VGChartz's Taneli Palola: "Over the years there have been countless great and interesting games made in Japan that have unfortunately never made their way overseas, to either Europe or North America. The reasons behind the decision not to release them in the west can vary wildly, from lack of proper localization channels or funds, to things like perceived lack of interest towards the titles in the west.
With that in mind, let's take a look at what I consider to be the most notable examples of games that have never been released outside of Japan, at least not in any official capacity. Naturally there are a lot more than ten to choose from, so many acclaimed and interesting titles have had to be left off the list and, of course, there's always the possibility that some of the games listed below do eventually make their way overseas, but at the time of writing they're still exclusive to Japan."
NE: "EarthBound fans got lots of news in 2024, but a Mother 3 localization wasn't part of it. We talk whether it's possible with pros and cons."
Pro: More people getting to experience a game they weren't able to before.
Con: Hearing either Lucas or Ness yell "PK fire" ever again.
IGN writes: Mother 3 is one of the most hotly-desired RPGs ever, having never received an official translation in North America despite the cult popularity of its predecessor, Earthbound. But over all these years, series creator Shigesato Itoi has never weighed in on the discussion - at least until now."
A translated version of this game on Switch Online would be nice, and it would add a lot value to the Expansion Pak service.
I would love to see an Earthbound game just redone with 3D-ish models and characters. Just having a remaster for Switch Online would be awesome!
Did you ever see the Earthbound 64 concept/materials? That actually looked really good, but I'd also take a HD-2D remake as well.
Nintendo seems very whimsical about what they give they're fans, sometimes they'll give them a bone (e.g. Mario RPG, Thousand Year Door for the Switch), and other times, they just give them little to nothing (agh, the Zelda anniversary).
When you consider the cost of gaming back then and even now, no excuses when costs are involved.
From VGC: "Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé has cautioned fans not to expect further releases in the Earthbound series in the near future.
Mother – or Earthbound, as it’s known in the West – saw its third instalment released on the Game Boy Advance in Japan over 15 years ago, but despite persistent requests from fan groups it has never received an official English release.
The Earthbound series received renewed attention in February after Nintendo announced that both Earthbound and its predecessor Earthbound Beginnings (aka Mother) would be added to Switch Online’s SNES and NES apps."
He would happily suggest buying a NFT of Ness though. Thank God he is a semi-retired mouthpiece.
Gensō Suikogaiden Vol. 1‐2., but in reality there are so many Japanese games that would love to have localized.
Yakuza Ishin for me.