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Aion 1.9 patch highlights with producer Chris Hager
Yesterday NCsoft teased some of the upcoming features in Aion patch 1.9, making daevas the world over drool their sparkling, celestial spit. However, while everyone was busy drooling, we met up with Aion's producer, Chris Hager, for a more extensive look into the patch notes. Patch 1.9 has a bunch of things going for it -- from the introduction of a new "rent-a-item" system, to daily quests, to looking for group interface enhancements and more. As we said yesterday, there's over 26 pages of patch notes which will be appearing on the Aion main website -- that's a huge number of fixes and changes. While we can't cover them all in this document, we aim to hit the highlights of the patch that just hit the Korean test server. Now extend your wings and fly with us to the land after the break!
Dunaway hints at new Zelda in 2010, unsure about Xenoblade and The Last Story
As if Satoru Iwata's pronouncement of a 2010 release date for -- let's call it -- "New Legend of Zelda" wasn't exciting enough, Nintendo of America's Cammie Dunaway referenced a similar timeline for the upcoming Wii game at the Nintendo Media Summit this week. Speaking to GameLife, Dunaway said, "If you compare the first half of 2010 with the first half of 2009, it's night and day. And from some of the things that Mr. Iwata has talked about, and things that we will talk about at E3, like Zelda, you know that we're going to have a good back half of the year, as well." So then, Zelda in the back half of 2010? Yes, please. In regards to North American releases of RPGs Xenoblade and The Last Story, Dunaway somewhat baffling said, "It's too early to say whether we're going to bring those here" -- even though Nintendo of America already announced Xenoblade back at E3 2009 when it was called Monado: Beginning of the World. It's possible Dunaway simply misspoke, or she just forgot about Monado -- like everyone else in the world. %Gallery-65431%
Yakuza 3 loses hostess clubs, quiz game in Western release
[GAME Watch] There's a good chance that many of you were going to play through Yakuza 3 without messing with the hostess club segments or the Answer x Answer arcade quiz game. Now, it's a certainty. "The content between Yakuza 3 US/UK and Yakuza JP is a little different in that we took out certain bits in order to bring the game to the west in the time alloted for us to do so," a Sega rep told IGN. "The parts we ended up taking out were parts that we felt wouldn't make sense (like a Japanese history quiz game) or wouldn't resonate as much (such as the concept of a hostess club)." You may have gone on a karaoke date with Rina in the demo. In the original game, you meet her in a hostess club, and have to buy her gifts and learn about her in conversations. Now, we suppose, she'll just randomly call you like she did in the demo. Somehow, the dating won't be affected, as the Sega rep assured IGN that "the story experience was the same as the Japanese version." Who can blame Sega for cutting some of the more culturally Japanese elements from this role-playing game about modern Japanese culture? After all, it must have been in a rush to release on the same day as Final Fantasy XIII.
Take-Two taking its business to Japan
Take-Two is starting an office in Japan to publish its games. Previously, Take-Two and Rockstar games have been published by partners like Capcom, Cyberfront and, most recently, D3 Publisher. It always seemed a bit weird to see a GTA game with a Capcom label, and now we'll be spared that minor cognitive dissonance. The first game to be released under the new Japanese branch of Take-Two Interactive is Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. The publisher has yet to offer a date for this Japanese release, or even specify if it will be on both PS3 and Xbox 360.
Japanese gamers split on subtitles vs. dubs for Western games
Hong Kong action aficionados and anime fans have long debated over subtitles and dubs. While some prefer the ease (and comedy) of listening to English dubs, purists believe original language tracks should be preserved. The debate rages on with video games, as evidenced by the complaints of many Final Fantasy XIII fans, upset by the lack of the game's original Japanese track. The debate seems to garner the same kind of division across the Pacific, where Japanese gamers are equally conflicted about the use of subs and dubs. In fact, according to a poll conducted by games publisher Spike, the opinion amongst gamers is essentially split. The poll quizzed over six thousand individuals over the course of two years, and 49% of respondents said they prefer subtitles while 47% said they prefer dubs. With such a divided opinion regarding the subject, it seems like the best bet for publishers would be to find a way to squeeze multiple audio and subtitle options into their games. That way, gamers on both sides of the fence can be appeased -- and our sick dream of playing Gears of War 3 in Finnish with Chinese subtitles can finally come true. [Via Andriasang]
Level-5 considers opening US office
During the same event in which Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino teased new Wii and PS3 games, he also suggested that the company may be setting up operations in the US. According to our own imperfect translation of 4Gamer's summary of statements, "Mr. Hino, in order to release software overseas, spoke about a plan to establish a new company in America," describing his intention to expand the company's activities from its current home of Fukuoka to the world. This new enterprise would be the second new office opened by the company for this purpose -- it recently established an overseas-focused office in Tokyo. Perhaps we'll see self-published Level-5 games soon. Perhaps that way we can get timely Professor Layton releases! [Via Siliconera]
Inafune hints at overseas release for Monster Hunter Frontier
Not all Monster Hunter games make it outside of Japan. The Wii port of Monster Hunter G, for example, was passed over, as was Monster Hunter Frontier, the PC MMO upon which the upcoming Xbox 360 game is based. That's why it's noteworthy that Capcom's Keiji Inafune told Famitsu (according to Andriasang's translation) that "I feel Monster Hunter can definitely succeed overseas. There's a high possibility that MHF will kickstart that." For such a kickstart to take place, the game would have to be released overseas. Unless, of course, it's already kickstarted by Monster Hunter Tri, coming out in North America and Europe this April, right?
New Yakuza 3 screenshots are sweet, serpentine
Click to Yakuza-size Though the number of images displaying dudes brawling in the gallery below may lead you to believe that the pictures therein are of a new Street Fighter game, we assure you, they're just images from soon-to-be-localized Japanese crime drama, Yakuza 3. Don't believe us? Just check out the first image in that gallery. See that? That's a back tattoo, which members of the Yakuza are like, contractually obligated to get. This guy's back tattoo is of a snake, which means that his skin gets dry in the winter. Also, it means he likes to swallow whole, completely uncooked eggs. Weird, right? %Gallery-83380%
Level-5 opens new Tokyo office for 'overseas business'
Professor Layton, White Knight Chronicles, and Dragon Quest IX developer Level-5 is expanding from its Fukuoka, Japan base, founding a new office in Tokyo focused on its ROID mobile gaming platform, overseas business, and "new enterprises." The move could portend worldwide release of the developer's mobile games, or even expansion of its publishing business. In Japan, Level-5 publishes the Layton series, Inazuma Eleven, and other titles independently. If a localized Inazuma Eleven is indeed on the way, Level-5 could be looking to start up its publishing business outside of Japan with that title. Or, less spectacularly, we suppose the new office could be tasked with localization of games and dealing with Western publishers. [Via Siliconera]
Knights in the Nightmare heading to PSP
According to Siliconera, the latest issue of Famitsu brought great news to the loyal fans of Sting-developed strategy-RPGs: Knights in the Nightmare, a former DS exclusive, will soon be ported to the PSP. New features for the port include an animated opening title sequence and some much-needed tutorial missions. There's no official release date or word of an US localization for the title just yet -- we contacted Atlus to try and discern these details, but received a "No Comment" in return. We're as excited by this news as anyone else -- but all that multitasking in the game was pretty difficult to keep track of on two screens. The thought of trying to manage Knights' utterly perplexing combat system on a single screen is downright terrifying.
Gamepot Partners with Square-Enix for Fantasy Earth Zero
Apparently, Square-Enix isn't satisfied with just launching the highly-anticipated Final Fantasy XIV this year. In partnership with Gamepot USA, they're also going to be rolling out Fantasy Earth Zero, a new game for this side of the pond. The game promises PvPvE elements a la Aion, will be free to play, and should be available early this year. Sound like a remarkably short turnaround? That's because the game isn't actually new, having launched in Japan in 2006. Square-Enix had initially put quite a bit of promotion behind the game, but it very nearly died in its home country soon thereafter. Gamepot saved the game from a swift death, uncoupled it from the rather ill-fated PlayOnline Viewer, and moved to a free-to-play model that's been working out quite well for the game ever since. Tortured history aside, players can expect Fantasy Earth Zero to deliver a very active PvP experience with large-scale battles, as well as the usual high production values associated with a Square game. Take a look at the official teaser site to see about entering the local beta, and keep an eye open for more details about the game become available in the likely very near future.
Mythic taking over DAoC Europe
Mythic Entertainment today announced that GOA's license to publish and maintain Dark Age of Camelot in Europe will not be renewed, and that Mythic plans to take hold of the reins for European support. The news post says the transition will occur "in the coming weeks" which hopefully means a gradual shift is being planned, rather than a sudden one. The developer makes sure to assuage any fears of rocky times ahead by saying, "We are currently working with GOA to take over operation of the game and its European community, and will soon be providing details about pressing player questions such as existing subscriptions, character transfers, game versions, localization, and more." It sounds like everything is well under control, but an effort like this is most certainly a delicate one. Hopefully things go smoothly, as we'd rather report good news over bad.
Online game sharing confirmed for RPG Maker DS
Image source: Famitsu The RPG creation game with a very appropriate name, RPG Maker DS, has just raised the bar on itself. Famitsu reports gamers will not only be able to share game data locally, but also online via Wi-Fi Connect. You'll be able to swap the smallest of things, like items and monsters, right up to full games. Now if that doesn't scream replay value, we don't know what does. Of course, this news really only affects Japanese gamers, as a localization isn't that likely. Still, that's not to say there isn't any hope you'll be able to play the thing, especially considering that there's already an English-speaking community established for the game. [Via SIliconera]
Modern Warfare 2's poor translation, censorship in Japan draws ire
When Square Enix enlisted to localize Modern Warfare 2 for Japan, the publisher went above and beyond the call of duty. The game would be issued a complete Japanese-dialog makeover -- whereas the first Modern Warfare localization was simply subtitled -- in response to a "strong desire from Activision to widen the entrance for beginning FPS players," as Square Enix told Famitsu. However, some gamers are reporting that the extra effort has fallen short, citing numerous translation errors in the localized game. [Insert your Bill Murray joke here.] Additionally, Japanese site My Game Flash has rounded up other complaints about the localization, most notably an alteration to the sensationalized "No Russian" mission. Rather than delete the mission (as in the censored Russian version), Square Enix had the Japanese version of the mission adjusted to restrict the player from participating in a terrorist assault on an airport. If the player does engage civilian targets, it's game over. Square Enix has posted an update on the Modern Warfare 2 Japanese site describing the full Japanese language and subtitle tracks and warning of the "No Russian" edits, but has not announced plans to patch the translation errors or change the limitations on the censored mission. The publisher has cited technical limitations, which prevent selectable English and Japanese language tracks. Head past the break to see some footage of the Japanese version of MW2, courtesy of andriasang. [Via andriasang] Source - My Game Flash [machine translation] Source - Famitsu [machine translation] Source - Modern Warfare 2 Japanese site
German retailer lists localized version of Yakuza 3
This should provide hope to those who have been longing for a localized Yakuza 3 release. German retailer amazon.de has added a listing for the Japanese crime game, with a scheduled release of March 12th. Sega isn't commenting on the listing, but a localization has been rumored since July. While still unconfirmed, this listing adds credence to a project that seems like a no-brainer, considering the franchise's tremendous success in Japan. [Via 1UP]
Alexander O. Smith on localizing games for Square
We've heard the horror stories about the conditions under which famous Square translator Ted Woolsey had to work -- strictly constrained time and space limits and no feedback from the games' creators, which led to sometimes odd translations. Alexander O. Smith, who localized games for Square including Vagrant Story, shared some anecdotes about his tenure (and subsequent freelance work on games like Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions) that revealed that it wasn't much better for a translator in the PlayStation era. "We would get a copy of the game," Smith told Gamasutra about working on Final Fantasy VIII, "and we would say, 'Well, what about files?' And they would say, 'Oh, I don't think you need those.' So we all bought Game Sharks." Smith called the situation "very sad." He compared it to Final Fantasy XII, for which the team got full gameplay footage. The interview covers not just work for Square, but Smith's subsequent move into freelance with Joseph Reeder, and a lot of inside information about the localization work (and surprise musical careers) of both.
Rumor: 1UP 'source' says Yakuza 3 is Westward bound
If fanboys complain loudly enough, can they get a game localized for an English release? The answer appears to be: yes, at least according to an unnamed 1UP source "close to the project," who says that "Yakuza 3 is currently being localized for release in the U.S. and European markets." If true, it'll be interesting to see if people will actually buy the game. The late-to-the-party PS2 release of Yakuza 2 was largely ignored. Could Yakuza 3 meet the same fate, now that Yakuza 4 is already on its way to Japan? [Thanks, Marius!]
Kojima's Policenauts now playable in English
Now here's some Kojima-related news worth counting down to. The fan translation patch for Hideo Kojima's sci-fi graphical text adventure, Policenauts, is now complete and available for download. The game, originally planned for official release on the Sega Saturn in 1996, was never released in English by Konami, so a group of fans worked to localize and patch the files. Policenauts is an adventure game in a similar style to Kojima's Snatcher, consisting of mostly still images with fully-voiced dialogue and a text-based menu interface. The game follows Jonathan Ingram, a one-time policeman on an extraterrestrial Earth colony, who drifted into space and returned to Earth 25 years later, having been saved by a "cold sleep" system in his suit. Following his return, he works as a private investigator and attempts to solve a murder and a mysterious disappearance. The patch requires a copy of the Japanese PlayStation version of the game and a PlayStation that can play CD-R discs -- that's because you have to rip the game files, apply the patch, and then burn it to another disc. Finally, a reason to dust off that PlayStation you modded to play Beatmania ten years ago! [Thanks, Mike]
Star Wars: The Old Republic being localized in French and German
One of the unique aspects of Star Wars: The Old Republic is that it's being developed as a fully-voiced MMO through the efforts of hundreds of voice actors. According to BioWare, the script for SWTOR contains 40+ novels worth of content. This is impressive -- not to mention a bit frightening -- but what happens if BioWare and LucasArts want to tap the non-English speaking markets? (They do.) BioWare stated: "Today, we are revealing that BioWare and LucasArts will be localizing The Old Republic into French and German and we are launching the French and German versions of the official website." Our understanding is that the French and German releases of Star Wars: The Old Republic will be fully voiced as with the English version. If the localizations for each of these languages truly encompass everything in the English version of SWTOR, this could mark the biggest localization effort undertaken to date in the MMO industry.
Welsh speakers wanted for game translation project
Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches is based on The Mabinogion, a collection of Welsh folklore. It would make sense to offer the adventure game in the Welsh language, right? Unfortunately, it doesn't make business sense, according to developer Arberth Studios, who estimates a cost of £16,500 to translate the approximately 30,000 words of text to Welsh."We have to try and translate this game into Welsh," Arberth's Noel Bruton told the BBC, "but there's just not enough Welsh speakers in the gaming market to justify the translation costs." The company is looking for volunteers to help translate the game, with the possibility of some unspecified compensation "if we made something out of the sales." Sure, it might basically be work for free, but it's really important for speakers of minority languages to have access to cultural materials -- plus it would be a pretty cool project for a Welsh school.
