We (The Fans) would like Square to include the option for Japanese Audio along with Japanese and English text into the North American release of Final Fantasy X similar to games like The Bouncer and Armored Core 2. The reason we are making this request is because of Hironobu Sakaguchi's statement saying that there will not be the inclusion of Japanese Audio for the US release of Final Fantasy X. However, this decision does not stand well with a lot of people. A recent survey on one of the more popular gaming sites has shown that more people would like to have the option to hear the Japanese along with the English audio accompanied by English subtitles. Please visit (http://cgi.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.asp?poll=596) for the results of that poll. There are many different reasons that each person would want Japanese audio along with English subtitles for this game. Here is a sample of a few of the more commonly stated reasons.

One of the most common reasons is because we believe that Japanese voice acting is superior to English voice acting. Japanese Animation for the most part has superior acting in it's original Japanese language while English dubbing usually has sub-par acting. This large difference in the quality of the voice acting has created a large demand for the option of English and Japanese audio tracks along with English subtitles for DVD releases of Japanese Animation in the US.

Another common belief is that a game or show should be watched in it's original format with as few modifications as possible to the game or show. Audio is a key factor in any show. Dubbing changes the way that the viewer reacts to the game or show by losing the original flavor of the original audio. For this reason, subtitling is the best solution to keeping the original flavor of a game or show. This theory is also backed up by the large demand for subtitles as an option on North American VHS and DVD releases of both Japanese Animation and live action movies.

A more specific but common reasoning for having multiple languages is that it increases replay value among consumers. The chance to play a game in multiple languages can bring a different perspective to the gamer, and thus making his experience longer, more fulfilling and enriched. This adds longevity and replay value to a game. Therefore increasing it's value and marketability to the consumer. By including this option, you can retain more fans and attract new ones which will increase sales.

Hironobu Sakaguchi has stated that there is not enough space on the DVD to include the Japanese and English audio. However, we believe that to be false. Final Fantasy X was released in Japan on a DVD-5 format which has a total maximum capacity of 4.7 GB's. If you use a DVD-9 format disc, you will have 8.5 GB of space to work with. That is more than enough space to include multiple language tracks along with text of various languages. Also, the DVD format is designed for the inclusion of multiple audio and subtitle tracks. We believe that Square is able to modify the game to include Japanese Audio along with the option of English audio by using a dual layered DVD-9 disc and taking advantage of the multiple audio and subtitle tracks native to the DVD format. As for cost considerations, the manufacturing cost difference between a DVD-5 and a DVD-9 disc is not significant enough to affect your profit margins as most DVD duplication companies are set up to do both formats.

Please take this into consideration before you send the North American version of Final Fantasy X to duplication later this year or early next year.