Q&A session with Brian Glazebrook

Among a few other writers from various sites, dothackers was fortunate enough to join Brian Glazebrook, Localization Manager at NamcoBandai, for a question and answer session. While quite hush hush about certain questions, Brian revealed and cleared up several aspects of the //G.U. localization, as well as gave us some personal, thoughtful insight regarding the localization process.

What is the official release date for the game, and what will the time span be between the games?

"I think some sites have said October 24th. That is what we’re currently shooting for, right now. In terms of time span between the volumes, that’s still to be determined."

Will there be any data continuation from the conclusion of .hack//QUARANTINE to .hack//G.U.?

"Yes, there will be."

What kind of goodies will saved data from the previous game unlock?

"Right now, that would really ruin it for some people. Yeah, I’m going to have to hold off on that until it gets closer to release. But, definitely, you’ll get something really cool out of it."

How long will Vol. 1 be?

"One of the other guys, who’s, actually, working on the game, played it from beginning to end, obviously watched all the movies and such, without bypassing it, and... it took him, roughly, about 40 hours, and that’s knowing what to do, where to go, but not skipping the movies... You could go way beyond 40+ hours, easily."

The previous games came with an anime disc, .hack//Liminality. Are there any plans to include another anime with the games?

"This time around, no... This time around, since we’re trying to attract new players, even early adopters, and such, [we’re] trying to make everything as easy as possible, without having to go to secondary media for information and such, so, with that said, people get to jump in and watch it through the game without having to [say], ‘Oh, I gotta watch the DVD to find out what to do next.’ We kind of tried to avoid that. And, also, too, there’s enough animation and content, stuff like that, in the game itself... so that kind of adds to the whole animation experience, right there."

A lot of people were confused as to whether the terminal disk will be with the regular edition, or if it will be exclusion to the special edition. Can you clarify this?

"The Terminal Disk is going to be with the special edition, as you saw it, but it’s not going to be on the regular version... It’s more of, like, a bonus content, more or less."

Can you confirm the localized titles of the next two volumes of //G.U?

"Not yet. We still have not made an announcement, so I cannot confirm it, at this point."

Regarding the //G.U. card game:

"All I can say is it’s got a bigger role on Vol. 2 than Vol. 1, and, without giving too much away... perhaps, maybe, something that people may want to keep their eye [on], for sure... I just don’t want to ruin it for anyone, to be honest."

Will we see a box set for the .hack//G.U. games?

"As of now, I have no information on that, to be honest."

What was the most difficult aspect of the localization process for //G.U., and why?

"For this one, it’s multi-tasking. Translating it, making sure when you record the voices within the same timeframe, especially for the movies, because you can’t really extend it, and you don’t want the whole Chinese-kung-fu-acting type of voice recording where their lips stop moving; but, then, the voice still goes on, or vice versa. So, we try to time everything appropriately… Keeping everything timed up is one difficult aspect of [the localization]. Also, especially for this franchise, whenever there’s other aspects involved, such as anime, a card game, toys, comics, whatever it is...trying to make sure everything is consistent and working with other companies and divisions is also difficult...so trying to get that synergy going on. I mean, once it’s there, it’s great, but getting it started is always a little difficult..."

Was there a lot of creativity involved during localization, or was most of the dialogue in the Japanese version translated word-for-word?

"Well, obviously, there was some creativity that had to be done, for a lot of the things, such as the comical aspects... What may be really funny to the Japanese people would be kind of confusing and weird for us here... The core of the story, obviously, we just followed what they already had, which is really well-written and well-thought-out, to begin with. In certain areas, we did have to make some liberties, when they’re referencing things that, for the most part, some Japanese people would only get, or would understand. Things like that are just part of the localization process. We have to make sure that people here in the U.S. will be able to understand and appreciate it, without just making it word-for-word and confusing people, so there was some creativity involved."

Do you think that //G.U. will appeal to role-playing gamers outside of the .hack fan base, and do you think newcomers to the series will be able to enjoy it as much as long-time fans?

"Definitely, for two reasons. One, even though we’ve put things in there for [fans] of the previous series, it starts off for those that even though some have never played .hack, or don’t know anything about it, they’ll be able to get into it relatively easy, without even having known anything about the previous series. Second, since it’s not just a basic RPG, it’s a little bit more action oriented. I think it’ll appeal to more people for that fact, as well. So, for those two reasons, I think even non-fans will be able to get into this and enjoy it and have a good time."

One problem critics shared with the previous four .hack games was their length and the manner in which they were released, as four separate titles, all retailing at full price. Do you think the amount of playtime and originality in each volume of //G.U. will justify its being another multi-part RPG?

"This time around, yes. One of the things [the developers] have noticed, and they recognize, is the fact that the gameplay [hours] for each of the volumes wasn’t up to what people expected, so they’ve, actually, taken that into account, and this time around, I think people will be more than satisfied. There’ll be different and new content from one to the next, so it’s not like, ‘Oh, it’s the same game, just a continuation of the story...’ We’ve made sure that there’s enough content for those going from Vol. 1 to Vol. 2, instead of just a continuation of the story."

Will the ".hack project" end with //G.U. and the upcoming anime, or is there still more to come?

"Will there be more in the future? Who’s to say? You know, it’s possible; but, right now, everyone’s still focusing on this time around, so I don’t think anyone’s looked beyond that, as of yet."

Are there any plans for the official .hack website, dothack.com? There are rumors going around that it will host the new .hack//G.U. manga and other media for free.

"That’s something Bandai Entertainment, I believe, is working with... I’m not quite sure, exactly, how they’re coordinating it, right now. I know there was some word that they were going to try to release it here, but to what extent that it’s going to come out, that’s something I could not give you an appropriate answer on right now, to be honest. I know there’s something in the works; I just don’t know, exactly, what it is yet."

When asked about voice acting, Brian wasn’t able to reveal any of the actors, so this is something that remains to be seen (check out our interview with Haseo's voice actor in the mean time). He was also unsure about the publisher of the official strategy guide, which, also, has not been revealed. To sum it all up: mark your calendars. //G.U. hits store shelves October 24th, and if you want the Terminal Disk, you’d better start pre-ordering the special edition.