Castle Shikigami 2 [NA release, specifically]

Minzoku · Post by **Minzoku** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:48 pm

Has anyone managed to suffer through the horrible translation [or lack thereof] of Shikigami no Shiro 2? I pulled it out tonight just out of a morbid curiosity, and I'm still too horrible at the scoring system to get past Anolegos just yet

but I'm curious about whether they even attempt to make more sense as the game progresses or not.

" We don't need it."

"OK, OK, maybe it's time to play hero."

"Come on!"

=

????????????

crithit5000 · Post by **crithit5000** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 1:37 pm

Yeah, the translation and voice acting is horrid, but I can get past it and enjoy the game. It's pretty good for laughs, though...

Blue Lander · Post by **Blue Lander** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 4:21 pm

I love the voice acting in Castle Shikigami 2. I especially like it when the level 2 boss implies that you're gay.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 4:25 pm

I like watching the cutscenes and listing to the voice acting for the same reason I watched Super Globetroters, Speed Racer, and Super Friends. The cheesiness factor is high!

LoneSage · Post by **LoneSage** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:11 pm

Yea, from what I know I could only gather that the main character's bro is the evil guy. That's bout it.

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:26 pm

Wow, I pretty much always skip through the cutscenes in shmups. Except in those odd cases where there is an anime character that is kind of hot. Perhaps I'm missing something.

Fighter17 · Post by **Fighter17** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:27 pm

I got the US version of the game, I just shut off the voice acting, I just can't stand it!!!!

dboeren · Post by **dboeren** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 10:03 pm

Yeah, I find Shikigami 2 to be kind of embarrassing in a way.

I mean, if I tell someone that I'm into shootemup games and he wants to see some, this is NOT the one I'd show him. The lame dialogue would be the equivalent of telling him I'm into anime and picking Sailor Moon as the example to show him. Better to start with Dodonpachi, Strikers 1945 II, or something like that.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 10:08 pm

I've always wondered why they couldn't hire any bilingual college student to translate the whole thing rather than piece it through Babelfish or the like that they probably did.

Minzoku · Post by **Minzoku** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 11:42 pm

We've pretty much figured that they made up their own dialogue as they went... so that seems to be an accurate analysis, then

I mean, it's all solid gold MST3K material is why I'm bothering

We're supporting it anyway, though not necessarily showing it off, because maybe it will show XS and other companies that it's worth putting in the extra effort to make a good port. After all, the alternative is nothing at all, so...

Skyline · Post by **Skyline** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 9:53 am

"It's idiot power!"

...fucking rofl.

dboeren wrote: I mean, if I tell someone that I'm into shootemup games and he wants to see some, this is NOT the one I'd show him. The lame dialogue would be the equivalent of telling him I'm into anime and picking Sailor Moon as the example to show him.

You could always turn off the cutscenes.

jiji · Post by **jiji** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 8:38 pm

Skyline wrote:You could always turn off the cutscenes.

Indeed, this is why Demo is switched to OFF each time I play. You won't find a Babelfish translation acted out loud with such conviction anywhere else, though.

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 8:41 pm

"I like girls! But now is the time for justice!"

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 9:13 pm

XS games won't be getting my money. Not now, not ever. So much for their promises. BASTARDS!

Can't do one single damned game port right? GRRR!

LoneSage · Post by **LoneSage** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 10:53 pm

Specineff wrote:XS games won't be getting my money. Not now, not ever. So much for their promises. BASTARDS!

Can't do one single damned game port right? GRRR!

Haha, shit I'm just grateful we got the game. XS means good, they're just a low-budget studio. I guess I might as well say that I didn't mind MLF1+2 either; unless their name was Working Designs, I wouldn't expect XS to translate all that crap.

Though I do admit that Ash=Jason Last and Valnus=MILF is something I'm not fly with. Pretty disgraceful.

Blue Lander · Post by **Blue Lander** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 10:55 pm

I'd rather pay 10 dollars for a shmup port with a bad translation than 60 dollars for a Japanese shmup in a language I can't understand. I hope XS keeps doing what they're doing!

TWITCHDOCTOR · Post by **TWITCHDOCTOR** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 11:21 am

Personally, I think the game rolls along better with the "Demo's" turned off.
The dialog sucks, and it upsets the flow of the gameplay too much.
The game Rocks without it!

Minzoku · Post by **Minzoku** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 12:19 pm

LoneSage wrote:Haha, shit I'm just grateful we got the game. XS means good, they're just a low-budget studio. I guess I might as well say that I didn't mind MLF1+2 either; unless their name was Working Designs, I wouldn't expect XS to translate all that crap.

Yes, they at least attempted. I'm more mad that Sony wouldn't LET them leave in the original Japanese dialogue for the cut scenes, even as an option

pixeljunkie · Post by **pixeljunkie** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:36 pm

could be MUCH worse....could be Mobile Light Force 3! So stop bitching, they did a good thing, they brought the game to the U.S. and even attempted to translate the cut-scenes...and at a value price as well!!! There is ZERO to bitch about with this title....only praise that we got a domestic release in a SOMEWHAT pure form [original dialog excluded...at least the in-game dialogue is kept].

EvilAkito · Post by **EvilAkito** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 4:56 am

I actually liked the dialogue in Castle Shikigami 2. You guys need to get a sense of humor. Everything is so out of context that it makes no sense at all, and that's what makes it funny. Afterall, would Zero Wing have gotten so much attention had it not been for its bad translation?

Of course, if you're interested in the story, then I guess the poor translation would be a bad thing. But look on the bright side: at least they didn't cut the story scenes out completely like in the Mobile Light Force games.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 5:36 am

"I'd rather pay 10 dollars for a shmup port with a bad translation than 60 dollars for a Japanese shmup in a language I can't understand. I hope XS keeps doing what they're doing!"

My feelings exactly. I don't buy shmups for the voice-acting or the cover art. Even with Mobile Light Force 2, the gameplay was left entirely untouched, save for the lack of a true Tate mode. And even without that, you can still see the same amount of enemies-I know because I've watched replays of Shiki 1, and it those probably were in Tate mode. And so what if they put freakin' Charlie's Angles on the front?! I'm playing the game DISC, not the cover of it's case.

As far as I'm concerned, if XS games gives us the full game, then regardless of any silly cover art or bad voice acting, they have not done us wrong.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 5:41 am

dave4shmups wrote:"I'd rather pay 10 dollars for a shmup port with a bad translation than 60 dollars for a Japanese shmup in a language I can't understand. I hope XS keeps doing what they're doing!"

My feelings exactly. I don't buy shmups for the voice-acting or the cover art. Even with Mobile Light Force 2, the gameplay was left entirely untouched, save for the lack of a true Tate mode. And even without that, you can still see the same amount of enemies-I know because I've watched replays of Shiki 1, and it those probably were in Tate mode. And so what if they put freakin' Charlie's Angles on the front?! I'm playing the game DISC, not the cover of it's case.

As far as I'm concerned, if XS games gives us the full game, then regardless of any silly cover art or bad voice acting, they have not done us wrong.

XS didn't quite give us the full game with Sol Divide. I did get Mobile Light Force for cheap and I'm glad I own it, though. It's not going to stop me from getting the Saturn Gunbird, but the PSX version is still a good port IMO.

Nemo · Post by **Nemo** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 6:44 am

Ugh, some people have no integrity. You'll take a bastardized version of a great game if it means you can save $30. Maybe it's just me, but I have principles, and I much rather give my money to the original developer and publisher or even an importer over Xs. And that doesn't mean a company like Xs has to do an immaculate port, but don't demean my intelligence with some half-ass piece of isht. These are shmups not "Barney's Touch and Run Playhouse", respect the art or don't bother.

Post by **Ghegs** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:11 am

I'd love to read the original story in Shiki 2. It's probabaly basic, cliched anime plot with paper-thin characters but damnit, I want it anyway.

visuatrox · Post by **visuatrox** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:22 am

Blue Lander wrote:I'd rather pay 10 dollars for a shmup port with a bad translation than 60 dollars for a Japanese shmup in a language I can't understand. I hope XS keeps doing what they're doing!

Personally I would rather pay 60 dollars and try to learn Japanese. I prefer not understanding than playing a translation full of cheese.

Minzoku · Post by **Minzoku** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:24 am

Nemo wrote:Ugh, some people have no integrity. You'll take a bastardized version of a great game if it means you can save $30. Maybe it's just me, but I have principles, and I much rather give my money to the original developer and publisher or even an importer over Xs. And that doesn't mean a company like Xs has to do an immaculate port, but don't demean my intelligence with some half-ass piece of isht. These are shmups not "Barney's Touch and Run Playhouse", respect the art or don't bother.

Well, I'd certainly like to hear their reasons for XS doing what they did, doing a sloppy job and selling the game for $10 new instead of putting in a little more effort and selling it for maybe $20, but I nevertheless like to support ALL versions of something I like where I can. I expect as CS2 was a budget port, they didn't have the time/resources to do better than they did, but that they took the steps of 1. NOT making it MLF3, 2. including the tate modes, and 3. using the original artwork says a lot. Not supporting that is like sending them a message that even their extra effort was a waste of time--that there's no interest in the games, period, rather than the games aren't good enough.

Of course, I'm more an artist than a shmupper [though still casual at both], so I tend to be more forgiving toward creators than fans... being a good fan is easy, being a good creator is painful.

Ghegs wrote:I'd love to read the original story in Shiki 2. It's probabaly basic, cliched anime plot with paper-thin characters but damnit, I want it anyway.

I've been thinking about translating it on my own, but it'll take me forever

especially since there's no furigana and my listening skills are poor even in English

though, with the SNS2 Appreciate DVD, it may be easier to do that than unlock all of the story in CS2

Post by **Ghegs** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:06 am

Minzoku wrote:
Ghegs wrote:I'd love to read the original story in Shiki 2. It's probabaly basic, cliched anime plot with paper-thin characters but damnit, I want it anyway.
I've been thinking about translating it on my own, but it'll take me forever especially since there's no furigana and my listening skills are poor even in English though, with the SNS2 Appreciate DVD, it may be easier to do that than unlock all of the story in CS2

If you do translate it, I'll be your friend forever.

(What an incentive, eh?

)

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 11:25 am

I'm starting to wonder if XS named the other two games "MLF" because it could catch the corner of a casual gamer's eye and look like "MILF" for a second...

OMG. And I thought Microsoft was evil.

I dread to think what it would have been of other shmups if XS had touched them. Einhander with their voice acting... *shudders*

[Elitist Whore] I don't see how bastardizing the game like that can qualify as an effort. [/whore] Maybe I just need to hit the bed.

Minzoku · Post by **Minzoku** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 12:29 pm

See, Spec, I would give them one of those "Most Improved Student" awards, like the "I can dress myself" awards they sell at Michael's

Ghegs, okay, you sold me

but now it means I'm torn between the Gradius board game translation and this

kong · Post by **kong** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 2:24 pm

I can't believe people are whining about the translation in a shmup. XS doesn't have the cash to do a AAA translation with voice acting. They would lose a ton of money. Good lord Capcom has tons of cash and the Resident Evil series has god awful dialog and voice acting. Bad dialog and voice overs are the rule in video games not the exception. They should have went the Rockstar games route: hire Samuel Jackson and just have n bombs every other word.

SoA forced them to translate and dub the port and personally I think they did an excellent job with the NA release of Shiki 2. If you are want to read a good story then pick up a Joe R. Lansdale novel not a shmup.