Fatal Frame IV Fan Translation Patch Released

#1 Edited by Al3xand3r (7574 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

Fans of the series can finally experience the latest entry thanks to a bunch of, er,other fans, who worked on a translation patch. Visit the 'official' website for more information and the file downloads. Here's a random dude's gameplay video. Early game, slow and spoilery (20-30 minutes in).

Disable annotations. Of course, you need a copy of the game's Japanese version, and an SD card with about 380MB free space. Enjoy the horror!

#2 Posted by AjayRaz (12249 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

that's pretty damn awesome. i only noticed a month or so back that fatal frame IV was only for the wii...

another reason for me to buy a wii. are the games region free?

#3 Edited by Al3xand3r (7574 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

The game is not region free, the patch makes it play. It includes all the homebrew code needed for it.

For other imports which don't have specific patches it's not hard to play them using various methods.

#4 Posted by Icemael (6099 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

Awesome. It'll be a while until I can import the game -- there are mad video game releases in the upcoming months -- but I'll hopefully be playing it this summer.

#5 Posted by Meowayne (6084 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

Damn you Al3x, I wanted to make this thread!

Anyway, kudos to them for the release, finally.

The original targeted release date for the patch was 08/2009. ;D

#6 Posted by Meowayne (6084 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

The offline patch doesn't work on Windows 7 64bit. Boo.

#7 Edited by Al3xand3r (7574 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

:-P

It also only works with legit discs. USB loaders are not supported, sadly, but it's commendable they made it only work like that, and not pirated. Though others will probably get the files and make work arounds for illegal copies soon enough, but yeah, their intentions were great with this.

This is probably going to be very jarring for people used to the Silent Hill: Shattered Memories smooth and intuitive controls but oh well, horror!

#8 Posted by AgentJ (8775 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

Time to order the game up! This is so exciting, my first import wii game! Can anyone think of any reason why Nintendo would possibly eliminate this measure?

#9 Posted by Junpei (685 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

Damn glad it's finally out. Time to get the patch in the coming days and give it a shot.

#10 Posted by vidiot (2737 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

Does anyone know why they specifically decided to not have an official release?
I've been looking forward to this, I regard the Fatal Frame series as one of those rare horror franchises to actually terrify me.

#11 Edited by OllyOxenFree (4550 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

@vidiot said:

" Does anyone know why they specifically decided to not have an official release? I've been looking forward to this, I regard the Fatal Frame series as one of those rare horror franchises to actually terrify me. "

Because Nintendo thought that it wouldn't be profitable to release the game outside of Japan. Yet they let a game like 'Calling' slide. Weird, eh?

#12 Posted by Meowayne (6084 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

It also only works with legit discs. USB loaders are not supported, sadly, but it's commendable they made it only work like that, and not pirated. Though others will probably get the files and make work arounds for illegal copies soon enough, but yeah, their intentions were great with this.

Tempus has explained that they used original-disc methods so that more people can play it and that softmodding / burning discs isn't necessary. There are no extra anti-piracy measures employed here, and he is actually participating in a gbatemp thread discussing how to incorporate the patch into a readymade .iso.
So much for "great intentions". ;)

#13 Edited by Icemael (6099 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

@vidiot said:

"Does anyone know why they specifically decided to not have an official release?"

There are various theories and rumours. According to one, Nintendo demanded that Tecmo fix the glitches the Japanese version had, but Tecmo refused. According to another, they refused because Nintendo wouldn't provide funding. According to a third, Nintendo simply doesn't think it'll be profitable -- from what I've heard, the third game's sales weren't very good -- and according to a fourth, Nintendo of America doesn't even know they have the publishing rights.

We don't have any facts, however; no one except Nintendo and Tecmo knows the actual reason.

#14 Posted by Al3xand3r (7574 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

@OllyOxenFree said:

Yet they let a game like 'Calling' slide. Weird, eh?

What Icemael said. Plus, Calling is not a Nintendo published title.

#15 Posted by Liminality (442 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

I wish I had a 1 GB SD...

#16 Posted by Al3xand3r (7574 posts) - 3 years, 4 months ago

@Liminality said:

I wish I had a 1 GB SD...

?

#17 Posted by Junpei (685 posts) - 3 years, 3 months ago

http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/junpei/fatal-frame-iv-mask-of-the-lunar-eclipse-translation-with-pics/30-37218/

Translation patch info/instruction and a few pics. More to come in the future.

#18 Posted by Meowayne (6084 posts) - 3 years, 3 months ago

Ha ha, the game is actually sold out now on play-asia. Brilliant.

#19 Posted by Apathylad (3049 posts) - 3 years, 3 months ago

I heard about this on the CAGcast, thought it was pretty cool of them to do this. I'm not familiar with the Fatal Frame games though, so I don't think I'll be importing this. Is the patch available? I went through the site and the FAQ said it wasn't yet...

I'd be interested in reading impressions on this game and its translation.

#20 Posted by Meowayne (6084 posts) - 3 years, 3 months ago

I just played through the introductory chapter. I am not sure I want to continue. :P

There is just something (cheap) about distorted, pale, japanese faces that never seems to lose its effect. Or maybe I shouldn't be playing alone. In the dark. At night. With the surround sound turned up. *rocks himself in a corner*

Anyway, impressive job on the translation. I applaud the guys. But still - I do wonder why, with all the playtesters and delays, the thing is still very rough around the edges. I understand cosmetical problems and the fact that some things don't fit right and some characters are a little glitchy, but I encountered a couple of grammatical and spelling errors in the first ten minutes alone, and one pretty nonsensical sentence. Maybe it could have used another round of proofreading or two.
But that's nitpicking, it seems to be very well and coherently translated so far. Very impressive for a fan project.

As for the game itself, I don't know. My only experience with the series was a demo version of Fatal Frame 2 (I think?), here called Project Zero, on the PS2. I have fond memories of this demo, I think it was more streamlined and better presented than this game. Controls and pacing are a bit awkward, but not game breaking. Its certainly a step back from playing Shattered Memories, but that may be an unfair comparison seeing just how well crafted that game is.

But definitely a very, very scary game that should please every fan of the genre.

#21 Posted by Junpei (685 posts) - 3 years, 3 months ago

Yea, I've played into a chapter a two and there were a few grammar things/typos. Ohterwise the only issue I encountered was a line or two of text that continues to the edge of the screen and cuts off a wrod at the end instead of wrapping to the next line.

#22 Posted by animateria (3250 posts) - 2 years, 8 months ago

I 'beat' the game on the Tube.

It's probably not as scary as Fatal Frame 2 overall, probably because you're playing several individuals in a seemingly small hospital. Which leads to a lot of repetition.

I just get a little irked by the fact that none of these characters bump into each other when they are essentially moving through the same area.

This is actually scary. Unlike Shattered Memories, where there weren't any scares at all. What the developer of Shattered Memories forgets it's basic instinct to run away from fear, so it doesn't force the player to confront fear. Looking horrible entities in the eye goes against your basic instincts, creating panic and escalates horror.

Of course the whole choking thing is visually weak, the ghost don't actually feel frightening at all when you see their attacks, lessening the overall horror experience.

Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

Fatal Frame Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is the first game in this survival horror-franchise released on the Wii, and utilizes the motion control to move and aim the flashlight.

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