SFC RPGs for english-speakers?

[whengreg]

I like RPGs, am able to play Super Famicom games, but don't speak a word of Japanese. I don't really care about being able to read the story, and can put up with not understanding directions (gamefaqs), but I'm still nervous about buying imported RPGs.

1) Can I get some suggestions as to good RPGs that won't cause me too much trouble?
2) I can get the following SFC games fairly cheap; how easy are they to understand?
2a) Dragon Quest V
2b) Seiken Densetsu 2 (Secret of Mana)
2c) Super Mario RPG (I'm really not sure on this. It's cheap, but the story's actually important for me with this game.)

Anyway, thanks for any help you can provide.

[MrSparkle]

if youve ever watched a foreign film in a language you don't speak thats about as hard as it is to understand a game in a language you don't speak you'll only pick up what you get from visuals and what you can assume from the genre. out of those super mario rpg is the only one i could imagine playing and understanding without english even then its going to be that much harder as puzzles or required speaking lines (ie speak to this person before you progress) become random crapshoots.

[dao2]

RPGs would be the worst sort of game to have in a foreign language :|

Thankfully Dragon Quest V and Secret of Mana 2 have fan translations.

(heres a huge list of a lot of translations http://www.zophar.net/translations/snes.html)

And super mario RPG actually got a US release. You can just get the translated rom and play on an emu if u want (and SMRPG if you want too ;p). That's all free btw :P

[whengreg]

RPGs would be the worst sort of game to have in a foreign language :|

Thankfully Dragon Quest V and Secret of Mana 2 have fan translations.

(heres a huge list of a lot of translations http://www.zophar.net/translations/snes.html)

And super mario RPG actually got a US release. You can just get the translated rom and play on an emu if u want (and SMRPG if you want too ;p). That's all free btw :P

I'm not interested in roms. And yes, I know Mario RPG/Secret of Mana (1) got a US release. I'm not paying eBay prices for them... (My choice is basically between buying for the SFC, or waiting for them to show up on the Virtual Console or similar, while keeping an eye out for any deals.)

To help out, I had the bright idea of checking out some playthrough videos, and have decided to get Secret of Mana, but not Super Mario RPG. I'm still on the fence with Dragon Quest V, though I'm leaning away from getting it, just because of all the text-based menus in Japanese.

Edit: Thoughts on Ys III?
Edit2: Nevermind, the english version looks to be cheaper.
Just FYI, there's a SFC copy of Super Mario RPG on ebay for $16 buy-it-now right now.

[Fuyukaze]

first off, it'll help if you learn atleast a couple words. it'll save you the truble of wondering if you saved your game. second, playing games in japanese isnt imposible but it can be a bit difficult if you plan to play anything where knowing some of the more obvious of things would help. things like what items do what and such. i'd recomend you steer clear of any atlus rpgs for the difficulty they can present. the DQ series and FF stuff should be easy enough. Y's III should also prove to be very easy to play in adition to the Actraiser series.

[Aussie2B]

There are plenty of worse genres to play in a foreign language than RPGs, trust me. Strategy games, dating sims, heck, just about any kind of simulation. RPGs are very doable because they all tend to follow the same stereotypes, so if you've played a few in English, you'll know what to expect. I've played tons of Super Famicom RPGs without being fluent in Japanese whatsoever. It's so much easier than people think. As long as you talk to everybody in towns, you can usually keep the ball rolling. I'd say all three of those games would work well, since they all have a ton of online fan coverage. I'd start by printing out a walkthrough, but as you play the games, I suggest you print out a katakana chart off of Google and try translating the item/character/location/etc. names yourself. Most are in English to begin with, so it's a simple matter of memorizing the character set that the Japanese use to represent English words. Once you get the hang of that, you can branch out to other RPGs and not be reliant on walkthroughs for the most part.

[smork]

I know this is almost pure apostasy in Import-Mania! but I loathe playing RPGs in Japanese when I can't understand what's going on. I'd most definitely rather play a strategy game than an RPG, unless it's an RPG I can understand pretty well.

My Japanese is decent enough now that I can get by alot of games and not feel lost, but I can't imagine playing an RPG with very little or no knowledge...

[Lord Contaminous]

Front Mission is definitely right up your alley.

The story is in Japanese, but alot of menus, weapons, items and armors to select from are in English.

If anything, you should download a program called "JWPCE".

Here's some RPG's I completed in Japanese...

Final Fantasy III (Famicom)
Final Fantasy V (Super Famicom)
Tengai Makyo: Fu'un Kabuki Den (PC Engine CD)...well I didn't beat it, but I did make it to the final dungeon and accidently erased my data.

I'd say don't be nervous about it and just do that cannonball in ice water. In the course of the time you're playing that RPG, you'll be able to pick up some words.

[Borman]

Super Mario RPG is fine. I hadnt played SMRPG in years (though I did play it in English when I had, being in Elementary School didnt help), and I beat the SFC version of it a year ago without knowing any Japanese. I had a pretty damn good idea of what was going on, since Mario doesnt talk anyway. Still an extremely solid game, and for the 20$ I spent for a complete copy was well worth it.

[Daria]

You're shooting yourself in the foot by ruling out ROMs entirely. There are a ton of really great RPGs that have been fan translated. And for that whole TV experience (which call me crazy is less important to me than playing a game in a language I can actually understand) you can hook up your PC to display through your TV and pick yourself up a cheap gamepad. Buying games in Japanese just because they're cheaper than US releases is well... pretty damn cheap.

If you've got to own the real thing because the ethics don't sit right with you than at least buy the Japanese release and play the ROM anyway.

[whengreg]

You're shooting yourself in the foot by ruling out ROMs entirely. There are a ton of really great RPGs that have been fan translated. And for that whole TV experience (which call me crazy is less important to me than playing a game in a language I can actually understand) you can hook up your PC to display through your TV and pick yourself up a cheap gamepad. Buying games in Japanese just because they're cheaper than US releases is well... pretty damn cheap.

If you've got to own the real thing because the ethics don't sit right with you than at least buy the Japanese release and play the ROM anyway.

Unfortunately, I'm not in a position where I can allow myself to spend $60-$100 on a game, and downloading roms, even for games that I own, is legally questionable enough that I'm not going to do it. A rather annoying set of disadvantages, granted, but nothing I can really do about that.

Anyway, front mission is basically what I'm looking for, with the English menus.

[Aussie2B]

My Japanese is decent enough now that I can get by alot of games and not feel lost, but I can't imagine playing an RPG with very little or no knowledge...

What's hard to imagine about it? Story is just one aspect of a game, so even without that, someone can still easily enjoy a good battle system and nice audio and visuals. I mean, if a game like, say, Gradius had an elaborate plot in Japanese included between the segments of gameplay, would that suddenly make the shooting any less enjoyable? Of course, some people play RPGs solely for story, but I don't think it's hard to understand at all why other people who are interested in other elements of the games too or play RPGs for different reasons altogether (because, let's face it, RPGs didn't begin as a story-driven genre; just look at most Famicom RPGs) can find great enjoyment in the games even without knowledge of Japanese.

Also, on a similar note, what's up with the mentality of this board that somebody can't talk about playing RPGs in Japanese without a bunch of people ganging up on the poster trying to convert him? I've seen this time and time again, consistently, and it's starting to annoy me. The guy already said he wants to purchase the games and that he doesn't care that he can't understand the stories. He doesn't need people insinuating that it's stupid to play RPGs in a language you can understand, and he's not asking for people to push emulators and fan translations on him. It's like some people have an agenda to push around here. Worst of all, I bet most people trying to sway him in a different direction have little to no experience playing Japanese RPGs to begin with. If you don't know what you're talking about and can't help with the subject at hand, you're in no place to put something down and make alternate suggestions. It would be like if someone is asking for DS game suggestions and someone pops in saying "I don't think the DS is very good; you should get these PSP games." I don't mean to sound excessively hostile, but something needs to be said.

[Daria]

I bet most people trying to sway him in a different direction have little to no experience playing Japanese RPGs to begin with.

Really?


If you don't know what you're talking about and can't help with the subject at hand, you're in no place to put something down and make alternate suggestions.

Really?

Look... the guy can play whatever games he wants however he wants to play them. I however, am of the opinion that he's looking to play them at a handicap. I voiced an alternative because I think it's a shame. It's like watching a movie with the sound off. Sure you can tell what's going on generally, but it's sort of an ass backwards way to watch it.

Now if he said he was interested in Japanese SNES RPGs because he was studying the language, I'd think it was awesome. But the guy's admitted he's just looking to save some cash.

Although come to think of it he keeps quoting SNES RPGs to be in the $60 to $100 range when in reality most of them, including Super Mario RPG are around $30 loose.

As far as Famicom RPGs not being story driven? While they certainly weren't literary masterpieces most 8-bit RPGs centered around an annoying crutch that required you find clue dropping NPCs to find seemingly randomly hidden plot crucial items and locations. Basic reading skills being a must.

He's also looking to play Super Mario RPG which revolves around it's humorous tie-ins to the the series. It's not story driven per-say, but it's text driven certainly.

[whengreg]

Really?



Really?

Look... the guy can play whatever games he wants however he wants to play them. I however, am of the opinion that he's looking to play them at a handicap. I voiced an alternative because I think it's a shame. It's like watching a movie with the sound off. Sure you can tell what's going on generally, but it's sort of an ass backwards way to watch it.

Now if he said he was interested in Japanese SNES RPGs because he was studying the language, I'd think it was awesome. But the guy's admitted he's just looking to save some cash.

Although come to think of it he keeps quoting SNES RPGs to be in the $60 to $100 range when in reality most of them, including Super Mario RPG are around $30 loose.

As far as Famicom RPGs not being story driven? While they certainly weren't literary masterpieces most 8-bit RPGs centered around an annoying crutch that required you find clue dropping NPCs to find seemingly randomly hidden plot crucial items and locations. Basic reading skills being a must.

He's also looking to play Super Mario RPG which revolves around it's humorous tie-ins to the the series. It's not story driven per-say, but it's text driven certainly.

To correct a misunderstanding, I had two questions:
1) What SFC RPGs are more or less playable for an English-only speaker? (I like RPGs mostly for their battle systems, so it's fine if I can't understand the story. Presumably, this would be restricted to games with a limited or non-existent US release.)

2) I can get these particular RPGs, which also had US releases, extremely cheap. Should I get them, or hold out for the US version? (I decided to get Secret of Mana, and pass on Dragon Quest 5 and Super Mario RPG, specifically because I felt that the language issue would interfere too much.)

These two questions are completely separate. While I don't *mind* saving money, I am also interested in expanding what games I can play, and after discovering how easy a SNES mod is, I wanted to know what games I should keep an eye out for.

Right now, it looks like I'll be keeping an eye out for Front Mission, and if Secret of Mana 1 plays alright, I'll keep an eye out for Secret of Mana 2.

Also, it looks like I haven't been keeping up on ebay prices. While Super Mario RPG is closer to $40 than $30, I was expecting $80. Odd. I'll keep an eye out.

[smork]

What's hard to imagine about it? Story is just one aspect of a game, so even without that, someone can still easily enjoy a good battle system and nice audio and visuals. I mean, if a game like, say, Gradius had an elaborate plot in Japanese included between the segments of gameplay, would that suddenly make the shooting any less enjoyable?

Actually, yes it would. Look at Radiant Silvergun as a good example. The gameplay is fantastic and deep, but there's quite a good story in there as well. When you read a translation of the story and understand the implications of what's going on the game is greatly enhanced.

Of course, since it is a shooter, the story aspects are quite short, easy to read and understand in one sitting. An RPG is different, you're looking at 20+ hours of gameplay where one hand is tied behind your back. Even on some older RPGs you'll be missing huge chunks of the plot by not being able to understand the language -- think of the moral choices in Ultima IV as an example in English.

I've always thought of RPGs as a story driven genre, so if you remove the comprehension of that part of the game my interest sags considerably. Without any Japanese knowledge that would leave me (again, I'm only speaking of me) wanting to play something like a shooter, or an action game, a platformer, a racing game, maybe a sports game.


I don't mean to sound excessively hostile, but something needs to be said.

Well, I don't think it did. But hey, everybody's got their own opinion.

[Aussie2B]

Really?

I'll clarify: experience playing Japanese RPGs IN Japanese. Playing fan translations gives you absolutely not experience in what it's like to play an RPG in a foreign language from beginning to end. Something I've done with dozens and dozens of RPGs.


Look... the guy can play whatever games he wants however he wants to play them. I however, am of the opinion that he's looking to play them at a handicap. I voiced an alternative because I think it's a shame. It's like watching a movie with the sound off. Sure you can tell what's going on generally, but it's sort of an ass backwards way to watch it.

You're missing my point entirely. He already made it clear on multiple occasions, including in the opening post, that it's NOT a handicap to him because he's okay with not understanding the story. The question of this topic was not "What do you think of playing RPGs in a foreign language?" so it's completely inappropriate to answer it as such. Honestly, nobody cares if you find it a handicap or if you think it's a shame because your view on it isn't fact. It's absolutely never been a handicap to my enjoyment, and no one should ever pity me for enjoying my Japanese RPGs immensely, especially when I think it's a shame that they won't touch them unless they get a fan translation (of which the quality can vary greatly; I'd rather come to my own conclusions and read a walkthrough than get a completely twisted rendition of the game's script). So, again, I go back to my analogy, someone may think it's a "handicap" to someone's ability to enjoy video games by playing DS games because said person may think PSP games are so vastly superior. While that opinion would be fine to share in a topic asking what people think of the DS vs. the PSP (or in this case it would be a topic about buying and playing RPGs in Japanese vs. avoiding them or downloading and playing fan translations), it wouldn't be appropriate in a topic devoted purely to discussing DS games and recommendations for ones to play. I mean, if I wanted to, I could post in every topic about fan translations to say how much I prefer to buy my imports and suggest using walkthroughs and learning katakana to enjoy them, but that would just make me look like an annoying pest with an agenda to incessantly push when people don't even want to hear it. I know that wouldn't be appropriate for those topics, so unless someone specifically asks for other options or I want to discuss fan translations, I stay out, simple as that.

[Aussie2B]

Actually, yes it would. Look at Radiant Silvergun as a good example. The gameplay is fantastic and deep, but there's quite a good story in there as well. When you read a translation of the story and understand the implications of what's going on the game is greatly enhanced.

That makes absolutely no sense in terms of my question, though. So you're telling me that the presence of a plot would lessen the enjoyment of a completely unrelated aspect? So if I hacked a ROM of Gradius and added Japanese cut scenes throughout, the shooting would be less enjoyable than before, even with all the original content left exactly intact? I mean, if you want to talk about the game as a whole, yeah, it never hurts to be able to understand the text, but in terms of individual parts, not understanding a storyline doesn't mean a hoot to gameplay.

[smork]

That makes absolutely no sense in terms of my question, though. So you're telling me that the presence of a plot would lessen the enjoyment of a completely unrelated aspect? So if I hacked a ROM of Gradius and added Japanese cut scenes throughout, the shooting would be less enjoyable than before, even with all the original content left exactly intact? I mean, if you want to talk about the game as a whole, yeah, it never hurts to be able to understand the text, but in terms of individual parts, not understanding a storyline doesn't mean a hoot to gameplay.

Wait a minute -- are you telling me you can completely compartmentalize your game experience? say you've got a game that has some nice action, but horrid music and an insipid storyline. You probably wouldn't recommend that game to someone, would you?

The story is an integral part of the game for an RPG. There is no story for Gradius, so if someone fan-hacks a story into a ROM you're not missing anything. There is an interesting story for Radiant Silvergun, which is why understanding the story enhances the experience.

Do you think you wouldn't enjoy an RPG more if you actually understood the plot? I will be very surprised if you say "no, same level of enjoyment". In fact, I don't think I'd believe you.

[Daria]

Actually I never said he, or anyone shouldn't touch a game because it hasn't been been translated. You're making up an argument that we're just not having. All I was saying that if he's looking to play a game anyway, and it's been translated, why not play it in a language he can understand? The OP stated that he wasn't into ROMs, a preference many people on this forum have for all sorts of different reasons. One of which being the TV hardware thing, so I suggested using a TV as a monitor in case that was his hang up. A passing comment that would have came and went if you hadn't pitched a fit.

I do not believe my comments were out of line, I was never rude and the OP has never stated that they were unwelcome. Just you. And it's not even your damn thread.

The only hidden agenda I have is that I really like the genre. I also like introducing the games I love to other hobbyists.

And to answer the OPs question I would think that just about any strategy RPG would be a good choice in Japanese because they are generally devoid of free roaming. Therefore you don't have to know where to proceed, just focus on the battles themselves. That said there's a ton of Fire Emblem games for the system, although a personal favorite of mine would be FEDA: Emblem of Justice. It's a blantent Shining Force clone with the series original character artist. Monstania is an easy one, bright cheerful isometric graphics but incredibly short. Like a single weekend short. Might be a good choice if you can find it cheap.

As far as traditional RPGs go, I'd steer clear of the Dragon Warrior series although they were suggested earlier. The later SNES games tend to be very non linear and destinations are vague even in English. Madou Monogarti may be a good choice however. I think it's geared for a younger audience, but it's a really cute game based on the Puyo Pop series of puzzle games. Pretty straight forward, and again theme here is linearity.

Salior Moon is one of the best anime based RPGs for the system. And the story is completely derieved from the series, so I'd imagine that you understand that one if you were an avid SM fan. Otherwise maybe not.

[Lord Contaminous]

The Romancing Sa-Ga games ain't recommended for foreigners either. Non-linear, throughout the game you have to make choices that change the course and story of the game, and interactive events that will require Japanese on a native level

[Yukio]

Actually some of the games that I recommend are Romancing SaGa 2 and Tales of Phantasia.

Romancing SaGa 2 is not well animated, but it is a Square title and I got one box for a very low price!!!

The Tales of Phantasia is a action game and the other characters will help you in the battle screens, since a person do not need to handle the arrows, healing and other type of stuff it is doable to play.Just buy all the items! Much like other action games that are well animated it is possible to see most of the action.

[klausien]

You can play both of the SFC Ys games with little trouble using walkthroughs. Do it man... Its great (though not as spectacular as Ys IV Dawn of Ys for the Duo). SFC Ys V is especially playable.

[ubersaurus]

Mario RPG is on VC now :P

I actually thought the first Dragonball Z RPG, which follows the show up to the fight with Frieza, to be pretty good, and easy to understand with little more than a FAQ and some idea of what happens in the show. Hell, I played through it in the days before it had a translation hack, and it wasn't so bad. Half the fun for mewas trying to keep everyone alive and kicking for the massive power boost you get near the end for everyone not dead :P

I would agree with Daria though; if money's a real concern, just get the cord to hook your PC into the tv, and run the games on that with translated ROMs. For like Mario RPG, it's pretty much a requirement for the game to be anything more than just an average RPG with a funky battle system. I also agree with strategy RPGs as being pretty friendly to the illiterate masses of westerners.

[Brianvgplayer]

There are plenty of worse genres to play in a foreign language t[RIGHT]han RPGs, trust me. Strategy games

I disagree. It depends on the game, but some RPGs can have a great deal more text and sticky areas than some Strategy games. I was able to play all the way through Super Robot Taisen J GBA by memorizing the menus (though I had a faq to help with some things). I also found Famicom Wars to be very easy to play without knowledge of Japanese (though the pictures and numbers help for the units). I admit that I skipped most of the text and missed the story of Super Robot Taisen J and Famicom Wars is a bit more import friendly due to the lack of story, though.

One strategy game that is surprisingly import friendly is Herzog Zwei for the Megadrive. Most, if not all, of the text in the JP version is English. Of course, that one came to the US pretty much intact, so I only imported it because I found one for cheaper than the US Genesis version.

[mobiusclimber]

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I can't help answering it...


Wait a minute -- are you telling me you can completely compartmentalize your game experience? say you've got a game that has some nice action, but horrid music and an insipid storyline. You probably wouldn't recommend that game to someone, would you?

I have. If the action is amazing, you can mute the sound and ignore the story. I've also recommended RPGs with poor plots/dialogue/etc because other aspects in the game made up for that. In some games, I'd rather they be in a foreign language since they're so stupid to begin w/. Better I don't know what's going on.


The story is an integral part of the game for an RPG. There is no story for Gradius, so if someone fan-hacks a story into a ROM you're not missing anything. There is an interesting story for Radiant Silvergun, which is why understanding the story enhances the experience.

Do you think you wouldn't enjoy an RPG more if you actually understood the plot? I will be very surprised if you say "no, same level of enjoyment". In fact, I don't think I'd believe you.

But if it's the difference between SOME enjoyment or none at all, I'll take SOME every day. there are plenty of Japanese games that will never get translated, not even "fans" translated. Doesn't mean they are terrible games or anything, and it isn't going to keep me from playing them.

Not everyone has the time or dedication to learn to read Japanese in order to play games. Yes it would be "best possible scenario" but life isn't "best," it's usually "best compromise." Meaning, you take what you can get. If you want to play a game that's in Japanese and you don't have the time or dedication (or whatever) to spend learning Japanese, you can either say "screw it" and go on w/ your life, or you can play the damn game and try to get whatever enjoyment out of it you can.