Excuse My French
That is no fault of the game's makers. Let me explain. I live in New Brunswick, an officially-bilingual province whose two languages are English and French. Recently, a total recall went on in video-game stores, during which every English-only box was ordered removed from the shelves and banned from sale. Even to English customers waiting in line with copies in hand. No, the products can't be sold unless both English and French appear on the box. I grudgingly accepted that as one of the massive shits of living in a bilingual province, until I actually played the game and realized:
There is no way you can play this game in French.
There is no French voice-acting, no French subtitles, no French menus, no appearances of French in the game at all. So what is the point of putting French translation on the box?
The issue I take with it is, it seems a form of false advertising to me. French-speaking people may now pick up this game, see French on the back of the box, and think it's a game they will understand. Especially with the blatant red FRANÇAIS label there in the top corner. At least, before the recall, if a person didn't know a lick of English, they'd pick up this game and know it's not one they ought to spend their money on.
This would be like chucking English text on the bottom of the original Japanese version and stuffing it in stores round here. If I bought it, got it home and discovered I couldn't comprehend it, I'd be furious. But what then? You broke the anti-theft sticker at the top; the store doesn't have to take it back now. You're just an angry Francophone yelling at counter staff in what might be German to them.
Joel has recently informed me that you can set your PlayStation 2 console to French. I think, though, that that only changes the language of the browser menus, and not individual games. I'll find out someday. If it turns out that this game can be played in French this way, I suppose my rant is moot.