Big discounts have arrived with Sony’s Big in Japan sale

Posted on July 12, 2017

Just as your wallet may be recovering from the massive Steam sales that took place recently, Sony has sprung a new Big In Japan sale on the Playstation Network Store (PSN).  HUGE savings across all platforms as well as movies. Here’s a few highlights that had me excited!

Playstation 4

Along with the usual fare of AAA titles (Final Fantasy XV, Resident Evil 7, Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain, and Dark Souls 3), there are more than a few gems available for up to 70% off.

Tales of Berseria for PSN's Big in Japan sale

  • Tales of Berseria (52% off) – A fantastic new addition to the Tales series of JRPGs, Berseria is a very distant prequel to Tales of Zestiria that doesn’t require playing Zestiria to enjoy.  The combat is slicker, character design is beautiful, and the storyline is on point.  The main protagonist, Velvet Crowe, is part demon and all badass.  Straying away from the “adventurer from humble beginnings” trope that Zestiria had, it has an almost antihero feel to it.  To say much more would risk spoilers.
  • PaRappa the Rapper Remastered (34% off) – I didn’t even know this existed!  As the title implies, it’s a remaster of the classic Playstation hip-hop rhythm game.  Compatible with the Pro, you can now play at up to 4K, and the controller vibrates in a metronome-like manner to help keep you on beat.
  • Dragon Quest Builders (63% off) – Whilst it’s easy to write off as “just another Minecraft clone”, Dragon Quest Builders has a bit more depth than that.  It is clear where it gains its inspiration, of course, but adds in storyline and RPG combat elements.  Follow quests, build up your towns, and defeat bosses, all with the charm we’ve come to expect from a Dragon Quest game.

Playstation 3

Not up to date with the latest generation of consoles?  It’s okay, Sony still has you covered.

Zone of Enders for PSN's Big in Japan sale

  • Zone of the Enders – HD Collection (50% off) – Another game I didn’t know existed!  I loved the original PS2 version of Zone of the Enders in my late teens whilst I was still obsessing over Neon Genesis Evangelion.  I loved the mecha designs and the combat was tonnes of fun.
  • Resident Evil Super Bundle (76% off) – This bundle contains the following Resident Evil games currently available on PlayStation Store: Resident Evil 1, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition, Resident Evil 6, Resident Evil Code Veronica X, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City.  Damn that’s good value!
  • Demon Souls (69% off) – From Software’s first foray into what is now a famous franchise, Demon Souls is brutal, unforgiving, and a must-play for any Souls/Bloodborne fan.  Explore where it all began and get an appreciation for the newer entries in the series.

Playstation Vita

Are you like me and still have a  Vita kicking around, possibly gathering dust?  There is a HUGE amount of Vita games available on the PSN Store, and a lot of the must-haves are on sale at the moment.

Persona 4 for PSN's Big in Japan sale

  • DISSIDIA 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy (50% off) – Okay, so the naming conventions are… uniquely SqareEnix.  Technically a port of the PSP fighting game, this is your perfect opportunity to find out what all the fuss is about before the new Dissidia game is released on the PS4.  Fast-paced fighting game at its heart, it features 20 heroes and villains from the titular franchise.  It even has adhoc multiplayer for up to 10 players – if you know that many people with Vitas.
  • Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (50% off) – Discover a tactical role-playing masterpiece from the creators of Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics, reimagined exclusively for PSP (and then ported to the PS Vita). With a branching storyline offering far-reaching choices, and the WORLD TAROT and CHARIOT TAROT enabling you to revisit fateful decisions, Tactics Ogre gives you the power to shape not only the course of the battle, but the outcome of the war.
  • Persona 4 Dancing All Night (72% off) – Persona 4 was possibly the best game ever released for the PS Vita.  A port of the PS2 game, it was essentially a “remaster” for handheld.  And now we have Dancing All Night.  It is a rhythm game in which the characters of Persona 4 dance to music from the Persona series, including original and rearranged songs. The game is split into two main modes; Story, where the players experience the game’s story which is split up by various music stages, and Free Dance, in which players can pick any song they have unlocked and perform at various difficulties, unlocking more songs by clearing each stage.

Multi-Platform

The great thing about Sony’s releases is that there are a LOT of console options for many of their games.  Some are even cross-platform purchases, like a few of the Final Fantasy Playstation 1 games.

Root Letter for PSN's Big in Japan sale

  • Persona 5 PS3 (28% off) and PS4  (15% off) – You’ve probably heard of the Persona series, and if you haven’t then Persona 5 is a great starting point.  Arguably the best entry in the series, it doesn’t suffer for being on the PS3 compared to the PS4 version.  Slick art style and jazzy tunes are a mainstay in the Persona games and Persona 5 only improves on that.  Add in a story about our hidden demons, and the living the daily life of a high school student in Japan, and you’ve got a pretty amazing game.
  • Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster PS4 (55% off), PS3 (50% off) , and PS Vita (50% off) – Arguably the most well-known Final Fantasy game (apart from Final Fantasy VII), we were treated to a remaster last year that covers all of Sony’s relevant platforms.  The biggest changes are to the character models, and boy does the game look amazing – especially on the Vita’s OLED screen (though I am biased).
  • Root Letter PS4 (67% off) and PS Vita (58% off) – A brand new visual novel fresh off the presses, Root Letter is is the first entry in the Kadokawa Game Mystery brand. The gameplay will be split into two distinct parts; the adventure part, where the player interrogates characters who knew the main character, Aya, in order to find more information about her, and the simulation parts, where the player relives and plays through prior interactions with Aya.

Special Mentions: Final Fantasy

Almost all of the Final Fantasy games are on sale, and I would be remiss to not mention them given that they’re my favourite franchise of all time (as well as Fallout), so I thought I’d give a quick overview of the sales and platform compatibility. Most are cross-platform purchases which means you pay once and can play on multiple platforms.

Final Fantasy for PSN's Big in Japan sale

I don’t know about you, but my cash reserves are only just recovering from the Steam Summer Sale and I’ve already dropped an unholy amount of money into this sale – and that’s just on Vita titles!  Get in there quickly – the sale only lasts until the 20th of July.

Click here to see the rest of the deals and let us know what gems you’ve picked up!