I didn't like the shift to a more futuristic city-scape, but hearing it's only part of the game and actaullly a sort of dream world makes me like the idea all the more.
But I feel like I should play the other game first.
Will I ever have time again to waste on videogames? Ahh, that is MY dream world.
@Dr_Corndog Naah, I googled it too. Mot long enough tonfind more than a really small screenshot and some vague description, but no. We are ot the leakers, and of course we are curious.
But I wouldn't have given it another mind if nobody had leaked. I had simply waited patiently.
@ear_wig You do realise this list is based on reader scores, right? So if you disagree with it, vote on it and make your buddies vote too. That's how the list becomes more representative.
Please stop calling it the European version when that one only released in parts of Europe. The box art you chose to represent the US box art is literally a European one (the Seal of Approval is round instead of the US oval).
Anyhoo, nostalgia wins for me here. "US" one it is.
@Samalik Well, I guess... And I guess console versions are for a different demographic than their PC counterparts to begin with.
It just feels... like a redundant package, I guess? It's not the most difficult thing to use, but once you are sort of proficient in this kind of game package, you're kind of doing yourself a disservice by not just jumping ship to a more powerful game creation suite, like Unreal or Unity, which are free. Throw in Aseprite, which is very cheap, if you want to do pixel art, and you are good to go. Great to go, honestly.
@wiiware Uhhh... What? How is a trident the opposite of a cross?
And I didn't say they replaced it with a hindu symbol. I said the only thing I could find on the trident as a symbol was its significance in hinduism, aside from Greek mythology. So what I was saying is I couldn't find anything denoting the trident as a devil symbol.
And whether or not that inclusiveness is warranted or achieved with type A and B is another discussion, but that's apparently the reasoning behind it.
Those two have very little to do with one another, aside from both being changes to the original format. I can even safely assert that the change in the Priest's iconography is for very different reasons than the female Fighter's change in appearance, to name that third change.
This is far from the first time a Japanese game changes iconography for Western audiences. Whether or not you agree with the changes is besides the point. They changed swastikas with stars in many games, and I am guessing there isn't a single soul on this planet that doesn't understand the reasoning behind it.
I am guessin the developers or localizers thought a cross might also rub some people the wrong way in a similar (albeit less intense) way.
@wiiware Do you mean the trident symbol? How is that a devil symbol? A quick search tells me it at least has positive connotations in hinduism, and I've never seen it used in Christian symbolism. The only Western usage I know of is Greek mythology.
Doesn't mean you are wrong, mind you, I am genuinely curious how that translated to a devil symbol for you.
@JohnnyMind Sure, concept art and music is cool, even some thi gs that you might think a bit embarrasing, but I was talking almost literal trash. There is stuff that is simply not worth keeping, let alone sharing.
Maybe the devs here were asked to save even their most horrendous trash, and THAT got leaked now.
@Dubcheezy They din't release stuff because of greed? No...
Okay, bad comparison maybe, but I make music. I have some song on Spotify. I also have about 300 different "songs" (term used loosely) on my hard drive. Some of those are utter, utter trash. One can argue so are my releases, but that's a different argument. Anyways, they were things I tried out. Things nobody needs to hear, nor want to.
I already read some comments saying they can never look at Typhlosion the same again.
It's probably a word doc that should've been toased in the bin but hadn't. Probably nothing more. I doubt whoever came up with it has any recollection of even writing it.
Sometimes things are just doodles. Doodles that shoukd not be brought to light. Because it sullies people's experience.
I don't have any huge fans of my music, I am far from prolific enough, but if I had fans, and they would hear my trash files, they would be put off.
Ah FFIII. I am not sure from reading your piece if playing it was a life changing experience. It certainly was for me.
When I was a kid, there was a store in a village not far from the city where I lived, which sold imported games. The woman who ran it was such a nice person. This is where I was introduced to FFIII, a game which would never release in Europe in its SNES form.
I also bought Breath of Fire, Chrono Trigger and Mario RPG there. Maybe some more I am forgetting right now. It was a magnificent place.
I was also introduced to a Japanese N64 with Mario 64 on it, way before it would be released, and I will gladly tell you the embarrassing truth, I did NOT understand that controller, trying to reach the middle stick while holding it like a regular joystick, instead of holding it middle to right.
Anyhoo, I played FFIII for about an hour there after an event she had hosted for that unicycle game, forgot the name. I am so glad I took it home. It probably wasn't my first RPG, though it might have been, but it was definitely the one with the absolute most impact on me.
The woman there was also somewhat impressed by my grasp of English. I remember her saying that to my folks. In those days, it was apparently pretty unique for a kid my age to be that good at English...
I love this game dearly!
Thank you for sharing your story, Nathan! Sounds like you were a lucky kid with all that playtesting!
@Ruler-Of-All-Evil Well, maybe Call of Duty games that were churned out faster than one could buy. Sure, there were probably many games on sale quicker than average.
But the same still holds true. I missed out on Unicorn Overlord. Sold out everywhere! Several months later I found a copy in the wild for 60. Instantly bought it. Two weeks later I saw the game for 35 in the same store chain, in different cities.
Suffice to suy I was pretty ticked off. Pretty much same thing with all RPGs I bought day one, though. Rarity no longer seems to be an issue.
@Ruler-Of-All-Evil Game prices are one of the few things that have remained pretty constant over the years, at least where I live. They were always the equivalent of 60 bucks. From Atari2600 up to now. Always the same.
In fact, we have way more cheaper options now than we did back then.
@Glasso They are AMAZING!! Or at least the first one. Not enough experien e with the others yet. Never had the time... but the first one is one of my all time fave games for sure.
Graphics hold up incredibly well, if you ask me, but I am not much of a graphics connoissuer, so that's in the eye of the beholder.
Still, I am wary that it will always be better on PC, so not sure if I will get it.
@Pillowpants Well, yes, but it wasn't JUST a dream. They were entering Mario's head in am effort to enter the real world, but failed. So it was a dream, but still real. Some, like the shy guys, eventually found a way out of the Dream World to compete in Mario Kart amd whatnot...
I just made this up, but it sounds plausible enough, no?
@ottoecamn Well, we weren't so far on opposite ends as we thought.
I will say though, I think in the canon of Western localizations, it is widely accepted that Onigiri, shape and all, is a Jelly-filled Donut. Seems to be in every game that has them.
Yeah, Unicorn Overlord had some good localization. Not great, but good. I still think they could've gone further. If memory serves me well, the best one I have seen so far is the PSP remaster of Final Fantasy Tactics, and FF XII was also really good. The Tactics Ogre remaster was also great, I think. Can't remember, it's been a little while since I played any of them.
Unicorn Overlord doesn't quite come as close, but it was a valiant effort.
My girl Chloe in the top 10. I know you can end up choosing to marry someone, and I wouldn't pair her with Alain. I see her more as a good match for Lex. Don't tell me anything though, I am not that far in yet.
@ottoecamn Right! Well, good to know we can respect one another regardless of opinion.
I understand where you are coming from though. I just don't see it as harmful to change certain things. Especially not if it makes the product better. Granted, in this cake example, the changed text wasn't better, but I also see it as a harmless change.
There are, however, instances where localization definitely elevated the game. FF XII comes to mind. I obviously don't know the JP version, but the English version had a very Shakespearian vibe in its script. I am guessing the original JP script was in the same tone as, say, a FF VII. So they changed the writing to be Shakespearian-esque (for lack of a better word). The voice acting also had a very matching accent, very British sounding. It made the game world so much better.
Maybe that is also why I have no gripe about localizers taking liberties. I LOATHE the American bratty teenage vibe a lot of RPGs carry, with matching VA.
Eiyuden Chronicles comes to mind. The girl character in the start was insufferably contemporary American. VA was turned off the minute I was able to, but even in the writing, it oozed anachronistic mannerisms.
Hopefully my explanations give you some insight into why I don't mind changes as much.
@Poco_Lypso I guess you are right. There is no modern audience in that sense. But if we are talking about meaningless labels, add woke to that list, please. That label has lost its meaning all the same.
@Samalik Fair enough. I like your explanation. And I guess I sort of misunderstood what you meant, or at least we are on a slightly different field of the subject.
@ottoecamn So you respectfully disagree but find my comment extremely negative? Sorry, not trying to be co descending, but that sounds a bit contradictory. I am not trying to be negative... what do you mean?
I will concede that I took that line out of the context I don't know existed, that of her character being who she is.
And her talking about herself is in many cultures absolutely fine and won't be seen as offensive towards others, Japanese culture to me seems to be that way. However, and that was the point I was trying to make, perhaps poorly, is that comments about oneself is in plenty Western cultures also often considered a direct jab at others. Which is why I believe this was not a bad change.
But I am not saying removing a line is going to make people magically feel better. I am saying changing that line makes sure they won't feel worse.
I do really wonder how my comment is being construed as negative, because I am not trying to sound as such.
@Poco_Lypso Believe it or not, here in Holland it is very often the exact other way around.
At one point, the price of an off-brand energy drink (think Red Bull) was LESS THAN HALF the price of a bottle of water. I am not even exaggerating. A bottle of water was like 1 Euro a bottle, where the can of energy drink was something in the ball park of 50 cents or something. Of course, that is a bottle of take-away water, and you have cheaper options, but it was insane to me to see those two side by side.
Just a quick search;
Brocolli is currently 1.25 a kilo. You will still need something to go along with that. Potatoes,1.85 a kilo. And if you only need half a kilo? Same price.
A box of 3 pizzas is 3.89 - and I know for a fact that box was 2,99 a couple of months ago.
That's just a quick search. It's INSANE how much more expensive healthy options are in our country. And don't get me wrong, the Netherlands is a good place to live, for me at least, I am not complaining, but there are people that really do not have the luxury to afford healthy food.
One can argue that they then also do not have the luxury to buy a game like Fire Emblem to get offended by a weight joke, but that doesn't make such a comment any less unnecessary.
@Pipulitoch Oh for sure, it is greed on their part, or at the very least badly thought out. I don't like this practice at ALL. And I can totally understand people being frustrated. But it's still a frustration over a commodity.
And I am not holier than thou, mind you. I get frustrated over things that are not extremely important too. This is a nasty practice, but yeah...
@Poco_Lypso Not sure where you live, but my country, for all its good things, isn't very cheap when it comes to healthy food.
I'll be the first to admit I don't always make the right choice when it comes to food, but the wrong choice is oftentimes twice as cheap as a healthy option. Its crazy lol.
I don't make a terrible living, but there are plenty families with far less to spend than me.
Example; I watched a few podcasts on YT. So that might tell YT I like podcasts. Unfortunately, a lot of podcasts are very hard leaning political podcasts, so it is constantly pushing that crap on me too. And that goes for both left and right leaning podcasts, I hate them (almost) equally.
And when I watch shorts, I make sure to tell YT not to recommend channels that offer me certain things, yet it KEEPS pushing that very specific content (from different channels) on me. Like, I get the same comedian I despise in my feed all the time, because he happens to work with another comedian that I watched a few things of. I can block that content all I want, it keeps coming back.
Here comes part 2. I am really sorry Mods, but I feel this is too important to shorten.
We do not have infinite choice in what we eat, especially not if you have very little disposable income. And a lot of illnesses that make people obese are fully outside of choice. I can name at least one example of an illness that creates obesity even with the healthiest of diets and regular exercise. You cannot fault that person for being obese. It's literally genetic. And when that person gets confronted with such a remark in a game, it's only going to make them feel miserable.
Whenever I see pictures of the general Japanese public, I do not see a lot of obesity. I am guessing their culture, their entire way of living, including diet and governmental choices and everything else that affects daily living, affects their bodies in a way that they are not quickly to become obese. At least not as quickly as some Western places. So in that sense, yes, when you eat a lot of cakes, you will gain some weight. I can see how that feels less offensive to the general public.
It can still make some people feel uncomfortable, mind you, but it's in a different league. I am also guessing that not a lot of Japanese people body shame the people around them in the same crass manner that we see in many Western countries.
I am not saying I am completely in the right here, mind you, simply offering some counterargument. But I really do feel that in this case, the localizers did right. It is insensitive to make people feel insecure and selfconscious over their own bodies. It is insensitive when it is entirely not their fault they are obese, but also even when it is.
Changing it has very little to do with changing art. It's not like we are reading classical literature here. It's unnecessary, in its original form, for Western audiences.
I do not hear many people cry over movie adaptations changing some things. "Well, this doesn't work in a movie that's only 90 minutes, so I get why they changed it."
Well, this here doesn't work in Western society (anymore), so I get why they changed it.
End
@ottoecamn I really feel the need to "weigh in" on one of your points here. Yes, that is a bit of a pun I am making as an overweight dude.
This is not to discredit you, but to simply offer a counterargument to think about.
I am going to quote you so you know what I am referring to: "I can clearly tell that what I'm hearing and what I'm reading aren't remotely the same thing. (One example that always comes to my mind is a support talk where Rosemary is originally worried about gaining weight from eating too many cakes, yet the localization says she's embarrassed about making a silly face while eating. I don't know how anyone can defend that type of crap with a straight face.)"
Here is one example where I feel the localizers actually did right, whether or not intentional.
Disclaimer first, I do not have nearly enough knowledge of Japanese culture to say my observations are objectively correct or not, but I do observe these things, so I am guessing they are.
Remarks about weight are (rightly) considered to be offensive in most Western countries these days. You might think that obese people are that way because of poor life choices, so take some accountability, right? And in some cases you might be correct.
But obesity in Western civilizations absolutely cannot be singularily attributed to poor individual life choices. A very big part of obesity is simply part of our civilization, and has been passed down, maybe even genetically, from generations before us.
@Poco_Lypso Just to clarify, I am European too, but get swamped by American "politics", if we can even call it that, on YT all the time.
It's annoying.
I do think we sort of disagree on the whole DEI pushing, though. I applaud efforts to be more inclusive, but at the right times and in the right places. My opinion is too nuanced though to just plop in here. So I will leave it at that. At least for now... Happy to offer my thoughts if people are interested.
@Samalik I feel the need to weigh in a little bit. Not to critique or downplay you, mind you, just to offer a counterthought.
The original text of Japanese made RPGs is, by definition, not made with any of us in mind. That is exactly the reason translation shifted to localization to begin with.
You see, it is by comparison pretty easy to translate German, Dutch, French, etc. to English without needing to change much to also convey the meaning behind the sentences.
Comparably, translating Japanese to English, and then rearrange the words to form grammatically correct English sentences is not going to form a coherent story at all. The intended meaning behind it is going to be, quite literally, lost in translation.
That saying exists for a reason.
Japanese is extremely far removed from English in not only alphabet, but also idioms, figurative speech, the list goes on.
That's not even taking into account the etiquette differences in speaking to others, and other cultural differences.
So yeah, I do expect localizations to change that. Most JRPGs exist in a faux European medieval fantasy setting, I kind of expect them to react as faux Europeans. And I don't mind if the Japanese version has them reacting in Japanese manners, I applaud it. That gives Japanese players a way to connect to the characters. But I need to connect to them as well, and that requires at least SOME changes. At the very least.
But honestly, I don't think localizations go far enough. But it's honestly an entirely different discussion.
Just my two cents. Okay, fair enough, this was two dollars worth of text volume.
Comments 2,110
Re: No Man's Sky's 'The Cursed' Update Adds A Spooky Space Adventure In Time For Halloween
@JohnnyMind Your backlog is the REAL spooky story here.
Re: Review: Shin chan: Shiro And The Coal Town (Switch) - A Stunningly Beautiful Game, Uncomplicated Yet Weird
I didn't like the shift to a more futuristic city-scape, but hearing it's only part of the game and actaullly a sort of dream world makes me like the idea all the more.
But I feel like I should play the other game first.
Will I ever have time again to waste on videogames? Ahh, that is MY dream world.
Re: As Expected, Nintendo Is Struggling To Contain Switch Online Playtest Leaks
@Dr_Corndog Naah, I googled it too. Mot long enough tonfind more than a really small screenshot and some vague description, but no. We are ot the leakers, and of course we are curious.
But I wouldn't have given it another mind if nobody had leaked. I had simply waited patiently.
Re: As Expected, Nintendo Is Struggling To Contain Switch Online Playtest Leaks
Ugh, people...
Honestly... it's just so childish to immediately leak everything.
Re: Preview: Mario & Luigi: Brothership - A Couple Of Concerns, But Otherwise Looking Shipshape
Not for me but it looks amazing. I live the way the graphics look eve in these still images.
Alas, hardly any time these days.
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl: Balloon Fight (NES)
@Azuris Yep, that makes sense historically. German, French, Spanish and Italian were often language options aside English.
Guess no research was needed. ^_^
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl: Balloon Fight (NES)
@sdelfin Dutch were too. I do not know why certain countries have different bixes, or which ones and why. Seems like nobody has done research on it.
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl: Balloon Fight (NES)
@sdelfin Okay, fair enough. Didn't know early games had circular everywhere.
But I've seen a fair few box art brawls where we, the Netherlands, got the same box as the US ones, and never the "European" ones.
Re: Best Super Mario Games Of All Time
@ear_wig You do realise this list is based on reader scores, right? So if you disagree with it, vote on it and make your buddies vote too. That's how the list becomes more representative.
Re: Best Super Mario Games Of All Time
Let's see how many people fail to properly read the article and instantly jump to conclusions about this non-definitive list.
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl: Balloon Fight (NES)
Please stop calling it the European version when that one only released in parts of Europe. The box art you chose to represent the US box art is literally a European one (the Seal of Approval is round instead of the US oval).
Anyhoo, nostalgia wins for me here. "US" one it is.
Re: 'RPG Maker With' For Switch Is Getting PlayStation 5 Cross-Platform Support
@Samalik Well, I guess... And I guess console versions are for a different demographic than their PC counterparts to begin with.
It just feels... like a redundant package, I guess? It's not the most difficult thing to use, but once you are sort of proficient in this kind of game package, you're kind of doing yourself a disservice by not just jumping ship to a more powerful game creation suite, like Unreal or Unity, which are free. Throw in Aseprite, which is very cheap, if you want to do pixel art, and you are good to go. Great to go, honestly.
Re: Video: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Side-By-Side Graphics Comparison
@wiiware Uhhh... What? How is a trident the opposite of a cross?
And I didn't say they replaced it with a hindu symbol. I said the only thing I could find on the trident as a symbol was its significance in hinduism, aside from Greek mythology. So what I was saying is I couldn't find anything denoting the trident as a devil symbol.
And now you are conflating the symbolism on a Priest character, one that I am sure nobody paid too much mind to, other than not wanting to have Christian symbolism in an animé fantasy game, with their desire to be more inclusive. The choice of changing it to type A and B has nothing to do with the change in attire of a Priest character.
And whether or not that inclusiveness is warranted or achieved with type A and B is another discussion, but that's apparently the reasoning behind it.
Those two have very little to do with one another, aside from both being changes to the original format. I can even safely assert that the change in the Priest's iconography is for very different reasons than the female Fighter's change in appearance, to name that third change.
This is far from the first time a Japanese game changes iconography for Western audiences. Whether or not you agree with the changes is besides the point. They changed swastikas with stars in many games, and I am guessing there isn't a single soul on this planet that doesn't understand the reasoning behind it.
I am guessin the developers or localizers thought a cross might also rub some people the wrong way in a similar (albeit less intense) way.
So again, how is it a devil symbol?
Re: The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess Manga Series Box Set Now Available
Sounds like an excellent gift for my son. Bit pricy though. Not bad value, mind you, but an investment for sure.
Re: 'RPG Maker With' For Switch Is Getting PlayStation 5 Cross-Platform Support
Shame the artwork accompanying these releases are always a lot better than the sprite art that comes with the packages.
It's not that it's terrible, it's just so cookie cutter.
Re: Video: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Side-By-Side Graphics Comparison
@wiiware Do you mean the trident symbol? How is that a devil symbol? A quick search tells me it at least has positive connotations in hinduism, and I've never seen it used in Christian symbolism. The only Western usage I know of is Greek mythology.
Doesn't mean you are wrong, mind you, I am genuinely curious how that translated to a devil symbol for you.
Re: League Of Legends Developer Riot Games Confirms Another Wave Of Layoffs
@axelhander Fair enough.
Who knew the NL comment section could produce such thoughtful content?
Thanks for that!
Re: League Of Legends Developer Riot Games Confirms Another Wave Of Layoffs
What? Not sustainable projects are not sustainable? You don't say.
Gotta keep thoses shares up, though.
I am starting to hate this world more and more.
Re: Talking Point: Just How Damaging Is This Big Pokémon Leak?
@JohnnyMind Sure, concept art and music is cool, even some thi gs that you might think a bit embarrasing, but I was talking almost literal trash. There is stuff that is simply not worth keeping, let alone sharing.
Maybe the devs here were asked to save even their most horrendous trash, and THAT got leaked now.
It's just not okay what happened here.
Re: Talking Point: Just How Damaging Is This Big Pokémon Leak?
@Dubcheezy They din't release stuff because of greed? No...
Okay, bad comparison maybe, but I make music. I have some song on Spotify. I also have about 300 different "songs" (term used loosely) on my hard drive. Some of those are utter, utter trash. One can argue so are my releases, but that's a different argument. Anyways, they were things I tried out. Things nobody needs to hear, nor want to.
I already read some comments saying they can never look at Typhlosion the same again.
It's probably a word doc that should've been toased in the bin but hadn't. Probably nothing more. I doubt whoever came up with it has any recollection of even writing it.
Sometimes things are just doodles. Doodles that shoukd not be brought to light. Because it sullies people's experience.
I don't have any huge fans of my music, I am far from prolific enough, but if I had fans, and they would hear my trash files, they would be put off.
Nothing to do with greed.
Re: Random: Kit And Krysta Pull Back The Curtain On Nintendo's "Controversial" Switch Teaser Photo
Never saw that or the subsequent memes. But I am also pretty much only here online, amd not a lot of other places.
Re: Feature: That Time I Was Invited To Square HQ To Playtest Final Fantasy VI
Yeah, y'all have gone real quiet since I dropped that bombshell.
Re: Every Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy Advance (GBA) Game Ranked
Steady gentlemen!! This list is made out of user scores.
OUR user scores. If a few people scored a bad game highly, it will be higher up the list than a good game scored poorly by many.
If you disagree, give a game a score if you haven't already.
Re: Feature: That Time I Was Invited To Square HQ To Playtest Final Fantasy VI
@RunninBlue Yes, that one.
And to everyone here, sit down before I tell you about another hidden feature of FFIII.
Are you siting down?
It has multiplayer!
Re: Feature: That Time I Was Invited To Square HQ To Playtest Final Fantasy VI
@niner You owe us a picture of your Halloween costume in a few weeks.
Just pretend like you are talking about a LotR game, and throw in a pic. We won't tell!
Re: Feature: That Time I Was Invited To Square HQ To Playtest Final Fantasy VI
@CammyUnofficial The game came with a poster, just about A4 sized, of Mog, same as the box art. I had it too.
Re: Feature: That Time I Was Invited To Square HQ To Playtest Final Fantasy VI
Ah FFIII. I am not sure from reading your piece if playing it was a life changing experience. It certainly was for me.
When I was a kid, there was a store in a village not far from the city where I lived, which sold imported games. The woman who ran it was such a nice person. This is where I was introduced to FFIII, a game which would never release in Europe in its SNES form.
I also bought Breath of Fire, Chrono Trigger and Mario RPG there. Maybe some more I am forgetting right now. It was a magnificent place.
I was also introduced to a Japanese N64 with Mario 64 on it, way before it would be released, and I will gladly tell you the embarrassing truth, I did NOT understand that controller, trying to reach the middle stick while holding it like a regular joystick, instead of holding it middle to right.
Anyhoo, I played FFIII for about an hour there after an event she had hosted for that unicycle game, forgot the name. I am so glad I took it home. It probably wasn't my first RPG, though it might have been, but it was definitely the one with the absolute most impact on me.
The woman there was also somewhat impressed by my grasp of English. I remember her saying that to my folks. In those days, it was apparently pretty unique for a kid my age to be that good at English...
I love this game dearly!
Thank you for sharing your story, Nathan! Sounds like you were a lucky kid with all that playtesting!
Re: Dragon Quest HD-2D Remakes Include A "Surprise" If You Play In Chronological Order
@Ruler-Of-All-Evil Well, maybe Call of Duty games that were churned out faster than one could buy. Sure, there were probably many games on sale quicker than average.
But the same still holds true. I missed out on Unicorn Overlord. Sold out everywhere! Several months later I found a copy in the wild for 60. Instantly bought it. Two weeks later I saw the game for 35 in the same store chain, in different cities.
Suffice to suy I was pretty ticked off. Pretty much same thing with all RPGs I bought day one, though. Rarity no longer seems to be an issue.
@Synecdoche Outliers be outlyin'
Re: Dragon Quest HD-2D Remakes Include A "Surprise" If You Play In Chronological Order
@Ruler-Of-All-Evil Game prices are one of the few things that have remained pretty constant over the years, at least where I live. They were always the equivalent of 60 bucks. From Atari2600 up to now. Always the same.
In fact, we have way more cheaper options now than we did back then.
Re: With EA Playing For Another Team, FIFA Kicks Off New eSports Collaboration With Konami
So they decided to rebrand Pro Evolution Soccer as... eFootball???
That's like Nintendo saying "You know what? Jump Game is a much better name for our Mario franchise!"
Re: The Original 'Stalker' Trilogy Is Launching On Switch This Halloween
@Glasso They are AMAZING!! Or at least the first one. Not enough experien e with the others yet. Never had the time... but the first one is one of my all time fave games for sure.
Graphics hold up incredibly well, if you ask me, but I am not much of a graphics connoissuer, so that's in the eye of the beholder.
Still, I am wary that it will always be better on PC, so not sure if I will get it.
Re: Random: More Retro Mario Figurines Live To Fight Another Day Thanks To 3D Scanning
@Pillowpants Well, yes, but it wasn't JUST a dream. They were entering Mario's head in am effort to enter the real world, but failed. So it was a dream, but still real. Some, like the shy guys, eventually found a way out of the Dream World to compete in Mario Kart amd whatnot...
I just made this up, but it sounds plausible enough, no?
Re: Dragon Quest's Creator Criticises 'Mistranslation' Of DQ3 Remake Costume Comments
@ottoecamn Well, we weren't so far on opposite ends as we thought.
I will say though, I think in the canon of Western localizations, it is widely accepted that Onigiri, shape and all, is a Jelly-filled Donut. Seems to be in every game that has them.
Yeah, Unicorn Overlord had some good localization. Not great, but good. I still think they could've gone further. If memory serves me well, the best one I have seen so far is the PSP remaster of Final Fantasy Tactics, and FF XII was also really good. The Tactics Ogre remaster was also great, I think. Can't remember, it's been a little while since I played any of them.
Unicorn Overlord doesn't quite come as close, but it was a valiant effort.
Re: Poll: Box Art Brawl - Duel: Mario Party Advance
@Dr_Corndog Haha, nice!!
Re: Atlus Reveals Top 10 'Most Popular' Characters In Unicorn Overlord
My girl Chloe in the top 10. I know you can end up choosing to marry someone, and I wouldn't pair her with Alain. I see her more as a good match for Lex. Don't tell me anything though, I am not that far in yet.
I find her adorbs though.
Re: Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom's Overworld Appears To Include Links To The Past
Well, if you ask me, LttP and Link's Awakaning are all part of the same "Link" story. Awakening is pretty obviously a sequel to Past.
They are... linked if you will.
Maybe Link between Worlds and and the Oracle games too, never played those.
Re: Dragon Quest's Creator Criticises 'Mistranslation' Of DQ3 Remake Costume Comments
@ottoecamn Right! Well, good to know we can respect one another regardless of opinion.
I understand where you are coming from though. I just don't see it as harmful to change certain things. Especially not if it makes the product better. Granted, in this cake example, the changed text wasn't better, but I also see it as a harmless change.
There are, however, instances where localization definitely elevated the game. FF XII comes to mind. I obviously don't know the JP version, but the English version had a very Shakespearian vibe in its script. I am guessing the original JP script was in the same tone as, say, a FF VII. So they changed the writing to be Shakespearian-esque (for lack of a better word). The voice acting also had a very matching accent, very British sounding. It made the game world so much better.
Maybe that is also why I have no gripe about localizers taking liberties. I LOATHE the American bratty teenage vibe a lot of RPGs carry, with matching VA.
Eiyuden Chronicles comes to mind. The girl character in the start was insufferably contemporary American. VA was turned off the minute I was able to, but even in the writing, it oozed anachronistic mannerisms.
Hopefully my explanations give you some insight into why I don't mind changes as much.
Re: Final Fantasy Creator Jokes That He "Cheated On Nintendo" With PlayStation
Like said, Nintendo did Sony dirty first.
Thankful for them though. The Playstation was FANTASTIC and VERY few of the games on it would have existed on a Nintendo platform.
Re: Dragon Quest's Creator Criticises 'Mistranslation' Of DQ3 Remake Costume Comments
@Poco_Lypso I guess you are right. There is no modern audience in that sense. But if we are talking about meaningless labels, add woke to that list, please. That label has lost its meaning all the same.
Re: Dragon Quest's Creator Criticises 'Mistranslation' Of DQ3 Remake Costume Comments
@Samalik Fair enough. I like your explanation. And I guess I sort of misunderstood what you meant, or at least we are on a slightly different field of the subject.
Yeah, I am no otaku. I like many parts of the animé aesthetic, but certainly not all. In that sense, DQ is indeed not intended for me. A game like FF XII is heaps closer to my taste. Suikoden too, though I dislike certain "cute" monsters. Yeah, DQ is not "written" for me in thar sense. I was more aiming at certain cultural refrences, but mannerisms as well, that are simply too foreign for Western audiences to understand. In that sense, localization is a must.
But we are steering far away from the bikini armor. Sorry mods.
Re: Dragon Quest's Creator Criticises 'Mistranslation' Of DQ3 Remake Costume Comments
@ottoecamn So you respectfully disagree but find my comment extremely negative? Sorry, not trying to be co descending, but that sounds a bit contradictory. I am not trying to be negative... what do you mean?
I will concede that I took that line out of the context I don't know existed, that of her character being who she is.
And her talking about herself is in many cultures absolutely fine and won't be seen as offensive towards others, Japanese culture to me seems to be that way. However, and that was the point I was trying to make, perhaps poorly, is that comments about oneself is in plenty Western cultures also often considered a direct jab at others. Which is why I believe this was not a bad change.
But I am not saying removing a line is going to make people magically feel better. I am saying changing that line makes sure they won't feel worse.
I do really wonder how my comment is being construed as negative, because I am not trying to sound as such.
Re: Dragon Quest's Creator Criticises 'Mistranslation' Of DQ3 Remake Costume Comments
@MegaVel91 Well, misinformed mindset maybe.
@cmlobue I would have to agree with you.
@Poco_Lypso Believe it or not, here in Holland it is very often the exact other way around.
At one point, the price of an off-brand energy drink (think Red Bull) was LESS THAN HALF the price of a bottle of water. I am not even exaggerating. A bottle of water was like 1 Euro a bottle, where the can of energy drink was something in the ball park of 50 cents or something. Of course, that is a bottle of take-away water, and you have cheaper options, but it was insane to me to see those two side by side.
Just a quick search;
Brocolli is currently 1.25 a kilo. You will still need something to go along with that. Potatoes,1.85 a kilo. And if you only need half a kilo? Same price.
A box of 3 pizzas is 3.89 - and I know for a fact that box was 2,99 a couple of months ago.
That's just a quick search. It's INSANE how much more expensive healthy options are in our country. And don't get me wrong, the Netherlands is a good place to live, for me at least, I am not complaining, but there are people that really do not have the luxury to afford healthy food.
One can argue that they then also do not have the luxury to buy a game like Fire Emblem to get offended by a weight joke, but that doesn't make such a comment any less unnecessary.
Re: New TMNT: Shredder's Revenge Collector's Edition Comes Bundled With DLC, Figures & More
@Pipulitoch Oh for sure, it is greed on their part, or at the very least badly thought out. I don't like this practice at ALL. And I can totally understand people being frustrated. But it's still a frustration over a commodity.
And I am not holier than thou, mind you. I get frustrated over things that are not extremely important too. This is a nasty practice, but yeah...
Re: Dragon Quest's Creator Criticises 'Mistranslation' Of DQ3 Remake Costume Comments
@Poco_Lypso Not sure where you live, but my country, for all its good things, isn't very cheap when it comes to healthy food.
I'll be the first to admit I don't always make the right choice when it comes to food, but the wrong choice is oftentimes twice as cheap as a healthy option. Its crazy lol.
I don't make a terrible living, but there are plenty families with far less to spend than me.
Re: Dragon Quest's Creator Criticises 'Mistranslation' Of DQ3 Remake Costume Comments
@Poco_Lypso Well, not really.
Example; I watched a few podcasts on YT. So that might tell YT I like podcasts. Unfortunately, a lot of podcasts are very hard leaning political podcasts, so it is constantly pushing that crap on me too. And that goes for both left and right leaning podcasts, I hate them (almost) equally.
And when I watch shorts, I make sure to tell YT not to recommend channels that offer me certain things, yet it KEEPS pushing that very specific content (from different channels) on me. Like, I get the same comedian I despise in my feed all the time, because he happens to work with another comedian that I watched a few things of. I can block that content all I want, it keeps coming back.
So no, that is not entirely correct.
Re: Dragon Quest's Creator Criticises 'Mistranslation' Of DQ3 Remake Costume Comments
Here comes part 2. I am really sorry Mods, but I feel this is too important to shorten.
We do not have infinite choice in what we eat, especially not if you have very little disposable income. And a lot of illnesses that make people obese are fully outside of choice. I can name at least one example of an illness that creates obesity even with the healthiest of diets and regular exercise. You cannot fault that person for being obese. It's literally genetic. And when that person gets confronted with such a remark in a game, it's only going to make them feel miserable.
Whenever I see pictures of the general Japanese public, I do not see a lot of obesity. I am guessing their culture, their entire way of living, including diet and governmental choices and everything else that affects daily living, affects their bodies in a way that they are not quickly to become obese. At least not as quickly as some Western places. So in that sense, yes, when you eat a lot of cakes, you will gain some weight. I can see how that feels less offensive to the general public.
It can still make some people feel uncomfortable, mind you, but it's in a different league. I am also guessing that not a lot of Japanese people body shame the people around them in the same crass manner that we see in many Western countries.
I am not saying I am completely in the right here, mind you, simply offering some counterargument. But I really do feel that in this case, the localizers did right. It is insensitive to make people feel insecure and selfconscious over their own bodies. It is insensitive when it is entirely not their fault they are obese, but also even when it is.
Changing it has very little to do with changing art. It's not like we are reading classical literature here. It's unnecessary, in its original form, for Western audiences.
I do not hear many people cry over movie adaptations changing some things. "Well, this doesn't work in a movie that's only 90 minutes, so I get why they changed it."
Well, this here doesn't work in Western society (anymore), so I get why they changed it.
End
Re: Dragon Quest's Creator Criticises 'Mistranslation' Of DQ3 Remake Costume Comments
@ottoecamn I really feel the need to "weigh in" on one of your points here. Yes, that is a bit of a pun I am making as an overweight dude.
This is not to discredit you, but to simply offer a counterargument to think about.
I am going to quote you so you know what I am referring to:
"I can clearly tell that what I'm hearing and what I'm reading aren't remotely the same thing. (One example that always comes to my mind is a support talk where Rosemary is originally worried about gaining weight from eating too many cakes, yet the localization says she's embarrassed about making a silly face while eating. I don't know how anyone can defend that type of crap with a straight face.)"
Here is one example where I feel the localizers actually did right, whether or not intentional.
Disclaimer first, I do not have nearly enough knowledge of Japanese culture to say my observations are objectively correct or not, but I do observe these things, so I am guessing they are.
Remarks about weight are (rightly) considered to be offensive in most Western countries these days. You might think that obese people are that way because of poor life choices, so take some accountability, right? And in some cases you might be correct.
But obesity in Western civilizations absolutely cannot be singularily attributed to poor individual life choices. A very big part of obesity is simply part of our civilization, and has been passed down, maybe even genetically, from generations before us.
End of part 1.
Re: New TMNT: Shredder's Revenge Collector's Edition Comes Bundled With DLC, Figures & More
Not a bad price for the game + DLC bundled. Shame though that we apparently need 3 versions. Shouldn't be that way. But ah well, first world problems.
Re: Dragon Quest's Creator Criticises 'Mistranslation' Of DQ3 Remake Costume Comments
@Poco_Lypso Just to clarify, I am European too, but get swamped by American "politics", if we can even call it that, on YT all the time.
It's annoying.
I do think we sort of disagree on the whole DEI pushing, though. I applaud efforts to be more inclusive, but at the right times and in the right places. My opinion is too nuanced though to just plop in here. So I will leave it at that. At least for now... Happy to offer my thoughts if people are interested.
Re: Dragon Quest's Creator Criticises 'Mistranslation' Of DQ3 Remake Costume Comments
@Samalik I feel the need to weigh in a little bit. Not to critique or downplay you, mind you, just to offer a counterthought.
The original text of Japanese made RPGs is, by definition, not made with any of us in mind. That is exactly the reason translation shifted to localization to begin with.
You see, it is by comparison pretty easy to translate German, Dutch, French, etc. to English without needing to change much to also convey the meaning behind the sentences.
Comparably, translating Japanese to English, and then rearrange the words to form grammatically correct English sentences is not going to form a coherent story at all. The intended meaning behind it is going to be, quite literally, lost in translation.
That saying exists for a reason.
Japanese is extremely far removed from English in not only alphabet, but also idioms, figurative speech, the list goes on.
That's not even taking into account the etiquette differences in speaking to others, and other cultural differences.
So yeah, I do expect localizations to change that. Most JRPGs exist in a faux European medieval fantasy setting, I kind of expect them to react as faux Europeans. And I don't mind if the Japanese version has them reacting in Japanese manners, I applaud it. That gives Japanese players a way to connect to the characters. But I need to connect to them as well, and that requires at least SOME changes. At the very least.
But honestly, I don't think localizations go far enough. But it's honestly an entirely different discussion.
Just my two cents. Okay, fair enough, this was two dollars worth of text volume.