History Main / CountrySwitch

[[AC:[[UsefulNotes/PlaystationThree Playstation 3]]]]
The Playstation 3 brought this feature to the modern era (the [=PS1=] and [=PS2=] couldn't run imported games at all without a ModChip, so there was never a chance for it to happen there). There's no known way to make a switch, but games will play differently on a Japanese and an American machine. Since the Genesis era, Japanese censorship has gotten stricter while American censorship has gotten looser, so now the American version may be the less censored one.

* [[CaptainObvious If you're using a Japanese PS2, and have the system language set to Japanese, the Japanese version of ''Rez'' will run in Japanese.]] But set the system language to English, and you're in for a surprise: the game's text will be in English!

* ''VideoGame/CitiesXL'', a ''VideoGame/SimCity'' clone which almost nobody would have ever heard of if not for the whole always-online debacle with the new ''VideoGame/SimCity'', had an unfortunate tendency to auto-detect your PC's language settings and then select ''the wrong language''. Fortunately there's a workaround.

** It turns out that the RegionCoding on Blu-Rays, if they're implemented at all, are half-assed and designed only to deter casuals, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yTgZ2_42xw as noted in the footnote of this Techmoan video]]. They can usually be worked around by tapping the "Top Menu" button on the Blu-Ray Player repetitively, and eventually the player would give in and just move on to the main menu, in which then it would be possible to play the movie normally.

This can also be used for RegionCoding, where the "different thing" done on the wrong system is "not run".

It is a little-known fact that [=DVDs=] can do this. This is separate from normal DVD RegionCoding; [=DVDs=] can be programmed to play different content depending on what region the player is from.

* Of course, people figured out that you can use this to add another layer of RegionCoding protection. Which came back to bite them hard when it was discovered that some legitimate DVD players sold in the US had firmware bugs that caused the extra protection layer to flag a false positive, locking out said legit DVD player from the DVD, while the protection can be worked around on modified or region-free players by first playing a DVD of the same region that does not have the extra layer of protection, then swapping out the DVD for the protected DVD. Cue FacePalm.

[[AC:{{DVD}}]]

* VideoGame/SnowBros 2 seems to be an early arcade board with all differences programmed into the same RAM and region settings is controlled from the DIP switches. The region settings determines the title screen language, which subtitles to display (if at all) and whether the level select screen has cutesy cartoon characters or deformed photoshopped babies.

* Playing the Japanese version of ''Super VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' on a western console causes the game to swap M. Bison's, Balrog's and Vega's name to match the western releases of the game, and also switch the initial language to ''English'' with Japanese being the unlockable language instead of vice-versa. No doubt that if a western version of the game is played on a Japanese console, the reverse will happen. One would think {{Capcom}} only wrote one version of the game with all localizations inserted into the final product[[note]]Very possible given the 30GB storage capacity of UsefulNotes/BluRay discs[[/note]] and let the game decide what to do based on the console's region on first run.

* ''Power Strike'' becomes ''{{Aleste}}''.

* ''GG {{Aleste}} II'' becomes ''Power Strike II''.

* Likewise, with the Japanese version of Sonic Gems Collection, if the system language is set to Japanese, the logo and menus will be in Japanese and SonicCD will play the original soundtrack. Change the system language to English, and the logo/menu text changes with it... and SonicCD plays the North American soundtrack.

[[AC:NintendoDS]]

[[AC:{{MSX}}]]

[[AC:GameGear]]

* videoGame/SnowBros 2 seems to be an early arcade board with all differences programmed into the same RAM and region settings is controlled from the DIP switches. The region settings determines the title screen language, which subtitles to display (if at all) and whether the level select screen has cutesy cartoon characters or deformed photoshopped babies.

[[AC:UsefulNotes/Arcade]]

* ''{{Spore}}'' changed its language according to your computer's locale settings, as do many other EA games. This could be reversed by copying the desired language files over the language the game chose.

* ''CitiesXL'', a ''VideoGame/SimCity'' clone which almost nobody would have ever heard of if not for the whole always-online debacle with the new ''VideoGame/SimCity'', had an unfortunate tendency to auto-detect your PC's language settings and then select ''the wrong language''. Fortunately there's a workaround.

* The open-source game ''The BattleForWesnoth'' does this too, but it can be overridden by starting it as ''wesnoth --dummy-locales'' (which makes all languages available).

It should be noted that there is an explanation to the examples outlined below: As the PS2 was sold before the arrival of the Blu-Ray scheme, most of Asia is covered under NTSC-J and the consoles sold in the region are ''Japanese despite the fact that most people in the region do not speak or understand Japanese in the first place'' [[note]]as a matter of fact, a reasonably large chunk of Asia comprises of countries belonging to the British Commonwealth, and former US, Dutch or UK territories - and thus the people in the countries has had at least some form of education in the English language, but not Japanese[[/note]]. Late in the [=PS2=] era, Sony realized that one of the reasons piracy was rampant in the region is that many people want games in English, and thus began to officially include English subtitles and text in their Japanese-region games- going as far as to re-release some NTSC/UC games for NTSC-J consoles with no modifications.

* Playing ''Konami's Collectors Series: Arcade Hits'' on a console set to Japanese will change the menus and text to Japanese. It will also change the version of ''Gradius'' included in the compilation from the "USA" version (which is actually the ''Nemesis'' variant with the logo on the title screen changed back to the ''Gradius'' one) to the Japanese original ([[DifficultyByRegion which has some difficulty differences]] compared to ''Nemesis''). The ''{{VideoGame/Contra}}'' logo also changes to the Japanese one. Strangely, all the other games which had different names between regions (such as ''RushNAttack'' and ''[[VideoGame/{{Twinbee}} Rainbow Bell]]'') remain unchanged.

* Switching to the Japanese language option on ''{{SuperSmashBrosMelee}}'' is a neat trip into localization. It even reveals the origin of the Motion Sensor Bomb item if you can read the text on its trophy entry (which in English is only given as "TOP SECRET").

[[AC:UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis[=/=]MegaDrive]]

* ''Dashin' Desperadoes'', when played on a Japanese MegaDrive, changes the game's title ''Rumble Kids''. The curious thing about this is that ''Rumble Kids'' was never actually released in Japan.

In some cases (not, unfortunately, the [=PS3=]), it's possible to modify a game system with a switch (or even in some cases a converter) that lets the user select whether the system is domestic or imported. The user can then buy one game locally and make it play as either a domestic or import version by flicking the switch. This first became widely known during the SegaGenesis era. A decent [[UsefulNotes/{{Emulation}} Emulator]] will let the user pick what country the emulated system pretends to be.

[[AC:SegaMasterSystem]]

[[AC:SegaGenesis[=/=]MegaDrive]]

** ''VideoGame/FatalLabyrinth'' becomes ''Labyrinth of Death'' with kanji in the title, and plays in Japanese. This happens even in the Japan-only CompilationRerelease for the SegaCD.

[[AC:[[PlaystationTwo PlayStation 2]]]]

[[AC:SegaSaturn]]

[[AC:SegaDreamcast]]

[[AC:Nintendo3DS]]

Just about everything for these systems uses the same ROM or disk in Japan and America. Neo-Geo games were notorious for censorship (particularly of red blood, as in ''SamuraiShodown'') that could be avoided by switching your system to the Japanese version.