Looking for a Sega Saturn Grandia translation guide

[Krejlooc]

I suppose the topic title says it all. I've heard stories about people printing out bible-sized translation guides for grandia, but all I can find are half-finished guides that really only translates the story. I've been dying to play the saturn version. Anybody know of a guide that includes translations of items, spells, armor, etc, in addition to the dialogue? One that is preferably laid out in a way so that one can finish the entire game with minimal knowledge of japanese?

[mrDude]

Just wondering, but what makes the JPN version of Grandia so much better to justify using a translation guide? I doubt its better visuals since the Saturn was kinda terrible at 3d and the game only features sprites for the characters if i remember right. I once had a Saturn but obviously never played Grandia on it. Seems like the PS1 or PSN release would be a better alternative if you cant emulate it...

[Krejlooc]

The saturn version has much, much better graphics than the PSX version.

[mrDude]

After watching this very well made comparison video I don't know that it really looks that much better, but some stuff does look wildly different. Mostly the ground textures.

Ps1 has actual shadows under characters in the field while SS uses generic black circles, but the SS has building shadows while ps1 doesn't. The sprites look better on SS but the PS has transparencies and shorter load times. Its hard to tell but I think the PS version might seem slightly smoother in the framerate department.

It seems like you gain some/lose some with either version.

BTW I'm not trying to change your mind or anything, do as you please sir

[Duane Dibbley]

According to this article:

Various elements of the PlayStation Grandia seem to suffer a slight drop in quality from their Saturn counterparts. The framerate is just a smidgen choppier, the polygons have visible seams (they're visible only if you're looking for them, though), and the voices, which were crisp as can be in the Saturn version, now have a bit of hiss. Some of the problems stand out for all to see, though. In one sequence from the original version's opening, the Saturn's unique background processor was used to do a zoom-in of a flat bitmap depicting the city of Palm. The developers attempted to emulate the zoom-effect on the PlayStation, but with little success; what results is a comical 1 frame per second curiosity that may leave an initial bad taste in the eyes of many gamers.

I remember being excited reading about the Final Fantasy VII killer, Grandia, on Saturn World back in the day. After the Saturn's premature demise, I guess I lost interest in it though.

[Reprise]

Personally, I play Grandia on the Saturn just fine. It's not like it's difficult, so although it may be slightly easier to play the English Playstation version, I don't really feel any pressing need to.

Also, I just use the basic translation guide that's out there. http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps/197483-grandia/faqs/7563

But, if you want a good one and have the time to download magazine scans, check out these: http://www.outofprintarchive.com/catalo ... SSM30.html http://www.outofprintarchive.com/catalo ... SSM31.html http://www.outofprintarchive.com/catalo ... SSM32.html http://www.outofprintarchive.com/catalo ... SSM33.html http://www.outofprintarchive.com/catalo ... SSM34.html

[Krejlooc]

So, i just finished grandia for the saturn. I played it using a variety of guides pulled from the internet, as well as those issues of SSM (i actually bought physical copies of those issues off of ebay). The glut of my translation guide came from a gamefaqs script of the psx version that someone dumped. It only translated the main story - no non-essential text was translated - but it was good enough to play with and made for a lean game. I found a site online that translates every object - weapons, armor, etc - with pictures. The same site also listed every shop inventory in the game. All this stuff together left me with a very comprehensive translation guide that made playing the saturn version a snap. If anybody is interested, i could throw the compiled guide online to download. I actually printed it all out - it was around 300 pages long. But, again, it made playing the saturn version feasible and easy to do. If you've ever watched subbed anime, you can follow the guide.

[marurun]

Grandia on the Saturn is a much nicer experience. The Saturn version actually has some transparencies, you know. Texture quality is better to boot. Just looks more colorful and solid. The US translation in the PS1 version is a little suspect, IMO, and the US voice acting was pretty dismal. Even in slightly inferior PS1 form, however, the game did still have the potential to give the FF series a run for its money, but the translation and voicing issues really didn't help. That and I'm not sure the US was ready to take the younger characters seriously, despite the fact that the story in Grandia is a much better told story than any FF game I've ever played.

[Krejlooc]

Grandia on the Saturn is a much nicer experience. The Saturn version actually has some transparencies, you know. Texture quality is better to boot. Just looks more colorful and solid. The US translation in the PS1 version is a little suspect, IMO, and the US voice acting was pretty dismal. Even in slightly inferior PS1 form, however, the game did still have the potential to give the FF series a run for its money, but the translation and voicing issues really didn't help. That and I'm not sure the US was ready to take the younger characters seriously, despite the fact that the story in Grandia is a much better told story than any FF game I've ever played.

Yeah its a pretty awesome game. That was my first playthrough in either english or japanese. It starts very slowly, though. Doesnt pick up for a few hours, and the opening fetch quest is tedious. But the game itself was fun. I liked the battle system, and the stat boosts from leveling your weapon and magic. I esecially liked the music - it sounded like dragonball, which fit the adventure setting.

[greg]

Yeah, all you have to do is watch the sequence on the Saturn in the game's beginning when the camera point of view flies out the window and zooms in on the land below and you'll be amazed. Watching the PS1 choke on this part is embarrassing. Sure, the PS1 has some slightly improved details like shadows, but the Saturn version is beautiful. It's a shame that Working Designs or somebody never released this on the US Saturn, but Sega back then was focusing way too much on sports games. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy 7 came along on the PS1 and made role playing gamers out of a ton of people who'd never played an RPG before.