American Kirby Is Hardcore: Difference between revisions

Essentially the opposite of [[Bowdlerise|Bowdlerising]] and a subtrope of [[Cultural Translation]]. It's also [[Tropes Are Not Bad|not always a bad thing, mind you]]; if the game itself isn't particularly cutesy poo, then giving it cute box art is just weird. On the other hand, if you're thinking about buying a game whose main character is [[Kirby|an adorable pink puffball]] [[Sugar Bowl|surrounded by sparkles and rainbows]], then whether or not he's smiling on the cover honestly shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

 

* Compare the [http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/4/563284_2715_front.jpg Japanese] and [http://www.gameexpress.com/images/product/original/039854000225F.JPG American] box art for the obscure Game Boy port of ''Milon's Secret Castle''.

* The box art for ''[[Uncharted]] 2: Among Thieves'' is [http://www.examiner.com/video-game-news-in-national/japanese-box-art-for-uncharted-2 operating on this].

** Now that the box art is revealed, this trope is in play again. While both the [http://bzzz.3dsbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/tumblr_lxrdqeJKpZ1qzp9we.jpg Japanese] and [http://bzzz.3dsbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/tumblr_lxrdqeJKpZ1qzp9we2.jpg North American box] art show Pit with a furrowed brow, the NA version removed all traces of pink and gave him an angry frown instead of the open mouth smile.

 

* There is a variant cover for ''[[Gunstar Heroes]]'' is pretty much the same as the original release (right down to the poses), only all the characters are more realistically drawn, rather than the same style as the game itself.

* Game Freak's action puzzle game ''Quinty'' was released in America as ''[[Mendel Palace]]'' and... well, just [http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/image/587446.html look].

* ''[[Choro Q|Seek And Destroy]]'''s American cover is far more hard core than the cover of any Japanese game from the entire series. Compare [http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/583311-seek-and-destroy/images/box-25343 these] [http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/583311-seek-and-destroy/images/box-46631 two]. [[Covers Always Lie|There's no US army in that game...]]

 

* ''[[Heavy Rain]]'''s [http://www.digitalbattle.com/2010/01/14/heavy-rain-box-art-shows-the-difference-between-us-and-europe/ European and American box art.] The European version simply shows the origami bird figure, while the American box art shows the main cast standing behind the origami bird, with Madison Paige standing in the foreground (wearing a [[Fetish Fuel|revealing tank top]] that she wore in only one part of the game) and Scott Shelby [[Cool Guns|wielding a pistol]]. The [http://blogimg.goo.ne.jp/user_image/13/bf/11af9f1e23069eadb0febe11a779ef13.jpg Japanese box art] was simply an ominous sighting of a seemingly drowned man. The Japanese version isn't as mysterious as the European version, but it is significantly more solemn than the American version and more effectively conveys the seriousness of the game's subject matter than the American version does.

* In Japan, the cover of the first ''Gyakuten Saiban'' game is the same as the rest: [http://www.ncsxshop.com/images/products/large/0606/gyakuten_saiban.jpg Four portraits of the main characters in a row.] In the US though, the first ''[[Ace Attorney]]'' game's cover is a picture of [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/73/Phoenix_Wright_-_Ace_Attorney_Coverart.png Phoenix pointing angrily], with Maya standing behind him and [[Evil Overlooker|Edgeworth evilly overlooking them]].

** And the European one is Phoenix standing in front of a white background, looking serious. Same trope, blander cover. At least later games retained the Japanese covers too.

 

* ''[[River City Ransom]]'' is a textbook example. Contrast the [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Downtown_Nekketsu_Monogatari_game_cover.jpg Japanese box art], in which everyone looks more or less [[Super-Deformed|like they do]] in the actual game, with the [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/46/River_City_Ransom-front.jpg American box art]. Of course, even in the Japanese version, the heroes of that game, as well as every other game in the [[Kunio Kun]] series, are indisputably hardcore. For the Japanese, "cute" and "hardcore" are [[Badass Adorable|not mutually exclusive]].

* The [http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/4/582034_86410_front.jpg American cover] of ''Robo Army'' is, ahem, more "hardcore" than the [http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/4/582034_2458_front.jpg Japanese original].

* The American cover art of ''[[Guardian Heroes]]'' replaced the original anime-style depictions of the six main characters with a fantasy novel-like illustration of Han fighting against the Undead Knight, [[Covers Always Lie|even though he was one of the heroes in the game]]. The European version used the original Japanese art, but replaced the two heroines, Serena and Nicole, with Zur the magician and Macho the bodybuilder, who aren't even main characters, turning the European cover into a complete sausage fest for no reason ([http://www.kidfenris.com/guardheroescover.html see for yourself]).

 

* Compared to [http://360.kombo.com/images/content/boxart/blazblue_360_box.jpg whatever North Americans got], [http://www.gamesetwatch.com/100112-blazblue-2.jpg the boxart] of the European ''[[Blaz Blue]]'' seems to suggest a Noel [[Third-Person Shooter]] spinoff rather than a [[Fighting Game]], among things. The fact that the iconic title is merely featured as a background element with more emphasis put on a title written in a generic font doesn't help.

* 2D fighting classic ''[[Guilty Gear]]'' had 2 different covers for all their installments which got ported over the Pacific, most notably the Isuka installment: The [http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/919961-guilty-gear-isuka/images/box-96904 Japanese version] was rather KINKY (as in NSFW) with what apparently is a threesome(!) where a visibly flushed A.B.A. is seemingly getting double-penetrated in a sandwich between Ky Kiske (behind) and Sol Badguy (front), who are meanwhile completely ignoring her as they are engaged in a staring contest with each other (homoerotically charged full of [[Foe Yay]]). The [http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/919961-guilty-gear-isuka/images/box-57948 American version] on the other hand, was a rather generic image of Sol wielding his Fireseal sword in the style of a bazooka with the hilt pointed at you.

** As for the actual cover art for the game, Kirby's facial expression was left alone in the U.S. version (contrary to the name of the trope) -- the [http://www.ssbwiki.com/File:SSBB-cover-japan.jpg bright, partly cloudy blue skies] were [http://www.ssbwiki.com/File:SSBB_Cover.jpg removed], on the other hand.

 

* The American box art for ''[[Tom Clancy]]'s [[Ghost Recon]]'' has soldiers in camouflage [http://img299.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ghostreconxd4.jpg pointing guns and jumping out of helicopters] (you know stuff you will be doing in the game). The Japanese box art has a painting of them [http://img49.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ghostreconjhn5.jpg relaxing in front of a pink sunset] while they wait for extraction.

* In ''[[Elebits]]'', the box art for the US audience is much more actiony that the other ones. Not only does the front of the boxart get a complete remake such that disorder can be shown, the back is also changed slightly: the back of the [http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/wii/image/933005.html?box=80232 english European box] art has three screenshots labeled "Seek!", "Find!" and "Catch!". The same three images on the back of the [http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/wii/image/933005.html?box=75563 US box art] are labeled "Hide!", "Seek!" and "Destroy!"

 

* [http://kidfenris.com/features.html The Gallery of Hideous Box Art] has a couple of examples for us to laugh at:

** '''[http://www.kidfenris.com/astyanaxcover.html Inverted]''' with ''[[Astyanax]]''

** ''[http://www.kidfenris.com/wurmcover.html Wurm]''

 

* Classic ''[[Revenge Of The Gator]]'' for the [[Game Boy]]. In Japan, the 'gators in the cover are happy and smiling, and look a bit cartoony. The ones in the Western releases are gruffy, serious and drawn more realistically. Concidentally, it's made by ''[[HAL Laboratory]]'', like Kirby.

 

* The [[Trope Namer]] here is ''[[Kirby]]''. [http://www.n-sider.com/contentview.php?contentid=407 The box art for many of his games] have had angry eyebrows added to the main character to make an 8-inch-high pink puffball seem more aggressive. This strange practice is joked on originally in [http://angryamericankirby.ytmnd.com/ this] [[YTMND]] and subsequently in [http://www.brawlinthefamily.com/?p=288 this] ''[[Brawl in the Family]]'' strip. It seems to have calmed for the time being with the release of ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]. Brawl'', ''[[Kirby Super Star]] Ultra'', and more recently, ''[[Kirby's Epic Yarn|Kirbys Epic Yarn]]'', whose boxarts have Kirby actually looking happy for a change, but it seems to be creeping up again no thanks to ''[[Kirby Mass Attack]]'''s cover (though to be fair, roughly half the Kirbys on ''Mass Attack'''s cover still retain their cute/curious expressions and most the the "hardcore" one are already attacking something). It's back in full force with ''[[Kirby's Return to Dream Land]]''.

** This practice is [[Older Than They Think]], too, as a ''Kirby's Dream Land 2'' commercial aired in the US turned Kirby, Rick, Kine, and Coo into [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqVVG4FCq7w scowling tough guys (or, you know, as tough as an 8-inch high puffball and his similarly-sized friends can be) roughhousing some Hell's Angels]. As well, compare the commercials for ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU6cHCkWqy8 Kirby's Dreamland]'' and ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL1okxuvGRQ Kirby's Adventure]'', to say nothing of [http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=3&cId=3152506 the magazine ad for Kirby's Avalanche and Kirby's Dream Course] (scroll down the page). "He used to be such a good boy."

* An example that seemingly has nothing to do with America: Namco's ''Legend of Valkyrie'' series is rarely seen outside of Japan, but one of the side games, ''Sandra's Great Adventure'', was released in Europe under the name ''Whirlo''. As part of the localization, the main character's in-game sprite was changed to give him angry eyes.

 

* ''[[Bubble Bobble|Super Puzzle Bobble / Super Bust-A-Move]]'''s American boxarts, SBAM1 for the [[PlayStation 2]] and BAM2 for the [[Sega Saturn]] replaces Bub and other characters with a screaming man with matchsticks keeping his eyes open and a baby from the pits of the [[Uncanny Valley]] blowing blood-red bubbles. What does that have to do anything with cutesy dragons solving puzzles?

* For no apparent reason, the [[Sega Saturn]] boxart of ''Bust-A-Move 2'' decided to treat us to the oh-so-kid-friendly image of a disembodied head of a bald guy trapped in a bubble, with ''[[Eye Scream|matchsticks shoved into his eyelids.]]''

** [[The Angry Video Game Nerd]] lampshaded this in his review of this and other Godzilla games.

 

* The [[Nintendo DS]] version of ''[[Shiren the Wanderer]]''. The original Japanese cover art (by former Capcom illustrator Akiman) is [http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/3/925583_61404_front.jpg very nice], the Western one, [http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/3/925583_94826_front.jpg well...]. Shiren looks like he's going to slit your throat or something. And what they did to poor [[Weasel Mascot|Koppa]] and [[Cute Bruiser|Oryu]] is ''just wrong''. Bad, bad Sega!

* Cult classic rpg/sim hybrid ''Azure Dreams'' for the PSX (which is basically ''[[Harvest Moon]]'' if the main character were a monster-tamer/treasure-hunter instead of a farmer/fisherman) had 2 different covers: The [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/azuredreams/azuredreamsj.jpg Japanese version] was cute and emphasized the dating-sim/harem-romance aspects of the game (featuring all the girls - plus your kid sister and your sidekick - in the game you can eventually get via [[Tenchi Solution]]), while the [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/78/Azure_Dreams_Coverart.png American version] was scenic and emphasized the treasure-hunting/dungeon-crawling aspects of the game (the hero gazing at his hometown from a mountain cliff).

** Still, we got the Japanese box art as the cover for the manual (at least in the European version anyway), so not all bad.

 

* ''[[Pikmin]]'' has two covers. The Japanese image contains Pikmin just hanging out on a branch. The North-American and European cover image contains a battle. The same thing happened with the sequel, though Canada and Europe had a different, also peaceful cover.

* ''[[The Settlers]]'' European cover shows a cartoonish RTS city builder while the American Cover shows a rather stern looking lord in managing his kingdom/army [http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b214/gyrobot/1267035563970.png Comparisons here]. Upon further inspection, the American cover of the settler usually just features the armor clad knight on the cover while the other shows the other professions being as prominent. The subsequent one features a slightly more colorful boxart [http://gamediv.com/Games/151/Main%20image.jpg seen here]

* The PSP version of ''[[Lemmings]]'' exhibits this trope. The [http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/5/928435_72609_front.jpg Japanese box art] depicts a bunch of happy Lemmings in a happy, bright environment. The [http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/5/928435_67503_front.jpg European box art] shows a crowd of Lemmings smiling at you. The [http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/5/928435_74076_front.jpg American box art] depicts a more active scene, and has a slightly duller color scheme compared to the other boxes.

 

* ''[[Breath of Fire]]'':

** ''[[Breath of Fire I]]'' is a major example of this. Compare the [http://images.wikia.com/bof/images/5/5d/BofFJapan.png Japanese box art] with the [http://images.wikia.com/bof/images/5/57/BOF1boxartt.jpg American version], featuring [[Jim Lee]]-esque cover art in which Ryu became a Conan impersonator even though he is clearly depicted as a pretty-average built teenager in-game and Nina looked like a man.

* The ''[[Phantasy Star]]'' series has always had awful, awful box art for the western releases, but they went all out for the fourth game. They hired renowned fantasy artist ''Boris effing Vallejo'' to re-do the cover for the European and American editions of the game, which turned Rune into a 40-something kung-fu movie villain, Rika into a brunette elf with an 80's secretary haircut, and Chaz into Hans from ''[[Die Hard]]''.

 

* ''Castle of Shikigami'', a bullet-hell game for the [[PlayStation 2]] in Japan, is a game about various people teaming up to defeat the villain and save the day by flying through the air and shooting things with various types of laser-like projectiles, and featured cute anime characters on the box art. In ''America'', the game is called ''Mobile Light Force'' and the cover features three leather-clad, gun-toting, large-breasted Charlie's-Angels-esque babes running around and outright lying about the content of the game. ''Castle of Shikigami 2'' did not suffer this treatment, however, it DID suffer from being ''completely'' un-localized despite being translated and voice-acted, with some scenes not being translated or voice-acted in English at all and left with Japanese text and/or dialogue. Despite this, they're not bad games.

 

* There isn't much you can do to make peaceful series like ''[[Harvest Moon]]'' "hardcore" however many of the early western covers are more normal then the [[Tastes Like Diabetes]] Japanese ones. A noticeable exception is the European boxart for the first game: Compare the Japanese art, [http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/3/562623_4976_front.jpg with its cute animals and bright colors] to the [http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/3/562623_59784_front.jpg darker] and more realistic looking PAL cover. Notice how [[Covers Always Lie|Pete isn't wearing the right hat]] and the game [http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/photos/uncategorized/2008/02/11/harvestmoonsnes.jpg looks like this].

* The game ''Princess On Ice'' isn't so much "hardcore" as hideously ugly in the US version, even going so far as to replace the cute in-game sprites with "girls" that look like what you see on the box. [[media:princess-on-ice.jpg|Observe]].

** Aksys learned their lesson afterward and released ''Rockin' Pretty'', which uses the same characters, [http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/image/954317.html with the artwork untouched.]

 

* Two sets of promo character renders were made for ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 3DS'' - one for Japan, and one for America. The Japanese renders show Big Boss and The Boss standing unarmed, with Big Boss looking a little naive but also tough and sexy, and The Boss looking noble and idealistic but also muscular and strong. The American renders show them both scowling and in [[Asskicking Pose|Ass Kicking Poses]], brandishing knives. And they are both dressed in less revealing clothes, and The Boss has her [[Absolute Cleavage]] done up, because America considers [[Fan Service]] [[Double Standard|less innocuous than violence]].

 

* Bucking the trend, when ''[[Resident Evil 4]]'' was released in Japan, Ashley's [[Jiggle Physics]] from the US version were removed. [http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/56936.html Here's a comparison.]

** And the chainsaw decapitation was censored out.

** Both this and the ''Fatal Frame'' touch-up are to accommodate the very different concepts of sexiness that Americans and the Japanese generally hold (yup, cute can also be considered sexy in Japan).

 

* The main ''[[Disgaea]]'' games experience this, abandoning the colorful [[Super-Deformed]] [[Team Shot]] the JP boxarts use (Which also includes most of the generic character classes, and sometimes even [[The Cameo]] and/or [[Big Bad]]), in favor of an image that makes the game seem darker and more serious then it really is ([[Mood Whiplash|Most of the time, at least]]).

* Something akin to this trope occurred in ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics]]: The War of the Lions'', where Barrington's dialogue with Rafa on the Rooftop of Riovanes Castle was "punched up" to make it even ''more'' creepy and blatantly sexual. The original PSX version's translation instead ''very slightly'' [[Bowdlerization|downplayed that aspect.]]

 

* Astro Boy is known to be very cute and innocent. But when the 2003 anime was brought to America, most of the advertisement focused on the action scenes and his super hero side. The dubbing gave him a harsher and more snarky attitude as well. It also cut out most of Astro's cute child-like moments. To say nothing of the DVD boxset cover which is just his face looking absurdly angry.

* Even when it became [[Darker and Edgier]], the ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' franchise has always had a humorous, whimsical tone, summed up nicely by DBZ's [[Crazy Awesome]] Japanese theme tune, "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtFMwF7CKGo&feature=related Cha-La Head Cha-La]". Its North American opening themes, on the other hand, have ranged from "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAshPnOKzSg Rock The Dragon]" to… [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O27PUI1veBg well, this]. Later English-language releases have either kept or translated the Japanese themes.

* ''[[Madoka Magica]]'' was released as 6 two-episode boxsets in Japan, with [http://wiki.puella-magi.net/Madoka_Magica_Products#Blu-Ray_Discs different boxarts for each.] Three of the boxarts show characters looking happy and/or cute, two are relatively neutral, and one has a very dark and angsty mood to it. The U.S. release was 3 four-episode boxsets, and used three of the existing boxart pictures. [[Foregone Conclusion|To the surprise of no one]], they chose the two neutral ones (the first and last) and the angsty one (number four). {{spoiler|This may be somewhat justified given the nature of the series, but still...}}

 

* American edition of [[Graphic Novel]] ''[[Marzi]]'' looks like [http://www.dccomics.com/vertigo/comics/?cm=20192 this], while the original looks like [http://www.komiks.gildia.pl/komiksy/marzi/1,okladka this].

* This is more a case of Modern [[DC Comics]] Is Hardcore, but check out [http://www.dccomics.com/dccomics/comics/?cm=9971 the cover] of a recent trade paperback they put out. Now [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Superboy_Vol_1_76 take] [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Superman_Vol_1_138 a] [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Flash_Vol_1_127 look] [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Detective_Comics_Vol_1_339 at] [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Hawkman_Vol_1_16 some] [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Wonder_Woman_Vol_1_170 of] [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Strange_Adventures_Vol_1_201 the] [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Shazam_Vol_1_9 original] [http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Detective_Comics_Vol_1_482 covers...]

 

** Original British covers are realistic and colourfully objective. [http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070305185353/redwall/images/e/e2/UKsalahc.jpg Here] and [http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100822163904/redwall/images/1/1f/Marlfox.jpg here].

** American Covers are similarly colourful but almost constantly more epical playing this trope completely straight ([http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090107071359/redwall/images/d/d4/MTWHardcover.jpg here] and [http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060211193954/redwall/images/d/d1/PearlsOfLutraFirebird.jpg here]). But their chapter illustrations are either rather cartoonish and abstract ([http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20051015005927/redwall/images/c/c7/Mattimeo.jpg here]) or beautifully copper/plated ([http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080229101223/redwall/images/1/11/Samkim2.PNG here]).

* Peter Grant is way macho in the [http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_f50VvY-dR9k/TTFXfCPOleI/AAAAAAAAAU0/8SuxsbjJmo0/s1600/9780345524256.jpg US cover] of [[Midnight Riot]]/[[Rivers of London]] compared to the restrained 'arty' look of the [http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_f50VvY-dR9k/TSl06w6CaTI/AAAAAAAAAUc/7STCe6nzULE/s1600/riverscover_.jpg British cover]. Also note that Peter Grant, who in the books is described as a slender mixed race young man who by his own admission looks more North African, has metamorphosed into a [[Scary Black Man]]. And as a [[British Coppers|British Copper]], he'd better have signed for that gun.

 

* The original cover art for Japanese [[Doom Metal]] band Boris' album ''Smile'' is [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1f/Borissmile.jpg cute]. The American release's cover is [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/09/Boris-smileus.jpg edgy].

* An inversion occurred when [[Within Temptation]]'s album ''The Unforgiving'' made it to Japan...and the gothed-up [[Sharon Den Adel]] cover was replaced by one with a busty, [[Moe]] [[Meganekko]] schoolgirl waggling her finger at the buyer.

 

* Most paintings by the infamous Handre de Jager from [[Something Awful]] mercilessly parody this trope. The artist himself stated that his initial inspiration was the aforementioned original American boxart for ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]]''. Handre's works can be found throughout the Internet; and you can purchase some of them here: (Not safe for work). Be warned, they're disgusting and scary.

* While not an actual example of this trope, honorable mention must be given to [[There Will Be Brawl]], for portraying Kirby as scary.

 

* Inverted for ''[[Transformers Animated]]'''s debut in Japan. In order to turn it into a prequel to the [[Transformers (film)|live-action movies]] ([[Lying Creator|or so we thought]]), among other things, a new logo looking almost exactly like the film logos was comissioned, [http://www.tv-aichi.co.jp/TF-animated/ which practically clashes with the show's cartoony art style]. And to think that Japan once played this straight with ''[[Transformers]]'' by [[Gag Dub|gag dubbing]] the edgy ''[[Beast Wars]]''... (Though there might be a reason as to the shift in attitude --- see the ''Transformers'' films' entries on [[Germans Love David Hasselhoff]]).

** Just to be clear, this is not the first time that Japan has made Americans very confused about the continuity choices the Japanese side makes.

* ''[[Oban Star Racers]]'' had a mixed french/japanese J-pop opening theme in France, Great Britain & Japan. The US got a generic rock song called "Never say Never" ([[I Thought It Meant|No, not]] [[Justin Bieber|that one]])

 

* [http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2009/07/13/real-touhou-art-terrible-to-behold/ These box arts] for ''[[Touhou]]'' merchandise are in the same parody league as Handre's art. ...we hope. NSFW link, by the way.

* Back in the 80s Japan got some special ''[[My Little Pony]]'' toys which were supposed to be even cuter than the normal ones, called [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GdfAoE9__g&feature=player_embedded Osharena Pony].