Article about making titles suitable for Japan & America

[London Geezer]

Aren't the sales numbers for games like FF series, Kingdom Hearts, the Dark Cloud series, all of Nintendo games and many other RPGs indicative that Europeans are as ready to embrace RPGs as any other territory?

Do we have to keep on having stupid football games till the shelves are filled up with 46 different footbal titles? jesus...

 

[notAFanB]

Modding is the easiest way, but certainly there are consequences if you plan to go online later on.

if you've been in the UK for a ew years it's anything but easy. bad soldering, con jobs the lot.....


in any case just put a switch in there should solve most problems, or in the case of the Gamecube offer an interesting software solution (freeloader I'm lookin at ju!).

the point I am trying to make is choice and the manufacturor wages war to erode that choice. While I'm all fine to purchase an US system and import why should I when I can find ways (legal ways mind) to do the same regardless of the region originally purchased from?

Should we perhaps raid Datels offices and remove freeloader? then import stores for selling non-localised systems?

Aren't the sales numbers for games like FF series, Kingdom Hearts, the Dark Cloud series, all of Nintendo games and many other RPGs indicative that Europeans are as ready to embrace RPGs as any other territory?

Look I detest it as much as you do but fae it, thos are all major titles which were marketed rather well and were still regarded as soso. you will note the successful penetration of a genre when lesser known titles sell well.

 

[London Geezer]

[/rant start]


I'm not taking this on to u

I just feel like ranting about it for a while, i'm starting to feel better already...


ITS NOT FAIR!!!!!!!!


My point is, we should not have to import or mod our machines to play some games. When manufacturing a console, Sony or Nintendo or anyone else make an agreement with their customers to provide a medium with which the customers can interact with the software they provide. If they do not release certain material just for the heck of it then that's in breach with the agreement.
And please don't tell me that games like Xenosaga 1 & 2 and many others would sell any less, or give the machine a worse image than certain HORRENDOUS material you wouldn't even want to download for free from the net. Things like "London Racer" and all those totally useless "games" (using the term loosely).

I just don't know how no distributor would pick up the license for Xenosaga, which is already translated into bloody english anyway, all they need to do is PAL-converting them and ship them. The profit margin would be VERY high.

Oh I soooo need to get into the Videogame market, i'd teach them a thing or 2 about economics... And i haven't even finished my fraking degree yet!


[/rant over]

 

[notAFanB]

I just don't know how no distributor would pick up the license for Xenosaga, which is already translated into bloody english anyway, all they need to do is PAL-converting them and ship them. The profit margin would be VERY high.

just one last thing before I drop this, Just Why must they move it to PAL? why not sell limited editions on NTSC or PAL60???? There Must be enough tv's in the UK now that support NTSC 3.5 at some level to make the issue moot. Heck the PAL machine even comes bundled with Composite leads so I don't see what the problem is?

 

[London Geezer]

I just don't know how no distributor would pick up the license for Xenosaga, which is already translated into bloody english anyway, all they need to do is PAL-converting them and ship them. The profit margin would be VERY high.

just one last thing before I drop this, Just Why must they move it to PAL? why not sell limited editions on NTSC or PAL60???? There Must be enough tv's in the UK now that support NTSC 3.5 at some level to make the issue moot. Heck the PAL machine even comes bundled with Composite leads so I don't see what the problem is?

I was going to put that into the last rant, then decided not to. Still, i fell the same.

 

[passerby]

One thing about Europe - is it true that there's an EU requirement that software published in the region must be available in at least 3 languages? If that is so that may explain the slow localization process. It may explain why Xenosaga isn't localized - vary heavy on voice acting.

 

[StefanS]

Actually, if it is decided to release a game in all territories, several translations are handled simultaneously (Timesplitters 2).

 

[London Geezer]

One thing about Europe - is it true that there's an EU requirement that software published in the region must be available in at least 3 languages? If that is so that may explain the slow localization process. It may explain why Xenosaga isn't localized - vary heavy on voice acting.

Don't think so, there are many many games that have no more than english translation in them...

And anyway, I'M IN THE UK!!!!!

 

[cthellis42]

And anyway, I'M IN THE UK!!!!!

Seriously? However was anyone to know?

 

[StefanS]

And anyway, I'M IN THE UK!!!!!

Seriously? However was anyone to know?

Well, it is pretty obivious that The Shire is the UK

 

[London Geezer]

And anyway, I'M IN THE UK!!!!!

Seriously? However was anyone to know?

Just thought i'd remind you all...

I mean, HMV and Virgin can get import CDs and DVDs and it is "safe and legal" to listen to/watch them.
Why is it so difficult to do the same for videogames?

An idea i had is, if Sony and the others REALLY wanted to kill piracy, they would just have to make consoles that are compatible among different territories. This way the authorities would know for sure that modchips are only for piracy, making them illegal.

Is this a good idea or is it impossible? Apart from obvious PAL/NTSC differences (which by the next generation will be null, since already 90% if not more of PAL tvs support NTSC signals)?

Multi-region consoles would never need modchips for the intent of playing import games. Therefore that would be proof enough to completely rid the world of modchips and piracy.

One problem i'm not sure about is the fact that by next generation the drives will be able to read both original and recorded material (DVDRW etc), although i don't know the intricacies of this...

 

[notAFanB]

Multi-region consoles would never need modchips for the intent of playing import games. Therefore that would be proof enough to completely rid the world of modchips and piracy.

ah my friend, your ignoring the simple truth. Piracy is but one of the reasons for regional lockouts.....


seriously tho this whole regional control of sales isn't important to the consumer and should be made as transparent as possible. There zero excuse for US-->UK titles as the major hurdle has already been made (language), that or subtitles.

 

[London Geezer]

Yes. Having to wait months for US->UK releases is just ridiculous.

 

[Fox5]

Aren't those long US->UK releases so they can release in all of Europe at once?

And people would still have an excuse for modchips without importing, if they want to run homebrew stuff on their console. I know I'd be happier if all consoles could run homebrew stuff as easy as dreamcast. I'd also be happy if all consoles used standard formats that could be read by PC(like the psx's cds) for emulation purposes, since pirating games for emulation is just uncool, and too much trouble for a curiousity.

 

[Fafalada]

just one last thing before I drop this, Just Why must they move it to PAL? why not sell limited editions on NTSC or PAL60????

Titles that don't run PAL aren't permitted for release in PAL region (for obvious reasons).

Plus I doubt it'd be a moot issue if it happened either - you'd still get a bunch of idiot buyers getting the game ignoring the 60hz "only" sticker and then complain about their PS2 being faulty.

 

[London Geezer]

just one last thing before I drop this, Just Why must they move it to PAL? why not sell limited editions on NTSC or PAL60????

Titles that don't run PAL aren't permitted for release in PAL region (for obvious reasons).

Plus I doubt it'd be a moot issue if it happened either - you'd still get a bunch of idiot buyers getting the game ignoring the 60hz "only" sticker and then complain about their PS2 being faulty.

I've seen Nintendo games do that already. Zelda TWW had a 60Hz sticker on it at the back....... :|

 

[Fox5]

just one last thing before I drop this, Just Why must they move it to PAL? why not sell limited editions on NTSC or PAL60????

Titles that don't run PAL aren't permitted for release in PAL region (for obvious reasons).

Plus I doubt it'd be a moot issue if it happened either - you'd still get a bunch of idiot buyers getting the game ignoring the 60hz "only" sticker and then complain about their PS2 being faulty.

I've seen Nintendo games do that already. Zelda TWW had a 60Hz sticker on it at the back....... :|

It probably supported both.

 

[function]

just one last thing before I drop this, Just Why must they move it to PAL? why not sell limited editions on NTSC or PAL60????

Titles that don't run PAL aren't permitted for release in PAL region (for obvious reasons).

Plus I doubt it'd be a moot issue if it happened either - you'd still get a bunch of idiot buyers getting the game ignoring the 60hz "only" sticker and then complain about their PS2 being faulty.

I've seen Nintendo games do that already. Zelda TWW had a 60Hz sticker on it at the back....... :|

It probably supported both.

I think it was the OOT "bonus disk" that only ran at 60. And I heard there were compaints about that.

I've been picky about un-optimised games for about 8 or so years now, but I think it's fair that any game that comes out on a Euro PAL machine works with the most common PAL frequency (and treats PAL 60 as more important than NTSC too).