Legend of Xanadu II Translation Patch announced!

[Tatsujin]

I am a big opponent of censoring and deformations, therefore best thing is to put everything in place as it was meant to be. Doesn't matter how long it's since.

[DragonmasterDan]

That's what I recall WD telling me at the time(one of the Shirley Bros. I talked to) said they were handling the cinema translation & TTI was handling the text.  Other then that, maybe WD did it with TTI in the room like an 800 pound gorrilla to make sure all goes according to plan   That's also what he told me was suppsosed to happen since TTI ended up getting the rights to Shubibinman 3 to be called Shockman 2(originally Vic wanted it, & was going to call it Cyber Twins).  Though, there's not much text....if any in Shubibinman 3(other then the title/options), so, that would've been 99% WD in regards to translation.

Like you said, DE2 did have WD's voice cast, so, he was atleast partially telling the truth.

I remember Vic discussing this a bit years and years ago on the WorkingDesigns.com forum. TTI was doing a lousy job with localizations and as a favor, Working Designs handled the dub and a first draft of the script for DE II. My understanding was TTI then did the final draft of the text script with the WD voices.

[SamIAm]

I am a big opponent of censoring and deformations, therefore best thing is to put everything in place as it was meant to be. Doesn't matter how long it's since.

I totally understand where you're coming from, but in the case of LoX2, the original game gives off a very "Rated G" kind of vibe. Snatcher I could understand, but LoX2 I could not. Same goes for most old-school fantasy RPGs, IMO.

I'd rather you came up for workarounds for certain "untranslatables". One obvious example is when fan translators use terms like "kun" and "chan". Sometimes its hard to express in English a significant use of honorifics, but its better to get creative with the translation than to use "san" all the way through the game just so you can bust out the "sama" at that one key point like the Japanese script did.

That's pretty much my philosophy. If the original writer were writing in English, there's no way he'd use san/chan etc. so why should I?

Here's a good example. In LoX2, there's one scene that goes like this: the character Nuse shouts for his servant to bring him, Daimos and Arios some tea. Daimos and Arios haven't been there in years. The servant turns out to be Daimos's sister Lumina, which is a shock for Daimos.

The original, literally translated:
Daimos: What! Lumina!
Lumina: Big-brother! (Oni-chan)
Arios: Hey, I didn't know you had a sister, Daimos.

My translation (this is dubbed, so Daimos's line is short for time:
Daimos: My sister is your...
Lumina: Daimos!
Arios: Hey, I didn't know you had a sister, Daimos.

In my opinion, it's stretching it pretty thin to say that "Big-Brother" or even just "Brother" is something native English speakers would say in that situation. To me, that smacks of translated language. However, it's necessary for sake of Arios's line (and the next few lines) for Daimos and Lumina to communicate that they are related in that first space. So I take a little liberty, taking care not to compromise the scene, and *poof*, problem solved. You might say it's not the most graceful liberty, but I still say it's way better than "Big-brother".

[SignOfZeta]

Yeah, that's another example. In Japanese people refer to their family members by function more often than English speakers do, and often times (at least in genre stuff) refer to older roll model types that aren't even relation as "big brother" quite often. That's extremely rare in the English speaking world.

In Tengai Makyou...that might make sense, the game is set in Japan, but Xanadu is totally Western in setting.

[Bonknuts]

That's what I recall WD telling me at the time(one of the Shirley Bros. I talked to) said they were handling the cinema translation & TTI was handling the text.  Other then that, maybe WD did it with TTI in the room like an 800 pound gorrilla to make sure all goes according to plan   That's also what he told me was suppsosed to happen since TTI ended up getting the rights to Shubibinman 3 to be called Shockman 2(originally Vic wanted it, & was going to call it Cyber Twins).  Though, there's not much text....if any in Shubibinman 3(other then the title/options), so, that would've been 99% WD in regards to translation.

Like you said, DE2 did have WD's voice cast, so, he was atleast partially telling the truth.

I remember Vic discussing this a bit years and years ago on the WorkingDesigns.com forum. TTI was doing a lousy job with localizations and as a favor, Working Designs handled the dub and a first draft of the script for DE II. My understanding was TTI then did the final draft of the text script with the WD voices.

 Well, you can tell it's not simply some sublet WD game/work hidden/done under a TTi label... simply by the mere fact that it actually has a decent new font and print routine. </snicker>

 BTW, wasn't TTi new when DE2 came out? I'm pretty sure it was NEC doing it for most text heavy translations/localizations of Japanese games before that. IIRC, "TTi" was new on the scene. Actually, I think with TTi we saw the least amount of RPGs/action-RPGs/etc(anything text/script heavy) relative to translation during their reign. But that's probably just coincidence. ...or is it?

[ParanoiaDragon]

I was thinking DE2 was more near the end of TTI's days, but, maybe I'm wrong. 

[Black Tiger]

I remember DEII as a later release (magazine coverage and all), which I bought as soon as it became available in my area. The Japanese version was released during 1993, after TTi took over.

I don't think that it was too lopsided between NEC/TTi when it came to RPGs/action-RPGs/etc(anything text/script heavy). Under TTi we got Dragon Slayer, Sim Earth, Dungeon Explorer II, DM Theron's Quest, Dynastic Hero, Loom, Might & Magic III and Neutopia II. There wasn't much in the way of heavy script translations for the Turbo by either company.

Thank god for importing.

[DragonmasterDan]

BTW, wasn't TTi new when DE2 came out? I'm pretty sure it was NEC doing it for most text heavy translations/localizations of Japanese games before that. IIRC, "TTi" was new on the scene. Actually, I think with TTi we saw the least amount of RPGs/action-RPGs/etc(anything text/script heavy) relative to translation during their reign. But that's probably just coincidence. ...or is it?

TTI started April 1st 1992 (not an April Fools day reference). DE II came out Fall/Winter of 1993. So it was a ways in. Also TTI planned to bring over Tengai Makyo II for example, but those games are a lot more difficult to localize than shooters, which is why the only ones I can think of that they did localize during their reign was Dragon Slayer (possibly started by NEC) and Might and Magic III.

[SamIAm]

OK, the first draft of the script is done, proofread, and submitted. Now it's pretty much up to Esperknight to get it reinserted. There are still tiny bits that are undumped, and I'll want to do one more revision after I see the first reinsertion in action, but the translating side is essentially finished. For now, I'm going to go back to working on the dub. Let's hope things come together quickly!

[SamIAm]

Say guys...

I was in the local game shop here in Fukuoka looking around at this and that, and I came across some PC Engine and PC Engine Fan magazines. They were wrapped so that I couldn't open them, but it seems like many issues of these two publications from between January and July of 1995 have articles about Xanadu II in them. It would have cost a fair chunk of change to pick all of them up, but I'll bet that there are interesting tidbits hidden somewhere in them.

So, if anyone has copies of mags with 風の伝説ザナドゥII　written up anywhere, and if you don't mind scanning or even taking a nice photo (I just need legible text), I'll see if there's anything at all interesting to share with you guys. Failing that, if anyone just knows which issues have the most info, I might consider buying one or two.

By the way, was there every anything like an official strategy guide for Tengai Makyo II?

[Black Tiger]

I have some PCE mags with decent LoXII coverage. That was what convinced me to spend a couple years tracking it down back when it wss never available in english speaking circles.

I also have the big official TMII guide book as well as some mini guides that were included with magazines.

[SamIAm]

So there was a big official TMII guide book? Can you tell me info to make it easy to search for? I'm actually starting to work on TMII a little on the side as well, and I'm thinking that having hard copy of the guide book so I can know the story context is better than having to play the game 3 times through to memorize the whole plot. Any idea how much it goes for? If it's like 10,000 yen or whatever, I'll be happy make do with your text guide instead.

As for LoXII, if you have spare time and a digital camera that can make the text legible from whatever is there, I would be happy to do some translating/summarizing. Walkthroughs are a little redundant, but I'm thinking there is probably some info on the development of the game that might be interesting for people to know. Reviews I've read hint at some things, but I'd rather get any info as directly as possible. Again, failing photos, do you know the specific issues that have good content?

Thanks!

[SamIAm]

Wow. I just listened to a super-preliminary but nonetheless complete mix of the dub for LoX2, which I played in-game via an emulator. I watched every cutscene in English for the first time ever.

I'll say this much: if you old-schoolers don't find yourselves grinning ear-to-ear while you watch these scenes with English voices, your heart is at least two sizes too small.

There's a lot of work left to do, including some retakes, but the end is in sight. I'll see this through to the finish. Wish us all luck!

[Keranu]

Awesome, very exciting! Can't wait to see/hear how the dub turned out!

[Bonknuts]

your heart is at least two sizes too small.

 Hah! I had a guess as to your nick name. That line just proves it Great to hear (no pun intended) that it's actually coming along.