Japanese/American differences for ANY game.

[Lord Contaminous]

Just for fun, name as many Japanese/American differences in video games that you find interesting. Anything from name changes, music differences and sprite alterations in general.

>Superman (NES, Famicom)
Unlike the American NES version due to media copyright laws, the Japanese version uses 8-bit renditions of the music heard in the 4 Superman movies. You can also register a name for your character.

>Wrath of the Black Manta/Ninja Cop Saizou.
Same game, but totally different music and art styles in the cinemas that fits the two individual countries.

[Iron Draggon]

This isn't really a difference, but more of a curiosity. Both versions of Sonic Adventure 2 are identical. If you play it in American DC's, the game will be in English, if you play it in Japanese DC's, the game will be in Japanese. I don't think there's even a territorial lockout on it. It just determines the language that you play in based on the setting of the region switch inside your DC.

But the original Sonic Adventure isn't like that. Both versions also have both languages, but you can pick which language you play in. I don't think there's a territorial lockout on that one either, but you can't choose which language you play in on the sequel, so it makes you wonder why that was changed. In the original, the only difference is what the default language setting is.

[youruglyclone]

Breath of Fire 4

Spoilers Start

1] There is a scene when two female characters are bathing and they catch ryu peeping
2] the part where they find I believe Nina's Sister is found to have been transmogrified into a monster, there is a scene where Nina? is told to kill her and she does


Spoilers End

Bust a Move/Bust a Groove

Hiro isn't Smoking a Cigarette in the US/C release
Strike isn't holding a "Flask"
The N-Word is removed in Hamm's Song

KOF/Fatal Fury Games
Exploding Clothes (King and Yuri) doesn't happen
Mai's Not Bouncy at all

I like this thread hopefully I can think of more

[GaijinPunch]

This isn't really a difference, but more of a curiosity. Both versions of Sonic Adventure 2 are identical. If you play it in American DC's, the game will be in English, if you play it in Japanese DC's, the game will be in Japanese.

Sega has done this a lot, since the MegaDrive/Genesis days (see Super Shinobi) and Sonic Team did it a few times on the DC. Phantasy Star Online is another with such a system.

[soniko_karuto]

i heard this cuz my ex is a megaman nut


on megaman legends, when tron (i believe she's called) is on the top of a lampost, there are some dogs on the floor.

on the american version, mega only makes hand signals, and the dogs leave.
on the jap version it kicks them away.


i hate the us censorship and i hate megaman up to some level now (try watching drawings and hearing about megaman almost 24/7, it drives you nuts)

[GarrettCRW]

The Japanese version of Bionic Commando for the NES (quite famously) featured the enemy army as Nazis, including Swastikas.

I haven't played it, but supposedly you die and end up in Hell in the Japanese version of Unjammer Lammy.

Super Smash Bros. Melee saw the removal of the trophy for Devil World in the US because NOA is still spooked about the game's sacreligious content.

There were a number of content edits and other changes in Castlevania III and Contra in the US because of the mappers used in the Japanese version (as well as some unacceptable images).

The intro movie to the original Resident Evil was snipped for the US to remove some of the gore, as well as an image of Chris lighting up and smoking a cigarette.

[Famidrive-16]

There used to be this web site about a bunch of differences between the US release of Earthbound and the japanese version. I think it' done for now however, but there were a bunch of edits, including ness being naked in his dream world.

[PC-Famicom64]

Don't Foregit Donkey Konga,The JPN vergin haves better songs in it(But just a feu).

[anagrama]

Sega has done this a lot, since the MegaDrive/Genesis days (see Super Shinobi)

It actually goes back further than that - most early Master System games also have the Japanese Mark III code in them, which can be seen when playing on either a region-switched SMS or JP Mega Drive + PBC.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

Ok lets see what I can randomly think of...

1) Bust a Groove/Bust a Move
In the American version, in Strike's song, the reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger as "the only true Eraser" is lightly edited so that the line is faded after the words "Im the only true.."

2) Castlevania 4
all crosses removed from the opening in the American version

3) Streets of Rage 3/ Bare Knuckle 3
Ash is removed fully and replaced with Shura at the middle of the first stage. Blazes' clothes changed to grey, Axels' to yellow shirt and black vinyl pants (eeww!) and all female enemies now wear long sleeve shirts and jeans....ugh

Thats all for now...

LP
----------
http://groups.msn.com/SegaCDFans

[importaku]

Legend of the mystical ninja on the SNES also known as Ganbare goemon in japan.

A fantastic game just oozing with japanese culture totally bastardized for release in america & europe.

Changes in the american/europe version
-------------------------------------------------------
Changed Goemon & ebisumaru's names to kid ying & dr yang (die konami)
Removed the rice balls & replaced them with slices of pizza (die konami)
Removed the strip shows from the game, you dont see any nudity but the were taken anyway (DIE DIE DIEEE KONAMI)

And the very worst crime. the removed ebisumaru's farting dance show. For that konami you will burn for eternity in hell :angry:

[dj898]

[quote="Iron Draggon"]This isn't really a difference, but more of a curiosity. Both versions of Sonic Adventure 2 are identical. If you play it in American DC's, the game will be in English, if you play it in Japanese DC's, the game will be in Japanese. I don't think there's even a territorial lockout on it. It just determines the language that you play in based on the setting of the region switch inside your DC.

quote]

you mean Sonic Adventure International?

cheers

[Lord Contaminous]

http://www.vgmuseum.com/images/nes/01/Gargoyles%20Quest%202.gif

In Red Arremer II (the Japanese version of Gargoyle's Quest II), instead of plain black background, the title screen is entirely set on fire.

[Push Upstairs]

3) Streets of Rage 3/ Bare Knuckle 3
Ash is removed fully and replaced with Shura at the middle of the first stage. Blazes' clothes changed to grey, Axels' to yellow shirt and black vinyl pants (eeww!) and all female enemies now wear long sleeve shirts and jeans....ugh

Ash is still in the US game, you just have to use a Game Genie code to unlock him as a playable character.

[Lord Contaminous]

About Super Castlevania IV/Akumajou Dracula....

The removal of crosses is not the only change in that.

The fonts in the top screen status interface are different.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v125/Youkai525/dffrences.jpg


Anywhere that has blood around was either turned green or replaced with water.

[dracula]

in cosmic fantasy 2 for the usa version:
cadette babette is shaking her fist at a monster in one of the cutscenes, in the japan version she is flipping the monster the bird.


In persona, one of the characters is black in the usa version, and all the rest of the characters were re drawn to look more caucasian
edit:in the japan version, all the characters are japanese.

[flywheels]

There were a number of content edits and other changes in Castlevania III and Contra in the US because of the mappers used in the Japanese version (as well as some unacceptable images)

What were those exact changes made to Castlevania III? I just bought the Famicom version the other day on eBay so I don't have it my possession yet.

[Ed Oscuro]

There were a number of content edits and other changes in Castlevania III and Contra in the US because of the mappers used in the Japanese version (as well as some unacceptable images).
Taking that theme further, the U.S. "Castlevania & Contra Collector's Edition" package out a while back has an altered savegame system without vowels in Castlevania II, as well as much "better" translated dialogue (see how much I like it, heh heh).

The original Contra lost cutscenes of what's-is-name (Red Dog I think? Not Scorpion, he's 2p right?) firing his gun from the hip after a level, the map scrolling cutscene before a level, and there's more background animation such as the swaying trees (which became static in the U.S. release) of the jungle and I think the ice field. The jungle's trees in the U.S. version actually look better :)

Contra The Hard Corps was released in Japan with the famous three-hit life bar.

Castlevania III, as Akumajo Densetsu in Japan, has a cool effect where clouds rush by in the opening, the sound is well known to be superior overall (in many cases; sometimes the NES version's minimalistic versions are better). Some monsters look different, zombies are skinnier and various other monsters look totally different. There are some other differences but for the life of me I can't remember them offhand...I think something about what the characters look like when you find them?

[geelw]

In persona, one of the characters is black in the usa version, and all the rest of the characters were re drawn to look more caucasian edit:in the japan version, all the characters are japanese.

and guess what? those changes were done in japan specifically for the u.s audience to give the game more appeal. funny wirld, huh?

g.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

Surprised no one has yet mentioned the character name changes in the Street Fighter series! Bison, Vega, and Balrog were all changed around...


Also, Various games have had regional changes from their Japanese originals - Resident Evil's and Final Fantasy 7 are a few I can think of - Resi having harder modes and FF7 having a major change therefore provoking a rerelease in Japan as FF7 International!


Talking of Final Fantasy - The Japanese ones have been numbered correctly, but until the PlayStation rereleases, the US and PAL versions went a little off track - Ie, FF6 for the Snes was renamed as FF3 as it was only the third released in the US / Europe...


And going a little off topic slightly - Think of all the games which have had a name chane between US / Jap releases and their PAL counter parts - Eg, Jet GRIND Radio into Jet SET Radio...

[Lord Contaminous]

Also, Various games have had regional changes from their Japanese originals - Resident Evil's and Final Fantasy 7 are a few I can think of - Resi having harder modes and FF7 having a major change therefore provoking a rerelease in Japan as FF7 International!



ha! Japan released FF7-Int'l cause they're so jealous we scored a point against them.