As for the port... Well, I’ve already mentioned the bounties and moonfish sidequest, which add the much-needed challenge otherwise lacking from the battle system. Graphically the game is a nearly perfect, aside from the fact that some of the cloud effects don’t look as sharp as they did in the dreamcast version. The most impressive aspect of the game visually –in both the dreamcast and Gamecube port—is that everything is done in the game engine, even the bigger scenes involving of mass destruction.
Also, though the dialogue is mostly just text, the characters feature what is probably the first example of truly expressive 3d characters… their facial expressions may only be a few varieties of texture maps, but the timing and quality of expressions made them the most empathetic faces outside of 2-d character portraits at the time, and are still surprisingly effective. The emotion still manages to come through even after experiencing the ridiculously detailed high quality characters of FFX (they had animated tongues for god sake!) and Metal Gear Solid 2.
The only aspect of the port that is unarguably inferior to the dreamcast original is the music. For some odd reasons the sample quality of instruments is the same, it is the mixing that is off. Instruments and music cues that should be in the background are now in the forefront, and what should be predominant musically and mixing wise is suddenly in the background. It feels intentional which makes it all the more bizarre. After speaking with some on-line, for whom the Gamecube port is their first experience with the game, it is apparently noticeable to even those who’ve not played the Dreamcast original that something is wrong with the music. Which is a damn shame considering how solid the soundtrack is. You won’t hum any of the songs in your sleep, but almost every tune I’ve somehow managed to remember, even two and a half years later.
The other negative aspect to the port, though not nearly as important as the music, is the game’s logo. Whereas the Dreamcast version featured a logo that seemed to be taken straight out of the glory days of Sega’s 16 bit epics... the Gamecube version is indescribably plain. It doesn’t take away much from the game... but I can’t help but admit that the title screen in the Dreamcast version made me feel as though I had discovered the doorway to an alternate dimension where Sega had figured out the intricacies of the 128-bit generation whilst Nintendo was simply mastering the 16 bit. Doesn’t make it any less of a game, but the logo did help set the whimsical-childhood-envying-mood.
The most positive technical aspect of the port is the fact that the dreamcast version came on two g-cds (considering there were no video files or fully voiced cut-scenes, that always confused me) but for the Gamecube it comes on one single mini-dvd… as someone who comes from the P.C school of swapping multiple cds (I own one game that comes on 8 cds… non-rewarded glory to those who can name what game that is) it is a small, but welcome blessing.
Concerning the localization, it is a direct port of the dreamcast translation. Considering it was a rock solid translation that’s a very good thing. True, the U.S versions has been censored (Loqua is a juice as opposed to an alcoholic beverage, Bellaza’s dancing disguise is less... transparent than was originally designed, and Vigoro’s passes to Aika are a good deal more subtle than it’s direct Japanese translation) but considering the overall atmosphere of the narrative, the censored version actual feels more appropriate than the original. The games’ dialogue is surprisingly smooth and resembles actual human conversation (I’ll discuss what the opposite case is in my Xenosaga review) so that even though the character’s mostly spew the standard clichés (“I’ll get you for this!” “Ha! Don’t count on it!”) it still somehow manages to have a natural flow.
One unfortunate aspect of the localization of the Dreamcast version has been woefully retained, and that is the voice sampling. Though there is no voice acting, there are plenty of single phrased words and grunts placed in what seem the most inopportune times in the game. Ranging from a simple “Uh-Huh!” to what is meant to be a dramatic “Goodbye my love!” these voice samples only manage to pull you out of the moment. In one stand out example, the text of the character says “No” where as the terribly voice acted sound sample says a polite “Yes.” Ummmm... what? Instead of creating sympathy for the situation, all it manages to create is absolute confusion.
And here I say it again, somehow with what seem like fuck-ups of unforgivable magnitude, the game manages to transcend them all to be something greater. I actually was able to find something resembling an answer as to why this is in Eric-Jon Waugh’s article, The fighter’s life. This game has a soul, an identity outside of simply being a videogame. That’s not to say you’ll find some greater human truth here, at least not one presented a thousand times in other artforms. Or that it’s some kind of Citizen Kane of videogaming, because it’s nowhere near the top of its class. It really boils down to the fact that it feels like a game borne of personal vision. Even though as a game it qualifies as only mediocre, the sheer personal conviction behind it (even though I have no idea whom to credit for the fact) has managed to make it a true piece of emotional expression. Which is something I’ll argue to the end, is the true goal of all art.
So port or not, this one of the more important games in recent years to come out as something that manages to be more than just a game, even if as a game it’s barely above average, it should be in any serious gamer’s library. And at the least, for those who can’t rid themselves of the ridiculous addiction that is console R.P.G’s, you have one of the most strongly presented (and one of the most cliché filled) stories in recent memory.
Chris “yeah, there’s more aspects to discuss to the gameplay than what I talked about, like attributes of the moonstone blades, the lack of any means to revive K.O’d characters early in the game, excellent dungeon designs and discoveries… but this was getting long-winded enough as it is” Woodard
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