Songs for an English localization of Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan if Nintendo/Inis want to sell five copies to latte-swilling web 2.0 hipsters

For someone who enjoyed Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, the ideal case for an English localization would be something like a sequel: instead of localizing the stories and text, or localizing the songs (at exorbitant cost compared to just having somebody cover a song already in the proper language), an English Ouendan would be the almost entirely disconnected story of the New York characters shown during the backstory to the final song.

These characters would have their own original stories with their own songs in English, which could be similar in overall narrative structure, but appropriate for the American audience. Primarily the differences would be a reason for people in both countries who loved one to buy the other game, to get more of the same game.

If Nintendo and Inis could magically license every song on my iPod for $10 and a bubblegum wrapper, the lineup for an English Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan might look like this. I realize it doesn't have the same representation of hip hop-rock, and as I don't know Japanese I don't know that it strikes the same thematic notes as the Japanese game's soundtrack, but this is the best I could do while wasting time on my train commutes. So here are some interesting choices (I think):

• Bad Religion - Don't Sell Me Short. This song best expresses the central theme I wrote about before: the individual person's empowering responsibility.
• I wanted to include Bif Naked - I Love Myself Today, as it's the right speed and tone, but the only song on my iPod that evokes emotion like "Over the Distance" is her song Lucky.
• Brendan Benson - I'm Easy. I got this album recently and was tempted to pick Good to Me instead, but I'm Easy has more changes that could be fun to play.
• Junior Senior - Move Your Feet. If Band Brothers Request Selection can include Dragostea Din Tei, I can include this.
• They Might Be Giants - It's Kickin' In. After a few disappointing albums, They Might Be Giants put out The Spine, an album good enough to have songs like this with great energy. However this song is only two minutes long; the shortest song in the existing game is 2:22.
• For a couple choices on the fringe of the genres represented, I'd include Bruce Lash - All the Way and The Postal Service - Natural Anthem. Reverend Horton Heat or The Brian Setzer Orchestra might have good replacements for (or additions to) the Bruce Lash song.
• My lack of hip hop-rock is not for a dislike of hip hop, and I would love to include a Pete Miser song, probably Just One Rhyme.

Several more basic pop/rock songs about which I have nothing specific to say: Arson Welles - Sity of St., Barenaked Ladies - Go Home, Doves - There Goes the Fear, Pete Yorn - For Nancy.

I couldn't find any songs with quite the same theme and strength, so I would still have to end the game with L'Arc~en~Ciel - Ready! Steady! Go. That would work well with the idea that this is the simultaneous telling of the New York story, and it ends with the same event, in which the characters from both games cooperate to save the world.

Comments

[Alex]

Hahaha, brilliant! Somehow I doubt that there will be a US release/sequel and if we do see one I have a strage feeling that it may be what Burnout Legends on DS is to Burnout Legends on PSP. Perhaps, we will see a Japanese sequel?

[markpasc]

A Japanese sequel would be fine with me!