Post by stintergalactic on Jan 21, 2023 0:49:47 GMT
Well, something to consider is that even though we have no evidence to suggest that Rai Rai was ever planned for a US release, we do have confirmation that the company did import games from Japan for sale here. So, they still would have to translate the title if they were planning on picking up some copies of Rai Rai to sell. In fact, I would say that the fact that it wasn't getting an official localization might help explain why the translation would be so poor.
I'm still not on #TeamMistranslation, but I'd be foolish to rule it out entirely.
I think we're at a point where little more can come from theory crafting. I'm not sure much more progress can be made without some new, hard evidence.
And not to be a sour puss, but I'm skeptical that any of the other people mentioned, like David or Gail, would be able to shine much more light on this. I certainly would love to talk to them, and ask them some questions, but at the end of the day they're still a second generation removed from Beebiss, at best. We talked to Bob and Neil, and that's about as direct as you can get.
Well, something to consider is that even though we have no evidence to suggest that Rai Rai was ever planned for a US release, we do have confirmation that the company did import games from Japan for sale here. So, they still would have to translate the title if they were planning on picking up some copies of Rai Rai to sell. In fact, I would say that the fact that it wasn't getting an official localization might help explain why the translation would be so poor.
I'm still not on #TeamMistranslation, but I'd be foolish to rule it out entirely.
I think we're at a point where little more can come from theory crafting. I'm not sure much more progress can be made without some new, hard evidence.
And not to be a sour puss, but I'm skeptical that any of the other people mentioned, like David or Gail, would be able to shine much more light on this. I certainly would love to talk to them, and ask them some questions, but at the end of the day they're still a second generation removed from Beebiss, at best. We talked to Bob and Neil, and that's about as direct as you can get.
I'm fully on Team Mistranslation. It's the most likely theory, since Rai Rai was never planned for a US release and we have evidence that the company imported Japanese games. The fact that it never got an official localization would explain why the translation is so poor.
I keep forgetting about this topic until someone starts discussing it, then I become interested in it all over again.
Though I have to agree with co on this one. Ever since the conversation with Neil I've shifted away from the mistranslation and more to the copyright trap theory. It's so hard to dispute a primary source like that unless you speculate their recollections aren't accurate, but something like that would be impossible to prove on its own.
I keep forgetting about this topic until someone starts discussing it, then I become interested in it all over again.
Though I have to agree with co on this one. Ever since the conversation with Neil I've shifted away from the mistranslation and more to the copyright trap theory. It's so hard to dispute a primary source like that unless you speculate their recollections aren't accurate, but something like that would be impossible to prove on its own.
funny to see your comment because I just watched your updated video on it. so much I missed in the years I was out of the community.
I animate, I collect VHS tapes, I breathe in and out and walk around sometimes
Were there things such as lists of game titles that retailers/rental places would reference for Japanese game titles? What if Rai Rai Kyonshee (not saying I'm definitively pinning my life on this being true, just saying) was included on such a list as Yeah Yeah Beebiss? Did retailers communicate like that outside of maybe having Japanese titles appear on these mass market lists? I feel like there's not much actually known about how game retailers worked in this timeframe and what was expected or not expected practice.
But I get not really wanting to have an extended discussion on the mistranslated title theory.
EDIT: I think the actually compelling bit to the mistranslation theory would be if it were somehow common knowledge to a select few. Maybe the "guy at video store always joked about Yeah Yeah Beebiss" thing is just a troll but still, whether or not it's true it serves my point. It becomes compelling at that point.
Anyway, to prevent this thread from going off the rails too much, I will present my theory that YYB1 could possibly be a baseball game. How did I come to this conclusion? Simple, beebiss and baseball have the same phonetic sound. It had been said that someone with bad handwriting could have written "baseball," and someone else misread it as "beebiss." Where does the "yeah yeah" come in? Well, I'm not totally sure, but there is a game called Yakyuu Ban which was a NES game that came our in Japan in 1989. In fact, A TON OF BASEBALL GAMES came out in 1989, the same year as the listing!
This is only a theory and I'm still on the side of the copyright trap theory, but there ya go. Something actually on subject.
To be honest I think YYB1 Might be a babysitting game with Yeah Yeah Babies was supposed to be the title but was mistaken for Yeah Yeah Beebis.
I still laugh anytime I read "yeah yeah babies!" Idk it's a funny statement. At any rate, are there babysitting games? Maybe it was based on the babysitters club or something.
To be honest I think YYB1 Might be a babysitting game with Yeah Yeah Babies was supposed to be the title but was mistaken for Yeah Yeah Beebis.
I still laugh anytime I read "yeah yeah babies!" Idk it's a funny statement. At any rate, are there babysitting games? Maybe it was based on the babysitters club or something.
Maybe a prototype of A NES Babysitters Club game that was cancelled?
Zarbon, Dodoria, CUT HIS BALLS OFF (in frieza voice)
I still laugh anytime I read "yeah yeah babies!" Idk it's a funny statement. At any rate, are there babysitting games? Maybe it was based on the babysitters club or something.
Maybe a prototype of A NES Babysitters Club game that was cancelled?
Yeah, or what if was a cancelled Muppet Babies game?? I could definitely see Muppet Babies getting an NES game, it was super popular and relevant.
Well, from what I can actually remember, this search was in a bit of a stalemate due to not hearing back from the owner of Play It Again. We tried other avenues such as Funco, but I'm pretty sure the message in that case was never seen. I also contacted somebody from Nintendo of America awhile back and again, I don't think they saw my message. Honestly, contacting someone on Facebook is not as as effective as contacting them on LinkedIn. But you need to pay to contact them that way.
Otherwise, I threw my hat in the ring to now suggest that MAYBE it was a cancelled Muppet Babies game. Too random? Perhaps. Buuuut, I'd argue that MB was a very viable property in the 80s and an NES game wouldn't be unheard of.