Region Locked
By Matt Barnes, Dazz Brown and Greg S-C
A fascinating exploration of the weird and wonderful video games not available to Western audiences
Publication date: July 2021
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Breakdancing cats! Singing pandas! Space cowboys!
Not all games are released equal. The barrier between language and culture can leave our world divided, and this includes the video games that we get a chance to play. Region Locked is a YouTube series we created to give people an insight into titles that never left their home countries; and now we bring it to you in a book.
See games from your favourite series and developers that you may have never known existed as well as some straight up bizarre creations and trivia. Learn more about games which were never published outside of their native regions; we explore what they are, who made them, and try to provide you with insight into why these games never saw international exposure.
Wonder Project J on the SNES
Growing up, we played hundreds of games released in the west, and a few which we barely understood because of a language barrier. At the time we relied on translations created by fans of these games, a hobby in its infancy. Now, thanks to the ever-growing passion of the gaming community, access to many more of the missed gems of our youth and even more recent titles have been unlocked.
Throughout this book you’ll discover games from popular series you may have never known existed, unique titles from your favourite developers which were easily missed, and games which just seem so crazy that you might wonder how the hell they were created in the first place. It features games from all eras and a variety platforms so there’s sure to be something to pique the interest of the casual gamer to the most hardcore.
You may already know a few games which were never released on your home turf, but we’re certain that there are some which even the most avid of gaming fans are unaware of. Masterpieces which are a total mystery as to why they were never translated, and others which are… well… Not so masterpiece-y. But don’t you worry, we’ve played them all, gathered the information you need, and present it to you in this glorious slab of paper and ink. This also gives us the chance to share some of our personal opinions on a few of the games that really stood out to us. And to top it all off, you don’t have to suffer through our best attempts at some of those more challenging pronunciations.
Marvelous: Another Treasure Island – Page Mock Up
Altered Beast – Page Mock Up
Mario & Wario – Page Mock Up
WHAT GAMES ARE IN THE BOOK?
Our provisional list of games to be included, ones in bold have not not been featured in a video. There will be more in the final book...
Altered Beast (PS2), Bahamut Lagoon, Battle Golfer Yui, Bomberman Hardbal, Bushi Seiryūden: Futari no Yūsha, Broadcast Satellaview Zelda Games,Captain Rainbow, Cowboy Bebop, Crime Crackers, Door Door, Doki Doki Majo Shinpan, Evil Twin: Cyprien’s Chronicles, E.X. Troopers, Fatal Frame IV, For the Frog the Bell Tolls, Gunple: Gunman’s Proof, Holy Diver, Holy Umbrella: The Reckless Dondera!!, Kaena, Kira Kira Star Night DX, Kuma Uta, Klonoa Beach Volleyball, Live A Live, LSD: Dream Emulator, Mario & Wario, Marvelous: Another Treasure Island, Namco X Capcom, Panekit, 3 Japanese Exclusive Pingu titles, Pokemon Trading Card Game 2, Rakuga Kids, Real Sound: Kaze no Regretv, SEGAGAGA, Genso Suikogaiden: Swordsman of Harmonia, Super Galdelic Hour, Sweet Home, Tales of Destiny 2, Terranigma, The Adventure of Little Ralph, The Firemen, The Mysterious Murasame Castle, Tobal 2, Twin Caliber, Valkyria Chronicles III, Vib-Ripple, Wonder Project J: Machine Boy Pino
The book will be hardback, 320 pages long, 190mm X 184mm with colour throughout. Alongside the text for each of the featured games there will be colour images from the games.
Sega Dreamcast's Segagaga
Japan's L.S.D. Dream Emulator for the PS1
Enix's First NES Game, Door Door
Cowboy Bebop's Japanese Exclusive PS2 Game
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Region Locked
Daniel Loyall “Dazz” Brown, Greg S-C, Matthew Barnes
Dazz, Greg & Matt, life long friends and even life longer gamers. Growing up in the mean streets of Norwich, England, the trio worked hard honing their knowledge, suffering through dial-up connections just to find out that little bit more about games they really shouldn’t have bothered playing in the first place. No matter what glorious summer days were thrown their way, they would always draw the curtains and invest their youths into games they definitely, 100% don’t regret playing now - nothing has changed to this day.
Dazz has worked with games from a young age, running one of the largest archives of sprites even to this day, being featured in the credits of several games and publications.
Greg achieved his degree in Visual Effects and Animation that did absolutely nothing for him. But at least it gave him the skills he needed to make videos.
Matt has a sweet Metal Gear Solid collection.
Their powers combined, they work on the popular YouTube series Region Locked and DidYouKnowGaming.
Matt Barnes, Dazz Brown and Greg S-C has written 5 private updates. You can pledge to get access to them all.
23rd April 2021 We've got previews!Hey everyone, Dazz here again for another update!
We've been eagerly awaiting preview copies of the book to arrive, and they're finally here! I've taken a few photos to get you guys excited to get them into your own hands:
It's unbelievable seeing a physical version of our work come into existence - we've been waiting for this day to come for a long time, and we know that some of you…12th June 2019 Drafts Are Wild!Hey all!
We've handed in the first draft of the Region Locked book manuscript! Success!!
This isn't the end of the road of course, there's still plenty work that needs to go into this book but this ends our huge effort to compile all of the games we want to include. Guest pieces are in, our opinions compiled, and the words on the page (minus edits) are complete!
Thank you guys so much for…
9th May 2019 Update!Hey everyone!
We thought we'd give you an update on where we are with the book. We're currently just finishing up our manuscript getting it ready to hand in and that's when the cogs are really going to start turning. At the moment, we're waiting for the last couple of guest pieces to come in and then we're ready to go! We've set ourselves the deadline of the end of May (we still have to make videos…18th March 2019 It's getting so close...We've hit over 90% in just a matter of weeks! This is absolutely incredible news and it's all thanks to you! It's looking like with one last push we can get this thing funded by the end of the month. Don't forget you can change your tier if you went for the digital version being unsure it would get funded.
There are no words to express how much this means to us and how excited we are to bring you…
21st September 2018 Smashed 50%!We have absolutely smashed the 50% mark in less than 2 months and that, frankly, is incredible.
Thank you so much to everyone for your support! You'll never know quite how much it means to us to have the opportunity to share this with you guys and gals but we still have a long way to go.
We have a big update coming up soon with some pretty exciting news about the book so keep your eyes peeled…These people are helping to fund Region Locked.
View more
Sean AK
Sarah Roman
Brandon Riley
Dan Steadman
Mathew Mayne
Ioannis Tataridis
David Coe
Tyler Grainger
Daniel Oakley
Eli Berg-Maas
Hideki Ishihara
Kath Ellison
Will Hensley
Joe Forster
Ryan Brown
Yuna Briggs
david oreilly
Sho Maruo
Breanna Lindsay-Murray
Dylan Snyder
Christopher Walton
Jordan Williams
- Please sign in to ask a question.
Are you able to ship to the United States?
Absolutely, Derek! Just add your shipping address during the checkout phase. Unbound Support
I'd love to pledge for a physical edition of the book, although I do not reside in the U.S. To which countries would you be able to ship the book?
Hi Abel, We ship the books from the UK all over the world - just add your delivery address during the checkout process. Thanks! Unbound Support
What is the set date for this book to be released if funding is successful? (If you have mentioned it somewhere, I then haven’t seen it, sorry for asking this pointless question if so)
Shipping is likely to be 8-12 months after the book gets funded. - Greg
When do you aim to have the book completed and unlocked into our hands?
Shipping will be about 8-12 months after the book gets funded. - Greg
I looked through the page and didn't see anything about an estimated release date... When do you plan to ship this beautiful labor of love?
The book should be in your hands 8 - 12 months after it's successfully funded. It'll be worth it wait BABY - Greg
Will it have every game you have a video on? Are there certain games that did not make it? Like Atlus Games?
The book won't feature every game we have a video on, no. However, it does feature a number of exclusive games that don't have videos!
Hey there, I'm a graphic designer who has always digged your videos and the work you do for the retro gaming community. Your content has greatly influenced my import purchases on my trips to Japan, and because of this I want to help out in more ways than just donating. If you guys need any help with the visual design process of this book, it's cover, or anything else, just let me know! I wouldn't mind helping out any way I can for free, as an additional "donation" to this project. Regardless, Best of luck and looking forward to this release.
Thanks Grant, that is a lovely offer but we already have the design covered - but thanks for your kind words.
When does funding end?
Hi Derek, we are getting closer to 100% each week, so we are going to keep the campaign going a bit longer.
When funded, what would be the estimated time for getting the book?
Hi Susanne, after book funds, the manuscript needs to be put together then their is a period of designing, editing etc. The book should come out about 12 months after the delivery of the manuscript.
I was curious to know what the Region Locked customised Japanese SNES pledge looked like and if another one could be made available. Thanks!
Hi Nicholas, let me check with the authors and i will get back to you. If you want to drop me an email at mathew@unbound.com and i can put you in touch directly.
Any estimate on when this would ship?
Hi Mathieu, the book will be delivered about 12 months after the manuscript gets delivered. As soon as it funds we will post regular updates for pledgers on how work on the book is progressing.
Hello there. Just wondering if you have any ideas on when the book will be published. Thanks :)
Hi Pierre, the book will come out roughly 12 months after delivery of the manuscript. We will post regular updates on the page to let everyone know how work on the book is progressing.
Earlybird?
Sorry not sure what your question is?
Just pledged and I can't wait for my copy! Will the logos on the front cover/spine be gold foil-blocked?
We are looking into that at the moment Joseph.
What does the bookmark look like?
We will have a mock-up available soon!
will the books only be produced when you reach 100% funding?
Yes unfortunately it will only be produced if it gets fully funded, but we're well on our way!
When will the first batch books be shipped
Hi Edgar, the book will come out roughly 12 months after delivery of the manuscript. We will post regular updates on the page to let everyone know how work on the book is progressing.
If bought as a gift for someone else, will you ask what name should be put in the book?
Hi Rachel, You can change the name in the book here: http://help.unbound.com/unbound-for-readers/managing-your-subscriptions/changing-the-supporter-name-thats-printed-in-a-book Best wishes, Unbound Support
Hi, what is the estimated goal you want to reach and how long will it approximately take for the book to be printed after funded status has been reached?
We can't start work on the book until the funding target has been reached. After that, we can schedule the book for publication once we have received the final manuscript, so we can't set a date yet we're afraid. Unbound Support.
Do you guys have any ETA on when you think the book will be published? Will it be in a few months or closer to several years?
Hi Scott, the book will come out roughly 12 months after delivery of the manuscript. We will post regular updates on the page to let everyone know how work on the book is progressing.
When does funding end? Or does it keep going until the authors cancel it or it’s funded?
Hi Brennan - yes it will keep going until it funds (now on 71% so getting close!) or until the authors cancel it.
If this isn’t 100% backed will it still be published?
Unfortunately the book will not be published if it doesn't reach it's goal. So make sure to tell all your friends how amazing it's gonna be. - Greg
I pleadged for Two Signed Books with a friend but paid from my account. Is it possible to provide two names to add to the back of the book?
I believe if you follow this link you should be able to change the names in the books. http://help.unbound.com/unbound-for-readers/managing-your-subscriptions/changing-the-supporter-name-thats-printed-in-a-book - Greg
Why is the shipping $20??
Unfortunately that's what the shipping costs to send books overseas. We don't make any profit on the shipping.
How long are you planning to wait before claiming the book to be unfunded?
Hi Joseph, the book is now on 71% and is still getting pledges so we are going to keep it going for a while longer.
Will the backers be refunded the money pledged if the project ends up unfunded?
I believe so, yes. - Greg
The campaign seems to have gone stagnant. The last update was back in September and the pledge amount has barely moved. Any news from y'all? I want to see this come to fruition but I feel like it's gonna be years away at this point.
Hey! Thanks for your support and your concern. We're actually planning on a big update in the very near future with new tiers and goodies along with an update video that should hopefully reignite the project in a big way! - Greg
Hi ! Will my credit card be debited right after I enter my informations or after the book is successfully funded ?
Hey Victor, I'm not entirely sure about this. I will attempt to get Unbound to tell you more. - Greg
Hey there, I originally pledged for the Earlybird Signed tier and I was hoping to upgrade to get my hands on a bookmark as well. However, it won't let me choose an upgrade tier with the bookmark added for some reason. (I mean, unless I go really high and get the super bundle but I can't afford that) Will there be an alternative way to get bookmarks? Maybe as an add-on?
You should just be able to change it, I'm not sure why it doesn't work, I will contact Unbound and get back to you ASAP - Greg
Hey, the last update was back in September, so I was wondering when you guys would be making a new update on the progress of the campaign. Congrats on 66% and thanks in advance for answering.
Hey Scott! Thanks for your question, we have a meeting with the people for Unbound coming up soon and we'll post a proper update after that. We'll also now be posting 2 region locked videos a month on DidYouKnowGaming, which should garner the project a lot of attention! Thanks for your support. - Greg
Again, because I'm not loving the removal of fair and valid questions: The update email we just received says that you're entering pre-press, Wich includes editing... But you've supposedly been in editing since last summer. Can you please clarify and provide a more clear status?
Hi Eric, it is Mathew here and editor at Unbound. The manuscript has been delivered to us and we are turning it into a book - so laying it out, typesetting, copy editing it etc. Hope this makes sense! Mathew