Lightning Returns: FFXIII Will Have Japanese Voice-Overs as DLC

[roseofbattle]

Lightning Returns: FFXIII Will Have Japanese Voice-Overs as DLC

Japanese voice-overs in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will be available as DLC, but it will be free for a limited time.

Few Japanese games retain the Japanese audio when they are localized for western audiences. For the first time in the Final Fantasy series, Square Enix will include the Japanese voice-overs in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Unfortunately, the Japanese audio is available as free DLC only for the two weeks following the games' release. Once those two weeks are over, the Japanese voice-over pack will be available only as paid DLC.

Ali Hillis voices Lightning in Japanese, giving her a strong, and often "no nonsense" attitude. Troy Baker, heard in many recent games such as The Last of Us and BioShock Infinite, lends his voice to Snow Villiers. The English cast of Final Fantasy XIII is a strong one, but the option to hear the Japanese voices is a nice addition for any fans who prefer the Japanese voices, and the pack also includes lip-synching to the Japanese audio. Lightning has a well-known voice actress in Japan. Maaya Sakamoto has voiced characters from many Japanese anime and videogames, such as Ouran High School Host Club (Haruhi Fujioka), Black Butler (Ciel Phantomhive), Final Fantasy X (Aerith Gainsborough), and Persona 3 (Aigis). She is also considered to be the official Japanese voice-over for Natalie Portman.

More videogames are including Japanese audio with English subtitles. Other JRPG Tales of Symphonia Chronicles will feature English and Japanese dual audio, so players can choose their preference. When this feature is included, it's generally a part of the game rather than offered as DLC, especially not paid DLC. Unfortunately, this is the route Square Enix has taken for Lightning Returns.

You can check out Maaya Sakamoto as Lightning in a recently posted 11-minute video. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/129831-Lightning-Returns-Video-Shows-Open-Areas-Dragons-For-11-Minutes]

Source: Square Enix [http://press.na.square-enix.com/releases/162/japanese-voiceovers-announced-for-lightning-returns-final-fantasy-xiii]

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[hazabaza1]

Title says FF12 btw.
But this is simultaneously cool and kidna sucks. Having more voice options and it being free is cool. Charging people for voice assets already recorded... not so cool.

 

[Solstrana91]

Final Fantasy X (Aerith Gainsborough)
Think you might have a slight mistake there.

 

[Doom972]

Square-Enix seems to be on its way to become worse than Activision and Ubisoft. They still haven't considered reducing cutscene budgets instead of making customers pay for things that they should get for no extra charge.

 

[falkTX]

The previous 2 FFXIII games also allowed this, but only in a special Asia/Chinese edition.
AFAIK that edition has Japanese audio + Jap/Eng/Chinese subs.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

Wait, so are they not doing what they did with the last two games? Because, if I remember correctly, part of their justification for not including Japanese voices was that they actually changed the lip flaps to look more natural with the English track in the US releases of 13 and 13-2.

 

[Artemicion]

Final Fantasy X (Aerith Gainsborough)

my sides


I've never been huge on playing Japanese games with their localized voiceovers, but hey. Free's free, and it might be a neat playthrough 2.

 

[Xathos]

Huh, pretty interesting if you are someone who hates dubs for whatever reason. Having it only be available for two weeks is a little weird, but its a nice little thing that isn't really needed, so no biggie. I'll probably download this just to have it (besides, its free!), since I quite like the English cast a lot.

 

[josh4president]

Lightning Returns: FFXIII Will Have Japanese Voice-Overs as DLC

Final Fantasy X (Aerith Gainsborough)

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You're doing this on purpose, aren't you.

 

[Vyress]

Things the world doesn't need... to pay for. The English voices were excellent in FF13. Why would you want to change it? It's like wanting to pay for hearing the Japanese voice actor for Snake over David Hayter. Like, wow, really?

While it's for free - which it should be - , it's a nice option to have. But I don't understand why anyone would ever pay for it.

 

[KingdomFantasyXIII]

Square-Enix seems to be on its way to become worse than Activision and Ubisoft. They still haven't considered reducing cutscene budgets instead of making customers pay for things that they should get for no extra charge.

Did you not read the article? They said it would be free for two weeks. Besides, who cares if it's Japanese voice over? It's not impeding on the game as a whole so let them start charging of Japanese voice acting after two weeks.

 

[Candidus]

You know, I might just buy the game now.
It's still FFXIII 'verse.
And FFXIII is still shit, like everything after FFIX, excluding perhaps FFXII.
But I might just buy it anyway.

Final Fantasy ARR and now dual audio. I'm in danger of having a little faith in Squee again.

 

[Baresark]

Square Enix: Hey, you guys can pay us extra for the part of the game that requires us to do no additional work. That is how we are doing DLC... you like?

 

[VincentMm]

Lightning Returns: FFXIII Will Have Japanese Voice-Overs as DLC

Final Fantasy X (Aerith Gainsborough)

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You're doing this on purpose, aren't you.

I thought exactly the same thing when my brain restarted.

 

[alj]

I did not like FF13 at all it had no game play to speak of and the voice acting was horrid.

I was willing to give this one a chance when i saw this article , but paid DLC after 2 weeks you can get stuffed.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

I did not like FF13 at all it had no game play to speak of and the voice acting was horrid.

I was willing to give this one a chance when i saw this article , but paid DLC after 2 weeks you can get stuffed.

No-one's forcing to actually get the DLC, free or not, you know? Why should that impact on the game?

 

[Doom972]

Square-Enix seems to be on its way to become worse than Activision and Ubisoft. They still haven't considered reducing cutscene budgets instead of making customers pay for things that they should get for no extra charge.

Did you not read the article? They said it would be free for two weeks. Besides, who cares if it's Japanese voice over? It's not impeding on the game as a whole so let them start charging of Japanese voice acting after two weeks.

Did you not read it? After two weeks it will no longer be free. Personally, I don't care, but I know that it's a big deal for some people.

It's just that it's one of many similar moves of Square Enix, otherwise I wouldn't have paid attention to it. The most disappointing of these moves, at least for me, was not giving the Director's Cut update for owners of Deus Ex: Human Revolution at no extra charge.

 

[jajujo]

Ali Hillis voices Lightning in Japanese, giving her a strong, and often "no nonsense" attitude.

Lightning has a well-known voice actress in Japan. Maaya Sakamoto has voiced characters from many Japanese anime and videogames...

Wait, the voices have been done twice in Japanese? *Confused*

 

[Doom972]

Square-Enix seems to be on its way to become worse than Activision and Ubisoft. They still haven't considered reducing cutscene budgets instead of making customers pay for things that they should get for no extra charge.

Did you not read the article? They said it would be free for two weeks. Besides, who cares if it's Japanese voice over? It's not impeding on the game as a whole so let them start charging of Japanese voice acting after two weeks.

Did you not read it? After two weeks it will no longer be free. Personally, I don't care, but I know that it's a big deal for some people.

It's just that it's one of many similar moves of Square Enix, otherwise I wouldn't have paid attention to it. The most disappointing of these moves, at least for me, was not giving the Director's Cut update for owners of Deus Ex: Human Revolution at no extra charge.

It must be hard going through life and not getting everything you want given to you.

Patches being given at no extra charge is the standard and voice overs are made anyway so there's no reason not to make them available as doing so doesn't cost the company - but again, I wouldn't say anything about the latter if it was a single case and not one of many.