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[Scrow]

FEoR site has opened up. It isn't the full version, but there's still a few things to check out. Three really nice wallpapers and a preview I'm still downloading.

http://www.fire-emblem.com/pathofradiance/prelaunch/index.html

edit: preview is just a nice showcase of the art, some FMV sequences and a few quick shots of ingame combat animations. I wonder if the music is from the game?

 

[Synbios459]

Shining Force hasn't aged well for me. It doesn't have the fun micromanagement of the N1 or Tactics Ogre/FFT games, nor does it have the raw strategy and tactical depth of Fire Emblem.
In fact, it's really devoid of any kind of decent elements, since it's basically boils down to arbitarely pointing guys at enemies and choosing "attack".

Shining Force GBA was a hoot though. Interesting to see a childhood favorite get an overhaul.

Heh, I'm the exact opposite, all this "micro management" turned me off. I have played FFT, TO, etc. but SF is something I LOVE to go back to.

Interestingly enough, I DID like Rise of Nations. Not enough to play through the campaign, but I like to start it up and go a round or two.

 

[Silkworm]

I'm currently playing through Sacred Stones FE game. Man this game seems a lot different from the first GBA FE. You don't need to have your own wagon/merchant to store items as their is a supply wagon always available so no need to item manage too much. If you have more items than you can carry just send it off to the supply instead of having to figure out how to carry it or having to drop some other less essential item. Sheesh, you can visit armories and vendors while in the map screen! Talk about making things simpler Right now this makes SS much easier than the previous GBA FE. I wonder if this is how Path of Radiance will be or if it will be more like the 1st Fire Emblem game? I kind of hope it's more unforgiving like this first GBA FE. Oh well, I'm enjoying SS so far and I'm definitely going to snatch up the FEoR when it's released

 

[Dragona Akehi]

FEoR site has opened up. It isn't the full version, but there's still a few things to check out. Three really nice wallpapers and a preview I'm still downloading.

http://www.fire-emblem.com/pathofradiance/prelaunch/index.html

edit: preview is just a nice showcase of the art, some FMV sequences and a few quick shots of ingame combat animations. I wonder if the music is from the game?

That's the opening movie in all of its glory. The music is fantastic, and that's just a taste of it.

Fire Emblem is FAB-U-LOUS.

I never got a chance to post impressions other than "OMFG THIS GAME ROCKS" so, here's a link to my import review.

 

[JasoNsider]

That's the opening movie in all of its glory. The music is fantastic, and that's just a taste of it.

Fire Emblem is FAB-U-LOUS.

I never got a chance to post impressions other than "OMFG THIS GAME ROCKS" so, here's a link to my import review.

Awesome review, Dragona. But tell me one thing: is the story as good as the first North American Fire Emblem? It was the story and awesome characters that kept me going in that game. It was a really well designed game but I really loved the story arch and scenarios.

I can't wait for Path of Radiance.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Awesome review, Dragona. But tell me one thing: is the story as good as the first North American Fire Emblem? It was the story and awesome characters that kept me going in that game. It was a really well designed game but I really loved the story arch and scenarios.

I can't wait for Path of Radiance.

Better. At least in my opinion.

 

[worldrunover]

When is Nintendo actually gonna use VOICE in a game that isn't STAR FOX? I mean seriously.

Seriously. Voice actors. Splurge a little and get them.

Other than that, yay PoR!

 

[Dragona Akehi]

When is Nintendo actually gonna use VOICE in a game that isn't STAR FOX? I mean seriously.

Seriously. Voice actors. Splurge a little and get them.

Other than that, yay PoR!

Psst, Path of Radiance has voice acting.

 

[Culex]

Psst, Path of Radiance has voice acting.

It's funny that when the game was announced, I said it would most likely have voice acting, and was poo-poo'ed for it.

 

[Beezy]

Psst, Path of Radiance has voice acting.

Sweet. What are the chances that the U.S version will also have the japanese voices?

 

[Jive Turkey]

When is Nintendo actually gonna use VOICE in a game that isn't STAR FOX? I mean seriously.

Seriously. Voice actors. Splurge a little and get them.

Other than that, yay PoR!

I'm an all-or-nothing kinda guy and would much rather they do do text if they can't do FULL voice. It's all too common for an RPG to do voice in a cutscene or at a key moment in the story and fill the rest in (local villagers or other minor NPCs) with text. Just takes me out of the moment when suddenly they do that.

 

[demi]

dragona if i buy fire emblem will u go out w/me

circle yes/no

lol lol

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Sweet. What are the chances that the U.S version will also have the japanese voices?

Nil, probably.

Also the voice acting IS scarce. It's good when it shows up, but get used to reading alot of dialogue boxes.

 

[Legal Step]

I will spend money on this eventually.

 

[Error]

Dragona has hype me for this game, can't fucking wait!

 

[Mejilan]

All it took was the official US announcement to get me hot and bothered. Day one, folks.

 

[alexxx]

So who's going to write the Fire Emblem / Advance Wars crossover slash fiction?

 

[Pellham]

What name butchering?

Well I consider it name butchering if the name is completely changed from the original. For games like Pokemon, name changes are okay because Pokemon is intended for children, but Fire Emblem is supposed to be late teen/adult oriented.

There are tons of name changes, such as Wayu->Mia, and so forth. Senerio and Tiamat among others have completely new names as well.

The sad part is that the first Fire Emblem that came out here had hardly any name changes. Then they changed a lot of the names in Sacred Stones, but most of the changes were subtle (i.e. Noel->Knoll, Yuan->Ewan, Marika->Marisa, etc.). They've completely changed some if not most names in Path of Radiance and I think that is a bad precedence, especially for an RPG series. (I mean if you look at Final Fantasy, you'd think it's unthinkable to change a name for a western release).

On another topic regarding the US version...

PGC: What about Maniac Mode? Has it remained untouched in the English version?

Tim: Ah, well it has been watered down for us. As you know, the first game was part of a two game series in Japan. The game we released was reworked for the American market to be a nice introduction to the series. In the same manner they said "well, in America they've had two previous games", and meanwhile in Japan, it's number nine. So we are still going to have three settings: Easy, Normal and Hard. Easy is a brand new mode. Normal is the same as the Japanese Normal, and Hard mode is somewhere between "Normal" and "Maniac" from the Japanese version.

Rich: The thing is that Intelligent Systems, while we were doing still doing debug over here, had also gotten quite a bit of feedback from Japanese gamers. Much of the changes had to do with both the feedback they were getting from not only us, but from the Japanese people who had already played the title. They care about where the game is going in the U.S., so when working on the English version they were taking consideration for just about everything: the voice acting, character names, and the difficulty as well.

Tim: The Fire Emblem team is so dedicated to bringing the series out in America! They are the only development team that actually took the time and travelled over here and asked what our testers thought. They really cared about the feedback that our test players were giving them. But they also had quite a bit of feedback from people in Japan that said "it's simply unplayable" on that level of difficulty. So all of this was taken into consideration while creating the English version.

Wow, they are taking maniac mode out from the US version. I don't even know what to say to that, but i'm sure the hardcore fans on the FE-related forums will be completely outraged.

Yeah, Maniac Mode really is that hard. It's a pity they couldn't have left it in just as a secret mode.

 

[Jonnyboy117]

Sounds to me that we're losing a mode no one really liked in Japan and gaining a new mode that is harder than normal but still reasonable.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Hmm so what is this game similar to in how it plays in different aspects?

All I've really played for this type of game is FF Tactics; no other strategy game has ever got me to want to go through (not even TO); the job/ability system was the biggest thing going for me to play through FFT.

Dragona or Pellham:

Do you move on grids? In battle only? How are turns/actions taken/executed?

Are there towns/dungeons to explore?

Do characters have one set of skills, and that's it? Or are there more to learn/customize for them?

How about dying in a battle; what happens to the character?

How linear is the game?

Are there any parts that may get you screwed and you could have to start over?

Any special attacks (combos; got Suikoden on the brain) between certain characters?

 

[siege]

It's a shame IS didn't put more effort into the battle animations. Boy are they horrible looking. Graphics aside, this should be a great addition to the series.

 

[KingV]

A bit OT, but is Final Fantasy Tactics better than FFT Advance? I loved Ogre Tactics, but FFT Advance left me feeling like it was Ogre Tactics bastard, boring little brother.

 

[Red Scarlet]

FFT is supposedly way, way better than FFTA. I can't say why, having only played 2 battles in FFTA.

 

[Jive Turkey]

A bit OT, but is Final Fantasy Tactics better than FFT Advance? I loved Ogre Tactics, but FFT Advance left me feeling like it was Ogre Tactics bastard, boring little brother.

Yes FFT is better than FFTA but not so much that FFTA is unplayable in comparison.

But forget the FFT games...FIRE EMBLEM!

 

[DDayton]

FFTA is unplayable, unless you define "play" as "watching characters wander about the screen...slowly".

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Hmm so what is this game similar to in how it plays in different aspects?

It's the original SRPG. Created the genre and all that jazz.

All I've really played for this type of game is FF Tactics; no other strategy game has ever got me to want to go through (not even TO); the job/ability system was the biggest thing going for me to play through FFT.

Give it a shot you might like ie.

Dragona or Pellham:

Do you move on grids? In battle only? How are turns/actions taken/executed?

Grids. You use a menu to give your character commands.

Are there towns/dungeons to explore?

Towns are in the maps. You can visit them for free items (and protect them from being destroyed.) Armories and Item shops are also on the field map screen. No dungeons. It's more like Ogre Battle or Advance WARS (for a game you'd relate to), where you fight a campaign.

Do characters have one set of skills, and that's it? Or are there more to learn/customize for them?

Some characters have unique skills in Path of Radiance. Other characters can learn them via books you find in battle. One use only.

How about dying in a battle; what happens to the character?

Permanent, like how it should be.

How linear is the game?

Linear in the sense that you play a set of maps chapter by chapter. Not linear in the sense that there's a billion ways to defeat the map.

Are there any parts that may get you screwed and you could have to start over?

I've never had that problem, personally.

Any special attacks (combos; got Suikoden on the brain) between certain characters?

Not exactly. You can get "Support Conversations" by having characters end their turn beside each other if they're "compatible" the higher the Support level the better the bonuses. (Like extra attack power, extra evade, HUGE critical increases and the like.) These bonuses take effect when the characters are within three squares of each other.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Well I consider it name butchering if the name is completely changed from the original. For games like Pokemon, name changes are okay because Pokemon is intended for children, but Fire Emblem is supposed to be late teen/adult oriented.

There are tons of name changes, such as Wayu->Mia, and so forth. Senerio and Tiamat among others have completely new names as well.

The sad part is that the first Fire Emblem that came out here had hardly any name changes. Then they changed a lot of the names in Sacred Stones, but most of the changes were subtle (i.e. Noel->Knoll, Yuan->Ewan, Marika->Marisa, etc.). They've completely changed some if not most names in Path of Radiance and I think that is a bad precedence, especially for an RPG series. (I mean if you look at Final Fantasy, you'd think it's unthinkable to change a name for a western release).

Regarding the name changes: if you read in that interview, you'll also see that ALL name changes happen with not only the PERMISSION of IntSys, but their blessing too. They wanted the origins of the name to be conveyed in English well. Which I can understand, even though I'm used to and prefer the JPN names now. (Tiamat is SO bad ass compared to Titiania.)

On another topic regarding the US version...



Wow, they are taking maniac mode out from the US version. I don't even know what to say to that, but i'm sure the hardcore fans on the FE-related forums will be completely outraged.

Yeah, Maniac Mode really is that hard. It's a pity they couldn't have left it in just as a secret mode.

It sucks but our Hard from what I understand is harder than JPN Hard. So it isn't all entirely lost. I still wish it was a secret to unlock too. According to their feedback from players in Japan, who said the mode was unplayable.

Still I wish it was in the English version. If only as a super Secret.

 

[Scrow]

is that interview you did with the NoA guy online yet Dragona?

Also in your review of the import you mentioned the animation has taken a nose-dive from the GBA and SNES counterparts. Do you think it could because IS hasn't done all that many 3D games, aside from Paper Mario 1&2, so they're still finding their feet with 3D animation?

 

[Dragona Akehi]

is that interview you did with the NoA guy online yet Dragona?

Right here.

Also in your review of the import you mentioned the animation has taken a nose-dive from the GBA and SNES counterparts. Do you think it could because IS hasn't done all that many 3D games, aside from Paper Mario 1&2, so they're still finding their feet with 3D animation?

Probably, to be honest. And the animations are not BAD, I have to emphasize that. But they will be a disappointment when you compare them to the awesome spritework they've been doing all these years. There's just something a little "off" about them.

 

[Pellham]

Regarding the name changes: if you read in that interview, you'll also see that ALL name changes happen with not only the PERMISSION of IntSys, but their blessing too. They wanted the origins of the name to be conveyed in English well. Which I can understand, even though I'm used to and prefer the JPN names now. (Tiamat is SO bad ass compared to Titiania.)

I'm not sure I understand their reasoning. Origin of the name? Why would the origin of Titania be the same meaning as Tiamat? For that matter, why was it changed? Because Tiamat doesn't sound like a good name in english? That's ridiculous, I can name plenty of westernized RPGs where Tiamat was used (like the Ogre games).

From what I gather, it's basically "Hey we don't like these names, let's change them". And that isn't really justifiable when it comes to an RPG series. Can you imagine what kind of outcry would happen if the names in the latest Final Fantasy game were changed?

According to their feedback from players in Japan, who said the mode was unplayable.

I beat it. Yeah it was pretty hard, but nothing like Berwick Saga (I can't get past chapter 3 in that game because of how hard it is, and it even lets you save every 5 turns on the map).

 

[AniHawk]

Right here.



Probably, to be honest. And the animations are not BAD, I have to emphasize that. But they will be a disappointment when you compare them to the awesome spritework they've been doing all these years. There's just something a little "off" about them.

Awesome interview. Thanks.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

I'm not sure I understand their reasoning. Origin of the name? Why would the origin of Titania be the same meaning as Tiamat? For that matter, why was it changed? Because Tiamat doesn't sound like a good name in english? That's ridiculous, I can name plenty of westernized RPGs where Tiamat was used (like the Ogre games).

Over here "Tiamat" has the connotations of "evil dragon" more than anything else. Titiana is the Queen of Faeries... what Treehouse was telling me was that they ask IntSys why they chose that name. Then they find a corresponding name that fits for the English speaking "american" audience. Like that quote about Ulysses. Now, I'm not american, so the first thing that comes to MY mind is the Roman misspelling of Odysseus. However, to an American the first thing they'd think of is the Civil War general. Who knows what picture comes to the mind of Intelligent Systems.

From what I gather, it's basically "Hey we don't like these names, let's change them". And that isn't really justifiable when it comes to an RPG series. Can you imagine what kind of outcry would happen if the names in the latest Final Fantasy game were changed?

Hey I don't exactly love it either. I get used to the JPN names too. But NoA, IntSys and Treehouse all want the same thing: for the game to succeed over here. I sure as hell don't want to go back to having to look up kanji constantly without a beacon of hope of an English release. If name changing helps somehow, I'm more for it than against it.

I beat it. Yeah it was pretty hard, but nothing like Berwick Saga (I can't get past chapter 3 in that game because of how hard it is, and it even lets you save every 5 turns on the map).

I didn't say you couldn't beat it. I said when you or I say it's FUCKING HARD, then it's probably impossible for most other people to cope with.

Also, I need to get Berwick Saga.

 

[slayn]

speaking as an american who only plays games in english and would laugh at you if you even brought up the concept of 'importing games' :

when ever I enter threads like this and see bitching about name changes and such, I have generally greatly preferred the 'american' names.

To me, Knoll is a far better name than Noel. I can understand getting used to one and wanting it to stay the same, but for someone that has never seen either, Knoll is just a more 'fitting' name for an american fantasy name. Noel makes me think of douches outside singing christmas chorals.

Tiamat is a tricky one... Tiamat is a great name. But the character be pretty damn bad ass to be deserving of that name. And it definitely means 'evil dragon' to me. Tiamat is also a very 'male' name to me. And while I don't know the characters, considering the change was to Titania? That is much more of a female name to me. So if the character is a princess or some such, I approve of the change.

and even knowing a lot of greek/roman mythology, reading the Oddysey and Illiad and such, Ulysses means the general to me.

if you are interested, feel free to supply me with more name changes and I'll explain why an american would prefer the change =P

 

[Pellham]

Hey I don't exactly love it either. I get used to the JPN names too. But NoA, IntSys and Treehouse all want the same thing: for the game to succeed over here. I sure as hell don't want to go back to having to look up kanji constantly without a beacon of hope of an English release. If name changing helps somehow, I'm more for it than against it.

Heh I'm not arguing with you, i'm more expressing my negative opinion of the changes that the localization team at NOA decided.

In my opinion, changing character names for a series that caters to a niche (like Fire Emblem) will have no affect on sales whatsoever. Fire Emblem would fall into the same category as Final Fantasy, Disgaea, manga, anime, etc., where names and story are retained and not altered from the original.

It seems like if these guys had worked on the localization of smash brothers, they might have opted to change Marth's name into something else given how unconventional the name is. Now that would have sucked.

BTW about the Ulyssess example, did they offer that explanation as a reason to change his name or something? Because yes it gives the connotation of a civil war general, but that's also his name in the Japanese version. Who knows why they came up with that name.

Tiamat is a tricky one... Tiamat is a great name. But the character be pretty damn bad ass to be deserving of that name. And it definitely means 'evil dragon' to me. Tiamat is also a very 'male' name to me. And while I don't know the characters, considering the change was to Titania? That is much more of a female name to me. So if the character is a princess or some such, I approve of the change.

and even knowing a lot of greek/roman mythology, reading the Oddysey and Illiad and such, Ulysses means the general to me.

if you are interested, feel free to supply me with more name changes and I'll explain why an american would prefer the change =P

Preference is COMPLETELY not the point. Cloud is an incredibly stupid name. If he had his name changed to something cooler in the US version of final Fantasy VII would you be arguing that it was a good and even preferential change?

I could care less if the original japanese names were shitty, and in fact in many Fire Emblem games, they were (Siglud? Leaf?), but I would still want them retained because that is simply the normal procedure for mature RPGs. You don't go around changing character names in Final Fantasy or Disgaea so why would you in Fire Emblem?

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Just one quick note: Tiamat is a female name. Including the famous one from Dungeon and Dragons.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Heh I'm not arguing with you, i'm more expressing my negative opinion of the changes that the localization team at NOA decided.

In my opinion, changing character names for a series that caters to a niche (like Fire Emblem) will have no affect on sales whatsoever. Fire Emblem would fall into the same category as Final Fantasy, Disgaea, manga, anime, etc., where names and story are retained and not altered from the original.

Fire Emblem in the US so far is waaaay more popular than Disgaea and other niche titles. Final Fantasy games have hit mainstream. I'm just saying.

It seems like if these guys had worked on the localization of smash brothers, they might have opted to change Marth's name into something else given how unconventional the name is. Now that would have sucked.

At least one of them did work on Smash Bros. Somehow, Marth's name survived. Throws that idea out.

BTW about the Ulyssess example, did they offer that explanation as a reason to change his name or something? Because yes it gives the connotation of a civil war general, but that's also his name in the Japanese version. Who knows why they came up with that name.

Evidently it wasn't the idea of a Civil War general.

Again, I'm not really defending anything here, but I'm telling you what I know.

 

[slayn]

Preference is COMPLETELY not the point. Cloud is an incredibly stupid name. If he had his name changed to something cooler in the US version of final Fantasy VII would you be arguing that it was a good and even preferential change?

I could care less if the original japanese names were shitty, and in fact in many Fire Emblem games, they were (Siglud? Leaf?), but I would still want them retained because that is simply the normal procedure for mature RPGs. You don't go around changing character names in Final Fantasy or Disgaea so why would you in Fire Emblem?

what you need to realize in this is that my preferences are (probably) towards the majority of american gamers. Hence, the localization team is trying to make the game more enjoyable for their audience. I see that as a good thing.

Our culture and history changes the meaning behind a lot of the names to make some of them (like if they had kept Noel) completely jarring and bringing me out of the experiance.

What the hell is wrong with making changes that your intended audience will approve of? So what if its not the 'normal' procedure? Its the better procedure. And I think they should definitely change the names around of FF and Disgaea to be more american. Its not neccisarily about having 'cool' names. The meaning if names is important, and add to the character and greatly affect initial impressions.

The fact that they try to find the original intention behind the names, and create american names with that same meaning is mind blowingly awesome to me, and I wish all other rpg translation companies would put the same amount of care into their work such that I could get that much more out of the games I play.

 

[cvxfreak]

I can't wait to hear the music, myself. Keep preaching Dragona!

 

[Dragona Akehi]

I can't wait to hear the music, myself. Keep preaching Dragona!

It's faptasculicious. I really hope NOA does some sort of soundtrack.

 

[slayn]

Just one quick note: Tiamat is a female name. Including the famous one from Dungeon and Dragons.

doesn't surprise me, I have no experiance with characters being named Tiamat (d&d or otherwise) and so I'm just going by the 'feel' of the name. My gut instinct, what gender do I think it is. My only experiance with Tiamat is that of dragons either from FF1, Ogre Battle (where it is a 'type' of dragon) and probably various other mentions of fantasy novels or whatever.

But then, ignorance on the true meaning of the original names is pretty much the whole point of changing them in the first place. I think I over exagerated the gender thing. For a Tiamat, it depends on the personality. If it was like... an outgoing happy and enthusiastic woman with the name of Tiamat, that would bother me a bit throughout the entire game. If it was a hard edged/cold/deadly deadly woman, I would probably think, 'Tiamat? Woman? Eh? Oh well, She's still badass.'

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Pretty much all Tiamats are female. FFI's Tiamat is referred to in the feminine too. The Dungeons and Dragons Tiamat is the Evil Goddess (whose alternate/favourite form is of course the Black Dragon with nine heads).

Just saying. I definately see where you're coming from.

 

[slayn]

well now I need to know.

How the hell can you remember that the FF1 tiamat is referred to as being feminine? Not that I don't believe you, but you must have either replayed the game recently or have the memory of god =\

 

[Dragona Akehi]

well now I need to know.

How the hell can you remember that the FF1 tiamat is referred to as being feminine? Not that I don't believe you, but you must have either replayed the game recently or have the memory of god =\

Well I did just replay FF1 Dawn of Souls. But seriously, I just remember totally useless facts like that. Even for games I don't really like. Like FFVI.

Fight Chupon and win? Get an elixir. :S

Embarassing.

 

[slayn]

but see, getting an elixer is usefull, so I remember that too.

whereas knowing that in (what is probably one line somewhere) tiamat is referred to as 'she', would be like asking in FF6, how many townspeople can you talk to in narshe. And if you can answer that, I'll very very scared.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

but see, getting an elixer is usefull, so I remember that too.

whereas knowing that in (what is probably one line somewhere) tiamat is referred to as 'she', would be like asking in FF6, how many townspeople can you talk to in narshe. And if you can answer that, I'll very very scared.

That's like me remembering that in N64 version of RE2, the scene where Ada is confronting Sherry's mom uses Claire's voice sample during the movie to save space. Don't get me started on the typos that exist on the files. I used to use those as trivia questions. :S

If it's text it tends to get memorized which really sucks, because I can never rediscover a game.

Also, when I told people you get an Elixir from Chupon all those years ago, people didn't believe me.

Also when you mean Narshe, do you mean outside or including all the houses and moogles in the caves and stuff?

 

[BreakyBoy]

That's like me remembering that in N64 version of RE2, the scene where Ada is confronting Sherry's mom uses Claire's voice sample during the movie to save space. Don't get me started on the typos that exist on the files. I used to use those as trivia questions. :S

If it's text it tends to get memorized which really sucks, because I can never rediscover a game.

Also, when I told people you get an Elixir from Chupon all those years ago, people didn't believe me.

Also when you mean Narshe, do you mean outside or including all the houses and moogles in the caves and stuff?

Just here to say, that I can confirm this freakish talent.

It's just this side of creepy.

 

[isamu]

Dragona,

 

[Aurora]

That's the opening movie in all of its glory. The music is fantastic, and that's just a taste of it.

Fire Emblem is FAB-U-LOUS.

I never got a chance to post impressions other than "OMFG THIS GAME ROCKS" so, here's a link to my import review.

Great review. Very well written and enjoyable to read.

 

[Pellham]

what you need to realize in this is that my preferences are (probably) towards the majority of american gamers. Hence, the localization team is trying to make the game more enjoyable for their audience. I see that as a good thing.

Our culture and history changes the meaning behind a lot of the names to make some of them (like if they had kept Noel) completely jarring and bringing me out of the experiance.

What the hell is wrong with making changes that your intended audience will approve of? So what if its not the 'normal' procedure? Its the better procedure. And I think they should definitely change the names around of FF and Disgaea to be more american. Its not neccisarily about having 'cool' names. The meaning if names is important, and add to the character and greatly affect initial impressions.

The fact that they try to find the original intention behind the names, and create american names with that same meaning is mind blowingly awesome to me, and I wish all other rpg translation companies would put the same amount of care into their work such that I could get that much more out of the games I play.

So when the Battle Royale novel was localized for the US, do you think they should have changed all of the Japanese names into american names?

Why would preference have anything to do with anything?

Why should Fire Emblem be an exception when no other major RPG series gets such reworked character names? Do you even recall the first Fire Emblem localized here and how there were barely any name changes?

Are you an anime fan? Do you want to see the names of characters in popular shows like Rurouni Kenshin, Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop get changed?

Like I said, this doesn't just apply to RPGs, or video games, it also applies to manga, anime, japanese tv shows, etc. do you really want to see a trend of localizers seeing fit to americanize everything? This is counterproductive and reeks of the 16-bit days where the Ranma 1/2 video game was completely overhauled with original characters and names when it came out here. Would you like to see that happen to Fire Emblem?

I don't like the precedence that NOA is setting for its titles, and I hope they realize that in the future, however I guess there is nothing we can do about it.

Last point: about the meanings of names, if you're american you should know this, as americans, none of us give a flying fuck about what names mean. All we care about is whether the names look or sound cool. Tiamat sounds cool. Who cares if it means black dragon and thus shouldn't be the name of a heroine?

Also, when I pointed out the name changes in Sacred Stones, I was saying that the changes were subtle, and somewhat acceptable (but still not entirely acceptable). The reason why I take great issue with Path of Radiance is that they didn't just merely alter the way the names were pronounced, or give american equivalents to the japanese enunciations, they completely changed the names. Mia is completely different from Wayu. Titania is completely different from Tiamat. Etc.

You know if they really wanted to change names because they didn't like the japanese ones, why not change Ike? That's got to be the lamest name for an RPG main character like, ever. Oh well, can't win them all.

 

[slayn]

Why would preference have anything to do with anything?

Why should Fire Emblem be an exception when no other major RPG series gets such reworked character names? Do you even recall the first Fire Emblem localized here and how there were barely any name changes?

Are you an anime fan? Do you want to see the names of characters in popular shows like Rurouni Kenshin, Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop get changed?

Like I said, this doesn't just apply to RPGs, or video games, it also applies to manga, anime, japanese tv shows, etc. do you really want to see a trend of localizers seeing fit to americanize everything? This is counterproductive and reeks of the 16-bit days where the Ranma 1/2 video game was completely overhauled with original characters and names when it came out here. Would you like to see that happen to Fire Emblem?

I don't like the precedence that NOA is setting for its titles, and I hope they realize that in the future, however I guess there is nothing we can do about it.

Last point: about the meanings of names, if you're american you should know this, as americans, none of us give a flying fuck about what names mean. All we care about is whether the names look or sound cool. Tiamat sounds cool. Who cares if it means black dragon and thus shouldn't be the name of a heroine?

Also, when I pointed out the name changes in Sacred Stones, I was saying that the changes were subtle, and somewhat acceptable (but still not entirely acceptable). The reason why I take great issue with Path of Radiance is that they didn't just merely alter the way the names were pronounced, or give american equivalents to the japanese enunciations, they completely changed the names. Mia is completely different from Wayu. Titania is completely different from Tiamat. Etc.

You know if they really wanted to change names because they didn't like the japanese ones, why not change Ike? That's got to be the lamest name for an RPG main character like, ever. Oh well, can't win them all.

I don't really see what you have to argue.

keeping the names benefits importers because they are used to those names
changing them benefits non importers

majority rules, names get changed.

you keep making this argument that changing names is so horrible yet you have not once explained why. I, truly, can not even understand your argument at this point to try and see your point of view. All I see right now is someone whining because they have to learn new names if they want to play the game again. And the only thing you keep bringing up is what is done elsewhere and precendence and all that. Well sometimes things change, and often times they change for the better. Ignore what everyone else does for the time being and explain to me why this is bad for fire emblem and only fire emblem without making reference to any other medium or franchise, and then maybe I can see where you are coming from.

yes, I am an anime fan, and changing names of the characters in those series would only bother me because I am used to the original names. But for any anime series I've not yet seen, I don't care at all what names are changed. You wanna know what one of my biggest pet peeves is in anime fansubs? When fansubbers keep the japanese names for everything, especially the title of the anime. It is so much more difficult for me to understand and remember 'Gankutsuo' than 'The Count of Monte Cristo.' There is absolutely no reason for americans to refer to it as Gankutsuo. I have no fucking clue if Gankutsuo directly translate to Count of Monte Cristo, and I don't really care. If the literal translation is something else, it wouldn't be as good of a title as Count of Monte Cristo.

And the meaning of names is very important if you actually care about story and character development. Even amongst americans, where apparently because we like things 'americanized' we are somehow mentally incapable of understanding metaphors and depths of meaning.

do you really want to see a trend of localizers seeing fit to americanize everything

yes?

and I've yet to see an argument of why thats a bad thing. Sometimes its better to keep things original so that we ca experiances cultures other than our own. But when the meaning behind it is lost completely due to a literal translation, whats the point?