American Kirby Is Hardcore: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''Being happy is sometimes rather pleasant, really. Japanese developers understand this mysterious truth, but while they keep trying to export their eternally sunny characters to us, we just keep transforming them into gloomy, moody tough guys.''|"[http://www.gamesradar.com/f/why-japanese-box-art-is-better/a-20080729123833874037 Why Japanese Boxart is Better]," Games Radar}}
For whatever reason, when a Japanese game is released Stateside, there's a tendency to make the
This has to do with the fact that the Japanese as a culture are [[Kawaisa|stereotypically obsessed with cuteness]], whereas American gamers are similarly [[Testosterone Poisoning|stereotypically obsessed with '''MANLINESS''']].
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** ''Taro's Quest'', an unreleased and unfinished localization of Jaleco's ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' clone ''Jajamaru Ninpou Chou'', had major changes to the graphics, redrawing the character portraits to be less [[Super-Deformed]] and outright replacing some of the more goofy-looking monsters.
* The first Super Famicom ''[[Ganbare Goemon]]'' game was translated and brought over as ''Legend of the Mystical Ninja'', and [[Macekre|funky character renaming aside]] (Kid Ying and Dr. Yang? ''REALLY?''), the [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/goemon/goemon1sfc.jpg box art] was suitably [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/goemon/mysticalninjasnesa.jpg "Americanised"].
* ''[[EVO Search for Eden|E.V.O. Search for Eden]]'' is a [[Subversion]]; compare the [http://media.gameswag.com/image/CB84eBrsBXR2w3bdasdb3298/HGyDzI7oqBTqQn4dfmdYOxcn9uIuZvbg.jpg SNES version's] realistic, if fanciful, box art to the [[Kawaiiko|considerably cutesier]] [http://www.videogameden.com/sfc/cover/evo.jpg Super Famicom version]. Looks like a straight example, right? It turns out that the SNES version is actually using the ''original'' cover art from ''[http://imageshack.us/f/5/shinkaron.png/ 4.6 Billion Year Story: The Theory of Evolution]'',<ref>Which is what the SFC version of E.V.O. is named in Japan</ref>
<!-- %% The PC-98 picture is actually from the OST, but suitably large enough cover scans from the actual game package are rare as heck. If someone can find a bigger picture of this, please switch them out: http://www.videogameden.com/sfc/extra/evo08.jpg -->
* Just when you thought Nintendo was eschewing this with Kirby, along comes ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks]]''. In Japan and Europe, the box to Link's latest DS adventure features him happy riding his train (the train being the game's big innovation, after all) while in America, he's doing his best to look like a sword-brandishing tough guy. [http://pressthebuttons.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83452033569e20120a62ab5b1970b-pi Which kind of clashes with the art style.]
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* While not quite a 'box art' example of the trope, the [[Tokyo Pop]] translation of ''[[Devil May Cry]] 3'''s manga changed 'tomato juice' to 'beer'. As in, what Dante drinks most of the time.
* The cover artwork of ''Demon Sword'' (the U.S. version of ''Fudō Myō-ō Den'', a Famicom spinoff to ''Legend of Kage'') depicts the protagonist as a long-haired [[Barbarian Hero]] instead of the Japanese swordsman actually featured in the game.
* ''[[Bomberman]]'' for the [[TurboGrafx-16]]
* ''Mass Destruction'' is a game where you drive a tank and blow things up. The Japanese cover depicts a tree in a park (Eh?). Compare the [http://www.gamefaqs.com/saturn/574582-mass-destruction/images/box-80280 original American cover] with the [http://www.gamefaqs.com/saturn/574582-mass-destruction/images/box-14319 Japanese release].
* ''[[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...]]
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** An important thing to note is that the boxart for the first Mega Man was commissioned on very short notice, and the only direction the artist had was a brief description of the game's premise over the phone, which led to the image that looks like it belongs on a 80s sci-fi novel cover. For comparison purposes, [http://media.strategywiki.org/images/thumb/3/30/Rockman_FC_box.jpg/250px-Rockman_FC_box.jpg here] is the cover of the Japanese release. [http://www.blogcdn.com/www.nintendowiifanboy.com/media/2008/09/boxart-mm1-eu.jpg The European edition] does a bit better, though it's still a drastic departure from the actual game. The second game's box, while still bad, [http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/563442-mega-man-2/images/box-29031 at least has Mega Man correctly colored, and a few recognizable characters, more or less on par with the European version.]
** [http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/563443-mega-man-3/images/box-59155 European] ''Mega Man 3'' is an odd one: the robots are illustrated accurately, but Wily is beyond hardcore.
** The US producers of ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]] 9'' and ''10'' in keeping with their [[Retraux]] graphics style, had [http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/891/891767/mega-man-9-20080717020802013.jpg throwback] [[media:
** ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]] 7's'' ending, where Mega Man contemplates [[Just Shoot Him|ending Dr. Wily's schemes once and for all.]] When Dr. Wily points out [["Three Laws"-Compliant|robot law prevents him from taking a human life]], Mega Man simply stands there while Wily escapes. Unless we're in America, in which case he blurts the infamous "I am more than just a robot! Die Wily!!!" line...[[Villain Exit Stage Left|and hesitates anyway.]]
** On a similar note, the promotional artwork for [[Mega Man (animation)|the cartoon]] depicts Mega Man as ready to tear someone's spine out (or at least punch their lights out), and made him far more ripped than he was in the series proper.
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** The [http://wiki.eretro.nl/index.php/Image:ColecoVision_Donkey_Kong_box1.jpg Colecovision cover] on the other hand was looking fairly decent.
* The NES version of ''[[A Boy and His Blob]]'' and its Gameboy sequel had a small overhaul with the Boy's design, title screen and box art in Japan to make it look cuter.
* ''[[Chameleon Twist]]'' was a charming, adorable game starring Davy, a chameleon transformed into a bubble-headed long-tongued chibi alien, and his friends. Its boxart is an interesting variation on this trope: ([http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/6/196896_41871_front.jpg The American boxart] shows Davy gobbling up foes with a cheery grin, while the [http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/6/196896_85015_front.jpg PAL version] shows him gobbling up foes with a look of death in his eyes. ''Chameleon Twist 2'', of course, played this trope straight for America and
* [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/BoinicCommandoRearmed2_boxart.png The box art] for ''[[Bionic Commando]] Rearmed 2'' seems to be a deliberate aversion of this trope, as the image of Spencer (with goofy smile and [[Porn Stache]] looking like he's about to give the viewer a hug) on the game's front cover can only be described as jarringly happy-go-lucky. Especially funny ([[Cerebus Syndrome|until you beat the game]]) when you compare it to the [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Bionic_Commando.jpg cover art] to the 2009 game which ''Rearmed 2'' is a direct prequel to, which featured a goth-ified Spencer [[Penny Arcade|smouldering with generic rage]].
* [http://www.indiegames.com/blog/2008/07/rumors_cave_story_on_wiiware.html This] ''[[Cave Story]]'' mockup cover parodies this trend.
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*** The art shift also renders one character, though ostensibly wearing the same outfit, considerably more [[Stripperiffic]].
* While it's not a comparison between American and Japanese, looking at the boxart on the Xbox360 version of ''[[Eternal Sonata]]'' then looking at the [[PlayStation 3]] version reveals that there were some drastic changes. The 360 version looks bright and innocent, with characters standing in a grassy meadow. The [[PlayStation 3]] version has a darker background, and has the characters looking angry in various action poses.
* ''[[Guardian's Crusade]]''. The [http://rpgfan.com/pics/guardians-crusade/box-japfront.jpg Japanese box art] is more colorful and rather whimsical in looks: showing Knight and Baby doing various activities you can do in the game, all the while looking dang adorable. The back cover is [http://rpgfan.com/pics/guardians-crusade/box-japback.jpg even more cuter]. The [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9e/Guardian%27sCrusadeCover.jpg American version] is more generic in comparison. The game came out about a year and a half after ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', during that dark period when American game companies thought that [[RPG
* When ''[[Pokémon]]'' was being localized for America, a significant portion of people at Nintendo thought that the characters were [[It Will Never Catch On|too cute to sell well]], and tried to get all of the Pokémon redone for the states as muscle-bound humanoid Pro-Wrestling monsters. In other words, they wanted to turn Pikachu into [[Kinnikuman]].
** Compare the box-art of the [http://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/1/19/PokemonYellowJapanese.png Japanese version] of Pokémon Yellow to the [http://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/2/2b/Pokemon_Yellow_boxart.jpg American version]. Remarkably similar to the depiction of Kirby from Japan to America.
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