classic games improved when localized?

[Kitsune Sniper]

dd2 was one of the less-awfull ones compared to ninja gaiden 3 and bayou billy, but in the japanese version you could beat the game on all 3 dificulty levels and you could continue (the continue feature could be unlocked with complicated tap in codes on the us version)

... I don't understand.

You're complaining because they removed continues on Double Dragon 2? The easiest game in the NES trilogy?

[Blitzwing256]

... I don't understand.

You're complaining because they removed continues on Double Dragon 2? The easiest game in the NES trilogy?

like I said its minor, but I felt removing the option to play the entire game on easy or normal was a poor choice (in the us one you HAVE to be on the hardest dificulty to even see the last level) in the japanese one you could beat it on all 3.

I just prefer to have the choice

[Kitsune Sniper]

like I said its minor, but I felt removing the option to play the entire game on easy or normal was a poor choice (in the us one you HAVE to be on the hardest dificulty to even see the last level) in the japanese one you could beat it on all 3.

I just prefer to have the choice

Oh, your post wasn't very clear. I thought it was like that in the Japanese version. :P

[NerdXCrewWill]

Every game ever published by Working Designs.

*ducks*

This is at least true for Popful Mail. Man, that is the funniest game I've ever played. I can't read Japanese, so I don't know if a more serious Japanese script is more worthwhile, but somehow I doubt it.

[ishashobar]

I forgot about the US Mother proto/Earthbound Zero. It streamlined the menu like Dragon Warrior and also added a run button. I'm pretty sure it had a longer ending as well. Most of the changes got added to the GBA version if I'm not mistaken.

[Aussie2B]

Only the fact that the English dialogue turns it from a merely very good game into a very good game that is also the most quotable video game of all time.

Ugh, anybody still quoting Star Fox 64 these days deserves a kick in the nuts. Those are the sorts at game conventions that I roll my eyes at. Almost as bad as hearing people shout "Falcon PUNCH!"

Impersonations of the original Star Fox "voices" still make me laugh, though.

[NBaco]

Jill sandwich!

[TonyTheTiger]

Ugh, anybody still quoting Star Fox 64 these days deserves a kick in the nuts. Those are the sorts at game conventions that I roll my eyes at. Almost as bad as hearing people shout "Falcon PUNCH!"

Impersonations of the original Star Fox "voices" still make me laugh, though.

How about Symphony of the Night? The second most quotable game ever, and another game improved by the localization for it?

[LiquidPolicenaut]

I gotta go with Snatcher for the Sega/Mega CD. Now, I DO love the PC_E version and I know some things were changed/edited from the PC-E version but I find them to be minor (a breast is covered up, can't "watch" a porno video, etc.). The Sega CD carried over the great voice acting, the "chip" tunes sound better on the Sega CD, they added extra scenes to the intro and ending, certain small things they redrew look great, and Justifier support. I still love the game to this day and am still impressed on how they pumped out such a colorful game on the Sega CD....

[old man]

Contra Hard Corps was made more difficult. You could get three hits before dying in the Japanese version. Real men play the US version.

[Aussie2B]

How about Symphony of the Night? The second most quotable game ever, and another game improved by the localization for it?

In all seriousness, though, considering they cut out two familiars (even if they were kind of redundant) and a song, I'd hardly call the localization an improvement, corny dialogue or not.

[TonyTheTiger]

They weren't kinda redundant. They literally were redundant. And one was an in-joke that was more or less out of place anyway. For all the criticism Working Designs gets for their localizations that fly in the face of the game's tone, the nose demon was just as bad, if not worse, in Symphony.

Nevertheless, I think the memorable script more than makes up for whatever they removed. Plus they fixed the glaring Engrish in the game over screen.

[Kyle15]

Every game ever published by Working Designs.

*ducks*

I'm okay with the scripts. Some of the gameplay changes are hit and miss, especially in Silhouette Mirage's case.

[j_factor]

The brand of toilet humor they added to Albert Odyssey made the game damn near unplayable for me. I've played games with really bad text (Castle of Shikigami 2) and really bad dubbing (Chaos Wars) but none that irritated me to the point that Albert Odyssey did.

Actually I think Albert Odyssey was one of their better jobs. I didn't like a lot of the jokes, but they made some gameplay tweaks that definitely improved the game.

Easily their worst release is Silhouette Mirage.

[TonyTheTiger]

Soul Calibur II was improved in that the bonus characters you fought in the mission mode (Lizardman, Assassin, Berserker) were made fully playable in the localized release.

[Leo_A]

Only the fact that the English dialogue turns it from a merely very good game into a very good game that is also the most quotable video game of all time.

The English translation and voice work ruined Star Fox 64, if you ask me (The moment that first boss said "my emperor.. I've failed you" pretty much destroyed any chance that game had of living up to my hopes).

I wish someday someone would do a fan patch for it that eliminated the bosses talking, subbed in the animal sounds from the original game over the horrible voice work they did for it, and did a translation of it more in line with the less annoying dialog of the original. And music more in line with the original game wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

The only time the voice work pleased me was when it said "Good Luck" before the start of a level with the same voice they used in the SuperNes game.

I guess if you like corny dialog, the translation improved the game. But I don't.

[Brianvgplayer]

like I said its minor, but I felt removing the option to play the entire game on easy or normal was a poor choice (in the us one you HAVE to be on the hardest dificulty to even see the last level) in the japanese one you could beat it on all 3.

I just prefer to have the choice

The difficulties are different on the JP version, though. The JP version's hard is much harder than the highest difficulty in the US version.

[TonyTheTiger]

I guess if you like corny dialog, the translation improved the game. But I don't.

Corny dialogue works incredibly well for Star Fox because it has such a corny premise to begin with. So we're talking a perfect storm of awesome. It's like reading a silver age comic book or watching the old Batman.

Also, Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Unlocking characters in MvC2 is a ludicrous proposition. You pretty much have to play the single player mode for 5 billion years before you can buy everything. But if I'm remembering correctly, the Japanese version was worse. It had three kinds of points, one earned through local play, one through the Dreamcast's rudimentary online, and one through actually plugging your VMU into an MvC2 arcade cabinet.

And, depending on whether or not you want to count it as a localization instead of a completely different game, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars.

[j_factor]

The English translation and voice work ruined Star Fox 64, if you ask me (The moment that first boss said "my emperor.. I've failed you" pretty much destroyed any chance that game had of living up to my hopes).

I wish someday someone would do a fan patch for it that eliminated the bosses talking, subbed in the animal sounds from the original game over the horrible voice work they did for it, and did a translation of it more in line with the less annoying dialog of the original. And music more in line with the original game wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

The only time the voice work pleased me was when it said "Good Luck" before the start of a level with the same voice they used in the SuperNes game.

I guess if you like corny dialog, the translation improved the game. But I don't.

The European version of Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars) gives you the option of using the gibberish language from the original. So it still is a game that was improved by localization. Just not American localization.

[Leo_A]

The European version of Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars) gives you the option of using the gibberish language from the original. So it still is a game that was improved by localization. Just not American localization.

I didn't know that, thanks.

There are several PAL N64 releases I'd love to get my hands on and this just gives me one more excuse to do it.

Edit - Found a video

I wish they sounded a bit more like the voices in the original game (Not that there was anything special about the animal sounds they'd make, but they're not very intrusive were very easy to tune out), but it's still a vast improvement over the voice acting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nHR4RsMc0g