Interesting Import Video Game #8: Doshin the Giant

Import Video Game: Doshin the Giant or Kyojin no Doshin for the N64 DD or the Gamecube

Doshin the Giant is somewhat of a special case in the import world. First off, it was originally make for the Nintendo 64 Disc Drive, which was only released in Japan and never made it very far. It was later released for the GameCube with graphical enhancements. Also, the game was translated to English and released in the U.K., but it never made it to American shores, and is therefore an import game for us.

It's an cute, almost enigmatic game in which you play as a giant that can either be good or bad. When he's good, his name is Doshin and he looks like the giant on the cover of the game. During this time, is goal is to win the affection of the villagers that inhabit the randomly generated island. Doing so will make you grow larger for that day. If you get enough love from the villagers, they will build a monument for you, and that is the true goal of the game, to get villagers to build monuments to you.



The catch, though, is that whenever you want, you can switch to the evil Jashin (pictured above). When you're playing as Jashin, your goal is to make all the villagers hate you, which will increase your size for the day. Making them hate you enough will get them to build a monument to how much they hate you.

When you get them to build all the monuments possible, you get sent to a final level in which you get one more monument built before you win the game.

The game moves slowly, but it's meant to be a relaxing game with an interesting twist for the time (the levels are randomly generated, and you play as both a good giant and an evil giant). Keep this in mind as you watch some gameplay footage shown below:







It's almost like it's a zen game or something! Very peaceful.

You can buy the Japanese GameCube version of the game HERE, for the PAL Gamecube version or the extremely rare N64 DD version, I'm afraid you'll have to look on eBay.

Have fun playing!
-Kuro Matsuri

How To Import 103: Gamecube and Wii

Importing for the Gamecube and the Wii

The Gamecube and the Wii have many similarities in the way you can play imported games. The easiest for both is probably the FreeLoader. The FreeLoader is a swap disk made available by Code Junkies, the creators of Action Replay, among other things. The Gamecube FreeLoader works almost flawlessly, with only a very few games not working quite properly. Even those will play, with stuff like Heads-Up-Displays not displaying properly.

The Wii FreeLoader is a bit of a different story due to firmware updates. If you keep your Wii updated, then there's the chance that any of those updates could break the functionality of the FreeLoader. Getting one means that you could run the risk of buying something that doesn't work. Hey, at least it's cheap (around $20 + shipping).



The other method is by mod-chip, which requires soldering a chip to the internal circuits of your Gamecube or Wii, and sometimes installing an external switch along with it. It's a high risk procedure that can be expensive (especially if you break your console). Furthermore, since the Wii is a more recent console, mod-chips haven't yet been perfected for it, and there may or may not be a mod-chip with all the functionality that you want. Even further furthermore (I know, horrible grammar =P), mod-chips are a legal grey-market. Since mod-chips generally allow you to play burned games as well, and downloading a game you don't own (or circumventing any copy protection on a disc in order to have a copy) is illegal, the legality of the mod-chip itself is somewhat in question. Still, sometimes a mod-chip provides you the best functionality, and it's up to you to find the right chip and assume the risks associated with installing it.

However, the GameCube has a third option. The only difference between the motherboards of the two different regions is a single connection. If this connection was never connected, it is one region. If it is connected, it's the other. You can actually install a switch to switch the GameCube back and forth between the two regions. This still requires some soldering, but it's a relatively easy procedure.

And, of course, there is ALWAYS the option of purchasing a Gamecube or Wii from Japan to play your games on. This is generally the most expensive, most effective, and safest way to play any of your import games.

Buy a Japanese Gamecube HERE

Buy a Japanese Wii HERE

Buy the Gamecube Freeloader HERE

Buy the Wii Freeloader HERE

I'm afraid you'll have to search for mod-chips yourself, though ;_;

Have fun playing!
-Kuro Matsuri