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[SiegfriedFM]

I really can't be bothered to hunt this down as I've learned not to waste my money on games I don't really understand, but as a token of appreciation for the ridiculous work of the OP, have some auction links (if you have connections that will buy the games in Japan):

http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h133538988

http://page6.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f79829988

http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/121726132

http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/128230775

http://page9.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k116066340

http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w43558286

http://page6.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f79689782

http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g82812753

http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h134834396

http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/111379440

http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h135009705

http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g77903394

http://page11.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n72368661

I wouldn't call this game rare judging from the links... but any 12 year old game that is valued at its original price must be pretty special.

 

[GhaleonQ]

I really can't be bothered to hunt this down as I've learned not to waste my money on games I don't really understand, but as a token of appreciation for the ridiculous work of the OP, have some auction links (if you have connections that will buy the games in Japan):

I wouldn't call this game rare judging from the links... but any 12 year old game that is valued at its original price must be pretty special.

Some pristine-looking copies WITH the book, for anyone who can find a courier.

Also, the guy talking throughout the UFO game is disconcerting.

True, he's a little weird, but he was the only one who finished posting his playthrough. You should hear some of the people who did the relatively popular Giftpia. Picking through videos that were finished, that loaded correctly (always a problem with Nico Nico Douga), and that totally completed the game was hard enough, but I had to discard people WHO TURN THEIR MICROPHONES UP SO MUCH THAT IT CLICKS AND THEIR VOICES ARE 3 OCTAVES HIGHER THAN MY MOM'S AND THEY LAUGH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH GOD MY EARS

It was not the most enjoyable use of my short school break.

 

[GhaleonQ]

Well, I got through everything but the final paragraph, the one which contains spoilers of the game - I am hoping to one day experience this game, holding out for a fanslation or something..

There's a translation for the ending, if that matters to you. It's in that paragraph.

 

[GhaleonQ]

By the way, thanks to whoever Akira EX is. He/She bumped it up on Google's and Yahoo's results by putting it on a news aggregator. The person who wrote the GameFAQs walkthrough e-mailed me after finding it that way.

 

[Obsolete Observation]

Interesting, I like Little King's Story and I had some interest in Chulip but never got it.

This topic makes me wonder how likely it is we could see old games that never made it over to America translated and put up on the PSN/XBLA services by XSeed/Atlus or other companies.

 

[Lonewolf_92]

Man, that mega OP reads like a half-review/half-philosophy textbook, I tried my best to slog through it, but only got as far as the end of the second part. I'll give it a try later when I'm more awake, looks interesting though, I'm always up for a game that could be positively compared to the EarthBound franchise.

 

[Ledsen]

The day has finally come:

Thank you Trader 3 Akihabara! They were the only store where I could find any copies, and they had 3 :lol Actually one other store had it as well but for 1000 yen more.

 

[GhaleonQ]

The day has finally come:

Thank you Trader 3 Akihabara! They were the only store where I could find any copies, and they had 3 :lol Actually one other store had it as well but for 1000 yen more.

Not a bad copy, either! I was a little disappointed in the manual, though, because they're typically Infocom/Working Designs-tier amazing.

 

[GhaleonQ]

So, I didn't post for awhile because I wanted the more intellectual games writers out there to get to it when they had time. After 3 weeks, unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case.

Jade Kraus, Ray Barnholt, Phil Theobald, Mathew Kumar, and John Teti didn't have anything to contribute (Jade played and loved it already and Ray has always wanted to do so, it seems, confirming the rightness of my fandom...toward them) but read it.
Shawn Elliott, N'Gai Croal, Michael Abbott (Brainy Gamer), and Leigh Alexander didn't read/respond to it.
Quintin Smith said it was really awful and too long.

I guess I got higher than a 50% response rate, but the ones who didn't/couldn't respond seemed the most likely to contribute. Oh well.

Anyway, I never said thank you to the people who replied, so thanks to those who persevered and/or bought a copy of 1 of their games. I'll let this die now. Sorry for the topic resurrection.

 

[TheChillyAcademic]

So, I didn't post for awhile because I wanted the more intellectual games writers out there to get to it when they had time. After 3 weeks, unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case.

Jade Kraus, Ray Barnholt, Phil Theobald, and Mathew Kumar didn't have anything to contribute (Jade played and loved it already and Ray has always wanted to do so, it seems, confirming the rightness of my fandom...toward them) but read it.
Shawn Elliott, N'Gai Croal, Michael Abbott (Brainy Gamer), and Leigh Alexander didn't read/respond to it.
Quintin Smith said it was really awful and too long.

I guess I got higher than a 50% response rate, but the ones who didn't/couldn't respond seemed the most likely to contribute. Oh well.

Anyway, I never said thank you to the people who replied, so thanks to those who persevered and/or bought a copy of 1 of their games. I'll let this die now. Sorry for the topic resurrection.

I was able to pick this up, after reading the monstrous OP I was charmed.

Seeing as my mastery of the Japanese Language is quite small, I can't imagine I'll be going through the game any time soon, even with the language FAQ Guides out there.

Even still, what an amazing, ahead of its time piece of art.

 

[GhaleonQ]

I was able to pick this up, after reading the monstrous OP I was charmed.

Seeing as my mastery of the Japanese Language is quite small, I can't imagine I'll be going through the game any time soon, even with the language FAQ Guides out there.

Even still, what an amazing, ahead of its time piece of art.

Half the battle is finding these games before they're lost. We won't get a Criterion Collection for a loooong time, after all. I figured you'd be 1 of the people who'd enjoy this, actually, so I'm glad you found a copy. Thanks.

 

[TheChillyAcademic]

Half the battle is finding these games before they're lost. We won't get a Criterion Collection for a loooong time, after all. I figured you'd be 1 of the people who'd enjoy this, actually, so I'm glad you found a copy. Thanks.

The attention this thread received (or lack thereof) is criminal. Not specifically because this game will suddenly spike in popularity after reading the nearly 19 pages of text you've put down, but more that what you have said will not be read by most here. I can imagine that most people clicked out of the thread when they saw the wall of text, others clicked out, assuming this was just another pretentious love orgy for Rare Game #43.

Your essay (and that is exactly what this is, intentional or not) is not only well executed and well written, but (again, intentional or otherwise) it transcends its original purpose. The OP is fascinating, funny, philosophical and relevant.

This thread is destined to be one that is looked back upon with reverence and respect, even if only by a handful of people.

 

[GhaleonQ]

The OP is fascinating, funny, philosophical and relevant. This thread is destined to be one that is looked back upon with reverence and respect, even if only by a handful of people.

Truly, I am the Moon: Remix RPG Adventure of message board posters.

Anyway, that's incredibly gracious of you. I don't want to be too self-satisfied with what amounts to a failed conversation starter, but I'm definitely sincerely thankful that you and others got something out of it. Thanks, again!

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I plan on traveling to Japan next year, so I'll make sure to look out for this game, but unless I buy a Japanese Ps one as well I won't be able to play it. Too bad there aren't any fan translations online either since my Japanese isn't good enough yet.

And thanks for bringing this game up because I surely won't have heard of it otherwise.

 

[TheChillyAcademic]

Truly, I am the Moon: Remix RPG Adventure of message board posters.

Anyway, that's incredibly gracious of you. I don't want to be too self-satisfied with what amounts to a failed conversation starter, but I'm definitely sincerely thankful that you and others got something out of it. Thanks, again!

Anytime, I can be serious now and then

Also, this may not be the place to discuss it, but what are your thoughts on Contact?

 

[GhaleonQ]

Thanks, Kilgore.

Also, this may not be the place to discuss it, but what are your thoughts on Contact?

That was actually the first related game I played. I enjoyed it a fair amount and have a real weakness for the aesthetics (he has a great eye, since he did maps for Love-De-Lic). I don't have any amazing or counterintuitive opinions on the gameplay, but I was extremely disappointed with the endgame. I can't STAND art that aspire to something great at the beginning but fails to carry themes through (see: Bioshock), so I was mad that he botched the meaning of the gameplay and story. It still meant more to me than 90% of other games, though, although I should state that I'm 1 of those people who didn't mind Final Fantasy II's stats system. Have you tried it, or were you just wondering how the 2 (similar) games relate?

Sakura Note sounds like a straight-up Moon-Endonesia-Chulip-Giftpia game, though, so I'm still extremely interested.

 

[Ledsen]

Yeah thanks a lot for this thread, I hope I'll be able to enjoy the game once my japanese gets to a level where I can understand it well enough.

 

[Link Man]

Thank you for the bump. I missed this the first time around, and spent the better part of an hour reading the OP. I doubt I'll ever get to play the game (especially without a translation) and I don't know if I'll ever find time to watch the playthrough, but I'll bookmark this thread if I ever do get the time. I do feel touched by this game, though, as your loving summary has in some way allowed me to experience the game, even if in a distilled form. Finally, I plan on buying Little King's Story when my finances allow, but it's looking like this will be after the holidays.

 

[Moobabe]

I clicked on this thread out of desperation; dissertation writing is getting the better of me and NeoGAF, as always, is the perfect time-waster. I didn't anticipate being presented with this though. I read through the whole thing, watched the majority of the playthrough and am floored by the quality, not only of the game, but your thoughts on it.

I had the exact same experience as you with Bioshock; it was my great white hope as far as narrative exploration went but I was bitterly disappointed come the end of the game. As much as I enjoy games, and I do, they're not my preferred medium for the conveying of ideas and ideals. Not to say that they couldn't be, but until the general audience matures and so do the designers I fear that I'll be left playing high octane, 'movie-esque' games for a long while.

I've already showed this thread to numerous friends and I can't speak highly enough of it, excellent work and thank you for restoring some of my faith in the medium's power for meaningful expression.

 

[GhaleonQ]

I'm glad I could help bankrupt you/flunk you, respectively. Thanks, guys, and thanks for spreading the word! The Hardcore Gaming 101 article summarizes a few games of theirs well, if you don't have a lot of time.

 

[TheChillyAcademic]

That was actually the first related game I played. I enjoyed it a fair amount and have a real weakness for the aesthetics (he has a great eye, since he did maps for Love-De-Lic). I don't have any amazing or counterintuitive opinions on the gameplay, but I was extremely disappointed with the endgame. I can't STAND art that aspire to something great at the beginning but fails to carry themes through (see: Bioshock), so I was mad that he botched the meaning of the gameplay and story. It still meant more to me than 90% of other games, though, although I should state that I'm 1 of those people who didn't mind Final Fantasy II's stats system. Have you tried it, or were you just wondering how the 2 (similar) games relate?

Sakura Note sounds like a straight-up Moon-Endonesia-Chulip-Giftpia game, though, so I'm still extremely interested.

Yeah I think Sakura Note will be interesting, to say the very very least. I played through Contact and was, as were you, absolutely devastated with the end game. While it has very little, if any, similarities to the type of game Moon is, Flower, Sun and Rain is an amazing title that was similarly as underrated.

 

[GhaleonQ]

Yeah I think Sakura Note will be interesting, to say the very very least. I played through Contact and was, as were you, absolutely devastated with the end game. While it has very little, if any, similarities to the type of game Moon is, Flower, Sun and Rain is an amazing title that was similarly as underrated.

Now that Punchline is out of business, I hope he, Akira Ueda, and Suda 51 make a game together. It seems like they'd limit each other's vices really well.

I haven't played Flower, Sun, And Rain since it's apparently related to the The Silver Case games (which aren't in English yet). Any experience with those?

 

[Magypsy23]

Tao is dead.




He passed away of kidney failure on Oct 24.

http://lovedelicgames.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/farewell-tao/



RIP Tao
Febuary 23, 1996 – October 24, 2009

 

[GhaleonQ]

Tao is dead.

He passed away of kidney failure on Oct 24.

RIP Tao
Febuary 23, 1996 – October 24, 2009

...Aaaaand that post made me really sad. Ruminating on old age and his own death, pet memories, and veterinarian stories. Thanks for posting it, though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mryQiSckG8w

*sniff*

 

[Dash Kappei]

I always wanted to play this game so badly :| It's such a pain that there isn't any fan translation out there or in development.

This.
Except I didn't even know this game existed.
I WANT TO PLAY IT

(not going through this kind of game in japanese, I'd hate playing a game with a walkthrough from start to finish).

So yeah, I dunno wheter to love or hate you.

 

[GhaleonQ]

This.
Except I didn't even know this game existed.
I WANT TO PLAY IT

(not going through this kind of game in japanese, I'd hate playing a game with a walkthrough from start to finish).

So yeah, I dunno wheter to love or hate you.

May I highly recommend watching/playing U.F.O. or L.O.L., then? The total text is MAYBE 10 mandatory lines (which you can glean from the premise) and 40 optional ones. They're seriously almost entirely pantomime.

 

[Arde5643]

Excellent, excellent thread, Ghaleon.

Really wish I can read Japanese now so that I can actually at least try to understand what's going on with the youtube videos. :lol

 

[GhaleonQ]

Excellent, excellent thread, Ghaleon.

Really wish I can read Japanese now so that I can actually at least try to understand what's going on with the youtube videos. :lol

Thank you! Yeah, it's extremely annoying. Between the English and Japanese (Google/Bing Translator) walkthroughs and the Wikipedia page, you can get the idea, but you miss the dialogue in between. Thanks, though.

 

[GhaleonQ]

So, I did a search recently.

http://aelephant.blogspot.com/2009/11/projects-for-new-year-omedeto.html

There's a guy with a small group of friends who's making flash games with his pals or something. He said he's trying to gather some friends to see if they have time to do a fan translation of Moon or not. I don't know if he has influential friends in the fan-translation community or not (he went to the Penny Arcade Expo, which is a good sign), so I don't know if it will yield anything. Again, he might be some teenager with 2 Japanophile buddies, so I'll post if this is serious or not. Still, though, I'm hopeful that either this post or the Youtube videos made the odds a bit better for an eventual English patch.

 

[Nachkebia]

Is this like a best thread evar?I am tempted, I am very tempted but language holds me back

 

[AshMcCool]

Tao is dead.




He passed away of kidney failure on Oct 24.

http://lovedelicgames.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/farewell-tao/



RIP Tao
Febuary 23, 1996 – October 24, 2009

Sad thing, but over 13 years is pretty old for a dog.

 

[GhaleonQ]

From the guy:

"Me, I am a college student studying Japanese (4th year) and Computer Science (2nd Year.) My friend Tyler (an awesome Programmer that also knows some Japanese), and my friend Dima (writer and artist.) And we have some more friends that pop in and out.

As for Moon the most important thing we think is making the tools to translate the game. That is our most important goal with it. Because if we can make good tools then if we don't finish the translation, some one else can easily pick it up or even start their own version.

College is taking up a lot of time now, but on our free time we work on some of our projects and Moon is one of them. I still haven't actually played the game much, but I love Love-De-Lic and their games. So this project is perfect for showing my love."

WOO!

 

[jesusraz]

What would you say if I told you Kimura-san is very keen on doing a remake of Moon? What would you also say If I told you that this thread is soon to be looked at and all positive responses/opinions are going to be noted to influence the decision?

Finally, off the Moon topic for a brief moment, and this is more a plea on my part for a little help, Akira Ueda has agreed to do an interview about Sakura Note with me. So anyone with questions, please let me know asap.

 

[wrowa]

I would say: Please make it true Kimura, please.

I've a hard time trying to imagine that someone would be willing to fund the development though.

 

[jesusraz]

You never know...If there's enough will there you can't rule out his dream of remaking it will come true.

 

[Nasreddin]

If there was a language patch I would buy the game instantly. But I can't enjoy game swith language walkthroughs. Does not work for me.

 

[Night_Trekker]

From the guy:

"Me, I am a college student studying Japanese (4th year) and Computer Science (2nd Year.) My friend Tyler (an awesome Programmer that also knows some Japanese), and my friend Dima (writer and artist.) And we have some more friends that pop in and out.

As for Moon the most important thing we think is making the tools to translate the game. That is our most important goal with it. Because if we can make good tools then if we don't finish the translation, some one else can easily pick it up or even start their own version.

College is taking up a lot of time now, but on our free time we work on some of our projects and Moon is one of them. I still haven't actually played the game much, but I love Love-De-Lic and their games. So this project is perfect for showing my love."

WOO!

HELL YES! I may actually get to play this! :lol

 

[GhaleonQ]

What would you say if I told you Kimura-san is very keen on doing a remake of Moon? What would you also say If I told you that this thread is soon to be looked at and all positive responses/opinions are going to be noted to influence the decision?

Um, can you please be extremely specific about what you're saying? Like, are any of them actually aware of the essay's existence and is the will (if not the resources) to remake the game there? I don't want to get too excited in case you're just joking.

Finally, off the Moon topic for a brief moment, and this is more a plea on my part for a little help, Akira Ueda has agreed to do an interview about Sakura Note with me. So anyone with questions, please let me know asap.

1. Usually, the creative spark for a game is fairly self-explanatory. An environment or mechanic is expanded into a game. Your games, however, are not obviously designed that way. Do you begin to make games with a theme, a message, a game mechanic, or a place?

2. Your games have a playful tranquility that seems very Japanese. While it's prevalent in literature, Japanese video games not named "Mother" don't usually take this tone. What are your influences, in that sense, and do you think the marketplace is receptive to it? Do you have any compatriot designers, in that sense?

3. What were you trying to say with Sakura Note's endgame? Did you simply mean to resolve the story, or did you have a specific message for the people who played your video game?

4. In what sense did you influence Uematsu's compositions? They seem weird (in a good way) and evocative of Final Fantasy IX. I think it's his best since that game. Did your ideas inspire him? Did you veto any songs or request certain things?

5. Could you tell us about your time at Love-De-Lic? Did everyone part on good terms? Did your experience there have a heavy influence on any of your games thus far?

 

[luka]

Holy crap. How did I miss this thread? Best OP I've ever seen. You have convinced me sir, now I must try this. I'm going to Japan in the summer so I will definitely be scrounging around.

 

[Magypsy23]

What would you say if I told you Kimura-san is very keen on doing a remake of Moon? What would you also say If I told you that this thread is soon to be looked at and all positive responses/opinions are going to be noted to influence the decision?

I'll buy it at a high price! Regardless of platform.

 

[Moobabe]

Set up a donation on GAF. We'll fund the project!!

Edit

Or at least contribute...

 

[Tailzo]

Wow, so many obscure games here. LOL always sounded interesting to me. Great thread.

edit: If it can bring you some joy; I bought Little King Story, and it's my Wii GOTY for 2009.

 

[qcf x2]

How is it that there isn't an English patch or something yet? This is the internet, come on! This game looks great, I've got LoL on my backlog but this one requires language.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

I would gladly pay for a XBLA or PSN download of a version with english text.

 

[GhaleonQ]

jesusraz, please? Could you expound further on it?

 

[jesusraz]

Um, can you please be extremely specific about what you're saying? Like, are any of them actually aware of the essay's existence and is the will (if not the resources) to remake the game there? I don't want to get too excited in case you're just joking.

No joke. I've made the right people aware of your thread and the desire to remake is there and has been for a long time.

1. Usually, the creative spark for a game is fairly self-explanatory. An environment or mechanic is expanded into a game. Your games, however, are not obviously designed that way. Do you begin to make games with a theme, a message, a game mechanic, or a place?

2. Your games have a playful tranquility that seems very Japanese. While it's prevalent in literature, Japanese video games not named "Mother" don't usually take this tone. What are your influences, in that sense, and do you think the marketplace is receptive to it? Do you have any compatriot designers, in that sense?

3. What were you trying to say with Sakura Note's endgame? Did you simply mean to resolve the story, or did you have a specific message for the people who played your video game?

4. In what sense did you influence Uematsu's compositions? They seem weird (in a good way) and evocative of Final Fantasy IX. I think it's his best since that game. Did your ideas inspire him? Did you veto any songs or request certain things?

5. Could you tell us about your time at Love-De-Lic? Did everyone part on good terms? Did your experience there have a heavy influence on any of your games thus far?

Brilliant - thanks a lot. I hope more people chip in with Sakura Note questions.

 

[dallow_bg]

rays:

 

[Night_Trekker]

No joke. I've made the right people aware of your thread and the desire to remake is there and has been for a long time.

Wow. That is so damn cool.

No pressure, huh GhaleonQ? :lol

 

[GhaleonQ]

Thanks, Nasreddin, luka, and Tailzo, for the kind words and for making it through the whole thing. luka, earlier in the topic, someone said it wasn't that hard to find if you're actually in Japan, so I highly recommend getting Moon or the rest. Tailzo, brilliant! The game could always use more sales, and if Little King's Story charmed you, well... Be prepared.

No joke. I've made the right people aware of your thread and the desire to remake is there and has been for a long time.


Brilliant - thanks a lot. I hope more people chip in with Sakura Note questions.

Well, in that case, if Cubed3 breaks the news, please use the title, "When GhaleonQ rambles, God listens."

Also: WOOOOOOOOOOOYEAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAH!!! Whether or not it occurs, hearing some sort of news would be a highlight of my decade. I'll wait until official statements (good or bad) before thanking you profusely, but, seriously, if you brought this to them or someone who cares, that's incredibly meaningful to me. Thank you. Thank you!

Will there be any sort of interview, public statement, or blog post confirming this information? Any idea when that Sakura Note interview will be posted publicly, too?

Wow. That is so damn cool.

No pressure, huh GhaleonQ? :lol

*trembles* *prays*

I mean, all I'm saying is that Vanpool just put out Tingle, Skip put out Chibi-Robo, and Punchline/Town Factory/Marvelous isn't doing anything. THE TIME IS RIGHT.

 

[ConcealedBlaze]

This is one of those games that makes me absolutely crazy to play. I'd pay for a remake/translation without a second thought.