Translation ROM Hack Metroid: Other M - True Japanese Mod (English Fan Translation)

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Metroid: Other M - True Japanese Mod
(English Fan Re-Translation Mod)
Version: 1.0.0​

This is an open-source modding project intended to edit the NTSC-U (North America) version of Metroid: Other M to accomplish two main goals:

• Convert the game's entire spoken voice-over from English to Japanese.
• Replace the original botched English localization with one that is (hopefully) more accurate to the Japanese script.

Background:
In starting this project, I was heavily inspired by this outstanding video below created by Lexicon Lookout. While I had suspected it for years, his video really convinced me that there was quite a lot of character and plot details that was present in the the Japanese script that was utterly ruined by or outright missing from the English localization.
On top of that, while I'm not an expert on the language by any means, the Japanese voice cast sounds a lot better than their English counterparts in my opinion. Samus sounds less like an emotionless robot, and more like the experienced hunter that she is - and the rest of the cast sounds a lot more natural as well.

Spoiler: YouTube: "The Other M that never was" - by Lexicon Lookout

Normally one could just import the Japanese version of Other M, because unlike the US version, the Japanese version allows you to select between Japanese and English VA's and subtitles. However, I feel even this is not enough, as the Japanese version reuses the same botched localization for its English subtitles.
Fortunately, all of the Japanese audio tracks are still within the game files of the US version, despite not being selectable in-game. These tracks are found in the following formats:

• .aix files in the sound>bgm folders, each marked as jp for Japanese.
• Embedded within each .sfd movie file as audio track 2. Track 1 is the English track, and is read by the US version by default.

Furthermore, Other M's subtitles are located in the file message_all.dat, and can be changed using a text editor (with a couple caveats). With this knowledge in hand and after months of research, trial, and error, I've edited each video so that the Japanese tracks are Track 1 and assembled a Riivolution mod that forces the game to only read the altered video and message_all file, as well as the jp .aix files.
It is now possible to play the US version of Metroid Other M with both Japanese voice acting and modified subtitles!


Requirements:

• Dolphin Emulator version 5.0-15407 or newer (https://dolphin-emu.org/). Dolphin's dev team recommends using newer releases due to constant improvements.
• At least 6 GB of hard drive space.
• An ISO of the NTSC-U version of Metroid Other M. You will need to dump this from an official copy on your own.
• Recommended: A save file with Theater Mode fully unlocked, so you can easily test the changes.

IMPORTANT: This Riivolution mod has currently only been tested for use on Dolphin Emulator.
It has not been tested nor endorsed for use on actual Wii hardware at this time. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Modding Subtitles:
You can find information on modding Metroid Other M's subtitle file, message_all.dat , in this post below.
You will also find the game's Japanese script in that same file, even in the US version of the game!

Additional Notes:

• This mod is intended for the NTSC-U (North America) version ONLY.
• Theater Mode has been fully tested, as well as most of the full campaign - I made a few minor tweaks during my play-through, and while I'm pretty sure there won't be any issues, please inform me in this thread if there are.

Special Thanks (and notice regarding video editing):
A very special thanks to @ShadowOne333 for his invaluable help and support, helping me out on how to edit Other M's .sfd videos and setting up Riivolution mods.
I highly recommend checking out his new improvement hack Metroid: Other M Redux : Shadow discovered the ideal solution for editing Other M's .sfd video files, which after testing it for myself I endorse 100% as it fixed all the video issues I came across when I first started this project.
Details on his process can be found under the Converting videos to SFD section of his first post - You may also find it useful for editing sofdec videos in other titles that use the codec.

Download links:
For this full release, I am offering the Subtitles and the Media files as separate downloads in order to make updating them easier in the future.
For those who have already downloaded and installed earlier versions of this mod, please note that several changes have been made to both the Subtitles and Media portions of this mod, and how they are loaded via Riivolution. If you haven't already, it is recommended that you download the latest version of both folders.

Release Version: 1.0.0

Subtitle Files (Install this first):
https://www.mediafire.com/file/2w550vmj5treget/MOMTrueJapanese_v1_0_0_p1_Subtitles.7z/file

Media Files:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/e6dc84zmw3m01mq/MOMTrueJapanese_v1_0_0_p2_Media.7z/file


Installation Instructions:

1) Download and Extract the folder "MOMTrueJapanese_v1_0_0_p1_Subtitles".
2) Move the folder "other_m_true_japanese" to your currently configured Dolphin "Load" path and place it in the "Riivolution" folder.
On Windows, the default path is "Dolphin-x64\User\Load\Riivolution".
You may need to create the "Riivolution" folder if it does not exist.
3) Download and Extract the folder "MOMTrueJapanese_v1_0_0_p2_Media"
4) Move the two folders, "movie" and "sound", into the folder "other_m_true_japanese" from Step 2.
The root of "other_m_true_japanese" should now contain the folders "message", "movie" and "sound", and the mod's XML file.
5) Load up Dolphin emulator. Ensure that the base game is present in your gamelist and that the GameID is R3OE01.
6) Right-click the game in the gamelist and select "Start with Riivolution Patches...".
7) Click "Open Riivolution XML..." and select the XML file for "other_m_true_japanese". Under "Contents", switch both the "Audio & Movies" and "Subtitle" options to "Enabled".
If you wish to have this mod configuration directly in your gamelist for quick access, select "Save as Preset...".
Hit "Start".


Copyright Notice:
This is an open source mod for the Metroid Other M game published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Wii system and co-developed by Techmo / Team Ninja.
All copyrights and trademarks belong to their respective owners. This mod and the contents within may not be used for commercial purposes in any form.

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To Do:

• Finish and release modified subtitles. Complete
• Playable DeepL "Direct" translation option. Currently included as a separate file for reference purposes.
• Riivolution improvements - Select between multiple options to play the game. Would mainly consist of alternate subs.
• Edit subtitles for full campaign. Complete
• Test the full campaign thoroughly. Mostly complete. Made a few minor changes during my play-through.
• Riivolution improvements - Combine videos and text into a single package. Complete

Wish List / Help Wanted:

• Person with programming knowledge in order to edit subtitle timings/triggers.
• Wii/Wii U console compatibility (don't consider until very late in the process).

Known Issues:

• There are a couple voice lines that are stuck in their English configuration, because the sound files that are tied to these lines are not present in the "sound" folder like all the other voice lines. I'm guessing these sound files are packed in with the regular sound effects (or possibly with enemy data), but they're hidden somewhere on the disk in places that I don't know how to access at this time.
  • List of known hidden voice lines: (Dialogue paraphrased from what is heard in-game)
    • Adam: "Samus, use your missles." - During first boss battle.
    • Samus: "Anthony!" - During Grapple Beam scene.
    • General grunts and noises by human characters.
• Invalid Read error - When segments of the message_all file are changed too much to the point where the modded file is a number of kilobytes greater or less than the vanilla file, the game will crash and be stuck frozen until the game is powered down. This mod's translation has been thoroughly tested to eliminate this crash during normal play, but please keep this in mind if you decide to edit the message_all file yourself.
• Subtitle timings don't match Japanese dialogue - This is set within the game's code itself and requires programming knowledge to change. See my later post (post #8) for more details.

Notice Regarding Voice Over/AI Projects: **Updated 6/27/2023**
While you may reference my re-translated script as part of your own projects, I humbly request that keep invitations for me to join projects to a minimum.
Similarly, I will not accept monetary payment or commercialization of this mod, or of the contents within, under any circumstances.
Please and thank you.

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Version History:
0.1.0 - 1/18/23 - Initial Beta release containing the replacement video and audio files only. Tested for Theater Mode - still needs Base Game testing. Subtitles will be added in the next update.

0.2.0 - 3/6/23 - Second release introducing custom subtitles. This release has been designed for use in Theater Mode, and has yet to be tested in normal play.

1.0.0 - 6/26/23 - Official Release. Added media and custom subtitles for dialogue present in the normal campaign. Campaign play-tested from start to finish. Minor adjustments to prior subtitles to improve accuracy and readability. Overhauled XML document to allow mod to function within a singular Riivolution mod.