localization
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Cyberduck hits 2.8 with file transfer queueing
Henrik sends us word that Cyberduck, the other FTP app I use all the time, has been updated to version 2.8. New in this version, you can find the Ganymed SSH2 library, support for SCP transfers, file transfer queueing, the ability to limit bandwidth, and a number of other bugfixes and features. Henrik also reminds us that open sourced Cyberduck is way ahead of anything else in language localization, as it supports (deep breath) English, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Slovak, Spanish, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Russian, Swedish, Danish, Polish, Hungarian, Indonesian, Catalan, Welsh, Thai, Turkish and Hebrew. Whew! No Klingon localization? What will M'marhcS use for an FTP client?Cyberduck 2.8, as always, is open source, which means free as in speech and beer, and is available for download on their website.
German Apollo Justice screenshots are a good sign
Siliconera's Spencer Yip came across some screenshots of the German localization of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney and rejoiced. Not because German is awesome (although we suppose it is a pretty neat language) but because evidence of any work being done on a version in any European language portends that the English version is even farther along. In fact, if Capcom is even thinking about a European release, we estimate that the US version must have been out for about two years already.More information about the European version can be found at Nintendo's European site, which lists some very Teutonic-sounding names for the twin lawyers known as Garyuu Kirihito and Garyuu Kyouya in Japan: Klavier and Kristoph Gavin. In addition, Apollo's assistant, called Minuki in Japanese, is called Trucy in the European release. Could these be the American character names as well?
DS Daily: Talking cookbooks
As you may have guessed, we're super excited about the localization of Cooking Navi, the chit-chatting cookbook for the DS. We can't wait to see what recipes appear on the various English-language versions. The Japanese software is, of course, filled with Asian recipes ... and while we certainly appreciate many kinds of Asian cuisine, we assume the localized version will feature different fare -- mostly because Reggie told us that would be the case. But what will be in ours? Creative uses for ramen noodles? Here's one from us: for salad crunchies, you can break up the noodles and fry them in a little oil and their own seasoning packets. Throw in some almonds for extra flavor and texture, let 'em cool, and toss them with greens. That makes a nice change from piles of soggy sodium noodles! We expect some very basic things, like hamburgers and spaghetti, as well as numerous desserts (anyone up for amaretto trifle?), and we hope for some complicated things as well for those of us who actually look forward to using a talking cookbook to expand our cooking knowledge. We just experimented (to great effect) over the weekend with adding pomegranate juice to the stock in the bottom of our roasted turkey pan (verdict: slight tang, very juicy) and we ache for more tips like that. So share your predictions, your thoughts, and what the hell ... if you want, let's share some recipes, too.
Atlus confirms Ontama, Touch Detective sequel, Draglade for US
If there's one thing to love about E3 -- even the all-new, scaled down E3 -- it's the flood of new game announcements that tend to come with the show. On that front, Atlus has certainly not disappointed us; this morning, they let fly with a bevy of localization announcements. One -- Touch Detective 2½ -- we expected, but the announcements that Draglade and Ontamarama are headed to English-speaking gamers are news indeed. For rhythm game enthusiasts, those last two are very good news indeed. Ontamarama follows the story of Beat and Rest, two "Ontamaestros" who discover an evil demon (as opposed to all the good ones) is cajoling villagers into trapping Ontama, the sound spirits who bring music to the land. Of course, that means our heroes have to get their rhythm on in order to save the day. Also, the word "Ontamaestros" demonstrates why we love Atlus-style localizations. We've been cooing excitedly over this game for months, so unless you've been living under a rock that didn't have wifi, you've probably seen a screenshot or two. Draglade is the intriguing mix of rhythm and fighting that the world has been waiting for. Well, we've been waiting, at least. In the world of Draglade, the premier spectator sport of the day is "Grapping," which sorta makes us think of breakdance fighting -- just with more potential violence. The game tracks the rise of four hungry Grappers, Hibito, Guy, Kyle, and Daichi, and their struggle to make it to the top. Can someone get us a hip hop version of "Eye of the Tiger" up in here? Obviously, Touch Detective 2½ is the sequel to the BeeWorks game released last year. We have such a love-hate relationship with this game that we can't help but look forward to the sequel, if only because we're masochists.[Via press release]
DS Daily: Import dreams
There are so many games for the DS in Japan -- a veritable flood each week, it seems -- that they couldn't all possibly make it outside the islands. To be fair, we probably wouldn't be interested in all of them, but sometimes there are great games that we just don't get. For those who are willing to import, that's fine, and luckily, the DS is region-free. But not everyone can manage it, or can handle even the lightest foreign text. So we're curious: what non-English language game do you want localized as soon as possible? Even if there's no chance of it ever happening, we want to know what you dream about.
Tingle RPG headed to UK, but normal games are too!
FINALLY! After a year of waiting, Tingle's trusty UK fanbase will be appeased with the release of Freshly Picked - Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland on September 14. Originally released in Japan in September 2006, Freshly Picked is a unique action RPG that has Tingle traveling to various islands, solving puzzles and battling enemies all in the pursuit of rupees. Given the title character's poor standing with western audiences, we're as surprised as anyone that this Zelda spinoff is being localized for the English market, and didn't just stay in Japan as we all hoped thought it would.Well before Tingle-mania reaches their shores, European DS owners will also be getting a handful of first-rate portable titles. Metroid Prime Pinball was just released this past week; Brain Age 2 will be landing on June 29 (well before the North American launch date); Elite Beat Agents is out on July 13th, and Pokémon Diamond and Pearl will be taking over the lives of British children on July 27.
New partnership brings European adventure games to North America
A new partnership between Lighthouse Interactive and German publisher dtp entertainment could help boost the adventure game market in North America. The companies have agreed to localize European-made adventure games for the North American market, translating text and removing all references to "spanners" in the process.Three games have already been announced to receive the North American Englishization treatment: Sproing Interactive's WWII-themed spy thriller Undercover: Operation Wintersun, Artematica's conspiracy game Belief & Betrayal, and the upcoming psychological adventure from House of Tales, Overclocked. No word on how far in the future this partnership will extend, but it bodes well for North American adventure aficionados craving more games.[Via Adventure Gamers]
Joystiq interviews Odin Sphere's Bill Alexander
Odin Sphere evokes an odd sense of unwavering tradition. Everything about it appears to be old-fashioned, meticulously crafted and heavy. It's the dusty painting hanging in a cluttered museum compared to next-gen's LCD television mounted on a pretentiously bare wall. That's the impression you're left with after first encountering Atlus' "traditional" action RPG for the PlayStation 2. But you've been fooled. When you weren't looking, the flashy television and the painting traded places.That isn't to say Odin Sphere completely reinvents the role-playing genre -- the game has its fair share of ancient artifacts, warring nations and apocalyptic scenarios -- but its delicately crafted and strikingly beautiful approach seems in sharp contrast to what has become our own modern tradition of manufactured glitz. The game shuns the third dimension, telling its tale with bold 2-D artwork and gorgeous sprites. Gone are science fiction trappings and effervescent dialogue, replaced with Shakespearean drama and criss-crossing character arcs.Giving the characters their English voices is Atlus, a publisher which has made localizing unusual Japanese games its tradition. We spoke with Odin Sphere's project lead, Bill Alexander, about the crucial translation process.%Gallery-3133%
Picross DS bound for the US, one way or another
Relations between the US and Europe have been strained enough over uncompromising war policies and disparate diplomats, but Nintendo's decision to localize Picross DS for our Atlantic opposites while ignoring North America's pleas threatens to escalate the conflict even further. Already, protesters are rallying on embassy steps, stomping on french fries and singing hymns of freedom.Hoping to avert an international crisis, GameStop has put up a Picross title on its site for $19.99, announcing a July 31st stateside release for the logic puzzler. For some, that distant date is unacceptable. Others refuse to even believe that it's the same game and not a generic product. To appease their ire, online shop SendIt has agreed to offer the UK version of the game at a discount. Picross DS has a £14.89 (approximately $30.00) listing on the site, and CAG forumers have reported paying $32.87 after US shipping and handling charges. As far as import prices go, that's quite a deal![Via CAG]
Gyakuten Saiban 4 demo translation is a heroic effort
DS Fanboy pal Zachary Hinchliffe is powerfully awesome, and you can quote us on that. He's working with Croik of the Phoenix Wright fansite Court Records to translate the Japanese Gyakuten Saiban 4 Flash demo, which actually consists of part of the first case.It's in a very early stage right now-- essentially, once you get past the intro and into gameplay, the text switches over to question-mark speak that is even less useful than the original Japanese dialogue, but you can at least watch the introduction. And you can set your bookmark now to play more as more gets translated, because we're sure you'll get to play this demo to completion in English before the game gets an English release.
Capcom blogger interviews Phoenix Wright localization staff
We just found out about the employee blogs that Capcom USA has on their website. One in particular, belonging to "Scarlett," is especially cool because it features an interview with a member of the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Justice For All localization staff, Janet Hsu!The interview provides some fairly interesting information about working at Capcom Japan, and about trying to make something as Japanese as Gyakuten Saiban make sense to American audiences. There's also the incredible statement from Ms. Hsu that she only took Japanese classes for about 2 years before coming to Japan. Certain members of the DS Fanboy Blogging Squad have taken much more Japanese than that and can't translate their way out of a paper bag. It's official: Janet Hsu is our new hero, and so are her colleagues JP Kellams and Brandon Gay.[Via GameSetWatch]
Final Fantasy narrowly avoids drug endorsement
The Final Fantasy series has long been known for its highly addictive properties, though this has never been highlighted quite as well as in a Square Enix GDC presentation held on Friday. Localization director for the RPG powerhouse, Richard Honeywood, talked extensively about the challenges faced in the alteration of a Japanese game for Western audiences. Of course, the transition is often less than perfect, as evidenced by the English title of a scrapped Final Fantasy compilation -- Final Fantasy Heroins. The rest of the talk, which was notably devoid of substance abuse, centered on Square Enix's central localization philosophy. The key element, said Honeywood, is constant communication between the translators and the game developers. He also pointed out several examples of why this concept, in conjunction with extended release schedules, can result in a superior game for Western audiences. Dragon Quest VIII, for instance, benefited from an overhauled interface, voice acting and an orchestral soundtrack during its localization process. Frequently, even a game's animations are motion captured again so as to include more culturally appropriate motions -- Final Fantasy X's blitzball greeting was cited as being a little questionable in the Japanese release.Towards the end of the presentation, Richard Honeywood acknowledged the efforts of fan translators who spend so much of their personal time converting games which may not see English releases. "Legally we can't condone these fan translations," he said, "but we like reading them and seeing how others interpret the text." For a quick demonstration of why localization is so important, check out a direct machine translation of this post after the break.
Creating Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan and its recreation as Elite Beat Agents
Keiichi Yano, VP of development for iNiS Corporation created Gitaroo-man and Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. Americans know him most recently for the conversion of the latter title to Elite Beat Agents. But since the original Japanese rhythm game centered on the rousing Ouendan, at his GDC seminar, Yano explained the process of rebuilding the title for a more American approach with "The Agents." With two Ouendan helpers occasionally chiming in, but mostly standing at attention during the presentation, Yano described the history of his company's titles. He was the game designer and also lead programmer for the company's first game, Gitaroo-man -- "[my ambitious role] was the stupidest thing ever." He hadn't created a game before, saying, "[I] studied pretty hard, read all the books, [and] came to GDC. At the end of the development cycle, we thought we had a really good game. ... We gained a fair amount of confidence." But Gitaroo-man was a retail disappointment. "It sold, like, nothing," Yano continued. "Any confidence that we had built was completely crushed like a fly. At this point, we had kind of lost all confidence in the music genre. ... We really did a lot of soul-searching back then." iNiS went on to prototype a new game and show it off to Nintendo. Yano said, "To make a long story short, they thought our idea sucked. ... We went on and we kept pitching this game [elsewhere]." %Gallery-1974%
"Death" returns to Final Fantasy VI [update 1]
Siliconera notes that upcoming GBA port Final Fantasy VI Advance is sorta like a director's cut. When the game appeared some years ago on Super NES, as Final Fantasy III, localization efforts toned down some of the stronger language. Thus, "death" became "doom," "pub" became "cafe," and "holy" became "pearl" (huh?). Even instances of minor nudity, pixelated as they were, got covered up.Pictured above, "Doomgaze" (SNES version name) has been properly restored to "Deathgaze" in FFVI Advance. Could the final release retain all of the original Japanese creation's edginess? Will "Terra" -- *gasp* -- be rightfully named "Tina"?Update: corrected Terra/Tina mix-up.
GameStop aims to sell Blue Dragon in June
GameStop is now listing Blue Dragon for June 5. The online retailer's release date forecast, which should be considered a placeholder pending official confirmation, follows Game Informer's recent Blue Dragon cover story in which the GameStop-owned publication cited a summer release for Mistwalker's RPG.There have been few updates regarding the Blue Dragon localization process, but we do know that the original game content will not be altered beyond text translation and English voice dubbing (replaceable with the original Japanese voice acting and English subtitles). The dubbing will also encompass the re-recording of several key songs. Instead of including exclusive content in the localization effort, global product manager Hees Kyung confirmed with Game Informer that downloadable content will have "a significant impact on post-release Blue Dragon around the world." Kyung declined to state specifics, but seemed to imply that future content would be episodic.Blue Dragon was released in Japan on December 7, 2006.
Phoenix Wright: Justice For All translation is just fine
According to some recent import impressions of the newly-remade-for-the-DS Gyakutan Saiban 2 (that's Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All over here in America), the English translation stored on the Japanese cart seems to be the official translation that will be used here in North America. One of the biggest draws of the game was its extremely well-written and localized script, so many importers were wary that the English option from Japan would be a hack job of pain, suffering, and Engrish.Worry not! The importer assures us that the writing is as goofy and hilarious as the original, so go ahead and import this sucker, qualm-free. He does mention a few rather glaring typos (which will certainly be fixed before American release), but if you can handle such trivial annoyances, than you can get your gavel on months before the rest.
Enchanted Arms embraces bilingualism
Due for release on 29 August, Enchanted Arms is the fully localized version of From Software's more awkwardly named and rather annoyingly capitalized [eM] eNCHANT arM, the first traditional Japanese RPG to emerge on the Xbox 360. For its American release, the fine French folks at Ubisoft have bravely volunteered to publish the game and translate the gratuitous amounts of Japanese voice and text into something more palatable to a Western audience. Then again, many localizations turn out be anything but palatable, representing the aural equivalent of vicious food poisoning. The mere memory of Shenmue's soulless soccer kids causes great discomfort and anxiety, feelings that are slightly dimmed by Ubisoft's intentions to include both Japanese and English soundtracks on the Enchanted Arms disc. Excellent news, to be sure, but frustrating in the sense that Ubisoft is one of the few publishers that actually does put a great deal of care into cinematic presentation, generally avoiding talentless talkers who end up in the recording studio through sheer chance. Based on Grandia II, their English efforts might not be nearly embarrassing enough to warrant this feature.And really, "feature" is a good word to describe it. With advanced compression techniques and new, Blu-tinged storage mediums arriving, there should be no reason for gamers not to have a choice in who they hear blathering about chosen ones and ancient, poorly imprisoned evils. It's about time that publishers and developers realized that poor voice acting is no laughing matter.[A video involving magical limbs is embedded in the second part of the post.]
International co-operation
The recent news of a Spanish localisation didn't surprise me too much; WoW has been spreading like wildfire across Europe, and a key way to capture territories outside the UK is to offer a native-language version. However, in my travels across a number of European servers, I've seen very few Spanish players.However, there seems to be a preponderance of Nordic gamers, and I've also encountered several Dutch speakers in my travels. With the lack of specific-language servers (let alone a client version), these players often post messages in general chat searching for fellow countrymen--on some servers, any foreign language is met with venom, but on others players are very helpful. Having observed this on several servers now, it seems that PvP and RP-PvP server residents are most hostile towards any non-English speakers, although that's something of a generalisation. Perhaps it's due to the frustration of having to type names like Bjørn.Playing in Europe is a great way to get an international flavour to your gameplay, although it's sometimes surprising to find out someone is from Holland or Belgium when they have been speaking better English than the UK-based players for weeks.
We Love Katamari coming to America... with bad box art!
Puzzle game may seem like a strange genre to squeeze junk-rolling oddball Katamari Damacy into, but I guess that's the closest approximation to categorizing the most lovable (yet darkly foreboding) game I've played. Well, the sequel, We Love Katamari, is finally making it to American shores next month, and I'm sure you're joining me in holding your breath until the day it's released, too. The only thing I'm not waiting for is the currently planned U.S. box art. One word: UGH! Compared to the original's surreal Western packaging (or the serene version of the Japanese CD soundtrack), this version actually cries out for some focus-group testing (on an almost original Xbox-controller level). Compare this with even the sequel's Japanese (or even Korean) covers in this preview from early August (see the actual art planned there), and I think you'll agree that something's amiss with Namco's American marketing team. People are angry, and they aren't gonna take it anymore! Considering all the speaking engagements Katamari's creator has had since the release of the original, it's hard for me to believe this relative artistic stinker made it through the publisher's approval process. Personally, this illustration belongs on the back of the game case, not the front. Can anyone throw together an insert mod for me? [UPDATE: Hopefully, you didn't mistake the joke image I found online and included with my post above with the genuine article that can be found below. Just in case you didn't take the time to examine it, the joke image reads: "We Boycott Katamari.") If you missed it in my post, take a look at the officially planned, but still atrocious image ripped from GameFly below, and feel your raw hate begin to rise to new heights (don't say we didn't warn you): http://www.1up.com/do/imageDisplay?id=2176237] [via gewgaw]
