Is anyone still translating the Serial Experiments Lain ps1 game?

[SCO]

I mean it has no gameplay (being basically a collection of 'web' pages with occasional videos and multiple endings, but this anime is kind of a big deal if you care about 'intellectual' (cultish) anime and it predicted some bad internet and real life stuff that only entered mainstream cultural relevance now.

There were two projects one that goes to a dead apache page another that never started and a 'pdf' at http://laingame.net/about.html

I think this game might never really be translated because it seems to have many audio files, which are even worse than movies to dub or replace by (good) voice acting on the ps1.

[FCandChill]

it predicted some bad internet and real life stuff that only entered mainstream cultural relevance now.

It did..? A lot of researchers at the time predicted that the internet would be a core part of people's lives. The anime was made in 1997, when the Internet was really picking up.

I don't know if anyone is still translating this, but I also found a blog with translation progress (last post was in January 2014)... http://ain-and-lain.tumblr.com/

[SCO]

Well, it not only predicted it would be a 'core part' but it's pretty explicit about 'everyone is connected' and the disintegration of the border between real life and the 'wired' (ie: no one is really anonymous - except Lain at the end when she erases her past and history) - this is a pretty unlikely idea at the time before facebook and the rest of the dataminers.

There is also creepy gender roles pressuring, including sexual, and alienation going on, not to mention the suicides and hikikomori tendencies, different 'roles' for different audiences, etc. Only really needs a #metoo and some fascism and racism there.

It's not really surprising considering the author being a fan of psychological horror. Reality seems to have a darkest timeline bias. Anyway, it's a important cultural artifact.

[tvtoon]

I think this game might never really be translated because it seems to have many audio files, which are even worse than movies to dub or replace by (good) voice acting on the ps1.

I think it is exact the opposite, unless it somehow manage to sync audio really bad. Movies are packed with all kinds of trouble.

[cj iwakura]

There was a script released a while back that translated most of the documents and the FMVs, if memory serves, because they decided the rest would be too much work.