As most games are developed in Japan, the country tends to get the better release calendar. Additionally, many titles never make their way outside its borders. With a few notable exceptions, Japanese gamers usually get new games and consoles weeks or months ahead of the other major gaming regions in addition to some that never make it out of the country. Ergo, many of us are currently feeling a small bit of agony knowing that at this exact moment, Japanese gamers are enjoying Wario Land: Shake It!. In order to enjoy the same privilege, one usually has to hit up an import shop or eBay. Both are not without high markups.
But if you find yourself lucky enough to be visiting Japan, you'll be thrilled to cut out the middleman and get the items right from the source. It should go without saying, but it really is quite amazing to walk the aisles of a Japanese Best Buy-equivalent while piles of games that won't be released in the US for months stare back at me from their shelves. It feels somewhat like finding a wormhole into the future. Although the Wii needs a bit of effort to run Japanese games, the DS is entirely region-free. Thus, any game picked up off of shelves can be immediately played on a DS from anywhere in the world.
