio?



Seima Densetsu 3x3 Eyes [3x3 Eyes: Legend of the Divine Demon] (サザンアイズ)

RPG. Unplayable without knowing Japanese. Featured in Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/). The soundtrack apparently has murderous saxophone (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48212&postcount=16). Review at Mobygames. (http://www.mobygames.com/game/sega-cd/3x3-eyes-seima-densetsu/reviews/reviewerId,6226/)



Sengoku Denshou (http://www.sega-16.com/2007/01/sengoku-densyo/)（戦国伝承）

Beat-'em-up. Ported from Neo Geo. Fully playable w/o Japanese. Apparently a dreadful port. Said to be tricky to get working on US hardware, but works for me with US Genesis Model 2, Sega CD Model 2, and BIOS replacement via EverDrive, using the Japanese Model 2 CD BIOS.



Shadowrun （シャドウラン）

RPG. Some say it's unplayable without knowing Japanese, but a knowledge of katakana can apparently go a long way (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showpost.php?p=328473&postcount=6). The Mega CD version is completely different from other platforms (including the Genesis). A translation has been attempted; current status unknown. Featured in Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/). Here's a forum thread (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5710&page=2) with a mini-review of the game and links to the romhacking.net project.



Shin Megami Tensei [New Digital Devil Story / Devil Summoner: The New Adventure] (http://www.sega-16.com/2016/04/shin-megami-tensei/) （真・女神転生）

RPG. Unplayable without Japanese. Supposedly (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showpost.php?p=117347&postcount=6) much the same as the PC Engine version, and according to Racketboy there's also a Super Famicom version that's been translated. Featured in Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/2005/01/left-in-japan-mega-drive-mega-cd-rpgs/). Reviewed by Sega-16 in April 2016.



SimEarth （シムアース）

Sim game, ported in English to loads of other platforms (none of them Sega). Anything special about the Mega CD version?



Tenbu: Mega CD Special (天舞メガＣＤスペシャル)

Strategy/historical sim. Another Nobunaga game, but SegaBase has positive things to say about it (http://www.segacd.org/segabase/CD/CD-TenbuMegaCDSpecial.html). Probably not playable without the language. Enhanced port of a PC-9801 game; also released on Super Famicom.



Tenkafubu: Eiyuutachi no Houkou （天下布武 英雄たちの咆哮）

Strategy/historical sim. Yet another Nobunaga game, but SegaBase has positive things to say about this one too (http://www.segacd.org/segabase/CD/CD-Tenkafubu.html). Probably not playable without the language.



Urusei Yatsura: Dear My Friends (http://www.sega-16.com/2012/05/urusei-yatsura-my-dear-friends/) (うる星やつら ディアマイフレンズ)

Graphic adventure. Allegedly playable without Japanese, other than not being able to understand the cutscenes. Also discussed a bit on Sega-16 here (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5346).



Warau Salesman [The Laughing Salesman] （笑ゥせぇるすまん）

Graphic adventure? Ported from MSX. Probably not playable without the language.



Winning Post (ウイニングポスト)

Racehorse management sim. Part of an acclaimed series by Koei; at least one other entry has been translated into English (for the Saturn), but not this one. Probably a drag without the language.



WonderMega Collection (ワンダーメガ コレクション)

Collection of games, music videos, and other stuff for the WonderMega. Should mostly be navigable without knowledge of the language. Will this run on other hardware?



Yumimi Mix （ゆみみ みっくす）

Menu-based anime FMV game. Playable without the language (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showpost.php?p=328576&postcount=7), but you probably won't have more than a vague idea of what's going on. An enhanced version was released on the Saturn as Yumimi Mix Remix.



REMOVED: Tokyo Mahjong Gakuen (not released, may never have existed)

Sega-16 user xelement5x has researched this game (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?23641-Was-Tokyo-Mahjong-Gakuen-Ever-Released-for-the-Mega-CD), and based on his findings it appears that it was never released. (Was it ever even a title in development?)

CurlyPaul Wow nice list, thanks for that.



See a lot of jpn games on ebay but without knowing whether they are playable or not, is a bit of a put off.

mrbigreddog Awesome list! Can I get your opinion on a top 5 JPN exclusive Mega CD?!

QuickSciFi Great list. Very informative.

timemaster11 Nice list man.



As far as Winning Post, yes it has been released state side. It is a rare and kind of expensive saturn game.

crazyteknohed Wow! A pretty exhaustive list you have there! Nice one :)



Anyroad, I would just contest Shadowrun as being 'completely unplayable' without speaking Japanese as I've finished the game myself. Like most Japanese RPGs, though, you will need to know katakana if you want to do any meaningful shopping, else you'll just be buying random weapons and armour.



'Twould be nice if people could give input on how playable/enjoyable some of the heavier text-based games are with no/limited Japanese language. For instance, there is a pretty comprehensive guide to Alshark on GameFAQs so I'd imagine that's quite playable to us non-speakers.

A Black Falcon (a) lists all the Japanese exclusives,



I posted a list of all the Japanese Sega CD releases, at least...





Ranma 1/2: Byukuran Aika [Ranma 1/2: White Orchid Serenade]

Supposedly somewhere between a graphic adventure and a comic book. Might be playable for fans of the series?



Actually, it's more a game where you watch story scenes (pictures with voiced dialog) and then every so often play awful (in my opinion) Rock-Paper-Scissors battles. The Turbo CD Ranma games are decent, there were several platformers, but this one's bad.





Yuyumimi Mix

Anime FMV. Probably at least somewhat playable without the language, but...



It's basically a Dragon's Lair-ish "watch and choose what to do at certain points" game, except it doesn't kill you off constantly, instead just a few things change. You can play it without knowing the language, but the options you choose (when you have to make a choice about what to do) are in Japanese text, and of course the game's all Japanese (voiced), so you won't know what you're deciding to do or a lot of what's going on. Somewhat amusing game anyway though.



There was a later Saturn version as well, also Japan only.





Night Striker

Shmup. Arcade port, later ported to PSX and Saturn. Looks to be 100% playable without Japanese -- is there even any Japanese text in the game?



This is a rail shooter, actually, not a shmup. Fun game in my opinion, despite the mediocre review here and elsewhere I like it. There is no Japanese in the game at all -- the game has no voice acting, and the onscreen text is 100% in English.





Ninja Warriors, The

Beat-'em-up. Arcade port. 100% playable in English -- in fact, some segments have English audio with Japanese subs!



Actually, the only Japanese in this game are the subtitles under the English-language story scenes. All voice acting and menus are entirely in English. The game's a bit boring, but it's worth a look, and as far as understanding it goes, it couldn't be any better than this.



Considering that both of these games (Ninja Warriors and Night Striker) both are entirely English-language titles, Ninja Warriors' subtitles aside, why didn't Taito (the developer and publisher of both titles) publish them outside of Japan? It's too bad, they're good games.

David J. Some interesting tidbits:



After Armageddon Gaiden was going to come to the USA via Working Designs, but didn't happen.



Cyborg 009 is playable if you don't know Japanese - been years since I last touched it though. It was OK at the best.



Dynamic Country Club was going to come to the USA - forgot who was going to bring it over. I wanna say Data East for some reason, but I doubt it was them really.



Heavy Nova is the same as the cart version - just a CD soundtrack, and an underwhelming game for the Mega CD period, as it was one of the first games for the console in Japan.



As for Super League - same as the cart version just with some minor changes like CD soundtrack and maybe some FMV. Port of a Genesis game, never was on the TG-16.



There was a US release of Winning Post on the Sega Saturn...don't know if it was the same as the Mega CD version, but the series did see a US release, just on another console, maybe a PS2 release or two in the USA?

goldenband Thanks to all for your feedback and posts, some of which I've incorporated into the OP!

David J. No problem for the information. I do have ISO's for about 30 japanese mega cd exclusives...and there are like 57 and I may be able to get the other 30 or so easily enough.



Keep in mind that Segabase isn't very accurate, but it was amazing for the time.

crazyteknohed Here are a couple of links you might want to add to the list...



This is a thread that contains a mini review of Shadowrun, written by myself, and also a link to the romhacking.com thread related to the translation project:



http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5710&page=2



Here is a walkthrough for Alshark:



http://www.gamefaqs.com/segacd/579202-alshark/faqs/8851

edojapan76 http://i52.tinypic.com/14l6dtj.jpg

zetastrike Man, that list has a lot of unplayable japanese language games. Does anyone ever use the Sega CD region mod for anything other than Sonic CD?

goldenband @crazyteknohed: Thanks!



@zetastrike: I don't know, it's fun to be able to play Earnest Evans CD and Annet Futatabi, even though neither one is a great game (I kinda like EE, but AF is mediocre at best). But yeah, it's kind of shocking how much of the library is basically opaque to those without Japanese skills.

David J. Hey, I have some ISO's, about 30+ for the Japanese Mega CD and someday I might try and give them a shot and maybe provide updates, and can get a good 20+ more...perhaps almost the entire japanese library?



I did play some - as I was able to provide comments but I'll check 'em out. Something about the Japanese Mega CD appeals to me. <3

McMasters Detonator Organ

RPG/graphic adventure. Unplayable without knowing Japanese.





It's just a graphic adventure, no rpg elements. And the command menu is in English but everything else is Japanese.







Genei Toshi: Illusion City

RPG. Completely unplayable without knowing Japanese. A translation has been attempted; current status unknown. Featured in Left in Japan (http://www.sega-16.com/feature_page.php?id=2&title=Left%20in%20Japan:%20Mega%20Drive%20&%20Mega%20CD%20RPGs.php).







A translation of the MSX Turbo R version was released a few years ago but the last 25% of the game was untranslated.

goldenband Updated with McMasters's info, and with the news of a possible Funky Horror Band translation!

A Black Falcon Devastator's pretty good, probably my favorite of the non-Japanese language required JP-only Sega CD games (not counting the two that got US cart releases but not CD)...



1. Devastator

2. Night Striker

3. Annet Again

4. Ninja Warriors

5. Sengoku



... Um, I guess the Ranma game is playable without the language too, but I'd rather not play it.





Updated with McMasters's info, and with the news of a possible Funky Horror Band translation!

Shadowrun is the translation that's the most wanted though, and Last Armageddon Gaiden second... isn't Funky Horror Band supposed to be not that good? Still though, considering that so far there have been no JP Sega CD RPG fan-translations, anything would be a great start.

McMasters Shadowrun is the translation that's the most wanted though, and Last Armageddon Gaiden second... isn't Funky Horror Band supposed to be not that good?



FHB was one of the first Mega-CD games so it isn't that advanced. I think the text and graphics aren't compressed so it will be a lot easier to translate compared to Shadowrun. I would rather the translation community start with the (relatively) easy stuff first instead of toiling on something like Shadowrun for 5 years. Nostalgia 1907 is another early graphic adventure Mega CD game that seems like good starter.







Still though, considering that so far there have been no JP Sega CD RPG fan-translations, anything would be a great start.



The PS Text Adventures for the Game Can series have now been released as CD patch that can play on real hardware.

goldenband Updated to correct broken links, clarify a couple things, and link to Melf's new review of Arcus 1-2-3.

Melf Here is a walkthrough for Alshark:



http://www.gamefaqs.com/segacd/579202-alshark/faqs/8851



I've tried playing with that guide and it's not very helpful. It doesn't even explain the command menu. The same thing happened to me when I tried to play Dragon Slayer Legend of Heroes 2. The guide was so vague that you still end up guess about what to do next. People need to make their guides more comprehensive! Explain things in more detail!

goldenband Updated with some links from Barone, as posted here (http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?20349-Arcus-1-2-3&p=459848&viewfull=1#post459848)! Thanks to Melf for the sticky-ification.

Zigfried I just wrote a walkthrough for Fhey Area, in case you want to link it:

http://www.unlimitedzigworks.com/2777/faq-fhey-area-walkthrough-mega-cd.html



For reference, here's the direct link to my Arcus 1-2-3 guide (same one that Melf linked in his review):

http://www.unlimitedzigworks.com/228/faq-arcus-1-2-3-quickstart.html

goldenband Links added, thanks! BTW if you ever want to write a review of one of the Mega CD RPGs for the site, I'm sure it'd be welcomed.

xelement5x I think Heavenly Symphony is missing from this list as well, it just looks like a racing game from what I can see.

goldenband I think Heavenly Symphony is missing from this list as well, it just looks like a racing game from what I can see.



I thought that was just the Japanese version of Formula One World Championship: Beyond the Limit?

Barone yeah, with minor differences but the same game.

xelement5x I thought that was just the Japanese version of Formula One World Championship: Beyond the Limit?



Ahh, I didn't know that. I'd never been able to read the subtitle on the cover until I just looked into it. I also updated Wikipedia to show the secondary spelling for the JP release.

sheath Thanks for reviving this thread. With my Everdrive firmware eventually updated I might actually be able to play Mega CD games. This list will come in handy.

akm Great list! It's nice to find a couple of English-friendly action games, but it's a shame it's comprised of so many RPGs. Not a whole lot of importing options for non-Japanese speakers.

muteKi The Wondermega collection is apparently just a variant on the Sega Games Can collections (has some of the games on them like Flicky, Pyramid Magic, etc.), but with a few CD-G tracks as well.



http://www.segagagadomain.com/mega_cd-info/wondermega.htm Info from here (and also from my own playing of the cart, with the caveat that I've never gotten CD-G stuff working on Fusion, and I don't think my burner can write CD-G data either).

David J. I have the WonderMega Collection - no joke, not an ISO but the legit disc. No Wondermega but I saw it at a dealer at a convention and snatched it up for $20. but I dunno how I could test the CD-G?

xelement5x I have the WonderMega Collection - no joke, not an ISO but the legit disc. No Wondermega but I saw it at a dealer at a convention and snatched it up for $20. but I dunno how I could test the CD-G?



I'm jelly, I just picked up a copy through auction on ebay for about $50 + shipping since it's one of the few MegaCDs I'm still missing. I don't expect a lot since it's a pack in bundle disc, but in my quest to get all the games I can't well leave that one out if I consider the X'EYE pack-ins to be separate releases.



The only thing I'm confused on with that game is whether or not it had an obi/spine card as well. I wouldn't think so since it was only sold as a pack-in, but I've seen odder things appear with Japanese releases.

nixzero Can anyone confirm that Tokyo Mahjong Gakuen isn't the same game as Gambler Jikko Chuushinha 2? I can't find any solid info on it, no box art or anything, but I have seen translations of Gambler Jikko Chuushinha 2 with the subtitle "Struggle in the Tokyo Mahjong Land", which sounds close enough for me to question if they're the same game.

xelement5x Can anyone confirm that Tokyo Mahjong Gakuen isn't the same game as Gambler Jikko Chuushinha 2? I can't find any solid info on it, no box art or anything, but I have seen translations of Gambler Jikko Chuushinha 2 with the subtitle "Struggle in the Tokyo Mahjong Land", which sounds close enough for me to question if they're the same game.



It's different, I've only seen one copy of Tokyo Mahjong Gakuen show up on ebay and it was about a year ago. It's strikingly uncommon for a Mahjong game, but I'm sure it'll show up eventually. It's been so long since I've seen another copy that I'm beginning to wonder if I ever saw it in the first place, but it's not the same as Gambler game.

zyrobs Quiz Scramble Special

The name pretty much says it all. I'm sure it's a lost cause if you don't speak Japanese.



It's worth owning for the rad as fuck cover art, mind you.



http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/8237/raddestfuckinggamecover.jpg

nixzero Thanks xelement5x. Zyrobs, that is some of the best cover art I've seen! It would make an awesome gameroom poster!

xelement5x Okay so after doing some digging again after thinking about this I've been unable to dig up anything about this game. Everywhere I've looked so far says that Tokyo Mahjong Gakuen is unreleased which really gets under my skin since I'm almost positive I've seen it before.



Even Guardiana doesn't have it listed, and all the stuff on the old SegaBase seems to indicate that it was unreleased as well. I'm wondering if what I was confusing it with was Jango World Cup when I saw it, but I have this really strong feeling that I remember it being listed as Tokyo Mahjong Academy.



I'm happy to believe that it's not a valid release, because that means I'm really only missing like one JP exclusive, but it makes me wonder how it made it on the first post list. Everything that seems to have been used to build that post indicates that it was not released.

David J. I'm jelly, I just picked up a copy through auction on ebay for about $50 + shipping since it's one of the few MegaCDs I'm still missing. I don't expect a lot since it's a pack in bundle disc, but in my quest to get all the games I can't well leave that one out if I consider the X'EYE pack-ins to be separate releases.



The only thing I'm confused on with that game is whether or not it had an obi/spine card as well. I wouldn't think so since it was only sold as a pack-in, but I've seen odder things appear with Japanese releases.



I bought it a year ago at Magfest 2012. I saw it was later going for $100+ but either way the guy didn't know what he had so good deal for me. I've barely touched it. I paid the max I would pay for it - just some meganet games and Quiz Scramble - not Quiz Scramble Special (wonder if/what any difference is?)

segasonicfan great list! though I am sad there arent any "must play" imports. I played cyborg 009 and the wolfteam stuff....very rushed lame games :/

goldenband Added a link to the new Heavy Nova CD review, and also corrected inaccurate info about Psychic Detective Vols. 3 & 4, which have nothing to do with the 3DO game of a similar name.

goldenband Updated the entries for Dynamic Country Club (not Dynamic Country Golf, as it had been listed!) and F-1 Circus CD.

A Black Falcon Going through your list...







A Rank Thunder Tanjouhen (Aランクサンダー 誕生編)

RPG. Unplayable without knowing Japanese.



This is actually a graphic adventure game, not an RPG. I'm not sure if it has any RPG elements or not, it may, but it's definitely primarily an adventure game.







Arcus 1-2-3 (アークス I・II・III)

RPG. Allegedly playable without knowing Japanese, if you use Zigfried's guide cited in Melf's review. Allegedly a very lengthy dungeon crawler. Featured in Left in Japan, and reviewed by Melf in March 2012.



This is a collection of three games originally released separately on several Japanese computers, including the PC-8801, PC-9801, MSX, and X68000.







Burai: Hachigyoku no Yuushi Densetsu (ブライ 「八ハチ玉タマのノ勇士ユウシ伝説デンセツ」)

RPG. Unplayable without knowing Japanese. Also on the MSX and SNES.



Burai is on Turbo CD as well. There's also a sequel that seems to be Turbo CD exclusive.





Death Bringer: The Knight of Darkness (デスブリンガー)

RPG. Unplayable without knowing Japanese. Dungeon crawler.

This is a port of a game also available on Turbo CD, PC-9801, and X68000.





F-1 Circus CD（Ｆ１サーカスＣＤ）

Racing game. Apparently quite different from the cart version. Also reviewed by Gratuitous Science (scroll down a bit). Looks to be mostly in English.



No "apparently" about it, they're completely different games. The cartridge game is a top-down one, like the TG16/Turbo CD F-1 Circus games, while the Sega CD game has a first-person viewpoint in races. Apparently it's not very good, and doesn't use the Sega CD hardware much if at all either (for scaling and the like)?







Game no Kanzume Vol. 1 & 2 [Sega Games Can Vol. 1 & 2] (セガのかんづめ）

Game collections, most of which are available elsewhere and/or are easily playable without Japanese. The exceptions are the Phantasy Star text adventures, which have recently been translated.

Specifically, these game collections are of the games that were available on the MD modem service.







Genei Toshi: Illusion City (幻影都市)

RPG. Completely unplayable without knowing Japanese. A translation has been attempted; current status unknown. Featured in Left in Japan. Poster McMasters notes that "A translation of the MSX Turbo R version was released a few years ago but the last 25% of the game was untranslated." Here's a review at Mobygames.

Enhanced port of an MSX game, as your description suggests. There's also an FM Towns version released the same year as the SCD one.







Heavy Nova (ヘビーノバ)

Fighter. Supposedly just the cart version with Redbook audio, more or less, so language shouldn't be an issue. Reviewed on Sega-16 on 2014-01-02.



Heavy Nova was also released on X68000, but the Sega CD version came first.







Mega Schwarzschild (メガシュヴァルツシルト)

Space RPG, a la Starflight. Probably unplayable without knowing Japanese. Port from MSX and/or PC Engine. Featured in Left in Japan.



The Schwarzschild games are strategy games, not RPGs. The series says "Scenario Simulation Game" on the box (in English) on all of the releases, and the SCD version has the Strategy logo on the front, not RPG.



On that note, Sega should have kept those genre logos in the West, it'd have been kind of nice...







Ninja Warriors, The (ニンジャウォーリアーズ)

Beat-'em-up. Arcade port. 100% playable in English -- in fact, the whole game is in English, including audio! Only the subtitles for the story scenes are in Japanese.

There's also a Japan-only PC Engine (TG16 HuCard) port of this game, but the Sega CD version is FAR better. The PCE version has worse graphics, worse music (as you'd expect), no multiplayer, and no voiced story or Zuntata Mode of course.



The console versions were Japan-only, but the West did get the arcade game and some computer ports in Europe, too -- there the game was released on Amiga, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and Atari ST. Yeah, no home releases in the US, oddly. The US did get the SNES sequel, though.







Pro Yakyuu Super League CD (プロ野球スーパーリーグＣＤ)

Baseball game. Apparently it's almost the same as the cart version, just with added Redbook audio (and maybe FMVs). They also say it was ported from PC Engine, but that might not be correct?

This is a first-party Sega game, it wasn't on Turbo CD. There is a Turbo CD game called "The Pro Yakyuu Super", but that looks different. This game is a sequel, or port, of Pro Yakyuu Super League '91, which was localized in the US as Sports Talk Baseball. The CD version released a year after the cart version, but I don't know if it has a roster update or not.







Tenbu: Mega CD Special (天舞メガＣＤスペシャル)

Strategy/historical sim. Another Nobunaga game, but SegaBase has positive things to say about it. Probably not playable without the language.



Tenbu is an enhanced port of a PC-9801 game. There is also a SNES port released a bit after the SCD one.





Yumimi Mix （ゆみみ みっくす）

Anime FMV à la Dragon's Lair. Playable without the language, but you probably won't have more than a vague idea of what's going on.

It might be Dragon's Lair-inspired, and certainly is all cutscenes, but in this game you just choose options from a text menu, when it comes time to make a choice about what to do next, so that's not really the best comparison. It's not an arcade-style game and there's no timer.



Also, Yumimi Mix has an enhanced Saturn version, Yumimi Mix Remix.

goldenband Thanks, A Black Falcon, I've incorporated your suggestions.





This is actually a graphic adventure game, not an RPG. I'm not sure if it has any RPG elements or not, it may, but it's definitely primarily an adventure game.



Interesting. At first glance A Rank Thunder Tanjouhen looks pretty RPG-ish to me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBwF8TzCJHE), and the stats bar at the bottom starting at about 5:30 includes a "Level" indicator (reberu, or レベル). But the three gameplay videos uploaded by that video don't show any combat or random encounters. I'll list it as a hybrid for now. Have you played it much?

A Black Falcon Thanks, A Black Falcon, I've incorporated your suggestions.

Very nice, that was quick. The only thing you missed is mentioning the Saturn version of Yumimi Mix.





Interesting. At first glance A Rank Thunder Tanjouhen looks pretty RPG-ish to me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBwF8TzCJHE), and the stats bar at the bottom starting at about 5:30 includes a "Level" indicator (reberu, or レベル). But the three gameplay videos uploaded by that video don't show any combat or random encounters. I'll list it as a hybrid for now. Have you played it much?

No, I haven't. It could go in the same adventure/RPG hybrid category that SCD Shadowrun is, maybe? I mean, if it has levels, they've got to be there for a reason, but as you say the gameplay clearly looks like an adventure game.





Also, missed one...



Alshark (アルシャーク)

RPG. Unplayable without knowing Japanese. Featured in Left in Japan. At least one Sega-16 member doesn't think much of it. A walkthrough is available at Gamefaqs. Here's a review at Mobygames and a gameplay video.

Alshark is an enhanced port of an X68000 game. There's also a Turbo CD port that released the year after the SCD version, but it's still the same ugly, not so great game there too.

goldenband Very nice, that was quick. The only thing you missed is mentioning the Saturn version of Yumimi Mix.



Thanks! I actually omitted it since it was from a different/later console generation, but I can certainly add it in.





Alshark is an enhanced port of an X68000 game. There's also a Turbo CD port that released the year after the SCD version, but it's still the same ugly, not so great game there too.



Adding now!

A Black Falcon Thanks! I actually omitted it since it was from a different/later console generation, but I can certainly add it in.



Adding now!



Well, you mentioned the PS1/Saturn versions of Night Striker, and isn't that the only other game on the list with a next-gen port?

goldenband Updated to reflect the Cosmic Fantasy Stories translation effort (www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?26705-Cosmic-Fantasy-Stories-translation)!

goldenband For no particular reason I started futzing around with After Armageddon Gaiden. I was at least able to figure out how to get started, via a pretty standard RPG trope: go into the building, go up a floor, find the dragon king in the throneroom (or whatever he is), and once you've talked to him you can leave town by going south (otherwise you're blocked).



It may not sound like much, but hey, it took the guy in this video (http://youtu.be/f5wlvg0S2yI?t=0m28s) quite a while to sort it out. After that I was able to wander around the overworld and get into a battle, aided by my team of mutants. No idea what else is going on, though. BTW I think all the humans in town are either speaking nonsense (brain damage?), or are so terrified they can't talk properly.



Anyway, this seems like a potentially good candidate for a translation, since the CD audio is music-only so there's no spoken dialogue to worry about, and I don't think there's any FMV either (the intro cutscene is just still images with simple animations). OTOH I think the script is compressed.

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