American Kirby Is Hardcore: Difference between revisions

** Not surprisingly, ''Magic John''/''Totally Rad'' was published by Jaleco, a company famous for having its game's characters and plot being almost completely altered for American release. A good example being ''Sayuuki World 2'', a game based loosely on ''The Journey to the West'' which became the Native-American themed ''Whomp 'Em''. The original ''Sayuuki World'' was never released outside Japan.

** ''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.

* ''[[EVO Search for Eden|E.V.O. Search for Eden]]'' is a [[Subversion]]; compare the [https://web.archive.org/web/20150330071406/http://ocremix.org/files/images/games/snes/5/e-v-o-search-for-eden-snes-cover-front-76900.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://medium.media.vgm.io/albums/59/1495/1495-1262596848.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. Image is the cover art for the [http://vgmdb.net/album/1495 Symphonic Synth Suite album].</ref> made by the same company for the [[PC 98|PC-9801]], and of which ''E.V.O.'' is a (loose) port!

* 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.]

** In the Japanese version of the game the titular character is voiced by a woman with a much higher pitched, child-like voice compared to the [[Totally Radical]] teenage one he had in the American version, complete with cutesy little noises nearly every time he jumps.

* ''[[Asterix]] and Obelix XXL'' is a bit "American Kirby" compared to the source material, with the titular characters more aggressive than usual (with a good reason though, since the premise is the burning of their village and the capture of all their friends); however, while the [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/asterix/asterix_files/asterix-xxl-gc-cover-a.jpg European cover] shows their faces drawn similarly to the comic book, the [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/asterix/asterix_files/asterix-xxl-ps2-cover-a.jpg American cover] is a render of their in-game selves, ready to fight. And, as you can notice, the game is called ''Asterix and Obelix '''Kick Buttix''''' in the US!

* The Japanese cover art for ''[[Dynasty Warriors|Dynasty Warriors 7]]'' was very minimalist, with simply the game's logo on a gold background. One can't blame Koei for wanting to spruce it up a bit. But they may have gone [https://web.archive.org/web/20121018163412/http://media2.shopto.net/boxart/PS3DY05.jpg a bit too far].

* ''[[Solatorobo]]'': While all covers are taken from official game art, the [http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sruLyAW7i1Q/TaWuwcSk6HI/AAAAAAAAGvs/6AV9v5MsNYY/s1600/Solatorobo_red_the_hunter_cover.jpg Japanese cover] is definetly more happy-looking than the [http://images.nintendolife.com/games/ds/solatorobo_red_the_hunter/cover_large.jpg European] and [http://cdn02.animenewsnetwork.com/images/cms/the-x-button/42186/redcover.jpg American] ones.

** On the ([[Fan Work|unofficial]]) extreme end of the scale, there is ''[[There Will Be Brawl]]'''s version of Kirby...

** ''[[Nintendo Power]]'' lampshaded this phenomenon in the May 2011 issue's highlight on Kirby, saying he puts on his "angry eyes" for the boxart.

** Even the ''title'' of 2011's DS game seems to carry on in this tradition; known as ''Gather! Kirby'' in Japan, its English title is ''Kirby Mass Attack''. And to top it off, on the American boxart, nearly half of the Kirbies have angry faces... ''but the other half doesn't.'' This makes it... jarring, to say the least.

** ...and then ''[[Kirby's Return to Dream Land]]'' swings the pendulum right back around and [https://web.archive.org/web/20120118012659/http://wii.ign.com/articles/119/1193309p1.html gives him angry eyes again]. Contrast [http://www.famitsu.com/news/201109/images/00050121/oW46AxTddQaobbc9KREq9bx19p147sQO.jpg the Japanese boxart].

** In ''[[Mega Man ZX]] Advent'', this cover is actually poked fun at in the American version. In the game, for a mission you are supposed to get a data disk, an in game item that can be looked at to see a picture and some information, for a kid who wants something with a hero on it. In the end of "talk to the people who SHOULD have one" you find out that the kid has the only data disk with anything close, the data disk with the American boxart of the original ''Mega Man''. The kid openly calls it weird, and not very heroic at all. You then get it to view at any time.

** Terrible Boxart Mega Man is so (in)famous that this is the version Capcom chooses to cameo in [[Capcom Versus Whatever|Street Fighter Versus Tekken]].

* ''[[Alisia Dragoon]]'', a fairly obscure Genesis game by [[Game Arts]], features a [http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/genesis/image/586021.html?box=3311 pretty cover] in Japan, while the [http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/genesis/image/586021.html?box=88170 Western boxart] is... well, cool-looking but [[Contemptible Cover|rather contemptible]].

* The original boxart for ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' gave us a fairly confident looking Sonic with a tasty palette of colors surrounding him. The US boxart gave him a chubbier redesign with a mohawk, the art has him posing for a 'tude expression, and they sprayed him with a coat of airbrush. Even the original members of Sonic Team said they [[Creator Backlash|despised this Americanized Sonic design.]]

* Not even ''[[Disney]]'' games were immune to this. The Genesis/Megadrive title ''[[Quackshot]]'' features a dynamic shot of a scowling [[Donald Duck]] baring his gun with a evil looking Pete plotting in the background. The Japanese cover features Donald and his nephews smiling at you with Pete throwing a comical tantrum behind them. Granted [[Grumpy Bear|Donald]] [[Hair-Trigger Temper|being Donald]] the Western cover might be considered more in-character.

* In some of the ''[[Bonk]]'' games, Bonk's second powerup form was changed. In the japanese verison he showed his love of [[Trademark Favorite Food|meat]] by turning into a doe-eyed version of himself who attacked with hearts. In the US version he was changed into a scowling form with a scar rather similar to the page image. Though his third form was hardcore in both versions.

* 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.

 

*** 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 [[Play Station 3]] version reveals that there were some drastic changes. The 360 version looks bright and innocent, with characters standing in a grassy meadow. The [[Play Station 3]] version has a darker background, and has the characters looking angry in various action poses.

* 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]{{Dead link}} of Pokémon Yellow to the [http://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/2/2b/Pokemon_Yellow_boxart.jpg American version]{{Dead link}}. Remarkably similar to the depiction of Kirby from Japan to America.

 

=== Comics ===

 

=== Literature ===