First Japanese Virtual Console game in America?

[Keranu]

I came across this when looking at video game news on N4G.com, TG16 VC releases in April. The four games are as follows:

Dragon's Curse (April 2nd, Hudson Soft)
Shockman (April, Huson Soft)
Battle Lode Runner (April, Hudson Soft)
Bonk's Revenge (April, Hudson Soft)
Bravoman (April, Hudson Soft)

Battle Lode Runner is Japanese only, is this a sign that the Virtual Console is finally getting foreign games? Even though it's not a special game or anything, it's definitely a good step forward to seeing future Japanese releases and hopefully translations. It would make sense that they chose Battle Lode Runner since it's a Hudson classic and is English friendly.

It's listed on the official Virtual Console page too, but not the official Nintendo site yet.

[nat]

If true, this is a fantastic step in the right direction.

One that personally, I didn't believe would happen after the Bomberman fiasco.

[Black Tiger]

Keranu, you're obviously horribly mistaken and this can in no way be possible because a few people around here have already made it crystal clear time and time again, that it will never happen. 

[Keranu]

Keranu, you're obviously horribly mistaken and this can in no way be possible because a few people around here have already made it crystal clear time and time again, that it will never happen. 

I know, I don't know what I was thinking! These people gave me hard facts several times that foreign VC games could NEVER happen! Oh well, I guess I can still dream .

[Necromancer]

I remember this game being shown in Duo World as a coming attraction.  It may have been translated and then canceled before any games were made.  That would explain why it is being released on VC, but I'm still hoping for other translations.

[turbofan1]

If true, this is a fantastic step in the right direction.

One that personally, I didn't believe would happen after the Bomberman fiasco.

What exactly was the bobmerman fiasco?.We where also talking about this on the Hudson boards.They haven`t mentioned anything about yet.You think it would be A big friggan ta do if it was.Maybe there saving it for latter this month.

[Black Tiger]

I remember this game being shown in Duo World as a coming attraction.  It may have been translated and then canceled before any games were made.  That would explain why it is being released on VC, but I'm still hoping for other translations.

There are a few games that appeared ready for release for the Turbo that didn't quite make it.

Some of us positive thinkers had mentioned them before as possible North American VC releases, but were still shot down by the naysayers who said that both Hudson and Nintendo hate us way too much and something about how it would bankrupt the companies, or they'd release every single import SNES & Genesis game first... or something. 

Anyways, I wouldn't be surprised to see a very authentic looking Turbo cover in the VC manual of Battle Lode Runner.

One very cool thing about getting a PC Engine VC game like this over here is that I'd probably have put off playing BLR for another 20 years, but now I'll buy it and play it as soon as it hits the VC. 

[kenomac78]

they need to bring some japanese games over. because even with all the CD games (in theory) being released, the TG library will be the first to be  completely exhausted and fast!  i wonder what other games were near finished but never put out?

[Kaminari]

Considering that BLR is in English, it's not exactly surprising. Like many other PC Engine games, it was almost ready for an international release without any change whatsoever. It never happened because the suits at NEC US were a bunch of retarded. It's a good thing that someone at Hudson Soft is finally realizing this. I'm still confident you won't find any original game on the VC that needs some serious localization, but I'll certainly be glad if Hudson can prove me wrong

[vestcoat]

If true, this is a fantastic step in the right direction.

One that personally, I didn't believe would happen after the Bomberman fiasco.

What exactly was the bobmerman fiasco?.We where also talking about this on the Hudson boards.They haven`t mentioned anything about yet.You think it would be A big friggan ta do if it was.Maybe there saving it for latter this month.

I think the "Bomberman fiasco" happened when we got Bomberman '93 on the VC and Japan got '94.

After seeing the initial release line-up, I gloomily posted this on 11/1/06:

I find the fact that Japan gets Bomberman 94 and we get Bomberman 93 very disturbing.  They clearly acknowledge '94 as the better game (otherwise Japan would have got '93 as well) but the fact that they're sticking the states with '93 reveals that they're still stuck in the keep-the-Turbo-and-PCE-separate mentality.  Maybe they think US gamers are going to buy games solely for nostalgia and imports won't sell for lack of name recognition.  Maybe Hudson is unwilling to spend time and money translating or reprogramming foreign games.  Whatever the case, we can probably kiss our dreams of seeing Sapphire and Dracula X ever come to the US goodbye.

To which Pcenginefx replied:

Never say never my friend.

Since then I've been pretty optimistic!

[Keranu]

So, I think it's safe to say we'll finally see more imports coming stateside!

Indeed, and I still think there will eventually be translated ROMs on the VC. With the first sign of a Japanese game coming out here and the fact that George Harrison (non-Beatle) expressed their interests in localizing games, I think there is a decent chance of it happening. Will big RPGs like Tengai Makyou get translated? I don't have much hope for that (or actually I might after reading an interview with that Griener dude from Hudson saying how much he wants to bring Kabuki Den out here), but definitely something like say Aoi Blink.

[vestcoat]

Damn it!  I edited my post and you caught me red-handed!

[Keranu]

[guyjin]

So, I think it's safe to say we'll finally see more imports coming stateside!

With the first sign of a Japanese game coming out here and the fact that George Harrison (non-Beatle) expressed their interests in localizing games,

'cuz, you know, musicians rise from the dead and express their interests all the time. 

[Keranu]

Of course .