I'll start this off by saying that Chrono Trigger is one of my single favorite games of all time. I have played and beaten the game in every way possible (at least 30 times) and have basically memorized the dialog of every character.

So, after my girlfriend buys a new DSi, we go into the store to look at games, and I instantly snatch up a copy of Chrono Trigger for the DS. Within five minutes of playing I'm disappointed by something I can't explain: they've changed the dialog! Lines I know by heart have essentially been dumbed down.

Example:
When you meet Frog for the first time, he says to you: "Lower thine guard, and thou art allowing the enemy in."
in the DS version, he essentially says: "If you lower your guard, you're basically letting the enemy in."
or, shortly after that, Frog is supposed to say, "My guise doth not incur thy trust."
However, it's been changed to: "I suppose I shouldn't expect you to trust me, looking the way I do."

Those are only two examples from the large number I've already encountered, and I have to wonder: "Why?" Why is it that the importance of dialog in video games has decreased to the point that they're changing existing dialog in existing games to be less interesting?

Has anyone else noticed this trend? Why do you think it's happening?

Because Americans are dumb, or so everybody thinks

Thinks? I'm certain of it.

I was wondering if I should buy it, and now I'm certain I shan't. I'm glad you said this!

I have Chrono Trigger for SNES, so no big loss for me.

My boss says it's rude to dominate the TV in the break room at work during my break by hooking up my SNES.

Unfortunately.

I suppose I'll keep playing it, just on the off chance that one of these days someone actually challenges me to the arena function.

Also, I'm curious to see what the "new dungeons" are.

Funny, the exact opposite change happened to the dialogue of the PSP version of Final Fantasy Tactics - it was made even more poetic and Elizabethan in that version than the original PS1 version. So don't lose hope, this isn't happening everywhere.

Are you referring to the new FFT (Lion something?) or was there a port of FFT that I didn't know about?

Unfortunately, it does seem to be a function of "needs more mass market appeal" translating to "dumb it down for the Americans." One of many reasons you generally shouldn't watch dubbed anime if you have fansubs available.

It does occasionally go the other way though. Anyone remember Vagrant Story?

Dumb'd down or not, it's all about the mass media that catches the attention of the greater audience. Any gamer who lives/has lived in the USA knows that ages 10 -25 are playing the same games. From Pokemon to Grand Theft Auto, rated 'E' - 'A'.

@Parabollous: I agree. FFTA was a great game, though I thought the law system was a little ridiculous and a detriment to gameplay.

I was going to chastise Eventru for being a bigot, but maybe later. We're too lazy anyways.

It's actually just a more accurate translation. In the Japanese version frog never had any special way of talking.

Edit: It's not just frog they do it to. Look, they changed some skill names and dialogue. You just notice frog the most.

Frog was just an example of the dulling down of the dialog.

I haven't seen anything changed that improved the game, and plenty that took away from the feel of the game that I know and love. It's like having a toilet that works great, and fixing it by smashing it to bits with a sledgehammer.

Imagine all the japnese forums where they go "finally, they made the charachters sound like they are supposed to. Remember in the snes version where frog sounded so pompous and cliched? He finally sounds normal again! "

Wow, really? That's depressing. Half the reason I loved Frog was because he represented his Middle Ages time so well, he looked really odd and talked just as strangely. I'm pretty sure when you first meet him (or later on) the other characters comment on his manner of speech..what do they say, now? 'Whoa, I think you look like a strange frog'? How stale.

Woolsey actually "improved" the translation a lot that way. The translation style is even called "woolseyism" in the nerd community. At any rate, while Othero is mostly right, it represents a change from the original translation, which no one really had any issues with.

I was referring to Final Fantasy Tactics: the War of the Lions. That game is a port/remake of the original FFT.

@Shiri: You gotta admit some dubbing jobs of anime/games are pretty fantastic. See: Cowboy Bebop and/or Persona 3/4.

Having played both, I don't think that the new or old 'wordings' take away from the game at all (although it is slightly amusing that it's considered to have been 'dumbed down'). Really, I think that it's a little easier for the younger generation to get in on one of the best games there is.

I haven't actually gotten around to persona, but I did find Bebop one of the least intolerable. (The only reason I watched it was because there wasn't a sub track, but it was ok so I didn't really mind that much.)

I know this is going to sound like blasphemy, but I generally prefer dubbing over fansubs. If you're wondering why it's because I've had some bad experiences with fansubs. For example: Excel Saga. The fansub I watched of that flooded the screen with sooooooo much text it made my brain hurt. That badly done fansub pretty much turned me off of fansubs for good.

Don't interpret that to mean I tolerate just any dubbing - I want my dubs to be of quality. I know a bad dub when I see one *coughOnePiececough*.

I wasn't a fan of Excel Saga at any quality, so I can't really contribute with that judgement, but there are tonnes of terrible fansub groups, and comparatively few good ones. The difference is that plenty of times, both a good one AND all the terrible ones will sub a show, whereas with a dub you only have one chance, so when it's horrible (which is the case more often than not) you're screwed.

I don't even count one piece because apparently not only did they dub that, but they like...completely butchered the actual show as well as just the voice acting and some of the dialogue. Heh. I haven't actually seen the dub of that though, I just see clips from it sometimes..."where did they get lasers?"