y u hog the game japan?!

[Sydian]

You know. Those games that are only released in Japan? And they NEVER get localized? Or it just takes too long for them to get that treatment? Yeah. Those games. Stop hogging the good stuff, Japan!

So basically, what are some games that you think should be localized? Doesn't matter how old! In addition to this question though, what are some games you think got the shaft when they were localized? It could be graphical changes or dialog changes. If it bothered you, tell us! Anything else you would like to comment on in terms of localization, or Japan releasing games (or gaming accessories or even specially designed consoles) that don't become international, discuss it here!

I'm gonna just come out and state the obvious, but Mother 3 should have been localized. I think the team that translated the game did an AMAZING job and I thank them for it. I love them. Don't tell them. But even still, it sucks that it's a portable game and I can't have it in portable form. But hey, just getting to play the game is good enough for me. As much as I'd love it to be localized, even though GBA games are two generations old at this point, I think that had Nintendo of America translated it, it might have lost a few good things. idk I think it's awesome seeing a princess swearing in a GBA title haha. But that would have obviously been removed in international releases. Looks like I answered both my questions I posed, in a sense. Kinda gave the pros and cons to localizing Mother 3.

I'd also like to play Pokemon Green in normal English, not that crazy translation lol. If that counts anyway.

Hopefully I didn't overlook an already existing localization topic in here!

[QuilavaKing]

I know I've been frustrated about games never making it to America in the past, but I can't remember any of them off the top of my head, so I'll just go with Mother 3, since it's probably the most well known of the games that never made it out of Japan. (Oh wait, I should have read your whole post... you said Mother 3 already, lol. Well, I don't know any others anyway. >.>)

[Nijiri]

A game that I really wanted to see get localized would be 7th Dragon. I'm not sure if anybody here has heard of that game, but I don't really expect anyone to (I was a sucker for cute sprites). I've heard that some companies didn't want to translate it because it looked too difficult to translate (I'm still wondering how they'd do Etrian Odyssey)... Oh, not to mention 7th Dragon 2020. I kind of lost my hopes that it won't be localized either (unless I haven't been poking my nose into more places).

One more thing! Tales of Rebirth (or at least the PSP version). That would be lovely as well. KUREAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! /I'll stop my blabbering here.

[Team Fail]

oh my god those kinds of games. There are so many games that cry for localizations. One of them has to be the Taiko no Tatsujin series.

And yes I'd love to try Pokemon Green in English. Just because it's slightly harder as well.

[machomuu]

Gyakuten Kenji 2 comes to mind every time, that, Jump Ultimate Stars, and Mother 3 (and on a less popular but still awesome note, Sengoku Basara 3: Utage and Dynasty Warriors 3DS). Mother 3 had no real reason not to come over, especially if you look at the history behind the efforts to get it over here (by fans). It's sad, really, but many of the reasons are valid. Low sales, low interest, copyright infringement, etc...

[Haseyo]

Taiko no Tatsujin, but I can see why since Guitar Hero / Rock Band is the ideal choice of rhythm gaming over here. I'm fine with it in Japanese though, even got the drum for the Wii ones. The Japanese soundtrack is epic as it is. I did play the English one we had, and it was decent. Not as exciting though.

Valkyria Chronicles 3. I'm playing it right now, but man I wish it was in English. I loved 1 and 2, surprised we didn't get 3.

Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity. I can understand though, PSP being dead and all.

Older Tales games, but I believe an interview discussed on reviving them for localization.

All of these I still play anyway, but would really prefer in English.

[machomuu]

Originally Posted by Haseyo

Taiko no Tatsujin, but I can see why since Guitar Hero / Rock Band is the ideal choice of rhythm gaming over here. I'm fine with it in Japanese though, even got the drum for the Wii ones. The Japanese soundtrack is epic as it is. I did play the English one we had, and it was decent. Not as exciting though.

Valkyria Chronicles 3. I'm playing it right now, but man I wish it was in English. I loved 1 and 2, surprised we didn't get 3.

Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity. I can understand though, PSP being dead and all.

Older Tales games, but I believe an interview discussed on reviving them for localization.

All of these I still play anyway, but would really prefer in English.

The PSP isn't dead, they still make games for it.

[Haseyo]

I mean in the West. The reason we don't get many games for PSP localized nowadays is because:

A) They know we pirate the crap out of PSP games.
B) PSP sales aren't that strong.

I don't blame them at all.

[machomuu]

Originally Posted by Haseyo

I mean in the West. The reason we don't get many games for PSP localized nowadays is because:

A) They know we pirate the crap out of PSP games.
B) PSP sales aren't that strong.

I don't blame them at all.

True, though this would be less of a problem if the core gamer would get interested. I'm not a fan of Call of Duty or games that try hard to appeal to the core (aka "false-hardcore", in most cases) gamer and have little substance, but I actually anticipate their release on the Vita. The more the core gamer gets interested in the Vita, the more likely the East will be to bring games over, or at least it will raise the sales for a system that definitely deserves it; I don't want a repeat of the PSP (which was also a great system). Though, regardless, it does piss me off how many core-gamers actually avoid games because they're Japanese, the idea of that disgusts me.

[Gymnotide]

I just convince myself that "Japan" is just another way to say "beta testing".

[machomuu]

Originally Posted by Gymnotide

I just convince myself that "Japan" is just another way to say "beta testing".

For games that we don't even get?

[Gymnotide]

Originally Posted by machomuu

For games that we don't even get?

Sometimes beta testing can be very long.
Sometimes games don't make it out of beta.

[machomuu]

Originally Posted by Gymnotide

Sometimes beta testing can be very long.
Sometimes games don't make it out of beta.

Sounds like the Rom Hacking section to me.

*Rimshot*

[Unknown#]

Sounds like the Rom Hacking section to me.

*Rimshot*

Well, it is true.


But back on topic, I'd like it if Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR! were translated and released via the eshop. I loved the original Pokemon TCG for the gameboy, and this one looks even better and has an amazing soundtrack (for a gameboy game, anyways). But since it probably won't be brought over here, I guess I'll just have to settle for the translation patch.

[Team Fail]

Originally Posted by Unknown#

Well, it is true.


But back on topic, I'd like it if Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR! were translated and released via the eshop. I loved the original Pokemon TCG for the gameboy, and this one looks even better and has an amazing soundtrack (for a gameboy game, anyways). But since it probably won't be brought over here, I guess I'll just have to settle for the translation patch.

I've considered getting that translation patch and play it. However, I'd really like to see Final Fantasy II on the NES released on the Virtual Console. There's an official English version that was in prototype when it was canceled, so they could still release it today, seeing as there is a prototype ROM image floating around on the internet to prove that it exists.

[Sydian]

I totally forgot about the eShop! I wonder if it'd be possible for Mother 3 to be translated and released there? :( Does anyone think actually emailing Nintendo would help lmao...I know they get tons of emails to put Earthbound on the Virtual Console though, and still, we don't have it there either. So I would assume not. But at least Earthbound saw an American release, unlike poor Mother 3. Sorry, this is more on the issue of porting than localizing, but I didn't even remember the eShop haha. :(

[Team Fail]

Originally Posted by Sydian

I totally forgot about the eShop! I wonder if it'd be possible for Mother 3 to be translated and released there? :( Does anyone think actually emailing Nintendo would help lmao...I know they get tons of emails to put Earthbound on the Virtual Console though, and still, we don't have it there either. So I would assume not. But at least Earthbound saw an American release, unlike poor Mother 3. Sorry, this is more on the issue of porting than localizing, but I didn't even remember the eShop haha. :(

Seeing as it's GBA, it's pretty unlikely they'll even consider adding another GBA Virtual Console game, which is unfortunate because it's pretty nice to have GBA Virtual Console. It could happen on the Wii U, but I doubt it. I've heard a lot about Mother 3, so I'd love to try it out, but if they don't want to localize it, it's gonna kinda suck having to stick to emulation.

[Genghoul]

Soma Bringer for Nintendo DS! It has an amazing soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda (who did the music for Chrono Trigger and such) and gameplay similar to Secret of Mana for the SNES. Also it's by Monolith Software, one of my favorite developers.

*sigh* at least we have translation patches and emulators...

[Mr. X]

The PC versions for the latter Megaman X games. (They are in Korean, I think.)

And most/all of the Gundam games. We get a occasional localization, but most/all of the good ones are japanese only.

And Zoids Saga DS. That really needs a US release. This will never happen, but Zoids Legacy (GBA) needs to have a proper translation too, not the crap translation that is called a US release.

[Seiren]

It makes me laugh when Americans complain about games from Japan not being localized: you guys should try living in the UK, Europe or Australia; we get even less than that, or we get it a year or more later. I know we can just import, but it's the principle of it; half this stuff doesn't even make it to our shores.

But I digress. One game I want to play, above everything else, is Luminous Arc 3. I am really, REALLY annoyed that one didn't get picked up, especially after they did the first two. I was really looking forward to it. Similarly, I don't see why Sengoku Basara: Utage can't get localized either; it's been pretty much ruled out due to poor sales of the third game, but there has been quite a bit of interest in it.

A lot of Japanese JRPGs have fallen by the wayside over the years that I'd like to see localized, although there is slim chance of it ever happening. A lot of anime-based games, as well, although that is slightly more understandable, since a lot of the anime in question weren't even dubbed. But English language options would be nice...

[machomuu]

Originally Posted by Seiren

It makes me laugh when Americans complain about games from Japan not being localized: you guys should try living in the UK, Europe or Australia; we get even less than that, or we get it a year or more later. I know we can just import, but it's the principle of it; half this stuff doesn't even make it to our shores.

But I digress. One game I want to play, above everything else, is Luminous Arc 3. I am really, REALLY annoyed that one didn't get picked up, especially after they did the first two. I was really looking forward to it. Similarly, I don't see why Sengoku Basara: Utage can't get localized either; it's been pretty much ruled out due to poor sales of the third game, but there has been quite a bit of interest in it.

A lot of Japanese JRPGs have fallen by the wayside over the years that I'd like to see localized, although there is slim chance of it ever happening. A lot of anime-based games, as well, although that is slightly more understandable, since a lot of the anime in question weren't even dubbed. But English language options would be nice...

That "UK not getting games/gets games later" stuff doesn't slide anymore. Lately the UK has been "getting made up for" the games they originally didn't bring over to Japan, not only getting games we don't, but also getting rereleases of the games the UK originally didn't, even starting to dub games now. Right now, I'd say we're on an equal playing field, it wasn't our fault that we got games the UK didn't, and similarly, the vice versa is true.

Also, about Utage, SB3 didn't do that well in the West, even with its amazing localization (which they put a crapton of work into) and how fun it was, and there were a couple reasons for this. The first reason was that nobody knew that SB3 was coming out, nobody knew what Sengoku Basara was (these two reasons were because Sengoku Basara, the anime adaptation, had not come over yet, and because Capcom didn't advertise the game that much, if at all), and when they came out, the reviewers probably didn't even play them (seriously, read the major site reviews, they didn't give two flying craps about SB3 and just slapped on a crappy rating). They didn't want to pay to have this game localized and translated if the audience they were catering to wouldn't make them a good profit (in the end, they might actually be losing money). The other reason being the game Devil Kings, it had so much done to it that you probably couldn't even tell that it was Japanese. Devil Kings is the localized version of Sengoku Basara 1, but it was changed so much that it wasn't even a Sengoku game anymore, it was a fantasy game about...Devil Kings. Needless to say, the game was also terribly received (though this time, with good reason), and thus SB 2 and 2 Heroes didn't come over. They thought that by using an incredible localization, all the would be fans of Devil Kings would come rushing to buy the game, but people weren't ready to take that step again and others were wondering if they should play 2 and 1 first. So, given the sales of Utage, it might have worked against them if they released it in the West.

[Mr Cat Dog]

Elite Beat Agents is one of my favourite DS games, but I didn't realise until a few months ago that it was, essentially, a reboot of a Japanese-only game called Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! ("Hey! Fight! Cheer Squad" when literally translated.) Apparently it's verrrrrrrrry Japanese in its influences, which is probably why it wasn't localized for the foreign market, but I'm still really curious as to how this game and EBA differ from one another and what similaries they have. And I love a good rhythm game! :D

[machomuu]

Originally Posted by Mr Cat Dog

Elite Beat Agents is one of my favourite DS games, but I didn't realise until a few months ago that it was, essentially, a reboot of a Japanese-only game called Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! ("Hey! Fight! Cheer Squad" when literally translated.) Apparently it's verrrrrrrrry Japanese in its influences, which is probably why it wasn't localized for the foreign market, but I'm still really curious as to how this game and EBA differ from one another and what similaries they have. And I love a good rhythm game! :D

Well, one difference is that the characters are "cheerleaders"...so to speak. Ouendan, in real life, is what you'd call "Extreme Cheerleading". It's more popular than guys than girls, and its easy to see why it's called extreme. The movements and chants are what you'd expect if you combined army march movements with cheerleading (it's kind of hard to explain, you just have to see it). As for the games themselves, they are rather similar to Elite Beat Agents (which was released after Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan and before Moero Nekettsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! 2), and they follow a set of songs that follow a dilemma of a character in the song. Unlike Elite Beat Agents, the GUI and Art Style of the Japanese games are more reminiscent of manga style. Ouendan 1's graphics aren't as good and the textures aren't as clear, not too mention the noticeable lack of a "skip" button, but it does have good songs, and is in no way bad. Ouendan 2, on the other hand, takes notes from Elite Beat Agents and Ouendan 1 and improves on what they did wrong or could do better, having a much cleaner look and better graphics than Ouendan 1 did and simply being faster to navigate. The songs in this game are pretty amazing, almost all of them are very good, and on a more prominent note, there are two teams of characters involved with each new difficulty, the characters from Ouendan 1 that take care of songs on the West Side, and new characters that take care of songs on the East side. The games just get better going from Ouendan 1 to Elite Beat Agents to Ouendan 2, so you should really give them a try.

Also, on a side note but still on subject, you should give the free game Osu! a try for the PC, it's based off of the Ouendan series. You can use a mouse, Wiimote, keyboard + mouse, or Tablet to play it, and there is an insurmountable amount of songs available. It feels awkward at first, but once you get going it's really fun. If you like the Ouendan series (including EBA), then you'll like Osu.

[ZetaZaku]

@Mr Cat Dog
The only difference is:
-Japanese songs
-Male traditional Japanese cheerleader squad (American style for very hard) instead of agents
If you don't mind some popular at the time Jpop songs, play it. You can find a translation for the dialogues on gamefaqs.


Well, there are quite a lot of good Japanese RPGs that either don't get released at all on the west, or they (for some reasons) only release PS3 or 360 version in one area (America or Europe). I guess the main reason is that they are too anime like, and they think that west fans only care about muscles. For some games, the problem is license and stuff (example: Super Robot Wars and SD Gungam G Generation).

[machomuu]

Originally Posted by ZetaZaku

@Mr Cat Dog
The only difference is:
-Japanese songs
-Male traditional Japanese cheerleader squad (American style for very hard) instead of agents
If you don't mind some popular at the time Jpop songs, play it. You can find a translation for the dialogues on gamefaqs.

You don't really need a translation for the games, the games themselves and the scenarios in them are pretty self explanatory.