Not that I dislike Yakuza, hell, I love Yakuza even if graphically it is to games what Canada is to America.
But for this…
I already own the Jap version. SEGA took their sweet ass time in getting this one prepped for localisation, I don’t care how much work is involved in the localisation, the fact of the matter is that you took too damn long in doing it.
There are games world wide which get developed and localised simultaneously (even Panzer Dragoon Orta, being one such game).
Therefore I’m not buying the game.
However we have heard himself that Nagaoshi believes Yakuza is a series about Japanese pride for the Japanese and that the games being released outside of Japan is not really his cup of tea.
Probably cancer or something from all those tanning salons making him say shit like that.
What were the chances of someone else picking up the localisation anyway if not Sega of America?
The biggest thing it has going for it is that it’s a PS3 exclusive. They should delay the release a bit.
I loved the first game despite all its critics. Too oldschool? No doubt. Still enjoyable based on its own merits? Hell yes. Man I am so behind I still need to buy the second game. Lol.
Money-wise, they probably should have stopped localising after the second game, which squeezed everything it could out of the PS2.
SEGA took about as long as the 2 previous translations . There’s more to it than just translating text . There’ issues on getting approval from SONY and will retail even stock the game ECT.
I just wish Nagoshi would go back to the Arcades , This series is dying a death and is a waste of one of the better teams inside SEGA talent .
The $20 million per game , would be far better spent on a multi platform , worldwide game imo .
I haven’t played much of Yakuza III , but to me its nothing more than a remake of Part II, only with worst animation (the animation patterns on the nunchuks are laughable)
SEGA took about as long as the 2 previous translations . There’s more to it than just translating text . There’ issues on getting approval from SONY and will retail even stock the game ECT.
I just wish Nagoshi would go back to the Arcades , This series is dying a death and is a waste of one of the better teams inside SEGA talent .
The $20 million per game , would be far better spent on a multi platform , worldwide game imo .
I haven’t played much of Yakuza III , but to me its nothing more than a remake of Part II, only with worst animation (the animation patterns on the nunchuks are laughable)[/quote]
This is true, although at one point SEGA were considering releasing Yakuza 3 and Kenzan as PSN downloads with no localisation at all if those notes leaked from their FTP were anything to go by… I doubt the actual translation took as long as the time for the actual game to be released did, I’d say to do a text only translation would take about a Year at absolute tops and even at that the majority of the work would be spent fine tweaking. From what Sony reps were saying, it sounded like Sony of America actually wanted Yakuza 3 this time 'round.
There has been a rumour in japan that Nagaoshi is considering PSP ports of the first two Yakuza games although I dunno what the probability of this being true is…
Of course it can, I am boycotting the Localised version of the game, thus not surrendering my money to the inferior services of Sega Europe or Sega America. In the same way I tend to buy DVDs from which ever country gets them first, why should I wait on slow-ass companies taking their time with shit? To support them? To support the british economy?
Take Evangelion 1.1 for example, the English DVD in Australia got published by some company I’ve never heard of not terribly long after it was released in Japan. The UK is still waiting on a release as Manga Entertainment are handling the European and American translation. By buying the Australian version I am getting the movie I want while illustrating to Manga Entertainment that they are taking too fucking long to do what someone else has already done.
The customer is always right, even if his demands are completely unreasonable. So fuck you lazy-ass companies (SEGA), do your shit and do it quick or your shit wont get bought.
Hm - I think if I wouldn’t understand a part of the game world that is portrayed, I could just google it. Is modifying the game content really so much cheaper than translating the cut parts?
It’s not a matter of cost. I assume that given the cultural context of a lot of the stuff that’s in there, it was impossible to include in its current format. For example, the history quizzes? Who, outside of Japan, would be able to answer those questions? Also, a lot of the hostesses were based on actual Japanese idols, so a prior knowledge of those girls is required to be able to play those parts of the game. And do you really think most people would be willing to pause the game, run over to the computer, and spend the next 10-15 minutes googling information just to proceed? And chances are that a lot of the information is going to only be in Japanese (well, at least, until someone posts it on gamefaqs haha).
And really, none of it was important stuff. Just some random side content. I highly doubt anyone would have noticed if it hadn’t been pointed out to them.
That might have been true, were it not for the fact that the vast majority of people who are (were?) going to buy the game where basically the ones that were waiting for it since its release in Japan. Letting them wait for a year and then saying you’re going to cut content from the game, regardless of what that content actually is, is a very bad move. They brought the game to the West for their fans, the same fans who are now bombarding them with hate mail. it would have been difficult for Sega to make a profit on this game, now it just seems impossible. I somewhat doubt Yakuza 4 will be leaving Japan…
Ooooor, perhaps those fans could take a second to think that maybe, just maybe, this is the result of a situation beyond the publisher’s control? Maybe there’s a licensing issue. Maybe a cultural issue. Maybe a contract issue. Who knows? Fact of the matter is that the previous two Yakuzas sold horribly, so my only guess as to why Sega would even release the game in the West is to appeal to fans. Do you not think that perhaps they would want to keep whatever content they could?
I do believe they’re doing whatever they can to bring as much of the content over as possible, Abadd. I’m just saying that when the people they’re releasing the game for are now bringing out the torches and pitchforks, it means they’re doing something wrong. They may have valid reasons to cut that content, but fans aren’t exactly know to listen to reason and in the end the customer is always right. Had Sega said that they were going to cut content right from the start, there probably wouldn’t have been such a backlash.
If I were in charge of Sega, I’d cancel Yakuza 3 and give the “fans” the company’s collective middle finger. Not only would I help Sega not lose money on a game that will sell like crap, but I will give all these whiny crybabies a big fat nothing, which is all that they deserve.
So, so sick of the gaming community and the way they carry on about how entitled they are to receive Game X in its purest form, or how they deserve to play Game Y and will pirate it because they don’t like the DRM.
[quote=“Parn”]If I were in charge of Sega, I’d cancel Yakuza 3 and give the “fans” the company’s collective middle finger. Not only would I help Sega not lose money on a game that will sell like crap, but I will give all these whiny crybabies a big fat nothing, which is all that they deserve.
So, so sick of the gaming community and the way they carry on about how entitled they are to receive Game X in its purest form, or how they deserve to play Game Y and will pirate it because they don’t like the DRM.[/quote]
It’s a pity that what is good doesn’t always translate into monetary success and what lacks depth does.
Oh well.
Sega’s only ace is it being a PS3 exclusive? But let me guess… under-marketed etc? If it had potential Sony could have localized it?
I am so out of the loop with the current console war, I feel left behind.
Yakuza 1 was very good for what it was (A Streets of Rage RPG which is naturally too oldschool for its own good in today’s market). I still need to try the sequel.
I don’t know about console wars, but Yakuza 3 is a really fun game, probably one of the first games that I have enjoyed in a long time.
I don’t really play a lot of games but the closest I could compare it to is a brawler with a lot of rpg elements, a lot of people seem to consider it a “Japanese Grand Theft Auto” but this to me doesn’t seem accurate.
There is so much to do in the way of side-quests (called substories) and even now playing it for the 2nd time around I am still entering shops for the first time and delving into things like modifiable weapons, although these aren’t necessary to complete the game.
The charm of the game for me is definately around the massive amount of things to do, although there is a lot that does not take my fancy like golf. The game is also immersed completely in Japanese culture, despite allegations of being “watered-down” it is one of the most Japanese games I will possibly ever play.
The core gameplay is fun, but not spectacular, a lot of the time you will be doing the same SQUARE-SQUARE-SQUARE-SQUARE-TRIANGLE combos over and over again, although the second time around I am trying to be a bit more diverse in combat, the presence of the aforementioned combo is still very much the main move. There is always a wide variety of objects for you to grab.
Left at its core this game would possibly not have got much praise from me, but the additions: the sheer amount of side-quests; the “feeling” of the game; and amusments such as UFO catchers and karaoke to keep you amused - Yakuza 3 for me has been a recent highlight.
While I would recommend it personally, the demo currently available in the PSN store should make up your mind.
[quote=“Parn”]If I were in charge of Sega, I’d cancel Yakuza 3 and give the “fans” the company’s collective middle finger. Not only would I help Sega not lose money on a game that will sell like crap, but I will give all these whiny crybabies a big fat nothing, which is all that they deserve.
So, so sick of the gaming community and the way they carry on about how entitled they are to receive Game X in its purest form, or how they deserve to play Game Y and will pirate it because they don’t like the DRM.[/quote]
Funny, was just thinking recently how (IMHO) that the gaming community is full of some of the most spoilt and ungrateful people ever to grace the earth; especially when compared to other fanbases of different mediums. Anybody agree with me?
I honestly think that if you add up all the niche gamers there’s enough there to tap into for a decent sized company. However, someone with the expansionistic goals of Sega saw past that when they cut the DC loose which is a shame.
Maybe the hardcore gamer base had shrunk anyway but I often use Nintendo as an example of a first party dev that never strayed from its home, played it safe, and remained profitable.
I wish that Sega could have remained more of a hardcore gamers’ publisher, but that was unrealistic.
There simply has to be a market for your product in order to survive and indeed thrive. Once you can accept everything as merely supply and demand you can still find your place in it.
Having said that, Sega doesn’t seem to have a soul anymore. They have no identity, and THAT is a shame.
