Monday, January 2, 2012

Top Secret Konami files to download


With the festivities of New Year over, Hardcore Gaming 101 is excited to reveal a treasure trove of top secret Konami files, which we’re making available for you to download. Grab them before Konami slaps an injunction on us.

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With the New Year great changes are in motion at HG101. Not just in the site itself and the way you read it, but also with a series of extremely exciting, exclusive articles, and also this selection of Konami files. In truth, due to a clerical error, these files were never technically under an NDA back in the day – so perhaps they’re not top secret. But they are interesting. They are a selection of localisation files, containing the original Japanese scripts and official English translations, for several Konami games and a variety of manuals. There’s also translation notes and other behind-the-scenes morsels in some of them.

We acquired them from a freelance localiser who has never been interviewed before – I want to emphasise this, said person has never been interviewed before – and for various reasons we were given permission to distribute them. Full disclosure as to why they’re being released will be revealed later on.

Our first release contains the collection of instruction manual translations, and the entire script for Hybrid Heaven, prior to its being edited for use in-game.

DOWNLOAD HERE

(Manuals include: ISS64, some dancing game, some kind of beat-em-up, some kind of bass fishing game, some NHL games, Silent Hill, Goemon, some GunGage game, Airforce Delta, Vandal Hearts 2, an NBA game, Power Dunkers 64)


If all goes according to plan I’ll be making periodical updates to this in the coming few weeks. Our second and third releases will be the entire script – every single line of script in fact – for a pair of text-heavy games already covered on the site (can you guess which two?). This will make for fun Spotlight entries with the main site update, or I may just put them up earlier.

The final release will be for two games which aren’t yet covered by the site, but trust me when I say they will be MEGATON releases, and something to get both romhackers and fans in general extremely excited. Heck, there are some files in here which I don’t even know what they are (but according to RHDN they’re probably NOT the source code to anything).

Alongside this final release will be a lengthy 10’000 word interview with our mysterious benefactor, at which time their identity will be revealed. Let’s just say after reading this you will never look at Konami or indeed the videogame industry in the same way again. HG101 staff have already read the unspeakably controversial feature, and everyone agrees it’s the most industry rocking article we’ve ever published. The pillars of heaven will shake. Some bits are so hot we’re not even sure if we can legally publish it – but we’re going to anyway.

Quotes from other HG101 staff, taken entirely out of context:

“Oh god. You have cojones, sir.” – CJ Iwakura

“... seizure-inducing...” – Derboo

“You said it! A real eye-opener.” – MP83


Plus here’s a 100% genuinely made-up quote from site founder DiscoAlucard:
“Bloody heck, Sketcz, I’m keeping my attorney on speed-dial for this one, just in case.”


So check back regularly for some really solid content. The MEGATON interview with top secret files to download should be stealthily up before the end of January, assuming Konami’s fox-like assassins don’t stop us before then.

Stay tuned!

(screens taken from GameFAQs)

15 comments:

  1. So Jeremy Blaustein is letting you have some of his private stash? Sweet. You shouldn't release the rest of it here though, you should go to the Assembler Games forums (http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/) and get them to a community dump fundraiser for it. These people pay STUPID amounts of money to get prototypes released, Sketcz you are sitting on a small fortune.

    No matter what you do, thanks for this, you are THE MAN.

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  2. Totally didn't see the part that said "never been interviewed before". I'm retarded, sorry. The rest of my post still stands.

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  3. Interesting stuff guys!

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  4. Holy crap this very exciting!

    "Our second and third releases will be the entire script – every single line of script in fact – for a pair of text-heavy games already covered on the site (can you guess which two?)."

    Snatcher and Policenauts?

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  5. Even though I have practically no idea what's going on, I'm very excited about all of this. Still, I don't know how I can be expected to keep up with everything given that I am still only 7/30ths of the way through your gigantic TMNT article.

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  6. @EvilPachirisu, there's no games actually, just assorted documents and supplementary bits.

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  7. "Let’s just say after reading this you will never look at Konami or indeed the videogame industry in the same way again."

    uh huh. if it was so important you'd find a way to dial back your own bullshit.

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  8. suikogaidens translation ?

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  9. @Discoalucard Ah, gotcha. Still hella cool though, and I'm still waiting with anticipation! :3 PLEASE RELEASE YOUR KONAMI BOOK!

    Also Anonymous, I'm kinda horny, care to suck my dick and shut the fuck up? I <3 Konami with all my heart and soul and I'll be GODDAMNED if you fuck this up for the rest of us. If you don't like it, LEAVE. You're just jealous of Sketcz anyway, you poor baby.

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  10. For the sake of not getting hopes TOO high, all of the documents are for games that have been officially localized, so no Policenauts, Suikogaiden, etc.

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  11. @ EvilPachirisu

    I guess we'll see if the hyperbole is justified once everything's said and done.

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  12. As Disco said, these are localisation files for games already officially localised - but there are some neat things like translator's notes requesting changes to the original script (in some cases factual errors present in the originals), the original Japanese text alongside for comparison, and for some games very lengthy documents with background information. Not the kind of stuff that went into the game itself, just supplementary info to help the localiser understand the world. Also, the 8-bit title had large files with HEX coding in it which I had hoped would be source code, but apparently is not. Still, dumps of pre-release edits for scripts are pretty rare. These are all just script files.

    The real MEGATON is the interview itself. No need to dial anything back, it really is the most incredible interview I've ever conducted. It's a really candid, honest and eye-opening account from someone inside the industry.

    As I said, trust me: the level of honesty in the interview is something you almost never see.

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  13. OMFG OMFG OMFG I CAN'T WAIT! Sketcz you are THE MAN!

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  14. I've worked in the industry (low-level); I'm interested in how you can surprise a jaded fellow like me.

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  15. If you're jaded from the industry, then you'll probably just sigh and go: "Yup, know what that's like."

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