Arle Nadja, Puyo Popper Extraordinaire pops into Smash Bros.! (New Management!)

[AwesomeAussie27]

I'd say I prefer Arle's alt voice. Any reason they took out Diacute?
Also LOVING the unusual things characters say. Deluxe Spa Package? Fibre? Calculus? Incredible.

Probably because the name would have been too hard to translate or they didn't want to repeat the "Dial Cute" incident from Fever's localization (which was cringeworthy at best).

I'd say I will miss it, but it's for the best in this case.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Probably because the name would have been too hard to translate or they didn't want to repeat the "Dial Cute" incident from Fever's localization (which was cringeworthy at best).

I'd say I will miss it, but it's for the best in this case.

Didn't they translate that as "Diamond Shoot", which is just as worse?

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Didn't they translate that as "Diamond Shoot", which is just as worse?

Close enough.

It was "Diamond Cute", which is honestly a poor way to translate Diacute.

In a way, I'm kind of glad they didn't want to bring that back.

 

[smashkirby]

Our good friend Puyo Nexus was able to share a video with all the alternate voices for the the entire roster. Yes, this is a real review copy that he have in his possession.

Not much to say, but I'm glad the fanbase has a choice over what voices they want for the characters. And no, there will be no dual audio in the game.

Darn! I'm at school and I don't have any headphones...PLEEEEEAAASE tell me Schezo, Draco, Witch and Satan sound at least bearable. Despite my complaints, I can even take Draco having an unusually older and competent voice that I was on the fence about.

Close enough.

It was "Diamond Cute", which is honestly a poor way to translate Diacute.

In a way, I'm kind of glad they didn't want to bring that back.

Arrgh! You beat me to it!

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

And lookie here, we got another special pre-order bonus for Puyo Puyo Tetris.

A pair of Tetris and Puyo Puyo decals if you preorder at Target. Good luck to those that plan on doing so and haven't gone for GameStop's Puyo/Tetris keychain bonus already (like I did).

https://mynintendonews.com/2017/04/...-order-comes-with-exclusive-decals-at-target/

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Darn! I'm at school and I don't have any headphones...PLEEEEEAAASE tell me Schezo, Draco, Witch and Satan sound at least bearable. Despite my complaints, I can even take Draco having an unusually older and competent voice that I was on the fence about.

Alright, let me break this down one by one.

Schezo: It appears they went with a deep voiced (not too deep) brave hero tone with his character. While it's not too bad, it needs to be a bit lower since he was always a youthful young man. They probably wanted him to sound a bit braver as a character. His alt voice however definitely sounds more light enough to be the real Schezo, just as energetic too. I'd say you would like that more.

Draco: She's definitely still as you described, "Too competent". At least they still got her tomboyish personality down. Her alt voice is definitely more fitting for her character however, being light enough while sounding like "Arle's worst rival ever". You might like this one more.

Witch: Witch kind of sounds like a teenage witch (in before Sabrina jokes). I can understand why they didn't want to give her a high pitched voice just to make her seem more like a "real witch". Not that bad though. Alt Witch definitely screams the Japanese Witch all over with the light hearted voice and moments of fear.

Satan: His voice is menacing, while still having that "Saturday morning cartoon feel". A little too deep from the original, but acceptable since a teen voice would have been too unfitting for him. His alt voice, is laugh out loud crazy. He sounds even wimpier than James from Pokemon. It's not close enough to the Japanese voice, but far more fitting for his comical character than the first voice.

All in all, their "main voices" are alright, but the alternate ones are ever better and match their Japanese characters, if that's what you're looking for. It's like this was done as Sega of America's way of not being abet o license the Japanese voices for the Western versions of the game. It makes me wonder if these alternate voices are unlockable after beating certain modes. Doubt Puyo Nexus will really fess up until the game is out.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Holy ****, Satan's alt voice is hilarious. It doesn't help that some of the commenters noted that it would be the perfect voice for Oshare Bones. I miss that gay skeleton.

Schezo's alt voice is definitely fitting. he was always meant to be a accidental pervert dork and not some wannabe Cassanova.

And am I the only who finds it funny that Amitie was given a British accent for her alt voice? Poor Ringo.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Holy ****, Satan's alt voice is hilarious. It doesn't help that some of the commenters noted that it would be the perfect voice for Oshare Bones. I miss that gay skeleton.

Schezo's alt voice is definitely fitting. he was always meant to be a accidental pervert dork and not some wannabe Cassanova.

And am I the only who finds it funny that Amitie was given a British accent for her alt voice? Poor Ringo.

Something tells me that British Amitie will be a meme.

Also, Wimpy Schezo is the best Schezo. And I kind of like joke villain Satan more than Edgy Satan.

 

[smashkirby]

Thanks you guys! I FINALLY got a chance to experience the voices for myself, so here's my opinions. I'd like to warn everyone it's a pretty long read, but very detailed, so please tell me what you think:

Arle (Alt.) - Eh, sounds a little TOO deep for my liking. but that being said, I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say Arle's Alt. voice is a reference to how Arle is a tomboy for the most part AND a Mythology Gag potshot at "Silvana's" English voice in the original Puyo Puyo.

Amitie (Alt.) - All I'm going to say is, the idea of Raffine teaching Amitie to be an upperclasswoman, and Amitie trying WAAAAAY too hard (and failing) to sound like one is HILARIOUS.

Ringo (Alt.) - Wow! Honestly, like MANY people have been saying, I'd actually prefer Ringo's Alt. voice be her DEFAULT voice for future games!

Rulue (Alt.) - Honestly, don't have too much of an opinion. Rulue just sounds WAY more feminine and chilled out in her Alt. voice. Don't get me wrong, I still love both voices though.

Suketoudara (Alt.) -Overall, I'm LOVING both his voices. As for his Alt. voice, I LOVE the fact that he becomes such a smooth talker. It's really funny.

Raffine (Alt.) - Ehh....Yeeeaaahhh....don't really have much of an opinion on her Alt. voice. I mean, I definitely don't HATE it. At best I can describe it as "Raffine: 1-2 years younger". That's about it.

Sig (Alt.) - Actually, I quite like Sig's Alt. voice. At least it has more emotion. Considering the JP version, I'm sure this IS intentional.

Klug (Alt.) - Headcanon time! I expect Klug to sound like his Alt. voice ALL the time when Lemres is around, while his DEFAULT voice would show up if he were to interact with....well, ANYONE else. That being said, I quite enjoy his Alt. voice and I'll probably be using it more than his default voice in gameplay.

Risukuma (Alt.) - There's something I find REALLY funny about Risukuma's Alt. voice. Maybe it's the fact that he sounds like Richard Nixon from Futurama.

Maguro (Alt.) - Just like with Suket, I'm LOVING Maguro's Alt. voice. Honestly, I think I like Maguro's more than 'Dara's. It sounds pretty endearing to hear him sound like such an adorably dorky smooth talker. If nothing else, it gives me some serious Incubus vibes...

Tee (Alt.) - Not bad. Not bad at all. As a matter of fact, his Alt. voice is honestly what I always envisioned his DEFAULT voice would sound like, if I'm being truthful here.

O (Alt.) - I guess O DOES sound pretty funny when he's angry, but otherwise I don't have much of an opinion.

Ess (Alt.) - Meh, she sounds...younger(?) I'll say this much, her Alt. voice (like Tee) sounds like what I envisioned her DEFAULT voice to sound like.

Ai (Alt.) - One part of me enjoys the fact that Ai basically becomes discount Scooby-Doo with his Alt. voice, and another part of me is a bit worried that that novelty WILL get old after a while.

Jay and Elle (Alt.) - Pretty CREEPY to hear THEM talk in such a monotone unison...and that sounds SO cool.

Zed (Alt.) - Pretty interesting. Just like with Tee and Ess, his Alt. voice is what I always imagined his DEFAULT voice be. Still, he reminds me of War Machine from the Marvel vs. Capcom games even MORE with his Alt. voice, so that's a plus in my book.

Schezo - Yeeeaaah...Schezo sounds...WAAY too OLD for my liking. I was sort of hoping he would have a more younger voice that would sort of compliment Arle's (default) voice. If nothing else, I feel like his default voice is trying to make some sort of very noticeable jab at the fact that our resident Dark Wizard is really 180 years old, despite his youthful body.

Schezo (Alt.) - I'm not saying I'd want his Alt. voice to be his default voice, but I'll say this much: Aside from a few hilariously unfitting voice clips, his Alt. voice fits his appearance MUCH more than his default voice, IMO.

Satan - Wow, just...wow. I honestly didn't think I'd be saying this, but....Satan sounds more evil and threatening than I EVER would have predicted! Why, he..he actually sounds...BADASS! (Wow, NEVER thought I was going to say THAT about this guy...) Still, what makes me laugh inside is that I bet the moment Arle and Carbuncle show up in a cutscene alongside him, or when everyone is blaming him for the chaos occurring in Story Mode, Satan's whole "evil badass" front will go right out the window faster than Schezo's "terrifying Dark Wizard" front whenever he says something perverted.

Satan (Alt.) - Effeminate Satan hilarity approaching! Honestly, Satan sounds like a discount James from Team Rocket, or at least trying his best to sound like him. Actually, when I listen even more, I start to think of/literally HEAR Oshare Bones...

Draco - For the first time, I finally get to hear truly clear voice clips of Draco, and I have to admit that I'm...liking what I'm hearing so far. I'll certainly say it feels pretty darn...unnatural to me that she actually sounds OLDER than Rulue of all people and likewise, I still wish her default voice would maybe sound at least a BIT younger but otherwise, her bold tomboy voice really fits her. BTW, anyone else getting some Succubus vibes from her default voice? No? Just me? All right then.

Draco (Alt.) - Aside from a few admittedly..."grating" voice clips, Draco's Alt. voice is essentially what I always envisioned her to sound like in English with her default voice serving as the Alt. That being said, I quite enjoy both voices. Her default voice really lets her boldness shines though, while her Alt. voice emphasizes her more cuter traits, in a manner of speaking.

Witch - Good heavens...I won't lie, her default voice sounds even MORE jarring to me than Draco. At least I can give Draco a pass for being a Tomboy, but Witch is just...I mean for WITCH to sound just as old as the likes of RULUE of all people (if not OLDER!) is just SO...weird to me. Like, I can't really describe it. I'll have to hear more before I can say whether or not I like it. For now, I'll just say I can tolerate it.

Witch (Alt.) - I guess Witch's Alt. voice comes CLOSER to what I always envisioned her to sound like in English, but it still sounds a bit old, even for her. Just like with Draco, I don't hate her voices, but I can't say I'm a huge fan of them either. If I ever get PPT, if nothing else I'll probably use Witch's Alt. voice more often, if anything.

Lemres - My, my. I think I can safely say that Lemres really...surprised me. He doesn't exactly sound like how I envisioned him... like, at ALL. But you know what? In Lemres' case, I think that was for the best. If nothing else, I actually REALLY like the default voice SEGA went with for him. He sounds like his personality usually entails. He's really just a truly chill guy at heart who's really easy to make friends with, once you get past the pretty suspicious and shady behavior.

Lemres (Alt.) - Alright, let me get this out of the way right now...SURFER-DUDE/HIPSTER LEMRES FTW!!! OK, there. I got it out.

Feli - I guess...Feli isn't BAD, per se. It's like Feli's English VA got her overall personality right, but there should at least be a bit more emotion to her than monotone. I just can't see Feli sounding monotone 100% of the time. I see it working for Sig, but not her. At least, I hope she doesn't sound 100% monotone in her second post-battle cutscene when the cast uses Lemres to check if she's returned to normal. It's best to say, she should have a more "mystical/mysterious" inflection to her voice, if that makes sense.

Feli (Alt.) - Sooo....remember when I said Feli probably shouldn't sound 100% monotone and that she should have a more "mystical/mysterious" inflection to her voice? To me, Feli's Alt. voice makes her sound like she is REALLY phoning it in and at the same time, not phoning it in ENOUGH. Like, she's not really..."TRYING" to make said "inflection" work, if that make sense. Honestly, I can't say I'm a fan of it...

Ecolo - Ecolo actually sounds adorably silly, if I'm being honest. Something about his default voice gives me the same feeling I get hearing Jay and Elle. Just like them, I don't dislike his default voice, though I'm not too hyped over it or anything.

Ecolo (Alt.) - Not...really much of a difference from his default voice, aside from the obvious fact that his voice clips have all been GREATLY sped up. Honestly, did Ecolo's English VA even record new lines for his Alt. voice? Still, I will give Ecolo's Alt. voice this much: Ecolo + sped-up voice = Pretty gosh-darn funny voice clips.

Ex - I quite enjoy his voice clips. Heck, if I'm being honest here, Ex's English voice is almost PRECISELY what I envisioned for Schezo, and/or ESPECIALLY Lemres to sound like. Don't get me wrong though, Ex's default voice still greatly fits him.

Ex (Alt.) - Not bad at all. I like Ex's Alt. voice overall. Still though, I have to ask all of you...did anyone ever expect Ex to sound so...INTENSE?

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

There's exactly a week until the game is out for Switch and PS4.

I know I will be the first to support the Nintendo release just like how I'll get Mario Kart on the same week.

At least that makes one decent multiplayer game with good replay value and puzzle goodness for now.

 

[Notshane]

Wow, long video. Do not want to go over all of them since I do not have any particular interest in who sounds like what there. Will go over the ones I am the most familiar with.


Arle (Voice: Unknown)

Normal: Will try to be less crude this time, but she does indeed sound better than English Fever Arle. Could be higher.

Alternate: Wait, why did they go deeper? If they were trying to do the tomboyish tone to fit her original personality, that was all in the way she acted, not the way she sounded. Should have the normal tone with the alternate personality.


Ringo (Voice: Unknown)

Normal: Sounds better than when I first heard it, but not even close to Ringo.

Alternate: The bookworm nature in her voice is there, but the snob needs a bit more work. I think it is mainly in her tone. Literally. The acting is perfect, but I think she needs to sound nasally to copy her Japanese original better. Of course, they will stick to this voice for the remainder of the series' localization, so I better get used to it. They could change it, though.


Amitie (Voice: Christine Marie Cabanos)

Normal: For real, nobody could have fit her better. Her Fever voice was also good. Maybe Amitie just has the protagonist curse cause, usually, they tend to make them sound the best out of any other character.

Alternate: Even better. Could not be happier with the voice they chose for her now. It is actually hard to pick between her Normal and Alternate voices.

And no, if you say otherwise, you, are, WRONG. That is indefinitely Christine voicing Amitie. I can recognize Usalia and Mako in her tone from the very first millisecond that I heard it. She has remarkable talent and is just as recognizable as Monica Rial.


I also have a few more, but the thoughts were not as expanded upon to really make them into separate things, so I'll be shorter about it.

O sounded better in Normal, Satan sounds pissing hilarious in Alternate (perfect personality fit) and Eccolo's quips sound way more comical in his Alternate voice. Draco's Alternate sounded good and Ai could not sound any better in both his tones, but the Alternate nails the comedy. Kind of torn with Raffine and Feli, though.

 

[FunAtParties]

smashkirby I see that you have finally accepted Arle's newer design as the obviously superior one.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

smashkirby I see that you have finally accepted Arle's newer design as the obviously superior one.

Or more like we've accepted that the good old days are over and Compile would never return to Sega.

And four days left until the game is out. Too bad I'm holding out until Friday.

 

[smashkirby]

smashkirby I see that you have finally accepted Arle's newer design as the obviously superior one.

Wait...just to be clear, which design are you talking about...?

 

[FunAtParties]

Wait...just to be clear, which design are you talking about...?

The one that's your avatar

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Or more like we've accepted that the good old days are over and Compile would never return to Sega.

And four days left until the game is out. Too bad I'm holding out until Friday.

And the game is ****ing delayed in Australia by two days.

Doesn't Sega have something against them or there is a supply issue going on?

 

[smashkirby]

The one that's your avatar

To be fair, this was available on the all new Puyo website made by SEGA of America. That being said, the whole reason I'm using that is to celebrate the fact that Puyo Puyo Tetris is coming to the West.

Heck, more importantly, the fact that a Puyo Puyo game is getting a (non-reskinned) high-profile release for the first time in 13 YEARS.

And with THAT being said, my favorite incarnation of Arle (and the majority of Puyo Puyo's Compile-era cast) will ALWAYS be her Yo~n incarnation:

BTW, guys. Here's a cute little Puyo fancomic I came across. It was made to celebrate New Year's Day 2017, but here it is anyways:

And four days left until the game is out. Too bad I'm holding out until Friday.

Well, time to see how everyone's DEFAULT voices hold up in cutscenes...

And the game is ****ing delayed in Australia by two days.

Doesn't Sega have something against them or there is a supply issue going on?

Wait, it wasn't delayed before?

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Wait, it wasn't delayed before?

No, this was just announced today.

Sucks that they would have to wait slightly longer.

 

[smashkirby]

No, this was just announced today.

Sucks that they would have to wait slightly longer.

I do feel bad for them. PPT is certainly the most exciting party game I've seen in a while.

 

[FunAtParties]

To be fair, this was available on the all new Puyo website made by SEGA of America. That being said, the whole reason I'm using that is to celebrate the fact that Puyo Puyo Tetris is coming to the West.

Heck, more importantly, the fact that a Puyo Puyo game is getting a (non-reskinned) high-profile release for the first time in 13 YEARS.

And with THAT being said, my favorite incarnation of Arle (and the majority of Puyo Puyo's Compile-era cast) will ALWAYS be her Yo~n incarnation:

BTW, guys. Here's a cute little Puyo fancomic I came across. It was made to celebrate New Year's Day 2017, but here it is anyways:

Well, time to see how everyone's DEFAULT voices hold up in cutscenes...



Wait, it wasn't delayed before?

That comic's pretty brutal lol

 

[Notshane]

smashkirby I see that you have finally accepted Arle's newer design as the obviously superior one.

Hahah, oh man, I already knew how this was going to end after I read this.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

Before the revelation of the viewer vote I would have sworn Arle would be the second Sega character in Smash. Her or the guy from Yakuza.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Before the revelation of the viewer vote I would have sworn Arle would be the second Sega character in Smash. Her or the guy from Yakuza.

She's already got a long running franchise and a big Japanese following. Arle is the face of Puyo Puyo and the most popular character from that series.

But like Jibanyan, she suffers from most of her games being Japan-only. Mostly because of Sega of America playing things too safe. That's why we got games like Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean machine and thankfully the main series is getting localized again.

 

[Notshane]

She's already got a long running franchise and a big Japanese following. Arle is the face of Puyo Puyo and the most popular character from that series.

Statements like these always sadden me. Just reminds me of the many wonderful characters we would have in the series if it lied dormant in Japan.

 

[smashkirby]

Hahah, oh man, I already knew how this was going to end after I read this.

Heh-heh...That predictable, huh?

Before the revelation of the viewer vote I would have sworn Arle would be the second Sega character in Smash. Her or the guy from Yakuza.

You're certainly not the only one. In Arle's case, I guess I can understand why Arle wouldn't be SEGA's second character since before 2017, there was virtually NO sign that a Puyo game was going to be released over here in the West, so maybe Sakurai didn't think it'd be worth too much effort. As for Kiryu, I feel like Yakuza might be considered somewhat of a "niche" title for Smash, so...

 

[Notshane]

Bad news, guys.

So, my number one fear of what would come of my Puyo Puyo copy already happened to another game I owned; exactly as I stated it earlier.

An English version came out, and I was like "oh, cool, this game was entirely in Japanese, so I needed this" and I had a blast playing it again. The game had an English title on my Switch screen and I was like "wtf, this was not in English before" and I could read the game's tutorial, menus and it even added in more things to do. I thought it was cool, but then a glaring chill went down my spine after I finished playing. It told me "Puyo Puyo Tetris is coming out in a couple of days, so it looks like you are in for a little treat."

Basically, by this point, my suspicions have been confirmed. If there is an existing English version of the game out soon, it will more than likely default me to the English version. I had another game that did something similar, but this game and the other game I was talking about had a thing in common: they both allowed you to switch back to the Japanese versions. The one I was just talking about still lets me play in Japanese if I so desire, well the other simply has Dual Audio.

Puyo Puyo Tetris, as confirmed, has none of these options. Therefore, mine will most likely be in English.

Having said all this, I am going to marathon my copy for the time being and enjoy it well I can. Afterwards, should it become English, I guess I am sticking to my Wii U version.

Just some news for those Puyo Poppers that imported. You are in for a sad, sad day once this game comes out if you preferred the Japanese voices.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

You're certainly not the only one. In Arle's case, I guess I can understand why Arle wouldn't be SEGA's second character since before 2017, there was virtually NO sign that a Puyo game was going to be released over here in the West, so maybe Sakurai didn't think it'd be worth too much effort. As for Kiryu, I feel like Yakuza might be considered somewhat of a "niche" title for Smash, so...

Well the Yakuza series is pretty popular and sells reasonable well in the west. And, besides the zombie spin-off you never use guns in combat so gun violence isn't a concern. What combat actually entails is beat-em-up with a focus on enviromental hazards. A lot of potential there.

But Arle and the Puyos could make for a good puzzle game character. Closest we've got is Dr Mario.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Two days left.

I'm already dancing harder than Suketoudara in anticipation. Too bad I'm far from a pro and would get crushed online if I ever step foot inside.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

Two days left.

I'm already dancing harder than Suketoudara in anticipation. Too bad I'm far from a pro and would get crushed online if I ever step foot inside.

But PP professionals like @elusiveTranscendent can teach you how to be good tho.

Or you can watch the informative technique videos that SegaAmerica have on their channel.

 

[Notshane]

But PP professionals like @elusiveTranscendent can teach you how to be good tho.

This is the main reason why I am happy the series is returning overseas. We can finally find more videos about it and we will even find Let's Play videos of the older games at this rate. It warms my heart that I will be able to search "Puyo Puyo" on YouTube and come across recent gameplay videos. I know the most popular chain video still dates back to 2006 and nobody has even tried competing with it. But, that will soon change.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

This is the main reason why I am happy the series is returning overseas. We can finally find more videos about it and we will even find Let's Play videos of the older games at this rate. It warms my heart that I will be able to search "Puyo Puyo" on YouTube and come across recent gameplay videos. I know the most popular chain video still dates back to 2006 and nobody has even tried competing with it. But, that will soon change.

Yep, the Puyo Puyo competitive metagame could be revived in the West and more videos can pop up. I can't wait to see that be a thing again. I actually quite remember back when Fever videos were decently popular. Not like I would ever become an expert player.

Which raises the question, why isn't there a commercial for the game yet? I've heard from SegaUbi that they had been focusing less on investing in commercials to save money and depend on the "word from mouth".

 

[Notshane]

Which raises the question, why isn't there a commercial for the game yet? I've heard from SegaUbi that they had been focusing less on investing in commercials to save money and depend on the "word from mouth".

You just summed up why the Wii U failed, rofl.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

You just summed up why the Wii U failed, rofl.

Yep, unfortunately true.

I can trust Sega, but I hope this lack of a commercial won't backfire and make the game flop. The trailers and tutorials on their channel were one thing, but what about a public commercial to let more people know that Puyo Puyo exists?

 

[smashkirby]

She's already got a long running franchise and a big Japanese following. Arle is the face of Puyo Puyo and the most popular character from that series.

But like Jibanyan, she suffers from most of her games being Japan-only. Mostly because of Sega of America playing things too safe. That's why we got games like Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean machine and thankfully the main series is getting localized again.

Statements like these always sadden me. Just reminds me of the many wonderful characters we would have in the series if it lied dormant in Japan.

Yeah, that about sums up the current situation in terms of Puyo Puyo appearing in Smash. She's certainly not impossible by any means, but PPT coming to the West at least gives Arle more of a fighting chance, as minor as it may be. Of course, she IS insanely popular in Japan. Heck, Arle and Carbuncle are considered more as mascots to SEGA of Japan than Sonic the Hedgehog. That HAS to say something.

Bad news, guys.

So, my number one fear of what would come of my Puyo Puyo copy already happened to another game I owned; exactly as I stated it earlier.

An English version came out, and I was like "oh, cool, this game was entirely in Japanese, so I needed this" and I had a blast playing it again. The game had an English title on my Switch screen and I was like "wtf, this was not in English before" and I could read the game's tutorial, menus and it even added in more things to do. I thought it was cool, but then a glaring chill went down my spine after I finished playing. It told me "Puyo Puyo Tetris is coming out in a couple of days, so it looks like you are in for a little treat."

Basically, by this point, my suspicions have been confirmed. If there is an existing English version of the game out soon, it will more than likely default me to the English version. I had another game that did something similar, but this game and the other game I was talking about had a thing in common: they both allowed you to switch back to the Japanese versions. The one I was just talking about still lets me play in Japanese if I so desire, well the other simply has Dual Audio.

Puyo Puyo Tetris, as confirmed, has none of these options. Therefore, mine will most likely be in English.

Having said all this, I am going to marathon my copy for the time being and enjoy it well I can. Afterwards, should it become English, I guess I am sticking to my Wii U version.

Just some news for those Puyo Poppers that imported. You are in for a sad, sad day once this game comes out if you preferred the Japanese voices.

Ooogghh....Dude, really sorry about that. I know how much you told me you were worried about this happening....

Well the Yakuza series is pretty popular and sells reasonable well in the west. And, besides the zombie spin-off you never use guns in combat so gun violence isn't a concern. What combat actually entails is beat-em-up with a focus on environmental hazards. A lot of potential there.

But Arle and the Puyos could make for a good puzzle game character. Closest we've got is Dr Mario.

There was a zombie spin-off in the Yakuza series? That aside I guess you're right about Yakuza selling in the West. It's just that...I mean you don'y hear many talking about the series often, do you? Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to have Kiryu added to Smash, and I'm glad I now love in a reality where Sonic, Puyo Puyo, and Yakuza are all RELEVANT franchises across the world, but still....

But PP professionals like @elusiveTranscendent can teach you how to be good tho.

Or you can watch the informative technique videos that SegaAmerica have on their channel.

Man, I didn't think there was ANYONE that good at Puyo in the West of all places.

And it sure is a good thing SEGA released those informative videos on how to play. Heaven knows we'll be needing them.

Which raises the question, why isn't there a commercial for the game yet? I've heard from SegaUbi that they had been focusing less on investing in commercials to save money and depend on the "word from mouth".

Wait, what? OK, are they SURE this is a GOOD idea? I mean, I get word of mouth in this day and age, but come on...like Notshane just said, THIS. This right here is partially why the Wii U (a HOME gaming console from NINTENDO) failed.

Yep, unfortunately true.

I can trust Sega, but I hope this lack of a commercial won't backfire and make the game flop. The trailers and tutorials on their channel were one thing, but what about a public commercial to let more people know that Puyo Puyo exists?

I know, right? I'm pretty sure Fever didn't have a commercial, and look what happened there...

BTW, I came across this adorable Puyo video. One thing's for sure. This is pretty much a fanmade "bare-bones version" of what I'd want a Puyo anime to be (for the most part). Also, can I just say that I LOVE the shout-out to Sonic Adventure 2 (and its script)? The only criticism I have is that the short should have used PUYO music instead of Bomberman music.

 

[Yomi's Biggest Fan]

One day left. I can almost taste it!

Man, I didn't think there was ANYONE that good at Puyo in the West of all places.

And it sure is a good thing SEGA released those informative videos on how to play. Heaven knows we'll be needing them.



Wait, what? OK, are they SURE this is a GOOD idea? I mean, I get word of mouth in this day and age, but come on...like Notshane just said, THIS. This right here is partially why the Wii U (a HOME gaming console from NINTENDO) failed.



I know, right? I'm pretty sure Fever didn't have a commercial, and look what happened there...

You'd be completely surprised. Competitive Puyo Puyo is HUGE in Japan but there are a handful of good players in the West, Elu being one of them. He used to be an active user here too. The videos will definitely be helpful for those that want to go pro, but practicing these techniques for a fast match is that hard part.

I'll trust what Sega is doing here. Clearly they have been doing this for other games after the failure that was Sonic Boom. They just NES to pray what they're doing is right while the game could get severely overshadowed by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe this Friday. It's bad enough the game has it's detractors for being able overpriced puzzle game (despite the series being full priced for years) and being a "weaboo" game.

That word from mouth would have to be good or else this could be another flop on Sega's hands.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Most of the reviews are out, and they are overall positive. NintendoWorldReoort gave it a 90 out of 100, IGN gave it an 87. In fact, most of the positive scores are within the 80's rage.

IGN Spain and GaneInformer however were far more critical on the game and gave them 70's for being "overpriced" or lacking as a puzzle game should be. Puyo Puyo is always packed with content and have plenty of replay value so I have do idea how bad those flaws are.

I hope this means good news for Puyo Puyo in the West.

 

[Xhampi]

So she's the protagonist of what look likes a serious RPG series if I'm reading the OP correctly and a cutesy puzzle game series ? What ? It's like if Samus was the main character of Animal Crossing ^^'

Anyway after reading this thread I decided to try the puyopuyo tetris demo, I wasn't expecting much to be honest, puzzle games have never been my cup of tea with the notable execption of tetris and tetris attack, and well the only experience with the puyo puyo series that I had was with the sega superstars minigame 12 years ago:

Spoiler: Probably not the most accurate representation of this series...I think ?

It wasn't off to a great start either since that for some reason we still get english demos here in France in 2017. Come on Sega, sure 23 years old me can read english just fine, french children tough, not so much.

Other than that, I was actually pleasantly surprised to see that it look liked said two puzzle games that I like combined with an addition of characters (love the litte animations by the way), plenty of customisation between backgrounds, music and puyo/tetrominos appearance and even more of those to unlock if the demo is any indication.

It was surprisingly easy to understand too and I was finding myself making triple and quadruple combos in the first half-hour, take that tetris attack =3

I'm going to assume there is some tricks specific to the series howewer, Ai for exemple just put his puyos (or whatever the are called) all the way to the top on half his screen before trying anything, so he was either trying to commit puyo suicide or preparing some unholy combos from hell, betting on the later.

The music was what I was expecting from a puzzle game, nice without being distracting, my favorite so far being n°10 AKA the classic tetris theme remix, can't beat the classic =)

Nothing much to say about the characters for now, I'll have to wait to see the story mode to flesh them out a bit since I know nothing about them, so for now my favorite one is Sig, the guy just don't give a damn about anything, it's great.

So in resume, while I'm not on the Arle train just yet, you have at least managed to make me give a chance to the series and I'll definetly buy the game when it comes out friday

.....

Which between no comercial on TV that I have seen, a demo in english and coming the day right after Mario kart 8 Deluxe sounds kind of self-defeating on Sega's part.

Moving on, what would be Arle's stage and what music would be playing on it ?

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

So she's the protagonist of what look likes a serious RPG series if I'm reading the OP correctly and a cutesy puzzle game series ? What ? It's like if Samus was the main character of Animal Crossing ^^'

To be fair, Compile more or less expected Puyo Puyo to be a spinoff at best after their days of making Madou Monogatari. But the game became so popular, that Sega wanted them to capitalize it by making more games (which each other sold more than the other in Japan).

Though this eventually led to Sega taking over the franchise since Fever and Compile leaving to make their own games as Compile Heart. They did however make a new Madou Monogatari game, but with their own original characters since Sega currently owns all of them. It's kind of complicated, but at least you know.

Moving on, what would be Arle's stage and what music would be playing on it ?

Settings and stages were never the real focus of Mdou Monogatari or Puyo Puyo for that matter. Most of them would be either nameless or juts given a generic name like the Dungeon or Satan's Castle. Here's a few background sense to show some potential settings.

Spoiler

Spoiler

It wasn't until Fever where we do get some known locations like the Magic School or Primp Town, but they are more home stages for the newer generation Puyo Puyo characters like Amitie and Ringo. Or they can give us the Pac-Man route by having a stage made of Puyos, based on the puzzle battles in the series with the main gimmick as platforms disappearing from chains or random garbage Puyo droppings. It won't be too chaotic, but at least true to what type of gameplay the series is known for.



As for music, there are plenty of good choices to choose from. Both from the originals and the new titles. Some like the Final of Puyo (Satan's Theme, or Dark Prince due to localization) is one of the most iconic tracks in the series, even having been used in the localized Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine.

Sounds pretty badass and frantic for such a reoccurring foe like him. There's also the self explanatory Theme of Puyo Puyo.

Insanity of Dark Arle is a good one from Puyo Puyo 7.

Or for a more peaceful, happy theme that is Taisen 1 from Puyo Pop Fever.

Or for a more serious track of another possessed villain Strange Klug, Resurrected Ancient Spirit would be cool.

These ideas just so the wide range of possibilities you can get out of Puyo Puyo in Smash. Easygoing, serious, frantic, or silly like the matches you do. Stages are kind of all over the place when characters and their interactions were far more important at the time than a serious story and locations (until the modern games with Fever).

 

[Notshane]

To be fair, Compile more or less expected Puyo Puyo to be a spinoff at best after their days of making Madou Monogatari. But the game became so popular, that Sega wanted them to capitalize it by making more games (which each other sold more than the other in Japan).

Though this eventually led to Sega taking over the franchise since Fever and Compile leaving to make their own games as Compile Heart. They did however make a new Madou Monogatari game, but with their own original characters since Sega currently owns all of them. It's kind of complicated, but at least you know.

Also, the interesting fact that none of Sonic Team's games have sold as well as Compile's yet.

Though, having been localized, Puyo Puyo Tetris might change this finally.

Settings and stages were never the real focus of Mdou Monogatari or Puyo Puyo for that matter. Most of them would be either nameless or juts given a generic name like the Dungeon or Satan's Castle. Here's a few background sense to show some potential settings.

Spoiler

Spoiler

It wasn't until Fever where we do get some known locations like the Magic School or Primp Town, but they are more home stages for the newer generation Puyo Puyo characters like Amitie and Ringo. Or they can give us the Pac-Man route by having a stage made of Puyos, based on the puzzle battles in the series with the main gimmick as platforms disappearing from chains or random garbage Puyo droppings. It won't be too chaotic, but at least true to what type of gameplay the series is known for.



As for music, there are plenty of good choices to choose from. Both from the originals and the new titles. Some like the Final of Puyo (Satan's Theme, or Dark Prince due to localization) is one of the most iconic tracks in the series, even having been used in the localized Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine.

Sounds pretty badass and frantic for such a reoccurring foe like him. There's also the self explanatory Theme of Puyo Puyo.

Insanity of Dark Arle is a good one from Puyo Puyo 7.

Or for a more peaceful, happy theme that is Taisen 1 from Puyo Pop Fever.

Or for a more serious track of another possessed villain Strange Klug, Resurrected Ancient Spirit would be cool.

These ideas just so the wide range of possibilities you can get out of Puyo Puyo in Smash. Easygoing, serious, frantic, or silly like the matches you do. Stages are kind of all over the place when characters and their interactions were far more important at the time than a serious story and locations (until the modern games with Fever).

You're just...going to leave out...Sticker.........okay.

Also, guys.

Guys.

Just watch the first clip from this.

The dialogue is good.

THE DIALOGUE IS GOOD.

Also, there was no doubt in my mind that Christine would do a good Amitie after I saw the first ten minutes. Her and Ringo are most definitely different in terms of voices now that I've finally heard them beyond the one clip we had for a while, but I still wish Ringo sounded more snobby.

Nevertheless, Amitie sounds wonderful. I have watched all of that and I did not cringe once whenever Amitie talked. Christine makes her so lovable and is incredibly faithful to her original Japanese voice actor. I could not be any happier with the voice actor they picked for her.

In fact, it almost makes me like her more than Arle.

Almost.

Though, counting post-~n characters, I think Ringo will always be my favorite. Snobby Ringo, though. If we were only exposed to the dub, then Amitie would probably be my favorite character in the series.

 

[AwesomeAussie27]

Also, the interesting fact that none of Sonic Team's games have sold as well as Compile's yet.

Though, having been localized, Puyo Puyo Tetris might change this finally.



You're just...going to leave out...Sticker.........okay.

Also, guys.

Guys.

Just watch the first clip from this.

The dialogue is good.

THE DIALOGUE IS GOOD.

Also, there was no doubt in my mind that Christine would do a good Amitie after I saw the first ten minutes. Her and Ringo are most definitely different in terms of voices now that I've finally heard them beyond the one clip we had for a while, but I still wish Ringo sounded more snobby.

Nevertheless, Amitie sounds wonderful. I have watched all of that and I did not cringe once whenever Amitie talked. Christine makes her so lovable and is incredibly faithful to her original Japanese voice actor. I could not be any happier with the voice actor they picked for her.

In fact, it almost makes me like her more than Arle.

Almost.

Though, counting post-~n characters, I think Ringo will always be my favorite. Snobby Ringo, though. If we were only exposed to the dub, then Amitie would probably be my favorite character in the series.

There goes Schezo, always saying something that makes him seem more and more of a pervert when it's unintentional.

I have a bad feeling that "assaulting this girl" line will become a meme.