I just got this game and heard there was Japanese audio available and was excited but just found out they are charging for this...

What is your opinion on this? I'm a bit baffled and don't know whether to be angry or laugh about it.

Honestly I think more games should do it. Most games simply don't include Japanese voices at all because they don't feel the extra licensing fees are worth it for the comparatively small part of the player base that really cares. Selling it at a small fee to recoup that cost while giving anyone who really wants it access to it is better than not having it at all. "Small fee" of course being an important part of that sentence.

@zeik: mmm surprised by your response. they are asking $4 for this. what is small for you?

also, i don't know anyone that doesn't care about japanese voice if you're into japanese stuff.

It's a terrible practice. If niche games like Disgaea can afford to have both English and Japanese dialogue then there's no reason why fucking Final Fantasy, one of the most well known franchises ever, has to charge $4 for an unlock code for Japanese voice acting.

I was thinking no more than $5, though preferably more like $0.99.

This is something I often see sub fans specifically ask for from companies like Atlus and Namco, who rarely include Japanese dubs in their games. Paying for that is still cheaper than importing.

There are plenty of people who don't care, myself included. I think the option should be there, but I hardly ever use it when it is.

In Atlus' case I've always seen it as being a space issue because all their PS3 games have had both languages.

I do know Blazblue did but did Catherine? Can't remember...I don't think it did...Dragon's Crown did too!

Both Arena games did too. Not sure about Catherine as I played it on 360.

Space has been an issue in the past, but not for their more recent games. Pretty much everything after the PS2 era could have had Japanese voices, but most of them didn't. I think Arena had it more because of ArcSys/fighting game expectations, but Catherine didn't, nor did any of their 3DS or PSP/Vita releases that come to mind. (I think there was one or two on the PSP, but I don't remember what they were.)

I forgot Dragon's Crown was an Atlus release, so I guess that's a notable exception. Although that game didn't have as much voice acting as an average Atlus RPG either.

It's like a tiny mote of shit on the big, steaming pile of shit that is Lightning Returns. Or a zit on Pol Pot: It's a character flaw, but a minor one considering the overall package.

I said I'm sorry for playing that leaked version of FFXII a month before release Squeenix! Will you please stop slowly lobotomizing me with a wire in my eyeball now?

@liquiddragon: It was free for the first week or so that the game was out.