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Seiken Densetsu Collection announced for Switch (SD1-3 roms, 4800 yen)

I'd be more than willing to pay a premium to get this in English. Bring in on SE!

Has Squeenix (or anyone) ever "officially" localized an old rom of a text-heavy RPG?

I believe Atlus did so for the English mobile versions of SMT1 and 2. Those were based on the GBA ports though and not the SNES originals if I remember right.
 

Aokage

Pretty nice guy (apart from the blue shadows thing...)
Holy shit at the M2 news! Now I'm dreaming of a Monster World Complete Collection style release with selectable regions for each game. Not that it will solve the lack of English Seiken Densetsu 3...

As godlike as that would be, I can't imagine S-E going the full Sega Ages route. I certainly hope we get art galleries, archival materials, a BGM player, maybe Japanese and American TV commercials...
 

MrT-Tar

Member
M2's work is amazing, S-E has done well to hire them. The SEGA 3D Classics line, as well as the GBA VC on the WiiU was amazing
 

Clov

Member
I believe Atlus did so for the English mobile versions of SMT1 and 2. Those were based on the GBA ports though and not the SNES originals if I remember right.

Wasn't it only the iOS version of SMT1 that got localized? I don't think Atlus localized the mobile versions of SMTII or SMT If.
 
Wasn't it only the iOS version of SMT1 that got localized? I don't think Atlus localized the mobile versions of SMTII or SMT If.

Yup, we only got the first. I thought they got released together but apparently not.

Still wish we had gotten those translations ported to the Wii U GBA VC; it would have been nice to get those on more traditional hardware.
 
Has Squeenix (or anyone) ever "officially" localized an old rom of a text-heavy RPG?
Dragon Quest IV, V, VI and VII technically. They were officially localized in Europe (and in Multi-5) with the DS/3DS releases.

Were those emulated Roms? I thought they were remakes (and DQVII wasn't even a cartridge game to begin with). Localizing remakes are a hell of a lot easier/cheaper than editing a ROM file.
 

jett

D-Member
Dragon Quest IV, V, VI and VII technically. They were officially localized in Europe (and in Multi-5) with the DS/3DS releases.

Bro those are remakes.

M2 OMG have they ever worked with Square before?

if they can manage to get any extras out of them ... lord have mercy



Shin Megami Tensei and Monster World 4, and Romancing SaGa 2 on mobile was also a miracle.

Does it have to be an RPG? Because there was Monster World IV.
Also FFV PSX but I know that's walking into hair-splitting territory

Well a RPG would be a big amount of work, that's why I mentioned it specifically. But FFV does kinda count. I think those games used emulation to some extent on the PS1. I guess there are a couple of cases after all. Maybe there's a chance this gets localized.
 
But FFV does kinda count. I think those games used emulation to some extent on the PS1. I guess there are a couple of cases after all. Maybe there's a chance this gets localized.
Translated FF V happened just a couple years after FF VII released and the series was newly hot in the west. If we recently had a multi-million-selling Seiken Densetsu VII I guess we'd have a better chance.
 

KiraXD

Member
why would they not localize SD3? i mean its already done via translated patches and shit... it would take an intern a day to go over those fan translations and fix anything and toss the patched game on the card... whats the problem? why do people think it wont be localized? is copyright in the game an issue overseas?
 

Syril

Member
Translated FF V happened just a couple years after FF VII released and the series was newly hot in the west. If we recently had a multi-million-selling Seiken Densetsu VII I guess we'd have a better chance.

I thought that one had just used the rough draft translation from when they were planning to localize it originally.
 

hongcha

Member
why would they not localize SD3? i mean its already done via translated patches and shit... it would take an intern a day to go over those fan translations and fix anything and toss the patched game on the card... whats the problem? why do people think it wont be localized? is copyright in the game an issue overseas?

SE doesn't use fan translations.

Due to the fact that M2 is doing this (best news possible), they will probably include an English option for SD1 and SD2, since they have done this in some of their other Japan-only compilations.
 

CamHostage

Member
Has Squeenix (or anyone) ever "officially" localized an old rom of a text-heavy RPG?

Does Mother/Earthbound Beginnings count?
(I'm not clear if they used the translation from way, way back or if they put it back through in a new patch.)

Localizing remakes are a hell of a lot easier/cheaper than editing a ROM file.

For a big company that doesn't do this much and that has to answer for any of the bugs introduced in modifying the ROM, sure.

But at this point, with the tools out there and the fact that it has to include an emulation layer no matter what (they're not pressing a cart with this), I'm not sure why Square as a business would be afraid/incapable of doing what hackers do on a regular basis? It is veritably not an impossible task. Other companies have already edited ROMs they sell (Nintendo has modified N64 titles, maybe others, to remove sponsored graphics, though I'm not sure if text changes have been done in a sold eShop or PSN or Steam game ROM? Also, those MultiArcade cabinets they sell with licensed boards often have modified elements in them, but those are little title-screen tweaks for rights management.) The ramifications of selling a modified ROM may deter Square Enix (and just generally the prospect of selling IP it has not invested in for a while, though translating this ROM would let them consider it for sale outside of Switch as well, and SoM has been on mobile for a while,) but that seems like the roadblock isn't anything but QA, and QA can be budgeted.
 
why would they not localize SD3? i mean its already done via translated patches and shit... it would take an intern a day to go over those fan translations and fix anything and toss the patched game on the card... whats the problem? why do people think it wont be localized? is copyright in the game an issue overseas?

Isn't that plagiarism
 

KiraXD

Member
Isn't that plagiarism

translated text for a game they own? lol no... notice i also said someone would have to go over the text (obviously) but the fact that its been done for years already... means that it wouldnt be hard for the developer/porter to re-translate it.

SE doesn't use fan translations.

Due to the fact that M2 is doing this (best news possible), they will probably include an English option for SD1 and SD2, since they have done this in some of their other Japan-only compilations.

yes i know that... im making the point that someone could essentially word-check it and rewrite it extremely easily... thats why i suggested an intern could even do it (not literally an intern just an example of how easy it should be to localize.)

This isnt a ps4 or XB1 game with hardcoded text and shit that would require a swath of programmers to translate and fix...
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
M2 is a big fucking deal, and makes me really want this to come Stateside. Just gimme an official Seiken Densetsu 3 port in English, and we'll call it good.
 

duckroll

Member
SE doesn't use fan translations.

Due to the fact that M2 is doing this (best news possible), they will probably include an English option for SD1 and SD2, since they have done this in some of their other Japan-only compilations.

Can't assume this at all. M2 is a developer, they work with what they have. The publisher they work with determines what sort of content and language options they can include. I expect the games to run very well with them in charge, but I'm definitely not expecting that they'll have free reign to pack in extra content like Phantasy Star Collection. That was Sega supporting them and being very generous.
 

Link_enfant

Member
M2 working on this is really great news, I didn't expect this. A localization would just be perfect, even though I've already preordered the game on Amazon JP.

I've read that they also worked on Genesis & Master System emulation on 3DS; which games are concerned actually?
I thought there were only ports/remasters of Genesis games in the 3D collection, and that emulation only concerned Game Gear games. I don't see any Master System games either.
 

Jucksalbe

Banned
I don't see any Master System games either.

The retail collections for the Sega 3D Classics had some Master System games as a bonus. Other than that there are Mega Drive and arcade games in the collection. But M2 is also responsible for the Game Gear Virtual Console on 3DS.
 

MrT-Tar

Member
Has Squeenix (or anyone) ever "officially" localized an old rom of a text-heavy RPG?

I'm pretty sure the first Front Mission game never saw a Western release until it's DS port. I haven't played my copy, so I can't say if the game is text heavy or not.

M2 working on this is really great news, I didn't expect this. A localization would just be perfect, even though I've already preordered the game on Amazon JP.

I've read that they also worked on Genesis & Master System emulation on 3DS; which games are concerned actually?
I thought there were only ports/remasters of Genesis games in the 3D collection, and that emulation only concerned Game Gear games. I don't see any Master System games either.

The 2nd physical collection of SEGA 3D Classics (the only one that was released outside of Japan) had both the original Master System version of Fantasy Zone 2, and the Master System exclusive (?) Maze Walker as bonuses. They were never available outside of the collection.
 
If it doesn't come to the west then my fingers are crossed for can English Asian release.

There is no english version of Seiken Densetsu 3 yet, so there won´t be an english asia version. IF they do a Translation for SD3, I bet there will be a worldwide release.
 
i like those games but they always weirded me out a bit
you're killing these cutesey characters and they collapse into a pile of bones o_o
 
I always thought Kickstarter+preorder-type crowdfundraisers would be the perfect way to fund a localisation :
  • the game is already done, there cannot be bad surprises on the development side,
  • the cost of translating the game can be known in advance (ballpark),
  • it only succeeds if there is really a demand for the game.

Of course it probably hurts a bit the pride of a dev/publisher to resort to crowdfunding for anything, but seeing how Shenmue's kickstarter went and how a fundraiser in itself can spread the word about a project and make early sales (even without incentives, just for reaching the goal), I really think this should become the easy way in for localisation of niche/older unlocalised projects (to english at least).
 
Amazing it took 15 pages for a petition to pop up. Without a petition we never would have gotten XC, PT or TLS in the west.

NoA really has no idea what they are doing.
 

Andyliini

Member
Amazing it took 15 pages for a petition to pop up. Without a petition we never would have gotten XC, PT or TLS in the West.

Except we did. There wasn't any popular petition, NoE just suddenly announced that they are releasing Xenoblade Chronicles. It was a surprise, but a very pleasant one.
 
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