1. Brave Fencer: Musashi (PlayStation) (1998)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wQZcwK4h3o Allow me to drop my calm demeanor here and just say this: I FRICKIN' LOVE THIS GAME. Here's why: Developed by the once unstoppable Squaresoft and featuring a mythical interpretation of one of Japan's most beloved folk heroes, BFM heralded a high point in both story telling, gameplay and graphics. Final Fantasy may be remembered the most from the golden age of JRPGS, Musashi is arguably a game of comparable quality. Whereas most RPG's at the time were turn based, players controlled Musashi in a 3d action environment, making it not the first, but one of the earliest and undoubtedly greatest 3D action Rpg's. The game boasted a persistent stat system. Fatigue and hunger had to be constantly combated to prevent Musashi from collapsing in battle. While in battle, the player had a huge range of impressive combos which could be used to defeat enemies of all sizes. The characters you meet along the way are about as memorable as an NPC could be. Quality voice acting only added a level of comical depth to the bizarre inhabitants of Allucaneet The food puns are everywhere in this game. For example, the Princess Musashi sets out to rescue is named 'Fillet' and the rival kingdom named 'Thirstquenchers'. Small, quirky touches like this penetrate every cell-shaded inch of this game. If you're interested in tracking down a copy, Musashi was made available in the U.S, though you may break your wallet. A sequel was released for the PS2 in 2005 titled Musashi: Samurai Legend. While a fun action platformer, the sequel sadly never lived up to the high standards set by its predecessor. Narrowing this list to five lesser known gems was hard work. There's hundreds of great Japanese games out there waiting to be played by a new generation of Gamers. Whereas the industry may be a shadow of it's former self, there's a wealth of creative genius waiting to come from that crazy island. I hope... What's your favorite Japanese game? Tell us in the comments below.