pierrot wrote:I played the SFC version of Rayearth on an emulator back when I was in middle school. I actually beat it, somehow. I'm really not sure how, though, as I knew nothing at all of reading Japanese. Must have been a pretty linear game, but I enjoyed it back then, anyway. I'll probably need to get it, and replay it sometime.
On a similar note, I was really into the Gundam Cross Dimesion 0079, and Ranma 1/2 Akanekodanteki Hihou at the time—the latter of which I got super stuck in once I was warped somewhere—and I feel like I might need to pick them up at some point, as well. Tenchi Muyo Game-hen was pretty good, too—
Yeah I played Super Famicom Rayearth for the first time back in high school. Used an emulator, but there was already a patch back then so I played it in English. Used the keyboard for controls. It was the first game I had ever played that hadn't been released in the US, and I couldn't believe how much stuff we missed out on (Final Fantasy V!).
It is playable without knowing Japanese though I can't imagine it would be enjoyable. There's almost no English text whatsoever. It's a pretty simple game, and there is no armor to purchase/equip. But not being able to tell the items apart would cause the most issues.
I've played the Ranma ½ and Tenchi Muyo! RPGs as well (patched, in English). Both are fun, but I really wouldn't recommend them to anyone who doesn't like the anime (animes?).