No Export for You/Video Games: Difference between revisions

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* A good three-eights of the ''[[Front Mission]]'' series never made it out of Japan. (Two-fifths not counting ''[[Gaiden Game|Gun Hazard]]'', roughly half counting ''Online'' and ''2089'' [either the two cell phone games or the one DS compilation thereof].) What's even worse is the [[Continuity Lock Out]] from not being familiar with all the games...

* Due to being a [[Widget Series|violently Japanese game series]] having risqué gags ([[Ambiguously Gay|Ebisumaru, anyone?]]) in its Super Famicom entries, almost none of the ''[[Ganbare Goemon]]'' games were ever brought to America except for the first SNES game, one of the Game Boy games and two of the Nintendo 64 sequels, with another of the GB games appearing in a Game Boy Color collection in Europe. Even though the N64 entries became [[Cult Classic|cult classics]] thanks to [[Woolseyism|creative changes]] made to the dialogue, an offbeat sense of humor and foreign charm(having [[Humongous Mecha|Goemon Impact]] certainly helped), the series failed to catch on.

* The 2009 ''[[Ghostbusters the Video Game|Ghostbusters]]'' game was never released in Poland, save for [[PlayStation 2]] and [[~~PlayStation~~ 3]] versions.

* The 2009 ''[[Ghostbusters the Video Game|Ghostbusters]]'' game was never released in Poland, save for [[PlayStation 2]] and [[Play Station 3]] versions.

** Long before that, New Ghostbusters II for the NES was only released in Europe and Japan, skipping North America entirely.

* The G Generation games, essentially an all-Gundam Super Robot Wars, have never been localized, even though licensing issues wouldn't be a problem.

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** Also, due to general lack of region encoding, games released on Handheld systems ([[Game Boy Advance]], [[Nintendo DS]], or [[PlayStation Portable]] for example, with a total of 8 games between them (4 GBA, 3 each for the others)) can be imported and played on local versions.

** Hopefully it would be averted with the upcoming The 2nd Super Robot Wars Original Generations (if it can be localized), since SCEA got the English voice track requirement lightened recently.

* If you are a fan of the [[Tales (series)]], '''Namco hates you'''. It's always a total crapshoot over whether any given title will ever be localized. For starters, out of 4 versions of the series' first game, ''[[Tales of Phantasia]]'', only the GBA port came overseas, and that version was widely considered the worst technically and the translation [[Spell My Name with an "S"|much]] [[Internet Backdraft|disp]][[Gannon Banned|uted]] (and partially [[~~Mis Blamed~~]] by people who have never ''actually read'' the original script). The worst part is that other companies (such as [[Atlus]]) have in fact offered to localize ''Tales'' games for Namco, but Namco, with the sole exception of the aforemention GBA ''[[Tales of Phantasia]]'' and NGC ''[[Tales of Symphonia]]'', adamantly refuses.

* If you are a fan of the [[Tales (series)]], '''Namco hates you'''. It's always a total crapshoot over whether any given title will ever be localized. For starters, out of 4 versions of the series' first game, ''[[Tales of Phantasia]]'', only the GBA port came overseas, and that version was widely considered the worst technically and the translation [[Spell My Name with an "S"|much]] [[Internet Backdraft|disp]][[Gannon Banned|uted]] (and partially [[Misblamed]] by people who have never ''actually read'' the original script). The worst part is that other companies (such as [[Atlus]]) have in fact offered to localize ''Tales'' games for Namco, but Namco, with the sole exception of the aforemention GBA ''[[Tales of Phantasia]]'' and NGC ''[[Tales of Symphonia]]'', adamantly refuses.

** Namco has released six cell-phone ''Tales'' games, but, of course, they haven't seen the light of day outside Japan.

** ''[[Tales of Rebirth]]'', both the [[PlayStation 2]] and PSP versions. Because it's 2D.

** There's also the Playstation 2 special edition of ''[[Tales of Symphonia]]'', which was similarly abandoned in Japan. ''Symphonia'', we should point out, is by far the most popular and best-known ''Tales'' game in the US, beating out a series of Playstation and Playstation 2 releases despite being on the less-successful Gamecube. This may have something to do with one of the exceptions to the "Namco doesn't let other companies help them bring Tales games over" rule- apparently Nintendo funded the localization of the GCN version. Presumably this included an exclusivity deal (which would only apply in Europe and America).

** The real ''[[Tales of Destiny]] 2'', both in its [[PlayStation 2]] and PSP incarnations, also never came over, partly due to sales of the two previous games, and partly because it was in 2D and Namco was dead set against releasing 2D ''Tales'' games in North America.

** ''[[Tales of Vesperia]]'''s [[~~PlayStation~~ 3]] port also doesn't seem to be coming. The reason is very unclear: at first voice actor [[Troy Baker]] announced being called to record some new Artes, increasing hope, only for Namco to announce that ''Vesperia'' had an exclusivity contract with Microsoft. Later it was announced that the contract was only temporary and had already expired, so there was another reason for keeping Vesperia PS3 in Japan. As of August 2011, there is lots of speculation about why is that so, but no solid reason.

** ''[[Tales of Vesperia]]'''s [[Play Station 3]] port also doesn't seem to be coming. The reason is very unclear: at first voice actor [[Troy Baker]] announced being called to record some new Artes, increasing hope, only for Namco to announce that ''Vesperia'' had an exclusivity contract with Microsoft. Later it was announced that the contract was only temporary and had already expired, so there was another reason for keeping Vesperia PS3 in Japan. As of August 2011, there is lots of speculation about why is that so, but no solid reason.

** While we're talking about SCEA/Namco's aversion to 2D games, ''[[Tales of Destiny]]'''s remake.

** They also left their ''[[Tales of the Tempest|Tales]]'' [[Tales of Innocence|DS]] [[Tales of Hearts|series]] in Japan with no explanation.

** In an interesting inversion, the [[Updated Rerelease]] of ''[[Tales of Graces]]'' for the [[~~PlayStation~~ 3]] will be released internationally, while the original Wii version will play this trope straight.

** In an interesting inversion, the [[Updated Rerelease]] of ''[[Tales of Graces]]'' for the [[Play Station 3]] will be released internationally, while the original Wii version will play this trope straight.

** While Europe has been getting most of [[Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World|the]] [[Tales of Vesperia|recent]] [[Tales of the World|rel]][[Tales of Graces|eas]][[Tales of the Abyss|es]] (that came out in America, that is), they didn't get many of the old Tales titles - namely, ''[[Tales of Destiny|Destiny]]'', ''[[Tales of Legendia|Legendia]]'' and (the original PS2 version of) ''[[Tales of the Abyss|Abyss]]''. Due to problems with Sony of America's porting policies, they did get the [[Tales of Eternia|Eternia]] port (though not the original PSX game), while the same can't be said for US fans.

** The Smash Bros. clone/competitor ''Tales of Versus'' has been released in Japan as of July 2009. And despite filling a trademark in the West soon after the release, there was no English release announcement ever since.

** Other lesser known titles, such as the rest of the ''[[Tales of the World]]'' series (including the Radiant Mythology series, which only had its first game localized), the Phantasia sequel ''Summoner's Lineage'' and the ''Tales of Fandom'' series, are also restricted to the land of the rising sun.

* ''[[Mother 3]]'', and the fact that Nintendo somehow thinks that people [[What an Idiot!|don't like]] ''[[~~Earthbound~~]]'' (the fact that ''Earthbound'' was a financial disaster probably did little to help that). Sadly, while many have thought this might change with the release of ''[[Super Smash Bros.]] Brawl'' (after all, ''Melee'' finally got ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' to start coming over), Nintendo has mysteriously never localized ''Mother 3'', repeatedly denied any work or interest in it, and never even offered a reason why. That, of course, didn't stop [http://mother3.fobby.net the fans from taking care of it].

* ''[[Mother 3]]'', and the fact that Nintendo somehow thinks that people [[What an Idiot!|don't like]] ''[[EarthBound]]'' (the fact that ''Earthbound'' was a financial disaster probably did little to help that). Sadly, while many have thought this might change with the release of ''[[Super Smash Bros.]] Brawl'' (after all, ''Melee'' finally got ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' to start coming over), Nintendo has mysteriously never localized ''Mother 3'', repeatedly denied any work or interest in it, and never even offered a reason why. That, of course, didn't stop [http://mother3.fobby.net the fans from taking care of it].

** Fans of the ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' series outside North America and Japan (and a large amount ''in'' North America) don't really know who the two characters from the ''Mother'' series are. Mostly because, of the three games, only ''[[~~Earthbound~~]]'' ever made it to the US, and no further.

** Fans of the ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' series outside North America and Japan (and a large amount ''in'' North America) don't really know who the two characters from the ''Mother'' series are. Mostly because, of the three games, only ''[[EarthBound]]'' ever made it to the US, and no further.

** To the point where [[Nintendo Power]] has joked about it. One preview jokingly refers to the cover game as being ''Mother 3'' (ignoring the fact that the ball on the picture is coloured a lot like [[Sonic]], the glowing sword embedded in it resembles a Dragon Needle), but immediatly says that they're just kidding.

*** The most reasonable hypothesis for why ''Mother 3'' won't be officially localized is because the game is a landmine of licensing issues (see an excerpt of the [http://earthboundcentral.com/2009/02/earthbound-legal-issues/ changes needed to localize ''Earthbound''] for a comparison), particularly in its use of [http://cruiseelroy.net/2009/01/mother-3-musical-allusions/ musical excerpts and audio samples] of everything from the Adam West ''Batman'' TV show to ''[[Space Invaders]]''. Since author/producer Shigesato Itoi refuses to alter the game to remove those references and Nintendo refuses to override him due to [[Protection From Editors|Itoi's fame]], they're left with either trying to placate ''dozens'' of license holders... or just block the title from leaving Japan.

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* ''Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes'' had a North American release on the Turbo CD, but its first sequel was only released in Japan. This messed up the sequencing of the series when the Gargarv trilogy of ''Legend of Heroes III, IV, and V'' was [[Remade for the Export]].

* Unfortunately ''[[Valkyria Chronicles III]]'' will never see the light outside Japan as a PSP game. There is a slim chance it may be available as a download for the Vita, however.

* Over half of the [[Kunio Kun]] games for the NES/SNES/Game Boy were never released outside Japan, a fact disguised to a good extent by divergent localizations. American Technos did, however, decide on a series title: ''Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge'' (the localization of the [[Kunio Kun]] game ''Bikkuri Nekketsu Shinkiroku! Harukanaru Kin Medal'') threw in a teaser for ''Crash 'n the Boys: Ice Challenge'' (''Ike Ike! Nekketsu Hockey Bu: Subette Koronde Dai Rantō''). American Technos also planned, but failed, to release ''Soccer Challenge'' (''Nekketsu Soccer League'') and ''Diamond Challenge'' (''Downtown Nekketsu Baseball Monogatari'').

* Over half of the [[Kunio-Kun]] games for the NES/SNES/Game Boy were never released outside Japan, a fact disguised to a good extent by divergent localizations. American Technos did, however, decide on a series title: ''Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge'' (the localization of the [[Kunio-Kun]] game ''Bikkuri Nekketsu Shinkiroku! Harukanaru Kin Medal'') threw in a teaser for ''Crash 'n the Boys: Ice Challenge'' (''Ike Ike! Nekketsu Hockey Bu: Subette Koronde Dai Rantō''). American Technos also planned, but failed, to release ''Soccer Challenge'' (''Nekketsu Soccer League'') and ''Diamond Challenge'' (''Downtown Nekketsu Baseball Monogatari'').

* Infogrames' series of [[The Smurfs|Smurfs]] videogames for the 8-bit and 16-bit game systems hardly saw a release outside Europe, with only a few exceptions.

* The [[The Legendary Starfy|Starfy]] series until 5 (The Legendary Starfy) was never released outside of Japan for apparently being [[Blatant Lies|''Too Japanese'']]. Even then, The Legendary Starfy was never released in Europe.

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* ''Dr. Mario 64'', a massively [[Updated Rerelease]] of ''[[Dr. Mario]]'', was initially only released in America despite its predecessor being a pretty popular game all over the world. It was later included on the collection ''Nintendo Puzzle Collection'' for the GameCube - which was only released in Japan.

* In the Earth Defense Force series, the first two games were only released in Japan as ''Chikyuu Boueigun'', and Europe as ''Monster Attack'' and ''Global Defense Force''.

* ''[[Evil Twin ~~Cypriens~~ Chronicles]]'' has only been released in Europe.

* ''[[Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles]]'' has only been released in Europe.

* Despite having four major versions, being massively popular in its home country, and even making a showing as a featured tournament at the Evolution 2010 World Fighting Game Championships in Las Vegas, ''[[Melty Blood]]'' remains a Japan-only item.

* [[Excite Bots]] was only released in North America.

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* A few ''[[Hamtaro]]'' games fell into this category as well: The first Hamtaro game (which is little more than a virtual pet game with a love meter and mate compatibility meter built in) is only available in Japanese. Likewise, the first Hamtaro DS game got a Japan-only release as well. To a lesser extent of things, fourth Hamtaro game, Rainbow Rescue, got an European and Japanese release, but no North American release.

* ''[[Harvest Moon]] Back to Nature [[Distaff Counterpart|For Girl]]'' will never be released outside of Japan in its original form<ref>Due in no small part to the rage-inducing fact the game ends once you get married. You don't even get the series-standard [[Playable Epilogue]]</ref>. ''More Friends of Mineral Town'' is essentially an [[Enhanced Remake|enhanced 2D port]] of this game, and the PSP release ''Boy and Girl'' combined both versions of ''Back To Nature.''

* ''[[Hey You Pikachu]]'' didn't get a European release. One UK source speculated that it could have been because localising the software to recognise the myriad British accents was unfeasible.

* ''[[Hey You, Pikachu!]]'' didn't get a European release. One UK source speculated that it could have been because localising the software to recognise the myriad British accents was unfeasible.

* The Itadaki Street video game series published by Square Enix is also in this same boat. While the latest title has the excuse of being a cell phone title, the others are on systems perfectly accessible to [[Square Enix]] fans outside Japan.

** Square Enix finally started breaking this with the Command Board in [[Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep]], which is essentially Itadaki Street with the game's characters, and they're finally localizing a full standalone game for the Wii in the form of Fortune Street.

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* On another inverse case for Nintendo games, ''[[Kid Icarus]]'''s sequel, ''Of Myths and Monsters'', wasn't released in Japan either until its re-release on the 3DS Virtual Console.

* The 2 sequels of ''Kid Niki'' were only released in Japan.

* ''Spartan X 2'', the sequel to ''[[Kung Fu Master|Kung Fu]]'' for the NES, was to have been released in the West as ''Kung Fu II'', as in [http://www.nesworld.com/mirror/nr2/kungiiad.jpg this full-page advertisement].

* ''Spartan X 2'', the sequel to ''[[Kung-Fu Master|Kung Fu]]'' for the NES, was to have been released in the West as ''Kung Fu II'', as in [http://www.nesworld.com/mirror/nr2/kungiiad.jpg this full-page advertisement].

* The NES version of ''Legendary Wings'' was planned to be released in Japan, but only came out in America.

* Namco's ''Legend of Valkyrie'', originally released in Japanese arcades in 1989 and on the [[TurboGrafx-16]] in 1990, finally got a US localization in 1997 on ''Namco Museum Vol. 5''. The franchise also had several other installments that were never exported at all.

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* ''[[Raiden]] DX''.

* Ever heard of ''Rendering Ranger''? It's a SNES action game developed by Manfred Trenz (of [[Turrican]] fame) and Rainbow Arts, and a really great one for the matter, with stages alternating between on-foot action and shmup, so well programmed that there's no slowdown even in the most crowded situations. A definitely "western" game that found a publisher only in ''the Japanese division of Virgin Games'' - and to add insult to injury, they produced it only in limited quantities.

* ''[[Resident Evil Code Veronica]]'' rerelease, ''Code Veronica X'' never made it to the Dreamcast outside of Japan. Only the Playstation 2 and Gamecube versions made it overseas.

* ''[[Resident Evil Code: Veronica]]'' rerelease, ''Code Veronica X'' never made it to the Dreamcast outside of Japan. Only the Playstation 2 and Gamecube versions made it overseas.

** ''[[Resident Evil Gun Survivor]] 2'' never got to be released in the US.

* ''[[Retro Game Challenge]]'' had a sequel that was released only in Jpaan.

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* ''[[Wario Ware]] Twisted'', due to some unknown health and safety controversy got a release literally every other major region in the world except Europe. Then, since the Mona Pizza video toy in ''[[Wario Ware]] Touched'' requires the usage of said game to unlock, it also meant that unlockable (which was apparently music from ''[[Wario Ware]] Twisted'') also couldn't be gotten in Europe.

* For a while, [[Wolfenstein 3D]] could not be legally obtained or even owned in Germany. Later Wolfenstein games manage to avert this by removing Nazi references during localisation.

* Want to play the [[World of Warcraft|most-subscribed MMORPG in the world]] or the [[~~Starcraft~~|official sport of South Korea]]? If you live in Japan, too bad. Because [[Blizzard Entertainment|Blizzard]] virtually never exports its games to Japan. Some Japanese gamers get around this, though, by going on to the US servers, where they don't seem to get IP blocked.

* Want to play the [[World of Warcraft|most-subscribed MMORPG in the world]] or the [[StarCraft|official sport of South Korea]]? If you live in Japan, too bad. Because [[Blizzard Entertainment|Blizzard]] virtually never exports its games to Japan. Some Japanese gamers get around this, though, by going on to the US servers, where they don't seem to get IP blocked.

* ''[[Xenogears]]'' has never been released in Europe.

* ''[[Yo-Jin-Bo]]'' had an English release of its PC version, but no release of its [[PlayStation 2]] version [[Updated Rerelease|with extra obtainable characters]] [[Multiple Endings|and even more endings]].

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* Towards the end of the SNES lifespan, Squaresoft didn't believe it would be worth the time to localize their games onto a dying system. Thus, if you live outside of Japan you'll have to settle for a [[Fan Translation]] of ''[[Bahamut Lagoon]]'' or ''[[Treasure of the Rudra]]''. Western audiences also got screwed out of the spiritual predecessor to ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'', ''[[Live a Live]]'', which was released in Japan over six months ''before Chrono Trigger''. Of course, Europe also got screwed out of ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'', or anything Square pulled out in the SNES, until those games got ports years later.

* In addition to the Windows Marketplace example mentioned above, [[Xbox]] Live and Zune are not available outside of the 1/3 of the world they've launched in. Thankfully, Microsoft turns a blind eye to import gamers on [[Xbox]] Live by not bothering stores that sell point cards online and not requiring users to set a billing address if paying for content by point cards. However, sadly the same can't be said about Zune, thanks to [[Executive Meddling]] by the RIAA and MPAA and their European and Japanese counterparts.

* Owning a [[TurboGrafx-16|TurboGrafx-CD]] or Turbo Duo was a great incentive to import games from Japan, since [[TurboGrafx-16]] CDs and Super CDs (unlike HuCards) were compatible across regions and many of the titles that were supposed to be released in North America never were. Perhaps the most notorious is ''[[Castlevania Rondo of Blood]]'', which finally saw international release in 2007 as ''Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles'' for the PSP, and was also later released in the US and Europe on the Wii Virtual Console (using the dub from the PSP version). The PC Engine Super CD version of ''[[Gradius]] II'' also found belated international distribution on the Virtual Console; ''Gradius Collection'' for the PSP was the first North American release of ''any'' version of that game. Other Turbo CD games whose NA releases were not to be, besides those mentioned above, included ''Far East of Eden 2'', ''Image Fight II'', ''Military Madness 2'' (i.e. ''Neo Nectaris''), ''Rayxanber III'', and the [[Compile]] shooter ''Spriggan''.

* Owning a [[TurboGrafx-16|TurboGrafx-CD]] or Turbo Duo was a great incentive to import games from Japan, since [[TurboGrafx-16]] CDs and Super CDs (unlike HuCards) were compatible across regions and many of the titles that were supposed to be released in North America never were. Perhaps the most notorious is ''[[Castlevania: Rondo of Blood]]'', which finally saw international release in 2007 as ''Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles'' for the PSP, and was also later released in the US and Europe on the Wii Virtual Console (using the dub from the PSP version). The PC Engine Super CD version of ''[[Gradius]] II'' also found belated international distribution on the Virtual Console; ''Gradius Collection'' for the PSP was the first North American release of ''any'' version of that game. Other Turbo CD games whose NA releases were not to be, besides those mentioned above, included ''Far East of Eden 2'', ''Image Fight II'', ''Military Madness 2'' (i.e. ''Neo Nectaris''), ''Rayxanber III'', and the [[Compile]] shooter ''Spriggan''.

* The Bandai Wonderswan was a Japan-only console. There were rumors that it would get an American release before the new millennium, but those rumors proved to be false.

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Music / Soundtrack Changes for Foreign Releases

* ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD|Sonic CD]]'', when it was being released in the United States, gained a "Special Edition" soundtrack composed by Spencer Nilsen that completely excised the original one by Naofumi Hataya (Europe, meanwhile, got Hataya's soundtrack). Sounds fine, right? Except this is the only soundtrack America has gotten ever since then. The PC version used Nilsen's soundtrack in all three regions, and the version in ''Sonic Gems Collection'' only uses Hataya's soundtrack in Japan (Unless you're using the [[PlayStation 2]] version and you're still able to change your [[PlayStation 2]]'s language to Japanese). Crossovers are odder in the issue: Although hacking has hinted that both soundtracks would have their theme songs usable on ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]. Brawl'''s Green Hill Zone, only Nilsen's soundtrack is represented in the the final release (though there is an explanation for that one; see the point below); meanwhile, ''[[Mario ~~and~~ Sonic At ~~The~~ Olympic Games|Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games]]'' and ''[[Sega Superstars|Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing]]'' (which itself seems to be No Export For The Japanese so far in spite of its roster) only have Hataya's soundtrack represented (For the latter, there is the justification that Sumo Digital is a ''British'' developer.). The 2011 rerelease finally breaks this down with the option of choosing either soundtrack in all three regions.

* ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD|Sonic CD]]'', when it was being released in the United States, gained a "Special Edition" soundtrack composed by Spencer Nilsen that completely excised the original one by Naofumi Hataya (Europe, meanwhile, got Hataya's soundtrack). Sounds fine, right? Except this is the only soundtrack America has gotten ever since then. The PC version used Nilsen's soundtrack in all three regions, and the version in ''Sonic Gems Collection'' only uses Hataya's soundtrack in Japan (Unless you're using the [[PlayStation 2]] version and you're still able to change your [[PlayStation 2]]'s language to Japanese). Crossovers are odder in the issue: Although hacking has hinted that both soundtracks would have their theme songs usable on ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]. Brawl'''s Green Hill Zone, only Nilsen's soundtrack is represented in the the final release (though there is an explanation for that one; see the point below); meanwhile, ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games|Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games]]'' and ''[[Sega Superstars|Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing]]'' (which itself seems to be No Export For The Japanese so far in spite of its roster) only have Hataya's soundtrack represented (For the latter, there is the justification that Sumo Digital is a ''British'' developer.). The 2011 rerelease finally breaks this down with the option of choosing either soundtrack in all three regions.

** That being said, the Japanese soundtrack in the 2011 release had its lyrics removed, [http://www.sonicstadium.org/2011/11/vocals-dropped-for-sonic-cd-ports-soundtrack/ supposedly due to copyright issues] according to the rerelease's lead developer Christian Whitehead (the opening movie is set to "You Can Do Anything", but without words, for instance). The US soundtrack still has its lyrics intact. This is also most likely why "You Can Do Anything" was [[Dummied Out]] on the ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' disc.