What are the BEST Japanese PS3 games for Your American PS3 - Part 2

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Welcome to the second part of my article What are the BEST Japanese PS3 games for you American PS3.

You know that you don't necessarily need to know Japanese to play Japanese games. All that is required is some patience, an open mind, and an enjoyment of games. However, did you know that there are a lot of interesting kinds of PS3 games that only come out in Japan? Let's look at a few.

Anime - Anime or Japanese cartoons are very popular in Japan. In addition to airing on TV and satellite networks many anime cartoon series are made into games in Japan, even PS3 games!

These games cover many kinds of genres. Familiar genres include, action, fighting, racing, and RPG. However, anime based games can be puzzle, board game, gambling, mystery, adventure, visual/sound novel, and other genres. Sometimes anime based PS3 games are localized for English speaking countries like America. However, usually the game is never released outside of Japan. If you'd like to know more about anime based games for the PS3 I'd recommend my other site PSAnimeGames.com

Mahjong - Mahjong is a game of tiles originating from China. It's similar to poker in that you draw and discard tiles in order to create sets, kind of like poker "hands". The person with the best "hand" wins. The Japanese version of mahjong is usually called "reach mahjong" and has it's own unique rules. The game is usually played with 4 players but 2 player video game versions are also popular in Japan. There are mahjong games available for the Japanese PS3 that you can also play on your American PS3! If you'd like a quick primer on how to play this kind of game I'd recommend Mahjong for the Japanese Impaired by my friends over at Rising Stuff!

Visual Novel - A sound novel or visual novel is basically the same thing. Both are usually a work of interactive fiction that reads somewhat like a choose your own adventure book. You can think of it like a book on your PS3 that includes sound and images. Though a sound novel implies that it's sound only that's not really the case. For that you'll want to look for Drama CDs. This kind of "game" is not especially popular outside of Japan, but you'll find some interesting examples of it on the PS3.

Trains - Japan has an extensive railway system and a long history of train travel. Even now you can navigate major cities and travel into the country via train with ease. The train commute into work or school is a major part of Japanese culture. A number of games are available for the Japanese PS3 that let you simulate driving a train in Japan!

Gambling - The playing of pachinko, or the more recent slot-machine style pachislot games, is a popular pass-time in Japan. These games can be played in parlors that can be found by nearly every train station in Japan. Not only that but they can be played risk free on your PS3! In addition to pachislot simulators the PS3 also sports a number of horse racing simulators as well. Gambling in real life can be risky but gambling on the PS3 is safe and fun.

To find more of the best Japanese PS3 to play on your American PS3 check out additional articles and reviews here on Playongo. We go out of our way to find the best Japanese PS3 games and discuss them in depth so you can make informed decisions before you buy.

To continue to learn about playing Japanese games on your American PS3 please visit my next article Can I move saves from a Japanese game to another PS3? Alternatively you may want to return to Can the American PS3 Play Japanese PS3 Games?