NOTE: Any DS game is region free and can be played on any system. However 3DS games often have a region lock and require a JP 3DS / other ways around the lock.
NOTE: This is false. Not ALL DS games are region free. Yes the DS actually had the region lock problem as well. The specific system is what matters. DSi will be region specific. the DS Lite will be the one region free.
unfortunately kanken ds training is region locked (twl cartridge) unfortunately learned that the hard way! ds games with an NTR cartridge aren’t region locked though.
Timestamps: 00:00 introduction 1:16 Kanken Training 8:28 IE’s institute kanken games 11:00 Kanken Premium, his favourite 18:05 Newer version of Kanken Premium(?), DS training 21:15 Tadashii Kanji Kakitori-Kun 24:20 Ukkari Wo Nakusou! Bunsho Yomi Training 26:45 Tanoshiku Omoshiroku Kanken Shougakusei 32:50 Conclusion
I wanna give a feedback for those who are starting. I used the Kanken Premium game for 3 months, before switching to other methods (Genki books, Pokemon games etc). I can safely say that Kanken Premium takes away the fear of kanji. Even when there are new kanjis, or kanji with no furigana, I'm not afraid of learning and can use Google Lens or Jisho to expand the vocabulary, little by little. If you're afraid of kanji/learning Japanese for the first time, Kanken Training is the best option. After clearing level 10 and 9, you can start searching other fonts! Good luck, everybody! みんな、がんばれ
Hope you guys enjoy the video and maybe find some cool games to help you learn Japanese/Kanji! We just hit 15,000 subscribers and 500k channel views!! A huge milestone!
It would be interesting if there are games for the Switch, where you can learn Japanese. I want to improve my Japanese that i have learned in school, but i don’t think that my 3DS battery is strong enough to hold out my travel to work. If you know something that would be awsome.
Just looking back on these videos. Man, this was 15K, and look where you are now! I'm so glad I've been able to watch this journey, and I can't wait for what's next!
Brother, these videos are legit. The amount of thought you put in to each word and grammar point is insane. I'm always looking for stuff to play to bulk my Japanese, and it seems like every time I'm looking for something new, TH-cam sends another one your videos my way. Congrats on the 15k, you genuinely earned it.
Thanks so much for enjoying the channel Casp! I really appreciate the support! Im always thinking of how i could best help people enjoy learning Japanese so thats awesome to hear the videos are helping!!
this is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I am blown away how you manage to know exactly what kind of concerns learners may have when looking for the right fit. Another fantastic video!
also, i've been starting to immerse with 3ds games and the only thing I don't find that great is the console's lower resolution. I have trouble identifying the kanji through their radicals especially for new words
I have resumed my japanese studies this year, and my old 3DS was collecting dust. Thanks to you and Ty's takes, I was able to use this console as a valuable assisting tool in my japanese learning journey. Keep up the good work!
Learning Japanese makes me feel like a kid a again, always wanting to read sentences that you randomly find for the sake of it . It also made me appreciate this very basic yet important skill we learn wich is reading. Japanese is not the first language im Learning, but the very first when it comes to learning a complete foreign writing system.
your vids always have exactly what im looking for when it comes to japanese. ive been learning for a little over two years now but have never bothered putting pen to paper. I figured I should finally learn stroke order so I can make better use of handwriting lookups, and was kind of shocked when i booted up one of those rocket kanken games and couldnt even write my name in katakana. ive since switched over to kakitori and have made a lot of progress! thanks again
I picked up a Nintendo DS and "Ukkari Wo Nakusou! Bunsho Yomi Training" based on your recommendation. It's a little advanced for me right now, but I'm enjoying tapping away at it and it all adds to the immersion. Cheers.
I'm loving your enthusiasm in these videos and I have actually been looking forward to my spending more time enjoying Japanese rather than forcing myself to immerse / study with methods I don't like. Biggest thanks!
Thank you for this, I’m probably going to get the kanken premium and the うっかりをなくそうbecause I’m still having issues with grammar. Thank you so much and I can’t wait for more of the GENKI videos they are really helpful to me!
Haha they are actually exactly the ones i bought as well! I think its the best balance of language for sure! I hope you enjoy! And I will try my best to catch up to you with the Genki videos! Hahaha
I've heard a lot about how good these kinds of games are but never really knew which one I should get. Fantastic video! I'm more interested in the grammar aspect of things so I just ordered うっかりをなくそう
Its a fantastic game for helping your Japanese reading comprehension! Make sure to click the explanation button as often as possible for extra reading practice/connection to the language! Also i found a nifty trick, when your daily limit has been reached, just set the time back a day and you can keep studying haha then set it back to today and you can do it again endlessly :)
I've been playing more of Ukkari wo nakusou! Bunsho yomi training 「うっかり」をなくそう! 文章読みトレーニング 読みトレ and damn, it really is quite impressive! It teaches more than just grammar but even particles, onomatopeia, and really focuses on improving your reading comprehension through visuals and a grest variety of questions! I may even make a video JUST showcasing this game sometime in the future! Its really interesting from a learners perspective!
I've picked it up after watching the video, the daily restriction is a bit annoying but otherwise it really is great. Wish there were more games focused on reviewing grammar and reading sentences like this one.
@@RapaOST a cool trick is you can just change the DS date and the game thinks its a new day. Ive been doing that to play several days worth on my bus ride home haha
I just bought it on Merukari after watching this video. Thanks! Would be cool to see a video just on this game as there seems to be a lot to it. Looking forward to trying it out
Thank you so much for these videos. The effort you put in shows in every aspect and I really appreciate you. Congratulations on the 15k. Hopefully you'll soon get many more.
I bought recently a 3DS to play old games then I saw that... Thanks for the amazing recommendations ! Regarding Japanese I put myself in a weird spot, I started learning at 10 and always got lazy with Kanji. 20 years later, ended up fluent in it.. without being able to read it. It is beyond frustrating and going through vocabulary you already understand know is beyond boring. I was unaware of those games, thank you so much !!! (forgive me for my broken english it is not my mother tongue. Btw English was so much more difficult than Japanese to learn lol)
I still have no idea why you haven't blown up yet. You put so much effort into your videos and I love watching them, keep doing it you are very helpful :)
Thank you so much Shyonae! I dont mind too much about not blowing up, i just want to make the best videos possible and help people enjoy Japanese. If i can do that and potentially one day do that full time thanks to everyones support, thats more than what I could ever dream of :) thanks for enjoying the channel!
Amazing video as always, thank you very much :) Yesterday I reached lvl 60 and "finished" WaniKani so this might just be the next step for me Kanji-wise, this vid appears just at the right time :D Thanks again, keep up the great work
It is a travesty how little views this video has. Even as someone who has self-studied for years and passed the JLPT N2 test, some of these games sound like a great tool to further my studies and hell I wish I knew about them in my early days! I've had a DS and 3DS for ages, I could have really used these D: But now I know, and I'm gonna find a way to play them in any way I can. Keep up the videos, man. They are proper good.
I just finished watching this video and your summary was SUPER helpful and your explanations were very thorough! Now I have a much better idea of what games are available on the systems and what each game has to offer. This was actually really entertaining to learn about as well, so thank you so much for sharing this review! 😄
I just returned back home from Japan, I just came to say thank you so much, I was able to buy many of these games thanks to you. The IE games you mentioned are a lot harder to find compared to Rocket's, I went to couple dozens of hard-offs across Tokyo & Sapporo looking for these & other games. The only one I was able to find off the top 5 ones is the IE's DS training one.
I have a new 3DS that's modded to play both English & Japanese games (While using a Bamboo Stylus instead of the small stylus to write the kanji). Currently just started using Kanken Premium and I am really liking it as a beginner to japanese. Also purchased: Kageyama Method: Tadashii Kanji Kakitori-Kun, Tanoshiku Omoshiroku Kanken Shougakusei, Kanken Training 3DS & Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten DS (as a recommendation from a friend who has lived in Japan for 7 years now) all ordered from CD Japan's Proxy Service. I did buy some Japanese ONLY games but don't know the level needed to play them i.e Zelda Spirit Tracks, Zelda Ocarina of Time, Yokai Watch 1, Okamiden & Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney 1. Anyway THANK YOU Matt for all of the FREE help you are GOLD DUST for me & my Japanese journey, I just LOVE your enthusiasm/vast content, I'm even following your Genki Series with my 3rd Edition Genki books. All the best from the UK
This is absolutely game changing for me, thank you! I never liked learning to write in Japanese but this was just perfect for me. Now I can work towards writing down my thoughts cuz I do that a lot. Btw I’m using an emulator and Wacom tablet as an alternative and wow. I feel like I’m back at elementary
I picked a couple of these off of eBay just from watching this video. I have 50 ps1 JP games, 20 Sega Saturn JP games, and a few ps2 and 3 JP games so these DS games will help me learn so I can more enjoy my JP games. Thank you.
I’ve been blessed logarithmically, i was thinking about learning Japanese in the past few weeks then I found this video Nicely done my brother My question: what’s your advice for a completely newcomer? … like zero , what do you think the best start?
Thank you so much for the recommendations. The プレミアム全級 game really is the best one I have found for intermediate learners and bought per your recommendation. A few words of caution though. 1) the official kanji list was updated in 2010. So it's good for learning the majority but you will need to further supplement if you want to master jouyou 2) there appears to be a bug where 2級 kanji shows the Pre-2 instead. I ran into this on my copy of the game. 2 is the level that contains the last of the jouyou kanji. Until then it's pretty good. 3) a small number of kanji have changed in the way of writing. It's a small number but needs to be acknowledged
This video is legit!!! Thank you for this. For anyone who has an old 3ds like me it's really easy to hack them to allow you to run 'downloaded' games 😉
I'm at a really basic level, so I use Doragana for the DS and Doramoji for the 3ds since those games are mainly to learn the characters and words and it doesn't require much knowledge to explore the menus.
You’re doing god’s work, I didn’t even know the difference between the kanken games I thought they all were from the same company, and the new 3ds kanken looks so cool! I’m a fan of ds kanji games and this review is all I ever wanted
Great video, actually made me want to pick up leraning again. I did learn up to the first like 70 or so Kanji once a long time ago, but sometimes mix up some hiragana and katakana since I rarely even read anything and writing never came up again. So practically starting from the very beginning is what I want to do and came to the following order: 1. Hiragana first: Tadashii Kanji Kakitori-kun 2. either Ukkari wo Nakusou to learn more vocabulary and grammar (i still struggle with "ni" and "de" for example), or Premium Zenkyuu to get back into Kanji. maybe both in tandem? 3. Tanoschiku Omoschiroku Kanken Shougakusei to kind of playfully get to use Kanji in contextual minigames and having a bit of voice acting on the side to hear if you audibly understand sentences your previously couldnt 4. Kanken Training 2 3DS to just get into a lot of testing of everything I learned Any thoughts on this or recommendations on the order to learn things? Thanks :D
This video is Extremely helpful. I’ve been looking for something to help improve and move forward in learning Japanese . Thank you for making this video.👍👍
I'm going to pick up one of these games for sure! Out of curiosity, would the game cartridges be compatible with a 3DS console from the United States? My main concern is that they could be region-locked.
All 3DS games (except for "Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre") are region-locked. But, if you mod your system, you can play games from any region. I think even just getting the homebrew launcher, which is the easiest step you can do, lets you play region-locked games with a separate app inside homebrew launcher. But with custom firmware, you don't need to start up the homebrew launcher each time and instead just launch the game. Use the text guide website and just be careful when you do it, no video tutorials for that stuff. If you don't want to do any modding though, then you're stuck with the DS cartridges. DS cartridges have no region lock whatsoever, they can be played on any DS or 3DS system.
@@hismajestysirseal5813 What's so bad about it, honestly? The 3DS at this point is a dead platform, and while I do not justify piracy, the reality is that it's not really feasible to get the stuff you want on old platforms. Especially when where I live I can't even order anything from amazon.
I wanted to thank you for this video! I have been playing Ukkari o nakusou and it's awesome because I've really learned a lot from it in terms of reading and grammar. And it's fun to come back to every day because you get a card after the first training of the day.
@@indi191 Sorry for the late reply. The game uses quite a lot of expressions and grammar points that I'd never heard of so I think N3/N2 maybe? Remember that this is a reading training tool aimed at Japanese elementary school children so it can't be linked to any foreigner's learning level. Even though the grammar is hard at the higher levels, I think it's still a really good tool for intermediate learners because it doesn't use advanced adult language
Hey ! Thank you for this video! It made me want to try Kanken premium. Have you tried the kanken game for Switch ? If you have, could you maybe make a video about the differences between kanken premium and the one for switch ? I can not decide which one to buy
this is amazing. thank you so much for looking into all these games! i just bought myself a special edition pink tony tony chopper japanese 3DS i have been wanting for years, and i'm using it as motivation in my studies. i got some games with furigana i already knew i would just have fun playing (both with furigana which helps!) but i was questioning what kind of learning game i could get for myself. this video had amazing timing!
Oooooo wow that is incredibly well timed indeed! Yeah the 3DS is a fantastic console for Japanese language learners, there is a surprising amount of good games to use and have fun learning with! Hope you enjoy!
Love the video! Question, when you are learning from this games, how do you know the meanings of the words and kanjis you are being presented? gotta look them up on the side?
Thanks for enjoying the video! Ah sorry about that! I think the link might be missing because Ukkari needs to be bought second hand as its sold out for brand new copies. If you need to search then try typing in「うっかり」をなくそう! 文章読みトレーニング 読みトレ
This is really cool! Do you know if it's possible to get any of these games on Switch? I feel like I'm late to the party on this one. The Nintendo 3DS eShop is closing down in a month so I'm not sure it's worth it to get a Japanese 3DS now 😅
I’m about to get my hands on some of your recommendations. I wonder if you can make a video on game recommendations for the DS/3DS featuring furigana (or for different levels of Kanji knowledge) 🤔
Do you need a Japanese 3DS to play that game or is the DS region unlocked? I'd love to get these but I need to know what kind of price point I'm buying in at. Thank you for the fantastic content!
I have been learning to write using an android app called 漢字検定・漢検漢字トレーニング which is another good option imo. It's cheap and covers up to 2-kyu, and has progress bars per section. On the other hand, it doesn't teach you how to write very well (I use anki cards for that). It also doesn't have the ability to take a test, so your suggested DS apps look more helpful there! In any case, I used to go through books for the lower levels (3/4-ish) and it was very tedious to manually check the answers. Apps make this so much easier and more addictive!
Dear Game Gengo! Is there any software of this kind on IOS, IpadOS, MacOS? Nintendo DS is extremely difficult to buy in my country and to buy a ROM with Kanken DS Training is even more difficult. Thank you very much for your videos, they are amazing : )
this was soooo helpful! i think i'm going to buy the premium game although it's quite expensive... even though it's so old. i think it'll be worth the investment! :)
Always watching and learning from your videos thankyou. This is gonna be weird but you look identical to a kid I went to highschool with is your name Sandy by any chance lol
@@GameGengo Tell me about it... went through all the trouble of getting a Japanese 3DS to play 大逆転裁判 1+2... and then shortly thereafter they got released on the Switch! But I did find out that they're available for Android in the Google Play Store in the process, just required some VPN hijinks.
So.... I ended up jumping into the deep end. I found a used 3DS that wasn't majorly marked up, and ended up buying some of these games. I failed to take into account they're designed for native speakers who pretty much already understand the language and JUST need to learn kanji... I'm so lost trying to get started with them because I don't yet know enough to read the menus or navigate. I'm sure it will get better, and I'm glad I have them, but eeeek! lol
Hello new subscriber, enjoy watching the videos. Would a newbie be able to understand enough to navigate the game? I see that it shows progression screens and includes your words into a sentence but will I be able to understand?
So it depends on your level of Japanese, if you have never learned any Japanese before then most of them may be quite difficult as its all entirely in Japanese. Navigating menus is quite easy once you learn a few words, but most games will require you to read basic sentences in order to test you. These games are probably best started once you know hiragana/katakana/basic grammar, then just get in the habit of quickly looking up unknown words as you come across them to increase your vocabulary as you play. That being said though, its incredibly good reading practice as the sentences are Kanji graded based on what you have learned, so you can transition from hiragana only to full kanji sentences as you progress with the game.
This is cool and usefull and I can read katakana and hiragana but I have no clue what combinations form what words is there some form of game to get familliar with that first?
I went to a Book Off and a GEO game's today to buy the Premium Kanken game and the Ukkari wo Nakusou! For a cool 500円 I feel like I have two new great tools to really solidify some of my learning!
These DS "games" are amazing. Are there similar games for the Switch? I like the idea of Tanoshiku since it teaches grammar and tests particles. Looks like it would be great for beginners like me....but I don't have a DS, and they're more expensive than the Switch since they aren't produced anymore. Drat!
You could buy one of the cheaper 3DS console editions. Since the 3DS is backwards compatible, they can also play DS games (and DS games are region-free too). They seem to be around 100€ for me on Amazon, while Switch systems are around 250€. Apparently there are also Android app versions too, if you have that device.
Hi, I was lucky to find the following games at a good price: Kanken Training 2 3DS Kanken Premium Kageyama Method: Tadashii Kanji Kakitori-Kun Tanoshiku Omoshiroku Kanken Shougakusei Starting from zero - after learning hiragana and katakana-, what is your recommendation regarding which one to start first?
Hey just my personal recommendation I would say go with Kanken Premium!! I ordered the other game from the IE institute it's amazing I would say premium will do you well because it'll help with learning how to write kanji
I bought the プレミアム(premium) game like… 3 weeks ago cuz I found out my GF has a DS lite… best Japanese investment I’ve made… the game is addictive and FUN. I’m back here to find the name of more games to buy more!!! Kanji was my weak point and now it’s heading towards my strength because of these DS games… DO IT.
Hey Matt have you ever tried 英検スマート対策? Could it be useful to study Japanese by studying... English from a Japanese perspective? It's like reverse engineering a language😅
Funny watching this video now... I literally found a loose copy of Kanken DS for 100 yen at my local secondhand shop earlier today. Great affirmation seeing the game on this list.
Ladies & Gentleman, I declare my victory! After multiple trips to Japan & visiting so many bookoffs & hardoffs in & outside Tokyo, I was able yesterday (Alhamdulillah) to find the top of the list game "ブレミアム" yaaay
I didn't even know this video existed before I started my 3DS project, but hell yeah, 漢検トレーニング２ is bomb, but I do agree about the tracking. Although you CAN see how you've done on each section on a different screen. Just not how much you've finished. =(
hey game gengo what do you say about the nintendo switch game: Kanken Smart Taisaku can you please make a review about it i just buy it and wait for it but maybe you can say something about it if its good or not ty
Is there much difference between "Tanoshiku Omoshiroku Kanken Shougakusei" and "Kanken Training 2 3DS"? From my understanding the latter goes up to level 1 and doesn't include the min-games, is there much benefit to getting both games?
NOTE: Any DS game is region free and can be played on any system. However 3DS games often have a region lock and require a JP 3DS / other ways around the lock.
you can always homebrew your 3ds and that basically removes the lock if that's something you want to do with a us 3ds
@@KirboWurbo Ive jail broken my 3ds, can I off the bat- download the cia file and it wi open or do I need to load some software onto my 3ds
@@AUGUSTIN-MUSIC if it is a 3ds game you can just use the cia file for ds games you would need the twilight menu first.
NOTE: This is false. Not ALL DS games are region free. Yes the DS actually had the region lock problem as well. The specific system is what matters. DSi will be region specific. the DS Lite will be the one region free.
unfortunately kanken ds training is region locked (twl cartridge) unfortunately learned that the hard way! ds games with an NTR cartridge aren’t region locked though.
Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
1:16 Kanken Training
8:28 IE’s institute kanken games
11:00 Kanken Premium, his favourite
18:05 Newer version of Kanken Premium(?), DS training
21:15 Tadashii Kanji Kakitori-Kun
24:20 Ukkari Wo Nakusou! Bunsho Yomi Training
26:45 Tanoshiku Omoshiroku Kanken Shougakusei
32:50 Conclusion
*IE Institute's Kanken games
I wanna give a feedback for those who are starting.
I used the Kanken Premium game for 3 months, before switching to other methods (Genki books, Pokemon games etc). I can safely say that Kanken Premium takes away the fear of kanji. Even when there are new kanjis, or kanji with no furigana, I'm not afraid of learning and can use Google Lens or Jisho to expand the vocabulary, little by little.
If you're afraid of kanji/learning Japanese for the first time, Kanken Training is the best option.
After clearing level 10 and 9, you can start searching other fonts!
Good luck, everybody! みんな、がんばれ
Hope you guys enjoy the video and maybe find some cool games to help you learn Japanese/Kanji!
We just hit 15,000 subscribers and 500k channel views!! A huge milestone!
It would be interesting if there are games for the Switch, where you can learn Japanese. I want to improve my Japanese that i have learned in school, but i don’t think that my 3DS battery is strong enough to hold out my travel to work. If you know something that would be awsome.
Do you know how many Kanji the game at 14:30 covers?
Just looking back on these videos. Man, this was 15K, and look where you are now!
I'm so glad I've been able to watch this journey, and I can't wait for what's next!
Brother, these videos are legit. The amount of thought you put in to each word and grammar point is insane. I'm always looking for stuff to play to bulk my Japanese, and it seems like every time I'm looking for something new, TH-cam sends another one your videos my way. Congrats on the 15k, you genuinely earned it.
Someone’s gotta play all those JP exclusive Digimon games ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Thanks so much for enjoying the channel Casp! I really appreciate the support! Im always thinking of how i could best help people enjoy learning Japanese so thats awesome to hear the videos are helping!!
this is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I am blown away how you manage to know exactly what kind of concerns learners may have when looking for the right fit. Another fantastic video!
also, i've been starting to immerse with 3ds games and the only thing I don't find that great is the console's lower resolution. I have trouble identifying the kanji through their radicals especially for new words
I have resumed my japanese studies this year, and my old 3DS was collecting dust. Thanks to you and Ty's takes, I was able to use this console as a valuable assisting tool in my japanese learning journey. Keep up the good work!
THANK YOU! I never knew those kinds of ds games exist. I can't wait to try them out!
As a DS lover I greatly appreciate this very much, glad I can get an educational use out of it as well. Keep up the good work!
Learning Japanese makes me feel like a kid a again, always wanting to read sentences that you randomly find for the sake of it .
It also made me appreciate this very basic yet important skill we learn wich is reading.
Japanese is not the first language im Learning, but the very first when it comes to learning a complete foreign writing system.
Well said! I’m in the same boat and I agree!
your vids always have exactly what im looking for when it comes to japanese. ive been learning for a little over two years now but have never bothered putting pen to paper. I figured I should finally learn stroke order so I can make better use of handwriting lookups, and was kind of shocked when i booted up one of those rocket kanken games and couldnt even write my name in katakana. ive since switched over to kakitori and have made a lot of progress! thanks again
I picked up a Nintendo DS and "Ukkari Wo Nakusou! Bunsho Yomi Training" based on your recommendation. It's a little advanced for me right now, but I'm enjoying tapping away at it and it all adds to the immersion. Cheers.
how's it been with the game after 6 months? i'm looking to get the game right now!
Wow a Game Gengo video featuring Game Gengo I'm so excited!
And i just cant hide it!
I'm loving your enthusiasm in these videos and I have actually been looking forward to my spending more time enjoying Japanese rather than forcing myself to immerse / study with methods I don't like. Biggest thanks!
Thank you so much for explaining the differences of these different software packages! Great video.
Thank you for this, I’m probably going to get the kanken premium and the うっかりをなくそうbecause I’m still having issues with grammar. Thank you so much and I can’t wait for more of the GENKI videos they are really helpful to me!
Haha they are actually exactly the ones i bought as well! I think its the best balance of language for sure! I hope you enjoy! And I will try my best to catch up to you with the Genki videos! Hahaha
I've heard a lot about how good these kinds of games are but never really knew which one I should get. Fantastic video! I'm more interested in the grammar aspect of things so I just ordered うっかりをなくそう
Its a fantastic game for helping your Japanese reading comprehension! Make sure to click the explanation button as often as possible for extra reading practice/connection to the language! Also i found a nifty trick, when your daily limit has been reached, just set the time back a day and you can keep studying haha then set it back to today and you can do it again endlessly :)
I've been playing more of Ukkari wo nakusou! Bunsho yomi training 「うっかり」をなくそう! 文章読みトレーニング 読みトレ and damn, it really is quite impressive! It teaches more than just grammar but even particles, onomatopeia, and really focuses on improving your reading comprehension through visuals and a grest variety of questions! I may even make a video JUST showcasing this game sometime in the future! Its really interesting from a learners perspective!
Would be amazing to see! Gonna look into this one too...
I've picked it up after watching the video, the daily restriction is a bit annoying but otherwise it really is great. Wish there were more games focused on reviewing grammar and reading sentences like this one.
@@RapaOST a cool trick is you can just change the DS date and the game thinks its a new day. Ive been doing that to play several days worth on my bus ride home haha
I just bought it on Merukari after watching this video. Thanks! Would be cool to see a video just on this game as there seems to be a lot to it. Looking forward to trying it out
Hi may I ask what level Ukkari wo nakusou goes to? Does it cover mainly N5/N4 grammar? Or more N4/N3?
Thank you so much for these videos. The effort you put in shows in every aspect and I really appreciate you. Congratulations on the 15k. Hopefully you'll soon get many more.
I bought recently a 3DS to play old games then I saw that... Thanks for the amazing recommendations !
Regarding Japanese I put myself in a weird spot, I started learning at 10 and always got lazy with Kanji.
20 years later, ended up fluent in it.. without being able to read it. It is beyond frustrating and going through vocabulary you already understand know is beyond boring.
I was unaware of those games, thank you so much !!!
(forgive me for my broken english it is not my mother tongue. Btw English was so much more difficult than Japanese to learn lol)
I still have no idea why you haven't blown up yet. You put so much effort into your videos and I love watching them, keep doing it you are very helpful :)
Thank you so much Shyonae! I dont mind too much about not blowing up, i just want to make the best videos possible and help people enjoy Japanese. If i can do that and potentially one day do that full time thanks to everyones support, thats more than what I could ever dream of :) thanks for enjoying the channel!
A 漢検 game for the Switch finally came out not even two months ago. I'm very tempted to get it myself, if only to see how it stacks up to the rest.
Yeah I've been looking at that one too! :)
Amazing video as always, thank you very much :) Yesterday I reached lvl 60 and "finished" WaniKani so this might just be the next step for me Kanji-wise, this vid appears just at the right time :D Thanks again, keep up the great work
this video was really helpful and thorough on what a learner might need to get out of each game, thanks! I ended up with kanken premium and I love it.
I got that and the ukkari wo nakurusou game because he said its really good for grammar
This video is perfection, thank you for your hard work and thorough breakdowns
It is a travesty how little views this video has. Even as someone who has self-studied for years and passed the JLPT N2 test, some of these games sound like a great tool to further my studies and hell I wish I knew about them in my early days! I've had a DS and 3DS for ages, I could have really used these D:
But now I know, and I'm gonna find a way to play them in any way I can. Keep up the videos, man. They are proper good.
I've been looking for this type of game for a long time.
Immediately got all of the games you recommended.
I just finished watching this video and your summary was SUPER helpful and your explanations were very thorough! Now I have a much better idea of what games are available on the systems and what each game has to offer. This was actually really entertaining to learn about as well, so thank you so much for sharing this review! 😄
I just returned back home from Japan, I just came to say thank you so much, I was able to buy many of these games thanks to you. The IE games you mentioned are a lot harder to find compared to Rocket's, I went to couple dozens of hard-offs across Tokyo & Sapporo looking for these & other games. The only one I was able to find off the top 5 ones is the IE's DS training one.
Thank you so much for those Informations and the so well made review.
Very appreciate it
Thanks so much Eagle for enjoying the video ❤
I have a new 3DS that's modded to play both English & Japanese games (While using a Bamboo Stylus instead of the small stylus to write the kanji). Currently just started using Kanken Premium and I am really liking it as a beginner to japanese. Also purchased: Kageyama Method: Tadashii Kanji Kakitori-Kun, Tanoshiku Omoshiroku Kanken Shougakusei, Kanken Training 3DS & Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten DS (as a recommendation from a friend who has lived in Japan for 7 years now) all ordered from CD Japan's Proxy Service. I did buy some Japanese ONLY games but don't know the level needed to play them i.e Zelda Spirit Tracks, Zelda Ocarina of Time, Yokai Watch 1, Okamiden & Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney 1. Anyway THANK YOU Matt for all of the FREE help you are GOLD DUST for me & my Japanese journey, I just LOVE your enthusiasm/vast content, I'm even following your Genki Series with my 3rd Edition Genki books. All the best from the UK
This is absolutely game changing for me, thank you! I never liked learning to write in Japanese but this was just perfect for me. Now I can work towards writing down my thoughts cuz I do that a lot.
Btw I’m using an emulator and Wacom tablet as an alternative and wow. I feel like I’m back at elementary
Really great video, detailed and with attention to detail and the things that set the different games apart for different kinds of learners.
I picked a couple of these off of eBay just from watching this video. I have 50 ps1 JP games, 20 Sega Saturn JP games, and a few ps2 and 3 JP games so these DS games will help me learn so I can more enjoy my JP games. Thank you.
That is the best video i’ve seen about kanji games! Great job 👏
I was searching for something like this (and failing) this video is perfect !,
p.s. the voice audio is kinda low.
Thanks yeah i noticed just as i was uploading, working on a really tight schedule unfortunately missed that detail. Sorry about that!
I’ve been blessed logarithmically, i was thinking about learning Japanese in the past few weeks then I found this video
Nicely done my brother
My question: what’s your advice for a completely newcomer? … like zero , what do you think the best start?
You might be best looking at his "how I learned Japanese" video to get an idea on how to start
I cannot stress enough how grateful I am for this astonishingly informative video, thank you so much.
Thank you so much for the recommendations. The プレミアム全級 game really is the best one I have found for intermediate learners and bought per your recommendation.
A few words of caution though.
1) the official kanji list was updated in 2010. So it's good for learning the majority but you will need to further supplement if you want to master jouyou
2) there appears to be a bug where 2級 kanji shows the Pre-2 instead. I ran into this on my copy of the game. 2 is the level that contains the last of the jouyou kanji. Until then it's pretty good.
3) a small number of kanji have changed in the way of writing. It's a small number but needs to be acknowledged
Just got the Kanken DS Training Thank you for the recommendation!!
This video is legit!!! Thank you for this. For anyone who has an old 3ds like me it's really easy to hack them to allow you to run 'downloaded' games 😉
this channel is so good man, thank you for all your work
I'm at a really basic level, so I use Doragana for the DS and Doramoji for the 3ds since those games are mainly to learn the characters and words and it doesn't require much knowledge to explore the menus.
Thank you so much for taking the time and making this video, exactly what I was looking for
You’re doing god’s work, I didn’t even know the difference between the kanken games I thought they all were from the same company, and the new 3ds kanken looks so cool! I’m a fan of ds kanji games and this review is all I ever wanted
Thanks for the recommendations! I've ordered both 漢検 Premium and 「うっかり」をなくそう!
Jesus wow your content really accelerated my japanese learning so much, tysm!!
I'm so glad I'm seeing this before the ds store closes off !! One of the games sounds perfect for me too 🥰🥰✨
Ooooo nice! Hope you enjoy! Ive found some of them really fun/helpful!
Great video, actually made me want to pick up leraning again. I did learn up to the first like 70 or so Kanji once a long time ago, but sometimes mix up some hiragana and katakana since I rarely even read anything and writing never came up again. So practically starting from the very beginning is what I want to do and came to the following order:
1. Hiragana first: Tadashii Kanji Kakitori-kun
2. either Ukkari wo Nakusou to learn more vocabulary and grammar (i still struggle with "ni" and "de" for example), or Premium Zenkyuu to get back into Kanji. maybe both in tandem?
3. Tanoschiku Omoschiroku Kanken Shougakusei to kind of playfully get to use Kanji in contextual minigames and having a bit of voice acting on the side to hear if you audibly understand sentences your previously couldnt
4. Kanken Training 2 3DS to just get into a lot of testing of everything I learned
Any thoughts on this or recommendations on the order to learn things? Thanks :D
I'm so glad I found this channel. Great video. Very informative.
This video is Extremely helpful. I’ve been looking for something to help improve and move forward in learning Japanese . Thank you for making this video.👍👍
Thank you for your hardwork, and keep it up !
Thanks so much Megudo! I will keep doing my best! 😄
I'm going to pick up one of these games for sure! Out of curiosity, would the game cartridges be compatible with a 3DS console from the United States? My main concern is that they could be region-locked.
All 3DS games (except for "Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre") are region-locked. But, if you mod your system, you can play games from any region. I think even just getting the homebrew launcher, which is the easiest step you can do, lets you play region-locked games with a separate app inside homebrew launcher. But with custom firmware, you don't need to start up the homebrew launcher each time and instead just launch the game. Use the text guide website and just be careful when you do it, no video tutorials for that stuff.
If you don't want to do any modding though, then you're stuck with the DS cartridges. DS cartridges have no region lock whatsoever, they can be played on any DS or 3DS system.
@@hismajestysirseal5813 What's so bad about it, honestly? The 3DS at this point is a dead platform, and while I do not justify piracy, the reality is that it's not really feasible to get the stuff you want on old platforms. Especially when where I live I can't even order anything from amazon.
@@hismajestysirseal5813 Ahhh, gotcha 😅 Yeah I know about that "shop" btw 😏
I wanted to thank you for this video! I have been playing Ukkari o nakusou and it's awesome because I've really learned a lot from it in terms of reading and grammar. And it's fun to come back to every day because you get a card after the first training of the day.
Hi may I ask what level Ukkari wo nakusou goes to? Does it cover mainly N5/N4 grammar? Or more N4/N3?
@@indi191 Sorry for the late reply. The game uses quite a lot of expressions and grammar points that I'd never heard of so I think N3/N2 maybe? Remember that this is a reading training tool aimed at Japanese elementary school children so it can't be linked to any foreigner's learning level. Even though the grammar is hard at the higher levels, I think it's still a really good tool for intermediate learners because it doesn't use advanced adult language
Discovered your channel. What you are doing is great.
Hey ! Thank you for this video! It made me want to try Kanken premium. Have you tried the kanken game for Switch ? If you have, could you maybe make a video about the differences between kanken premium and the one for switch ? I can not decide which one to buy
Dude, I can’t say how much I’m grateful you did this video !!!
Thank you,
どうもありがとう😊
this is amazing. thank you so much for looking into all these games! i just bought myself a special edition pink tony tony chopper japanese 3DS i have been wanting for years, and i'm using it as motivation in my studies. i got some games with furigana i already knew i would just have fun playing (both with furigana which helps!) but i was questioning what kind of learning game i could get for myself. this video had amazing timing!
Oooooo wow that is incredibly well timed indeed! Yeah the 3DS is a fantastic console for Japanese language learners, there is a surprising amount of good games to use and have fun learning with! Hope you enjoy!
Thank you for this awesome and helpful video 🙏🏻
I have one little question! Does the 「プレミアム」 game run on a 3DS?
It sure does! Thats how I use it! Thanks for enjoying the video!
Awesome!! Thank you for your work!
Thanks for enjoying the channel!
Thank you so much for this video.
Thanks so much for watching!
Love the video! Question, when you are learning from this games, how do you know the meanings of the words and kanjis you are being presented? gotta look them up on the side?
Thanks for another great video!
Just a note, Ukkari wo Nakusou's link is showing me Kanken Premium, is the link incorrect?
Thanks for enjoying the video! Ah sorry about that! I think the link might be missing because Ukkari needs to be bought second hand as its sold out for brand new copies. If you need to search then try typing in「うっかり」をなくそう! 文章読みトレーニング 読みトレ
Grabbed the 漢検 プレミアム。
ありがとうございます。
This is really cool! Do you know if it's possible to get any of these games on Switch? I feel like I'm late to the party on this one. The Nintendo 3DS eShop is closing down in a month so I'm not sure it's worth it to get a Japanese 3DS now 😅
Your content is awesome. Subscribed.
I’m about to get my hands on some of your recommendations. I wonder if you can make a video on game recommendations for the DS/3DS featuring furigana (or for different levels of Kanji knowledge) 🤔
Do you need a Japanese 3DS to play that game or is the DS region unlocked? I'd love to get these but I need to know what kind of price point I'm buying in at. Thank you for the fantastic content!
I have been learning to write using an android app called 漢字検定・漢検漢字トレーニング which is another good option imo. It's cheap and covers up to 2-kyu, and has progress bars per section. On the other hand, it doesn't teach you how to write very well (I use anki cards for that). It also doesn't have the ability to take a test, so your suggested DS apps look more helpful there!
In any case, I used to go through books for the lower levels (3/4-ish) and it was very tedious to manually check the answers. Apps make this so much easier and more addictive!
Dear Game Gengo! Is there any software of this kind on IOS, IpadOS, MacOS? Nintendo DS is extremely difficult to buy in my country and to buy a ROM with Kanken DS Training is even more difficult. Thank you very much for your videos, they are amazing : )
Hopefully a version of these games comes to the switch!
this was soooo helpful! i think i'm going to buy the premium game although it's quite expensive... even though it's so old. i think it'll be worth the investment! :)
Great video. It's nice to see someone acknowledging that the JLPT (even the N1 level) doesn't prepare you for anything!
Always watching and learning from your videos thankyou. This is gonna be weird but you look identical to a kid I went to highschool with is your name Sandy by any chance lol
I enjoyed kakitori-kun a lot as someone who likes to get better at writing characters
Ooooh, these are awesome! Now I just need to decide which ones to get and find out how I can get them here in Germany..
Glad you enjoyed the video! Yeah it can get difficult at times! Japan could certainly make it easier to get their games...sorry about that!
@@GameGengo Tell me about it... went through all the trouble of getting a Japanese 3DS to play 大逆転裁判 1+2... and then shortly thereafter they got released on the Switch! But I did find out that they're available for Android in the Google Play Store in the process, just required some VPN hijinks.
There’s a Switch version of the kanken training game coming this 8th December 2022!
So.... I ended up jumping into the deep end. I found a used 3DS that wasn't majorly marked up, and ended up buying some of these games. I failed to take into account they're designed for native speakers who pretty much already understand the language and JUST need to learn kanji... I'm so lost trying to get started with them because I don't yet know enough to read the menus or navigate. I'm sure it will get better, and I'm glad I have them, but eeeek! lol
Hello new subscriber, enjoy watching the videos. Would a newbie be able to understand enough to navigate the game? I see that it shows progression screens and includes your words into a sentence but will I be able to understand?
So it depends on your level of Japanese, if you have never learned any Japanese before then most of them may be quite difficult as its all entirely in Japanese. Navigating menus is quite easy once you learn a few words, but most games will require you to read basic sentences in order to test you. These games are probably best started once you know hiragana/katakana/basic grammar, then just get in the habit of quickly looking up unknown words as you come across them to increase your vocabulary as you play.
That being said though, its incredibly good reading practice as the sentences are Kanji graded based on what you have learned, so you can transition from hiragana only to full kanji sentences as you progress with the game.
Is there a 3DS pen with a thicker body? The super thin 3DS pen pains me
This is cool and usefull and I can read katakana and hiragana but I have no clue what combinations form what words is there some form of game to get familliar with that first?
Thank you so much for this i bought the 250万人の漢検 プレミアム！！🤗
Do you know how to enable stroke order?
@@trevoro2020 ?
I went to a Book Off and a GEO game's today to buy the Premium Kanken game and the Ukkari wo Nakusou! For a cool 500円 I feel like I have two new great tools to really solidify some of my learning!
Oh damn! What a bargain! The benefits of being in Japan 😁I managed to find Ukkari for 270 yen but Premium i had to buy from amazon for 1000 yen haha
These DS "games" are amazing. Are there similar games for the Switch? I like the idea of Tanoshiku since it teaches grammar and tests particles. Looks like it would be great for beginners like me....but I don't have a DS, and they're more expensive than the Switch since they aren't produced anymore. Drat!
You could buy one of the cheaper 3DS console editions. Since the 3DS is backwards compatible, they can also play DS games (and DS games are region-free too). They seem to be around 100€ for me on Amazon, while Switch systems are around 250€.
Apparently there are also Android app versions too, if you have that device.
Nintendo just released a Kanken game for the Switch! I'd be interested to see your thoughts on it compared to the DS version.
Hi, I was lucky to find the following games at a good price:
Kanken Training 2 3DS
Kanken Premium
Kageyama Method: Tadashii Kanji Kakitori-Kun
Tanoshiku Omoshiroku Kanken Shougakusei
Starting from zero - after learning hiragana and katakana-, what is your recommendation regarding which one to start first?
Hey just my personal recommendation I would say go with Kanken Premium!! I ordered the other game from the IE institute it's amazing I would say premium will do you well because it'll help with learning how to write kanji
Do you know how to enable stroke order
Great video! Just really quiet
For the switch I only found Kanken スマート☹️
Is it possible that is just one title out there?
So useful information!😀
I'll recommend Kanken premium to my foreign wife :)
Thanks so much for all your support Nobu chan! I hope your wife finds it useful if she checks it out!
I bought the プレミアム(premium) game like… 3 weeks ago cuz I found out my GF has a DS lite… best Japanese investment I’ve made… the game is addictive and FUN. I’m back here to find the name of more games to buy more!!! Kanji was my weak point and now it’s heading towards my strength because of these DS games… DO IT.
Hey Matt have you ever tried 英検スマート対策? Could it be useful to study Japanese by studying... English from a Japanese perspective? It's like reverse engineering a language😅
5:13 "I could almost always guess the actual order of the stroke"
He says while proceeding to write せ with the wrong stroke order 😇
ALMOST always ;) hahaha
Funny watching this video now... I literally found a loose copy of Kanken DS for 100 yen at my local secondhand shop earlier today. Great affirmation seeing the game on this list.
Ladies & Gentleman, I declare my victory!
After multiple trips to Japan & visiting so many bookoffs & hardoffs in & outside Tokyo,
I was able yesterday (Alhamdulillah) to find the top of the list game "ブレミアム"
yaaay
I need that information sheet at 2:10 so bad😔😔
I didn't even know this video existed before I started my 3DS project, but hell yeah, 漢検トレーニング２ is bomb, but I do agree about the tracking. Although you CAN see how you've done on each section on a different screen. Just not how much you've finished. =(
Now I think I should have picked up the one you're talking about at 14:30. haha Super nice.
hey game gengo what do you say about the nintendo switch game: Kanken Smart Taisaku
can you please make a review about it i just buy it and wait for it but maybe you can say something about it if its good or not ty
Thank you 😂
Quality content
Is there much difference between "Tanoshiku Omoshiroku Kanken Shougakusei" and "Kanken Training 2 3DS"? From my understanding the latter goes up to level 1 and doesn't include the min-games, is there much benefit to getting both games?
The 3ds is region locked.. So you will have to purchase a japanese 3ds right?