Suikoden's: Rare?

[SoulBlazer]

I have'nt checked to see if DP has a update that has any listing on Playstation games (I KNOW they don't for PS2) so I thought I would ask the wise mass of bodies here. :)

Anyone have a sence as to how uncommon or rare that the Suikoden games are?

Several sites mention that Suikoden II is considered a 'uncommon' game at the very least. Frankly, this surprises the hell out of me if it's true, cause I recall seeing that game in stores and it got great reviews. I traded for my copy of the game along with the Prima book (which also seems rather rare) for my old GBP. I would'nt part with that game for anything. :) But could this be one of those really great classics that are not reconized as such until years afterwards?

And I can't find much mention of the original Suikoden out there on the web. It seems to be more common then the second, but I can't find anything to confirm that.

And what's the deal with the third? Konami has indicated they allready stopped production of the game? After only six months??? IMHO, the game was'nt as good as the first two but it was STILL a fun and enjoyable game and I thought it sold well. Could this be considered a uncommon game also in a few years?

Have you seen how much Suikoden II's go for online? @_@ Just WHAT is the deal with this series, anyway? Anyone know?

[Sylentwulf]

Suikoden 1 complete - $10-$25
Suikoden 2 Complete - $50-$90
Suikoden 3 Complete - $35-$55

[SoulBlazer]

Well, that helps, but it does'nt really answer my question --

Are these games considered uncommon or rare or what? And if they are, HOW? I'm sure Konami made hundred of thousands of copies of these and they were all hailed as great games and a must buy if you are into RPG/strategy games at all.

Not to mention I can't understand why production on Suikoden 3 has allready stopped. x_x

[zmeston]

Are these games considered uncommon or rare or what? And if they are, HOW? I'm sure Konami made hundred of thousands of copies of these and they were all hailed as great games and a must buy if you are into RPG/strategy games at all.

Suikoden 1 and 2 definitely did not receive production runs in the hundreds of thousands of copies. Lunar: SSSC sold through roughly a quarter-million copies, and it was much higher-profile than S1 or S2.

Also, I don't recall glowing reviews across the board for S2, although I'm too lazy to refer to my old magazines and check.


Not to mention I can't understand why production on Suikoden 3 has allready stopped. x_x

Konami will undoubtedly churn out a second run (or perhaps even a Greatest Hits version) of Suikoden 3 if the demand is there.

-- Z.

[maxlords]

Actually, Konami reprinted Suikoden 1 after the second one was out for a while....it had a far larger print run than Suikoden 2, that's for sure.

[Ed Oscuro]

Actually, Konami reprinted Suikoden 1 after the second one was out for a while....it had a far larger print run than Suikoden 2, that's for sure.

Would the package be different (i.e. it uses the artwork on the manual cover instead of the dreadful stuff on the cover of the jewel case) and would it still be inside a double CD case (but with only one CD)?

Or are we talking about a Greatest Hits sort of reprint..?

[SoulBlazer]

I'm really surprised to hear that the games are'nt as common as I thought. Suikoden II got great reviews from almost anyone and several publications awarded it 'Best RPG of the Year' runner-up for 1999 (lost first place out to FF8, and WOULD have claimed first spot if not for that game.)

But I guess I should'nt be shocked -- a lot of great games don't get reconized as being great and don't sell a lot despite good reviews. (System Shock 1 and 2, anyone?)

Only 250,000 copies of the remake of Lunar? Yeah, that does'nt surprise me, because WD capped the game at a low number and that confirms what a friend told me. I just don't know if Konami did the same thing to the Suikoden games. (Both Lunar remake complete sets -- and Arc the Lad, for that matter -- are sitting in my PSX collection for keeps. :) )

I just checked my Suikoden 2 and it has a crack on the front case! @_@ Oh well, guess that lowers the value, although I intend to KEEP this copy for years and years to come. Great game, one of the best for the PSX.

Even the Prima hint book goes for a wild ammount!

Was Suikoden 1 re-released as part of the Greatest Hits line? I don't recall seeing a second run of the game (my copy is the first run).

In any case, I was just trying to gather some information. I'm a gamer, not a collector -- you can have MY copy of the Suikodens when you pry them from my cold dead hands! :D

[briskbc]

I'm a gamer, not a collector -- you can have MY copy of the Suikodens when you pry them from my cold dead hands! :D

Those seem to be the words of a collector to me, my friend. :-D

[Vroomfunkel]

The situation in Europe is somewhat different. Suikoden 1 - very rare, fetches anything up to $80, easily. Sometimes more.

Suikoden 2 - also rare, but not as much - goes for $50 - $70 usually.

Suikoden 3 - not released here >:( Not sure if it is going to be.

Vroomfunkel

[maxlords]

Actually, Konami reprinted Suikoden 1 after the second one was out for a while....it had a far larger print run than Suikoden 2, that's for sure.

Would the package be different (i.e. it uses the artwork on the manual cover instead of the dreadful stuff on the cover of the jewel case) and would it still be inside a double CD case (but with only one CD)?

Or are we talking about a Greatest Hits sort of reprint..?

Well, I guess I should say reissue, not reprint. There was a huge rerelease of Suikoden 1 in 2001 (or maybe 2000) and it was suddenly made available everywhere for $10, after previously being fairly hard to find for a while. I actually checked with the distrbutors (a guy I knew owned a game shop and he checked for me) and was told that Konami reissued it. It's EXACTLY the same as the original release....no differences. So basically there's just more of them out there. My buddy at that game shop was piled 10 deel on them for MONTHS at $10 new and couldn't move em...he bought heavy on the rerelease and then everyone that wanted it bought em.....little demand at the time. Now that the series has been "rediscovered" there's lots of demand, but there's a LOT of Suikoden 1 out there...I see em in the wild all the time, and pass em up too. Too many to bother.

[dsullo]

Funny you should mention Suikoden games. I found a Suikoden 2 at my local pawn shop by work for the incredible price of 8.00. Complete and in great shape. Get this , they also had a SEGA NOMAD for 20.00. So I had a nice day yesterday

Dustin

[zmeston]

Only 250,000 copies of the remake of Lunar? Yeah, that does'nt surprise me, because WD capped the game at a low number and that confirms what a friend told me.

WD didn't "cap" the game at 250,000 units; the company would gladly have produced a half-million units if the demand had been there. It was the top-selling PS1 game in its first month of release, then plunged down the charts, following the sales pattern of most RPGs (and most games in general). WD's infamous ads about SSSC going "out of print" were a semi-successful attempt to juice sales of what was left on the shelves, as opposed to a self-declared cap -- especially since WD went back to the Lunar trough later on with the "Fan Edition" of SSSC.


I just checked my Suikoden 2 and it has a crack on the front case! @_@ Oh well, guess that lowers the value, although I intend to KEEP this copy for years and years to come. Great game, one of the best for the PSX.

Except for that gawd-awful text localization, which we mercilessly mocked at WD.

-- Z.

[SoulBlazer]

Hey, do you work for WD? Wait a second.....your user name......could you be Zach Meston? THE Zach Meston, whose great (and funny) stuff I've been reading for years and years? Wow, an honor! You just never know whose going to pop out of the woodwork here on the forums. :) I'm sorry you're no longer writing stuff for WD -- I was disapointed when I got the hint book for Arc the Lad and found someone else had done it. He still did a good job, but still....

I have a love/hate relationship with WD. They have great taste in selecting what to bring over to the States and I buy all their stuff -- when it actually comes out. LOL I swear not even Nintendo delays their stuff as much. Speaking about hint books, it took over six months for the hint book for Arc 1 and 2 to finally come out -- and 3 never did, really ticking me off. >:( How bloody long does it take to make a hint book? It does'nt HAVE to be top notch -- just crank it out like Prima and Brady does. Oh well......

I did'nt know that about capping and the Lunar games, but I was'nt saying it was a BAD thing for WD to want to cap games. Konami did with Castlevania Chronicles (I think at 40,000) and evidence supports the Final Fantasy re-issues (Anthology, Collection, Origins) was capped as well, but in those cases it was probaly a educated guess on how much demand there is.

The translation in Suikoden 2 was'nt perfect, yes -- but it was'nt worst I've seen, either. (Final Fantasy Tacitcs, anyone? LOL )

I have a small crack in the front-central part of my case for Suikoden 2 -- not sure how it got there, but as I said, I've allready gone through the game four times since I got it and so intend to keep it.

Oh, and to answer the post about collectors vs gamers -- I'll keep something if I USE it. That includes books, music, movies, and games. I'm keeping some stuff that could sell (the Lunar's, Suikoden 2, etc.) cause I still intend to play them. I have a motto 'don't use it, boot it' -- that's what I did to my Xenogears, my Gabriel Knight and Kings Quest collections, my Final Fantasy II and III for the SNES, and many other games, and got good money for all of them.

[zmeston]

I'm sorry you're no longer writing stuff for WD -- I was disapointed when I got the hint book for Arc the Lad and found someone else had done it. He still did a good job, but still....

Believe me, it's my distinct honor to meet someone who actually knows who I am. Heh. I'm glad you dug my WD stuff.

I thought the Arc 1/2 guide turned out alright, although its author, possibly the biggest WD fanboy on the planet, doesn't have much of a sense of humor. I imagine Victor injected all the funny into the final edit.


Speaking about hint books, it took over six months for the hint book for Arc 1 and 2 to finally come out -- and 3 never did, really ticking me off. >:( How bloody long does it take to make a hint book? It does'nt HAVE to be top notch -- just crank it out like Prima and Brady does.

Well, you kinda answered your own question. If you crank it out, a hint book doesn't take long at all, but if you're going for quality, it takes a lot of people and a long time. My Lunar 2 book was months late because I was working on the game and the guide at the same time, and one guess which one Victor wanted finished first. The Arc book was months late because of the games' sheer size, and (I would imagine) the learning curve for the newbie author.


I did'nt know that about capping and the Lunar games, but I was'nt saying it was a BAD thing for WD to want to cap games. Konami did with Castlevania Chronicles (I think at 40,000) and evidence supports the Final Fantasy re-issues (Anthology, Collection, Origins) was capped as well, but in those cases it was probaly a educated guess on how much demand there is.

Unfortunately, it's more about determining retail demand than consumer demand. Doesn't matter how many copies you produce if you can't get the bastards at Wal-Mart, Targets, and other Destroyers of Small Business to carry it. Of course, in the CD/DVD era, you can start with a small initial run and do a second run later; in the cartridge era, there were multi-month manufacturing backlogs and exorbitant costs, as you had to invest huge amounts into inventory up-front. CDs are less appealing for collectors, but they're the salvation of smaller game publishers. (Even so, I know for certain that WD still has palette-loads of Gungriffon Blaze and RayCrisis in its warehouse.)

-- Z.

[hamburgler]

Now I'm glad for owning suikoden,suikoden 2,and suikoden 3 all complete with everything inside the box. :D

[SoulBlazer]

Well, why would'nt I know who you were? :) I'm sure I'm not the only one reading these forums here who knows you are. And I mean it when I said it was a honor when I realized you were posting replies in my thread.

Your books have been SO funny and well written, I actually read them when I need a laugh once in a while. :) When I picked up a 3DO last year, copies of the two 3DO guide books you co-wrote helped me to pick which games to go along with it. And your articles actually are written by someone who KNOWS what the heck they are talking about! :)

Actually, rather then tie up these forums, would it be okay if I e-mailed you? I'd like to get a complete list of all of the stuff you have written, as well as ask a couple questions.

And if it's possible to ask in public, how come you're no longer writing hint books for WD?

I STILL wish they had finished the hint book for Arc 3, though.....the guide for Suikoden 3 was canceled also, to try to keep this thread on topic. :-D

[hezeuschrist]

Suikoden 3 is also getting a second print run. Went into Gamestop the other day and the the used copies plumeted from $39.99 to $27.99. That's a pretty damn large drop overnight for a game that's still got some demand goin for it. Just pissed I missed the buy 2 get one sale, argh!

[zmeston]

Actually, rather then tie up these forums, would it be okay if I e-mailed you? I'd like to get a complete list of all of the stuff you have written, as well as ask a couple questions.

And if it's possible to ask in public, how come you're no longer writing hint books for WD?

I STILL wish they had finished the hint book for Arc 3, though.....the guide for Suikoden 3 was canceled also, to try to keep this thread on topic. :-D

Of course you can email me, or I wouldn't have included my email address in my profile. Heh. (zachmeston@yahoo.com. Please don't sign me up for spam, unless it's porn- or cookie-related.) You can also meet me at the Classic Gaming Expo this August, where Leonard Herman will be punching me in the gut every hour on the hour.

I joined WD in April '98, and worked on various games and guides until an ugly breakup in March '01. Since then, I've been freelancing for various magazines, websites, and strategy-guide publishers. I found my way to this forum after scamming, and writing a glowing review of, the seventh edition of the Digital Press Collectors Guide, and the moderators have been kind enough not to ban me yet.

There's just no way WD could have afforded to print the Arc 3 guide; retailers didn't want it, and WD only had a few hundred pre-orders for it. The Arc 1/2 guide didn't sell for beans, either, as evidenced by the fact that WD still has it for sale on their website.

In a feeble attempt to get back on topic: Who was supposed to publish the S3 strategy guide, Brady or Prima?

-- Z.

[SoulBlazer]

No, Sir, I would NOT sign you up for spam. God knows I get enough of that in my public Hotmail account as it is..... >:(

The hint book for Arc 1/2 did'nt sell very well? Maybe if they had'nt DELAYED the stupid thing so long! That was susposed to be out a few weeks after the game! I think it was over six months later before I finally got my copy. Well, good, maybe it will become rare in ten years or so. LOL

And I had a pre-order for Arc 3 hint book with EB.....that was my favorite game in the series, and none of the online walkthroughs I have seen (at gamefaqs or anywhere else) have done that game justice.

As for CGE, I'd love to go, but I just started a new job and money is still awfully tight. I entered the contest here, though -- maybe I can actually win. Yeah, like my luck is going to change on demand. :roll:

(Actually, my 'classic' gaming started as a kid with the NES -- wait, that IS classic gaming these days, is'nt it? Yikes! @_@ )

From what I've heard, Prima was signed to do the Suikoden 3 book but I'm not sure what happened to it.

Speaking of Suikoden 3 -- yeah, if the price of used copies dropped that much, it sounds like a re-print is in the cards! Cool beans. Now my friends who missed the game when it first came out can get it for even cheaper then I did. LOL

Thanks kindly for your e-mail -- I'll send you a note later.

[hezeuschrist]

Guess they just got them in yesterday.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3528939920&category=11324

[zmeston]

The hint book for Arc 1/2 did'nt sell very well? Maybe if they had'nt DELAYED the stupid thing so long! That was susposed to be out a few weeks after the game! I think it was over six months later before I finally got my copy. Well, good, maybe it will become rare in ten years or so. LOL

I imagine it was delayed because WD's energies were tied up in shipping the Collection, which had hordes of bugs (more than a few of which made it into the final release), and reams of text to keep everyone busy. And once the Collection finally shipped, Victor struggled with Sony to get his planned PS2 releases approved. The poor Arc 3 guide was always the lowest priority.

I remember, shortly before the end of my run, telling Victor that a single strategy guide with all three games would require 500 (or more) pages in our tiny format. He laughed and insisted that it would take "300... 350 at the most." It was so satisfying when the Arc 1/2 guide clocked in as husky as it did.


As for CGE, I'd love to go, but I just started a new job and money is still awfully tight. I entered the contest here, though -- maybe I can actually win. Yeah, like my luck is going to change on demand. :roll:

Well, you might not be missing too much, as I'm not sure how hard Leonard can hit, but I wish you luck in the contest anyway.


From what I've heard, Prima was signed to do the Suikoden 3 book but I'm not sure what happened to it.

Hmmm. Perhaps the author found the game too overwhelming to finish before the game's ship date, and so Prima canned the project rather than proceed. As I learned with Lunar 2, retailers will rapidly reduce their orders if a guide isn't available simultaneously with its related game. Makes perfect sense, of course, as most people don't go looking for a guide after the fact; if a guide isn't immediately available, they'll force themselves to (gasp!) play through the game unassisted.

Returning to topic (no, really!): did anyone here encounter the infamous untranslated-text glitch in S2, where the game starts printing gibberish characters on-screen because the text was never translated into English?

-- Z.

[SoulBlazer]

I almost always buy the guide along with the game. Most places, like the EB where I do most of my shopping at, will give you a discount on the guide if you get it with the game. And sine the vast majority of games in my collection are RPG/Strategy/Sim/Adventure, the guides are nice. :) But I never USE the guide until I either get stuck or after I've finished the game. I think I have like 50 guides here, at least, some of them more then 10 years old -- they take up a whole section of my wall. LOL

And yeah, I can see where problems can arise if the book is not ready when the game is.

I found a few of those bugs in Arc Collection. :)

I'm not sure if I want to get Twilight of the Spirts, BTW, speaking about the series -- it looks SO different from what we had in the collection.

And speaking of bugs -- I've played through Suikoden 2 at least 4 times, and never heard or seen of that bug you're talking about. Can you elborate?

[Oobgarm]

LOL LOL LOL HEY, AN ON-TOPIC POST!!!!!! LOL LOL LOL

Seriously, though...I've noticed at Suikoden III is now an active item in the computer at Gamestop, selling for $29.99 new. Also, by noting the above auction, it looks like the game is back in production. I could be worng, but these seem to be rather strong indications.

Also, Contra for PS2 is active again, also for $29.99. Could Konami be preprinting them both?

[maxlords]

From what I've heard, Prima was signed to do the Suikoden 3 book but I'm not sure what happened to it.

Hmmm. Perhaps the author found the game too overwhelming to finish before the game's ship date, and so Prima canned the project rather than proceed. As I learned with Lunar 2, retailers will rapidly reduce their orders if a guide isn't available simultaneously with its related game. Makes perfect sense, of course, as most people don't go looking for a guide after the fact; if a guide isn't immediately available, they'll force themselves to (gasp!) play through the game unassisted

Actually, that's EXACTLY what happened. According to Prima (who I actually CALLED about it...I wanted one bad!) they said that the guide wasn't finished by the deadline, so they just canned the whole thing and that there will be no guide for it, which is IMO a real shame. Since the game was out for too long, there was no point, hence, no guide.

[zmeston]

I almost always buy the guide along with the game. Most places, like the EB where I do most of my shopping at, will give you a discount on the guide if you get it with the game.

You bet they will. Guides are big business now. Game companies (and even retailers) didn't really realize the value of guides until about a decade ago, but once they did, look out.


I found a few of those bugs in Arc Collection. :)

I don't see how anyone can play through the game and not stumble into at least one of them. I'm sure WD had to sign reams of paperwork in order to complete Sony's approval process, indemnifying SCEA from any financial damage that might result from releasing a buggy program. (We had to do it with Lunar 2, as well, but the glitches in that were mostly quite minor.)


I'm not sure if I want to get Twilight of the Spirts, BTW, speaking about the series -- it looks SO different from what we had in the collection.

TotS is from Cattle Call, the developers of Tsunugai, and I don't believe any of the folks there had anything to do with the PS1 versions. It looks and plays like Tsunugai 2, not Arc 4.


And speaking of bugs -- I've played through Suikoden 2 at least 4 times, and never heard or seen of that bug you're talking about. Can you elborate?

The problem is that I last played the game so long ago, I don't remember exactly where the text bugs occur, although I certainly remember my peals of laughter upon hitting them. That's why I was hoping someone else could tell me where to find them again -- I'm too lazy to play through the whole game in search of them, but I'm desperate to take a screenshot.

The "technical" explanation is simple. Whomever was responsible for translating the Japanese text into English text missed a couple of data files, or a few sections thereof. When the game's font was changed from Japanese to English, the untranslated text that used to (and still would) print as Japanese in the game's Japanese font printed as gibberish in the English font. It's like going into WordPad, typing "Suikoden 2 has the worst translation ever!", and changing the font from Arial to Wingdings.

-- Z.

[SoulBlazer]

Well, thanks for the information, maxlords. I suspected that was the case. And it's a real shame, also -- they used to publish guides for games MONTHS after the game came out. Now it's like they have to have it ready the same day. Sometimes they get made TOO quickly -- Master of Orion 3 is a great example. By the time the game finally came out, most of the book was obsolete. And Suikoden 3 is a complex game -- it really could have helped to have a book. I'm just surprised that no other company jumped in there.

And it seems just about a fact that Suikoden III is being remade. Maybe Konami was trying to limit expenses, although the most recent profit and earning statement was that the company was doing very well.

Yeah, well, I recall finding a few bugs in Lunar 2 as well. :-D

You've got me curious about that Suikoden 2 text problem. I'll go browse the hint files and the forum of the game in gamefaqs.com at work tonight after I finish my audit and see if I can find some information on it. I've got saves all over the game moved to my HD so I'd love to see if I can find it.

Hey, Suikoden II is far from being the worst translation I've seen. Remember SquareSoft's first efforts with Final Fantasy II? LOL Better translation comes with experience. Look at Capcom's effort with Breath of Fire and Konami's early efforts with Suikoden and Vandal Hearts. But their newest games on the PS2 are just about perfect.

[zmeston]

And it's a real shame, also -- they used to publish guides for games MONTHS after the game came out. Now it's like they have to have it ready the same day.

Indeed they do, or retailers won't carry it. I remember the days of "compilation" guides, when I could stick 15 to 20 popular games into a single book -- some of the games many months old -- and everyone was happy.


Sometimes they get made TOO quickly -- Master of Orion 3 is a great example. By the time the game finally came out, most of the book was obsolete.

I'm experiencing that right now with the Knights of the Old Republic guide I'm co-authoring. The game has changed so much with each revision that we're constantly rewriting to avoid referring to content that isn't there anymore, or missing content that is.


And Suikoden 3 is a complex game -- it really could have helped to have a book. I'm just surprised that no other company jumped in there.

No one does unofficial guides anymore, though. Doing so jeopardizes relationships and prompts lawsuits. Even if Brady had wanted to do an S3 guide, they wouldn't have, since they produce other official guides for Konami.


Yeah, well, I recall finding a few bugs in Lunar 2 as well. :-D

If you saw the high-school monkey-boys Victor hired as our "testing department" -- a comedy/horror anecdote if ever there was one -- you'd understand why so many L2 glitches went unaddressed. In particular, there were a lot of instances where the wrong face popped up with a text box -- Ruby's face accompanying Hiro's dialogue, et cetera.


You've got me curious about that Suikoden 2 text problem. I'll go browse the hint files and the forum of the game in gamefaqs.com at work tonight after I finish my audit and see if I can find some information on it. I've got saves all over the game moved to my HD so I'd love to see if I can find it.

Awesome! Let me know what you find out.


Hey, Suikoden II is far from being the worst translation I've seen. Remember SquareSoft's first efforts with Final Fantasy II? LOL Better translation comes with experience. Look at Capcom's effort with Breath of Fire and Konami's early efforts with Suikoden and Vandal Hearts. But their newest games on the PS2 are just about perfect.

Well, S2 is a weird case because Konami outsourced the localization to a game journalist (uh-oh) named Nick des Barres, aka Nick Rox of GameFan infamy. it was his first, and as I understand, his last localization effort.

And don't forget Konami's PS2 travesty, Ephemeral Fantasia. Its translation is arguably worse than Nick's, and its gameplay is equally awful.

-- Z.

[SoulBlazer]

BTW, I sent you a e-mail eariler today -- figured I'd tell you here because I assume, like me, you have spam filters up the wazoo to ward off unwanted mail. I tried to make the subject heading clear. LOL Maybe we should move most of this to private channels since we're WAY off topic now? :D

I understand the policy behid game guides, I'm just sorry it has to be that way. Like I said, I usually buy the guide and find them very helpfull -- yes, I know the information is often online but it's easier just to have a BOOK in your hands in the other room -- but it's really become a controled market. And some of them are worth as much money as games -- my Prima Suikoden 2 book seems to go for $40-50 on Amazon, about as much as my Harvest Moon: Back to Nature guide does.

You're working on a book for Knights of the Old Republic? I'm hemming and hawing if I want to get that. Can you tell me anything not in the previews -- like your own personall impressions? :) Or as to which kind of gamer the game will apeal to, and if it's related in game style and play to any previous Star Wars games?

I guess that explains also why I no longer see anything published by Sandwhich Publishing. Although there were unofficial guides done as recently as 2000, with Metal Gear Solid and FF8 and some other PSX games.
Usually by the OTHER big publishing house (Prima or Brady)

Thanks to everyone else who replied to this thread about information on the Suikoden games. I'm surprised at some of the stuff I learned, but maybe I'll keep my eyes open for a cheap Suikoden 2 to add to my collection and then sell it in like 10 years. :D

[hezeuschrist]

Wow, that's crazy. Contra is back in production too? Contra and Suikoden both shipped on the same day, thats a strange coincidence.

Wonder how many copies they churned out.

[Kid Fenris]

Well, S2 is a weird case because Konami outsourced the localization to a game journalist (uh-oh) named Nick des Barres, aka Nick Rox of GameFan infamy. it was his first, and as I understand, his last localization effort.

Eh? Didn't you once say that it was Casey "Takuhi" Loe, also of Gamefan, who worked on Suikoden II? Either way, both Nick and Casey returned to game translating for Valkyrie Profile, with which they did a far better job. I also remember something about Nick translating the original Guilty Gear, but that came before Suikoden II.


And don't forget Konami's PS2 travesty, Ephemeral Fantasia. Its translation is arguably worse than Nick's, and its gameplay is equally awful.

-- Z.

Is that the game with the sexy palace guard named "Rummy"? God, that one was terrible. Hilariously terrible at times, but mostly just plain terrible.

[zmeston]

Well, S2 is a weird case because Konami outsourced the localization to a game journalist (uh-oh) named Nick des Barres, aka Nick Rox of GameFan infamy. it was his first, and as I understand, his last localization effort.

Eh? Didn't you once say that it was Casey "Takuhi" Loe, also of Gamefan, who worked on Suikoden II? Either way, both Nick and Casey returned to game translating for Valkyrie Profile, with which they did a far better job. I also remember something about Nick translating the original Guilty Gear, but that came before Suikoden II.

Doh! You're right. I'm getting my ex-GameFan editors mixed up. Thanks for the correction. I didn't know about their involvement in Valkyrie Profile, either -- gotta (re-)boot that one up and check it out this weekend. Thanks also for the info!



And don't forget Konami's PS2 travesty, Ephemeral Fantasia. Its translation is arguably worse than Nick's, and its gameplay is equally awful.

-- Z.

Is that the game with the sexy palace guard named "Rummy"? God, that one was terrible. Hilariously terrible at times, but mostly just plain terrible.

Yep, that's the one. Originally in development for the Nintendo 64 or Dreamcast (depending on whom at Konami you asked) and hastily thrown onto the PS2. Unlimited SaGa might have claimed its spot as the PS2's worst RPG, though; I've yet to play it myself, but Christian Nutt wrote a wonderfully scathing review for GameSpy.

-- Z.

[hezeuschrist]

Unlimited SaGa is getting some, ahem, 'interesting' reviews.

Totally off topic: Tomorrow I get Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, Xenosaga, and Suikoden III at GameStop's buy 2 get one free. I don't know why, but I'm flat out pumped.

[SoulBlazer]

Hey, all those are good games. :) (BOF 5, Xenosaga, Suikoden 3) Just don't pay full price for any of them. :)

Okay, I'm at work, aduit is finished, so I have a couple hours -- I'll see what I can dig up about the Suikoden 2 mystery.

[SoulBlazer]

JACKPOT!

It did'nt take long at all -- I found this about untranslated text in rabbit's FAQ about the game on gamefaqs.com:

5] Glitches Translation problems and other annoyances
[5.1] Untranslated stuff

[5.1a] The two guys behind the counter of the Rockaxe item/armor shop
tell you to go to the other side to buy stuff.

[5.1b]What does that guy say when he takes my potch and I just get
gibberish?
He gives you trading advice.

Such as "I heard they are short on mayonnaise in
Highway Village..."

or

"They had a good harvest of grapes in Gregminster
recently."

The variations are nearly infinite.

So it SOUNDS like both untranslated parts are in Rockaxe -- although I don't know about that second part, as that sounds like a trading shop. I'll try to look at my S2 saves during the week and see if I can find it. I'm sure I've talked to everyone in the game, though, and never seen this......

It's the only info I found on this so far.

[SoulBlazer]

Zach and anyone else interested --

I've had some responses to my post on GameFAQ's about the unstranslated text portions, along with a link to some screenshots:

http://s1.cgi.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.asp?board=22835&topic=8603837

[zmeston]

Zach and anyone else interested --

I've had some responses to my post on GameFAQ's about the unstranslated text portions, along with a link to some screenshots:

http://s1.cgi.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.asp?board=22835&topic=8603837

Awesome info. Thank you, sir!

-- Z.

[SoulBlazer]

Glad to be of help, Sir. :D

My digital camera is on loan, but if you have a DexDrive you can easily download saves from GameFAQ's and go check out the locations. I intend to do that either tommorow or Sunday after work.

[hezeuschrist]

Hehe, after 5 gamestop visits I FINALLY found one that had all 3 games... and the S3 didn't have the instructions there. Took my recipt to another one and they gave me the instructions.

Grand total for all 3: $58.08

Not really a find, but a damn good deal.

[SoulBlazer]

Now you better set aside 200 hours for the games. :D

My advice? Play Xenosaga first. You'll either be blown away by the first couple of hours and be hooked (and the game can be finished in a week with good play) or get bored with the long scenes and put it away. Then you can mix and match Suikoden 3 with Breath of Fire 5.

[hezeuschrist]

Heh, I have a list of RPG's a mile long that I fully intend on playing... and I haven't started a new one yet (been finishing all the games I was in the middle of, finally finished, kinda). What I do know is that I want to beat Xenogears before Xenosaga, but the game I'm most looking forward to right now is Suikoden III.