R P G A M E R . C O M   -   E D I T O R I A L S

Be Careful What You Wish For

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Michael Cunningham
PUBLIC RELATIONS

"I really wish that we would get games in the US the same time that they do in Japan." I've made that statement and I'm sure that many of you have as well. While it may not be an everyday occurrence yet, it is at least happening. Square Enix is bringing tri-Ace's Infinite Undiscovery to North America before it even launches in Japan. The question is: Do we really want this after all?

The most obivious benefit to this is getting new games a lot sooner. The wait for games to be localized to North America has usually been about six to nine months in most cases. Considering that for the most part the North American audience is not being left out of many Japanese RPGs these days (save for Mother 3 and select Tales games) the wait has been tolerable, because we knew we were getting the games at least. The old saying, "good things come to those who wait" should really be considered when we cry that we want games right away.

There are some major benefits to waiting for RPGs to be released here. The biggest plus is localization teams being able to improve upon any faults or failures of the Japanese version of the game. Annoying problems or issues that were problemactic can be removed or modified to our benefit. Another factor is additional content that is sometimes added for North American releases. Bonus stuff at no cost is rarely a bad thing. For me, the greatest benefit to waiting are the impressions of the game that come out of Japan or from importers. I like knowing what I'm getting into before I buy a new game, so reading up on game details is a plus. I don't care for the love/hate forum threads that arise, but getting more specifics about the game before buying it is enough for me.

While I don't want to always wait nine months from Japanese release to pick up a game, I don't mind a short wait, since in the long run it will benefit me. I hope that games like Infinite Undiscovery are not worse in the long run for North Americans due to a simultaneous release. We will know in a few months. Just be careful before you start crying for a simultaneous worldwide release of Final Fantasy XIII. In getting what you want, it might NOT be what you want.