Which Older Games do you Wish CF Had Been Around to Localize?

[Ataru]

So, here's a fun game to play. Let's pretend CF was around since the NES era and was big enough to localize tons of big-name console games while still awesome enough to add their particular brand of characterization to the text. What would your dream-CF-localizations be?

Man I wish they had been around for the first 3 Legend of Heroes games for the PSP. Then maybe when Trails in the Sky came out people wouldn't have been like 'Legend of Heroes? What? Why should we care about this series?'

Also, and this is on my mind since I'm currently playing this series, the Ar Tonelico games probably would've been awesome(er) in their hands. The level of humor in the AT games is great but sometimes the localization feels really stiff without much characterization to separate the characters. One point where this is especially striking is when you're forced in AT2 to pick between several versions of a character to find who you believe is the real one based on single lines of dialogue they say. Sure there was a difference between all the choices, but I honestly had no idea which one fit the personality of the original because all her dialogue before then, despite being well written, was a little bland and lifeless.

And while we're on the subject of games that could have been (more) awesome and funny if touched by the hand of CF, I'd put Wild Arms 2 up there as well. Or any of the Wild Arms. The Wild Arms series was full of amazing puns and jokes in the Japanese language, the great majority of which were either lost or localized in a very un-funny way when they came out in the West. And I mean c'mon shouldn't an American company be able to add a little more spice to a game series based heavily off the American Old West?

[Naryoril]

So, here's a fun game to play. Let's pretend CF was around since the NES era and was big enough to localize tons of big-name console games while still awesome enough to add their particular brand of characterization to the text. What would your dream-CF-localizations be?

The interesting part here is the "and was big enough to localize tons of big-name console games". I'll keep this assumption, but apply it on a current franchise which will probably never get a release outside of japan: The Idolm@ster

The way CF do their job would fit the game perfectly. Keep sound effect, and most importantly the songs, in japanese, but translate all text in the game, with the translation quality they have *dreams*

I don't understand too much japanese (currently working on it, i finally subscribed to japanese lessons again after a break of 15 years, they start next monday) and nevertheless i'v sunk about 150 hours into The Idolm@ster 2 and i'm on my 9th playthrough. I can't imagine how it'd be if i'd really understand what my idols are telling me.

CF, take over Namco Bandai and bring Idolm@ster into the western world, and the remaining Tales games with it!

[Ultimate Chicken]

Bandai? Take over Banpresto for crying out loud. Everyone needs some Super Robot Wars, particularly when Atlus doesn't seem to want to bother with Endless Frontier Exceed. <_<

[TheSwordUser]

About Idolm@ster, that's pretty interesting you're mentioning that, as Robin had to say something about one thing from it.

Fansubbers didn't seem to have much problem (or they just plain didn't care and translated it literally).

Besides that, I guess everyone knows that SpaceDrake would kill for rights to localize Atelier Elie.

[David J Prokopetz]

Fansubbers didn't seem to have much problem (or they just plain didn't care and translated it literally).

Fansubbers generally don't have a problem with attaching a footnote with a paragraph of notes and explanations to every single sentence. Helpful as that sort of thing may be, it doesn't fly in a professional translation unless it's meant as educational material.

[TheSwordUser]

Fansubbers didn't seem to have much problem (or they just plain didn't care and translated it literally).

Fansubbers generally don't have a problem with attaching a footnote with a paragraph of notes and explanations to every single sentence. Helpful as that sort of thing may be, it doesn't fly in a professional translation unless it's meant as educational material.

Well, you could always just omit them...then again people would be baffled by translation anyway.
"Wtf does this mean seriously wat".

On topic: Bahamut Lagoon. Oh god this.
This game is awesome (breeding dragons and sending them to fight ftw), but because of SNES ending its life at the time of Japanese release, Square decided to not localize it. Well, at least there's that fan translation.

[Naryoril]

About Idolm@ster, that's pretty interesting you're mentioning that, as Robin had to say something about one thing from it.

Fansubbers didn't seem to have much problem (or they just plain didn't care and translated it literally).

Now i wish even more i'd understand japanese better as i'm really curious what they actually did with the lyrics of smoky thrill. But the fact it isn't translatable doesn't matter to me, i don't want it translated anyway Leave my songs in japanese and give me the story in english. But as i said, i'm sure that's what CF would do anyway. Maybe write the subs (the subs are displayed during a performance) in romaji instead of japanese script, so you can sing along

[TheOverlord]

Easy question.

The one game I want to learn japanese just to play: Samurai Spirits RPG.

[MrMRA]

I dig cuteness, so I'll go with Madou Monogatari series, to name one. And the rest of the Atelier series, naturally. Good topic!

-mra

[Ataru]

The funny thing is I actually meant this thread to be about which games that -did- come out in America already would we have rather CF localized instead of the company that actually did, but this way works too.

Man CF should translate card games too. They could team up with Bushi Road and bring us Weiss Schwarz (plus the awesomely amazing PSP game version) and Precious Memories. And Vanguard.

[neonie]

There are already companies who are a big bigger and do these kinds of retail releases of Japanese games. It's not super marketed because generally the kind of audience for games like those will seek them out. A company whom I love very dearly, Nippon Ichi (NISA by extension) bring a bunch of Japanese games over here, as well as Aksys.

[DDRJake]

I wish I had some major dirt on CF so I could make them give me a full and exact translation of Terranigma so I'd know exactly what's missing from the original Japanese script, if anything.

Damn, that's my favourite game ever.

[SpaceDrake]

Well, for my own money, the games I wish we'd been around to TL are Atelier Marie and Atelier Elie, as I explained here.

Elie in particular is just one of the straight-up best games of the entire PS1 era, and it features one of the strongest, most positive female leads in the entire history of videogaming. It is almost criminal, to me, that American audiences never got to experience that game, and I'm absolutely convinced that had the game actually come over it would be remembered in the same breath as Grandia, Lunar, Vagrant Story and the like - among the true greats of the era.

Of course, we weren't around for that one - I was fifteen years old when the game came out and was in no way ready to work on such a project - but if I could take CF back in time a decade and a half? That's the game I would want to work on.

[neonie]

Well, for my own money, the games I wish we'd been around to TL are Atelier Marie and Atelier Elie, as I explained here.

Elie in particular is just one of the straight-up best games of the entire PS1 era, and it features one of the strongest, most positive female leads in the entire history of videogaming. It is almost criminal, to me, that American audiences never got to experience that game, and I'm absolutely convinced that had the game actually come over it would be remembered in the same breath as Grandia, Lunar, Vagrant Story and the like - among the true greats of the era.

Of course, we weren't around for that one - I was fifteen years old when the game came out and was in no way ready to work on such a project - but if I could take CF back in time a decade and a half? That's the game I would want to work on.

That would change history in some significant ways as well, considering right now NISA is bringing the Atelier games over.

Actually, would them doing that right now stop you guys from trying to localize the PS1 game and bringing it to the PSN Network? My guess is it would since they probably hold some sort of super expensive license that's out of your guys budget. But it's an interesting question.

[RenaTheArchmage]

but if I could take CF back in time a decade and a half? That's the game I would want to work on.

Unless time streams diverge, you have, apparently, failed.


For me? I wish CF had been around to localize the Azumanga games. Sure, they have no substance to speak of, but they're still Azumanga. And the card game is confusing without instructions. :/