Importing PSU?

[WorldAtWar]

I have been considering Importing when it first hits shelves, anyway...

1)Is it possible to have Sega Direct ship to the US?
2)Will the JP version have an English language setting?
3)What is needed to make my PS2 play japanese games?
4)Where are a few good places to Pre-Order?

I am just considering my options, hope someone can help....

Thanks Guys!

[Blitzkommando]

1)Is it possible to have Sega Direct ship to the US?
No.
2)Will the JP version have an English language setting?
Unknown.
3)What is needed to make my PS2 play japanese games?
Voiding the warranty via installation of a mod chip. Unless there is a Freeloader type device for PS2 that I don't know about.

[ColonD]

Oh god, PS2 playing japan games.
Well, some people fork out money to make the PS2 somehow read japanese games.
But it my house, we hoard money.
So the other way?
You take the little cover of the CD slidy part. Put in a game boot disk. And when it says 'please insert disk' You go in there with a butterknife(Or some tool of sorts, my brother uses a butterknife), and remove this pin , so you can, and you do, manually slide out the Game Disk holder thing, which you previously removed the front cover part of. Put the JP game in place of the boot disk. Slide it back. Replace the pin.
Pray.
Actually, I'm sure if you looked on the internet, you'll find more information.
And maybe when PSU comes up. (And undeniably gets imported by a butterknive weilding Otaku. ^_^) The internet will say what kinda boot disk to use.


No I do not advise using my advice.

[WorldAtWar]

*LAUGHS*

Does that butterknife trick really work? Thats nuts!

I was just hoping someone here would have some idea. I guess it is just too soon to tell...

[Sinue_v2]

I don't like that trick, since the PS2 is composed of flimsy enough components as it is - sticking semi-sharp objects inside and forcing the disk-tray out doesn't seem like a good idea.

I bought a flip-top lid a few years ago to play the Phantasy Star remakes, and it seems to me to be the much safer route.

[ColonD]

A butterknive isn't sharp. >.>
And I think there have been some actual tools made for that.
But, if you aren't very careful (or at least don't think you are.) The other method is always an option.


... I don't think Ps2 is THAT fragile! But whatever. It hasn't broken on us. And my brother is careful and takes care of his game systems.

[DarK-SuN]

In other words, the "Swap Magic" method is the best.
Modchips don't always let you go online (you get blocked off by the Sony DNAS, an online authentication system), so the "Swap Magic" method is the best way since you can still go online with your imports (but not with backups since the disk itself fails the DNAS test, so don't even think about taking PSU backups online).

As you probably guessed, I use the Swap Magic method to play imports (online and offline); works flawlessly, at least for me.

[Zelutos]

nope nope. going to wait for the english version.

[PhruitBaskit]

Yeah, I think it's worth the wait to play PSU in a language that you can understand...

[DarK-SuN]

Which we might with the import, in case they're nice enough to have PSU return to the old PSO roots of having every language included, no matter the game's region.

[_Tek_]

So if I have a pstwo, all I need is a swap disc? Is it like a bootloader disc that loads and asks for disc insert?

Like the way the codebreaker disc works?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: _Tek_ on 2005-11-27 17:13 ]</font>

[DamonKatu]

its like other multi disk game (like The matrix online and other mmogs for instance).You instal the game basiclly but it will ask you to insurt the other disk one by one. that what I beleave that disk system is.

[PhruitBaskit]

On 2005-11-27 17:01, DarK-SuN wrote:
Which we might with the import, in case they're nice enough to have PSU return to the old PSO roots of having every language included, no matter the game's region.


Well if PSU did have that nice 'every-language' option then I don't think that ST would have given us seperate release dates for the US and Japan...

[Nash]

On 2005-11-28 10:18, PhruitBaskit wrote:
Well if PSU did have that nice 'every-language' option then I don't think that ST would have given us seperate release dates for the US and Japan...



DC and GC versions of PSO had every language included but still came out later in the US.

The videos showing cut-scenes in Japanese with English subtitles, and the game running with English captions and weapon-names does suggest it may be one version.

With an online game, a staggered release makes sense to avoid too much strain on the servers.

[OdinTyler]

I dont know why this topic is really even being discussed. If youre going to be that impatient to play a game that you cant read a word of, whats the point? Its not like you can really enjoy the game without reading. We've wondered for months now what the JP release date is. We know it, so the US date HOPEFULLY isnt too far behind. Yes, it sucks to wait, but, the wait is worth it to get the most out of it. Unless youve got tons of money lying around, it doesnt make sense to get different versions of LITERALLY the same game.

Yoda: Teach him, I cannot. The boy has no patience.
Obi-Wan: He will learn patience.

...we can only hope...

[Nash]

If Japanese PSU has an English option like PSO games have had in the past then there's every reason to import it.

[OdinTyler]

Every info release we've seen from ST is strictly in Japanese. I dont have much confidence in there being a multi-lingual release. Especially in an RPG is it important to be able to read your way through. Ive tried the language option in PSO & honestly, it didnt get me anywhere. Maybe I was doing something wrong, but, I didnt see myself typing in another language nor did I see anything I could read in said language.

[Nash]

PSO, V2.0 and Episode I&II were all multi-lingual. You went into options on the title screen, selected your language and everything from menus to in-game text changed to English. All the quests, cut-scenes, item and enemy names, everything was readable.

The PSU trailer shown at the PlayStation Meeting in Japan showed a cut-scene in Japanese with English subtitles. Also the gameplay clips have shown a mixture of Japanese onscreen captions and English ones. It does suggest all the translation work has already been done and there might be a single multi-lingual version like the original PSO.

[Parn]

It's likely that the Japanese release will not have an English voice track due to space limitations. It is also likely that the game has multi-language support, given that nearly every Sonic Team release has it, added to the fact that Miyoshi stated that word select is making a return from the interview at Kikizo. That tells me they intend to bridge the servers.

[GaijinPUnch]

That tells me they intend to bridge the servers.

I'm still 50/50 on the bridged servers. He did say that, but some people use word select w/ people speaking the same language. It can go either way. I guess we'll find when the US version is out.

[DarK-SuN]

Couldn't care less about the English voice track, I just want English text; I prefer Japanese voices.

[Sharkyland]

<- has a JP PS2 (was a Nippon Ichi fan starting with Angel's Present, yay 16 character RPG parties XD)... my theory, I will test out the game in Japanese and get used to the controls and when the US version comes out, then I will play it online then.

[PhruitBaskit]

Nash: I highly doubt that PSU will be a multi-lingual game. If it was going to have Japanese voices and English subtitles, then what would ST need more time for the English release date? They would be the same game! (Staggered release dates?) I'm sure that the release dates would be the same if it was a multi-lingual game. I would rather wait and get an English version of the game (cuz I don't think [and hope we don't] we'll have JP voices with subtitles. As long as I have to wait anyways...

[Nocturnal316]

most of the people who are being ignorant to the multi-lan thing saying it doesnt help or nothing was translated are most likly the people who never play a pso in thier life

to the question why sega has to create a NA version to PSU simple if to many people import PSU to many foreign ips will connect to the JP servers causing lag so they need time to get servers up in NA another reason why they need more time licensing reason

[_Tek_]

On 2005-11-28 12:04, OdinTyler wrote:
Yoda: Teach him, I cannot. The boy has no patience.
Obi-Wan: He will learn patience.

Tek: Or he could learn Japanese.

[Nash]

Phruit: As said before, PSO was multi-lingual in the past and still released later in the US and Europe. You could play the Japanese versions of PSO, V2.0 and Episode I&II in complete English (or any other language for that matter) months before the US/European releases.

If the different regions are linked again in PSU (which as Parn points out is likely because of word-select returning) it would make sense to stagger the release dates to stop too much demand being put on the servers. Trying to launch an online game in Japan and the US at the same time would be asking for trouble.

In the past they've also used a delay between the Japanese and US releases to fix bugs and close any loopholes found after people start playing the game in Japan (such as the infamous Episode I&II duping bug on GC).

Sonic Team's other games like Puyo Puyo detect the language setting on your PS2 and change accordingly, even the audio tracks go from Japanese to English. PSU might be too big a game for them to include multiple audio-tracks, but I'm quite hopeful that the Japanese version will be like PSO and we will still be able to play it with English text and subtitles (like we've seen in the trailers). If they are aiming for international play again, it is highly likely they've built in multiple language support as that is the easiest way to go about developing it.

I don't mind possibly missing out on an English audio track by getting the Japanese version as I prefer watching anime with subtitles anyway.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Nash on 2005-11-28 18:09 ]</font>

[GaijinPUnch]

PSU to many foreign ips will connect to the JP servers causing lag so they need time to get servers up in NA another reason why they need more time licensing reason

Besides no punctuation, there's a lot wrong w/ that sentence...basically the lag issue. That's not an issue at all. PSO/U is no different from any other region-protected game, and the reasons for region protecting it are the exact same as the millions of other games.


If the different regions are linked again in PSU (which as Parn points out is likely because of word-select returning)

The only thing that makes me wonder is that we've seen pictures of characters that have kana in their names... a feature only found on BB -- the only PSO to have region-seperated servers. I'm 50/50... we'll find out in a few months I guess.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: GaijinPUnch on 2005-11-28 22:40 ]</font>

[DarK-SuN]

For those who don't know: Sony of America has a clause in their game release agreement which states that ANY game released in the US MUST have an english voice track in case the original was Japanese only.

It's one reason why Sonic Team can't just release PSU worldwide with Japanese voices and English subtitles.
Even if the Japanese version has English subtitles to help with the Japanese voice overs, the US version WILL have English voice overs due to this little "law" but most likely not have Japanese voice overs as an option.
It's one reason why I'm really intent on importing it (PC version mind you), so that I can have the damn Japanese voice overs.

Eventually I'll get the US/EU version as well (PC again, maybe PS2 as well in case the account can really be shared and there's connectivity between both platforms) to play online (in case there's no regional connection or no english subs for the Japanese version) and to try a little "mixup" of the Japanese voice files over the English voice files , so that I can have a Japanese speaking version with English subs (again, only if the JP version has no english option for subs).

[PhruitBaskit]

Nash: All right, all right, point taken. I guess staggered release dates make sense. I would just rather have the English voice overs since we'll be waiting anyways...But whatever Dark Sun said about that Sony America agreement, it sounds like we won't get subtitles. And I've got to admit that I wouldn't mind JP voices with subtitles, I was just being stubborn http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif