If you haven't noticed, I'm a big fan of importing games from Japan.  Why?  Well, a whole slew of good games never make it to North America, for one.  Plus, most older games are far cheaper in their Japanese form than their North American counterparts.  Take Intelligent Qube as an example: The American version goes for $50 - $100, but you can get the Japanese release for under $20.  And a third, more petty reason to import is for the far superior box art of Japanese games.

So with region lockout rampant, how do you play these games?  It all depends on the console - some solutions are as simple as using an Action Replay while others will have you melting your console's guts.  Hit the link for a comprehensive guide to playing imports.

If we take a chronological approach to this guide, the first console worth importing for is the NES/Famicom.  While we would all love to own a real Famicom, it's just not an option for most of us (they usually go for over $100 plus shipping).  Thankfully there are a few workarounds.

My preferred solution is to buy a Messiah NEX, which plays both NES and Famicom games, but those are very hard to find these days.  If you want to get your Famicom on as soon as possible, I recommend a 60 to 72 pin converter.  These plug right into your NES, acting as a passthrough converter.  Expect to pay around $25 for one.

If you're more of the DIY type, you could create your own converter by hacking up certain game carts such as Gyromite, Excite Bike, and 1942.  Some of these carts actually have a 60 to 72 pin circuit board inside - just unscrew them, take out the game's PCB, and trim down the cart and you'll have your own homebrew Famicom adapter.  Click here for a decent guide.

[Some Famicom games worth importing: Joy Mecha Fight, Akumajou Special, Parodious Da!, Gradius 2]

While the Famicom doesn't have too many Japan-only games, the MegaDrive has quite a few - and they're usually cheap - making it a great system to import for.  Best of all, you only need a $5 Game Genie to play most of them.  The only difference between Genesis and MegaDrive games is the shape of the cart.  Most MD games are too big to fit into a Genesis, as the edges of the carts get stuck in the console's casing.  Thankfully the Game Genie fixes that problem.  (There are other passthrough converters available, but these cost a bit more than Game Genies.)

If you don't feel like having a tower of carts sticking out of your Genesis, there's another easy solution, but readers with sentimental attachment to their consoles may want to look away.  There are a few tabs blocking off most MD carts from fitting into the Genesis' slot.  Simply trimming these down or breaking them off will allow MegaDrive games to fit in there with ease.

While these two workarounds avoid the low-tech version of region-lock, some carts are actually programmed with lockout.  If you've got one of these carts, some simple soldering of only three wires is required.  Click here for an simple guide.

[Some MegaDrive games worth importing: Alien Soldier, Super Fantasy Zone, Devil's Crush, Panorama Cotton, Pulseman, Megaman Wily Wars, Undeadline, Gley Lancer]

The Super Famicom is similar to the MegaDrive in that it uses plastic as a form of region-lockout.  The carts themselves, like the MD, only differ in their casing.  Open up the tabs on your SNES and you'll see plastic nubs near the cartridge port.  Those are the enemy.  Break them off, melt them, do what you will.  Or, like the MegaDrive, you could get a Game Genie.  However, you'll need to break the tabs off the Game Genie since that too uses plastic for evil purposes.  Less ugly are passthrough converters which can be found for around $25.

[Some Super Famicom games worth importing: Ghost Chaser Densei, Ganbare Goemon 2, Go Go Ackman 1 - 3]

The Saturn failed in the Western market.  There are very few desirable US games for the system, but in Japan there are possibly hundreds.  If you like fighters, shooters, and puzzle games, the Saturn's library is as good and maybe better than that of the Dreamcast.  Plus, all the Japanese versions of US releases are dirt cheap.  All you need to get importing is an Action Replay 4-in-1 Cart, which goes for around $25.  This acts as a RAM cart, a memory card, a cheat device, and a region key.  Beware, though: The Saturn's cartridge slot is delicate - break it and you're doomed to US games forever.

[Some Saturn games worth importing: Gunbird, TwinBee Collection, Fantasy Zone Complete Collection, Wolf Fang, Bulk Slash, Puyo Puyo Sun, Twinkle Star Sprites, Batsugun, Soukyugurentai, SNK fighters, Capcom fighters, Pocket Fighter, Cave shooters]

To be honest, there aren't that many Japan-exclusive games worth importing for the PlayStation, as long as if you have a Saturn, which is home to the far superior ports.  As I mentioned earlier though, sometimes you'll save a bit of money if you opt for the Japanese version of a game.

One way of playing imports on the PlaySation is by using a "swap trick".  These come with a boot disk and a spring.  The boot disk loads up the system while the spring holds down the lid sensor.  Once the boot disk spins down, insert your import game and close the lid, simple as that.  Swap trick kits usually go for around $20.

The other option is to use a cheating device such as a Gameshark.  These act like the Saturn's Action Replay 4-in-1 Cart and only work on PlayStations with a serial port.

[Some PlayStation games worth importing: Castlevania Chronicles, Vib Ribbon, Gunner's Heaven]

There are very few games worth importing for the Nintendo 64, but I'll quickly mention it.  To play imports, you need either a dedicated passthrough converter (around $20) or a Gameshark (around $10).

[Some N64 games worth importing: Sin and Punishment]

The Dreamcast died an early death in the west, but it lived a long life in the land of the rising sun.  Like the Saturn, there are tons of great games that never came out in North America as well as cheaper versions of games that were indeed released over here.  Most worthy imports are shooters, but there are a few action, arcade, and puzzle games available as well.

To play imports on your DC, you'll need either a CD-X boot disk (about $20), a burned boot disk for the Internet ($0), or a Gameshark ($5).  If you go the Gameshark route, make sure to get a Gameshark Lite, which does not need a special VMU to work.

[Some Dreamcast games worth importing: Under Defeat, Cosmic Smash, Psyvariar 1 & 2, Zero Gunner, Mars Matrix, Capcom fighters, SNK fighters, Twinkle Star Sprites, Rainbow Cotton, Rez, Giga Wing 1 & 2, Gunbird 2]

The PS2 is a difficult console to import for.  All of the workarounds require you to tamper a bit with the system, so try not to break anything.

If you have an original model PS2, you have two choices.  One way to go is to use a flip-top case.  This replacement shell will let you swap out a US disk for a Japanese one without the PS2 hardware noticing a thing.  You other option is the "slide trick," but in order to do this, you'll have to break off the DVD drive's bezel.  You basically use a hook to pull out the disk tray and swap games.

If you're using a slim PS2, you can install a "ghost switch" which uses both an easy hardware modification as well as a boot disk.

None of these options appeal to me, and most of the games have better Dreamcast ports, but if you're feeling adventurous, go for broke.

[Some PS2 games worth importing: Sega Ages series, Cave and Ibara shooters]

Wow, finally a home console that is region-free, plain and simple.  Too bad there aren't many interesting games to import for the PS3.  Keep in mind, too, that if your PS3 is backwards compatible, it still won't play imported PS1 or PS2 games.  In fact, I tried this once, only to have the PS3 yell at me for using a game from a different region.

[Some PS3 games worth importing: Afrika (may be released in North America this year), Japanese PSN cards]

Hey, remember that time Nintendo said that the Wii would be region free?  Yeah, forget about that.  You're going to need a FreeLoader bootdisk if you have a firmware version before 3.4 (I paid $25, but they're hard to find these days).  If you've updated beyond this firmware, you'll have to go the homebrew / Twilight Hack route.  Click here for more information on Wii homebrew.

[Some Wii games worth importing: Tatsunoku vs. Capcom, Taiko no Tatsujin Wii, Illvelo]

If you prefer your import gaming on the go, there's good news: Every Nintendo handheld is region free (excluding DSiWare), as is the PSP.  Also, if you want to try out a PSP import before you buy it, check the Internet for a demo.  Just download it to your computer, then upload it to your PSP's memory stick.

[Some handheld games worth importing: Rhythm Tengoku (GBA), bitGeneration series (GBA), Densetsu no Stafi series (GBA, DS), Oudan! (DS), Daigasso! Bros. Band (DS), Macross: Ace Frontier (PSP)]

Well, kids, that's all I've got for now.  So remember, next time you're perusing the bland selection at your local games shop or electronics store, remember, some awesome (and cheap!) import games are readily available, just not readilby visible.  And be careful when you melt those platic tabs.

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