InactiveX wrote:

One day one of our figures got stuck in the wall and blocked up the hole. It may well still be there thirty-odd years later. I think it was Luke Skywalker in Hoth fatigue.

Wait… so you’re saying that one of the originally released Episode 5: Luke Skywalker action figures could still be stuck in a school’s wall somewhere?

No matter what condition it is now in, it would probably be worth retrieving!

speedyink wrote:
That’s a good idea, Ben. It wouldn’t be hard to do either, just someone with a bit of time to play through the games and to do a writeup. Maybe take a couple pictures to give an idea of what the text is like. I could even do it if no one else is already planning to

Yeah… I think at the very least, such information should be included in the Reviews section for each of the games on this site. Thus, if you make small write-ups for such, perhaps you could send them to KR155E and see if he can include them – after checking them over and reviewing, etc. – as part of the PVB reviews for each game.

It’s been a while since I’ve checked up on the Mario 64 speed runners. It looks like there are a lot more people trying to do it and that there is a new leader. If you’ve never seen any of these runners before, check out this video. Mario 64 is truly a game that was built for speed running, even if Nintendo didn’t originally intend it to be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6qNm6OVy0o

I’ll be looking forward to seeing more updates for this, as I myself might get a game.com sometime down the road. I am one who likes the underdog classic systems.

I actually think that it is important for those who are new to the Virtual Boy to be able to have an easily accessible page of information that informs them as to which Virtual Boy games have the Japanese language barrier, where it matters, which Virtual Boy games have the Japanese language barrier, where it doesn’t really matter that much, and which Virtual Boy games have no Japanese language barrier problems. I know that I myself, when I first got into the Virtual Boy, had no plans at all to buy any of the Japanese Virtual Boy games, since I thought that the language barrier would make playing the games less enjoyable or even more difficult. Of course, once I decided that the VB was mega awesome and that I must become a VB uber-collector, I slowly learned that some of the Japanese Virtual Boy games have no language barrier problems at all. V-Tetris, for instance, has just about all English text in the game itself or else Japanese text with corresponding English text right next to it. Virtual Bowling, within the game itself, looks like a North American release, since all text, I believe, is in English, apart from the Japanese text that corresponds to the English text at the very beginning, which tells the player to read the instruction and precaution booklets before operating. Of course, the high price for Virtual Bowling, as opposed to any possible language barrier, might keep Virtual Boy enthusiasts away from buying a commercial copy of the game. The same goes for Virtual Lab and Space Invaders: Virtual Collection. Commercial copies of both games are pricey, but both games contain English text or else side-by-side Japanese with corresponding English text within the games themselves, making navigating the games and enjoying the games the same as with any North American release. Insmouse No Yakata, aka Mansion of Insmouse, is another game where the menus contain English text, and there is no Japanese story within the game that a non-Japanese speaker would miss, so the only things to miss out on are the ending Japanese credits, which few people care about anyway. This game isn’t too pricey, especially if you can find a loose copy for sale on Yahoo Auctions Japan. The games that have some language barrier problems are the Japanese version of Jack Bros., Virtual Fishing, SD Gundam Dimension War, Space Squash, and perhaps the Japanese version of Panic Bomber. With the Japanese version of Jack Bros., I’m pretty sure the story text is in Japanese, so a non-Japanese speaker will miss out on the story within the game, but someone can correct me if I’m wrong about that. With Virtual Fishing, SD Gundam Dimension War, and Space Squash, I know for sure that a non-Japanese speaker will miss out on some story within each game, but SD Gundam and Space Squash are fairly easy to navigate, even without knowing the stories. The Japanese version of Panic Bomber also has menus in Japanese, so navigation or appreciation of the game might be hindered somewhat.

I’ve wanted to make a nice list that shows which Japanese Virtual Boy games are user-friendly to English speakers who don’t know Japanese and which games are not, but even if I did and simply posted it in a forum somewhere, it would get buried and not be useful to those who are newly getting into the Virtual Boy. Thus, if somebody else already has access to such information, and that information can be posted on a prominent place on the site, where those new to this site can find it easily, I think it would be very useful and helpful.

coupe_sherm wrote:
So I know I could make it look professional as we do interiors for 100 thousand dollar cars our work has to be beyond perfect.

My main concern is if a head strap would be enough or if you would need some sort of shoulder support. Also I dont know if the foam visor would be sturdy enough to not just collapse on your face.

I will post in the workshop. I already have a pretty good idea of how I could make it work I just dont know if the unit would be too heavy to support it with just your neck.

I also think that if just a strap is being used, as opposed to a heavy-duty helmet, it might be too much strain on the neck. I would be very curious to see what a professional-looking head strap that also uses shoulder support would look like.

I’m just curious to know if anybody has gotten a Virtual Boy solder-fixed, or looked into getting a Virtual Boy solder-fixed, using this service:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pixeldust-Retro-Video-Game-Console-Refurbishing-Repair-and-Modification-/251462966306?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a8c5c5c22

They say they fix Virtual Boys but don’t really say how. This could be yet another option for people looking to pay someone else to get their Virtual Boys solder-fixed.

I guess this does indeed count as a translation for an unreleased game, since the Japanese version of its North American counterpart, 3-D Tetris, never got its commercial release, though there were certainly plans to do so. It’s actually a shame that no official flyer for 3-D Tetris ever seems to have been made, so the translation of this Japanese one can serve as what an official flyer for 3-D Tetris may have looked like.

English Translations for Front of Polygo Block Flyer:

バーチャルボーイ(TM)は任天堂の商標です。
VIRTUAL BOY (TM) is a trademark of Nintendo.

オモシロさが、3D空間を落ちてくる!
A lot of excitement is falling down a 3D space!

立体パズル、新登場!
A new 3D puzzle game is making its appearance!

ブロックパズルが3Dになった!
次々に落ちるブロックを
前後左右に動かしたり、
自由自在に回転させたりして
3つのゲームに挑戦しよう。
The block puzzle game is now in 3-D!
Challenge 3 game types, in which
you can freely rotate the blocks
falling one after another and move
them to the front, back, left and right!

バーチャルボーイ専用ソフト
Virtual Boy Exclusive Software

バーチャル3Dパズルゲーム
Virtual 3D puzzle game

ポリゴブロック
POLYGO BLOCK

English Translations for Back of Polygo Block Flyer:

ハイスコアを目指すか。
ステージクリアに挑戦するか。
3つのゲームが
キミを待つている!
Try to clear as many stages
as you can, or go for a
high score! 3 game types
are waiting for you!

GAME 1
うめこみゲーム
EMBED

落ちてくるブロックを
うまく操作して、
隙間が空かないように
スペースを埋めると、
その段が消えるぞ!
Make each layer disappear
by manipulating the falling
blocks well and filling in
the spaces, so that there
are no empty gaps!

上のブロックをその
まま下に落とせば、
1段消えます!
If you drop this block
as it is from top to bottom,
1 layer will disappear!

GAME 2
パズルゲーム
PUZZLE

あらかじめ
決められた立体形を
落ちてくるブロックを
使って再現しよう!
うまくクリアできると、
その立体が動き出して
デモが見られるぞ!
Use the falling blocks
to try to reproduce
predetermined, 3-D shapes!
When you clear a stage,
you will see a 3-D animation.

うまくできれば、こんな楽しいデモになるぞ!
When you succeed, there’s a fun animation like this:

GAME 3
たいしょう
(対称)
SYMMETRY

落ちてくるブロックを使って、
スペース内に、
上下・左右・回転などの
対称形を作るゲームだ!
最初はカンタンなものから
挑戦してみよう!
Rotate the falling blocks
up, down, left, and/or right
and fill in the spaces to
make various symmetries!
Try making simple ones
initially!

上のブロックをそのま
ま落とせば、上下対称
(下の図)の完成!
If you drop this block as it is,
you’ll make vertical symmetry!
(See figure below)

●対称形は他にもいろいろ!
There are many other symmetries, too!

■斜め対称
Diagonal Symmetry

■90゜回転対称
90° Rotational Symmetry

株式会社ティーアンドイーソフト
〒465 名古屋市名東区照が丘10
ユーザー専用テレフォン TEL(052)773-7757
T&E Soft Corporation
10 Terugaoka, Meito-ku, Nagoya 465, Japan
User-Dedicated Telephone: (052)773-7757

Attachments:

1. 

   polygo-block-flyer-front-in-english.jpg
   

2. 

   polygo-block-flyer-back-in-english.jpg
   

MarioSonic wrote:
I’m a member from NintandBox (the Site that has VB Boxes for most games in japan(Only Galactic Pinball and Virtual League Baseball are American too) and i was wondering. Does anyone have box scans for these 2 games?

Are these of high enough quality?

http://www.planetvb.com/modules/games/?r006ibj

http://www.planetvb.com/modules/games/?r018ibj

Well, unless more interesting information appears on unreleased Virtual Boy games, I will now use this thread for any Japanese Virtual Boy stuff that I feel like translating, just to keep all translations in one place and, thus, more easily accessible.

I found the attached high resolution image of the Japanese Mario Clash Poster by performing a Google image search. I’m not the best at removing watermarks, but hey… I tried.

English Translations for Mario Clash Poster:

奥へ手前へたさわぎ!
There’s turmoil to the front and to the back!

投げろ! ぶつけろ! 落っことせ!
Throw ’em! Hit ’em! Make ’em fall!

塔の上に住みついた個性豊かな敵たちをノコノコ片手にやっつけろ!
With Koopa Troopa in hand, battle hordes of individuality-rich enemies that have settled at the top of the tower!

おもしろ空間シューティング、バーチャルボーイで新登場!
It’s a fun, all-new 3D action and shooting game making its appearance on the Virtual Boy!

メーカー希望小売価
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price:

4,900円(税別)
4,900 Yen (Tax Not Included)

9月28日(木)発売
Release Date: Thursday, September 28

VIRTUAL BOY (TM) は任天堂の商標です。
VIRTUAL BOY (TM) is a trademark of Nintendo.

※揚合によってはバーチャルボーイで立体に見えない人がいます。
※Some people may not see three-dimensionally with the Virtual Boy.

※テレビゲームと同様に、目の健康のため約30分ごとに、約5分間休憩してください。
※As with all video games, after every approximately 30 minutes, one should take a break for about 5 minutes to give one’s eyes some rest.

Attachments:

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2. 

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Lee Chapman wrote:

bigmak wrote:
Yahoo japan would prob be the best bet to find the condition you want at the cheapest price..including shipping.

-Eric

Thanks. Didn’t even know you could buy from Yahoo. Do you have a link per chance?

http://auctions.search.yahoo.co.jp/search?n=100&ei=UTF-8&p=%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC%E3%83%81%E3%83%A3%E3%83%AB%E3%83%9C%E3%83%BC%E3%82%A4&auccat=0&tab_ex=commerce&slider=0

If you don’t speak Japanese, you will probably have to sign up for a proxy service. The Buyee proxy service advertised at the top is very reliable and will suffice.

If you are somewhat patient, there are near mint, complete-in-box systems that come with several complete-in-box Japanese Virtual Boy games in very good condition, which appear on a somewhat regular basis, and the ending winning bids are always so very low when compared to Ebay or other sites.

It was such a great thing for you to do this in his memory, thunderstruck.

The current demo looks great! Keep up the good work! 🙂

Some thoughts from Ben about the ads appearing in the back of CoroCoro Comic’s Pop-Out! Panic Bomber: Virtual Boy 3D Book:

In the 323rd issue of Famitsu Magazine, dated February 24, 1995, Toho Co., Ltd. said, in response to the manufacturer’s questionnaire that they received from Famitsu Magazine, that they were thinking about releasing a game for the Virtual Boy that would make use of Godzilla by the end of that year. This could explain why the 3-D ad for the movie “Godzilla VS Destoroyah” appears in this Virtual Boy-focused book made by CoroCoro Comic. Since “Godzilla VS Destoroyah” was publicly released by Toho on December 9, 1995, one possibility for what transpired is that Toho was waiting to see how much money they would make from the release of their movie, before deciding whether or not it would be a good idea to begin development on the Virtual Boy game that would incorporate Godzilla, which likely would have been based on this particular movie. Thus, since they would have already had plenty of time to see that the Virtual Boy was not doing well commercially by the time of the movie’s release, they would have decided not to begin production on the game at all. Nevertheless, at the time that this comic book was being made, Toho may have very well still had plans to produce the Virtual Boy game, which could be why this ad appears in this magazine, in order to get Virtual Boy fans thinking and excited about Godzilla.

(See previous post on this thread for Toho’s mention of the Virtual Boy game that would incorporate Godzilla)

As for speculation on the ad for the Racing Mini 4WD machines, there was a video game in development for the Nintendo 64 called “Tamiya Racing.” This game ended up never getting released, and very little, and seemingly nothing certain, is known about its origins. Could this ad in the Virtual Boy-focused comic book indicate that the developer who worked on Tamiya Racing for the Nintendo 64 originally wanted the game to be released for the Virtual Boy but then ended up moving the game over to another platform once it was determined that the Virtual Boy would be a commercial failure, as is known to have happened with other games that ended up never getting released for the Virtual Boy, such as in the case of Virtual Jockey?

Tamiya Racing [Cancelled – N64]

English Translations for Pages 12 and 13 of CoroCoro Comic’s Pop-Out! Panic Bomber: Virtual Boy 3D Book

激烈3D特報!
Intense 3D News Flash!

ゴジラ香港大襲撃!!
Godzilla Violently Attacks Hong Kong!!

映画「ゴジラVSデストロイア」の大スペクタクル場面を、コロコロコミックが独占3D化!!この立体ド迫力を体感してくれ!!
Experience three-dimensional intensity with CoroCoro Comic’s exclusive 3D-ification of a greatly spectacular scene from the movie “Godzilla VS Destoroyah.”

English Translations for Pages 14 and 15 of CoroCoro Comic’s Pop-Out! Panic Bomber: Virtual Boy 3D Book

ミニ四駆爆走!! 3Dサーキット
RACING MINI 4WD 3-D CIRCUIT!

熱くカゲキに爆走するマシンがコースを飛び出しキミに迫まる! ビッグスケールの大迫力ギャラリーだぜ!!
Here’s an impressive, large-scale gallery, with machines racing around in hot pursuit approaching you and popping out from the course!

爆走性能が武器! サーキットは戦場だ!!
The circuit is a battlefield with racing performance armaments!

激戦レースがスタート! コース上ではフルカウルマシンがデッドヒートを展開中だ!! おっと、高度にエアロ進化をとげたVソニックがプロトセイバーを撃破してトップでコースを駆けぬけるぞ!
After a hard-fought start to the race, the fully cowled machines are in a dead heat on the racecourse! Uh-oh! Vanguard Sonic, with its highly aerodynamic evolution, has raced through the course and smashed Proto-Saber at the top!

ビクトリーマグナム
Victory Magnum

バンガードソニック
Vanguard Sonic

プロトセイバーJB
Proto-Saber JB

スピンアックス
Spin-Axe

English Translations for Pages 16 and 17 of CoroCoro Comic’s Pop-Out! Panic Bomber: Virtual Boy 3D Book

ここがレースの最前線!! ビクトリーマグナムのピットに潜入!
Here’s the most important part of the race! The Victory Magnum sneaks into the pit!

あらゆるパーツを備えてトラブルにすばやく対応するピットは、サーキットにもうけられた最前線基地だ。張りつめた空気の中でピットクルーたちは適確なパーツを選んで迅速に作業を進める! 1秒足りともムダにはできないぜ!!
The pit, which has all the necessary parts for responding quickly to any problem, is the main base provided within the circuit. Tension fills the air as those in the pit crew work quickly to choose the right parts! They cannot waste even a single second!!

ミニ四駆3Dサーキット
MINI 4WD 3-D CIRCUIT

マグナムセイバー、ソニックセイバー、トライダガーX、スピンアックス、プロトセイバーJB、そしてVマグナムとVソニック! 次はいったいどんなマシンが現れるのか。レーサーたちは期待に胸をふくらませる!!
Magnum Saber, Sonic Saber, Tridagger X, Spin-Axe, Proto-Saber JB, Victory Magnum, Vanguard Sonic… what kind of machine will appear next? Racers can hold their breaths in anticipation!

フルカウルは未来をめざすマシンだ!
Fully cowled machines are the machines of tomorrow!

Attachments:

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2. 

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   tobidase-panibon-virtual-boy-3d-book-pages-16-17-scaled.jpg
   

That was great! Hope you teach yourself some other songs from Virtual Boy games and record those, too.

Just a tip for bidding on auctions in general:

If you wait until the last moment to throw your best bid on an auction, you won’t allow any shill bidder to guess your amount and artificially jack up the price you pay on your desired item.

Don’t give shill bidders a chance to take more of your hard-earned money.

Note: Even though I don’t have this in a finalized form and probably won’t for a while, I figured I would release what I already have for the competitors’ statements that are made during the fishing tournaments. As far as I can tell, the statements below can be said by any of the computer players, so no statement is attached to a specific person. Thus, if you want to know what a particular competitor is saying to you, simply find the translation below for the Japanese characters that match the characters you see on the screen. These are all of the monologues that I have seen in my experience with the game. There might be more monologues contained within the game, which I have not yet seen and, thus, do not yet know about.

1. 今日は手ごたえが悪すぎる。
The fish are resisting a lot today!

2. さて、ちょっとさぐりをいれてみるか。
Well, I’ll have to look for a little bit.

3. まったく釣れない。
I can’t catch anything at all.

4. タイミングがつかめていないな。
I don’t grasp the timing.

5. 自分の腕もまだまだおちてない。
My skills still haven’t faded.

6. それじゃ、じっくりとねらってみよう。
Well then, I’ll just aim slowly and carefully.

7. いいポイントを見つけたらしい。
I seem to have found a good spot!

8. 私のちからはこんなものじゃないのに。
My abilities aren’t cut out for something like this.

9. 敗者は去るのみ。
Only a loser gives up!

10. 勝負はこれから。
From now on, it’s a bout!

11. さてはポイントをまちがえたか。
Have I picked the wrong spot?

12. これで優勝は私のものね。
The victory here belongs to me!

13. 俺はさすがに目のつけどころがちがう。
Where to look is different than one might expect.

14. こんなはずではなかったのだが。
It isn’t supposed to be like this!

15. しまった! またばらしたか…
Oh, no! Did it get away? …

16. さっきからアタリがとぎれたままだ。
I still haven’t made contact in a while.

17. ゆめよもういちど。
I was dreaming again.

18. 型が小さいな。
This type is small.

19. このポイントがどうも釣れそうだ。
I’m very likely to catch fish at this spot!

20. じっくりいってもおそくはないだろ。
I would never take the slow and careful approach.

21. だんだんイヤになってきた。
I am getting sick.

22. いいかげんくたびれてきたな。
I am getting rather tired.

23. ええっ?! みんなそんなに釣ってるの?
Oh yeah? Haven’t we all caught that much?

24. スレなんてラッキー。
I’ve been quite lucky!

25. おいおい、ぬけがけはずるいぜ。
Hey! Forestalling is unfair!

26. 今日釣れた魚がこれっぽっちとは。
I’ve only been able to catch a few fish today.

27. こんなのインチキだ。
That’s cheating!

28. そろそろ食事にしようか。
Isn’t it about time to go eat?

29. よし、つづけてヒットだ!
All right! I keep on getting catches!

30. 今日はひさしぶりの入れ食いだな。
The fish haven’t bitten in a while today.

31. この調子ならいいところまでいきそうだ。
I think I’m doing better than ever!

32. スレで釣れるとはうんがいい。
I’m having good luck in catching fish!

33. 調子さえつかめばこっちのものだが。
I’ve got a good rhythm going over here!

34. いつもより調子がいいらしい。
I seem to be doing better than usual.

35. お、この手ごたえは!
Oh! This is challenging!

36. わらいが止まらない。
I just can’t stop smiling!

Dor-Si wrote:
This game has always intrigued me. I’m still not sure if I love it or hate it, but all the effort you put forth translating will surely tip the scales toward the favorable side. Thanks for your hard work, Ben!

Your welcome! 🙂

The funnest part about this project for me was looking into the types of fish that are portrayed in the game and learning about them. That part I really enjoyed actually. As far as gameplay goes, though, I have to admit that about the only thing that takes some learning is the timing to hook a particular type of fish. Once you do some trial and error and then memorize the timings, the game is just way too easy after that.

As promised, the attached PDF file is the English translation guide that I’ve made for Virtual Fishing’s Tournament Mode. It is possible that I will make a couple more guides in the future for the competitor’s monologues and for the Fish Picture Book. Nevertheless, my time requires me to focus on other things for a while, so I will have to put Virtual Fishing aside for now.

Attachments:

1. virtual-fishing-tournament-mode-english-translations-by-benjamin-stevens.pdf

johnme wrote:
My SN# is VN900006102 purchased at a New Orleans area Sears in early 1997.

Do the letters, numbers, and bar code on your VN9 unit look bigger than the typical ones, like with VUEFinder’s VN9 unit, or do they look the same size and style as the common VN1 units?

vuefinder83 wrote:
concerning the “ac adapter” i guess i could’ve been more
specific.out of all my vb units with official nintendo
ac adapters (not the taps) that say made in japan,this one
came with a official nintendo ac adapter that says made in
china that has a different texture of plastic than the ones
made in japan.pluss the part that plugs into the tap is a
darker grey than the ones made in japan . both different
adapters mention snes and virtual boy on the plastic.
i also forgot to mention that the sticker on that unit is
alot shinier than the rest.
WOW check out the post before this one.
its another vn9 unit

Is it the Performance Adapter?

http://www.planetvb.com/modules/hardware/?type=accessories&sec=main&id=11

I’m pretty sure that the last I checked mine, it said that it was made in China.