So... Are these games getting a new localization? Or are they sticking with the Working Designs one? The one with the, shall we say, off-color Bill Clinton jokes? I'm not saying I'd necessarily WANT a new translation, mind; those fast-and-loose Working Designs translations were a major step in showing Western audiences the importance of localization, and demonstrating that there could be craft and wit added (or, ideally, preserved) in a localization that could render a more robust localization a more pleasurable and authentic experience than a literal translation. At the same time... a lot of the jokes they put in are pretty darned dated. And while the WD localization was certainly fun, it veered away from the text a lot in ways that I'm not sure today's fans will appreciate.
People are going to (and already have!) mock the idea of paying $800-1700 for a chair, but if you are in a financial position where you can spend that kind of money, a good office chair can be life-changing. And, sorry to say... $1000+ is what a good office chair costs. I recently started working almost fully remote and decided to invest in a home office chair that won't ***** up my back. I ended up with a Steelcase Gesture (with headrest and extra lumbar support!) and have zero regrets.
If you're on a budget, you can often find lightly-used Herman Miller Aerons for cheap (meaning $400-600) on eBay; the Aeron is a workhorse office chair and is beloved by startups, and when startups go under they pawn their office chairs at a discount.
@Sam_Loser2 So, in terms of the Sky games on Switch: The president of Falcom, the developer of all these games, has been making some general, vague comments about wanting to put out more games on Switch, and has, separately, been making some general, vague comments about wanting to do more with the Sky games, since those have been relatively neglected in terms of remasters/remakes. That might add up to an announcement of remade Sky trilogy on Switch. BUT. First, there hasn't been an announcement yet, and once there's an announcement it'll probably be a year or two before we see a release in English. And Second, even if there is a new Sky trilogy for Switch, there's no guarantee it'll even come out in English. I mentioned above some weird rights issues with respect to Cold Steel I & II. That also applies to the three Sky games. Basically, XSeed translated and released the Sky games and CS I & II in English, and it nearly broke them because these games have REALLY large scripts. Falcom rewarded them by yanking their license and handing it to NIS for CS III and IV and future releases. The problem, then, is that XSeed owns the translation work they did, and it's a LOT so NIS probably doesn't want to reinvent the wheel and retranslate these games, but NIS holds the license and they're the ones that would have to release the Sky games and CS I & II. This is pure speculation now, but I would bet there's a better chance of the (hypothetical!) re-made Sky games getting English Switch releases than CS I&II. That's just based on the fact that Sky has not gotten basically any English home console releases and there's probably more money to be had by NIS releasing them here, so they may be willing to pay XSeed to license their translation. CS I&II, on the other hand, have been out on a variety of platforms for years in English, so they may not see much value in paying extra to license the translation for a Switch release. That said: I have no insider knowledge of any of the contracts involved, so who knows what's going on behind the scenes? TL;DR: The Sky games are pretty easy to play on even an old PC, and you can connect your Switch Pro controller to a PC and play the games that way. That MAY be preferable to waiting for Switch releases that might never come?
@Sam_Loser2 For the full story, you'd want to start with the Trails in the Sky games: Trails in the Sky Trails in the Sky SC Trails in the Sky 3rd For those, you'd either need to dig out a PSP or play the WIndows version (which is probably preferable due to quality of life improvements). They're available on Steam and Good Old Games and go on sale semi-frequently. The Sky games provide good background and have a lot of connections to later games, but if you're not a completionist they aren't STRICTLY necessary. After Sky come the Crossbell games: Trails from Zero Trails to Azure These are a good place to start, though Azure isn't out in English yet (unless you get the no-longer-officially-available fan patch for the Chinese PC version). So you could also start with Cold Steel: Trails of Cold Steel Trails of Cold Steel II but definitely don't play Trails of Cold Steel III until you've played the two Crossbell games. Trails of Cold Steel III Trails of Cold Steel IV Once you've finished Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure, Trails of Cold Steel I-IV, and optionally the three Trails in the Sky games, you're ready for Trails into Reverie. (Also note: Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure, Trails of Cold Steel III and IV, and Trails into Reverie are/will be available on Switch. Right now, Trails of Cold Steel I and II are on PC, PS 3/4, and Vita, but not (yet) on Switch. CS I and II may someday get a Switch release, but nothing has been announced and there are some esoteric rights issues that may be holding it up)
Quick note to say that Umihara Kawase is a genuinely great game. It requires no knowledge of the Japanese language to play and is worth registering a Japanese Nintendo account all by itself.
Comments 5
Re: Lunar Remastered Collection Brings Classic JRPG Series To Switch This April
So... Are these games getting a new localization? Or are they sticking with the Working Designs one? The one with the, shall we say, off-color Bill Clinton jokes?
I'm not saying I'd necessarily WANT a new translation, mind; those fast-and-loose Working Designs translations were a major step in showing Western audiences the importance of localization, and demonstrating that there could be craft and wit added (or, ideally, preserved) in a localization that could render a more robust localization a more pleasurable and authentic experience than a literal translation.
At the same time... a lot of the jokes they put in are pretty darned dated. And while the WD localization was certainly fun, it veered away from the text a lot in ways that I'm not sure today's fans will appreciate.
Re: Review: Herman Miller X Logitech G Vantum Gaming Chair - Is It Worth It?
People are going to (and already have!) mock the idea of paying $800-1700 for a chair, but if you are in a financial position where you can spend that kind of money, a good office chair can be life-changing. And, sorry to say... $1000+ is what a good office chair costs. I recently started working almost fully remote and decided to invest in a home office chair that won't ***** up my back. I ended up with a Steelcase Gesture (with headrest and extra lumbar support!) and have zero regrets.
If you're on a budget, you can often find lightly-used Herman Miller Aerons for cheap (meaning $400-600) on eBay; the Aeron is a workhorse office chair and is beloved by startups, and when startups go under they pawn their office chairs at a discount.
Re: The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Into Reverie Confirmed For Next Summer, Limited Edition Revealed
@Sam_Loser2 So, in terms of the Sky games on Switch:
The president of Falcom, the developer of all these games, has been making some general, vague comments about wanting to put out more games on Switch, and has, separately, been making some general, vague comments about wanting to do more with the Sky games, since those have been relatively neglected in terms of remasters/remakes. That might add up to an announcement of remade Sky trilogy on Switch.
BUT.
First, there hasn't been an announcement yet, and once there's an announcement it'll probably be a year or two before we see a release in English.
And Second, even if there is a new Sky trilogy for Switch, there's no guarantee it'll even come out in English. I mentioned above some weird rights issues with respect to Cold Steel I & II. That also applies to the three Sky games.
Basically, XSeed translated and released the Sky games and CS I & II in English, and it nearly broke them because these games have REALLY large scripts. Falcom rewarded them by yanking their license and handing it to NIS for CS III and IV and future releases.
The problem, then, is that XSeed owns the translation work they did, and it's a LOT so NIS probably doesn't want to reinvent the wheel and retranslate these games, but NIS holds the license and they're the ones that would have to release the Sky games and CS I & II.
This is pure speculation now, but I would bet there's a better chance of the (hypothetical!) re-made Sky games getting English Switch releases than CS I&II. That's just based on the fact that Sky has not gotten basically any English home console releases and there's probably more money to be had by NIS releasing them here, so they may be willing to pay XSeed to license their translation. CS I&II, on the other hand, have been out on a variety of platforms for years in English, so they may not see much value in paying extra to license the translation for a Switch release.
That said: I have no insider knowledge of any of the contracts involved, so who knows what's going on behind the scenes?
TL;DR: The Sky games are pretty easy to play on even an old PC, and you can connect your Switch Pro controller to a PC and play the games that way. That MAY be preferable to waiting for Switch releases that might never come?
Re: The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Into Reverie Confirmed For Next Summer, Limited Edition Revealed
@Sam_Loser2 For the full story, you'd want to start with the Trails in the Sky games:
Trails in the Sky
Trails in the Sky SC
Trails in the Sky 3rd
For those, you'd either need to dig out a PSP or play the WIndows version (which is probably preferable due to quality of life improvements). They're available on Steam and Good Old Games and go on sale semi-frequently.
The Sky games provide good background and have a lot of connections to later games, but if you're not a completionist they aren't STRICTLY necessary. After Sky come the Crossbell games:
Trails from Zero
Trails to Azure
These are a good place to start, though Azure isn't out in English yet (unless you get the no-longer-officially-available fan patch for the Chinese PC version). So you could also start with Cold Steel:
Trails of Cold Steel
Trails of Cold Steel II
but definitely don't play Trails of Cold Steel III until you've played the two Crossbell games.
Trails of Cold Steel III
Trails of Cold Steel IV
Once you've finished Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure, Trails of Cold Steel I-IV, and optionally the three Trails in the Sky games, you're ready for Trails into Reverie.
(Also note: Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure, Trails of Cold Steel III and IV, and Trails into Reverie are/will be available on Switch. Right now, Trails of Cold Steel I and II are on PC, PS 3/4, and Vita, but not (yet) on Switch. CS I and II may someday get a Switch release, but nothing has been announced and there are some esoteric rights issues that may be holding it up)
Re: Nintendo Expands Its Switch Online SNES And NES Service With Three More Titles
Quick note to say that Umihara Kawase is a genuinely great game. It requires no knowledge of the Japanese language to play and is worth registering a Japanese Nintendo account all by itself.