Glory be!

   Apparently, someone at Square is listening. A spokesperson for Square Electronic Arts has announced that Xenogears' release date will be pushed back for up to four to five weeks while the publishing company works on refining the game's translation. Square EA is aiming to provide English speaking audiences with the highest translation quality possible. Xenogears was originally slated for an October 10th release date.

   Square's recent translation efforts have been notoriously poor, making this announcement all the more gratifying and equally shocking. Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy Tactics, the highly touted Playstation installments of the Final Fantasy series, were particularly infamous for being littered with a bevy of careless spelling and grammatical errors that ultimately detracted from the overall enjoyment of both games. Gamers can now take heart in the hope that Xenogears will feature the highest translation quality found in a Square RPG since Ted Woolsey's translation gem, Final Fantasy VI.

   The gaming community, highly vocal in voicing its disappointment with the quality of recent RPGs, appears to have been influential in Square Electronic Arts' decision. It can now only be hoped that Square Electronic Arts has set a precedent for future RPG localizations.

Source: [PSM Online]