Sifting through games on eBay the other day I discovered a wealth of games that caught my attention. All being games that are in japanese (me not speaking the language) I was slightly cautious about whether or not I should buy one. The games I speak of are Jump Superstars and Jump Ultimate Stars, FFXII: Revenant Wings and also Osu! Tatakae! Oendan.

Now, I hear people saying; 'Why not buy Elite Beat Agents if you want Ouendan?' but apparently EBA just doesn't hold up when you have played the Japanese version. After hearing this I wonder though, whether the sacrifice of being able to understand the language and what is really going on, is an equal sacrifice for better music and other differences to the game.

Regarding Revenant Wings, I just don't know if it is worth purchasing the game if I face a language barrier. Sure Final Fantasy games have great gameplay but in the past my favourite aspect of the games has been their stories. But once again the tradeoff of living in beautiful Australia but suffering when it comes to game releases rears it's ugly head. Us Aussies tend to recieve all Square-Enix game about 12 months after they have made it onto shelves in the US. With a decent wait for RW in the US I am made to wonder is the wait going to be worth it just for an English translation.

And finally with the Jump! games. I haven't yet but, if I see one for a cheap price I'll snap it up straight away. With the gameplay being the major reason for purchasing that game and let's face it, a destiny of never having a western release, I see nothing holding me back from playing this game with maximal enjoyment. Once I can navigate the menus and get onto Wi-Fi (the main attraction) to thrash some newbs I reckon there'll be no turning back.

But unfortunately this method seems only to be attractive with fighting games and others where story plays little or no part in the game. And furthermore there's no 'Try Before You Buy' scheme with eBay. Once your money's gone into the abyss you might only be left with an unplayable game and a skinnier wallet. I suppose that's a risk worth taking for the chance at a truly unique gaming experience. And besides with the DS and PSP being region free, that at least gives us gamers the option of importing. Yeah... Look on the bright side.