Ever wondered why ever so often Korean edition video game titles for the Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3 end up in the bargain bin? If you find yourself asking that, then it’s time for a history lesson.

The Korean peninsula was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 and it wasn’t until Japan’s defeat in World War II that Korea emerged as an independent nation. The colonization of Korea by Japan left some pretty deep seated animosity and there was a ban in Korea on what we consider now as staple items: Japanese music, movies, manga and even video games consoles.

The ban was only lifted in 1998, and as a result, a generation grew up so near to Japan but yet uninfluenced by the likes of SEGA, Nintendo and Sony. Instead, they turn to PC gaming, creating world class players who not only excel in games like Starcraft and Warcraft, but also are celebrities in their own right, rivalling pop stars such as Rain and BoA.

With not much rep to build on and a nation preoccupied with PCs and PC bangs (Internet Cafes), it’s no wonder that console gaming is pretty sluggish in Korea. And while the big two (Microsoft and Sony) are releasing Korean editions of current gen-titles, what’s a retailer to do when there’s no one buying the titles? Why, put them in the bargain bin, of course!

Online retailers like Play-Asia have a number of ENGLISH language console titles released for the Korean market sitting in their bargain-bin section. Examples of Playstation 3 titles you can get at half of their US counterparts’ price (or any other region for that matter) include:

  • Fear 2: Project Origin (USD 29.90) ~ Click here for details
  • FolksSoul (USD 24.90) ~ Click here for details
  • Fallout 3 (USD 29.90) ~ Click here for details
  • Motorstorm (USD 19.90) ~ Click here for details

Not to be left out, here are a bunch of Korean (but English language) Xbox 360 titles selling cheaper than their US counterparts:

  • Prince of Persia (USD 16.90 – NTSC-J Console Only)  ~ Click here for details
  • Viva Pinata (USD 14.90 – Region Free) ~ Click here for details
  • Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (USD 14.90 ~ Region Free) ~ Click here for details

So, if you are a price conscious gamer who doesn’t mind some foreign looking words on your video game covers, it’s probably time you check out the Korean aisle. Check out Play-Asia’s Korean offerings for the PS3 and the Xbox 360.