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Atlus "Game Audio & Goods" survey [now closed]
- Thread starter Zonic
- Start date
RecursiveFault
Banned
Where's the secret "Find a good way to publish your games in EU" option?
I really feel for anyone who had to put up with that.
I really feel for anyone who had to put up with that.
nckillthegrimace
Member
Yes, and now they don't even try to justify it. Just here's the price, fuck you.
I'm ambivalent toward dual audio. It's nice to have, but most of the time, I don't really use it or need it (last time I went with Japanese instead was Guilty Gear Xrd, and that was a combination of being more used to the JP voices for that series and the English voices being such a mixed bag compared to other modern dubs). I sure as hell wouldn't sacrifice physical goods for it.
sorry, GAF
welp, cropped mess hehehe
Amen, same here. Could not care less about dual audio.
Wowfunhappy
Member
I care about dual audio if and only if the english audio is bad.
Made the questions somewhat hard to answer.
Made the questions somewhat hard to answer.
dakkumauji
Member
Besides from the companies that release games with dual audio and/or bonus items and don't raise the price to reflect it.
I'm not saying dual audio is a must, I'm just laughing that they consider charging us for it while other companies hand it out like candy.
Bob Coffee
Member
Better localisation which includes a dub without the whole sempai plz notice meh bullshit. I swear the next time i hear honorifics in a english dubbed game i may snap the disk in half lol. Otherwise and preferably just cut to the chase and give me the japanese audio. -kun and -tan etc do not belong in an english localisation of a game, it adds nothing to the autenticity of the game taking place in japan, so please drop it in future localisation efforts atlus-kun.
I think those who like the Japanese track should be given the option of it.
Not for me, though. Especially with Atlus' games, they always put a lot of work into their localisations, and it shows. I'd argue that our Persona 4 dub is better than the original. I'm reminded of this every time I see a new Dancing All Night trailer.
But I like my stuff, too. Soundtracks are always great to have, and I'd personally get more enjoyment out of that rather than an audio mix I'll never use. Whatever about 25-minute anime episodes -- if I'm playing an RPG for 60+ hours, I want to go through it in a language I natively understand.
Not for me, though. Especially with Atlus' games, they always put a lot of work into their localisations, and it shows. I'd argue that our Persona 4 dub is better than the original. I'm reminded of this every time I see a new Dancing All Night trailer.
But I like my stuff, too. Soundtracks are always great to have, and I'd personally get more enjoyment out of that rather than an audio mix I'll never use. Whatever about 25-minute anime episodes -- if I'm playing an RPG for 60+ hours, I want to go through it in a language I natively understand.
Good quality native language dubs will forever be the best option. That said, what's the extra cost on their end to release a game dual audio? The JP voice track exists, the subtitle option has to be written anyway, if it's not a handheld game then it sure as hell should have enough space on the disc to accommodate, so just give us the choice.
Agree entirely. Sign of an amateur dub.
Agree entirely. Sign of an amateur dub.
Can't speak for Nintendo of America, since I'm not American, but I think Nintendo of Europe is a damn good publisher, so I wouldn't actually say that it's that easy being better than them in any respect, really.
On topic: I hate the way Japanese VA sounds most of the time and have found only very few voices I've heard to be "okay", so I don't care for dual audio at all. That said, as long as it doesn't impact anything (e.g. their willingness to do English dubs, the quality of said dubs, the price of the product), having it is nice. Choice is always a good thing, even if I will only ever take one option.
Dragonslayer_023
Banned
sorry, GAF
welp, cropped mess hehehe
Yep. This is the exact same way I filled out my survey too.
I understand people like dual audio, but I could care less about it. Sorry, guys.
Pay more for dual audio? Come on Atlus. You already have the Japanese audio from the JP game, and you have subtitles from the English game. Why is it so hard?
I have paid for JP audio once though, I think it was $3 for Soul Sacrifice Delta, but I could justify that because the game was much cheaper than a standard game in the first place.
I have paid for JP audio once though, I think it was $3 for Soul Sacrifice Delta, but I could justify that because the game was much cheaper than a standard game in the first place.
From what I understand (which is not much truthfully) licensing for overseas can be a pain if it was not worked in at the very beginning. Also, there would be a higher cost for the VA initially if it was expected to hit other territories.
Hm, perhaps. I don't think I'd mind the lack of honorifics in Persona 5, seeing how I don't care about it in any other game with a Japanese setting.
How can it "always" be better? If the dub uses better actors working with smarter writers, then it will be better. The only way I can understand your argument is if you think the language being spoken is inherently preferable to another.
Well, you know more than I. I suppose that's the point of the survey: to see if the market justifies the cost.
Gentleman Jack
Member
What other companies do to release games with dual audio has no bearing on what Atlus would have to do to accomplish the same. There's this presumptive undercurrent in your post that they could do it trivially and then give it away, when instead it would most likely involve resources that Atlus does not currently have to spend on its inclusion. If Atlus is taking this 'are you willing to spend more for it' seriously, that to me indicates they're considering expanding their current allocation of localization resources to make it possible going forward. What I do not see Atlus doing is keeping their current pool of resources the same and then sacrificing some other part of their localization pipeline to satisfy the dual audio demands of an unknown segment of its customer base.
Every game should include the original language as a standard, even if the dub is really good.
Save the physical shit for limited editions. The only interesting thing you could include would be the soundtrack, but even when they do that, it's usually only a 4th or so of the actual tracks that the game (and full OST release) has. Totally pointless.
Save the physical shit for limited editions. The only interesting thing you could include would be the soundtrack, but even when they do that, it's usually only a 4th or so of the actual tracks that the game (and full OST release) has. Totally pointless.
Darrcyphfeid
Neo Member
+1. My survey looked identical, save physical goods was also ticked to no.
I preorder just about everything Atlus USA releases just because it's freakin' Atlus USA and 1.) I want to support them (bought that outrageous pizza box edition of Catherine, no regrets!) and 2.) I still have horrible, horrible memories of their games having very limited print runs.
Ain't got nothin' against dual audio, but if budget forces the options to be "have English voiceovers" or "have only Japanese voices," I'm always going to side with the former and probably just never play anything that falls into the latter. I've never heard an anime or video game in Japanese that didn't irritate me on some level; probably the exact opposite of what a lot of you guys feel about English dubs.
HawthorneKitty
Sgt. 2nd Class in the Creep Battalion, Waifu Wars
Which do I choose when dual audio is present?
I play the game twice because I'm not a hater.
I play the game twice because I'm not a hater.
The survey did have a problem with focusing on so many binary responses, yes. For me, while I would have more incentive to buy something with dual audio, at the same time it doesn't mean that I would be less likely to buy something without it as long as the dub as good (which isn't a problem with Atlus' games as it is).
Because it's the original dub. It's always the best and the most faithful, most of the time foreign actors have literally no idea about what's going on in the scene they're acting.
I answered truthfully. I'm always going to pick the voice track that matches the text language if I get a choice. If I want to play a game in Japanese, then I want Japanese audio and text. If I want to play it in English, English audio and text.
With that said, I don't care about bonus items, either, so if the choice is between bonus items and dual audio, go ahead and go for dual audio. The only bonus items I like are things like guides (the SMT4 guide that was packed in was pretty great).
With that said, I don't care about bonus items, either, so if the choice is between bonus items and dual audio, go ahead and go for dual audio. The only bonus items I like are things like guides (the SMT4 guide that was packed in was pretty great).
For reiteration, there are two things wrong with this survey.
1) Implying that the only way to get dual audio is to get charged for it.
2) Pitting dual audio and physical goods versus one another.
Once again... other companies have no issue putting dual audio in their titles. No consumer here should have to sacrifice anything, money or goods, to get the option to have this. Take a look at Danganronpa as the chief example, dual audio option AND an excellent limited edition.
It really shows how myopic and greedy Atlus USA and Japan are more than anything else.
1) Implying that the only way to get dual audio is to get charged for it.
2) Pitting dual audio and physical goods versus one another.
Once again... other companies have no issue putting dual audio in their titles. No consumer here should have to sacrifice anything, money or goods, to get the option to have this. Take a look at Danganronpa as the chief example, dual audio option AND an excellent limited edition.
It really shows how myopic and greedy Atlus USA and Japan are more than anything else.
CoffeeKillquest
Member
Whats with the how much would you pay for dual audio and dual audio as DLC questions? My preference is just have the audio in Japanese and good subs. I do understand that a lot of people do want dual audio but imo at lest half the dime the English dub is really bad. However I did vote for dual audio just cuzz I know it is important to some 
I completely disagree. Especially when dubs like Cowboy Bebop and DBZ exist.
King Gilga
Member
sorry, GAF
welp, cropped mess hehehe
Same, I don't mind Dual audio but I'll take a decent dub and a doohicky over it anyday.
Plus 99% of the time the Japanese va doesn't match the english subs/text and it really really takes me out of it.
I don't mind the senpais or anikis or senseis or w/e. It's the -chans/-sans/-kuns or w/e that sound so lame and dorky, I hate them.
Nope.
It's not the best for me because I can't understand it. I value understanding what they say more than the apparent quality of the VA's reads in the original language. I was skipping through lines while playing the PC version of Steins;Gate, for example, instead of waiting and listening to what they had to say, because I couldn't understand it and I was just reading anyways.
Also, I'd want to tear my ears off if I had to listen to Japanese Monokuma or Japanese Teddie/Rise (Danganronpa and Persona 4, respectively). Also, I much preferred what I heard in Virtue's Last Reward in English than in Japanese.
Being the original dub doesn't mean it's always the best. There are several games where the English dub is much better directed than the Japanese dub. Ni no Kuni, for instance, is far better in English. The Japanese directors decided to choose famous screen actors with little experience with voice acting, and it showed. It's a common complaint with the game, from the majority of native Japanese speakers who played it. This also applies to games where the English translation direction is just better and the voice direction is well-done to match. See: FF12.
Gentleman Jack
Member
I wouldn't say it is the actor's fault most of the time. Voice casting and direction plays an enormous role in getting solid, believable performances. A good translation of the script plays an equal role. Good writing is also required. The original dub will not salvage cut corners on casting/direction/writing, something that's evident to people who import the games and can understand the native tongue.
edit: beaten to death by Aeana.
Bad actors, or, more often, poor direction. They exist in Japan, too, while not being universal in English-speaking markets. I'm not saying the original audio won't be better, but saying it will be better without exception is illogical.
hypodrmage
Member
My question being, does advocating for japanese audio actively contribute towards degrading the english dub we would have gotten? If that's the case, give me no Japanese dub.
Liking paying for licensing contracts for the Japanese VA's to be sold in the west versus having the budget for talented english VA?
If your gonna half ass one for the sake of the other, i only want one.
Liking paying for licensing contracts for the Japanese VA's to be sold in the west versus having the budget for talented english VA?
If your gonna half ass one for the sake of the other, i only want one.
Unless the dub is amazing in English, I generally prefer Japanese. The thing is, it's just a lot more obvious that delivery is terrible if it's a language you actually understand. The Japanese voices could be just as bad, but I can't tell, so it doesn't bother me and I still have a voice to associate with the character.
Plus I end up inadvertently imagining the VA delivering their lines in a recording room when it's in English (unless it's really good). I don't know why, it's just hard for me not to think "oh hey this is actually just some person in LA or someplace recording this shit a few months ago". For whatever reason I'm not as likely to have that thought when listening to Japanese voices.
Plus I end up inadvertently imagining the VA delivering their lines in a recording room when it's in English (unless it's really good). I don't know why, it's just hard for me not to think "oh hey this is actually just some person in LA or someplace recording this shit a few months ago". For whatever reason I'm not as likely to have that thought when listening to Japanese voices.
This is presumptuous. How many times does it turn out that NISA only does a partial dub? Recently, Ar Nosurge only had a partial English dub. It costs money to license the Japanese audio, especially if it wasn't baked into the original contract, so sometimes sacrifices have to be made. I think Atlus USA is aware of where the costs are going with their games, and it's kind of weird to assert that they don't.
This survey is frustrating. I don't necessarily care about dual audio, if the language I prefer is the language the game includes. But they don't allow us to specify that.
I'm also surprised to see so much slant toward preferring English in this thread. I figured the Atlus faithful were more likely to prefer Japanese. You learn something new every day.
I'm also surprised to see so much slant toward preferring English in this thread. I figured the Atlus faithful were more likely to prefer Japanese. You learn something new every day.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
yeah i agree sounds like you should boycott them
You sure?
That's a valid preference, and, if there are enough who feel similarly, this survey will help Atlus understand that they should prioritize it.
English Zero III alone made VLR's dub worth it. And indeed, I can't stand Japanese Rise.