Still having a looooooong way to go in Xenoblade Chronicles, I've gotten a good feeling for how the U.S. "localization" went. As far as I can tell, they basically took the British "U"s out of everything and left the rest of the spelling in tact. Even the dates on the save file screen retain British ordering, displayed in D/M/Y.

This is not a criticism. I like it this way. It really fits with the British voice actors, too. And, as an American, I can't tell you how good it feels to play a fantasy JRPG where, for once, no one in the dub cast speaks with an American accent. It gives the game a more exotic flavor.

Speaking as an Englishman the accents I heard in the QL were completely grating for me. Not exotic, just exaggerated wankery but I suppose that's why it works in the US, play into the expectation rather than the reality.

Ya get me BLUD?

@EuanDewar said:

Speaking as an Englishman the accents I heard in the QL were completely grating for me. Not exotic, just exaggerated wankery but I suppose that's why it works in the US, play into the expectation rather than the reality. Ya get me BLUD?

Honestly, the worst English dub is far better than the average American anime dub.

As a European I thought the accents sounded super-acted and character-oriented, instead of "British".
 
Still think they were freaking awesome and doing a lot more than Generic American Voice Acting Styles 1, 2 and 3.
 
Feel sorry for the people who can't understand them.

I was curious about what they might have changed in the American localization, if indeed they made any changes at all. I won't get into the rationality of the D/M/Y system in case ZombiePie throws a fit.

The accents are a bit weird, since they're varied by social class rather than geography: All the voice actors in the game almost certainly came from London, or a short distance away, which is presumably where all the voicework was filmed - Reyn's is strongly south London and Sharla's is standard Cockney, Shulk and Dunban are more middle-class generic Londoner and Melia, of course, speaks with the Queen's English. If sentient furballs with speech impediments lived in London, they'd probably sound like Riki too.

I think that's why it sounds a bit off to British people specifically (we're used to hearing accents from all over the place) and just "British" to everyone else. Londoner Bombers could probably argue though. I haven't been down there in forever.

I feel like the only person who put the game in JP while playing. I had watched my friend play it with the Brit voices so when I started I put it in JP to compare, and when I heard Norio WakamotoI refused to switch it back. That dude is awesome in anything.

Yeah, the British accents are a nice change, but I could see it getting annoying if they decided to put them in every JRPG. I liked the voices in Dark Souls, as well.

I actually found that slightly detrimental. Having all British accents for me gives the game too much of an English identity, and takes away from the fact that you're in an insane fantasy world. I would have preferred a higher diversity of accents. I'd like that in more games in general, but it's more noticeable when all the accents are identical and foreign. I wouldn't have noticed the same problem if they were all American VAs.

I would say "Hey at least it's something different" But I'm playing a lot of FF12 recently (and unsuspectingly enjoying it), and there's a lot of English there too. Actually, there are a lot of interesting parallels to draw between those two games. They have similar ideas about handling combat, and I dig it. Structure also seems more open than your average JRPG, just like 12 does.

With everyone getting an English accent I wonder which accent will the antagonist of the story will get. Since most villains get a british accent., brits are not that bad!

Do you feel like they all should be wearing tophats and monocles?

I'd love a game to have kiwi accents all the way through it, but then people would A: fall asleep due to out very monotone accents, and B: call it fucking Australian, setting off a chain of murders.

@ExZippo said:

I'd love a game to have kiwi accents all the way through it, but then people would A: fall asleep due to out very monotone accents, and B: call it fucking Australian, setting off a chain of murders.

I agree.

My favourite accent English accent of the Commonwealth countries is by far New Zealand and South Africa. The two accents, while different, seem to take the best parts of the other English speaking countries and role it into something very interesting to the ear.

I like it. I can understand if some find it grating, but it really sets the world apart for me.

I've been playing with the JP voices. I had the English voices on for the first hour or so, but most English voice acting in a JRPG sounds really cheesy to me for some reason.

I think that is the first time ever anyone has said that the south African accent is nice to listen to. Not even my south African friends like their accent.

With everyone getting an English accent I wonder which accent will the antagonist of the story will get. Since most villains get a british accent., brits are not that bad!

I would be fine with the accents, but listing the dates in the wrong order for the region is pretty fucking stupid.

The voice acting is fine...not amazing but it works and if I'm not carefully deciphering the dialogue it sounds great to me. It's still a JRPG though and if I'm actively thinking about how something is being said or what the line is I'll cringe every once in a while.

Meh.

I want them speaking Hungarian. From now on that should be the custom to have your cast speak Hungarian for a fantasy world in your japanese game.

Oooooh man, this is one thing I've got to disagree with you on. The voice acting is so bad that I'm actually embarrassed to play it in a room with other people (my brother actually broke out laughing when he heard what's-her-name's battle cry "Let's press on And On AND ON!" Ugh. Combat's pretty rad, though.

I'm playing through The Last Story right now, and I'm loving the dialogue! I wouldn't mind if RPGs such as these continued to be released in this fashion.

Why is the correct spelling of a word in quotes?

@ThePickle said:

Why is the correct spelling of a word in quotes?

Because nothing was actually changed for the North American version.

I don't know man, the voice work in that quick look was annoying as hell. I don't have a problem with most British accents but that specific one is kind of a turn off. I'm still going to pick it up though. I haven't played a jrpg in ages and this one looks as good as any to jump back into the genre with.

The only correct English is Space British.

I like the idea of leaving the British actors in there, but the VA's didn't seem so great. They were mostly just bland to me. This is as opposed to modern American voice work, which in video games these days mostly ranges from good to phenomenal (Dead Space's VA's, anyone?)

Regardless, I do agree that it would be nice if a game left the voices from a different English localization in there. I don't see why they would have to get a new localization for all the English speaking countries anyway since, you know, we all speak English.

Maybe I'll play a game in Russian with English subtitles one day, just for shits and giggles. Wonder if I can do that with Red Dead Redemption?

@Asurastrike said:

@EuanDewar said:

Speaking as an Englishman the accents I heard in the QL were completely grating for me. Not exotic, just exaggerated wankery but I suppose that's why it works in the US, play into the expectation rather than the reality. Ya get me BLUD?

Honestly, the worst English dub is far better than the average American anime dub.

I haven't heard many English dubs but as far as I can tell there are a number of good English dubs. Cowboy Bebop, Full Metal Alchemist, Baccano, Yu Yu Hakusho, hell, even Dragon Ball Z's Funimation dub was really good.

@believer258 said:

@Asurastrike said:

@EuanDewar said:

Speaking as an Englishman the accents I heard in the QL were completely grating for me. Not exotic, just exaggerated wankery but I suppose that's why it works in the US, play into the expectation rather than the reality. Ya get me BLUD?

Honestly, the worst English dub is far better than the average American anime dub.

I haven't heard many English dubs but as far as I can tell there are a number of good English dubs. Cowboy Bebop, Full Metal Alchemist, Baccano, Yu Yu Hakusho, hell, even Dragon Ball Z's Funimation dub was really good.

Sorry for the confusion, when I said English I meant from England. American dubs, while there are a few exception such as the ones you named and a few more, are generally regarded as very poorly done. But then again it could just be my personal opinion. When I watch anime I decided whether or not to use subtitles or a dub on a case by case basis.

"This is as opposed to modern American voice work" what the fuck is this supposed to mean?

Kinda sucks they didn't release the game in American. How am I supposed to follow a story if I can't understand the characters?

@rubberluffy said:

I feel like the only person who put the game in JP while playing. I had watched my friend play it with the Brit voices so when I started I put it in JP to compare, and when I heard Norio WakamotoI refused to switch it back. That dude is awesome in anything.

...Norio Wakamoto is in the Japanese track of Xenoblade Chronicles?! Christ, now I have a dilemma when I get round to playing it... XD

I think it's great that the game has British voices. Dragon Quest VIII did exactly the same. More games should have a British cast, I reckon. As mush as I like Shadow Hearts, it was off a bit off-putting when some characters who were meant to be British spoke with strong American accents. This also happened in the prequel, Kouldeka (which was set in Wales!). I know they're both oddballs in terms of RPGs set in the 'real world', but I really wish they'd made a bit more effort in that department.

As a Brit, it feels weird. Just not used to hearing these accents I hear regularly in a JRPG.

I can't imagine what the correct English accent would be for the typical melodramatic JRPG boy-girl character would be. A Brighton accent maybe?

They sound like one of Ryans fake British accent attempts, it's more hilarious than fitting. Having said that there's just too many British accents to say what would suit JRPG characters best, however Scouse would probably be the funniest.

I do not enjoy anything that is dubbed to Norwegian like Resistance 2 for example, that was horrific.

Edit - I mean after 20+ years of mostly American English in games it is weird to have something in my own language, but I see how British English woud be refreshing for you Americans.

The stereotypical JRPG dub voice in the US is always abysmal. Anything different is welcome.

@Asurastrike said:

@believer258 said:

@Asurastrike said:

@EuanDewar said:

Speaking as an Englishman the accents I heard in the QL were completely grating for me. Not exotic, just exaggerated wankery but I suppose that's why it works in the US, play into the expectation rather than the reality. Ya get me BLUD?

Honestly, the worst English dub is far better than the average American anime dub.

I haven't heard many English dubs but as far as I can tell there are a number of good English dubs. Cowboy Bebop, Full Metal Alchemist, Baccano, Yu Yu Hakusho, hell, even Dragon Ball Z's Funimation dub was really good.

Sorry for the confusion, when I said English I meant from England. American dubs, while there are a few exception such as the ones you named and a few more, are generally regarded as very poorly done. But then again it could just be my personal opinion. When I watch anime I decided whether or not to use subtitles or a dub on a case by case basis.

*raises hand* My fault! When I said English the first time, I meant England. When I said it the second time, I meant American. Whoops.

@Vorbis said:

They sound like one of Ryans fake British accent attempts, it's more hilarious than fitting. Having said that there's just too many British accents to say what would suit JRPG characters best, however Scouse would probably be the funniest.

Oh, how I'd love to see a game with Scouse accents (other than the Worms series and The Beatles: Rockband). I might be slightly biased because I have family in Merseyside, though.

'You lookin' at me or chewin' a briccck?' 'Caaaalm down, caaalm down!'

Can some people really not understand their accents in this game? I've seen a few complaints. I

m not too far, but I haven't had an ounce of trouble understanding the caracters.

If they had made them English accents for an American audience, they would have all been more BAFTA accents. I thought it was interesting how for an English audience, they went with very run of the mill, less dramatic accents.

Played with the Japanese voices on too, as someone who is native to the UK i hear enough of that out on the street lol. To be fair i usually play in the games original language anyway, i understand why dubs exist but i prefer to have the option between the original language and the dub version.

@rubberluffy: Hell yes. I don't know the voice actors, but the Japanese VO is miles ahead of the english. I wish all JRPGs had the option of subbed gameplay.

The British VO was a nice change of pace, it's a relief to play a JRPG without JYB or Yuri Lowenthal for once.

It's not the best VO work, but it's certainly not terrible. It's more the dialogue than anything that holds it back. I don't expect whatever studio that handled this is all that experienced in JRPG localization, so what they put out is pretty darn good.

I'm okay with it, but Old English would be even better.

@Jaytow said:

@AdzPearson said:

@Vorbis said:

They sound like one of Ryans fake British accent attempts, it's more hilarious than fitting. Having said that there's just too many British accents to say what would suit JRPG characters best, however Scouse would probably be the funniest.

Oh, how I'd love to see a game with Scouse accents (other than the Worms series and The Beatles: Rockband). I might be slightly biased because I have family in Merseyside, though.

'You lookin' at me or chewin' a briccck?' 'Caaaalm down, caaalm down!'

I'm from Liverpool and I don't speak like that, at all. Neither do any of my family members or friends. Infact, only around 10-20% of scouers have, what is now becoming, the old accent these days. Well.. from my experience.

So why did I get a PM for this quote?

@Jaytow: Yeah, I realise that. I just didn't have a better way to portray the accent via words. XD While the accent is pretty noticable to me, I've never heard those phrases being used (except in jest).

@Jaytow said:

@AdzPearson said:

@Vorbis said:

They sound like one of Ryans fake British accent attempts, it's more hilarious than fitting. Having said that there's just too many British accents to say what would suit JRPG characters best, however Scouse would probably be the funniest.

Oh, how I'd love to see a game with Scouse accents (other than the Worms series and The Beatles: Rockband). I might be slightly biased because I have family in Merseyside, though.

'You lookin' at me or chewin' a briccck?' 'Caaaalm down, caaalm down!'

I'm from Liverpool and I don't speak like that, at all. Neither do any of my family members or friends. Infact, only around 10-20% of scouers have, what is now becoming, the old accent these days. Well.. from my experience.

It's primarily moved over into The Wirral at least. The ''plastic scouser'' trend is still going strong over here. Fucking gross.

@Hailinel: I think you mean flavour.