Squaresoft Japan Only PS1 Games

[@thorhighheels]

so i have a discord now as a patreon reward thing. its only 1 whole money. if u feel like supporting my bad habits and need somewhere to post memes then it might be worth checking out. www.patreon.com/user?u=2285408 additionally, if u thought the songs at 1:07 or 12:37 or 24:47 were just the neatest, then you might be interested in this album i made, that has all of em on there. u can find it at these places. Spotify: t.co/RZt8hafZQc KZbin: kzbin.info/aero/OLAK5uy_n2nO8q-8my7HcEGHyixRpZ5L_uDPcbTpg Bandcamp: t.co/VBCV33q6ev

[@greenhowie]

I'll give you a patreon when payday rolls around. Discord's not really my thing (hate my voice) but nobody deserves it more for the sheer effort you put in.

[@RogueBeatsARG]

Is the piano piece yours too?

[@gideonzz]

I've been binge watching your channel for a week now, love your stuff, keep it up !! P.S. Any Dragon Quest XI material happening, I think you'd like that game.

[@lawrencekieran3297]

I guess im randomly asking but does someone know of a way to log back into an Instagram account? I stupidly forgot the password. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer me

[@deandrehugo1103]

@Lawrence Kieran instablaster ;)

[@sergnb0]

Man the graphic design in these videos is just so pleasant to look at. You spend a lot of time talking about aesthetics and those title cards and editing choices really show you got a keen eye

[@hughotterson6590]

Really good point. I would love to see what he could do as a director of a project!

[@Zayindjejfj]

Your editing is..... not human. I don't know how else to describe it. Like, Cthulu himself is editing vids for KZbin cause he's bored... or something.

[@akiinmoonlight79]

true😍

[@aeroga2383]

finally someone put it into words

[@yeetleslaw8529]

He is very casual and not pandering. how the fuck did you get cthulu

[@Fooacta]

@@yeetleslaw8529 Cthulhu is pretty chill though. It's usually the nosy motherfuckers that run up on an old one and go insane. Big C just minds his own business, doing his thing

[@Fooacta]

Also: Cthulhu's mortal avatar has been confirmed as a giant Danish(?) boy who makes A E S T H E T I C video essays about games

[@Rihcterwilker]

This reminded me of a forum i read on 4chan, probably /vr/, where there are people that legitimately get mad when a game gets translated, because they lost years learning japanese, and don't want others to enjoy media that should be exclusive to them for that effort lol.

[@nikitalobo9337]

You need to work especially hard on yourself to learn dat Japanese tho. I can imagine their frustration if those games was their only motivation lol, but it's pretty strange to get mad on translation teams because of that for sure.

[@The_Cooler_Will]

4chan lol

[@arditeider2812]

4chan /vr/ is actually one of a nicer board there.

[@arditeider2812]

@Heavy Metal Collector well it's not /b/

[@Rihcterwilker]

Ah yeah, and the term EOP, or "english only peasant", is thrown there alot, to show how they're superior for being able to "enjoy the game as it should be". They sure are lovely people.

[@DearKasu]

"mysterious jogo" Yeah I used to watch SBFP too

[@ATM09ScopeDawg]

RIP best friends zaibatsu, KZbin ain’t been the same since...

[@colonelsandwich641]

at 21:49 I thought that text was actually in the FMV until the "bruh..." showed up, absolutely godlike

[@MiloKuroshiro]

I mean, Chain of Memories has a kid being tortured while loosing his memory.

[@Klonoahedgehog]

Haha That game was messed up the more I think about it.

[@dreamthief286]

At any second now, the gods of youtube algorithm will favor this channel.

[@SpaceGhostFan]

The late 90’s and early 2000’s had such an aesthetic vibe. I really don’t know how to put it other then that; it’s just so “aEsThEtiC.” You do such a wonderful job pointing out it’s beauty. Please never stop.

[@HeadsetHistorian]

Early 3d had a unique charm. I think a lot of it comes down to how new and unestablished it was. Similar to how vintage computers, before the typical IBM standard were incredibly interesting with so many unique designs. As the tech became more established it definitely became better overall but lost a lot of charm. Same with games, a lot of early 3d were jank and borderline unplayable but oozed originality and charm. Modern games have well established mechanics to build on so are generally more solid and playable but lack some of the character and uniqueness.

[@jkajmo]

I wish I knew Japanese so I could enjoy the PS1 Japanese library. There's hundreds & hundreds of amazing games that are only in Japan.

[@tokyobassist]

Saturn library is more import friendly but the second hand market prices aren't.

[@Tenpouin]

@@tokyobassist it really isn't. Most of Saturn library that didn't come to the US are heavy text visual novels and RPGs.

[@thigikna]

And you wouldn't have to suffer through the yakuza localization

[@Tenpouin]

@arbereshe less than you think, at least the actual good ones. Racing is actually pretty poor once you run out of the classics such as Sega Rally and Daytona, and those have not aged well. Good 2D platformers are just a few, as well as 3D fighting games (the best were released in english). Beat'em ups, shmups and 2D fighters, yes, those are very much worth it

[@RetroSmoo]

learning hiragana and katakana is quite easy and will help you be able to play alot of games that don't have kanji or have furigana.

[@3dkiwi920]

Because the game is almost entirely untextured, Internal Section scales very well and looks amazing up-res'd.

[@FakYuhGoogel]

Whenever I see your videos this deep desire I've had for years (to learn japanese) comes up... it would probably take 5 years of all my freetime to read basic elementary school kanji, read hiragana and katakana fluently and understand the language in general. Then again I also hope that google translate deep learning advances far enough in the next 5 years that it can do all of that without me having to do anything because let's be honest I'm a lazy bum and dedicating 5 years to learn a language just to understand 20+ year old videogames doesn't seem like the best motivation.

[@HeadsetHistorian]

How much free time do you have? Spending 1 hour a day for the next year would get you up to a reasonable level that you could just keep a translation app on you while playing the games and get through them just fine (while also improving while playing the games). If it takes 5+ years then you honestly just aren't actually trying properly. Basic elementary school Kanji is reasonably achievable in 3-6 months.

[@FakYuhGoogel]

@@HeadsetHistorian There's no way you're going to learn and remember 1000 characters in 6 months, let alone in 3 months unless you have 6 hours of freetime a day.

[@HeadsetHistorian]

@@FakYuhGoogel They aren't completely unique, there are similar patterns. Also the more you learn the more you can dicipher from context and it snowballs. I've lived in Asia for about a decade now and studied languages here, so I'm pretty familiar with it. It's not nearly as hard as you think.

[@mr.vidjagamez9896]

" dedicating 5 years to learn a language just to understand 20+ year old videogames doesn't seem like the best motivation." ironically sounds like perfect motivation im my case.

[@SimonPiano42]

​@@FakYuhGoogel That's not true, many people have done it, and they're not all geniuses. I know because I've done it as well and I'm not a genius. It just takes consistent work. There are great tools for learning kanji using digital flashcards, for example Remembering The Kanji (RTK). I've used Wanikani, which costs a monthly subscription to be fair, but it takes away all the need to set up and follow your own structure, like you need to do with RTK. Most people starting RTK quit it very quickly, because you need to be extremely self-driven and disciplined. Using RTK or Wanikani, you can learn 2000 characters in a year. Granted, it's going to be a lot of work. But not 6 hours a day. (Wanikani also teaches vocabulary so it's more work, but with RTK you can easily do it with 1-2 hours in 6 months (1000 characters) or a year (2000 characters). I've learned around 2100 characters now, mostly with Wanikani, and a few more using Anki, and I'm very happy I did. Playing pretty much all Japanese games in Japanese now. Playing Final Fantasy 7 in the original Japanese was fantastic, they changed so much of the meaning in the English translation, even in the new one! Same for the remake.

[@MaxiGoethling]

Hype. Your videos are so good. It's rare that I can watch the same videos about vidya multiple times. Especially your Japan Only series is KZbin gold😚

[@jokerzwild00]

Well, my biggest takeaway from this is that ThorHH is making a game. That's bound to be interesting.

[@MemeLordCthulhu]

What dated this video wasn't the kingdom hearts talk, but the fact racing lagoon didn't have a translation

[@SilentHillOwn]

"Mysterious Jogo Syndrome" i-is this a-a-a Best Friends Play reference!!!? shit still hurts

[@adelaiideAngel]

shit will forever hurt 😔

[@zelllambert]

At least it wasn't this year they split

[@SodawaveShow]

Still been looking out for that Racing Lagoon english patch

[@greenhowie]

It's gonna take a commission, isn't it? Dammit I WANT TO PLAY THIS GAME.

[@Holeecrab]

2 minutes total of racing lagoon on this video makes me happy

[@bitwize]

"turn around tankwise" -- best adverb for PS1 controls ever. Tankwise.

[@queenanastia]

Just got all cosy tucked up in bed, and what do I find in my subscription box. Perfect, comfy timing.

[@Spyderist]

This fits a weird niche in my heart

[@ericcornish1983]

Goddamn another badass video, I absolutely love your video's, they're like mini documentaries of my childhood, some of the games featured on alot of your video's are apart of my childhood in a huge way because, having a few friends into the console modding scene back in the PS1 days allowed me to experience alot Japan only PS1 games and man are they are thing to behold. Some are really good and stand out among the others but the square ones have to be my favorite.

[@Myrope]

I absolutely love the aesthetics in your videos. Those title cards are maximum cozy!

[@invisibleimaginaryfriend6449]

“The tunnel won’t let me pass and I don’t know what to do, it has been hours” this is such a mood for anyone who plays a game without knowing the language. Just hit me in the nostalgia getting trapped in Pokémon green because I didn’t know English yet

[@skydiamsteam6005]

Triple mood

[@Caterfree10]

With how popular visual novels have become nowadays (relatively speaking), Another Mind could probably do modestly as a digital only rerelease.

[@fran_pso]

This is crazy,I was looking through the Squaresoft PS1 games that never left Japan earlier and now just uploaded a video talking about them!

[@kjhansonkjhanson6643]

Racing Lagoon, Dr slump, Mizzurna Falls. All translated now. I'm going to cry

[@hind__]

This year is crazy for fan tls!

[@shards-of-glass-man]

The dissonance between the elements of Soukaigi is indeed uncanny AF. The flesh monsters and background chanting noise pushes it into that cat definitely. Not OG Saturn Baroque levels of uncanny, but getting there.

[@infasis]

It pisses me off when people don't put any of the copyrighted music they used in the credits. You know how long it took me to try and remember what game that song was from?

[@BrianOfAteionas]

I need an English version of Racing Lagoon. That is all.

[@shooter2409]

The still title cards of characters in between reminds me of Rival Schools(PSX). Great video as always. It's like watching Van Gogh editing a video.

[@GG-kl8gw]

It's been two months or so since I found your channel and boi do I not regret subbing, specially for the Japan Only games. But all your videos are genuinelly entertaining.

[@Knx3k]

My god the walbaum segment was so great and fits the reason I'm here so much I wish I could filter when these moments happen in your videos lmao, I'm tryna see more like that without going through the whole catalogue

[@PoseidonXIII]

I really appreciate your fun insight with these games man.

[@janusan89]

Me in the 90s: "I hope this game comes out here in europe!" (Talking to you Chrono Cross, Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Final Fantasy Tactics and many more games that you never released here!) Me right now: "Why did this get released here in europe..."

[@levajsics]

Always a good vibe to arrive home after a long day at work, prep some food, pop a can of beer, and dine while watching one of your Top Fave youtuber's latest video! ✨

[@JamesSkemp]

Watched this video the other day (not sure why it came up in my queue, but it did), put Scar of the Doll in my Steam wishlist, and a few days later it's on sale. That's a sign. Thanks!

[@heavenly2k]

You pointed all of my favorite Dragon Ball art lol nice, like I feel seen and heard

[@Papapaya101]

How is it possible that you have such a good channel. Always picking interesting themes, amazing edition and cool writing

[@specknacken6507]

The character in the thumbnail looks like a badass adult version of Marle from Chrono Trigger.

[@jonlayo2098]

Ahhh new Thor video. My night is made

[@BainesMkII]

Tobal 2's Quest Mode is relatively complex, carrying inspiration from the old ASCII-based Roguelikes. There is a whole color-based potion mixing system, and you can combine gems by throwing them at each other. If you drink an invisibility potion, then not only will you not trigger monster encounters, you can stand within the flames to cook meat and change potions (though standing too long will destroy the item). There are some tricks you pretty much need to learn to beat the mode, such as grinding Guard against the crystal enemy found in the robot ship, which seems intentional as that is the only area that doesn't have food drops. Then when you finally beat all the separate dungeons, you get to do the true Roguelike experience... Entering the final dungeon resets your levels to 1, and it consists of all the previous dungeons played back-to-back without the ability to save or visit the town. It was rough, but fun. I beat it with a couple of characters, but you don't really get a reward for beating it beyond being able to unlock the second form of the final boss for Vs mode.

[@pgasnow]

This video has introduced me to "Scar Of The Doll", which I absolutely loved. Thank you.

[@recklesflam1ngo968]

Then there's PAL region, we got the shaft with lots of games

[@Fant]

The use of live action creeps me the fuck out. It's not even because "it looks real" but rather because it gives me a really uneasy feeling almost uncanny valley-ish I guess.

[@ppmaq]

Wow, Soukaigi is one of my favorite lost pearls and the controls and mechanics are actually amazing once you know how to use it. It's a shame you had such a hard time w it.

[@Gendo.]

The type and layout remind me of the Evangelion fonts and mid-episode title frames before the commercial break

[@WillowEpp]

Your doofy-ass bizarro-contrast wordart-and-eye-watering-gradients transition/overlay aesthetic kills me every time.

[@jdloom1468]

yeeeee cheers Mr. HighHeels. love your work

[@CosmicWolfPack]

I look forward to your videos all the time. and your music is amazing!

[@CoolDevicesXxm4]

Your Killer7 and HotD references have earned you my subscription good sir.

[@Null_Experis]

Soukaigi's soundtrack is the most amazing part of it. It's downright fantastic, and I was turned onto it by the song Lovely Strains as part of the 2001 Square Vocal Collection when I bought it for $15 in Japantown, San Francisco (there used to be a music store there that had video game OSTs). It's a shame the game itself is so jank.

[@sebastianwardana1527]

These tank controll games could have profited from a joystick...

[@AnimeFreakLucky7]

Yay! More awesome content! Thanks for these videos, ThorHighHeels!

[@kescaremon2531]

Goddamn Thor, i love your videos to death as those psx aesthetics are my fucking drugem, but it would be lit if you could mention the mentioned games at least in the video description because i may never play any of these games you mention but it damn sure doesnt stop me from searching for them in google for dozens of minutes and automated subtitles don't really help when they call a game "Toe Balls" which is a quite unnerving image in itself. PS 18:32 the picture on the ship looks like a damn Spinel from Stovon Onovorse.

[@SpookNukem]

I enjoyed that editing joke at the begining more than I should have

[@VaunaKiller]

Damn man, I love your videos. Ps1 and 2 aesthetic always calm me down for some reason. Keep doing what you're doing, shit is great.

[@benhillman8384]

*supportive noises/animal grunts* The fading text nonsequiturs scrolling over fmvs is very 90s - I can't help but think of american tv like the x-files or the svu intro sequences - is it one of those western appreciation oddities?

[@Dreamboum]

I'm not sure where you heard that FM1 and 2 aren't masterpiece status compared to 3 but Front Mission 2 is genuinely considered to be the best game in the series in Japan. FM3 is ironically the odd duck considering its more shonen aspirations. I heavily recommend giving them a try, also Gun Hazard for that matter.

[@hekstoo5988]

I had Tobal No.1, got it just for the FF7 demo. I ended up loving it, I beat the dungeon mode and unlocked Toriyama Robo lol. Green Cuts for the win!

[@Fraciscomorky]

Tobal 1 & 2 were my favorite games growing up always liked the first more for some reason. Those and wii sports resort were my goats

[@greenhowie]

Watching older videos and noticing Umurangi OST clips is oddly nostalgic, but kind of in reverse.

[@chillhour6155]

Most square games back in the day had a quick exit game command holding all the shoulder buttons with start+select

[@zensoredparagonbytes3985]

Love the intro music from the FF X-2 menu

[@CodeProvider]

was lookin for a vid like this for a while! needa get another mind! ty!

[@machinedeathband3941]

That dnb track is mental! Love your vids for finding great soundtracks as well ^ 0 ^

[@NOIDEDU]

Old school mecha ps1/pc/dreamcast games when

[@Dumb_Woof]

This just made me remember I'll never be able to fully understand racing lagoon AND Another mind. Shit be sad man...

[@nikitalobo9337]

Well I thought the same about Front Mission 2, Echo Night 2 and Ace Combat 3 over a 15 years ago and and now we have them. So never say never, I guess...

[@ix8750]

@@nikitalobo9337 Front mission 2? Me want. Must do .....Google searchings

[@nikitalobo9337]

@@ix8750 Yeah, but it's little tricky with patching and text is translated during gameplay and in engine cutscenes. In towns and shops you still should read script in .txt form on your phone or pc. But hey, at least we finally have it

[@plaq.]

now you can

[@ethanbrown8028]

@ThorHighHeels, I've enjoyed watching through all of your videos. You get my #majorpraise because you've made some awesome entertaining informative content on some niche games. Look forward to everything you do in the future. Nostalgic games I'd love you to do a so I've been playing: Return to Zork. and, Riven.

[@valeriajessu]

Woo I got here early. Btw I got that fighting game. Idk how but I got it xD Bought it as a child without knowing anything about it.

[@tsukasa0802]

The one time Square actually used FMV and you said "instead" 🤣. Never change.

[@the_glove]

Yes a new video from my favorite KZbinr

[@AikisDominator]

I'm still waiting for Last Amrageddon translation.

[@akualung]

And I'm still waiting for Madara 2, and Samurai Shodown RPG, and Linda Cube... And, that is, not counting the amount of games that won't be translated (the Tengai Makyou series on PCEngine) after the Goemon 3 drama that ended in Tom and DDS quitting from the translation scene. I began studying Japanese a few years ago to be able to play these games by myself, because the scene isn't as reliable as it used to be (and probably won't be anymore).

[@CRedd9830]

Front Mission 2 is masterpiece tier, it has the best story in the franchise.

[@Fender91]

I played a lot of Tobal 2 when i was a kid, even if it was in japanese ( Idk how I got the game, my parents got it) and have a lot of fond memories of it, it didnt look that bad back then, and the Ost is still amazing.

[@giuseppinamastropaolo7004]

I love these videos Thor.

[@madsli]

The blue room from another mind looks inspired by twin peaks.

[@TheBeird]

It's mad to think how integral to "Big Games" FMV sequences were, in order to sell them, reward the player, and deliver the tone. I guess Metal Gear Solid and Half-Life were the beginning of the end of that short era. I wonder if there'll be a resurgence in them the same way the 8-bit aesthetic came back in a big way?

[@Monty-or9sb]

Whooop! 100k subs hype fam!

[@shinkiro403]

I love you more each passing video, but I'm straight so I don't know how to feel about it. I'll keep it platonic for now... :P

[@ingvarblr]

I belive you will be famous oneday. I like you videos a lot.Thank you.

[@jeannecaelum5167]

i wanted to go to sleep man but now...i have to watch your new vid. it has to be

[@scandinavianserialki]

Retroarch has an autotranslate overlay that kind of works. I've only used it on android. It's probably on PC as well.

[@cifraf]

This is amazing, keep it up and POST MOOOOORE

[@omnirhythm]

25:10 Internal Section definitely has a great OST, some great bangers in there much as with Racing Lagoon, also sounding very close to Rom di Prisco's work on the NFS series. '99 and the few years before it were just an overload of greatness.

[@FutoiSaru]

Looks like Racing Lagoon is getting that translation after all. Hilltop released an early beta patch that translated 5/13 of the game so far

[@theocan]

Still waiting on Parasite Eve 1 to be released in the UK, Square. Still god damn waiting.

[@DennisPulido]

Thank you for informing me of the Walbaum font.

[@the_furbinator]

Just recently subscribed, but soooo so worth it!!

[@QuetzalOvejasElectricas]

THE QUIET MAN

[@rafaelvillacortes9727]

Que onda mi quetzal, también te late los juegos ps1?

[@thejman5683]

We find speak of that here, it’s a good example of why Square shouldn’t publish western stuff

[@HeadsetHistorian]

Fwiw, Front Mission 2 got an official English release on the DS.

[@tokyobassist]

Saw Tobal in the thumbnail. Clicked. Tobal 2 is baller. Been playing it on my PS Classic alongside Mizzurna Falls.

[@Jabler-]

I have to disagree with Cyber Org being simple as the stat increase mechanic revolves around pre-loading stat items into your stat-up section in a certain order. When you level up you then get stat bonuses according to what you've loaded onto your character. I got a bit into it but gave it up, may go back to it later.

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

Chocobo’s Dungeon is so good. I wish Square would give that series far more love than they do.

[@Wytor]

I saw the title and said "Racing Lagoon will be in this."

[@cis_eraser_420]

I actually clicked it thinking "oh shit maybe he'll let us know a racing lagoon translation came out" big disappoint

[@Spagooblio]

You know what's weird? Chocobo's Dungeon being JP only, then the sequel is released in NA as well simply titled Chocobo's Dungeon 2, hinting there's a prequel to that game somewhere but you'll never find it in NA Also might be a given if you never knew about both before since it never released in PAL region

[@AT7outof10]

That playful callout at the end. Damn.

[@nikitalobo9337]

Well you right about plenty of stuff □ able to pull off overseas. I still need to went through most of their PS1 library that was released worldwide so it's not like my SquareSoft well went dry. But I'm so glad about dat Front Mission 2 translation (even if it is not fully in game) and that I can finally play it, shit is solid I tell ya :^) So if you someday decide to scratch your Front Mission itch and you don't mind to read dialogue script in between missions, second game is just great, even if a little bit slow. And again as always, thanks for great videos, Mr. Heels

[@bfloralboy9127]

Your new album is amazing! The aesthetic is perfect! Has to be one of the best I've heard in a while

[@Matos911]

i want a episode like this but about enix games if theres enough