Updates on Voice Actors? (English)

[fates]

I *think* Ghaleon's voice is the same as Angelo from Dragon Quest 8. Dunno the actor's name, though.

[whitedragon_nall]

After listening to the new voices, the only voices that irk me are Nash and Kyle. However, I never really liked Nash's voice in the WD versions and the only Kyle clip we heard is a drunk Kyle. It is a little hard to judge complete roles by only listening to 5 second clips.

This series is my favorite and I'm not going to pass on it just because the voices sound different. I really want this game to breathe new life into the series...then maybe we'll finally get our Lunar 3. I'm so excited for this game it's ridiculous. I just hope this remake doesn't fall flat in his face.

Oh, and Vic needs to get over himself.

[Silver Phoenix]

Nash is probably the most off-cast voice, but maybe it makes sense if you consider his hickish backwoods upbringing.

[Shiva Indis]

Vic is a talented guy, and he likes to talk with fans. That's great. Unfortunately that outlet seems to cast his intentions in an unprofessional light at times.

Does anyone have the total figures for Japan's release thus far?

VGchartz says about 30k. Current NA preorders have Japan's 1st week figures beat already. Do we just love Lunar more, or is it the more attractive price point? ^_^

Do I seem generally positive towards Xseed's involvement in this game? Because that's how I feel. I'll complain about the voice acting after I play it.

[Alunissage]

Nash is probably the most off-cast voice, but maybe it makes sense if you consider his hickish backwoods upbringing.

Where are you getting that from? I don't remember any backstory about Nash that would suggest he grew up anywhere but Vane. Actually, the only thing I recall at all is that ancestors of his are shown in Funato's Vheen manga, in (of course) Vane. I know that K'arthur's long fanfic had him growing up elsewhere, but as far as I know that's not based on anything official.

[Lunar Eclipse]

It's listed here in the thread about miscellaneous changes. Apparently, there's a new monologue that reveals his origins.

[Alunissage]

Oh. I must've missed that when getting caught up. Seems a rather pointless addition.

[Lunar Eclipse]

Looks like some drama there. I don't think Vic was saying she should be ashamed, but rather he would've done a better job. That Jenny might be disappointed by XSeed's work. Not necessarily that she should be ashamed for working with them?

Eh, not sure either way, but he's still being pretty ridiculous. He posted this a bit later:

Maybe it's just me, but that line doesn't sound very... umm... nice. Sort of like, that you didn't want the project to succeed without you, and the people around you (besides Jenny) picked up on your feelings, and turned their backs on the project because of you.

Not that that's any of my business if that's the case. Nor should I say that you don't have a right to feel like that. And I could just be reading something into nothing. But a lot of Gaffers seemed to have the same sort of boycott reaction to Xseed turning you down. I just had thought you supported the game (regardless of your own involvement), so I figured I'd comment on it.

Look, the US fans have already endured two really crappy LUNAR localizations (and, well, games) from companies obviously not invested in the source material. We worked really hard to make the series more successful here than in Japan and none of us were up for a third crappy rendition of LUNAR to drive the dagger of the DS versions further into the heart of LUNAR, killing it for good. I believed (and believe) best way to ensure the fidelity of the localization was to stick together, and that's what was done. It was an attempt to head off another tone-deaf, crappy localization. Simple as that. You can call that naughty or nice or whatever, but I think the results, while not as dire as the DS versions, bear out the fear we had.

So yes, it seems he did more or less block the old voice actors from returning when he noted that they chose to "stick together" to protect the fidelity of the localization, which in my opinion seems to be more a jab at the fanbase than XSEED. But whatever.

At any rate, it's as though he's condemning XSEED and their product before we even have our hands on a final product, and while I have no idea what's going on behind the scenes, his remarks seem rather backhanded after the praise XSEED has lavished on the original localization in all of their public interviews. At this point, he makes it seem as though he's damning the series simply because he doesn't have his hand in the mix this time around, which I just can't understand. This localization is more than competent even if it's different. Can't he just be happy for renewed interest in the series after Dragon Song?

[fates]

Yeah, his behavior kinda reeks of bitterness.

It's sad because the only people he's hurting are the fans.

I understand pride in your work... but this was... 11 years ago? It really is time to let go. I'd hate to see Lunar held back here because of drama like this.

It's a non-issue for me though. While I did like the old dub, the new one doesn't bother me either. Not too thrilled with Luna, but I'm otherwise A-Ok with it.

[Lunar Eclipse]

Well, yeah, I'm of the same opinion. I really don't mind any of the new voices from the demo. I like pretty much everything better from a line delivery standpoint too even if a few characters have very different intonations than what I'm used to. But of course, I'll wait to see how the rest of the game pans out since I can't really judge from the two second clips on the site.

Still, I just think it's so ridiculous for him to assume the incompetence of any localization for the series that doesn't involve him and to then do everything in his power to ensure its failure amongst the hardcore fandom by creating a united front against XSEED.

[fates]

The old "if I can't have it, no one can" cliche at work, I suppose. With a side dish of ego.

Seems to me like now he only cares about the fandom when it benefits him. Tsk, tsk.

I imagine that now he feels he has a lot of power over the Lunar fandom, and I think he's really exercising that the wrong way. After DS, the franchise needs all the help it can get here. Expressing bitterness and saying that "the new product has no quality because I didn't work on it" isn't really going to help much.

[whitedragon_nall]

Ya, I really need to stay out of that Neogaf thread. Vic is getting me all ticked off. I've always loved WD's work on localization, but there is nothing terribly wrong with XSEED's version. Vic is coming off sounding like a baby.

[Silver Phoenix]

Um, HELLO!? Am I right, or am I right?

As I've said before, he had the opportunity to reclaim the rights and yet he wants to piss and moan about any other company touching it. Guess what? LUNAR needed a change, and regardless of those of us bred of nostalgia we have to accept it. I didn't want more of the same voices (maybe John but Ghaleon's story changed from TSS so his voice needed to), and I didn't even want Jenny Stigile because there are far better singers.

I am fine with Jenny doing the singing though, and if you liked her then at least be happy for that nostalgia. However, stop jumping the gun over the voice actors and give them a chance. If we can't appreciate that we had a translation released within (forthcoming) a few months after Japan then I don't know what the hell you guys/girls are smoking.

We wouldn't even have this game until months down the line if Vic had it, and yeah we'd get a better package with some toys but that would also jack up the cost. I can deal with a good collector's package from XSEED and what is sure to be a respectable localization.

Just be glad that Ubisoft didn't get ahold of this and really destroy our hopes.

[cj iwakura]

I love Victor as much as the next WD fan(and that's a lot), but he is really being a hater here.

He's right about those DS and GBA localizations though.

Ech.

[Silver Phoenix]

You don't need him to clue you in on how crappy those games are to begin with. LL being the lesser of two evils.

[LunarRaptor]

Wow. I, for one, am very disappointed in Victor Ireland. You'd think he'd want a series he worked hard on to continue to be successful. Doesn't he know he's just helping to further damn a series with a limited number of chances left?

What I meant by Lunar having limited chances, is that I think this is the last chance Lunar has as a whole. If this fails, I don't think we will ever see it again.

Anyway, I, for one, like all the voices. I have no problem disassociating Spencer from Shiji Ikari.

[sux2bme]

i like victor ireland's work on previous lunars, but if he keeps on doing this kind of snide remarks, how would jrpg companies get him??? he needs to be sensitive, they know his reputation for delays, they probably didn't want that... also xseed is doing a ballistic job pleasing the core audience and the new audience...

[whitedragon_nall]

Um, HELLO!? Am I right, or am I right?

As I've said before, he had the opportunity to reclaim the rights and yet he wants to piss and moan about any other company touching it. Guess what? LUNAR needed a change, and regardless of those of us bred of nostalgia we have to accept it. I didn't want more of the same voices (maybe John but Ghaleon's story changed from TSS so his voice needed to), and I didn't even want Jenny Stigile because there are far better singers.

I am fine with Jenny doing the singing though, and if you liked her then at least be happy for that nostalgia. However, stop jumping the gun over the voice actors and give them a chance. If we can't appreciate that we had a translation released within (forthcoming) a few months after Japan then I don't know what the hell you guys/girls are smoking.

We wouldn't even have this game until months down the line if Vic had it, and yeah we'd get a better package with some toys but that would also jack up the cost. I can deal with a good collector's package from XSEED and what is sure to be a respectable localization.

Just be glad that Ubisoft didn't get ahold of this and really destroy our hopes.

Agreed. The series is long overdue for a change. A change done by a different localization company. I've played a few other XSEED localized games and I haven't had any complaints. From my impressions of the demo, I'm feeling the same way.

[Silver Phoenix]

I was a WD fanboy back in the day (I was 13, circa 1993 when Lunar was originally released) and I even wrote them a letter about how much I enjoyed the game, and all that crap. I was also more in-tune with the series back then. However, as an original fan I can also be objective in how the series is to progress.

Working Designs did not "make" Lunar, they added their style to it and it worked stylistically. As the years have passed you can't throw the same kind of crap into a localization and have the same effect. Let's turn a Bill Clinton reference into Tiger Woods and his house of whores for the new generation. This is not what Lunar needs. It can be just as humorous even if handled by someone else, and it even includes much of the original script. We just can't hold onto the past if the series is to have a future, regardless of our memories and nostalgia.

As a side note, I hope you people realize that Victor Ireland and GameArts aren't so much of a pair now as they were 10+ years ago. I think the term "Sour Grapes" applies to that.

[jos24]

LOS ANGELES, CA – Jan 14TH – It has been announced that actor Spike Spencer is to voice two characters in the Classic RPG Lunar: Silver Star Harmony, developed by Game Arts and XSEED Games, that will be released exclusively on the PSP system in Q1, 2010.

Spike will provide the voices for Nall (a small, winged creature resembling a white cat) and Eiphel (the main villain in the new Four Heroes scenario part of the game). “I really enjoyed being able to do two extremes of the voice spectrum in the same show,” said Spike. Nall’s voice is in a very high range and Eiphel’s is very low, thus showcasing the range in the actor’s voice.

Lunar: Silver Star Harmony (for the North American release) is the title of the Sony Playstation Portable remake of the Sega CD game Lunar: The Silver Star. The game, produced by GungHo Works and developed by GameArts, will be published and brought to North America by XSEED Games.

http://www.anime-pulse.com/2010/01/14/s ... r-harmony/