I never thought of buying the Jap version, but If I buy that, my collector spirit will tell me to buy all the Japanese versions as well. :smt082 Would be cool to own some Japanese stuff, though.
I know, I made the decision to only buy Japanese stuff ages ago. Forces you to start all over again. Though I made a killing selling US RPGs, then got all the Jap ones used for 2000 yen each. Particularly on RPGs the Japanese versions are so much better to collect IMO, more limited editions, books and cds to collect.
If I did start buying Japanese stuff, I'd probably start with shooters and the like, then make my way up to RPGs. I know this is beyond nerdy, but I really need to sit down and learn Japanese! Otherwise, I am missing out on a lot of potentially awesome games! Tales of Phantasia was an obscure title (and still kind of is), but with the help of Dejap, we get to see what gem we have been missing! I'd be all for a 3d remake of Tales of Phantasia, since I already played the first one. I guess maybe because it probably wont come over to the US, not in a 2d form, anyway. Also there is some mech game that only came out in Japan that looks really good, but I cant think of the name. If I do start collecting Japanese stuff, Im still going to keep my US versions as well. It would be silly for me to sell all my Xbox LIVE! titles, anyway.
さぁ、頑張ってくれ It really is not that difficult to learn. It only gets tough when you start dealing with Keigo and 4 Kanji combos. Trust me, videogame level Japanese can be got in a year. RPG level takes a bit longer, though FF3 uses very simple Japanese, without rock solid kanji cos the poor famicom can't handle them.
It'd actually be a cheaper way to build a Final Fantasy collection, that's for sure - IV and VI are a fraction of the cost of their US counterparts. Actually, that was one of the cheaper ones I found on eBay - the cheapest being $20 before shipping. It's one of those things that, while it may be cheaper over in used game shops there in Japan, with no easy access to those places, we're sortof forced to acknowledge eBay as the bottom line. What's an 'americanized 3d' character? Did you mean to just say 3d character, and you accidentally slipped on a bit of '2d good, 3d bad; Japanese good, Western bad'? For Christ's sake, Crystal Chronicles came out FIRST in Japan, as likely will FF3, and was made entirely - as with all current Square projects - by a JAPANESE development team. Referring to design changes you don't like as 'americanized' is ignorant, especially when America has nothing to do with it.
Damn, I knew someone would respark my interest in collecting JP FF games >< Only have 1 and 4 right now on my Wonderswan though
:happyhap: I absolutely LOVE this post. I knew some member would just HAVE to instigate an America vs. Japan debate sooner or later in this thread, knowing this forum's history on issues like this. Next time guys, when you say "Americanise", you better know what your are talking about. -_-
Actually, that's a bit of a misnomer as well. Like Secret Of Evermore, FFMQ was developed exclusively for Western audiences, and happened to get a release later in Japan as Final Fantasy USA: Mystic Quest. An example of a true 'Americanized' game would be the US release of Final Fantasy IV - the one released later in as Final Fantasy IV Easy Type. I guess to 'Americanize' something would be to make changes to the game itself beyond simple localization, in an effort to make it more appealing to western audiences. The PSX edition of Silhouette Mirage (as an example off of the top of my head) endured a bit of 'westernizing' at the hands of Working Designs; however, it depends on who you talk to whether this was a bad thing or not. Although I also find 'Americanize' to be a bit unfair to other non-Japanese audiences - like, say, everyone in Europe.
I have always considered "Americanized" to infer either changes between releases (FFIV is one of the best examples), or tailoring a game specifically for that audience (FFMQ and to a lessor extent SMB2). The second part is vague and difficult to qualify since you could say that any game made in the US fits. I feel that it is more when an outside culture uses their opinions, stereotypes and ignorance (not in the insulting way) to design a game for a different culture on the belief that the other culture would not be able to understand or appreciate their own culture. I don't disagree with this at all. A more appropriate, albeit less used, term would be to "Westernize" the games.
although slightly off topic, i have a FF question, which i could probably try and find on google, but why bother when i have the most knowledgable people right here I heard that FFVII Japanese version has more content than the US and EU counterpart.. is that true GamesMasters?
i like how everyone on the forums these days are trying to find something in the posts of others and bash it, without even knowing what he was refering to. Congrats. ''you seem to have an opinion, you go to hell.'' the worst in that is that i didn't said if i liked it or not. Congradulations again. sometimes i just don't know why i still stick around.
Hmm - LoganJ, the original Jap release off FFVII has actually a bit less content than the US/EU versions, notably the missing Weapons ruby/emerald. These were later added to the re-release FFVII International in Japan. However this re-release actually has even more content than the US/EU version, mainly the perfect guide disc. A whole new disc to enjoy with some good content on it (like the Oh so useful ability to raid Tifa's bedroom....) And a bunch of other actually useful stuff that I really love - As for new content in the original - there are certain scenes that have VERY different dialogue to the translation, like whole new topics of conversation. Barret is a bit different in the character department in the Jap version. Other than that, no real differences in content, like monsters or areas (I think)
ありがとうございますワラキアさん。 I assume Warakia can be written in kanji, but as I only know like 200 kanji, and i bet in reality i've forgotten 199 of them cos i havent done japanese for so long, i figured i'd write in katakana 私の日本語はとてもよくない。ぜんぜん勉強しません。バカね。
Though I believe she's now "Aerith" in the US version of Advent Children in order to keep everything consistant. At least that's what I've heard. I never liked "Aeris" anyway. ^_^;;