Siren

[PeteJ]

There is a rumour at the moment (and just a rumour, nothing more) that Sony will release Siren SE in the future, which includes the Japanese soundtrack with English subs...

Posting rumours isn't something I like to do, but if the rumour gains enough weight behind it then perhaps Sony will at least respond

[Concept]

Oh, I hope so. It'd be over the moon if just for once, a large publisher did the sensible thing and catered to an audience which in this instance, is clearly there but holding back.

Take Silent Hill and Biohazard. In Japan these series feature English voice acting, because geographically their settings take place abroad in the US. Yet, even with these subtitles, such games have hardly been hit massively because of them when it comes to sales, have they?

It just keeps the consistency and believability up in terms of locale. I don't see how keeping an original voice track of a game positioned in a land where these voices originally came from, harms the immersion. I can only see this increasing it.

Why can't we have that over here? Do publisher's lack that much faith in their audience?

For Siren, there's even more of a case, considering we've had one of it's key features removed over here... That direct link between the voice actors and their appearance in real life. Keeping this link in the UK version would have exceptionally added to the illusion you're being sucked into a cohesive and believable place.

Really - If SCEE or SCEA can sort this situation out and issue a re-release or a new version with the subtitles in... I'd be their biggest fans. It really would restore my faith in the thinking that goes behind in-house localisations.

I can only hope there is concreate backing of some kind behind this rumour.

Siren deserves to be given a second chance, not only by us gamer's holding out on the current version, but by the company who produced and distributed it. Their own product deserves better.

You don't know how much I want to be able to post in this thread talking about the game and not the situation surrounding its current version of release. I'd like to discuss, examine and write about what looks to be a hypnotically chilling piece of art.

Please Sony. Do a re-release for us awkward folk (even if it's only a limited production run).

[Dache]

There is a rumour at the moment (and just a rumour, nothing more) that Sony will release Siren SE in the future, which includes the Japanese soundtrack with English subs...

Posting rumours isn't something I like to do, but if the rumour gains enough weight behind it then perhaps Sony will at least respond

PLEASE GOD PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

[Squirtle]

Dubbing aside, and really it's not that bad, the game itself is not very good. I love the survival horror genre me, but the fragmented nature of this game coupled with the sub splinter cell style stealth and annoyingly dull level design just makes for a unengaging package. I was expecting to be scared witless but it's just not even in the slightest bit scary. It's just frustrating and witness to quite a lot of trial and error moments.

So, disappointing on so many levels. Yes, it's different, but different isn't always better.

[Family Fry]

Man its nice to see a few people who actually dont like this game as much as.
My boss has been slagging me off calling me a turncoat, i was promoting this game in work telling people it was gonna be scary.....well thats the LAST time i ever look at anything and think "it looks scary so its actually going to be scary."
Mission Completed.

[Wools]

I could not wait for this game and picked it up last friday and it was almost all I could of hoped for. Im a massive surivial horror fan.

The only little downside is the slightly small mission levels but hopefully they will become bigger later on in the game.

And this massive backlash I heared about the game's dub? Dident even notice any problems with it. To tell you the truth I think because everyone always hear's a voiceover in american or japanese they become despondent when they hear an English dub. Step forward Siren, The getaway, Conker. All good games with a good cast. My opinion obvously!

Oh and the sightjack. The most ****ing disturbing device used in a game world.

[Darwock]

master chief, that's pretty much what I expected. People slag dubbed soundtracks for no good reason sometimes (POP, FFX etc)

[Concept]

From what I heard of the dub myself in trailers, I found it to be skank.

And the complaints aren't necessarily to do with the quality... It's the fact the dub tears into the immersion of the game.

Siren takes place in Japan, on the other side of the world with a modern day setting, created in a highly believable environment.

The. Voices. Just. Don't. Fit.

It's like Ring accompanied by a soundtrack from The Bill.

If the situation ever gets sorted then, heaven forbid, I might be able to actually step somewhere near playing this mighty fine looking game.

[Blunt]

Scored a copy today, played it for roughly thirty minutes, I'm at the mission where you play the professor and must escort a girl to the exit. And from what I've seen I like it, but I'm somewhat underwhelmed, especially because it's frustratingly hard. I've tried this mission a dozen times and didn't remotely manage to do half of what I'm supposed to do, above all complete the damn mission. As it's a press copy, I have no manual so am I missing something or there's no indication at all of your position on the map? How I'm supposed to find my damn way out?

The French dubbing is not atrociously bad though. But it's certainly not great either.

[PeteJ]

You need to work your where you are on the map and keep track of your progress.

[Squirtle]

You need to work your where you are on the map and keep track of your progress.

What map?

I gave up at the first level with the priest. Just where the **** was I supposed to go!?

[Blunt]

Gah. I get the intent of the developpers by not putting your position on the map but it really comes across as a sadistic way to needlessly increase an already higher than usual difficulty level.

[Square]

Aye, but the satisfaction of successfully negotiating a level is equally as high.

[Family Fry]

This game is starting to do my biscuit, if i see retry or give in on screen again i may just not have a working controller left!
In saying that i have this need to see it through, its because i spent actual money on it and want a BIT of value and play BUT if i hadnt read the manual about the 'Lock and Key' part of the navigator bar i would have probly been playing the same LOOP forever DOH!

[Garibaldi Biscuit]

Gave this a rent and nicked my Dad's PAL PS2, put about two hours into it so far.

Not sure how I feel really, I can see peoples complaints about the whole package being rough and feeling a bit 'unfinished' ( plus the hi-res PSOne criticisms ) but this does seem to be a game which lends itself well to rough textures and excessive fogging, plus the music is masterful in racheting up suspense levels.

Sight-jacking is both useful and disorientating ( which is pretty much what I hoped ) and the number of places you can hide from zombies seem natural rather than under a table or inside a locker which I feared, plus deciding whether to have your torch on and risk being seen or stumble around in the darkness is a nice touch.

Objectives and level goals are really what I have problems with, merely finding a key or opening a gate doesn't seem to match the rest of Siren's tight package, each level can feel merely like a set to run from zombies across, rather than an actual, interactive place.

I love the feel of the whole thing, should easily become a cult title I think, but I hope the objectives and size of the levels ( although a series of 'snapshots' of various townsfolk throughout the days is a great idea, it feels disjointed from a player's perspective ) grow in complexity as it proceeds.

Yes, the dub is quite awful, curiously the Japanese professor seems to have an essex girl with him.