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Atelier Ayesha: Alchemist of Dusk |OT|

L

LuuKyK

Member
Yeah, Ive been playing the game for some hours now and the it blows my mind that the only BAD, and I mean it, voice in the game is of the main character. lmao

Im loving the game itself though. I feel like the time aspect of the game is much less important now. It actually makes the game more enjoyable imo. Welcome changes all around.
 
S

Stuart444

Member
Axelstream said:
Here's a livestream of the game going right now.

Man, Ayesha's voice -- and that localization -- are both pretty subpar. Beautiful game, though.
Click to expand...

Why is the localization subpar? The voice, I can't comment on since I haven't heard her speak yet but I'm curious why you say the localization is subpar considering it's localized by the same folks that have done the other Atelier games.

edit: hearing the English voice of Ayesha... hmm. Not sure, it doesn't sound great or like I imagined she would sound like so we'll see. Might get used to it when I play through the game.

Spot on with Pascals voice for Regina though :) I'm happy with that
 
C

cjkeats

Member
I watched a bit of the stream and it seems fine. Voices are what I'd expect from a localized anime game. The redhead who appeared beforeI stopped watching was very well voiced however.

Like I noticed with Merruru though, the music seems way too loud and drowns out the voices. Good thing you can turn it down.
 
D

dakkumauji

Member
Yeah, watching bits of the stream and it seems on par with the other Atelier games.

And, yes, still has that whole music drowns out the voices at some points too.
 
S

Suikoguy

I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
I heard you can shut off the voices all together if they bother you, not a good enough reason on it's own to avoid buying the game.

Boycotting the game over that is like shooting yourself in the foot. Yeah, you may get immediate attention, but then will be called an idiot, since your foot will likely never function the same way again... Actually, as I think about it, that analogy is kind of confusing.

To put it another way, the game is too niche, and boycotting it will just mean they won't bother releasing further games over here. If you want to protest, send an email. Provide financial incentive by saying, I'd pay $10 for a DLC of Japanese voice overs, or something. It DOES cost money to license them for over here.
 
C

Clov

Member
To my great surprise, the game happened to be in stock at my local EB Games, who usually NEVER gets niche games like this in on time. I picked up my copy of it, though I probably won't be playing it for a while; I still have Ni no Kuni to finish.
 
A

Axelstream

Member
Stuart444 said:
Why is the localization subpar? The voice, I can't comment on since I haven't heard her speak yet but I'm curious why you say the localization is subpar considering it's localized by the same folks that have done the other Atelier games.
Click to expand...

This is the first Atelier game I'm looking into, so that opinion comes from my (admittedly high) standards for localizations in general. Perhaps my expectations are in the wrong place, but there's a bunch of little translation bits that are too literal, like "I can't reach my sister with my own hands", which are only exacerbated by the fact that the lines are voiced. You can hear the voice actors trying to work their way around odd word choices and excessive wordiness -- that's what makes their cadence sound stilted, especially in Ayesha's case, as she has a lot of introspective monologue.

That... sounds really nitpicky when I read it back. To be fair, it's definitely not a deal-breaker, and it's a pretty common symptom of these kinds of games I suppose. The other characters beyond Ayesha seem more competently voiced, and I can still feel the distinct mannerisms of the individual characters in their dialogue. I've seen flat localization jobs rob characters of their personalities.
 
T

Torraz

Member
How long does it usually take for complete user FAQs/guides to appear for the Atelier games? Hoping to start playing my JP copy once I get it.
 
I

Impeccable

Member
My copy arrived today, ordered it Sunday.

Now it can sit on my shelf with rest of my backlog until I get some more free time!
 
S

Stuart444

Member
Axelstream said:
This is the first Atelier game I'm looking into, so that opinion comes from my (admittedly high) standards for localizations in general. Perhaps my expectations are in the wrong place, but there's a bunch of little translation bits that are too literal, like "I can't reach my sister with my own hands", which are only exacerbated by the fact that the lines are voiced. You can hear the voice actors trying to work their way around odd word choices and excessive wordiness -- that's what makes their cadence sound stilted, especially in Ayesha's case, as she has a lot of introspective monologue.

That... sounds really nitpicky when I read it back. To be fair, it's definitely not a deal-breaker, and it's a pretty common symptom of these kinds of games I suppose. The other characters beyond Ayesha seem more competently voiced, and I can still feel the distinct mannerisms of the individual characters in their dialogue. I've seen flat localization jobs rob characters of their personalities.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, fair points :) I didn't watch much of the stream so I can't say anything til I get the game hopefully tomorrow.

Also the bit you mentioned does sound a bit literal but I also have no context so it would sound weird to me regardless until I see it in-game myself :).
 
Spirit Icana

Spirit Icana

Member
I'm playing the game right now. So far...

I don't like Ayesha's voice. Sounds like Christina Vee (Noel Vermillion) is voicing her, at a high pitch. Like she's trying to match Marina Inoue. Christina tends to read the script literally which is fine if its an Aksys localization, but NISA's writers aren't nearly as good.

Regina is not played by Kate Higgins (Pascal). Sounds like Wendee Lee to me.

Ernie is indeed Bryce Papenbrook (Asbel). Sounds good. The wimp sounds tougher in English. :)

Keith isn't bad so far. I like his voice.

So far, the guys are good. The girls suck (they're annoying).

Gotta hear Wilbell and Yuris now. *gulp*

The script isn't that great either. Not sure I agree with some of NISA's writing decisions so far, like for example in the herb garden I felt like some words (like a certain someones name) should've been dropped as we already know who Ayesha is talking about. It just comes off as ackward.

dakkumauji said:
Yeah, watching bits of the stream and it seems on par with the other Atelier games.
Click to expand...

For voices, I think Totori blows this away so far. Well, the main character voice anyway. The guys sound fine enough.

I'll probably get used to Ayesha's voice eventually.... I hope.
 
R

Ravage

Member
This is the first time i'll be playing with English VO...seems alright so far. Can't play much before the weekends arrive though.
 
Skyfireblaze

Skyfireblaze

Member
My EU copy hasn't shipped from Amazon yet, I guess I will get this on Thursday :( To all those who have it already have fun! :D And is there a video with Ayesha's English voice? I kind of curious.
 
Spirit Icana

Spirit Icana

Member
Anyway, no more complaining from me. I'm gonna play more now. Hopefully the voices I don't like will grow on me.

The music.... yeah! :D
 
V

Volcynika

Member
My copy's not coming till Thursday but I had a good laugh at the PR stuff I saw online

Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk follows the story of Ayesha Altugle, a girl who has been living alone in a secluded workshop ever since her grandfather died and her younger sister went missing a few years ago. She supports herself by making and selling medicine. As the story begins, she finds out that her younger sister IS alive somewhere in the world. Now, she must devote herself to finding her younger sister. Her journey to keep her promise begins...
Click to expand...

Is the sister older? I couldn't tell!
 
Spirit Icana

Spirit Icana

Member
Okay, either I'm going crazy or...

Christina Vee is voicing Ayesha AND Wilbell.

Yeah... well at least she doesn't sound too bad as Wilbell. Decent so far. Lower pitch voice compared to Ayesha. I much prefer Christina's lower pitch voice. Ain't gonna touch Asami Seto's performance though.

Can't help but imagine how she's talking to herself in the booth though. lol

Okay, now to hear Yuris and Nio so I can stop thinking about voices and play this game properly.
 
A

Axelstream

Member
Spirit Icana said:
I don't like Ayesha's voice. Sounds like Christina Vee (Noel Vermillion) is voicing her, at a high pitch. Like she's trying to match Marina Inoue. Christina tends to read the script literally which is fine if its an Aksys localization, but NISA's writers aren't nearly as good.
Click to expand...

Mmm, good analysis -- I think it's her as well. After hearing her in BlazBlue and Skullgirls I was surprised to see what is a step or two down from her previous performances. Though the script is a big part of the problem, I don't understand the choice to raise the pitch of her voice either. The two problems combine and it sounds constricted and unnatural.

I'll go check out the male voices, though. From what I've heard of some of the other characters, it's the writing which causes the performances to suffer, not the other way around.

EDIT: Yeah, Keith isn't bad. Script doesn't do him any favors though. "Your sister is in a place you cannot grasp with your hands." I do like the gruff tone of the prospector guy.
 
O

OceanBlue

Member
Ugh, Christina Vee is voicing Ayesha? I can't stand her voice. Her voicing multiple characters in Blazblue wasn't very enjoyable. Watching this livestream is convincing me that I won't be a fan.

Are there subtitles for the cutscenes? I might just turn off voices. I really was hoping she was playing a minor character or something.
 
Spirit Icana

Spirit Icana

Member
OceanBlue said:
Ugh, Christina Vee is voicing Ayesha? I can't stand her voice. Her voicing multiple characters in Blazblue wasn't very enjoyable. Watching this livestream is convincing me that I won't be a fan.

Are there subtitles for the cutscenes? I might just turn off voices. I really was hoping she was playing a minor character or something.
Click to expand...

All scenes in this game are accompanied by text. And yes, you can turn off the voices. And I think Christina Vee is playing Ayesha AND a supporting character, Wilbell. So you get two doses of her if you leave voices on. ;p
 
L

LayLa

Member
Spirit Icana said:
All scenes in this game are accompanied by text. And yes, you can turn off the voices.
Click to expand...

that's good enough for me! clicked around randomly on that guys 5 hour saved stream and didn't see anything that was without text. game looks absolutely gorgeous. have hype!
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
I just started. Not fond of Ayesha's voice but the others seem decent enough so far. That's good at least.
 
S

Suikoguy

I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
Other then that, the game feels different enough from the Arland trilogy, which is nice.

Also, items stack :eek:
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
Okay, Wilbell is hnnngtastic!

F6EABF1C-59E9-4478-9860-6FFFF70E289C-2332-000004685D12F9D8_zps66f080e1.jpg
 
Spirit Icana

Spirit Icana

Member
luxuria said:
Ayesha isn't voiced by Vee. It's actually Erika Harlacher.

https://twitter.com/ErikaHarlacher
Click to expand...

Whoa! Good find! Thanks!

I think you just saved my opinion of Vee a little bit.

I'm still guessing Vee did do Wilbell though. And Wilbell is fine. :)

Everybody else, except Juris' sister, is okay. I had a lot of fun playing the game just now. Still don't like Ayesha's voice. Sorry, Erika.

Don't know if Erika is new or not to VAing. Never heard of her before.

The music in the Hallo Town is awesome. :D
 
Skyfireblaze

Skyfireblaze

Member
Has anybody else here ordered Atelier Ayesha from Amazon Germany? I usually get games a day before release which would be tomorrow but my copy still hasn't shipped which worries me :/ I mean I could always go into the store tomorrow and am likely to get it though with my luck Amazon will ship then leaving me with two copies :(

Then again I guess I could always leave the copy sealed and if Amazon sends theirs by the time I'm back I can just go return it...
 
D

Dinosur

Member
The progression path on this game is brutal. I had to reload twice last night because I ended up at places where 1 battle equaled death. Seems like (at least in the beginning) you have to rigidly follow what the Notebook is telling you to do. Even if the stop is along the path to your destination, the game still doesn't want you exploring yet.

Two sections I'm talking about (no more than 1-2 hours into the game)...

When you leave the Plaza town for the first time you can go north. Clearing that goes west. Clearing that goes south with a nice blue dragon that is totally not there for a party of lvl 5's or whatever to fight.

Reading the notebook makes you realize the game wants you to backtrack east to that starting ruin. If you stop in the town where you met Regina, there's a ruin sidequest in there. Every battle is against four enemies + leader and it's shear luck if you get out with someone alive.

Other than that, the game is fun and just what I was expecting. Ayesha's voice actor doesn't irk me that much but it's hilarious because you can tell sometime she forgets how to pronounce her own name. The only grating experience so far is all that oink moo crap from your pack cow.

Also, is there really no way to track requests? Talking to the random citizens who want items doesn't seem to get written down anywhere.
 
V

Varion

Member
Dinosur said:
Also, is there really no way to track requests? Talking to the random citizens who want items doesn't seem to get written down anywhere.
Click to expand...
There is really no way to track requests. One of the few things that really annoyed me in the Japanese version. As for the areas, yeah, there are a fair few in the game where the enemies get too hard, although I did appreciate the fact you could wander off and do areas like that. With proper items etc you can take down enemies a fair bit stronger than you later, though not so much when you first wander into the area you're talking about.
 
D

Dinosur

Member
Varion said:
There is really no way to track requests. One of the few things that really annoyed me in the Japanese version. As for the areas, yeah, there are a fair few in the game where the enemies get too hard, although I did appreciate the fact you could wander off and do areas like that. With proper items etc you can take down enemies a fair bit stronger than you later, though not so much when you first wander into the area you're talking about.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yeah, I don't think the difficulty spikes are bad design or anything, just wasn't expecting them. Now that I know it's something to look out for, I can be better prepared.
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
It was true of the prior two Ateliers, and it's true of this one. The character models in this game are FANTASTIC! After playing Ni no Kuni (which also looked great) AA's models blow it out of the water!
 
L

LuuKyK

Member
After a long time debating if it would be a good choice or not, I finally replaced Wilbell with Linca. Sorry. ;-; Linca is a much better/stronger character so I dont feel as bad. Also I just wrote one story in the diary that gave me Friends and Friends+ so that the characters not in the party receive full EXP. Awesome. Im taking my time with the game, since Im kinda busy with other stuff right now. But Im enjoying it a lot.
 
C

CharlesSurge

Member
I've only played a bit past an hour and it looks solid as I expected from having played a little of Totori.

I'm probably not qualified to be critical of this stuff, but I don't see a problem with the "sister is somewhere you cannot reach with your hands"(?) line in context. The man saying it is being vague on purpose and it may fit with the whole "rustic" setting where they might not have some of the modern conceptions we do.

Also, the digital version has no digital manual, but there is the in-game "Help" system which explains things, though I can't say how comprehensive it ends up being.
 
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