Solatorobo: Red the Hunter announced for North America and Europe

[Vlcice]

Wow, this Sola to Robo sounds really good! I should have a copy of this game for myself! ;)

;) Free CD is serious times.

[Bojay1997]

;) Free CD is serious times.

Not to mention actually getting a game that is cheaper than the European import, has fully working camera and other region locked features and which supports Xseed and which may influence which games they release in the US market down the road.

[Aussie2B]

I just preordered my US copy the other day. I don't know if I'll play it much right away since playing through the Japanese version was plenty fulfilling for me for the time being, but I want to support the decision to bring it out in the US by buying at launch. I don't know if people realize just how fortunate we are to be receiving this game. It very well could've been Japan-only, and while I'd simply recommend importing in that scenario, it's nice that it'll reach a much broader audience.

Plus, another thing to consider, is that CyberConnect2 is working on a 15th anniversary project that has anthropomorphic characters just like Solatorobo and could very possibly be a part of the same series (Little Tail Bronx):

http://www.cc2.co.jp/15th_project/index.html

Buying Xseed's release of Solatorobo might help influence their decision to possibly bring that title to the US.

[Nz17]

Aren't "Tail Concerto" and "Sola" the only CyberConnect2 games to be officially released outside Japan?

[Vlcice]

No, much of their catalogue's been released outside Japan. I think it's only a small number that didn't - but most of their games are licensed games made on contract, not original. Most of the .hack games were released internationally, as are a bunch of the licensed Naruto games, the upcoming Asura's Wrath, etc.

[Aussie2B]

Yeah, and Silent Bomber got a US release as well, prior to the endless flood of .hack and Naruto games.

But even given that, I still think we're very lucky to be getting Solatorobo.

[Vlcice]

Particularly since it looked for a LONG time like we weren't going to be getting it anywhere outside Japan.

[Nz17]

In my earlier question I meant CyberConnect2's original properties, not games created for others under contract. Because looking at the company's Web site, I don't see any games that belong to them that were published in the U.S. other than Sola and Concerto.

[Aussie2B]

That's basically all they've made, sadly. Tail Concerto, Silent Bomber, and Solatorobo are the only non-Naruto/.hack games they've released so far. And they had to fight tooth and nail to get the funding to create Solatorobo, so Bandai really hasn't valued them outside of endlessly cranking out Naruto and .hack games.

Although, unless I'm mistaken, .hack was an original CC2 property. I'm pretty sure the games came first, or at least simultaneously. It's not an anime-licensed series like with the Naruto games.

[Vlcice]

Now that it's gone gold, Xseed have posted photos of the packaging. And it's gorgeous <3 <3 <3

http://s1.proxy05.twitpic.com/photos/large/398043507.jpg
http://s1.proxy03.twitpic.com/photos/large/398048283.jpg

They also revealed in the latest localization blog that the DLC quests from the JP and PAL versions are going to be coming pre-enabled on the cart. Yay!

http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9088245

[Aussie2B]

Very nice. Too bad they didn't show everything, but maybe the other stuff wasn't finalized yet when the photo was taken.

[Bojay1997]

Now that it's gone gold, Xseed have posted photos of the packaging. And it's gorgeous <3 <3 <3

They also revealed in the latest localization blog that the DLC quests from the JP and PAL versions are going to be coming pre-enabled on the cart. Yay!

http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9088245

Awesome. But also enough to cause me to cancel my Amazon preorder because I know they will crush that outer box. Looks like it's either the local Gamestop or Gamedude for me on this one.

[joshnickerson]

Awesome. But also enough to cause me to cancel my Amazon preorder because I know they will crush that outer box. Looks like it's either the local Gamestop or Gamedude for me on this one.


Oooh, didn't think about that... I think I'll cancel my Amazon order as well and just preorder at Gamecock-er, stop.

[Tupin]

Is the CD just if you preorder it or does it come with all first run copies?

[Vlcice]

It comes with all first run copies. Xseed said that they've had a lot of bad experiences with people not getting their preorder bonuses and whatever, so they prefer including it with all first-run copies instead.

[Aussie2B]

And, in all likelihood, the game will probably never get a second run, so all copies period.

I'm not worried about buying it from Amazon. I mean, I'm sure the CD case and game case will pack the outer box tight. Unless you're worried about their shrinkwrap squishing the corners a little bit. Still not concerned either way. This will just be a sidepiece to my Japanese collector's edition.

[Vlcice]

Yeah, the Japanese collector's edition is AMAZING. I'm glad I bought it <3 <3 <3

[Nz17]

But are you _sure_ you want the Americanized version? I like how Nintendo of Europe's translation calls all of the young men "youths" instead of "boys." Sounds more European just like this game should considering its France-like setting.

Then again, when I see an inexpensive American copy of this game sitting somewhere in the future, I'll probably buy it just to have a "more complete collection" and that embossed box.

[Vlcice]

I'm playing in French, doesn't matter to me. ;)

But yes, I don't think Americanizing it was really necessary. I don't actually know much much of the script they changed.

[Aussie2B]

I'm crazy enough about this game that I'm sure I'll pick up the European version too someday, haha.

[Nz17]

I don't think Americanizing it was really necessary. I don't actually know much much of the script they changed.

Eh, there's some official "devblogs" which read more like ramblings that the American publisher posted on some gaming news Web site. I'm sure if you did a Web search on the name of the game or company along with "dev journal" you'd find it.

[joshnickerson]

And, in all likelihood, the game will probably never get a second run, so all copies period.

I'm not worried about buying it from Amazon. I mean, I'm sure the CD case and game case will pack the outer box tight. Unless you're worried about their shrinkwrap squishing the corners a little bit. Still not concerned either way. This will just be a sidepiece to my Japanese collector's edition.

When I ordered the Wii Super Mario All Stars from Amazon last year, it arrived in a bubble envelope and the outer box was beat all to hell. Fortunately, I found a flawless copy at TRU and returned the beat up copy.

So yeah, while I generally have no problem with my Amazon orders, I just have a feeling something would go wrong this time.

[Aussie2B]

Ah, strange. I don't think I've ever received anything from Amazon that wasn't in a cardboard box. Usually games are in a box, shrinkwrapped to another piece of cardboard.

[Vlcice]

Yes, I can't remember the last time I received anything from Amazon that wasn't in a box, except 3rd party seller stuff. Even stuff that blatantly could survive a bubble envelope.

[Bojay1997]

Yes, I can't remember the last time I received anything from Amazon that wasn't in a box, except 3rd party seller stuff. Even stuff that blatantly could survive a bubble envelope.

It depends on which warehouse your items are fulfilled from. In California, we get items from the Nevada fulfillment center and they are notorious for sending stuff in boxes too large, too small and more recently, using bubble pouches for cardboard boxed collector's editions. When Atlus was doing their cardboard boxed DS games with soundtrack, I literally had to return each one twice to Amazon (the replacements were sent the same way and got smashed all over again) and buy them locally instead. It was pretty awful. If something doesn't come in a sturdy case, I basically can't buy it from Amazon because I know it will arrive damaged.

[Aussie2B]

Yeah, I suspected it had something to do with the fulfillment centers. I'm surprised that Nevada warehouse hasn't been inundated with complaints. I think my NY orders have been fulfilled by a warehouse in Jersey, and the orders I made in Washington state were fulfilled in Washington (obviously, considering they're HQed there). Actually, ordering from Amazon from within Washington is pretty amazing all around. It's so common to receive the package the very next day even when choosing the slowest, free shipping option.

[joshnickerson]

Yeah, I generally get all my Amazon stuff from a warehouse in Tennessee, and it usually arrives rather quickly even with free shipping. I don't remember what the warehouse address was when I got my battered All-Stars, but it definately WASN'T Tennessee. It must've been the rush when the game was first released.

At any rate, I've already cancelled my Amazon order and pre-ordered at Gamestop this morning, so it's all good. Me and the clerk had a bit of fun trying to pronounce "Solatorobo"... how DO you pronounce that, anyway... SO-LA-TOW-ROW-BOW?

[Aussie2B]

Yeah, basically. It follows Japanese pronunciation where an "o" is always hard and "a" is always like our soft "o":

SO (as in "sew") LA (as in "latte") TO (as in "toe") RO (as in "row") BO (as in "bow & arrow")

The title can be translated (in an Engrish-y sounding way) as "Sky and Robot". "Sola" is a spelling twist on "sora", which is the Japanese word for "sky", "to" is a particle that translates as "and" (but only ever connects nouns and pronouns), and "robo" is just borrowed from English since it's short for "robot" (hence other games like Chibi Robo, Custom Robo, etc.).

I liked the name better when it was just "Solarobo", but they added in the "to" for some odd reason. It was less of a mouthful then, but I got used to the final title.

[Nz17]

I haven't played too much of this game, but last night I played for over an hour. I think it is funny how Red (the protagonist) has certain expressions that make him look like Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist; then again, Merveille Million certainly reminds me of Riza Hawkeye: they have so many visual similarities and even commonalities in their occupation.

I also grinned ear-to-ear when I took a side-quest and met... Mamoru from Mamoru-kun! I had already seen the safety and preparation promotional stuff from CyberConnect2's Web site, but I didn't imagine it would extend into this game itself! I found it hilarious! I also wondered if they included things like dialing 110 for emergencies in Japan in the original version.

I can imagine why XSEED didn't require players to download the missions: not only is it an effort to keep checking week after week, but it is a lot cheaper to just include them from the start and skip implementing networking requirements for software or hardware to handle it all.

[burn_654]

Well, this thread got me. A lot of positive response on this game (not to mention referencing similarity to Mega Man Legends, which is perhaps my favorite videogame ever) means it has my US preorder. Glad to support games like this.

That said, I sadly haven't played Tail Concerto. It's on my radar now, though. How much does the story connect between the two?

[Aussie2B]

Not much at all. It's the same world, but it's an entirely different region. The main cast of Tail Concerto makes plenty of cameos, though, since they're all visiting the Shepherd Republic. The first half of the story also mirrors the plot of Tail Concerto. The game is definitely nostalgic for Tail Concerto fans, but it's also very fresh and creative too. It builds off of everything that made Tail Concerto great and adds so much more. Playing Tail Concerto isn't necessary at all to understand Solatorobo, but I do recommend doing so just because it's such a terrific game itself. Although, it should be noted that Tail Concerto is a platformer, while Solatorobo is more of an adventure game, so they don't play quite the same.

[Vlcice]

Solatorobo is out TODAY!!

...or is meant to be. Neither Amazon, Gamestop nor Video Games Plus seem to be shipping it yet. The ol' shipping date vs. release date thing, I suppose.

But either way - out soon. Buy now. Now! Now!! Seriously, this is the best little DS game to come out in a very long time, and you're missing out on something great if you don't get it.

[Aussie2B]

I'd say it's the best DS game period. :)

[Kyle15]

I can't pick-up my reservation until Thursday. Good thing GS didn't get it in today!

[joshnickerson]

Just got a text from Gamestop saying it'd be in tomorrow. :)

[Ryudo]

Really want this bit not the money yet.

[SEGA_Queen]

Oh phooey! I just called my local Canadian EB Games, and the employee said they aren't getting Solatorobo until October 5th! I was really hoping to get the game today, as this is only free time I've got for a while.

Between the homework I have to do, and the time I spend looking for a job, I'll barely have enough time next week to pick up the game, much less play it!

[Bojay1997]

Looks like Amazon is starting to ship and the local Gamestops are getting their copies in. I'm glad the delay was only a day.

[burn_654]

I got my pre-order copy today from Gamestop. I'm already really glad I did. This is a very charming game! And for DS, the visuals are top-notch, owing a lot to the good art direction. It looks like a lost PSX game.

I also have to approve that in a way, US copies ended up having all the international box arts...US art on the box, JP on the music CD, and European for the manual. I wish this came with an art book!

A quick question: without spoilers, on average how long is this game? I want to take my time with this one.:popcorn:

[Aussie2B]

The US cover on the box is actually from the soundtrack's packaging in the Japanese collector's edition, although they toyed with the background color for some bizarre reason.

As for length, you'll likely get at least 20 hours, and if you want to do everything (every quest, collect all the songs and photo pieces, etc.), then you may hit 25, 30 or even more. I went over 40, but I'm a notorious slowpoke, especially when I really want to savor a great game like this, plus the fact that I was playing in Japanese surely slowed me down some. If you want to replay for the few extras in the "new game +" mode, that will add a considerable amount of time too.

[DreadIsReal]

I picked my copy up from Gamestop around noon. They only received one copy in and that was my pre order. Looks like it may have a low print run.

[Bojay1997]

I picked my copy up from Gamestop around noon. They only received one copy in and that was my pre order. Looks like it may have a low print run.

Or you just frequent a low volume Gamestop. My local Gamestop got nine copies, five for pre-orders and four to sell. Admittedly I live in Los Angeles and it's one of the bigger volume stores, but with over 5,000 stores in the US and an on-line sales arm, even if each store only received an average of 2 copies, that's still quite a bit given that it's also sold on Amazon and a number of other on-line and independent brick and mortar retailers. I don't think people should anticipate a price drop, at least not if they want the soundtrack version, but I also don't think copies are going to disappear instantly from retail.

[SEGA_Queen]

Hey, I've got a question for those who already got their copies of Solatorobo.

Does the music CD linear notes include english translations for the opening and ending songs?

[Kyle15]

Hey, I've got a question for those who already got their copies of Solatorobo.

Does the music CD linear notes include english translations for the opening and ending songs?

Yup! They're on the other side of the insert. :)

[wingzrow]

My gamestop had ONE copy so i picked it up. The guy who sold it to me swears up and down that it didn't come factory sealed, just the soundtrack was sealed.

Can anyone confirm this?

I know it's a very late release so they might be doing this, but if it's not true and the game it's self has some kind of shrinkwrap normally i will just make a return and buy a brand new copy off ebay or something.

[SEGA_Queen]

My gamestop had ONE copy so i picked it up. The guy who sold it to me swears up and down that it didn't come factory sealed, just the soundtrack was sealed.

Can anyone confirm this?

I know it's a very late release so they might be doing this, but if it's not true and the game it's self has some kind of shrinkwrap normally i will just make a return and buy a brand new copy off ebay or something.

I've watched 3 unboxing videos on Youtube. All of them showed shrinkwrap on the outer box the holds the game and CD, and shrinkwrap around the CD jewel case. However, the game case itself is not shrinkwrapped.

[wingzrow]

Well that's great, guess I have to return it. I called another gamestop and they said their new copy was sealed. I'm going to be doing some biking tomorrow anyway.

EDIT: just looked up a video of an unboxing and they do indeed come with shrinkwrap new.

[Kyle15]

Well that's great, guess I have to return it. I called another gamestop and they said their new copy was sealed. I'm going to be doing some biking tomorrow anyway.

EDIT: just looked up a video of an unboxing and they do indeed come with shrinkwrap new.

My box was shrinkwrapped, but not the game case. These guys got their copies the same way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WdsZWv2S_0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az6wWSZC1Qk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wqEjE1Wvzg (8:35 mark)

I think you're okay. :)

[wingzrow]

Went to THREE gamestops in my area. Had the worst time finding it but got myself a sealed copy. Seems each gamestop in my area got TWO( rare game? ) copies.

Asking for the game over the phone and in store was awkward. First over the phone they say they don't have it. I ask if they got the name right and they thought TO was PO. They say they have a copy and it's sealed so i'm happy. Head over there on the windiest day in chicago this year and SURPRISE! They say they don't have the game. I ask in person if they're sure and again and get a " oh, looks like we do have a copy "

and...it's not sealed.

So i had them call a third store in the area who said they had a sealed copy and got lucky, because that third store only had that one copy.

[RPG_Fanatic]

I picked it up yesterday and they only received two of them. Good thing I picked it up maybe it will be hard to come by later on.

[Tupin]

I can't find this game anywhere. I've checked Best Buy, Target, K-Mart, and Wal-Mart. None of them have it. I really don't want to deal with Gamestop, but is that pretty much my only option other than Amazon?

[josekortez]

I can't find this game anywhere. I've checked Best Buy, Target, K-Mart, and Wal-Mart. None of them have it. I really don't want to deal with Gamestop, but is that pretty much my only option other than Amazon?

I think Overstock.com has it in stock. In my experience, they're good with fast shipping. That's where I plan to get it when I can gather up the scratch.

[SEGA_Queen]

Woo Hoo! I just got a call from my local EB Games. My copy of Solatorobo has come in! I'll pick it up tomorrow, and then spend the evening savoring this gem (for the second time)! :D

[Aussie2B]

My copy finally shipped from Amazon today.

[Vlcice]

Still waiting on mine :( Ran into some trouble getting it online, but a Gamestop has a copy they're holding for me, so I'm picking it up tomorrow.

[PapaStu]

My copy took a long time to ship. It's on it's way, but I don't know where it came from Amazon wise. I'm in no rush. It'll sit on the shelf w/ the rest of the Altus DS RPG's.

[Aussie2B]

Okay, but it's not published by Atlus nor an RPG, haha. :P

[Ryudo]

My copy will be in wed.

Oh BTW it's published by XSEED not Atlus and developed by CyberConnect2 and is a ARPG

[PapaStu]

I was implying that this would be sitting on the same shelf as all the other 'big box' first run DS games that have come with a soundtrack, which are predominately Atlus RPGs (or some flavor of RPG) and not get played... just like those don't. Sure didn't say anything about it's game type, or who published it, just that because of it's box it's getting put with the others that are just like it. ::shrug::


'It's not an RPG' in Aussie's reply, the next, 'It's an ARPG' That still makes it... wait for it... an RPG.

[Aussie2B]

A lot of people are calling it an RPG/Action RPG, but it's really not. It's just an action-based adventure game, that happens to also have some common RPG elements like EXP and currency (but I think we'll all experienced enough games to know that TONS of games have RPG elements like those without remotely being RPGs, like the modern Castlevania games). Solatorobo is more like Mega Man Legends and Zelda than Final Fantasy. Granted, some people call Zelda an Action RPG. Personally, I wouldn't and I don't like the term "Action RPG" in the first place, but if people want to call it that, I think it's a slippery slope to drop out the "Action" part. I've seen numerous news pieces and reviews just call it an RPG, and then in the comments you seen people talking about other DS releases like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Etrian Odyssey, MegaTen, etc. as if Solatorobo has anything in common with those, and it just makes me want to pull my hair out that people have such the wrong idea of the game.

There's been a lot of misinformation about this game, unfortunately. Basically everywhere you go you'll see people calling Solatorobo a "spiritual successor" of Tail Concerto (which I blame on whoever put that on Wikipedia since it appears to stem from that), when in fact it's in the same world, roughly in the same time period, features appearances from Tail Concerto cast members, and, most importantly, it's in the same franchise (Little Tail Bronx) and has been confirmed by CyberConnect2 as a sequel. So clearly it doesn't remotely match the definition of a "spiritual successor".

Another thing I see creeping up is people saying that Solatorobo was in production for 10 years, which is a twisting of the real information. CC2 had wanted to make a follow-up to Tail Concerto for 10 years, true, but they spent 7 years having their pitch repeatedly denied by Bandai. The actual production period was 3 years.

Anyway, you really should play Solatorobo, PapaStu. This isn't just some generic DS RPG #106. This game is definitely something special.

[PapaStu]

Anyway, you really should play Solatorobo, PapaStu. This isn't just some generic DS RPG #106. This game is definitely something special.


I'm a fan of Tail Concerto and had a good time w/ it on the PS. I'm also a fan of the ActionAdventure games. I'm sure I'll get around to it, but i'm not in a rush as i've got just a bit of DS stuff to play. Can you tell where it'll get put?

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k252/PapaStu/DS_Shelves_8-2011.jpg

[Mayhem]

Found a completely sealed new copy at a Gamestop down near Atlanta while I'm travelling US side currently, so I'm happy :)

[joshnickerson]

Found a completely sealed new copy at a Gamestop down near Atlanta while I'm travelling US side currently, so I'm happy :)

Hey, you're in my neck of the woods! If you get over near Athens at any point, look up UGAME, a new indie game shop that just opened up a few weeks ago. It's small, but they got some cool stuff. Plus, they're next to a Papa Johns pizza, so you can take care of lunch too. :D

There's also a couple of indie shops in the Covington area as well, though I'm not sure where you're headed...

[Nz17]

I would say that Sola to Robo is an adventure action game because the emphasis is definitely on the action. Yes, you are going from island to island on an adventure with lots of text mainly in the form of dialog, but most of the time is not spent exploring ("adventuring") but rather walking, running, flying, racing, jumping, flapping your arms, and picking things up and throwing them into other stuff. And as far as RPG elements go, I have a hard time calling them that. You have to find sparkling spots on the ground that have capsules which contain points to unlock more blocks for your mech customizations; and the more quests you take, the better reputation you get. That's really it. You don't get any experience from battles, and only occasionally will a defeated enemy drop money or health items.

I tells ya, you can't have an action game with a third person perspective anymore without someone calling it an action RPG!

[Ryudo]

Few hours in. I like it. very enjoyable.
Some of the mini quests bug me. Aesthetics are amazing for DS. Music is nice and does the job.

[Mayhem]

There's also a couple of indie shops in the Covington area as well, though I'm not sure where you're headed...
Currently in NC, but I've been hanging around Oxford. Won't be back until the day I leave though. I think I might have hit one of the indies (Gamestar) before I got to NC though...

[burn_654]

I am loving this game. About the only fault I can find with it is that it seems a bit easy (either that or I've become too used to my Contra runs...) but the gameplay works well, boss battles are fun, fantastic art design...I loved the dahak 'flying-mode' stage, I hope there's at least another one of those. Dungeons remind me of zelda. The parts equip system is surprisingly well thought out - you have access to both weak and good parts early on but they're expensive. Works well for the 'I could use this weaker part now or wait for a better one...but I can't fit it yet' scenario. This would be a good game to introduce the younger crowd to.

Just a special game, all told!

Someone noted you don't gain experience? Um, yes, you do. Exp won from battles gains levels on the Dahak robot. And completing missions gives you points towards your rank level, which in turn lets you accept later missions. I'd say it doesn't super-stress the rpg elements but it does have them.

[joshnickerson]

Currently in NC, but I've been hanging around Oxford. Won't be back until the day I leave though. I think I might have hit one of the indies (Gamestar) before I got to NC though...

Yeah, I found that one while driving around with a friend last year. It's a cool place, decent stock and prices (though maybe a bit on the high side on the NES stuff), and the staff do seem to be gamers.
We also found a junk store that just happened to be closing that week, and my friend picked up five Genesis units for twenty bucks, saying he was going to use some loose 32Xs he had to make Neptune units... over a year later, and they're still stacked up in his house. *L*

If you happen to be near Fletcher while you're in NC, there's a flea market with a huge retro arcade inside that phreakindee here on the forums came across http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDW613LrDWU&list=FL90lnFDHdEmGkOf9_MYw1Qg&index=17

Oh right, Solatorobo... I'm only about half an hour in (been busy finishing up other games), but what I've played so far is pretty outstanding. Probably the best looking DS game I've ever seen.

[Aussie2B]

I am loving this game. About the only fault I can find with it is that it seems a bit easy (either that or I've become too used to my Contra runs...) but the gameplay works well, boss battles are fun, fantastic art design...I loved the dahak 'flying-mode' stage, I hope there's at least another one of those.

It's definitely an easy game, from beginning to end. While I generally want a nice challenge in my games, Solatorobo is one of those games where it's so great that it doesn't really matter that it's easy. I mean, after all, many of the most well-loved games are easy, like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy VII, Super Mario World, etc. There are some ways to get a bit of challenge out of it. The bonus boss rush modes after beating the game can be quite difficult to clear on one life bar, and I believe the "new game+" option makes the game more difficult (but it also makes better parts and such available).

There are more flying segments, but the one disappointment about those is that I believe there's no way to replay any of them, even though the other modes like racing and fishing can be repeated as much as you'd like.

[maxlords]

Managed to snag two sealed copies of this one. I have no idea how....got lucky I guess.

[Aussie2B]

Yay, my US copy finally arrived. :) It's no Japanese collector's edition (but for less than half the price, it better not be, haha), but it's still impressive packaging. I was surprised that they went with a full-sized jewel case for the soundtrack, but I knew they wouldn't have liner notes comparable to the Japanese version and I was right about that. Just one square slip of paper, but it's nice to have official translations of the song lyrics. I'm very pleased with the manual too. Full-color, lots of art, this is high quality stuff for this day and age. I'm so glad to see this wonderful game get the respect that it deserves.

Unfortunately, I know there are a couple things about the script I don't like (such as ruined consistency for the Tail Concerto cast member names), but overall I'm expecting good things out of the translation too. Now to just get some time to give it a try. :)

[maxlords]

It's not that rare in my area it seems. I bought both copies at the local EB, and another at a different EB. And the one I bought one copy at had NINE more and hadn't sold a single one till I came in. They didn't even know what it was.

[Ryudo]

Holy shit! After beating the "last" boss a new story starts. Two games in one cart!

[Vlcice]

Unfortunately, I know there are a couple things about the script I don't like (such as ruined consistency for the Tail Concerto cast member names), but overall I'm expecting good things out of the translation too. Now to just get some time to give it a try. :)

Atlus took some liberties in the romanizations of the character and place names in their English version. (That was back before they were consistently good. ;)) From what I've seen so far, Solatorobo uses the same romanizations that were in the French version of Tail Concerto. Pretty sure that matches up with the official English romanizations that showed up on the game's Japanese website and whatever.

Finally getting the chance to play, and I am *so* happy with how the localization turned out. It's great finally being able to play in a language I can read.

[Aussie2B]

Yeah, Atlus did mess up a few things, like the whole Air Leaf/Reef thing. I don't know if that comes into play with "Stair" and "Theria", though. Princess Terria's name is obviously a play off of the word "terrier", so "Theria" just ruins that. Stare's name describes her personality, how she's a person of few words, the opposite of Flare, who has a fiery personality. Obviously the rhyming part in each name should be spelled the same, and "Stair" is just beyond stupid for a name (as silly as "Stare" may be itself). I don't know if there ever were official romanizations for the Tail Concerto characters outside of the localization. The official Japanese web site doesn't have romanizations of the names, and the official guide book doesn't either. It's possible, like many of the proper nouns in Solatorobo, that those romanizations were hidden away in the original code, but even so, developers can screw up the English spelling of things. Sometimes it's more important to look at the intent to determine how it really should be, and consistency with prior products is very important too.