The patch containing Ys VIII's translation update was released the other day which re-translates almost all of the game's text and completely re-dubs all of the story segments and even some of the battle cries heard during combat.

I started a New Game Plus yesterday to see how much of the script had changed and I have to say that I think the new translation is a huge improvement. Dialogue sounds more natural now and the English dub is a lot better with the cast expressing more personality in their performances (Sahad is especially fun with his delivery). The early flashbacks with Dana are also a lot more comprehensible thanks to the new script cleaning up the awkward dialogue in those scenes. I'm only in Chapter 2 right now but the patch seems to work as advertised, which I am really glad to see since I enjoyed the game so much last year despite its original translation.

Anyone else replaying the game with the new translation or playing it for the first time now that the patch has been released?

I'm kinda not interested in the game at all anymore. I was already a bit meh on it since XSEED wasn't doing the port, as I can't even picture a game with Ys on the cover not being done by them. It may be a bit petty, but I feel vindicated that it had so many problems after it wasn't done by XSEED. I understand the reasons why XSEED didn't do it, as they have a TON of projects going and would not be able to get the game out anytime soon, but that decision really backfired for Falcom. Not only was the translation a big enough joke that they had to do it entirely all over, but the PC version just got delayed AGAIN to fall of this year. Any benefits that Falcom may have received from having another publisher do it--faster work, (supposed) synchronous multiplatform releases, etc--have been completed nullified by the botched job NISA has done on this game. Considering I also don't overly love the 3D Ys games as much as the 2D ones, I don't really see myself ever bothering with this one.

I will say I'm glad that NISA has done the work and is actually trying to fix their mistakes, despite what it must have cost them. I can even understand their reasons for pushing the PC version to later this year, as rushing out a shoddy port would only ruin the goodwill they're trying to build with the retranslation. It's nice to hear that you think the new translation and dub is better too, as some of the things I saw/heard from the original were ROUGH. I'm hopeful that NISA can continue to salvage their mistake with Ys VIII, but I still find myself imagining what could have been if XSEED had done the job.

@wemibelle: I can totally understand that sentiment and if NISA had not released this update I would be hesitant to recommend playing the game at all. But, while I may not have finished every entry, I have played a bit of every mainline Ys game and I think VIII is hands down the best in the series (or at least the best of the modern party-based titles). And with this new translation I would wholeheartedly recommend playing it if you have ever liked the series. The first Ys games I ever experienced were the first game on the Turbografx (through the Wii's Virtual Console) and the 7th game on the PS2, which was published by Konami, so I've never really thought of XSEED as the exclusive owners of the Ys franchise but I can understand the brand loyalty since they've translated all the recent releases and have treated the series well. NISA messed up, and the PC port doesn't even have an estimated release date after that last delay, but Ys VIII is a fantastic game that I think should not be missed no matter who published it. But that's just me.

@lentfilms: I've played the demo and I can at least understand the appeal. It certainly plays better than Seven or Memories of Celceta did and feels like a more accurate approximation of the older games' gameplay than those did. Despite that, I still just prefer the more arcade-y feel of the middle games or even the old-school, unique combat feel of the first couple more than the group-based action of the 3D titles. I can see myself playing it eventually, but I have no current interest and I certainly wouldn't pay anywhere near full price for it.

I didn't manage to finish Ys VIII, so I'll play-out what's left with the patch, but I have no intention of restarting the game. NISA's original localization isn't horrible. Had they merely taken the time to avoid some of the mouthier language and literal translations, particularly those for places and creatures that were turned into on-screen graphical text (I'm talking "big hole" or whatever it was), then there likely would have been very little, or no, criticism of their work. Instead, based on some of the examples I've seen online of the new patch, they've probably went in the other direction and overwrote a bunch of the script.

Either way, I don't think the game is worth replaying. The party system from the last three entries only serves to make for clunky action, and I dislike the limitations to exploration, resulting from the game's handheld origins. Add in some of the stuff with Dana, the tower defense missions, the story portions, and the game becomes extremely segmented at times, further impacted by how the game world is broken into zones and progress gated. It's been a very herky-jerky experience, whereas I'd rather the freer, if admittedly simpler, progression from earlier titles.

I don't ever expect to see (and don't want) a AAA Ys title, but hopefully with the Vita's now zombie state, whatever comes next for the series will benefit from its core platform being a home console (or at least of home-console capability, meaning the Switch).

I didn't really need a reason to start a new game plus, but this pushes it toward the front of the line. I had this game right at the top of my GOTY list and am curious to see how much better the new translation is.

Thought I'd just post some comparisons for people that are wondering how the two translations differ. This is the very first piece of text that appears in the game:

Old Translation	New Translation

And here is the first campfire scene:

Also someone posted a comparison of the scene right before the campfire (the first clip is from the old translation and the second-half is the new):

I started this two days ago and have really been enjoying the hell out of it. I have no basis for comparison, but the writing seems pretty good so far. Mostly fairly typical JRPG fair, but genuinely made me laugh a few times as well and hasn't been outright bad or anything. The only thing I even remember seeing form the original translation was the ANCIENT BIG HOLE or whatever it was called that was frickin' hilarious. But yeah, so far really liking this and super bummed it didn't sell better. It's a great game with an intriguing enough story and setup and the combat mechanics are extremely satisfying.