I think we should continue to celebrate the best and worst localizations in games. The best ones can be a technical marvel or often bring out the best of the original script. The worst ones make Zero Wing look like classic literature.
So here's some of my best:
Best: Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC - XSEED & Carpe Fulgur
I waited so many years for this to release, and was afraid it wouldn't make it. Luckily, I was proven wrong. Trails SC has one of the most dense scripts in games, to the point of dwarfing many popular novels. This is due to a long main game combined with NPCs IN EVERY TOWN who have lines FOR ALMOST EVERY EVENT FLAG. Of course, not only did XSEED & CF do it, they did a damn fine job. Dialogue feels engaging and real funny when it needs to be. Even better, it allowed many more games in the Trails/Kiseki franchise to get localized. XSEED deserves several lifetime awards for this achievement.
Runner-Up: Puyo Puyo Tetris - SEGA
What a way to make a first impression. This was many people's introduction to Puyo Puyo franchise and its humorous world and characters. The franchise's been one of Japan's trailblazers of video game humor. The English localization team achieved the herculean effort of not only living up to it, but frequently surpassing the original. I haven't laughed this much in a game since Portal 2.
I mean, how can you beat lines like these:
And now we have Puyo Puyo games releasing westside up the BAYOEN!
It's only a runner up due to a few mediocre dub performances and some boring, inaccurate name changes (Diacute == Diameter + Acute != Diamond Cutie). I mean, if they had to censor Satan's name, why not go with something sillier - like Satin, Suh-tahn or Sutton - rather than "The Dark Prince"?
Worst: Metal Gear Solid V - Kojima Productions
Yes, this is a hot take. Please read some of these lines and tell me they don't sound at least kind of weird or awkward.
"WHOOOOOO!!!!"
"She played us like a damn FIDDLE!" Yes, Ground Zeroes is part of MGS5. Fight me.
"We're gonna make them take back our past"
MGSV is not just controversial for what everyone's already discussed - the open world gameplay, entire cut chapters, David Hayter being cut, Quiet - but what still goes untouched is Kojima's insistence on the English dialogue staying "true" to his intent, whether or not it sounds like it was written by an English speaker. Jeremy Blaustein's ousting was one of the worst things to happen to the franchise until, you know, FucKonami and it's always shown in MGS since then. Personally, it's harder than ever to take the later games' story dead seriously.
So here's some of my best:
Best: Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC - XSEED & Carpe Fulgur
I waited so many years for this to release, and was afraid it wouldn't make it. Luckily, I was proven wrong. Trails SC has one of the most dense scripts in games, to the point of dwarfing many popular novels. This is due to a long main game combined with NPCs IN EVERY TOWN who have lines FOR ALMOST EVERY EVENT FLAG. Of course, not only did XSEED & CF do it, they did a damn fine job. Dialogue feels engaging and real funny when it needs to be. Even better, it allowed many more games in the Trails/Kiseki franchise to get localized. XSEED deserves several lifetime awards for this achievement.
Runner-Up: Puyo Puyo Tetris - SEGA
What a way to make a first impression. This was many people's introduction to Puyo Puyo franchise and its humorous world and characters. The franchise's been one of Japan's trailblazers of video game humor. The English localization team achieved the herculean effort of not only living up to it, but frequently surpassing the original. I haven't laughed this much in a game since Portal 2.
I mean, how can you beat lines like these:
And now we have Puyo Puyo games releasing westside up the BAYOEN!
It's only a runner up due to a few mediocre dub performances and some boring, inaccurate name changes (Diacute == Diameter + Acute != Diamond Cutie). I mean, if they had to censor Satan's name, why not go with something sillier - like Satin, Suh-tahn or Sutton - rather than "The Dark Prince"?
Worst: Metal Gear Solid V - Kojima Productions
Yes, this is a hot take. Please read some of these lines and tell me they don't sound at least kind of weird or awkward.
"WHOOOOOO!!!!"
"She played us like a damn FIDDLE!" Yes, Ground Zeroes is part of MGS5. Fight me.
"We're gonna make them take back our past"
MGSV is not just controversial for what everyone's already discussed - the open world gameplay, entire cut chapters, David Hayter being cut, Quiet - but what still goes untouched is Kojima's insistence on the English dialogue staying "true" to his intent, whether or not it sounds like it was written by an English speaker. Jeremy Blaustein's ousting was one of the worst things to happen to the franchise until, you know, FucKonami and it's always shown in MGS since then. Personally, it's harder than ever to take the later games' story dead seriously.