The first time I heard about the term "mind games" was when I started getting into competitive Pokémon battles online. I first heard of this "technique" when it tied itself with predicting your opponent's choices during a match. Will he switch out? Will he use Protect? Does he have a hidden immunity I don't know about? These types of questions were always popping up during an intense match. So much so that if you tricked your opponent by successfully predicting his actions, you had initiated a mind game.
When playing a fighting game like Melee, mind games can vary in flavor. A common type of mind game involves predicting where your opponent will land or dodge. You might be falling from above leaning to the right, so your opponent thinks you will land on the right side and does a forward smash attack in that direction. But at the last second you moved your character to the left and started attacking him instead.
A mind game can easily be describes as playing with your opponent's head to your advantage. It exists in any team activity outside the gaming world as well. Sports involve mind games all the time, and yet they call them "psyche outs" or simply an act of "deception." But a mind game can be far more hurtful than that.
I personally like the potential mind games can have on your opponent's psychological health during a match. I mean, if you're playing with someone, why not play with their heads too?
Doing a fighter stance in the middle of a combo or purposefully jumping off the ledge and recovering back and forth can really put a strain on your opponent's fighting self-esteem and overall gaming ability. Two of the best, if not meanest, examples of playing with your opponent involve deception. Simply losing a stock on purpose or going easy on your opponent in the beginning of a match only to brutalize him later on can cause vast amounts of annoyance and even irritation. It makes your opponent think subconsciously that he has the upper hand in the match, and yet you know that it's just a deceptive ploy. After all, when playing a game or doing something that requires quick reflexes, focus plays a pivotal part in your performance. If your opponent is too busy stressing out about your distractions, he might lose.
On the other hand, if you're too busy performing mindless mind games, you might get hit.
When playing a fighting game like Melee, mind games can vary in flavor. A common type of mind game involves predicting where your opponent will land or dodge. You might be falling from above leaning to the right, so your opponent thinks you will land on the right side and does a forward smash attack in that direction. But at the last second you moved your character to the left and started attacking him instead.
A mind game can easily be describes as playing with your opponent's head to your advantage. It exists in any team activity outside the gaming world as well. Sports involve mind games all the time, and yet they call them "psyche outs" or simply an act of "deception." But a mind game can be far more hurtful than that.
I personally like the potential mind games can have on your opponent's psychological health during a match. I mean, if you're playing with someone, why not play with their heads too?
Doing a fighter stance in the middle of a combo or purposefully jumping off the ledge and recovering back and forth can really put a strain on your opponent's fighting self-esteem and overall gaming ability. Two of the best, if not meanest, examples of playing with your opponent involve deception. Simply losing a stock on purpose or going easy on your opponent in the beginning of a match only to brutalize him later on can cause vast amounts of annoyance and even irritation. It makes your opponent think subconsciously that he has the upper hand in the match, and yet you know that it's just a deceptive ploy. After all, when playing a game or doing something that requires quick reflexes, focus plays a pivotal part in your performance. If your opponent is too busy stressing out about your distractions, he might lose.
On the other hand, if you're too busy performing mindless mind games, you might get hit.
Labels: games, lexicon, smash bros
The best thing about a handheld console such as a DS Lite is its mobility. You can play with it anywhere you want and anytime you want (that is, if it has battery life remaining.) You can play games with it in any location and still have the grand feeling of playing a great game and experiencing something unique.
Another perk in owning a handheld console, is the ability to customize it and make it your own.
Let’s face it. If you are carrying a game system in your bag or purse with you all the time, you’ll want to take care of it to prolong its life and also your gaming experience. This is why carrying cases, accessories, and fun little add-ons exist for consoles such as the DS Lite. Owners who take pride in their system will buy these useful accessories to protect their DS Lites. But, why just buy them for that reason alone?
A DS Lite is fun to look at. It’s small, shiny, and compact. Some people might even call it “cute.” Others might call it “sexy.” This is why it has so much potential to be personalized. Even choosing a color is part of this personalization process. All of this can vary on the type of person you are.
One group of people simply buy protective cases for the sole purpose of protecting their DS Lites. The color, brand, or look of these cases or shields has no importance in this person’s choice. Another group of people do care what their cases look like. They want their DS Lites to stand out or look a certain way, but do not go out of their way to spend so much money or time on changing their DS Lite’s appearance. For this group of people, appearance matters. Their cases must compliment their system’s color, or the feel of the case must be a certain texture. Overall for these people, the protective carrying case they buy is as important as the color of the DS they purchased.
The last two groups of people change their DS’s physical and cosmetic appearance to match their personality or mood. One portion of this group of people purchases decals, stickers, or color jackets for their DS Lites to make it give off a different attitude. A camouflage decal will make their DS look tough, while a pink Hello Kitty sticker will make it look cute.
The last group of people spends the time to actually change their system’s total look. These people know about modding their console. They purchase kits online that let them change parts of their console – the lids, screens, and buttons – to suit their style. Some opt for a translucent case mod for their DS, while others might buy a Game & Watch inspired case.
If you are one of these people in any group, you care for your DS Lite. You might not care so much about its aesthetic potential, and you might not even think of it as a fashion accessory, but someone out there does. This is why the DS Lite (without including its gaming potential) is so popular among all different types of demographics worldwide. Sure it can play great games and gives you mobile entertainment, but it’s so stylish too!
Weekend Games 11/23 - 11/25
0 Comments Published by Giancarlo on Friday, November 23, 2007 at 8:21 PM.
Despite me confronting the final boss and seeing the credits scroll by in Super Mario Galaxy, I still have quite a few more stars to collect - a lot more. Each time I begin a star mission, I get more good surprises so it's clear I'll be playing this game for a while.
A new game for me this weekend is Mario Party DS. I personally wasn't as thrilled about getting the game as some people simply because Mario Party games usually involve a lot of waiting and dialogue skipping, but I decided to give it a shot. It's actually pretty fun and the mini-games have a common theme since all the characters have been shrunk by Bowser. Each game uses different Nintendo DS control schemes such as dragging the stylus and blowing into the mic. Unlike Mario Party 8, the game seems to be less luck-oriented. We'll see how fun it gets.
A new game for me this weekend is Mario Party DS. I personally wasn't as thrilled about getting the game as some people simply because Mario Party games usually involve a lot of waiting and dialogue skipping, but I decided to give it a shot. It's actually pretty fun and the mini-games have a common theme since all the characters have been shrunk by Bowser. Each game uses different Nintendo DS control schemes such as dragging the stylus and blowing into the mic. Unlike Mario Party 8, the game seems to be less luck-oriented. We'll see how fun it gets.
Review: Super Mario Galaxy
1 Comments Published by Giancarlo on Thursday, November 22, 2007 at 11:24 PM.
Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach yet again, and this time, he has taken her deep into outer space. With the help of old and new friends such as the star beings known as Lumas, Mario travels from galaxy to galaxy collecting enough stars that will help him rescue Peach and turn Bowser's plans of galactic domination into space dust.
Galaxy is similar to SM64 in its game play aspect - collecting stars that open up new worlds for you to discover - but the comparisons can end there. Being on Nintendo's Wii, Galaxy gives you an entirely different gaming experience than what you were used to when playing SM64. For example, new collectible items, Star Bits, have multiple uses in the game. One of these being ammo for you to shoot with by aiming the Wii controller at the screen. The controls for Galaxy are very simple and yet this simplicity makes the game more about the experience than just playing a Mario game on the Wii. You move with the nunchuk's analog stick, jump with A, crouch with Z, and move the camera with the D-pad. Unlike before, Mario doesn't punch, but instead, he whirls around in the air to attack his enemies when you shake the controller. And yes, you still have Mario's old moves like his back flips, ground pound, and multiple jumps.
As soon as you begin playing, you'll realize what playing in space is all about. Each world, or galaxy, Mario travels to contains multiple star missions that range from platform puzzles to boss fights. Each galaxy is unique and each planet you land on has different gravitational fields. Planets range from actual orbs to platforms to other objects depending on the galaxy you're in. Most of the time, you'll land on planets that can be traversed on all sides leading you sometimes to walk upside down and even sideways. Other planets have normal gravity, meaning you can't walk off the edge and expect to walk to the other side. In these cases, you'll fall off the planet and into black holes leading to immediate death. Think of these black holes as Galaxy's answer to pitfalls in older Mario games. This is the only aspect in the game that might frustrate you at first since you'll have to adapt your controls to the gravity which may lead you to sometimes run around in circles until you figure which way is up. Also, because there is no sign indicating how the gravity is like on a planet (except in some cases,) you might think you can walk around a planet, but instead die as you walk off the edge.
Comparable to worlds in previous Mario games, each galaxy has a different theme. Some galaxies are grassy worlds, underwater labyrinths, fiery deserts, and even snow-capped mountains. You might enter a grassy galaxy and realize it's reminiscent of a SM64 world for example or land on a planet and realize you're on platforms that create the 2-D sprite of Mario. Whatever the galaxy, the graphic capabilities of the Wii are put to good use as worlds are rich and colorful. Sun rays reflect nicely off liquid substances, lava looks amazing in outer space, and even Bowser looks more scaly than usual. It's everything you'd expect from a Mario game but with richer detail.
Mario's galactic adventure is huge. With over 200 stars to collect in the game, each one with a different mission, there is a lot of variety and replay value in the game - even after you beat it. Some stars will have you doing mini-game type missions that will require you to change the way you hold your controller. Other star missions will force you to race against the clock and even yourself. Boss battles are fun and increasingly challenging. Overall the game's difficulty is nicely spread out and levels range from relaxingly fun to annoyingly difficult. Its great variety will leave even the more challenge-hungry gamers satisfied.
This article recently came to my attention. The picture posted is from the actual Corocoro Magazine website, the one the article alludes to and quotes from.
スマブラXに登場する全てのキャラクターは12月15日までに判明?
小学館の漫画雑誌「コロコロコミック」の公式サイトによりますと、
12月15日頃発売予定の「月刊コロコロコミック 1月号」にスマブラXこと『大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズX』の全てのキャラクターを解説するガイドブックが付属するとのことです。
このガイドブックは「大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズX オールキャラ大公開BOOK」というもので、具体的な内容には触れていないものの、「『スマブラX』の全キャラをバッチリ解説しきる充実の一冊!!」としています。
ここで挙げられている「全キャラ」が、隠しキャラクターを除いた参戦キャラクターか、それとも（参戦・アシスト問わず）本当に全てのキャラクターを網羅しているのかは不明ですが、本誌発売予定の12月15日が、キャラクター情報における一つの区切りの日となることは間違いなさそうです。
According to Shogakukan publication's "Corocoro Comics" official web site, the December 15 scheduled issue of "Monthly Corocoro" will include an explanatory guidebook for all the characters of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
This guidebook is said to be "a book that will reveal all Brawl characters to the public", and without touching much on concrete details, "will be a book that will perfectly and completely comment on all characters in Brawl".
What remains unclear is whether "all characters" really includes all the characters in Brawl or just the characters that are not hidden. What does remain clear is that December 15 will be a definitive day for information about these characters.
I left most parts as literal as possible; I did some parts loosely as well.
http://www.mother-jp.net/times/20071121.html
スマブラXに登場する全てのキャラクターは12月15日までに判明?
小学館の漫画雑誌「コロコロコミック」の公式サイトによりますと、
12月15日頃発売予定の「月刊コロコロコミック 1月号」にスマブラXこと『大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズX』の全てのキャラクターを解説するガイドブックが付属するとのことです。
このガイドブックは「大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズX オールキャラ大公開BOOK」というもので、具体的な内容には触れていないものの、「『スマブラX』の全キャラをバッチリ解説しきる充実の一冊!!」としています。
ここで挙げられている「全キャラ」が、隠しキャラクターを除いた参戦キャラクターか、それとも（参戦・アシスト問わず）本当に全てのキャラクターを網羅しているのかは不明ですが、本誌発売予定の12月15日が、キャラクター情報における一つの区切りの日となることは間違いなさそうです。
According to Shogakukan publication's "Corocoro Comics" official web site, the December 15 scheduled issue of "Monthly Corocoro" will include an explanatory guidebook for all the characters of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
This guidebook is said to be "a book that will reveal all Brawl characters to the public", and without touching much on concrete details, "will be a book that will perfectly and completely comment on all characters in Brawl".What remains unclear is whether "all characters" really includes all the characters in Brawl or just the characters that are not hidden. What does remain clear is that December 15 will be a definitive day for information about these characters.
I left most parts as literal as possible; I did some parts loosely as well.
http://www.mother-jp.net/times/20071121.html
Labels: games, Japanese, smash bros, translation
After closely listening to the music in games, why not listen to the sounds characters make as well, i.e. their voices?
It's actually rather interesting how when we play a game, say a Nintendo game, we are often listening to voices in different languages without even knowing it. Smash games are a great example of this since they showcase such a variety of characters from different games.
In Melee we hear characters grunt, sigh, and make noises in two languages. These little noises we hear are in fact "language", not so much in an advanced form, but still language nonetheless.
Link grunts in Japanese because his voice actor is Japanese. Mario woo-hoos in English because Charles Martinet speaks English. We often don't think about these things, as frivolous as they may be, but they actually give games a multilingual feel to them. Some of the sounds characters make are native to a specific language. "Yippee" for example, is an English word, but a sound like "Gyaaah" is more Japanese-sounding than English. A lot of these sound effects stem from comics as well. If you look up these words in their respective dictionaries, you'd find them there.
Some games take it a step further and incorporate different spoken language within the actual game. Melee did this by leaving Marth and Roy's spoken dialogue in tact to keep true to their Japanese roots. Other games like Tekken 4 and Tekken 5 have multiple characters speaking to one another in different languages. Anna speaks to Lee in English while he speaks to her in Japanese, and somehow, everyone understands each other. Also note that Kuma and Paul have a conversation - Kuma being a bear...
Another thing to note is how English is becoming more mainstream in games and in general. Think back to Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. Navi kept reminding you of things with her "Hey! Listen!" - even in the Japanese version. Even the names of some of the characters that originated in Japan are Western names - Mario, Peach, Zelda.
I guess this is the obvious outcome of a playing a game that was created in Japan and marketed worldwide, eh?
It's actually rather interesting how when we play a game, say a Nintendo game, we are often listening to voices in different languages without even knowing it. Smash games are a great example of this since they showcase such a variety of characters from different games.
In Melee we hear characters grunt, sigh, and make noises in two languages. These little noises we hear are in fact "language", not so much in an advanced form, but still language nonetheless.
Link grunts in Japanese because his voice actor is Japanese. Mario woo-hoos in English because Charles Martinet speaks English. We often don't think about these things, as frivolous as they may be, but they actually give games a multilingual feel to them. Some of the sounds characters make are native to a specific language. "Yippee" for example, is an English word, but a sound like "Gyaaah" is more Japanese-sounding than English. A lot of these sound effects stem from comics as well. If you look up these words in their respective dictionaries, you'd find them there.Some games take it a step further and incorporate different spoken language within the actual game. Melee did this by leaving Marth and Roy's spoken dialogue in tact to keep true to their Japanese roots. Other games like Tekken 4 and Tekken 5 have multiple characters speaking to one another in different languages. Anna speaks to Lee in English while he speaks to her in Japanese, and somehow, everyone understands each other. Also note that Kuma and Paul have a conversation - Kuma being a bear...
Another thing to note is how English is becoming more mainstream in games and in general. Think back to Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. Navi kept reminding you of things with her "Hey! Listen!" - even in the Japanese version. Even the names of some of the characters that originated in Japan are Western names - Mario, Peach, Zelda.
I guess this is the obvious outcome of a playing a game that was created in Japan and marketed worldwide, eh?
Labels: games, Japanese, languages, nintendo, smash bros
After recently listening to a plethora of incredibly orchestrated music in Super Mario Galaxy, I just couldn't resist in expressing my love for great music in games. My favorite type of game music has to be the orchestrated kind. Of course, each game is unique, and if you include orchestrated music in every game, for example, things will get boring and even stale. But if you include just a few of these music tracks at correct times, a game can truly become an adventure.
Epic novels and poetry predominantly tell the story of a hero on a quest for something grand. Readers follow this hero on his adventures of daring feats of courage and risk. I think this adjective well suits this type of music that accompanies a game.
For those of you who played Shadow of the Colossus and remember fighting each colossus, the music made a great impact on how you felt during these fights. Upon seeing the colossus the music is calm and alluring. Then, as you finally find a way onto the giant, the music picks up speed and a new music track is heard. This track is full of cymbals, drums, and horns that turns this seemingly mundane encounter into an epic battle - hero versus villain.
Orchestrated music like this gives players a feeling or urgency and a rush of adrenaline. Having moments where music changes during a boss battle gives games a whole new depth. The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess did this as well. It wasn't orchestrated, but the sudden change in musical speed and rhythm made it awesome. As soon as you found a boss's weakness, the song changed to inform you, and perhaps even Link, that an opening had been made and the time to take action was now.
Other games choose to have orchestrated music that accompanies the player beyond a boss battle. Final Fantasy games are known for having music like this. In fact, it's usually RPG games or action RPG games that incorporate music in a this style that gives the game a new level of enjoyment. In an RPG's case, an orchestra can take a player back in time to an age where technology did no exist. Hence in this method, this type of music can create a time for the player. Locations and places can be created through the use of music as well. Soul Calibur III did this as it gave each character his or her unique stage with music from the character's region. Also realize that by incorporating a choir or a vocal hymn into any song, battles and encounters become something holy.
Regardless of how it's used, well created music has the power to make a game truly an adventure. Remember how Melee turned a seemingly humble Pokémon song into a grand symphony complete with a choir for Pokemon Stadium? Or what about a little pink puffball's epic clash of cymbals in Fountain of Dreams?
Epic novels and poetry predominantly tell the story of a hero on a quest for something grand. Readers follow this hero on his adventures of daring feats of courage and risk. I think this adjective well suits this type of music that accompanies a game.
For those of you who played Shadow of the Colossus and remember fighting each colossus, the music made a great impact on how you felt during these fights. Upon seeing the colossus the music is calm and alluring. Then, as you finally find a way onto the giant, the music picks up speed and a new music track is heard. This track is full of cymbals, drums, and horns that turns this seemingly mundane encounter into an epic battle - hero versus villain.
Orchestrated music like this gives players a feeling or urgency and a rush of adrenaline. Having moments where music changes during a boss battle gives games a whole new depth. The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess did this as well. It wasn't orchestrated, but the sudden change in musical speed and rhythm made it awesome. As soon as you found a boss's weakness, the song changed to inform you, and perhaps even Link, that an opening had been made and the time to take action was now.
Other games choose to have orchestrated music that accompanies the player beyond a boss battle. Final Fantasy games are known for having music like this. In fact, it's usually RPG games or action RPG games that incorporate music in a this style that gives the game a new level of enjoyment. In an RPG's case, an orchestra can take a player back in time to an age where technology did no exist. Hence in this method, this type of music can create a time for the player. Locations and places can be created through the use of music as well. Soul Calibur III did this as it gave each character his or her unique stage with music from the character's region. Also realize that by incorporating a choir or a vocal hymn into any song, battles and encounters become something holy.
Regardless of how it's used, well created music has the power to make a game truly an adventure. Remember how Melee turned a seemingly humble Pokémon song into a grand symphony complete with a choir for Pokemon Stadium? Or what about a little pink puffball's epic clash of cymbals in Fountain of Dreams?
Labels: games, music, nintendo, smash bros, wii
Weekend Games 11/16 - 11/18
0 Comments Published by Giancarlo on Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 7:34 AM.
In spite of my broken DS, I actually have a few new games to play around with this weekend. I was in the middle of Phoenix Wright: Justice for All and Final Fantasy Tactics A2 when it broke. Both games were a lot of fun and the latter was a really hearty sequel to the hit Gameboy Advance game. It's not out in English yet, so you need to know (some) Japanese to enjoy it. The storyline really wasn't that impressive but the job system and distinct missions robbed me of a few hours.
Just yesterday I got Half Life 2: Chapter One and Super Mario Galaxy. I only played through a little bit of Chapter One, but it feels very similar to its prequel and the graphics seem to have gotten a boost.
Now I'm pretty sure Galaxy will steal my weekend seeing as how I couldn't stop playing it last night. It's similar to Super Mario 64 in terms of structure, but some of the controls and game mechanics are different. Some of the music is orchestrated and some songs are remixes of classic Mario tunes. Overall the game is fun and it seems huge. Too bad I can't play it at work...
The other day some friends and I were getting tired of playing Melee, so instead we decided to play it another way. We all picked Kirby and decided to swallow each other infinitely. One Kirby would swallow a Kirby while another Kirby was behind him. When he would press down, the Kirby in his mouth would come out the back and the Kirby standing behind him would eat him, and so on. It was this infinite cycle that was quite comedic.
It wasn't really a match, but it was technically playing a video game. So what was it? We were playing a video game, but we weren't playing it how it should be played, yet we were having fun. Someone said it was the most fun he had had since he could remember. We even tried doing the black hole glitch afterwards. All of it was fun. Sure it was asinine antics, but it made us laugh and we had fun. These "fun matches" are good breaks to take in between actual matches, and you're still playing the same game, right?
It wasn't really a match, but it was technically playing a video game. So what was it? We were playing a video game, but we weren't playing it how it should be played, yet we were having fun. Someone said it was the most fun he had had since he could remember. We even tried doing the black hole glitch afterwards. All of it was fun. Sure it was asinine antics, but it made us laugh and we had fun. These "fun matches" are good breaks to take in between actual matches, and you're still playing the same game, right?
Labels: games, lexicon, smash bros
Keeping Yourself Updated?
0 Comments Published by Giancarlo on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at 7:34 PM.
Are you tired of the lack of good updates recently? Do you wish your next click to your refresh button at ?:00 AM could reveal a new character, video clip, or Captain Falcon? If your answer is yes to these questions, you need to chill out.Face it, these updates are a luxury to most people. Not many games reveal so much about their development through daily weekday updates. Not many gamers, either, want to spoil themselves to everything a game will have in store.
Also, not many people stay up late waiting for a webspage to reload at the strike of the hour...No one is making you stay awake to dissapoint you with a boring piece of information you found out about in advance.
Labels: games, smash bros
The term friendly match, or "friendlies" as most competitive smashers call it, are matches that do not count towards tournament progression. When players have free time between tourney matches, they may engage in some friendly one-on-one or team matches with other players.
The term "friendly" though makes these matches sound like fun, carefree battles where both players are friendly towards each other. But in actuality, these matches can be anything but friendly (in terms of Smash that is). Friendly matches are taken seriously, and it's a chance for advanced players to practice with others at their level. It becomes more of a fierce battle to victory that even sometimes evolves into "money matches", a video game version of gambling. Money matches themselves have their own claim-to-fame and can become addictive. Some players simply look forward to tournaments for the sake of winning money this way.
Friendly matches are done in good humor though. No one is dead-set on beating someone mercilessly and making him cry. That's not what Smash is about. It's just that the term "friendly" could be saved for matches that are less serious and more about having fun. I guess I'll write about these "fun" matches next time!
The term "friendly" though makes these matches sound like fun, carefree battles where both players are friendly towards each other. But in actuality, these matches can be anything but friendly (in terms of Smash that is). Friendly matches are taken seriously, and it's a chance for advanced players to practice with others at their level. It becomes more of a fierce battle to victory that even sometimes evolves into "money matches", a video game version of gambling. Money matches themselves have their own claim-to-fame and can become addictive. Some players simply look forward to tournaments for the sake of winning money this way.
Friendly matches are done in good humor though. No one is dead-set on beating someone mercilessly and making him cry. That's not what Smash is about. It's just that the term "friendly" could be saved for matches that are less serious and more about having fun. I guess I'll write about these "fun" matches next time!
Labels: games, lexicon, smash bros
Today's update revealed that each character would be getting 3 different taunts to exploit during matches. I personally like this new addition since taunts are how you can play with your opponent - when you're not actually fighting him that is.
The update today also showed another screenshot with text. And you know what that means!
Dedede critiques the food - "Add soy sauce to the curry"
Wario is questioning himself? - "What's that?"
And Snake has gone mad - "Ahahahaha"
But will Brawl allow us to switch from English to Japanese like Melee did? Or will the fact that US Wii games contain instruction books in English, Spanish, and French deter this idea?
The update today also showed another screenshot with text. And you know what that means!
Dedede critiques the food - "Add soy sauce to the curry"
Wario is questioning himself? - "What's that?"
And Snake has gone mad - "Ahahahaha"
What I wonder is how Nintendo is doing that. How are they producing identical screenshots in English and Japanese and having all the text differ? They did this with the trophies update as well, and I think there can only be a few possible ways to do this: 1)Pause, take a screenshot, then change the language and take another screenshot, 2)take two separate screenshots (highly unlikely due to precise pausing and character placement on-screen), and 3) simply Photoshopping the text for the purpose of smashbros.com updates.
If the the third one is right, all these screenshots with text we are seeing may not be the final look the game will have in regards to font and lettering. If the second one is right, better and more expansive multilingual options might get implemented for the final product.
If the the third one is right, all these screenshots with text we are seeing may not be the final look the game will have in regards to font and lettering. If the second one is right, better and more expansive multilingual options might get implemented for the final product.
But will Brawl allow us to switch from English to Japanese like Melee did? Or will the fact that US Wii games contain instruction books in English, Spanish, and French deter this idea?
Labels: games, Japanese, languages, nintendo, smash bros, wii
Yesterday Nintendo revealed its brand new "Check Mii Out" channel which allows Wii owners to share and exchange their Miis with others over wi-fi. You can upload your Miis, give them initials, and give them a category that describes their "profession" i.e. exploration, gourmand, acting etc. You can also search for other Mii's, view the most popular ones, and "favorite" the ones they like.The channel also has a contest section where users can submit Miis and have them compete in popularity contests such as "Mario without his cap on". After a certain time, 6 days for the Mario contest, people will be able to judge and vote for their favorites.
The channel also makes users create a "Mii artisan" upon submitting a Mii which is pretty much a Mii avatar that keeps track of your popularity (number of people favoriting your Miis) and your stats.
Overall the channel is a great idea that lets people finally show off their Mii. There have been websites online now for a while that let people do what this new channel lets people do, and of course it makes it much easier. I already uploaded several of my Miis...and yes I entered the Mario contest! In the end, it's just a big popularity contest.
As soon as Masahiro Sakurai began dishing out daily updates for Smash Bros. Brawl, we knew this game was going to be special. A game of this magnitude deserves a unique way of being presented. Usually upcoming games, even the multi-selling hits, get previews, trailers, and the occasional playable demo videos posted on gaming websites for fans to see. Not many games get so in depth as Brawl has gotten in showcasing their specs. Not many games get daily developmental updates in six languages.This is where the power of Brawl comes in.
Not only is Brawl becoming a grand scale game in Japan or in the US, but it’s becoming a game that is creating fans in different parts of the world simply due to its multilingual aspect - and this isn't even referring to the game itself.
All the updates originate in Japan and in the mind of Masahiro Sakurai. Whether or not he consults his team – he mostly likely does to prevent any overlapping errors or unintended spoilers – the updates are his doing at least. Sakurai has already shown us his like for blogging earlier this year and last year when he started posting updates for his game and when he answered questions and took suggestions for Brawl. And we all know he listened.
Now, because his thoughts need to be translated to reach his fans, some problems can arise. Translation always leads to something getting lost or misinterpreted. It’s natural and it’s why languages are so complex and unique in their own right.
At first I thought Nintendo translated the Japanese into English, and then based on the English, the other sites would get translated. But recently I’ve come to the conclusion that each one gets translated from Japanese except for the UK English site. I base my hypothesis on the fact that each translation has its own amount of originality, flexibility, and wit that does not appear to come from a more straightforward English based source but instead from the more ambiguous Japanese.
As readers of his updates have noticed, Sakurai tends to be vague in delivering news. It’s natural for anyone to not want to reveal everything about an upcoming game to avoid causing spoilers. Ironically, isn’t he already doing that through each update he produces? His vagueness comes out as being playful though and it creates more speculation and makes his fans more interested in what the interpretations might mean. He has reason for playing with us.
The problem in this vagueness comes when it’s translated. Japanese is a very vague language. Often, a sentence won’t directly contain a subject, or a gender, or even a case. When translated into another language, it can get tricky and even somewhat deceptive.
Take for example these sentences:
Beak the Targets update:
This time, there are five different maps of varying difficulty—challenges you can take on with your favorite character.
今回は難易度が異なるマップが5つあり、
好きなキャラクターでチャレンジできるようになり
Dispondrás de cinco mapas diferentes que variarán en dificultad. ¿Estás dispuesto a asumir el reto con tu personaje favorito?
Lucas Special Moves update:
There’s a character named Ness who has appeared in the Smash Bros. series up until now, and Lucas is very similar.
いままでのスマブラシリーズに登場していた“ネス”という
キャラクターがいますが、リュカはそれに近いです。
Seguramente os acordaréis de Ness, un personaje que apareció en anteriores ediciones de Smash Bros. Pues bien, Lucas es muy parecido a él.
Whether you understand them or not, each one has a difference in tone and meaning. "Five levels" for each character or "five levels of different difficulty" set for everyone? "Up until now?" or "so far"? Each one has a similar point, but the ideas they convey, their connotation, vary,
Why wasn’t Sakurai simply more straightforward when it came to these updates if his intention was to reveal new information?
Are these Brawl updates really intended to satisfy us fans, or do they deny us certain things that make us crave them even more?
You "translate" it!
Labels: games, languages, smash bros
Hello all. My name is Yoshi/Gian. This blog will be my chance to interpret various subjects in different languages through translation.
For this time, I shall be focusing on the new Super Smash Bros. Brawl game soon to be released for the Nintendo Wii. Updates are posted daily at smashbros.com in different languages. Oftentimes, however, the meaning of certain things is lost in the translation. I shall try to retain those meanings and ideas here! :)
I'll also use this blog to write anything that comes to mind from languages to technology to games and more etc.
For this time, I shall be focusing on the new Super Smash Bros. Brawl game soon to be released for the Nintendo Wii. Updates are posted daily at smashbros.com in different languages. Oftentimes, however, the meaning of certain things is lost in the translation. I shall try to retain those meanings and ideas here! :)
I'll also use this blog to write anything that comes to mind from languages to technology to games and more etc.
