Riachu said:
exindguy said:
Kenryoku_Maxis said:
exindguy said:
Ah, boo: I really enjoyed the accents in the DQIV translation (what, you mean an RPG translation that wasn't generic and run of the mill?! The horror!) and am sorry to hear that they might have been excised in V. |
Well, if you liked them, then that's okay. But other fans of the series didn't and sent complaints to Square-Enix. And for the most part, its not good for an RPG series to make it harder for people to read the spoken dialogue between characters. Especially when it is one of the longest RPGs on the system, clocking in at 60-80 hours long. This will make those who aren't familiar with the series (casual gamers and new fans) shy away from the series because it takes too much effort to understand the story and play the overall game.
At first, the idea of adding accents and a 'European feel' to a fantasy game seems like a good idea. But in practice, it hurts a game and detracts from the very crowd you are trying to pull in. New fans and casual players. And angers hardcore fans of the series all at the same time.
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I don't know: I think the reason the translation was ill-received was because those hardcore fans have a lot of time on their hands to complain about such things (as you pointed out, it wasn't the average joe emailing them, it was the 'hardcore'). I am certain they bought it anyway, by and large, and the problem was with the more general audience that probably didn't pick it up for whatever reason certain gems get passed over (not well-known enough; too expensive; not graphically good enough; a combo of all of the above; etc.)
I highly, highly doubt that the dialogue is why it under-performed and why people didn't run out and buy it in droves. After all, Dragon Quest VIII didn't do very well, either, and you can't blame the translation for that.
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The game sold 600K in NA and another 600K(?) in Europe so the game actually sold pretty well. I think the problem is the game was a remake in general. Star Ocean First Deaprture, a remake of SO1, isn't doing so hot either. However, I still expect SO4 to get decent sales as I expect DQIX to get decent sales. Yes, the FF remakes and the CTDS port did well but FF is a popular series in the West and Chrono Trigger is a widely regarded game that is said to be one of the best RPGs ever made.
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Allow me to clarify: in the context of what SE expected, no, it didn't sell very well, especially when we're talking about the PS2 at the height of its game.
I think you may have a point (about remake-itis) but there's also the case that, as far as Westerners are concerned, DQ doesn't really exist and is certainly not a franchise on par with Final Fantasy (yes, I know: duh). It also isn't very 'hardcore' in that it's bright, shiny and, for the most part, happy, with little of the angst and rank cynicism that pervades much of its peers, something that Westerners haven't been keen on for a very, very long time.
