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[Dedication Through Light]

Its not odd when you realize that Japan's probably forcing them to publish those games. Iwata seems to be a fan of the "Make this game for Wii and we promise to help with localization" negotiation tactic.

And are you going to continue bumping this thread to keep beating the same dead horse?

Im kind baffled, is Nintendo the one who localized and published DQ9 here? I dont understand what motive they had behind doing that lol.

 

[Beth Cyra]

Im kind baffled, is Nintendo the one who localized and published DQ9 here? I dont understand what motive they had behind doing that lol.

There could be several reasons.

As it stands Dragon Quest is probably the most powerful brand in Japan as well as the fact Square Enix is the only company to have a game on PS3 to hit a million units when it comes to third parties.

I mean it seems pretty clear that Nintendo would want to do something to make sure they are in good relations with Square, they really don't want Dragon Quest X moving to another company's platform.

All the work they put into the english version of DQ IX regardless it's sells would only serve to help them or so I would think.

I don't know about Publishing/Localizing, just the effort they are going to try and get it to sell.

 

[MidnightScott]

There could be several reasons.

As it stands Dragon Quest is probably the most powerful brand in Japan as well as the fact Square Enix is the only company to have a game on PS3 to hit a million units when it comes to third parties.

I mean it seems pretty clear that Nintendo would want to do something to make sure they are in good relations with Square, they really don't want Dragon Quest X moving to another company's platform.

All the work they put into the english version of DQ IX regardless it's sells would only serve to help them or so I would think.

I don't know about Publishing/Localizing, just the effort they are going to try and get it to sell.

Did Nintendo themselves localize it, or did Square pay for the localization, and Nintendo published & marketed it?

I actually wish we could find out what group of people localized a game. Whether it was Treehouse or 8-4, or whoever.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Did Nintendo themselves localize it, or did Square pay for the localization, and Nintendo published & marketed it?

I actually wish we could find out what group of people localized a game. Whether it was Treehouse or 8-4, or whoever.

DQIX is FeelPlus, who have localised every DQ game thus far released since DQVIII.

 

[faridmon]

Its not Nintendo, but I am actully surprised that Rooms got locelised here in Europe.
I want Xenoblade

 

[Aeana]

DQIX is FeelPlus, who have localised every DQ game thus far released since DQVIII.

PlusAlpha.

 

[grandjedi6]

If you have a problem with it then don't come to the thread. It's that simple. I don't see how it's beating a dead horse when this seems to be happening all the time.

Nintendo's games sell more than 3rd parties on their own system, why would they bring over a 3rd party game that will more than likely bomb?

But nothing has changed about Nintendo's "localization record" since this thread was created. :lol

Nintendo brings over these third party games because NoJ says so either as an appeal to the 3rd party or because it was promised to them. At least this time they're not sending it to die like they did with Dynasty Warriors Advance.

And its not like Nintendo doesn't do the same with their own 1st party games. They did localize Glory of Heracles after all :lol

Did Nintendo themselves localize it, or did Square pay for the localization, and Nintendo published & marketed it?

I actually wish we could find out what group of people localized a game. Whether it was Treehouse or 8-4, or whoever.

That's what credits are for

And to answer your question: Plus Alpha Translations (likely) did the localization work like they've done since DQ8, Square-Enix handled the rest of the localization stuff and Nintendo "merely" distributed and marketed it.

EDIT: Beaten-(ish)

 

[Starwolf_UK]

NoA did those two as well. I just hope the NoE Last Window translation is decent, they can get very literal sometimes and don't have the wit that Treehouse does, the Another Code games could get very dry at times. If a US release comes I'll probably go for that version over an EU one.

Hotel Dusk was the American version with some of the slang re-written so it could be better understood by UK English speaking people. I'll extract some parts of an interview NoE had up on their website (I seem to recall it vanished with the new look):

...

We asked the localisation team of Hotel Dusk: Room 215 to tell us about the hurdles they met on the road to the game’s release.

Paul Logue: “Hi. My name’s Paul Logue. As software producer, I was responsible for the execution and day-to-day coordination of the Hotel Dusk software localisation. What exactly does this entail? Well, apart from daily task designation, problem solving and brainstorming, I made sure that the title was released on schedule and in a form that realises CING's original vision. I also like to think I provided the translators with a shoulder to cry on!” (laughs)

Mark Boyle: “My name is Mark Boyle and I am a Japanese-English translator. I was in charge of modifying the NOA translation for the UK market, as well as doing some retranslation work from the original Japanese. Hotel Dusk was the first major project that I’ve worked on.”

...

Did you work from the Japanese original text, or did you use the version translated by Nintendo of America's localisation team?

PL: “We made a conscious decision early in the project to remain as true to the original Japanese texts as possible. That said, we quickly realised that NOA's English translation contained a vast number of subtle embellishments that would actually serve to maximise the atmospheric authenticity of the game.

“You could say, in fact, that we were in the unique position of being able to make the most of both worlds, and I'm absolutely certain that this is reflected in the vibrant nature of our texts. An obvious exception to the rule would be UK English, where we simply fine-tuned the US English to make it more comprehensible for a British audience. However, I think Mark would like to talk a little about this...”

MB: “Thanks Paul. I should say first of all that the localisation by NOA was very successful in capturing the tone of a classic hard-boiled tale. Kyle Hyde himself was particularly well characterised, with a world-weary cynical sense of humour that worked perfectly.

“As far as adapting the script for a UK audience went, clearly it’s a game about a former New York detective staying in a hotel outside of Los Angeles, so we didn't want the characters to be speaking in Cockney rhyming slang. Therefore, I approached the localisation process by trying to have as light a touch as possible.

“I wouldn’t say there were any particularly big cultural barriers to contend with; people in the UK grow up on US cop shows after all, and crime fiction by writers like Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy is hugely popular. Having said that, there were a few colourful US expressions that left me scratching my head and which I decided to modify. ‘Taking a powder’ to refer to doing a disappearing act springs to mind, along with ‘sawbuck ’ as a reference to money and ‘land’s sakes ’ meaning “for goodness sake” among others. There were also a lot of words that would have confused UK players, for instance a case where ‘birds’ is used to refer to ‘people’.”

Going from their last point I'd be interested to hear how any UK speakers got on with the US import of Hotel Dusk and I want to know which version Australia got (though it is unusually the US version for DS games).

...

Glory of Heracles (JP, NA Only)
JP: 11/22/2008
NA: 01/18/2010

Daigasso! Band Brothers DX/Jam with the Band (JP Only, EU Only)
JP: 06/26/2008
EU: 05/21/2010

...

I think both of these games were release schedule fillers and thier performance seems to reflect this too. I recall Heracles being sold for $10 on Gamestop.com with a $10 gift card and as for Jam with the band, it wasn't so much dead on arrival but dead before arrival (as one online retailer had a preorder price that was half the recomended retail price so £17.99 instead of £34.99 then a week later they had dropped the price to £12.99, of course now said retailer is asking for £27.99 but Amazon.co.uk are selling the title for £4.99, just a month ago it was £9.99) but then again do the actions of one online retailer reflect anything (as they could be very odd loss leaders or clearing the warehouse)?

Heracles I had the impression 8-4 worked on the title simply due to Treehouse being too busy (IIRC, they also worked on Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon in a Heracles interview it was said something like they could rely on 8-4 for treehouse quality work) and I'd like to think "treehouse is too busy" could be a localisation choke point. IIRC Jam with the Band shares songs with Elite Beat agents, so basically content Nintendo already has. What I'm saying is both could be low budget, release date fillers to keep cashflow going with Nintendo (sell stock to retailers which is then price protected after a few months of poor performance, I don't know if tactics of "clear our warehouse of Americas Test Kitchen: Let's get Bomba or you don't get SMG 2" apply anymore*) and having new products on the shelves but Glory of Heracles localisation cost more for NOA in the sense the translators they employ were unable to work on it but could have saved them money if it enabled these translations to do more important titles.

*-It was said when the N64 launched in America in order to get the initial shipment retail had to buy an equal number of Virtual Boys.

Its not odd when you realize that Japan's probably forcing them to publish those games. Iwata seems to be a fan of the "Make this game for Wii and we promise to help with localization" negotiation tactic.

And are you going to continue bumping this thread to keep beating the same dead horse?

The help Nintendo seemed to give Koei with Samurai Warriors 3 was publishing only. The PAL conversion is 50Hz only (meaning it runs only in the 576i video mode and due to Samurai Warirors 3 not being the best of PAL conversions has slower gameplay due to the lower refresh rate) which outside of Virtual Console and Mario Party 8 (developed by Hudson) isn't Nintendo's way with PAL conversions (usually it'll have whatever video modes the Japanese or American version had whichever is a newer version of the game*). What I'm saying is if Nintendo did the localisation they didn't do the coding. Though they could have always collected the expenses of the localisations (as part of the negotiation referred above).

I wonder if the Murasame no Jou mode/character is the reason Nintendo is publishing outside of Japan but then again the EA sports games with Mario Characters in them and Mario and Sonic seem like opposite versions of this who publishers where (those two examples were published only by Nintendo in Japan).

*-Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is one example. The Japanese version was 4:3 and 480i only. The US version added in 16:9 and 480p. Another example (but an odd one) is Twilight Princess (IIRC PAL version lacks cannon room bug so is newer than the US build) which can run in 480p for some reason the 480p picture is identical to 480i.

I hope that long ramble contributed something of value to the thread.

 

[MidnightScott]

Believe me, that is the kind of thing I have been looking for in this thread for a while! So much you know, and so little that I know!

Wish they would take on the task of localizing Zangeki no Reginleiv. I'm glad a group of people fantranslated Fatal Frame 4, and someone is working on Captain Rainbow, and the same group who did FF4 are doing Tales of Graces.

I'm just glad Last Window is coming out in English, though I hope it has all the campy humor of the first game.

 

[MidnightScott]

Since Nintendo is gonna be holding a fall conference, or whatever September 29th is...(maybe that's the same thing?) Anyone think we may finally get a Xenoblade announcement?

 

[sinxtanx]

Since Nintendo is gonna be holding a fall conference, or whatever September 29th is...(maybe that's the same thing?) Anyone think we may finally get a Xenoblade announcement?

Iwata: (laughs)

It's possible. No BIG hopes, but still.

 

[Xater]

Since Nintendo is gonna be holding a fall conference, or whatever September 29th is...(maybe that's the same thing?) Anyone think we may finally get a Xenoblade announcement?

LOL no. That will probably be all 3DS.

 

[MidnightScott]

I just realized this

Xenoblade.com & TheLastStory.com redirect to Nintendo.com

I guess all hope isn't lost! Come on September 29th...!

 

[charlequin]

I just realized this

Xenoblade.com & TheLastStory.com redirect to Nintendo.com

Both just squatted by Nintendo on the dates of the JP announcements. Means jack shit.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

Both just squatted by Nintendo on the dates of the JP announcements. Means jack shit.

Which is really depressing!

Xenoblade looks really good and I need a new game to spend the next two years on.:lol

 

[MidnightScott]

Well I just updated the list with everything that was revealed today.

Just realized that I didn't update it with any of the Pokémon games ; so I added them now.

 

[Allan Holdsworth]

Apparently the Captain Rainbow translation is stopped as the hacker disappeared
At least there's Giftpia, but it's going to be a chore to have to read the script as I play.

Damn NoA...

 

[MidnightScott]

Apparently the Captain Rainbow translation is stopped as the hacker disappeared
At least there's Giftpia, but it's going to be a chore to have to read the script as I play.

Damn NoA...

Yeah and since Tempus is busy with Tales of Graces, we are basically fucked until someone comes along. :/

 

[MidnightScott]

Play-Asia is now carrying Last Window from Europe. Order away! Also, Dr. Kirby is thinking of making a thread for helping out GAFfers import games that weren't released in their region.

 

[Yazan]

Are they planning to translate the new Tingle game? Or any news at all?

Loved the atmosphere in the the first one, even if I never finished it. (Should go back and play again).

Also, I think I need to get a copy Hotel Dusk.

 

[Hours Left]

Also, I think I need to get a copy Hotel Dusk.

This is a very wise decision.

 

[Yazan]

This is a very wise decision.

Sold out in Sweden Gonna visit gamestop/game and see what I can find.

 

[Ushojax]

Are they planning to translate the new Tingle game? Or any news at all?

Loved the atmosphere in the the first one, even if I never finished it. (Should go back and play again).

No news at all and I doubt it will come. I can't imagine the first Tingle sold well and while that has never stopped Nintendo releasing stuff in the past, it just seems like such a niche title that they won't bother, especially with the 3DS looming. You never know though. Sometimes Nintendo just throws a game out 2 years after the JP release with zero fanfare.

 

[Starwolf_UK]

Play-Asia is now carrying Last Window from Europe. Order away! Also, Dr. Kirby is thinking of making a thread for helping out GAFfers import games that weren't released in their region.

A number of UK retailers do ship to America. For instance game.co.uk which works out costing a bit more I think but it should come a few days quicker (i'd image Europe>America is faster than Europe>Hong Kong>America)

But I'd have to suggest The Hut if we're shopping on price alone as the game is £5 cheaper and shipping is cheaper (and probably slower).

But cost it depends on speed you want it by and other factors (some credit cards charge a percentage commission on currency conversion in which case Play-asia would be favourable due to being charged in US$). also be warned that prices can drop uncontrollably (or not at all) in Europe

 

[MidnightScott]

Yeah I used Game.co.uk when I imported Disaster Day of Crisis and it didn't take very long, although I don't remember. It ended up being like $50 or $55 which is the same price the game would've cost if it was released here anyway. (and it was totally worth the price)

It seems the Mario Collection is going to be released in Europe in December. I only assume that means the US will be getting it as well, I mean come on...Who loves Mario more than the US? Europe loves Sonic, and Japan doesn't care for 3D Mario...:/

Guess I should start adding the 3DS games, although the lineup they have will probably be released all over the world. :S

 

[MidnightScott]

Nintendo is planning to translate DS games that were already made in order to sustain the western markets next year after the 3DS launches.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=412316

Maybe we'll see some good shit? Hopefully they do the same thing for all of those Wii games...

 

[cooljeanius]

Not exactly their own localization thing, but Nintendo's helping Capcom with distribution of Ghost Trick, so in a sense they're helping it be localized.

 

[Starwolf_UK]

Not exactly their own localization thing, but Nintendo's helping Capcom with distribution of Ghost Trick, so in a sense they're helping it be localized.

This is nothing new. Nintendo of Europe have published third party titles in the past (including Capcom ones, though they were picky, yes to Resident Evil and Ace Attorney, no to pretty much anything else) though they tend to slooowww (Etrian Odyssey 1 came out just in time for Etrian Odyssey 2 hitting America :lol it did have some minor naming differences) and well, happy to abandon franchises (so Trauma Centre 1 on DS, Second Opinion and New Blood on Wii were published, where are 2 on DS and Trauma Team? same goes for Etrian 2 and 3 and Ace Attorney Investigations). I'm not sure if NoE translate the games it or if they only publish it. If it is the former I can see them abandoning such projects due to the lack of time and resources (but lack of return is probably a big driving force).

I was actually most unhappy to hear the news regarding Ghost Trick as I thought Capcom handled Act Attorney Investigations* brilliantly without Nintendo's help (the price in particular, if NoE had published it the best online price at launch would have been about £27 as opposed to the £15.76 I think it was). But the date seems similar to the US (unless I'm mistaken) so thats good.

*-I think Capcom went for self-publishing so it wouldn't have to be translated it to FIGS (French, Italian, German, Spanish).

 

[MidnightScott]

Well, one of the first games Nintendo is bringing to the western world (specifically Europe) seems to be another Level-5 franchise called Inazuma Eleven. I thought when Nintendo was talking about localizing games, they meant 1st party games.

 

[Shiggy]

Just saw that they fully localised A.S.H. with voices and everything...wow

 

[cooljeanius]

Thought this thread getting bumped was about Xenoblade or something...

Edit: While this thread is bumped, the OP could be updated

 

[Shiggy]

Thought this thread getting bumped was about Xenoblade or something...

Edit: While this thread is bumped, the OP could be updated

Oh sorry, thought this was a more recent thread for the same topic...didn't see the 2010...

 

[Foffy]

Just saw that they fully localised A.S.H. with voices and everything...wow

Where'd you see this?

 

[sixteen-bit]

Rhythm Tengoku Wii is getting localized right?

 

[mr_chun]

Interesting list, I lol'd at Disaster: Day of Crisis.

This also reminds me that I need to import Another Code.

 

[Shiggy]

Where'd you see this?

Nothing interesting, just a resume of an actor ... he didn't provide any demo or so.

 

[chaosblade]

Interesting that this topic was bumped, I was just thinking about the lack of Mystery of the Emblem. Wish at least Europe would get it or something. The JP import is expensive plus I wouldn't have a clue what was going on.

Is there a fan translation going on anywhere? That could possibly get me to order it once I've got some money to put toward it. With the game being over a year old now and Nintendo probably wanting to kill the DS, I doubt there's any chance of an official release.

Edit: Seems there is a fan translation! Will have to import sometime, wonder if there is any chance the price will go down. $50-$60 for a DS game is pretty crazy.