Sega X Bleach, North America interview edition

By Spencer . September 25, 2007 . 1:43pm

After a year of Bleach on Adult Swim, Sega is bringing out a set of games next month. Bleach: The Blade of Fate (aka Bleach DS: Souten ni Kakeru Unmei) probably doesn’t need much of an introduction since it is a popular import. However, Treasure went back and made a few tweaks to the system for North America. To find out what they changed, what stayed the same and where Bleach: Shattered Blade fits into the timeline we spoke to Keith Dwyer, the producer of the two Bleach games.

When did Sega decide it's time to bring our Bleach games outside of Japan?

KD: Right at the beginning of this year, though there had been a movement to bring them over well before that. It’s never a quick process to develop or localize a game and there are a lot of hoops to jump through.

Levi (fellow Siliconera writer): We heard about gameplay changes in Bleach: The Blade of Fate compared to the Japanese version, like not being able to change planes in 1 on 1 matches. Are there any other gameplay changes besides this?

KD: Changes made to the game were done to improve the game and there were several tweaks that Treasure made based upon what they saw with the Japanese version and that they had wanted to implement into the Japanese version but were unable to for various reasons. The changes to one-on-one matches for example removed the ability to of players to continually run away by changing battlelines (get in there and fight!). Another change is that ground-based blocks will no longer block aerial attacks (no single defense against all attacks). Several characters who were unable use their special movement (Flash Step) while jumping can now do so; Ganju and Orihime for example.

Levi: In Bleach: The Blade of Fate, is Wi-Fi going to be restricted to US players only? Or will US players be able to connect to and play against Japanese and European players as well?

KD: Wi-Fi play is restricted by geographic region; US players can only play with other US players (even if they happen to be in Japan). There are technical reasons for this but for the players, the Japanese and US versions are now balanced slightly different. For example, in the US version players are restricted to one battle line in one-on-one while Japanese players are not.

Is Bleach: Shattered Blade getting any noticeable tweaks to the battle system?

KD: There are no major changes.

Which Bleach game was more of a challenge to localize?

KD: As both games were done concurrently, it was often hard to distinguish between one or the other. Whatever was being done for one game often applied to the other, however, the Blade of Fate was far more complex. It contains the entire first season storyline (which had to be kept in sync with the series) and it contains Spirit Cards and other features not found in Shattered Blade.

Can you share a bit about the story in Bleach: The Blade of Fate?

KD: The Blade of Fate follows the first season of the anime. More specifically it follows the Soul Society story arc wherein Ichigo and his friends infiltrate the Seireitei in hope of rescuing Rukia Kuchiki. It mirrors all the major events up through the story arcs climax, allowing you to play through each of the pivotal battles. Unlockable episodes in Story Mode give several character-specific sub-stories, several of which take place before the anime story line.

And Bleach: Shattered Blade?

KD: Chronologically, the Shattered Blade storyline takes place between anime seasons one and two; just after the climactic events in the Blade of Fate but before Ichigo and crew are able to return to Karakura Town. Ichigo has been informed that recent events have forced the closure of the gate to Karakura Town for 100 years. Those events have also lead to the scattering of powerful shards of the Sokyoku all over the Seireitei. Ichigo plans to use the power of those shards to force the gate open but he’s going to have to fight off all the Soul Reapers who are already fighting over them. To make matters worse, there’s someone else lurking in the shadows hoping to take them all.

Levi: More anime games are beginning to keep the original language track. Does Bleach: Shattered Blade have a Japanese language option?

KD: Neither Shattered Blade nor the Blade of Fate contains Japanese dialogue. Both of these games follow the American version of the show and we’ve attempted to keep true to that.

But we are getting all the characters in both games right?

Yes, all of the characters in the Japanese version are found in the US version.

TAGS: Bleach, Interviews, Nintendo DS, Sega, Wii

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lostinblue

Shame for no Japanese option, no Japanese no buy for me.

But I'm not that interested in this one, I'm really interested in One Piece Unlimited Adventure though, I sure hope they keep the japanese voices for that one.

Naruto would be neat too; but I guess not.

ryne11

Good

At least the cast spoilers aside and try to improve upon the games

Jeffrey R.

@ Pedro Silva

"Shame for no Japanese option, no Japanese no buy for me"

Oh come on, you aren't serious are you? I mean they look like fun fighting games if you ask me. I don't think the Japanese option is that much of a necessity. I'm still going to buy Bleach DS once it drops and I'm not even a fan of the show.

Aoshi00

It's kind of a shame though it doesn't support Jpn option, I haven't listened to Bleach dub much, but Hitsugaya's guy voice sounds really strange to me compared to the female voice Paku Romi that I got accustomed to.

I've had the first Bleach DS game for some time, I thought I would've liked it because Yu Yu Hakusho on Mega Drive by Treasure was great. So they got rid of the plane and no more hiding eh :)?

Nomuken

Awww, cmon is it so hard to just let the original japanese voice available?
4Gig of DVD is more than enough?!?!?!

Whats wrong? DOes it hurt the game market?!!?

EvilGamerX

Honestly... no Japanese voices convinced me that I won't be buying the game. I am on the edge with Bleach as it is. If I liked Bleach more, I'd throw in 50 bucks to play with voices I am not used to and just seem plain odd. Played the Japanese version and it was.... ok. So yea, original voices would be nice if I am paying for a game that is ok and from a series I am on the edge with. Not saying I would buy it if they did... but it would make me consider.

The DS game I have in Japanese. I like having two planes (and no, not to use it for running). So yea... not buying this one.

Also, I could have swore I heard characters will be missing in the Bleach Wii game multiple times. Whatever.

I'm crossing my fingers for One Piece UA. That game I don't care about voices cause it looks like a good game.

So in a sense I agree with Pedro... except I couldn't give a care about Naruto.

man3k

What saddens me if that SEGA isn't releasing this for PS2.. :P Coz i'm bored playing CRAP Bleach Games that Racjin made.. T_T;

I Could care less about japanese options anymore.. just lemme play the [Better] Bleach games already.. XD Pretty Please SEGA? lol

lostinblue

@ Jeffrey R.

"Oh come on, you arenâ€™t serious are you? I mean they look like fun fighting games if you ask me. I donâ€™t think the Japanese option is that much of a necessity. Iâ€™m still going to buy Bleach DS once it drops and Iâ€™m not even a fan of the show."

Indeed, but I really won't make the exception for these games... I have the Japanese Narutos for GC and run them with freeloader, later down the line I might put a modchip in my Wii just for that, imports... Hence why I'm not willing to settle with a english version.

Most these games feature improvements though, it's a shame that japanese language option means more to me than that... Means I can't get best of both worlds.

Tenyo

No Japanese = No buy for me too. There's plenty of room on the disc to put the game on it two times which means there is plenty of room for the japanese option. And as far as Programming goes it's a simple if statement to access it.

I love it when people say "I don't see it as a big deal" Well if your a hardcore anime fan like me, you most likely can't stand english dubs. English voice actors are horrible, half the time they just throw whoever in to voice act as who.

For example in Yu-Gi-Oh! why the hell in the english version does Yugi sound like he's forty? Sorry I can't play a game where I'm gonna cringe at every speck of voice. The english version of Bleach sucks, Viz sucks, and Sega of America of now sucks. I remember when Sega used to keep the Japanese in there games for the Dreamcast.

Ari

No Japanese... That's seriously disappointing. I mean, I'm going to buy the game anyway, I suppose... But my boyfriend is probably going to take it away when he gets sick of hearing me complain. Or he'll be complaining with me... one way or the other. He's the kind of person who wouldn't play it because of things like that. Normally, I am, too. However, I'm really a sucker for inventive Wii game play and I really have been waiting for this game for so long... If I had kept a better eye on the news, I would've realized this sooner. And maybe I wouldn't have gotten so excited. Now I'm not so desperate to get the game. It can wait. Why couldn't they just put an option? I mean, you can still keep true to the English and everything... But I would like an option. It should be there for the ones who have been watching Bleach since before anyone thought to bring it to America... For us fans who have watched all of the recent episodes, watching the Japanese version and staying true to it for 143 episodes and counting... There are very few anime that sound good in English (Hellsing and Cowboy Beebop). Bleach does not sound good at all in English, especially not when you've been hearing the Japanese voices for so long.

Not to mention, I'm trying to learn Japanese. People who watch Japanese anime understand what I mean when I say that some words are just easy to pick up from just watching the subtitles versions. So it's even more disappointing to me, because I won't be able to practice anything while playing this like I do watching the series. I don't understand why they wouldn't put in a Japanese option. Surely they knew people would get upset? There's just too many of us to overlook. Some people aren't even going to buy the game because of this... Seriously not smart. It couldn't have been that difficult to do.

No Name Trowa Barton

i 3rd NO japanese Dialoge no money from me and ill even go as far to mod other peoples wii's and bootleg the japanese version not buy it. just to spit in sega's face for ignoring the amaracan fans of the japanese animation.

Justin

I agree. I was really excited to see this in the stores and was just about to purchase it when I realized it was in english. If this game wasn't based off of a *Japanese* anime I would have been fine with no Japanese track; not the case here though. Maybe next time you'll get my money Sega...