John Hokanson Jr. (isamu@USAGI.COM)
Sat, 28 Aug 1999 23:56:14 -0700
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook 8.5, Build 4.71.2173.0 Message-ID: <001201bef1eb$959178e0$a35b443f@isamu> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1999 23:56:14 -0700 From: "John Hokanson Jr." <isamu@USAGI.COM> Subject: Re: Petition For Sakura 3> -----Original Message----- > From: Sakura Taisen Mailing List > [mailto:SAKURATAISEN-LIST@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU]On Behalf Of Jose > Barragán > Sent: Friday, August 27, 1999 10:00 PM > To: SAKURATAISEN-LIST@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU > Subject: Re: Petition For Sakura 3 > > > I don't care about people who mock the US version of Dragon Ball > Z. I know > that there's a lot more to the series than what's appeared on US > TV, 'cause > I own the original manga. > > >> I know it > >> certainly wouldn't matter to me if I enjoyed the Japanese version of > Sailor > >> Moon and I spoke to people who didn't like the DiC translation. I'd > still > >> be enjoying the Japanese version. > > > >Yes, it doesn't effect our enjoyment of the show. But it does affect the > >public's perception of a certain thing. For instance, right now ST is a > >niche game. Those who know it probably love it. Those who've only heard > >about think of it as this mythical game that is probably good. But if it > >comes out in a mainstream form... and in a hacked manner, wouldn't that > >make you mad? > > > Who's to say that it would come out hacked, if it did? I certainly don't > think this would happen. Even if WD translated it, I don't think there > would be any big changes in the game dialogue. That's naive. With a title as emotionally driven as ST, Vic would take great delight in determining what scenes are too over the top in his way too subjective opinion. Read his USENET posts more often. He makes virtually no effort to hide the fact. Expecting artistic integrity from WD is like expecting sex from a nun. > > > > >I can point you to many people who were upset by Rayearth's handling. In > >fact, I've not heard any praise for WD in this respect from people who > >actually have played the import. It's only the ones who haven't played > >the origianl who thinks the game is decent, ignorant of what the game > >actually *was*. > > > Other than the voices which were removed, how was the game > different? I've > seen you arguing about how US Rayearth is inferior in so many > ways, but the > spoken dialogue really can't add that much. Sure, in the > Japanese version, > if you didn't know Japanese and heard a villager speaking out > loud, you knew > you were on the right track to continue playing the game, but > this isn't the > case in the US version...'cause it's in English. :P > Also, bringing up Rayearth is unfair to WD. No, it isn't. It's the pinicle of their incompetence. > This is the only time in the > company's history where they've been faced with such > circumstances regarding > a game translation (not being able to replicate the original theme song > because of the rights, Assuming they would have anyways... > the new logo that had to be added in at the last > minute, and most importantly, the hard drive crash that caused so much > important information that would have helped make the port easier to be > lost). Well, you know, there are certain companies out there that back up their data. If WD puts all their eggs in one basket, I really have no sympathy for them when they crack. > Certainly, the whole MKR translation process was a nightmare for > them. It was a nightmare for everybody. Especially the people Vic lashed out against. He's a corporate CEO? I could hardly tell from the diatribe he expells out upon USENET.
> > > > >> also for other people to enjoy. Besides, let's face it, it > would be very > >> hard to ruin ST...and considering the top-notch writing that > the ST games > >> have had, even if WD did do a translation of ST3, they wouldn't have to > do > >> much rewriting (no random townspeople in villages saying dull > messages to > >> replace, since all of the dialogue is spoken by important characters). > > > >Funny you should mention that. How about Working Design's decision that > >the dialog in Rayearth wasn't important enough? How about them taking it > >all out and adding in "spoken diary entries" as if that was really good > >compensation for taking the "meat" out of the game? > > > Vic was covering his and his company's ass when he said that the dialogue > wasn't important enough. Vic is pretty good at covering his company's ass. I got to give him credit there. > I bet that they just thought it'd take > too long to > do all that dialogue, and, because they didn't want anymore delays, they > just figured "Hell, it'll be easier if we just have the three > girls do the > spoken diaries." They had roughly three years to record the dialogue. Does anybody else have a problem with this? > > > > >Why, if Vic doesn't feel that so and so shouldn't talk, they won't. > > > They still speak, you just don't hear 'em speaking anymore. You act as if > that's some HUGE change, and it adds, what, probably thirty more > minutes of > playing time since you can't fast forward through the spoken dialogue? > Guess what, the whole beginning of the game listening to the > girls speak for > the first hour of the game and _knowing_ I couldn't fast-forward through > that if I wanted to (and I wanted to, the second time I started > playing...) > was really annoying. Of course, Vic took the hack job method, and cut out material instead of modifying. I and others told Vic to add a subroutine where you could fastforward the dialogue just like a lot of other games. WD reprograms virtually every game they touch in one way or another, so it's not like this is an unreasonable request. He gave us a runaround about code centralization or whatever. Apparently, rewriting the script was more important... > > > > >They can change a whole lot, Jose... just like how Disney changed some > >things in Kiki's Delivery Service. Even though by contract, they can't > >touch the video, their full access of the audio changed key aspects of > >that movie (especially the ending). > > > That's Disney, and we all know how famous they are for toning down things > they don't deem 'appropriate' for their target audiences. This > is something > they have been doing for years. Their bastardized versions of > Hercules and > The Little Mermaid made me gag. Then why doesn't WD's bastardized translations make you gag? Because that's exactly what they are.