History Woolseyism / VideoGames

** This continued in [[VideoGame/Splatoon2 the sequel]], though to less universal praise due to one of the major changes being that to [[https://www.reddit.com/r/splatoon/comments/awlevs/off_the_hook_fun_facts_trivia_and_localization/ Pearl and Marina's relationship]]. The original Japanese gives them a SenpaiKohai relationship wherein Marina openly idolizes the older Pearl and is nothing but respectful to her, even when the Inkling is acting a bit dim. Meanwhile, while Marina is still shown on occasion to hold Pearl in high regard, the English version has their on-camera dynamic as VitriolicBestBuds, though the ''Octo Expansion'' shows that their friendship rarely goes beyond lighthearted teasing in their personal lives.

** Peri's supports with Xander in the Japanese version deal with her insecurities over not using {{Keigo}} around him. Their B support has Xander instructing her in the proper use of "desu" and "masu", and Peri's [[StylisticSuck extremely bad attempts at following his advice.]] This would be impossible to replicate in English, but the localization keeps the focus of the supports the same by changing keigo to just "formal language", and Peri's hilariously bad gratuitous use of "desu" in the B support was changed to hilariously bad YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe.

* Many American and European ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' fans still prefer "Robotnik" over the Japanese "Eggman", even after the name Eggman got transplanted into the Western continuity in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''. It doesn't help that the former was extremely well established prior to ''Sonic Adventure''. So much so that as of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', Robotnik is his official name worldwide (though he's still only referred to as Eggman).

* The name of Magolor's airship in ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' is "Lor, the Ship that Soars the Skies" in Japanese. Since this is quite wordy, it was shortened to "Lor Starcutter" in English. A "cutter" is an actual type of ship, specifically one designed to quickly "cut" through waves; appending "star" to it implies a ship that can soar through space fast enough to literally cut stars, which makes it a suitable yet brief translation of the original name.
* A standout example comes from a song title from ''Kirby: Triple Deluxe''. The final boss's second phase has a theme called "Kyōka Suigetsu"[[note]]狂花水月[[/note]] in Japanese, which means "Blooms of Madness and the Moon Reflected in the Water". It's based on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_Flower,_Water_Moon a Japanese saying]] that refers to unattainable beauty. The song was initially translated on Miiverse as "Moonstruck Blossom". "Moonstruck" has several meanings: "glowing in the moonlight", "unable to think properly" (as in "lunacy"), and "hopelessly lovesick", which suits the boss at hand. The original soundtrack release and later games that feature this music track instead use the name "Fatal Blooms in Moonlight".

** In the games since 1991, the original 大魔王 クッパ ''Daimaō Kuppa'' ("great demon king Koopa") has been rendered ''Bowser'' in most Western localizations, while ''Kuppa'' or a variation on the name has been kept as Bowser's only name in Japanese and Korean. Whereas ''Kuppa'' is the Japanese word for 국밥 ''gukbap'' (a Korean soup with rice--Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto wanted specifically to name him after a Korean dish), the name ''Bowser'' (which doesn't really mean anything in common English[[note]]Though in British English, it's used for [[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bowser tanker trucks]][[/note]]) has no real relation to ''kuppa'' or ''gukbap'' in sound or meaning.[[note]]Humorously enough, one Doug Bowser later joined Nintendo of America as its vice president of sales and marketing, quickly working his way up to his current role as the company's president, succeeding Reggie Fils-Aimé.[[/note]] (Interestingly, Bowser's only name in Korean isn't the original ''Gukbap'', but 쿠파 ''Kupa'', [[RecursiveTranslation a phonetic round-trip translation from Japanese]].) ''Kuppa'' isn't abandoned though, as it has been refashioned as the name of the Koopa race and as Bowser's surname ''Koopa''. Though ''Bowser'' is never used in Japanese, it has become unthinkable that Bowser's name in English should be anything less than ''Bowser'', making this one of the most enduring (and endearing) Woolseyisms in video games. "Bowser" has been given a nod twice in the Japanese games: in ''VideoGame/MarioKartWii'', one of the motorcycles, shaped like Bowser's head, is called the '''Super Bowser''' (changed to Bowser Bike or Flame Runner for other languages). In ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'', the downloadable Bone Rattler is called the '''Bowser Trike''' in Japanese. And in a double-case of Woolseyism and FridgeBrilliance, the name Bowser and its association to motorbikes can be rendered in similar pronunciation to the Japanese term "'''''Bōsō'''''zoku", the name for rowdy gangs in Japan that are associated with, you guessed it, motorbikes.

** At the end of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3''[='=]s English translation, Princess Toadstool says "Thank you, but our princess is in another castle! ... Just kidding!", an obvious reference to Toad's infamous line from the first game. In the Japanese version and later ports of the game, she has a more serious, typical line. Nintendo of America also gave Koopalings names based on U.S. popular culture, though they weren't even named in Japanese until ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''.[[note]]Even then, the player had to stick around to the very end of the end credits to find them[[/note]]

** As seen in the image above, the mind-controlled Hammer Brothers in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime''. In the Japanese version, they speak in katakana[[note]]a syllabary that's often used for spelling out foreign words and Japanese words spoken in a foreign accent. Worth noting that early computers used katakana exclusively due to memory limitations, so it makes sense for the brainwashed Hammer Brothers to talk like that[[/note]], but speak in LeetLingo in the English version. After you free them from spouting off phrases like "PREPARE 4 TOTAL PWNAGE. WOOT! WOOT! WOOT! WOOT!", one of them wonders who talks like that. This is also changed in the other versions. The Spanish script has them talking in RoboSpeak, the Korean script has erratic spacing in their sentences, and the German script gives them a broken speech pattern. However, the French and Italian localizations borrowed the Net-speak of the English script.

* In ''VideoGame/MarioParty9'', one of Bowser's events is the "Reverse Minigame", where the aim is to come in last. The Italian version, it's instead called "!ocoiginiM!", which is "Minigioco" (the Italian for "minigame") [[SdrawkcabName spelt backwards]], conveying the nature of the event in a much more clever and concise manner.

** The localization team also does a fairly good job of accounting for the time differences between the JP and NA servers by altering dialogue to account for various elements that may have been new in JP, but are already out by that point in time. For example, during the "All The Statesmen" event, Siegfried shamelessly plugs the ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'' anime adaptation by mentioning where it can watched, since the event came out in JP during the shows run time. For NA however, the show had already been fully released and thus was available for viewing, so his dialogue was altered to allude to Creator/{{Netflix}} instead.

* In a truly mind-bending example from the third-game, the Judge protests that he's "no [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV spoony]] [[SpoonyBard bard]]." This may be the first example of a ''recursive'' Woolseyism.

* The box and manual of ''VideoGame/AdventureIsland'' name the DistressedDamsel as Princess Leilani, but the AWinnerIsYou screen says "You have saved your lovely Tina". The second game's manual says that Tina is the Princess's sister.

* A standout example comes from a song title from ''Kirby: Triple Deluxe''. The final boss's second phase has a theme called "Kyōka Suigetsu"[[note]]狂花水月[[/note]] in Japanese, which means "Madness Blooms and the Moon Reflected in the Water". It's based on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_Flower,_Water_Moon a Japanese saying]] that refers to unattainable beauty. The song was initially translated on Miiverse as "Moonstruck Blossom". "Moonstruck" has several meanings: "glowing in the moonlight", "unable to think properly" (as in "lunacy"), and "hopelessly lovesick", which suits the boss at hand. The original soundtrack release and later games that feature this music track instead use the name "Fatal Blooms in Moonlight".

** ''Every'' name coined by English translators has been permanently retained in American Mario canon once Nintendo started paying more attention to what their Western branches were doing. The exception is Princess Toadstool, whose name was "Peach" in ''VideoGame/YoshisSafari'', then changed back to "Toadstool" in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG''. This may indicate either that the name change in ''Yoshi's Safari'' was simply a translation error (the game does feature new royal characters, so it's possible they thought "Princess Peach" was one of them), or that Ted Woolsey (yes, [[TropeNamer that one]]) simply was not aware of the "name change" when he worked on ''Mario RPG'' (and who could blame him, as obscure as ''Yoshi's Safari'' is compared to most other Mario games?). There were some other inconsistencies in Mario RPG's translation to suggest this (such as "The Big Boo" actually just being a regular Boo, or the direct translation of Yo'ster Isle instead of having it changed to Yoshi's Island like ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' did). In every game released after ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', she took the name "Peach" and stuck with it. (She signed her letter in ''Super Mario 64'' formally as "Princess Toadstool" ''and'' familiarly as "Peach", finally laying the name issue to rest).

--->'''Vigagi''': What the hell was that? And what does "Episode 30" mean!?

** This continued in [[VideoGame/Splatoon2 the sequel]], though to less universal praise due to one of the major changes being that to [[https://www.reddit.com/r/splatoon/comments/awlevs/off_the_hook_fun_facts_trivia_and_localization/ Pearl and Marina's relationship]]. The original Japanese gives them a SempaiKohai relationship wherein Marina openly idolizes the older Pearl and is nothing but respectful to her, even when the Inkling is acting a bit dim. Meanwhile, while Marina is still shown on occasion to hold Pearl in high regard, the English version has their on-camera dynamic as VitriolicBestBuds, though the ''Octo Expansion'' shows that their friendship rarely goes beyond lighthearted teasing in their personal lives.

** As seen in the image above, the mind-controlled Hammer Brothers in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime''. In the Japanese version, they speak in katakana[[note]]a language that often used for spelling out foreign words and Japanese words spoken in a foreign accent. Worth noting that early computers used katakana exclusively due to memory limitations, so it makes sense for the brainwashed Hammer Brothers to talk like that[[/note]], but speak in LeetLingo in the English version. After you free them from spouting off phrases like "PREPARE 4 TOTAL PWNAGE. WOOT! WOOT! WOOT! WOOT!", one of them wonders who talks like that. This is also changed in the other versions. The Spanish script has them talking in RoboSpeak, the Korean script has erratic spacing in their sentences, and the German script gives them a broken speech pattern. However, the French and Italian localizations borrowed the Net-speak of the English script.

* In ''Shockman'' for the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16, the dialogue calls both Arnold and Sonya the game title. Wouldn't the latter be "Shockgirl"?

** In the ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Sorrow]]'' games, native Japanese student "Souma Kurusu" became a foreign transfer student named "Soma Cruz."

* VideoGame/CozyGrove has a part one character emphasizes the need for having friends with the line, "What if you get sick and need to crowdfund your appendectomy?!”. For the Spanish release, [[https://www.pcgamer.com/cozy-groves-spanish-localisation-chose-to-spare-players-the-horrors-of-us-healthcare/ this line was replaced]] with a line about needing friends for moving a couch instead. This is because Spain has public healthcare, unlike the United States.

** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' and its midquel ''[[VideoGame/Thracia776 Thracia 776]]'' named most of the major characters after figures in Celtic or Nordic mythology, which were rendered into Japanese. Many of these characters were made available as [=DLC=] in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]'', and are usually given the original myth names. (Diadora, for example, returned to Deirdre). On the other hand, some of them got even weirder than they were before--Rackesis, which is probably from the Greek Lachesis, got turned into "Raquesis."

** As seen in the image above, the mind-controlled Hammer Brothers in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime''. In the Japanese version, they speak in katakana[[note]]a language that often used for spelling out foreign words and Japanese words spoken in a foreign accent. Worth nothing that early computers used katakana exclusively due to memory limitations, so it makes sense for the brainwashed Hammer Brothers to talk like that[[/note]], but speak in LeetLingo in the English version. After you free them from spouting off phrases like "PREPARE 4 TOTAL PWNAGE. WOOT! WOOT! WOOT! WOOT!", one of them wonders who talks like that. This is also changed in the other versions. The Spanish script has them talking in RoboSpeak, the Korean script has erratic spacing in their sentences, and the German script gives them a broken speech pattern. However, the French and Italian localizations borrowed the Net-speak of the English script.

** On a similar note, the Agartha script was given a slight overhaul by the localization team due to the initial backlash received when it first came out in JP. The team altered bits of the story that seemed to fetishize the more uncomfortable moments of the story by instead playing up the horror that would naturally occur from some of those moments, and did their best to make the sheer amount of UnfortunateImplications less extreme. The story chapter is still [[BrokenBase divisive]], but its generally agreed the changes make it less uncomfortable.

** Soleil's support conversations with a male Avatar were changed in the localized versions to avoid UnfortunateImplications. Soleil's primary quirk is that, although she can talk to men with no problems, she becomes extremely nervous to the point of losing consciousness around women. To try and remedy this, in the Japanese version, male Corrin slips a potion into her drink that causes her to see all men as women. This is treated as a good thing in-story. In the localized versions, Soliel instead has a [[LipstickLesbian very obvious preference for the ladies]], and Corrin (consensually) blindfolds her to perform a visualization exercise, letting her imagine women as men. Additionally, most of Soliel's possible marriages were rewritten to her gently turning the guy down in favor of being PlatonicLifePartners instead; the only guys she can marry are a male Corrin (necessary, since she's one of Kana's potential mothers, and helped by the above change) and Forrest (a WholesomeCrossdresser).
** Similar to Soleil's supports, Selena and Odin's supports in Japanese have her imply that Selena hypnotized Odin into loving her and didn't think to tell him until much later. The localized translation made it so that Selena confesses this to Odin, but Odin reveals that he knew it all along and went with it, thus [[AuthorsSavingThrow really avoiding]] some UnfortunateImplications.

* The original Japanese script for ''VideoGame/CodeOfPrincess'' was [[ExcusePlot barebones]], with characters going through the motions of jokes but really just [[LampshadeHanging mentioning or quoting]] [[ClicheStorm cliches and stereotypes]]. [[StraightMan Ali]] would get mad at how [[RefugeInAudacity obnoxiously bad]] some lines were, but nobody actually bounced off each other's material. Most of the wit and even character nuance solely exist in the English translation, to the point that the script is significantly longer as a result. The game also has more conventional localizations, replacing Japanese internet slang and [[ShoutOut extended references]] to NES era [[EasternRPG jRPGs]] with more recognizable Western equivalents. To give an idea, the original game never mentions [[SpoonyBard bards]] and Allegro existed mostly to reference ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestIII Dragon Quest III]]'' gadabouts. Considering the starting material, ''Code of Princess'' might just be Atlus's most thoroughly justifiable and improved localization.

** The hilarious LeetLingo employed by the mind-controlled Hammer Brothers in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime''? After you free them from spouting off phrases like "PREPARE 4 TOTAL PWNAGE. WOOT! WOOT! WOOT! WOOT!", one of them wonders who talks like that. (In case you were wondering, they were speaking just in katakana in the Japanese version, which definitely originated nowhere near the Internet. Though, it is worth noting that katakana is often used in Japanese for spelling out foreign words and Japanese words spoken in a foreign accent; also, early computers used katakana exclusively due to memory limitations, so there is a certain degree of similarity.)\\
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In case you're wondering about other localizations of the brainwashed Hammer Bros.: The Spanish script has them talking in RoboSpeak, the Korean script has erratic spacing in their sentences, and the German script gives them a broken speech pattern. However, the French and Italian localizations borrowed the Net-speak of the English script.

** This continued in [[VideoGame/Splatoon2 the sequel]], though to less universal praise due to one of the major changes being that to [[https://www.reddit.com/r/splatoon/comments/awlevs/off_the_hook_fun_facts_trivia_and_localization/ Pearl and Marina's relationship]]. The original Japanese gives them a SempaiKohai relationship wherein Marina openly idolizes the older Pearl and is nothing but respectful to her, even when the Inkling is acting a bit dim. Meanwhile, while Marina is still shown on occasion to hold Pearl in high regard, the English version has their on-camera dynamic as VitriolicBestBuds, with even the ''Octo Expansion'' being host to some lighthearted banter between them.

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'':

** This continued in [[VideoGame/Splatoon2 the sequel]], though to less universal praise due to one of the major changes being that to [[https://www.reddit.com/r/splatoon/comments/awlevs/off_the_hook_fun_facts_trivia_and_localization/ Pearl and Marina's relationship]]. The original Japanese gives them a SempaiKohai relationship wherein Marina openly idolizes the older Pearl and is nothing but respectful to her. Meanwhile, while Marina is still shown on occasion to hold Pearl in high regard, the English version has their on-camera dynamic as VitriolicBestBuds, with even the ''Octo Expansion'' being host to some lighthearted banter between them.

The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series has just as long of a history with this as Advance Wars, if not longer.
* In general, the series has a habit of changing character names that sounded awkward when romanized (like Leyvan, Asseray, Bole, Lofa, Chap...) to better-sounding ones. (Raven, Artur, Boyd, Rolf and Brom, respectively) A full list can be found [[http://serenesforest.net/general/localisation-changes/names/ here.]]
* ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade Blazing Blade]]'', being the first game officially released in English, started the trend. Among other things, [[AgeLift Lyn's age was changed from 15 to 18]] (which many players agree makes more sense) and TheGreatOffscreenWar between dragons and humans went from being called the "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Dragon - Human War]]" to "The Scouring".
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragon'', if you've lost so many units that you don't have enough left to deploy for the next map, you'll be given generic units. In the British version, they have normal names. However, in the American version, some of their names are insulting puns directed at the player like Owend, Lucer, and Auffle. Some of them had numerically inspired names (Unil, Dua, Trim), and the rest had vaguely Roman sounding names, like Augustus, Antony, and Julius. Some of the names were also [[SpellMyNameWithAnS completely changed in translation]] to mixed reviews by the fandom. Maji and Saji to Cord and Bord is generally accepted, while Sheeda/Shiida is generally preferred to Caeda.
* ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' and its midquel ''[[VideoGame/Thracia776 Thracia 776]]'' named most of the major characters after figures in Celtic or Nordic mythology, which were rendered into Japanese. Many of these characters were made available as [=DLC=] in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]'', and are usually given the original myth names. (Diadora, for example, returned to Deirdre). On the other hand, some of them got even weirder than they were before--Rackesis, which is probably from the Greek Lachesis, got turned into "Raquesis."
* Another example from ''Genealogy'' (though this is from fan translations) is Sigurd's "You dastard!" line when [[spoiler: Arvis betrays him at Bahara]]. Less knowledgeable players might have thought he was supposed to say "bastard," but the former is actually a real word (it's the root of the word "dastardly"), and in medieval cultures it meant pretty much the same thing that "bastard" means now, minus the [[BastardBastard paternity implications]]. Later games, like ''Awakening'', alternate between the two as something of a MythologyGag.
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'', the BlackKnight's survival replaces a PhlebotinumBreakdown HandWave with [[ILetYouWin Ike being allowed to win]] for reasons that mesh well with the existing story. In the original, the Black Knight's warp powder malfunctions, teleporting only his spirit and leaving his body behind, meaning he was weakened in his fight with Ike, and he regains his true power when his spirit returns after the defeat. In the English version, during the climactic battle, Ike reveals that his father's sword arm was crippled years before (this detail always existed), a fact that the Black Knight didn't know. Since the Black Knight's true goal was to surpass his teacher (Ike's father, Greil), this revelation makes the Black Knight realize that his victory was hollow -- he was fighting a weakened man, and never got to experience Greil's true ability. He allows Ike to win in the hope that Ike will someday become as powerful and skilled as his father, and become a substitute he can test his skills against.

*** The Russian rename of the Killing Gloves of Boxing, "Кулаки Грозного Боксера", isn't one... but when translated literally back to English, you get "Fists of the Scary Boxer", which has the same acronym as TheNewRussia's domestic intelligence agency (commonly regarded as the KGB in all but name), the ''Federal'naya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti'' (Federal Security Service).

** While he calls almost nobody by their actual name in any scripts, in the original Japanese he [[PungeonMaster calls the main cast by punny nicknames]] that make little sense in English. In the international versions, has the quirk of calling the main characters by their surname followed by "-dono" (an archaic honorofic basically meaning lord/lady), and nobody's sure if he's being sarcastic or not. Apollo even quips that he's been watching too many samurai flicks.

* ''Franchise/GuiltyGear''