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[Koomaster]

some sort of football training game?

I remember this, it's called CalcioBit or something similar. It was a football manager sim. I was foolishly looking forward to this being translated for a while. ~_____~

 

[vag 2.0]

They're still releasing VC games at 50fps with borders in some territories, fuck if they ever do anything remotely progressive any time soon.

 

[Teknoman]

They're still releasing VC games at 50fps with borders in some territories, fuck if they ever do anything remotely progressive any time soon.

Releasing Sin and Punishment with even more of a translation on the NA,EU, and AU, virtual consoles was pretty progressive. Same with Alien Soldier. If they can do that, they can get us some Mother Zero - 3 action.

Speaking of which, this topic finally inspired me to go tracked down Earthbound Zero + Starmen.net font/game patch. It's actually pretty nice for an NES RPG.

Spoiler

Named the main character Ninten since I guess thats his canon name, and I just saved Pipipi. Headed to the Zoo

 

[jarrod]

While there's some horror stories, looking back on it most of them seem to come down to publishers (like Working Designs or Namco) who had a significant portion of the fault. The number of 2d games that did make it out over here without problem seem to point to this process being more navigable than it sometimes has the rep for.

I think the real problem was a lack of uniform standard... there really was no rhyme or reason as to why one game would be rejected out of hand and another approved. Thankfully SCEA's "standards" seem to have laxed generally, but it's taken a epic marketshare tumble and new underdog positioning to make that happen.

Nintendo gets reamed for their lax standards, even by the press, but I'm happy new success hasn't changed their 3rd party approval process to any real degree.

I also can't think of any major game published by Sony in Japan that failed to come out over here, though it's certainly possible I'm forgetting something.

Siren and Wildarms are the only notables these days, and they had an Ape Escape aversion for awhile there. Really though, you can count the number of "major games" coming out of the Japan Studio on one hand annually, which is probably more of an issue. :/

 

[ethelred]

All of the Wild ARMs games have come out in the US; that Sony is willing to allow eager western third parties to tackle its own franchises is something they're to be commended, not condemned, for. It puts them a few steps above Nintendo whose behavior with Atlus vis-a-vis Mother was shameful.

 

[MisterHero]

All of the Wild ARMs games have come out in the US; that Sony is willing to allow eager western third parties to tackle its own franchises is something they're to be commended, not condemned, for. It puts them a few steps above Nintendo whose behavior with Atlus vis-a-vis Mother was shameful.

rpgs are for sad people who live in the basement

get with the times man

 

[jarrod]

All of the Wild ARMs games have come out in the US; that Sony is willing to allow eager western third parties to tackle its own franchises is something they're to be commended, not condemned, for.

It's not condemnation, it's the recognition of a weakened publishing commitment. Sure handing off games is preferable to not getting the games at all... I just think it's dissapointing that SCEA doesn't seem to have the confidence in courting progressive and unique Japanese software it did a decade back. They've gone from being the best 1st party publisher to the worst imo, almost inverse to their market success strangely. :/

It puts them a few steps above Nintendo whose behavior with Atlus vis-a-vis Mother was shameful.

Be realistic, there was no way Atlus (or anyone else) was ever getting even near one of NCL's pedigree IPs. I don;t like it, you don't like it, I'm sure Atlus doesn't like it... but everyone should've seen that coming from the start. Hell, I'm still shocked NCL even let Atlus handle Cubivore or Polarium Advance.

When you compare what NOA *has* brought out though, especially as compared to SCEA's recent track record, well it comes immediately clear who's "a few steps above" whom.

 

[Twig]

Be realistic, there was no way Atlus (or anyone else) was ever getting even near one of NCL's pedigree IPs.

Well ethel never said he EXPECTED Nintendo to allow it. Just that their not doing it put them a few steps below.

Being unrealistic and recognizing flaws are mutually exclusive in this case.

 

[bungiefan]

I also can't think of any major game published by Sony in Japan that failed to come out over here, though it's certainly possible I'm forgetting something.

PoPoLoCrois series is all that comes to mind, and I'm not counting the gutted PSP version we did get with 2/3rds of each of the first two games missing.

Be realistic, there was no way Atlus (or anyone else) was ever getting even near one of NCL's pedigree IPs.

It's just annoying and frustrating that companies like Nintendo and NamcoBandai hold out on giving some of their own games a chance here, and then won't let another company take the risk that is willing. They're like "if we can't make the game a success, nobody else can try to do so either, so we'll just take our ball and leave". I'd really like to see what Atlus could do with a Tales game, considering their work on other RPGs in recent memory. I'd almost bet they'd surpass Namco's own localization quality (compared to Symphonia and Legendia). Nintendo's own RPGs they aren't giving a chance, such as Mother, would likely get good treatment too.

And really, if a company like Atlus did make a game enough of a success to give interest in the whole series, the original company could jump back in on it for the rest of the games. They'd only be missing out on sales for one game, which they didn't even take the risk on in the first place. Well, I suppose they'd have to compete with the customer perception of the other company's localization work, but that doesn't really seem like a problem for Nintendo when they actually do bring a game over.

 

[ivysaur12]

All of the Wild ARMs games have come out in the US; that Sony is willing to allow eager western third parties to tackle its own franchises is something they're to be commended, not condemned, for. It puts them a few steps above Nintendo whose behavior with Atlus vis-a-vis Mother was shameful.

Do we know the exact story behind the Atlus/Mother 3 debacle?

 

[bafflewaffle]

Why doesn't N'Gai Croal just strap Reggie and Iwata down and get to the bottom of this?

A US localization of Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland could work if they renamed it "The Legend of....Tingle?" with the Zelda logo, which would emphasize his connection to the series and the unlikeliness/humorosity of him being the game's protagonist. And also maybe play down

Spoiler

LOL Nintendo censorship

some of the Hard Gay stuff.

 

[zigg]

Personally, I'd advise Nintendo to not bring Tingle over. A Treehouse translation would improve it, but that bartering mechanic was just shit.

There are much better titles that haven't made it over that are worthy of their attention.

 

[djtiesto]

I also can't think of any major game published by Sony in Japan that failed to come out over here, though it's certainly possible I'm forgetting something.

Don't know how major they are, but that vacation game series with the cat mascot is a pretty major series for Sony in Japan. Then again I doubt it would be that successful in the US...

 

[leroy hacker]

I also can't think of any major game published by Sony in Japan that failed to come out over here, though it's certainly possible I'm forgetting something.

People have already said Siren 2 and the entire Popolocrois series(until PSP), but also Vib Ribbon is a big one.

The number of other SCEI games from the ps2 and especially ps1 eras that didn't come to the US is enormous, though many of them are probably deservedly obscure.

Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida is a recent one they haven't announced any plans to localize, though probably someone else like Atlus will pick it up if they don't.

Don't know how major they are, but that vacation game series with the cat mascot is a pretty major series for Sony in Japan. Then again I doubt it would be that successful in the US...

Aren't these two different series? Dokodemo issyo and Boku no natsuyasumi? Not that I actually know anything about these games.

 

[Cheerilee]

Do we know the exact story behind the Atlus/Mother 3 debacle?

I don't know if there's anything more to it, but here's what I thought happened.

The head of Treehouse confirmed in an interview that a Mother translation was absolutely nowhere in NOA's pipeline, nor was there any indication that it was going to be. Some fans on starmen.net or some other forum said "Fine, we give up on waiting for Nintendo to get off their ass. Why don't we just ask Atlus to do it?" And they put together an e-petition and sent it off to Atlus. Atlus responded to them with "Sorry, but you didn't need to waste your time putting together a petition for us. We were ten steps ahead of you. We already asked Nintendo about it several times, and they said that neither us nor anybody else will ever be allowed to touch the Mother series. You might as well go back to waiting for Nintendo to get off their ass."