Zelda TWW which version?(us or japanese)

[mt50]

hi, i'm wanting to get the zelda TWW, i've got a modded cube so i can get any version.
but need to know how hard/easy is the japanese version to play?
also how much should i be looking to pay for eash version with the bonus disk?(brand new would be better)
thanks

[yashiro]

Unless you can understand Japanese get the US version.

[Adam Stone]

Even though Mr Yashiro is right in what he says here, I personally think there is more to consider then that. I bought both, jp at launch and US. And considerably enjoyed both versions, maybe even the Japanese version more so?

Wind Waker isn?t a difficult game by any means, yet there is an added sense of difficulty within the Japanese version and a much higher sense of achievement throughout. There are no tips of any kind aside your own common sense and skill of observation. The dungeons and puzzles, and even sense of exploration, is far greater within the Japanese version?

However the US version obviously allows you to understand the text. This means you can enjoy all the side quests and delightful conversions with the many characters. Something that is missing from not understanding the text. You will miss quite a bit just playing the JP version. Also, there is a slight improvement in the US v. At the end there is much retrieving to be done, in the JPN version there is a great deal more and some of it is rather tedious as it gets you to search for maps within maps etc. However, this has been cut out in the US version and results in a slightly less play time, yet angularly rightly so?

Personally, I would advice getting both. Japanese for a far greater enjoyment within the dungeons and puzzles, and the English language for all the added side quests etc. Yet obviously money can be an issue? and getting both is probably straight out of the question

Ultimately, for the fuller experience, get the US version. I would expect you can pick it up around ?20 now.

[mt50]

thanks for that. i did buy the us version for ?10 off another forum but that got lost in the post .
now i've just gone and brought a sealed japanese version with sealed bonus disk.
but i'm not sure if i should leave it sealed and pick up a cheap us copy.
what is the jap version worth for brand new and sealed game+ bonus disk?

thanks

[Matt Hughes]

Although I appreciate what Adam has said, I have never really found the point in playing something in Japanese unless I absoloutely have to. I was given the opportunity of having a JAP Wind Waker a week after its release over there, but I waited for the USA release and imported it then. For me it was well worth the wait so I could understand the game fully, although I was (and still am) not overly impressed with the game itself.

So I'd go for the USA version and keep your JAP version sealed. Up to you, though .

[Londonner]

I don't think the following is a digression; I think it may help you decide what kind of gaming experience you want to have with Zelda.

The most beautiful gaming experience I've ever had was playing Konami's Goemon Warrior on the Super Famicom (aka The Legend of Mystical Ninja on the SNES) when it was first released on import.

The game, as those who've played it will attest, is as Japanese as you can get: set in Japan, lots of Japanese cultural references, Japanese traditional music, and of course lots of heavy Japanese text.

Whilst the action levels were manageable (straight platform), the intervening sections (puzzle and RPG) had to be logically deduced - and that meant spending, I estimate conservatively, 10 times more time (literally) playing the game to figure out which option will lead to which outcome. Of course, at the time there were no English FAQs nor any English instructions.

Each playing session included a new discovery, and therefore culminated in a great sense of achievement and joy. Although, sometimes this was countered by the number of hours one had to spend clicking through Japanese dialogue between characters, pressing different options to see what would happen.

I had no clue what was going on from a plot perspective. But in order to complete the game, I had to go through it with a fine tooth comb: exploring every milimetre of each level. Something I wouldn't have done in the English version (which I played years later, which I ended up finishing quickly by taking the shortcuts the English dialogue divulged).

To compound all of this, there was no save system either. It was preset password based, with Japanese characters. At the time, I did not have the sense to copy out the passwords by replicating the Japanese characters. I had to start from scratch each time.

So, which do you want? If you want a massive sense of self-achievement, go for the Japanese version of Zelda. If you want to just enjoy playing the game, go for the US version.

I have US Zelda and currently playing through it when I get the time. With this hindsight, I would only get the Japanese version if I have 2-3 months to spare. Given the absolutely massive size of the game's landscape, hundreds of sub-plots, one would need hundreds of hours to achieve everything in the game (outside of the main dungeons, which I should imagine one can get to through minimal trial and error, and complete).

Finally, I should point out that should you opt for the US version, I have Zelda WW, the Bonus Disc, and Collector's Edition, all US NTSC available for sale here.

Cheers

[mt50]

I would only get the Japanese version if I have 2-3 months to spare.

thanks guys, i think i will play the japanese version as i've got plenty of time( and it will stop me buying other games )
thanks
i can allways pick up a cheap us copy afterwords.

[charlaph]

I bought the JP version early(ish) as I couldn't wait for the US version. I enjoyed what I played, but there's so much text in the game that I felt I was missing out on too much of the ambience ( ) of the game. After a good few hours, I set it aside.

Then I bought the US version when came out, but once I got that I realised that my feelings were correct, it's a far stronger experience playing TWW and understanding exactly what's going on. I actually felt that what I had played through in the Japanese one, then replayed in the english language was devalued, because the aspect of discovery wasn't there. The point about having to make your own way in the Japanese version is well made, but the US version doesn't totally lead you by the hand, certainly a lot of the side quests and secrets are still for you to find for yourself.

My history of playing through Japanese games and enjoying them more because of the freedom is well documented on these forums, but I'd say Zelda is a bit too in depth. Playing it through in Japanese will be a good experience, and then replaying it in English and fully understanding it will be a good experience, but I'd recommend playing it in English from start to finish as (in my opinion) the experience will be better than either (both!) of these 2 alternatives.

In the end though, you should play the first island in Japanese and see whether you enjoy it. I did, but there was always a niggling in the back of my mind about what I was missing. If you don't get that feeling then I'd say stick with the Jp release.