Ignoring the obvious Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! and Jump! fighters, there are several games that I really think deserve to come to the US. There are some that look very cool and possibly awesome games, but just aren't chosen to make the trip overseas... and it saddens me.

Project Hacker: Kakusei



Project Hacker: Kakusei is a mystery-adventure game that stars a computer whiz trying to unravel a conspiracy that could threaten Japan's livelihood. You hack into computers, break firewalls, search for clues over the "Internet", check your own PC for resources and info, and steal data from corrupt corporations.

A fantastic import preview here

When I saw the very first media for Project Hacker: Kakusei, I was ecstatic and very excited. It looked to be a perfect example of a hardcore, deep, DS game that would show off the capabilities of the system.

Status: Not leaving Japan.
Unfortunately, months went by without any word on it from Nintendo of America, and eventually years went by. PHK was released in 2006--it's all but forgotten now.

Tales of Innocence



A vast improvement over Tales of the Tempest, ToI seemed to nail the Tales formula on DS, what with a much improved battle system over TotT, good DS graphics, and good multiplayer content. Fans were excited for how this game seemed to be a huge step in the right direction for Tales on Nintendo DS. Sadly, Namco Bandai seemed to have no faith at all in their product.

Status: Not leaving Japan.
Namco Bandai themselves said they are not going to take the game to North America or Europe.

Spectral Force Genesis



Spectral Force Genesis seems to be a neat take on the strategy RPG genre, as the newest DS installment eschews the traditional isometric grid for mobilizing your troops and instead gives you a field of battle on the touch screen (where you can direct movement and attacks) and shows all the fighting on the top screen. On the artistic side, the art and audio seems pretty good.

Brief preview here

Status: Unknown.
The game released in Japan in May of this year, so there's a chance someone like Atlus or a publisher will grab the game for international release. However, time is not an ally, and unless we see it announced at one of the upcoming trade shows (E3, E for All, or a company press summit), it may not come over.

Mugen no Frontier: Super Robot Wars OG Saga



KOS-MOS's clothes rip to expose her cleavage, and then proceeds to fire an energy blast from her boobies. Do I really need to say more? Even if the level of sheer, unabashed fanservice in the game wasn't enough to draw me in (T-elos! =D), the gameplay seems different enough from previous SRW games that I'm really interested in this installment.

Status: Unknown.
Considering this game isn't a licensing clusterfuck like previous SRW games, I think it's got a shot. Of course, Namco Bandai has lately been very odd in their behavior and faith in which games to localize, so who knows....

Anyway, did you like my picks? What do you think?

PS: For those who are waiting for my next highlight of Birdmen and the Casual Fallacy (all two of you), I'm working on it. I've been really busy dealing IRL with bullshit regarding difficulty getting into community college, unemployment, and parents too busy to lend a hand. So please be patient.