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Ni no Kuni PS3 named "Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch" for overseas
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Nora Kisaragi
Banned
randomkid said:
I agree, context is very important here. I like your use of examples as well. However, it's possible this move was done for brand awareness, as "Ni no Ki" has been the named used by the Western press for the longest time, putting the game in a positive light. If they changed the name, some people would be lost and not connect all the positive press for "ni no ki" with the new title, and there's no garuntee it would have worked out.
Then again, by keeping the name they will undoubtedly lose some people, but they would have lost people by translating the name anyway. It's a very awkward situation, and that whole "Another World" deal was the final nail in the coffin. I'm fine with it being Ni no Ki myself, but even that sounds completely niche for a game like this.
Augemitbutter
Member
coincidentally, i've showed this game to friends and family today and i can assure you they won't care what's it called.
show them some footage and they'll bite
show them some footage and they'll bite
R_thanatos
Member
Well they can market it as a series..and keeping it original ( the name ) already worked for them before ...SykoTech said:
Considering the traget ( people like me ) i'm pleased they keep it part japanese .
People can market it Wrath of the With witch and i can keep calling this game ni no kuni.
Die Squirrel Die
Member
Nora Kisaragi said:
I'd imagine that the people savvy enough to know what Ninokuni is at this point would also be clued in to pick up on a name change. And those who would so object to a name change as to boycott it would be a miniscule to non-existant minority.
They have considerably more to lose by keeping the name as it is, than they would by changing it.
FieryBalrog
Member
I guess I would call that "Rebochan making shit up"Rebochan said:
Goldrusher
Member
Ni No Kuni sounds awesome and has infinitely more appeal than any English translation.
Also:
75 million.
Also:
75 million.
bone_and_sinew
breaking down barriers in gratuitous nudity
No one but people from the internet like us are going to buy Ni no Kuni anyway so I don't problem with not translating that.
I disagree with you folk, I would have been upset if they stuck a stupid generic name on the box. Then again I say things like Rajio no Jikan instead of Mr. McDonald, Densha Otoko instead of trainman. I for one am pleased by this news. Couldn't care less about neck beards put off by a non English name.
Nuclear Muffin
Banned
Goldrusher said:Ni No Kuni sounds awesome and has infinitely more appeal than any English translation.
Also:
75 million.
Single abstract word, Japanese meaning unimportant to audience.
There's a reason why we have The Legend of Zelda and not Zeruda No Densetsu.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Fun thread.
This is true.
cj_iwakura said:
This is true.
Hahaha people is this really the hill you want to die on? There's no need to be so defensive! Yes, there ARE people who basically engage in the equivalent of hippie-punching Japanophiles, but that doesn't mean you have to defend everything and that people who hate the title are your enemies!
Ni No Kuni! I mean look at it!
Ah well, I'll be on your side in a couple months when they announce no JPN language tracks. I played Prince of Persia in French and Valkyria in Japanese so I loves me my foreign impossible to understand voice acting. I just know it's a terrible terrible title.
Ni No Kuni! I mean look at it!
Ah well, I'll be on your side in a couple months when they announce no JPN language tracks. I played Prince of Persia in French and Valkyria in Japanese so I loves me my foreign impossible to understand voice acting. I just know it's a terrible terrible title.
The Awesomest
Member
iKeepPlaying said:
linko9
Member
Hmmm... I'm sort of surprised by the extreme positions being taken in this thread. Here's my take. It makes sense to localize a title with Japanese words if that title is thematically related to Japan (e.g. Okami, Muramasa, Ninja Gaiden, etc.). Obviously, this is not one of those games, so at first glance, the localized title doesn't really make sense. However, I suspect all of the talk about JRPGs being a "dead genre" in the West has gotten to Level-5, and they feel like this game should not be marketed to the "mass market," but to the "niche market" of JRPG fans. They then assume that JRPG fans will have an affinity for Japanese culture in general, and thus will appreciate a Japanese title for the game. Just a guess, and for the record, I don't think it's a good decision at all, but I honestly don't think the Japanese name will affect sales all that much; I never saw this game selling much in the first place. It's tough from a marketing standpoint because you want to market the game to children, but you know that this is the wrong platform to be doing this on. I'm still baffled that they didn't bring out the DS game in the West.
NotebookJ2
Member
Even though I don't think leaving the title as it is isn't that much of a big deal, I can see why people think changing it makes sense. Either way, I'm glad we're getting it.
Kinda related, but I always keep hearing that stuff that has subtitles in their name do worse ... is that actually true?
Kinda related, but I always keep hearing that stuff that has subtitles in their name do worse ... is that actually true?
WrenchNinja
Member
the fuck is a ni no kuni
charlequin
Banned
Nirolak said:
It's too bad my eagle didn't make it into the shots.
bone_and_sinew said:
Well, not if they don't bother to even try and market it to anyone else, certainly.
Yeah, these things are case by case. Honestly, Inazuma Eleven kind of works too, but Lightning Eleven sounds more like something I'd expect from a sports game. I don't think this is one of those though, it largely takes place in a fantasy world, the main character isn't even Japanese (or at least doesn't have a Japanese name/come from a Japanese place), and I don't think Ni No Kuni has that sound that works just as well for (most) non-Japanese, though maybe consolidating it into a single word would help some.Nuclear Muffin said:
Nuclear Muffin
Banned
Eusis said:
"The Lightning Eleven" is far better than "Inazuma Eleven". It reads better in English and it instantly tells you what the game is about (crazy footy shenanigans with magic attacks and cartoon/anime impossible nonsense)
But even that is nowhere near as bad as this. Keeping the "Ni No Kuni" title is nothing short of a disaster.
And for those mentioning that "Another World" is already taken, there are plenty of other alternative titles that are similar, such as "Hidden world", "The Second World" or "The Other World" (I'm quite partial to this one actually!)
TelemachusD
Member
As mentioned, Rashomon, also Madadayo, Ran (extra confusing since it's already an English word), Dodes'ka-den, Yojimbo, Ikiru. Kurosawa has a lot of untranslated titles.duckroll said:
I think the main consideration when leaving a title in the original language is length: short foreign titles are memorable; but if they go on more than a few syllables, nonspeakers can begin to forget parts of the title.
I'm actually relatively opposed to translating a title like Inazuma Eleven. It's not really important at all. It is a football game, and anyone who actually watches football on a regular basis or is familiar with the sport will be used to foreign teams worldwide having foreign names which are a mix of English and whatever language they use. It's not a big deal at all when it comes to branding and marketing.
The problem with the actual release of Inazuma Eleven in English is that they decided to change the name of all the characters to pretend they're not Japanese. If they went to the trouble to do that, they should have changed the title completely as well. And no, I do not think Lightning Eleven is a good name - it sounds fucking dumb. Instead of trying to translate it, they should have just come up with a new title to reflect the brand overseas.
The problem with the actual release of Inazuma Eleven in English is that they decided to change the name of all the characters to pretend they're not Japanese. If they went to the trouble to do that, they should have changed the title completely as well. And no, I do not think Lightning Eleven is a good name - it sounds fucking dumb. Instead of trying to translate it, they should have just come up with a new title to reflect the brand overseas.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
Like I said, I don't want to be petty and at the moment I am inclined to buy it. But at the same time, Level-5 America has no track record to establish what the quality of their localizations will be and things like this do not encourage me. If this ends up having an Ignition-level localization, I will not buy it. I want Japanese games like this to get come over to the West, but I want them to come over right.Loudninja said:
To all the people complaining about how translating the name would "whitewash" Japanese culture, realize that the game starts in a fictionalized version of the United States. Given the mainstream family appeal this could have if marketed right, there's no reason to put up artificial cultural barriers.
charlequin
Banned
TelemachusD said:
I can agree with this. Context is also important: "Ninja Gaiden" works well when the Japanese cultural elements of the ninja character are a central selling point, Okami is a good warning for people that you're buying a game that is 100% about a Japanese mythological figure running around Japan doing Japanese things, but Ni no Kuni is purposefully rather divorced from any Japanese-specific elements and its animated style could open it up to a broader audience over here.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
charlequin said:It's too bad my eagle didn't make it into the shots.
Your bald eagle from my last visit:
This is the niño part at least.Crewnh said:
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
2nd World?
Dual Worlds?
Twin Worlds?
Connected Worlds?
Parallel Worlds?
Not sure I like any of these ones I thought of. :-/
Actually this game has been getting a lot of attention in the gaming media as "Ni no Kuni". Perhaps Level-5 is concerned that changing the name will cause more confusion than leaving it alone?
Dual Worlds?
Twin Worlds?
Connected Worlds?
Parallel Worlds?
Not sure I like any of these ones I thought of. :-/
Actually this game has been getting a lot of attention in the gaming media as "Ni no Kuni". Perhaps Level-5 is concerned that changing the name will cause more confusion than leaving it alone?
-Pyromaniac-
Member
Gaf went from praying this game comes to the west to complaining about the name it will have when it doesn come. The game could be called something OBSCENELY japanese and I wouldn't care, just glad it's coming.
Does suck for it sales wise, hopefully they have a good marketing campaign ready.
Does suck for it sales wise, hopefully they have a good marketing campaign ready.
iKeepPlaying
Banned
FINALBOSS said:
I tried :'(
The Awesomest said:Don't worry, I thought it was funny
RomanticHeroX
Member
Super excited to see it come, but sadly it just won't be able to do Fainaru Fantajii numbers.
TheFLYINGManga_Ka
Member
I don't mind the title, but I want the game to do well in the west. A good English title could help the game sell better.
I'm sure they could think of a good English title if they thought of something that can sound pretty cool. Like how World Ends With You is called "It's a Wonderful World" in Japan. I'm sure there's something that would sound cooler than Another World.
I'm sure they could think of a good English title if they thought of something that can sound pretty cool. Like how World Ends With You is called "It's a Wonderful World" in Japan. I'm sure there's something that would sound cooler than Another World.