Persona 4

[Feba]

[ame=http://www.gametrailers.com/player/35889.html]Gametrailers.com - Persona 4 - US Debut Trailer[/ame]

Now I'm just torn between buying it ASAP, or waiting for an expanded version.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Persona 4

Well, remember that not all extended versions are released in the U.S. It will probably depend on how well FES does before they'll consider releasing the EV here. So you could buy the first version, play it, take it back to the game store or put it on Ebay, keep what you make from it, and then buy the extended version if one happens to come out.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Persona 4

Just due to the fact I like Atlus, I'll probably buy it extended version or not. Unlike Square-Enix, they seem to respect thier western customers enough to offer extended versions and little shinies like soundtracks with thier games.

Ya hear that, SE? Where's my frickin' FFXII International?

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Persona 4

Where's my frickin' FFXII International?

Isn't that the f'in truth! I have bought all the Internationals but playing them is another story. I really wanted FFX International brought over here because I couldn't get past a part in it.

But you have to love the other companies like Atlus, that do show us the love and give us goodies. I'm a pack rat so the more stuff you give me, the happier I am!

[Pai Pai Master]

Re: Persona 4

It'll be worth it to buy both versions. It's not like $30 isn't worth it just for The Answer.

[Feba]

Re: Persona 4

Well, remember that not all extended versions are released in the U.S.

Ya hear that, SE? Where's my frickin' FFXII International?

This is one reason I try to buy the expanded version whenever possible. I happen to like getting the most bang for my buck. I also particularly dislike it when parts of the story are only given in certain regions (see: KH), or when a game that was released in multiple regions gets a rerelease in only a single one (see: KHCOM)

[Raydeus]

Re: Persona 4

That looks good.

If only they added subtitles instead of dubbing.

[Caspian]

Re: Persona 4

And I just bought Persona 3 FES last night....
Guess I have a lot on my plate.
And praise Atlus for releasing special editions here in the states. I'm still bitter about the Kingdom Hearts Final Mixes.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Persona 4

That looks good.

If only they added subtitles instead of dubbing.

The dub for Persona 3 was perfectly fine, as were the dubs for Digital Devil Saga and Devil Summoner. When Nocturne was released, people bitched because they had to read. I'm fairly sure the dub for Persona 4 will be fine. Atlus not only localizes quickly, they've done it with quality.

If you really want to have your ears - or more accurately, your eyes - bleed, go look for a copy of Persona 2: Revalations. Not only does the story absolutely make no sense, it was so Americanized for the Western market that it was embarassing to Americans.

They learned thier lesson. Keep the characters native to thier setting, just rework what doesn't translate over well. Mostly the humor.

What Altus really needs to work on is less typecasting. They change the age, setting and names of the characters, but there's always one of the following:

Silent Protagonist
Rich girl
Dedicated Athlete
Class Clown
Rebellious Type
Cheery, Upbeat Girl
Mysterious Girl
Quiet Girl
Smart Dog or Talking Cat

[Raydeus]

Re: Persona 4

I guess they do a decent job, but it just loses so much from the original language meaning in the translation/localization that it's very difficult to ignore.

Heck, I'm still bitter about X-2, what was supposed to be a cute and fun bishoujo epic became a "Barbie goes to Spira" game instead. All because of the dubbing.

[Feba]

Re: Persona 4

If only they added subtitles instead of dubbing.

In Persona 3: FES, you can turn off the voice acting if you don't like it. You might still have to listen to it during cutscenes (as in, animated clips, not using the game engine), but that's a very small amount of the game. The voice acting in Persona 3 was overall pretty good; without too many problems. Overall, the localization was great. There's simply no room, though, to put the Japanese AND American audio on that disk. Persona 3: FES already has such an insane amount of contact packed on to the disk, nearly doubling their audio requirements (obviously not counting music and sound effects) would almost certainly not work. Let alone doubling the text so that you have the "subtitled" version and the "localized" version.

If you really want to listen to it in Japanese that badly, you can buy the Japanese version.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Persona 4

I guess they do a decent job, but it just loses so much from the original language meaning in the translation/localization that it's very difficult to ignore.

Heck, I'm still bitter about X-2, what was supposed to be a cute and fun bishoujo epic became a "Barbie goes to Spira" game instead. All because of the dubbing.

I don't think the dubbing had anything to do with that. The plot, setting and theme did.

Also, its pretty shallow to judge every dub by a couple of games that came out six or seven years ago. Atlus learned more quickly than most companies did, they happen to not be the SE of six years ago as well.

I mean, even SE isn't that out of step now, they just localize too damn slow. The dub for FFXII is about as close to perfect as anyone could get.

[Raydeus]

Re: Persona 4

And that's my point, no matter how good the dubbing is it will always lose something important from the original material.

And yes, it was all the dubbing's fault for what happened to X-2. The plot was what it was, and it worked very well in japanese, but since there's no equivalent for Japanese cuteness in the US culture it ended up with them being... well everything but that.


But since I don't expect games to respect the original language until people stops being lazy about subtitles the only choice I have is to hurry up and learn those damn Kanjis. I seriously wish I was born in Japan, if only so I could've learned the language earlier.


/em goes back to studying Japanese.



Edit > On topic: I'm still waiting to get FES and it will still take some time before I do, yay importing. >_<

[Feba]

Re: Persona 4

And that's my point, no matter how good the dubbing is it will always lose something important from the original material.

Again, if it upsets you that much, go BUY SAID ORIGINAL MATERIAL. The rest of us will be over here enjoying games we can understand, rather than bitching about semantics. Subtitles are going to lose just as much, considering the main problem is cultural and linguistic differences; not merely the sound of peoples' voices.

Localization is about making it suitable for the intended audience; and hopefully keeping it fairly true to the original work. Persona 3: FES has one of the best localizations I've ever seen in an RPG. I have to imagine that the same people will be producing Persona 4. I am very much looking forward to it.

[Raydeus]

Re: Persona 4

Still, original language with subtitles gives you a much closer experience to the original than dubbing ever will.

But like I said, I just need to learn more Japanese so I can stop buying translated crap.