Despite sharing countless titles and franchises, the Eastern and Western video game markets are markedly distinct. While in North America and Europe we’re familiar enough with Mario Bros. and Dark Souls, there are countless titles that have never made the transoceanic jump.
There are plenty of reasons for this: Sometimes games rely on a specific cultural idiom that doesn’t translate well, or game mechanics that haven’t found an audience in either market. Sometimes developers don’t have the time or money to devote to localization. And other times, publishers just make downright baffling decisions.
Here’s our list of Ten Games That Will Never Be Released in the West – ten games we think should have found their way from Japan and into the hands of North American and European gamers, but never did and probably never will. While in some cases there are workarounds, we still think it’s tragic that western fans won’t get a release of these titles (at least, in most cases).
Have a favorite imported title? Tell us about it in the comments!