History Bowdlerise / VideoGames

* Title example: ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio'' was re-named "Jet Grind Radio" for its original American release, apparently because there was a band named Jet Set Satellite, and they were worried that they'd be associated with a game about doing graffiti and running from killer cops. This conflict was long gone by the time ''Jet Set Radio Future'' and the HD re-release of the original came out. Also, quite a few songs in both games had lyrics that were cut. For example, in "Birthday Cake", there's a verse that goes: ''It's moldy, mom, isn't it?//I DON'T GIVE A FLYING [[PrecisionFStrike FUCK]] THOUGH!" In the game, right after the "It's morning, mom..." part, it cuts right to the chorus (because you cannot use the F-bomb in a T-rated game). And "I'm Not a Model" originally had a segment about giving instructions on oral sex. It was cut in-game for obvious reasons.

** Inverted with ''Super Double Dragon'': a sign in Mission 6 which says "Beer" in the international version was changed to "Books" in the Japanese version. This may be an unintentional example, since ''Super Double Dragon'' was [[ObviousBeta released incomplete]] and the Japanese version, ''Return of Double Dragon'', uses a more completed (but still unfinished) master build.

* ''VideoGame/WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$!'': In the Japanese version of the "Fruit Fall" microgame, the "not fruit" item was a poop coil. This was changed into a diamond everywhere else... though the golden poop coil that Wario gets at the end of the "Wario's Adventure" microgame remained intact in all regions.

*** One of the Hikers on Route 10 is constantly having a laughing fit in his dialogue. After beating him, in the Japanese version, he says it's because he [[MushroomSamba recently ate some magic mushrooms]]. The English versions eliminate the drug reference by rewriting the line to him saying that he's not laughing, but rather sneezing due to hay fever.

* ''VideoGame/ZombiesAteMyNeighbors'' got a lot censored in its European release, to the point where even the game's title wasn't safe - in Europe, the game is just called ''Zombies'' to avoid any implications of [[ImAHumanitarian cannibalism]]. While the American box art is of an old lady being scared by zombies in the background, the European box art is just miscellaneous screenshots of the game. The empty space in the high score screen was covered up with orange tiles to obscure the monsters in the background, and the Chainsaw Maniac enemy was changed into the Axe Maniac, as the ShoutOut would be to [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre a movie that was banned in many different European countries]]. This change also extended to the name of the score bonus for killing all of them in a single level, and the names of levels 4, 34, and 46.

** ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' was hit with this particularly severely (even compared to the rest of the ''Franchise/BreathOfFire'' games, almost all of which have either suffered some Bowdlerising, dodgy translation, or both). The UsefulNotes/PlayStation international versions had a bit of fanservice (in essence, an [[HotSpringsEpisode onsen scene]] involving Nina and Ursula) and a scene involving Ursula preparing to drop her pants to prove her womanhood (which were not so important to the plot) cut entirely--as well as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr_EL20mPZw a third, ''very'' plot-important scene]] where [[spoiler: Fou-lu decapitates Emperor Soniel]]. International versions just ''fade to black'' at the latter scene and people are left [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse wondering just what the hell happened]]. It's particularly puzzling [[spoiler: as the scene where Fou-lu actually offs Soniel is only depicted by black-on-red "washi screen" GoryDiscretionShot]]--very common to keep games in the equivalent of a PG rating as well as to get around Australian "blood bans"--and which would be considered quite safe for inclusion in UsefulNotes/PlayStation games of the period. In the adaptation of ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' being published by Comic Blade Avarus there is a bit of a TakeThat response to both the (relatively mild) original Japanese Bowdlerisation and the (completely censored) international [=PS1=] and Windows versions; the "graphic novelisation" is considerably bloodier and more explicit in the depiction of that scene. Of note, the two scenes that could be seen as being at Ursula's expense aren't included at all in the manga.

*** One of Mario's partners, Vivian, is implied to be a UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} woman in the Japanese and most European releases. The Japanese version simply [[PlayedForLaughs played it]] [[QueerPeopleAreFunny as a joke]] [[AcceptableTargets at her expense]], while ultimately treating her as a male at the end of the day. In contrast, the European versions turned Vivian's gender identity into [[TheWoobie a more sympathetic story]] to make her be more than just a punchline, but this is never implied in the English and German translations, where her sister Beldam taunting her birth sex and gender identity was changed to her simply calling Vivian "pug-ugly".

** In the SNES version of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'', the blood was recolored from red to gray, {{Hand Wave}}d as being "sweat". Fatalities are instead known as "finishing moves", and were also changed to be less violent, most notably Sub-Zero's decapitation Fatality being replaced with one where he throws a ball of energy at the opponent, which freezes them solid, [[LiterallyShatteredLives followed by him punching them and shattering them to pieces]].[[note]]This became a standard Fatality for Sub-Zero in all games afterward, even being referenced in the movie. The only difference is that in later games, the pieces are much bloodier, and he usually takes a more hands-on approach to the shattering (in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII'', you must freeze the opponent yourself before performing the Fatality).[[/note]]

*** Red's sprite in the original prototype versions of ''Red & Green'' originally had him wielding a whip. His appearance was greatly altered in the final game, presumably to make him appear more child-friendly and avoid any implications of animal abuse.

*** The [[BaldOfEvil Cue Ball]] trainer class (known as the Roughneck in Generation IV and beyond) is known as the {{UsefulNotes/Skinhead|s}} in the Japanese versions. The name was changed to avoid any references to Neo-Nazism.

* ''Franchise/MetalGear'':
** The NES port of the first ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear|1}}'' wasn't altered much, if at all. However, its notorious "FUCKM E1111 11111 11111 11111" password, which dropped the player off at the final boss with no weapons, led to Nintendo of Europe imposing an additional layer of censorship by forbidding or at least discouraging vowels from appearing anywhere in a game's password system, due to the potential for swear words to accidentally or intentionally appear within them.
** Because of the unfortunate timing of its release (9/11), ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 2|SonsOfLiberty}}'' had [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents/SeptemberEleventh several scenes from the game removed]], such as Vamp explicitly stating that his and Dead Cell's intentions of using the hydrogen bomb are actually quite different than Solidus: specifically, they planned to nuke NYC itself rather than simply cause an EMP wave over Wall Street (the latter of which was Solidus's plan), Liquid Ocelot stating that he set Arsenal Gear's course to Manhattan, the actual crash sequence for Arsenal Gear, Raiden cutting the American Flag and having it drop on Solidus's corpse after he is defeated, and a news report mentioning the Statue of Liberty's new resting place at Ellis Island.

** NA players noticed that any and all references to [[LightNovel/FateRequiem Erice Utsumi]] being 14 years old have been removed from the translated version of the game... almost certainly because Erice wears an [[{{Stripperiffic}} extremely revealing outfit]]. Her clothing itself remains unchanged though.

* In the UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} version of ''Richman 4'', probably because of Chinese censorship, the stage selections are list as "Stage 1", "Stage 2", "Stage 3" and "Stage 4" instead of "Taiwan", "China", "Japan" and "U.S.A" in the original.
* In ''Richman 11'', while many maps are clearly based on real-life locations, they aren't given a name of such, instead using names like "Sleepless Town" or "Angel Island". Many character dialogues and card names are also changed as a result.[[note]]Though this only applies to the Chinese subtitles and voiceovers, both English and Japanese translations still have words that would be changed in Chinese subtitles[[/note]]. For example, "Thank Allah!" would be changed into "Praise for luck!", and "Scapegoat", a card that is usually depicted with a crucified man is changed to "Deflect" with an image of a shield deflecting an attack.

* In the [[VideoGameRemake remake]] of ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'', there's a mode called "Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler". The Japanese version has a few Biblical elements, such as the Ethereal Alter is being called "Room of Eden", and Magolor is described to be atoning for his ''sins''. The English version replaced these words with less religious ones.

* In the UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} version of the Taiwanese video game ''[[VideoGame/{{Richman}} Richman 4]]'', probably because of Chinese censorship, the stage selections are list as "Stage 1", "Stage 2", "Stage 3" and "Stage 4" instead of "Taiwan", "China", "Japan" and "U.S.A" in the original.

* ''VideoGame/HamtaroHamHamsUnite'': The Wait-Q animation was changed from Hamtaro rubbing the ground to him tapping his foot in the English versions, because the placement of Hamtaro's paw could be misinterpreted as him [[ADateWithRosiePalms rubbing his crotch]], only amplified by his pleased expression during. The Nut item was renamed to a Cherry in the European version to avoid any {{Double Entendre}}s.

*** The SNES ports of ''World Warrior'' and ''Hyper Fighting'' remove the famous intro scene where a white fighter can be seen punching a black opponent in front of a crowd. The English SNES ports also alter the animation of the man in the blue coat in the background of Ken's stage due to the placement of his hand being similar to [[ADateWithRosiePalms an obscene gesture]]. One of Balrog/Boxer's win quotes in the prototype, "My fists have your blood on them!" (a loose translation of one of his win quotes from the original Japanese arcade version) was replaced with "Get up, you wimp!" in the final game.

** The ''GTA V'' UpdatedRerelease for UsefulNotes/TheNinthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames underwent some censorship such as the removal of the {{Creepy Crossdresser}}s outside the Cockatoos gay bar and the removal of the Cops n Crooks game mode from ''Online''.

** Censorship of decapitation is somewhat common in Japanese releases. Among others, decapitations aren't possible in the Japanese versions of the first [[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden2004 XBox game]]. The Bowdlerisation was carried to all regions in ''VideoGame/NinjaGaidenIII2012''.

** ''[[VideoGame/PokemonColosseum Colosseum]]'' has Rui's shirt [[BareYourMidriff no longer showing her navel]] and her skirt is no longer shorter than Dawn's.

** In ''Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon'', the first N64 game, Baron, one of the main villains, [[DudeLooksLikeALady is very effeminately dressed]] and [[CampGay speaks in a feminine manner]]. In the Japanese script, the main characters often refer to him as an ''okama'', a Japanese term that more often than not is used as [[OnceAcceptableTargets a derogatory term against crossdressers and LGBT people]]. The English versions avoid it by either replacing the word with more vague words such as "weirdo", or sometimes changing entire lines of dialogue to write around it.

*** The Pleasant Feeling Painting in the Japanese versions (a recreation of Édouard Manet's ''Olympia''), was replaced with the Scary Painting in the English versions (a recreation of Tōshūsai Sharaku's ''Ōtani Oniji III in the Role of the Servant Edobei'') due to the former painting's depictions of frontal female nudity as well as prostitution.

*** ''VideoGame/MegaManV'' had the FinalBoss renamed from Sungod to Sunstar in the English versions.

** ''VideoGame/{{Vendetta}}'' has an enemy that only appears in the Japanese version: [[AllGaysArePromiscuous nude men that latch on to nearby players and attack by licking them until they're shaken off]]. For [[{{Dehumanization}} obvious reasons]], they were completely removed elsewhere.

* In ''VideoGame/SpyroTheDragon'', the Gnorc Commando enemies in the Twilight Harbor stage are equipped with machine guns that fire real bullets. In ''VideoGame/SpyroReignitedTrilogy'', they instead wield FamilyFriendlyFirearms that shoot globs of poison.

* ''VideoGame/TheTwistedTalesOfSpikeMcFang'': In the Japanese version, the game's shopkeeper is a [[HornedHumanoid unicorn-horned]] blonde girl with a [[BuxomIsBetter large bust]] and a CleavageWindow. The American version swaps her out for a [[BodyHorror radish-like mummified cyclops with four tentacles]].

** The original release of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' had Ganondorf [[BloodFromTheMouth cough up blood]] after you beat him and mortally wound him. The blood was turned green in later-produced cartridges. The vocal track in the Fire Temple was excised as it was a Muslim prayer chant, and the Gerudo symbol of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_and_crescent star-and-crescent]] was replaced with [[https://zelda.gamepedia.com/Crest_of_the_Gerudo a custom symbol]], again for its association with Islam; this also required the icon of the Mirror Shield to be changed (notably, ''The Wind Waker'' [[https://zelda.gamepedia.com/File:TWW_Nabooru_Stained_Glass.png includes the custom symbol]] as a ContinuityNod, rather than the crescent). And, contrary to popular belief, the chanting and the star and crescent design were not removed as a result of public outcry, but by Nintendo to ''avoid'' public outcry and because of its rule against having any type of religious content in their games, which is the reason why a lot of crosses and crucifixes get edited.

*** In the SNES game, it's possible to for Akira to accidentally teleport into the orphanage's bathroom while Taeko is washing herself. This is no longer possible in the remake.

** The English versions of ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'' turn the pentagram symbol on the normal transport pads into an arrow-like shape, and the hexagram transport pad in the final dungeon was changed to an octagram that somewhat resembles a compass. Xenobia had her bust reduced and [[NippleAndDimed her nipples removed]], and the brief picture of a completely nude Luna in the game's ending had its palette altered to obscure her features.
** ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue'': Nearly all instances of pentagrams, whether they be on transport pads or for the Magic Shield spell, were changed into arrows or octagrams, though the one on top of the Blue Spire was left alone. Plantarium had some more vines added around her chest and pubic area, all shots of Lucia from the front in cutscenes had the shading on her chest around her GodivaHair altered/removed to make her breasts less pronounced, and one image of her from the back was partially shifted down below the letterboxing to cover her bare backside. As in the first game, a nude depiction of Luna was given a different color palette, and it cuts away almost instantly after showing it, as opposed to the Japanese version [[MaleGaze showing it for several seconds]].