10 Japanese Video Games That Will Never Be Released In The West

A series which began in arcades back in 1996, Denshe De Go is a train-simulator produced by Square Enix, exclusively in Japan. Incredibly detailed, the game contains actual train routes, and is infamously demanding, tasking players with adhering to incredibly strict timetables and arriving at destinations within half a second of the allotted time.

Like Euro Truck Simulator, the game would probably find a considerable audience here in the West, but has been denied localisation for decades. Why? Well, it’s remarkably unforgiving, and would probably need to be simplified considerably before it could be considered for a release outside of Japan. It’s also remarkably detailed (which isn’t necessary a bad thing), but it’s detailed according to a specific region of the country, which could alienate certain Western players from the experience.

The series is currently being produced by Square Enix, and continues to thrive to this day. In 2010, the company announced a special edition for the Nintendo DS, rejuvenating interest in the franchise and ensuring its continued survival. With that said, there are currently no plans to expand the series beyond Japan.