Mangagamer.com

[PyTom]

So I bought Edelweiss from Mangagamer, as it's 24.95 euro... half what they initially proposed to charge.

Unfortunately, I'm not impressed with the translation quality. As I don't speak Japanese, I don't really care much about the accuracy of the translation, so long as it makes sense and tells a good story. I don't know about the quality of the story (being only maybe a few dozen screens in), but there's already been a lot of translation mistakes.

For example, the following comes during locker-room talk about the girls in an all-girl's school:

There were only two options they had until we arrive. Either they mustervate or they become lilly.

That's the sort of line no spell-checker should have let through, let alone a human editor. It's a pretty lousy debut.

[chronoluminaire]

Ugh. That's horrible. That's a real pity :/

EDIT: Just read through the nine pages of discussion on the Otakuism BBC, and it seems they're actively trying to improve the English quality of their games, and possibly that the early releases were meant as beta-test versions that weren't meant to be accessible. It also seems like they've upped the number of DRM "activations" you're allowed from 3 to 5.

People speak very well of the CGs, graphics, and music; it's just the awful English quality and the DRM that's putting people off. We'll see if they can improve the former. The latter seems to be contractually required by the Japanese publishers as a term of being able to distribute the games in English at all.

[papillon]

They claimed they were beta versions, then turned around and sold the exact same versions once the site went live, despite having been given multiple complaints already, some in person.

They had the chance to delay launch and clean up the text. They chose not to.

[PyTom]

People speak very well of the CGs, graphics, and music; it's just the awful English quality and the DRM that's putting people off.

I hate to say it, but that's like saying "the original game was good, it's just the translation effort that went bad." That's probably not an inaccurate description of the process, unfortunately.

I actually don't mind the DRM process that much. It wasn't particularly intrusive, and from what I understand only occurs once, when the game is first run. At least, I can disconnect my laptop from the network, and it still lets me run the game.

[papillon]

The thing people are objecting to with the DRM is that it's got a fairly limited number of activations, which can be burned up by moving files around your hard drive, and then you have to buy it again if you want to play it again.

Although after complaints they've indicated that they may be able to offer extra activations if you contact them. Which is more standard with downloadable games - having to get your activations reset manually puts a brake on a code being used by the entire internet, without stopping a legitimate customer from using the product.

Unless the company goes bust, in which case people can only depend on the pirates. *shrug*

[GLACIER]

The thing people are objecting to with the DRM is that it's got a fairly limited number of activations, which can be burned up by moving files around your hard drive, and then you have to buy it again if you want to play it again.

That's the biggest complaint, but it seems that many people are unhappy with any kind of activation scheme (they aren't accustomed to digital distribution), given the fact that it's uncertain whether a publisher might remove the protection if it goes bankrupt.

Oddly enough, no one complained about the DRM wrapper that came with Planetarian (unless I'm mistaken, those who purchased the game before Fall 2006 might be unable to re-activate), although the low price probably helped.

[Vatina]

Oddly enough, no one complained about the DRM wrapper that came with Planetarian (unless I'm mistaken, those who purchased the game before Fall 2006 might be unable to re-activate), although the low price probably helped.

I bought it before then... and was really annoyed ^^; Only my old crappy laptop had internet back then, so I couldn't install it on my main computer. That was a big annoyance, and even though I'm past that problem now (internet on both computers), I can still imagine this getting in the way for others.

[Samu-kun]

Well... Based on what Pytom has told us, I think if the English is busted, then Mangagamer has much bigger problems than DRM. Which is really a shame, because even with the limited number of activations I would still have bought Da Capo and Shuika, but if the translation's busted, then I don't see why I should buy a flawed product. >_>;

[Cazel]

Well, having played in quite a ways now, I haven't really found the translation to be that intrusive to my playing experience. Maybe all the time I've spent on the net has built up my tolerance to broken English or coming in with low expectations lessened the effect, but I don't find it that bad.

[musical74]

Hmmmmmm I don't know...

I don't mind an occasional mess up in translation but based on that one phrase that PyTom showed...my response was *what the...* everything can be top notch but if the translation is absolutely horrid - as it seems that Edelweiss falls into that catagory - I'll pass on it. That would be like some game made in the US and translated to German and be so full of errors that the average German would be *pass, can't understand it*

Not that you won't find people that will pay for these games anyway, but as word spreads that the translations are horrid, the sales will drop dramatically.

[Vatina]

Not that you won't find people that will pay for these games anyway, but as word spreads that the translations are horrid, the sales will drop dramatically.

That's part of what happened to Hirameki at first, wasn't it? Lots of mistakes and the following bad reputation (Along with annoying dvd formats of course.)
Well at least they got better at these things in the end. We can hope the same here? (And that they are not too late with it as well.)