Plus-Alpha
Plus Alpha is the localization company that is responsible for translating Dragon Quest games into English for North American and European territories, starting with Dragon Quest VIII. They are well known for their use of British English, a variety of puns, and pop culture refferences to, in their own words, "give our products a fresh flavour.". Though this method of localization has garnered acclaim from many gamers and critics, it has caused some issue with older fans for changing familar names.
Controversy of localization changes
With the arrival of the english version of Dragon Quest VIII, it was clear than many things had been changed in the transition between "Warrior" to "Quest". Nearly all character, monster, location, item and spell names of the "Warrior" era of Dragon Quest have been replaced with a template that perfers the use of puns, onomatopoeia and general silliness than precise description. While the opinons of the more scorned fans perfectly valid, it should be known that all of Plus Alpha's edits are done under supervision from Square-Enix, and permission must be given by Yuji Horii himself before any change can be made official.
Nintendo Power Support
Nintendo Power has claimed that the DS localization of Dragon Quest IV is closer to the original Japanese version then Dragon Warrior IV. However, this has been proven false.
Staff
Amazingly, Plus Alpha consists of only two individuals: Clare Saracine and Will Blatchley.
Reviews
This localisation is as impressive as all of the recent efforts by Square Enix, and is truly a treat for Western gamers, especially those Dragon Quest fans who were stuck with the terrible original translation. - review from RPG Site
Those who welcomed the removal of Frog's medieval accent in the recent Chrono Trigger revival may balk at Sancho's comically thick Spanish accent, but we can't help but feel that it displays a charm that elevates Hand of the Heavenly Bride to a uniquely characterful adventure. - IGN UK's review
Localization, the translation of games from Japanese to English, is often a slapdash affair. Pun-filled wordplay and cheeky video game references abound in this game's smartly written script.” - review from A.V. Club
“It's singularly remarkable that Square Enix went to the obvious trouble of writing English humour into the game instead of just dumping a straightforward translation onto the cartridge. This, clearly, is the right way to bring us games from Japan- review from Yahoo! Games
External Links
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