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Policenauts; one of the best fan translations ever put to a game...but whats your fav Gaf?

VGEsoterica

Member
Fan translations are always a fun time....passionate fans put work into bringing one of their favorite games to a wider audience by translation the game into English and then modding that translation into the game itself. Its a double heavy duty lift...a full manual translation and then modding on top of that. The best translators manage to get the story intent across while also translation the literal text into conversational English with references we will all understand.

Policenauts may be the best example of this kind of work. A game long known for being one of Kojima's best works...and a game locked behind the Japanese text wall. Sure we got Snatcher in English but the Saturn planned version of Policenauts in English was cancelled before it ever had a chance to get finished.

and thats why I love fan translations; without this Policenauts would still just be some obscure game that gets mentioned but not many people in the retro gaming community would be able to enjoy it

but Gaf...what are your fav fan translations? I expect to hear a lot of Mother 3 but what else you got?

 

_Ex_

Member
There are so many high quality fan translations, it's quite difficult to nail down just one as my absolute favorite.

But going by my avatar, I guess I'll side with the fan translation of the original King's Field:


The original officially localized King's Field that we got in the west, was actually King's Field II. This translation is for the legitimate first KF that never left Japan (officially). For second place I would choose Shadow Tower: Abyss: https://www.romhacking.net/translations/2042/
 

VGEsoterica

Member
There are so many high quality fan translations, it's quite difficult to nail down just one as my absolute favorite.

But going by my avatar, I guess I'll side with the fan translation of the original King's Field:

[/URL]

The original officially localized King's Field that we got in the west, was actually King's Field II. This translation is for the legitimate first KF that never left Japan (officially). For second place I would choose Shadow Tower: Abyss: https://www.romhacking.net/translations/2042/
back in the day gaming numbers/sequels would confuse the hell out of everyone. Final Fantasy is notorious for this....they'd just give a game a totally different number in the west and skip entire entries
 
Maybe im not adding much to the topic but i think it was 3 years ago I first played Policenauts and Snatcher. Not a Kojima fanboy but damn are the games playable and fun to this day. Only after I found out about the whole translation...Saturn got the fan translation right?
 

Kupfer

Member
Because I have already asked a few weeks ago, but did not get a sufficient answer and the topic fits approximately, I would like to ask again here :

Now, in 2022. I want to catch up with Snatcher and have, with the Steam Deck, the perfect device to play this classic. I started playing the Sega CD version of the game but unfortunately, as a weeb and non-native English speaker, I don't find the English voice acting that great and would like to play Snatcher with Japanese voice acting and English subtitles.

Does anyone know if there is a rom hack that will allow me to do this?

So preferably the uncensored version, japan-dub, english-sub.

System almost doesn't matter to me.

Maybe one or the other knows more in this thread?
 
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KOMANI

KOMANI
one thing about Policnaut's localization. It's a minor note. Kojima voices a guard, but in the Saturn fan-translation, they translated his, "it's not over yet!" to "surprise, asshole!".
 

VGEsoterica

Member
Because I have already asked a few weeks ago, but did not get a sufficient answer and the topic fits approximately, I would like to ask again here :



Maybe one or the other knows more in this thread?
To my knowledge no...there is no "undubbed" edition. If you are looking for english text / japanese voice mods in the future just look for "undubbed editions"
 

KOMANI

KOMANI
Because I have already asked a few weeks ago, but did not get a sufficient answer and the topic fits approximately, I would like to ask again here :



Maybe one or the other knows more in this thread?
the only uncensored, japanese versions are the PC Engine version (which is the only uncensored version with voice acting) and the PC88 and MSX versions. You could try playing the MSX version with the fan translation. Deltasoft recently modded the Sega/Mega CD's act 3 into the MSX game since it wasn't released with act 3. No voice acting, but english text. Snatcher's English dub is pretty good, I would stick with it. https://deltasoft.baccarahoeve.nl/
 

VGEsoterica

Member
the only uncensored, japanese versions are the PC Engine version (which is the only uncensored version with voice acting) and the PC88 and MSX versions. You could try playing the MSX version with the fan translation. Deltasoft recently modded the Sega/Mega CD's act 3 into the MSX game since it wasn't released with act 3. No voice acting, but english text. Snatcher's English dub is pretty good, I would stick with it. https://deltasoft.baccarahoeve.nl/
it really could use a Master version. Uncensored, japanese voice acting, english text
 

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
I've only played one fan translation, and it was Final Fantasy XII: Zodiac Age for PS2. They barely had to add anything on top of the original script, so it was good I guess.
 

Vandole

Member
Seiken Densetsu 3/Secret of Mana 2 was always my go-to answer for about 20 years until we finally got an official translation with Trials of Mana. And really, that translation wasn't particularly good, but it was done so long ago that the people behind it still deserve credit for the work.

Dark Half for SFC on the other hand is a pretty spectacular translation. The game itself is good, but they did a great job with the translation and really getting a dark story across. Top notch job.
 

Kupfer

Member
the only uncensored, japanese versions are the PC Engine version (which is the only uncensored version with voice acting) and the PC88 and MSX versions. You could try playing the MSX version with the fan translation. Deltasoft recently modded the Sega/Mega CD's act 3 into the MSX game since it wasn't released with act 3. No voice acting, but english text. Snatcher's English dub is pretty good, I would stick with it. https://deltasoft.baccarahoeve.nl/
Thanks for clearing things up.
So there is no "perfect" Snatcher version for me. Either I play 1) a cut version with english voice acting, without subs, so I run the risk of not understanding everything and having no adult jokes/contents or 2) the uncut version without voice acting, but with fansub and act 3 modded into it on the MSX.
Will have a look at option 2, I hope it's not too difficult to get things running.
it really could use a Master version. Uncensored, japanese voice acting, english text
Would be a dream.
 
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VGEsoterica

Member
Thanks for clearing things up.
So there is no "perfect" Snatcher version for me. Either I play 1) a cut version with english voice acting, without subs, so I run the risk of not understanding everything and having no adult jokes/contents or 2) the uncut version without voice acting, but with fansub and act 3 modded into it on the MSX.
Will have a look at option 2, I hope it's not too difficult to get things running.

Would be a dream.
MSX / PC88 emulation are not hard thankfully
 

KOMANI

KOMANI
Thanks for clearing things up.
So there is no "perfect" Snatcher version for me. Either I play 1) a cut version with english voice acting, without subs, so I run the risk of not understanding everything and having no adult jokes/contents or 2) the uncut version without voice acting, but with fansub and act 3 modded into it on the MSX.
Will have a look at option 2, I hope it's not too difficult to get things running.

Would be a dream.
you see one less tit, a character's age is changed, and a butt is covered is the extent of the adult censorship on the Sega CD version. There's an instance where it's more graphic than other versions (including its Japanese release). Up to you, but it's considered one of the best versions of Snatcher.
 

Kupfer

Member
you see one less tit, a character's age is changed, and a butt is covered is the extent of the adult censorship on the Sega CD version. There's an instance where it's more graphic than other versions (including its Japanese release). Up to you, but it's considered one of the best versions of Snatcher.
Even though I have the opinion nobody should have to give up even on a single tit and the smallest piece of uncovered butt, the changes actually don't sound too drastic.
 
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SirTerry-T

Member
Maybe im not adding much to the topic but i think it was 3 years ago I first played Policenauts and Snatcher. Not a Kojima fanboy but damn are the games playable and fun to this day. Only after I found out about the whole translation...Saturn got the fan translation right?
Not sure, I do know that the Saturn version is considered the one to play though, due to the light gun support and some extras...Junker HQ is the site to browse for all info regarding Kojima's best work ;)

Junker HQ
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
I have long been an voracious consumer of fan translations going all the way back to RPGe's Final Fantasy V translation. I am even working on a game translation project myself right now.

Some other favorites:

Seiken Densetsu 3 -- This one was a landmark achievement and a technical masterpiece at the time. A lot of what it does has become standard since but it really set the high water mark.

Tales of Phantasia -- This game has gotten many translations but the first one by DeJap introduced me to one of my favorite series and the Phantasia Productions one is the definitive version to me and one of the first big 32 bit RPG translations.

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake -- After only playing the NES MG titles (and later ones), seeing what this series accomplished in the 8 bit era was pretty revelatory.

Sakura Taisen -- I had played these games the hard way with hundreds of pages of printed translations but going back and enjoying it the way it was meant to was really a joy. I hope they do the same for later games in the series. The size and quality of this translation is incredible too.

Tales of Destiny Remake: Director's Cut -- A massive undertaking translating this PS2 game and it really is a tremendous job, even in its present beta form.
 

VGEsoterica

Member
I have long been an voracious consumer of fan translations going all the way back to RPGe's Final Fantasy V translation. I am even working on a game translation project myself right now.

Some other favorites:

Seiken Densetsu 3 -- This one was a landmark achievement and a technical masterpiece at the time. A lot of what it does has become standard since but it really set the high water mark.

Tales of Phantasia -- This game has gotten many translations but the first one by DeJap introduced me to one of my favorite series and the Phantasia Productions one is the definitive version to me and one of the first big 32 bit RPG translations.

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake -- After only playing the NES MG titles (and later ones), seeing what this series accomplished in the 8 bit era was pretty revelatory.

Sakura Taisen -- I had played these games the hard way with hundreds of pages of printed translations but going back and enjoying it the way it was meant to was really a joy. I hope they do the same for later games in the series. The size and quality of this translation is incredible too.

Tales of Destiny Remake: Director's Cut -- A massive undertaking translating this PS2 game and it really is a tremendous job, even in its present beta form.
all games that were on my short list for this series but didn't make it! lol
 
Planet Laika is definitely up there. I think everyone needs to play that game at least one time, full stop. It's a pretty neat experimental-style game with some great insight into mental health (before it became "cool" for games to touch on mental health many years later).

The translations for Shining Force III Scenarios 2 and 3 will likely be among my favorites once I get around to them. Lodoss tou-Senki (SFC) is one I enjoyed given I'm a big fan of the anime/OVA series, too.

But speaking of Policenauts, I still need to play it sometime. I tried the fan translated PS1 version but it kept locking up at a very early part. I'll try the Saturn version next time instead. Now if more companies considered doing or releasing fan translations as official releases even on limited order, I would consider buying a few of them depending on the games in question. But it seems like no one's interested in doing that.
 

Bakkus

Member
No mention of Mother 3 yet? The hell. That's one incredible fan translation done by one guy in just two years.
 

PhaseJump

Banned
No mention of Mother 3 yet? The hell. That's one incredible fan translation done by one guy in just two years.

Literally, in the OP.


HswrCG4.gif
 
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Porcile

Member
Mother 3 was worked on by a whole team of people, not one guy. Translation, especially from Japanese to English, isn't just opening up Notepad and changing everything to English. Mother 3 was a particularly challenging project and required a bunch of hacking to get working as far as I know.

I think my first experience with fan translation was when I wanted to give the Dragon Quest games a go, but I wanted to the play the Super Famicom versions instead of the NES games which did have English translations.
 
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STARSBarry

Gold Member


Game got a translation by NISA which proceeded to uttely butcher the entire thing. Fans stepped in to recreate what was lost, including restoring all the voiced Japanese lines which where removed to fit the comically bad English dub onto the disc.
 

kurisu_1974

is on perm warning for being a low level troll
Can't wait to get started on this recently released one

oCwhmDs.jpg


Have been wanting to play this since I first heard about it in the PSX days.

Also, a bit more obscure

king_kong_2_-_engels.rom_0001.png


I'm a huge fan of the games Konami did for the MSX, and this is one of the few I haven't played and / or finished. It's an action RPG very different from the King Kong 2 game they did for the NES even if it had the same cover art.
 
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Not sure, I do know that the Saturn version is considered the one to play though, due to the light gun support and some extras...Junker HQ is the site to browse for all info regarding Kojima's best work ;)

Junker HQ

The Sega Saturn version is the final console port of the game and was developed as the definitive version, with a lot of extra content and tweaks here and there, but it's not definitive by a HUGE amount; you can't go wrong either way. The fan translation is fantastic though, a lot of love and effort was poured into making it.

Some notable games shared between platforms at the time had the definitive version on the Sega Saturn, but in most cases never saw release outside Japan. I'm really glad dedicated communities have picked up interest in translating them, there have been some outstanding work done in the last couple of years. Like for example, Densetsu no Ogre Battle/Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen and Vandal Hearts: Ushinawareta Kodai Bunmei. Two relatively popular games on the original Playstation that were localized on said platform, but not on the Saturn. The Saturn versions have many exclusive enhancements and improvements making them definitive by a landslide, and were recently patched up by communities to english, with fantastic translations.
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Oh, and Near's Bahamut Lagoon translation is a masterpiece. The game itself is not my favorite but the hacking and localization is phenomenal.
 

Pantz

Gold Member
Final Fantasy V back in the day.

Got Racing Lagoon in my queue as well. Not played it, but the soundtrack is amazing.

Would like to get to Valkyria Chronicles 2 & 3 one day too.
 
I've been playing a whole lot of these on a CRT lately, so apologies for the long post.

Some favs:

Sakura Wars (Saturn) - one of those games I read about for years and years in magazines, so it was super exciting to actually be able to play it in English. And fortunately, it was actually really good! Great translation too.

Metal Slader Glory (NES) - this game is cool as shit. Reminds me of Snatcher in that it is a tight, linear, fairly short plot - but fantastic. Art is also incredible, hard to believe they pulled this off on an NES.

Galaxy Fraulein Yuna (TG16) - basically an anime movie in the form of a lightly interactive VN. That said, the art looks phenomenal on a CRT, and while the plot is pure anime cheese it doesn't pretend to be anything but that, and is genuinely funny and entertaining at times. There is a sequel which is more of the same.

Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind (SNES) - short, interesting plot. Had a gag that legitimately made me burst into laughter when it happened.

Other interesting but maybe not great games:

The Adventures of Hourai High (SNES) - I never played Earthbound, but I get the sense this is trying to be an Earthbound clone. The RPG part is pretty generic but the story is lighthearted and fun and short enough that it was worth playing through, though by no means was a great game.

Treasure Hunter G (SNES) - super, super, super interesting battle mechanics. Kind of wish they polished it up and used it again because there is so much potential there. Unfortunately the rest of the game was fairly average.

Racing Lagoon (PSX) - Not a great game, but the style and mood this game gives off needs to be experienced by everyone. So damn slick and 90s it is unreal. The translation is phenomenal and fits the style the game is going for perfectly.

Yumimi Mix Remix (Saturn) - like Galaxy Fraulein Yuna, a super short (2 hours?), super linear, super anime story. Kind of entertaining and great art, but that is about it.

On deck:

The Portopia Serial Murder Case (NES)
Planet Laika (PSX)
Tokimeki Memorial (SNES) - thrilled this has finally been translated, shame it wasn't the PSX version though
Dr. Slump (PSX)
Gensō Suikogaiden Volume 1 and 2 (PSX)
Sweet Home (NES)
Oishinbo (NES) - this looked hilarious from when Arino played it
Bahamut Lagoon (SNES)
Aconcagua (PSX) - being translated right now by the guy that did Racing Lagoon so I am extremely excited for it

Anyway, I think the point I'm trying to make is that there is a TON of good translated stuff out there, and not just the usual suspects that everyone automatically jumps to like Policenauts or Mother. Though Policenauts is absolutely amazing and I should probably play through it again soon.
 

Davevil

Member
Final Fantasy Tactics translation in italian for PSP : the Sadnes team make a wonderful job include also the patch for the slowdown
 

SF Kosmo

Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Would like to get to Valkyria Chronicles 2 & 3 one day too.
I think VC3 has a "mostly" complete translation.

Segagaga is at the top of my wish list.

But it's a huge effort. I am currently working on a fan translation project for an old early 2000s game and it's has tens of thousands of lines of dialogue. And Japanese is such a weird language to translate from it almost feels like having to write from scratch at times. It takes months or years of work for these groups.
 
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