Anyone else looking forward to the US release coming this Spring?
Here’s a couple trailers. You’ll want to watch them both, because they’re wildly different in style. :lol:
Japanese trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/japan … d-of/24119
US trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/player/60352.html
US trailer makes me laugh so much :lol:
At least they know how to sell it in English
Sex sells 
LOL… nice adverstising. But seriously… what’s the gameplay like on this game like? Is it worth plucking down the $$$ for the thing? I mean I’m all for sexual innuendo and all, but what’s the RPG part like?
I hope they can make it past the ESRB without messing around with the game. I also hope the actual game is good, if so, this is something to definitely look at.
Found a user review of the UK version of the game here: http://thedaigurren.50.forumer.com/view … 2192#p2192
Gamefaqs average user score is 8.6, which is comparable to Ar Tonelico 2, a similar themed game I really liked. One magazine review gave it a 7.8: http://www.gamerankings.com/ps3/941765- … index.html
Supposedly the UK translation was somewhat poorly done, although “better than Ar Tonelico 2” sounds good enough for me. The US version will have some extra features from the Japanese Xbox 360 version, and will be available on both PS3 and Xbox 360 (though for unknown reasons, the PS3 version will be download-only).
“Unknown reasons” probably being 'Sony wouldn’t allow a game without English voiceover". That’s a long-standing policy of theirs. Apparently they’re relaxing it for PSN titles …
That’s fine, though I may have to get a bigger hard drive for my PS3 depending on how big the download is.
I do think it’s kind of a dumb policy, but in the end it’s their console so it’s their choice.
It also makes it more difficult to aquire used copies of and resell the game. I hope they drop the price accordingly, but knowing them they won’t.
I can see why it would make sense from a certain perspective. I can only imagine how much it hurt the sort of games I like to play, insofar as many of them wouldn’t be worth the cost of dubbing but would be respectable in English subs for a company like Atlus. But that’s why I learned Japanese.
Historically, a bubble formed around video games, where the underlying quality of the product became secondary; it was almost like speculation. People would make games and shovel them out onto the market as fast as they could to make money. Quaker Oats had a game division. Quaker Oats. Old friend of mine tells me he saw a game once that dated from the time where you turned it on, guys would run from the left side of the screen to the right, totally outside of your control. Enemies would shoot at them. If they hit the guys, they died. If the guys made it to the right, you got points. You had no control over anything at all - the game would sit there, and the score would go up by itself. This was the whole game. (Sure, a lot of people say that this wasn’t the whole story, but it was a large part of it.)
Bubble burst, Atari tanked. Whole line of business was destroyed. What Sony is trying to do is prevent shovelware from damaging the whole product line. Look at how crappy the translation is in a lot of Mangagamer’s early titles. Imagine a sea of these products on the shelves with other games.
A lot of people think subtitles blow. They think it detracts from the experience of watching the show cause they have to read the subtitles and watch at the same time. Many anime fans would disagree, and it took a long time for it to get drilled into Sony’s head that some people actually wanted the original language. So Sony said “We’ll make it a rule. All games must have English language dialog, or they must be subtitled.” (There must be an exception for cutscenes where languages are spoken that are supposed to be unknown, like in Ico.) The fact that often the dubbing sucked was beside the point. Subs without dubbed dialog give the impression of cheapness, and Sony probably figured if the game wouldn’t sell enough to cover the cost, it’s a waste of time anyway.
Am I pissed off by this? Yeah, cause it means that a lot of the kind of things that I like tend to get blocked from coming over as a result. It pisses me off even more, because there are a lot of truly awful games that do end up being released on those systems anyway, and “quirky” or heavily culturally Japanese games tend to get blocked by this process a lot. But there are good reasons why they would do this. I think they kind of got a little lost along the way, and they smothered everything with a layer of secrecy so they wouldn’t have to listen to people bitching - when in fact, that’s wrong, because people bitching is a sign of unmet demand.
I’ve been looking on PSN for this for the last 4 months, just because I read that it was in the process of being localized, now I can stop checking until spring. As a fan of the Ar tonelico series I definitely appreciate a little ecchi to go with my level grinding. Didn’t know it was being released for the 360 at all though, and its on disc at that. Hm, dunno if I should get the 360 version or the PS3 one now though :?
Oh, I definitely see where they are coming from with the policy. I agree with you that it seems to block out what could possibly be some very good and fun games from making there way overseas. I think a less stifling policy would be nice, and I’m sure one of the minds at Sony could come up with something, but they either can’t or won’t so for now I try to remain content with what I can get.
Well the general theory is that Sony is acting like they won the console wars, and can be picky dictators who are justified in telling developers what to release, because their sales record indicate profits in the millions. Of course the reality is the total opposite… but hey… Sony released the PSP GO despite all evidence it would have failed, so it should be no surprise Sony are delusional.
But if Sony is willing to let the developers run the PSN, without oversight or overruling, that would be a Godsend. They can keep the boxed media then: I’ll go digital.
Have to agree with this, If I can get JRPGs that I wouldn’t be able to get because they won’t commit to production on hard copies, I’ll gladly buy the Digital copy.
Just a note, that this is by the same Company that did Cross-Edge. (Compile Heart)
Although it looks like a different Company is doing the Port. (NIS America did the Cross Edge port)
I’ve pitched this reason before, but I have no evidence to back the “dub rule” other than hearsay–and believe me, I looked. You have anything other than forum hearsay to back this up? Also, reputedly the next Yakuza title on PS3 is supposed to be subs-only, yet retailers are suggesting it’s going to be available as a boxed title: http://www.siliconera.com/2009/12/14/ya … to-stores/
Aksys just announced a “Really Naughty Limited Edition” for the Xbox 360: http://www.aksysgames.com/2010/01/26/th … -is-a-lie/
Visit the page and watch the video to see the items in action. I suspect there’s a number of people here who might be interested in this Collector’s Edition. 
That Video was so wrong, it was funny and sad at the same time :lol:
Sony does allow some titles. Romance of the Three Kingdoms was always subbed.
There’s no official written directive: just a significantly higher chance of a localization getting rejected for not being dubbed. It’s easier to have a game with sub AND dub modes, than just a sub mode.
Looking over the last 6 months, it appears the SCEA has been laxing their “hardcore standards” significantly: approving games they previously would have rejected out of hand. I suppose the realization that they aren’t winning the console war, has finally taken effect. Took them long enough… :roll:
It’s not just Sony though: Nintendo also has a similar policy. Sony is just more dickish about it. If a game is high quality or unique, Nintendo will green light without hesitation. Sony will play mind games and pretend they’re blind.
All in all the issue is a marketing thing: executives think a game will seller much worst if it’s only in Japanese. There’s also the worry that shovelware will find it’s way overseas. Japan has a LOT of crappy games. Then you have a ton of fourth-rate Korean and Taiwanese games, that could find their way here, if it was a free for all.
This is an Idea Factory game so it will suck. IF is the king of 'kuso-ge." In the west, it might do well though. I’ve met a lot of western “anime gamers” who will buy everything that’s an anime-styled RPG regardless of it’s actual quality. :?