Need the Info: Localization changes made to games

[Anonymous]

I'm preparing for a possible job as a localization editor/writer, and I want to gather some info on some of the more common, famous (or infamous) changes made between Japanese and US games. I'm looking for everything you can think of: cultural changes, language changes, story/plot changes. Three examples I can think of are in Final Fantasy II, Um jammer Lammy, and Bionic Commando.

Final Fantasy II: The game was altered to be easier, and some (?) story elements were changed or removed

Um Jammer Lammy: In the japanese version of the game, Lammy goes to hell to jam with Yoko Teriyaki. In the US version, she is only transported to a remote Island.

Bionic Commando: Hitler is now MasterD. Nazi's are not mentioned in the US version of the game.

[Ascending Wordsmith]

The variation of content is much more evident when someone plays an import after playing a domestic title.

Air Zonk for the Turbo Grafx-16 is a horizontal shooter. The hero is Zonk, but he can merge with his sidekicks to take on more powerful forms. One of the sidekicks is a cow named Moo Moo. Once Zonk and Moo Moo combine, Zonk transforms into a milkman that fires explosive bottles of milk.

In the Japanese PC Engine version, knows as PC Denjin, the Zonk and Moo Moo combination produces Zonk as a transvestite with metal 'milk missiles' as his(her?) breasts. He also has on lipstick and high heels.

I can see why that didn't make it to US shores. LOL

[Dr. Morbis]

You could always talk about how Contra was changed to become Probotector for the European release. All characters were changed to robots so it would be less violent. Also, pretty much any name with the word "ninja" in it was changed when released in Europe. For some reason, the powers that be were deathly afraid of the mere mention of the word ninja.

[Captain Wrong]

INTV Checkers had a different title for Europe (Draughts).

Yeah...I know. Not what you're looking for. Ok, how about all the removed blood and bounciness in NeoGeo Fighters for the US?

Umm...the Real Super Mairo 2 not being released in the US allegedly because it was too hard for 'Mericans?

Maken X for the DC had Nazi insignias on enemies that was removed for the US.

Speaking of the DC, what about D2's famous tenticle sex scene?

I'm trying here.

[Ed Oscuro]

D2 was famous? ...I did miss out on the DC, doesn't it show :/

[Captain Wrong]

Not saying D2 was famous, but that particular part of the game was for about 5 minutes.

[Raccoon Lad]

Let's see:

Black Belt on the SMS was a Fist of the North Star game in Japan
Mary has brown hair (instead of black) in the US version of Quartet
The Japanese Alex Kidd in High Tech World is not an Alex Kidd game.
The hero from Spell Caster wears a "dress" in the Japanese version (I think it's supposed to be based on some anime.)

[Jorpho]

Three little words: The Rad Project (http://www.flammie.net/vse/things/rad/).

Also of interest is Mother 2 to Earthbound (http://starmen.net/m2eb/).

And speaking of Fist of the North Star, Last Battle (a Genesis launch game) was originally a FOTNS game as well. (Ref. http://mvt3k.overclocked.org/episode002.htm .) Oh, and then there's whatshisname in Streets of Rage 3... Ah, yes, Ash (http://www.classicgaming.com/soronline/sor3_sor3vsbk3.htm).

[Neil Koch]

A few off the top of my head...

Many changes in the Castlevania games from Japan to America, especially in The early days (like the cross was called a boomerang, and some of the other religious stuff was removed)

Wolfenstein is heavily edited in Germany (which prohibits the showing of Nazi symbols)

First boss of Streets of Rage 2 was changed from a stereotypical gay guy

Rush N Attack was called Green Beret in other countries

The "bounciness" of Mai in King of Fighters was toned down

Statues of Michael Jackson in the Paris level of Felony 11-79 were altered (also the name of the game was changed from Runabout)

[Sotenga]

Splatterhouse for the TG-16 was altered from the PC Engine. In America, Rick's mask is a reddish color and the fourth boss is a blue head instead of an inverted cross. These changes were made on the grounds of Rick's mask infriging copyright laws with Friday the 13th and satanic imagery with the fourth boss.

[hydr0x]

Wolfenstein is heavily edited in Germany (which prohibits the showing of Nazi symbols)

usage of nazi symbols is not allowed in germany, everything containing those is edited, BUT a lot of games are also edited due to violence. Nudity is not a huge problem though, you can show a lot more than in the US (well, we also can say fuck and shit and whatever on tv :p)

@anotherfluke you shouldn't look at any localisation changes made for germany, it's a science of it's own :)

[Neil Koch]

So do you guys have Wolfenstien? Does BJ just chase around generic soldiers then?

[Neil Koch]

(sorry for the double)

[DDCecil]

Time Gal (Changes from the Japanese Mega CD version to U.S Sega CD version)

A.D. 999 on the U.S. Version is actaully 666 A.D.
The opening song had lyrics in the Japanese original.

[Azazel]

Well RPGs probably get changed or modified to the greatest extent.

1. A lot of names are changed and not for the better or altered to American names.
2. Most menus, items, weapons, armours, and monster names are changed or abbeviated. This is mainly done cause the english translation takes up more space than is allowed in the game. That and the developer/translation company doesn't want to compress or expand the menus to make the full translation fit. Or both for that matter.
3. Translation is greatly changed from the original Japanese script for no good reason. cough Workingdesigns cough :angry: :( :evil:
4. Games are made much harder for US release than it should be.
Cough Popful Mail, Exile 2, Lunars etc. cough. This problem is also caused by the same thing that also causes problem 4. The opposite is also true in a few cases like Contra Hardcorps with the lifebar thing and Castlevania 3 with Grant having a throwing dagger.
5. A game script is greatly altered just to make it fit into the game cause the english language takes up a lot more space than Japanese. This also ties in with some of the above points.

[Anonymous]

I'm bumping this because I KNOW there are more and better localization stories. Come on Hydrox, you live in Germany, right? What have they done to your games? Whatever happened to that homosexual shooter??

[Kid Fenris]

You could pretty much fill a book, or at least a website, with localization stories, but here are a few that I remember.

Resident Evil (PlayStation): Capcom removed a decapitation scene and changed the difficulty settings for the American version of the game. Interestingly enough, the company announced that Resident Evil: The Director's Cut would be uncensored, only to make the same edit to the game shortly before its release. I don't remember how it turned out in the GameCube remake.

Xenosaga: Episode 1 (PS2): A scene involving Albedo and Momo was altered for the American release. Some claim that the "milder" sequence is, in fact, more disturbing that the original. Details are available here (http://zenosaga.com/news/?newsID=40).

Crusader of Centy (Genesis): Atlus removed a puzzle that involved the word "GOD" changing to "DOG."

Tech Romancer (Dreamcast): I could be wrong here, but I'd swear that Capcom took out an image from the pink-haired girl's story mode. The shot in question involved a woman suggestively hugging the game's male lead.

Last Blade 2 (Dreamcast): The American version is missing the blood, death moves, and hanafuda game (cards, in other words) found in the Japanese edition. I think that the domestic Neo-Geo version is edited in the same manner.

Metal Slug X (PlayStation): Blood has been changed to barely noticeable sweat.

Persona (PlayStation): The Snow Quest subquest was removed, and the names of several characters were changed.

Tekken 2 and 3 (PlayStation): Anna's endings were clipped to eschew even the suggestion of nudity.

Workings Designs titles: If you look in the back of the manual for any WD release, you should find a brief note describing most of the changes made to the game. It can include anything from visual alterations (Cadet Babette gave someone the finger in the original version of Cosmic Fantasy 2) to added voices to ramped-up difficulty.

Has anyone brought up the original Final Fight? That's a classic tale of botched censorship.

[Queen Of The Felines]

Persona (PlayStation): The Snow Quest subquest was removed, and the names of several characters were changed.

Not only that, but their looks were changed as well. All of them had black hair and are more obviously Japanese, and Mark was originally white! :eek 2:

Kristine

[NE146]

How about all the changes made to Contra for the NES. Yeah they were due to space limitations but it sure suprised the heck out of me when I played the Famicom version and saw a stage map and the animated trees swaying!