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| 3 | %% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks! |
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| 7 | [[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/IceClimber https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ice_climber_regional_difference.png]]]] |
| 8 | [[caption-width-right:350:The English version lacks the official Creator/{{Nintendo}} [[VisualPun seal]] of culturally appropriate animal cruelty.]] |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Just like in [[ValuesDissonance/AnimeAndManga Anime & Manga]], there's plenty of stuff intended for Japanese audiences that might baffle western sensibilities. The reverse is also true. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | !!The following works have their own page: |
| 13 | [[index]] |
| 14 | * ''ValuesDissonance/{{Danganronpa}}'' |
| 15 | * ''ValuesDissonance/Persona5'' |
| 16 | [[/index]] |
| 17 | ---- |
| 18 | * General examples: |
| 19 | ** The Japanese console game rating system (anime, manga, and PC games are free to be as bloody or as gory as possible) frowns very heavily on violence that involves dismemberment against human beings or real animals. This has led to cases where ''Japanese'' games get more censored in Japan than other regions, with such games as ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' or ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''. With the former example, in the western release of the game, characters get dismembered in a variety of ways with massive blood spurts. In the Japanese release, non-lethal dismemberments are removed (Travis merely breaks Shinobu's arm instead of cutting it off for instance, causing some continuity issues later) and lethal dismemberments cause the opponent to explode into ash, with no blood to be seen. This can also be seen with western games that are brought to Japan. In ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'', much of the brutal violence was toned down, and in one particular scene where we see a cannibal cutting up a human body, the camera angles are changed to hide the body as much as possible, and the texture was changed to a red/white texture of raw meat rather than a human skin tone, to hide the fact that it was supposed to be a human. |
| 20 | ** Whenever a new system is released, it's ''strongly'' marketed in PAL and NA territories as the successor to the previous system. Retailers start reducing shelf and floor space for the previous gen systems once the new system comes out. This sometimes causes developers and publishers to be a little wary about releasing "major" games on previous systems, with some games being rumoured to have started life on the previous generation and then been quickly [[MovedToTheNextConsole moved to the next gen]] out of fear people would overlook them. This is ''completely'' different in Japan -- in which several "major" games sometimes release on the platform near when the successor came out, or even ''after'' the successor came out, and people may even still buy them. Japan's almost always the last one to discontinue a console, if it's created by Nintendo or Sony. (The Xbox [[AmericansHateTingle historically hasn't done well in Japan]], despite a small boost in the late 2000s) |
| 21 | ** The use of {{Blackface}} is an extremely sensitive topic in the West. In Japan, it's a non-issue and it's freely used in many games. For everyone else, blackface is extremely offensive and are edited to be less obvious. One example is the character Oil Man in ''VideoGame/MegaManPoweredUp'' who had pink puffy lips and a dark blue face, which was ''very'' close to the blackface stereotype. The character also had shades of UncleTomfoolery, which did not help matters. The international version of the game changed the color scheme to be less close to the blackface stereotype, but the characterization didn't change. |
| 22 | ** In the West, gamers are more acclimated to the idea of paying 40-60 USD for a complete game, and balk at the idea of games where the base game is free and the majority of the content is in [[{{Microtransactions}} piecemeal DLC packs]], a pricing model often seen in {{Mobile Phone Game}}s and which is pretty much the standard in modern consumer {{Rhythm Game}}s on any platform. It's the opposite in Southeast Asia and other developing parts of the world where 40 USD is a huge fortune, to say nothing of the 300-600 USD needed to buy a console (even more if the country they're from has high customs fees), whereas mobile games are available on something the player likely already has (a smartphone) and the player can pick and choose what they want to pay for and can try the game for free or little cost before deciding if they want to spend more. |
| 23 | ** For the many of the same reasons that piecemeal-purchase games are scorned in the West but better-received in developing countries, ''gacha''-based games (where the player can spend premium in-game currency that can be purchased with real money to draw for random characters or cards, often in hopes of getting an extremely valuable character/card) like ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'' and ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'' are much better-received in SEA and the like since these games are often free-to-start (and indeed there are many players who get a lot of fulfillment out of these games without spending any money, thanks to a combination of high production values in the lore and character design departments and a strong sense of financial self-discipline), whereas an American or European is more likely to view that practice as predatory due to many western gaming distributors taking heavy influence from those kinds of games and doing it even more egregiously, therefore carrying a certain resentment towards any game that does that kind of business model. |
| 24 | ** TheCasino is a rather common trope in video games - however sometimes it's merely a [[CasinoPark setting]] that focuses on aesthetics and occasional gimmicks. Other games, however, may have actual casino games such as Slot machines, Table games[[labelnote:*]]These include games like Blackjack, Poker, Baccarat, Roulette, craps.[[/labelnote]], mahjong, and sometimes betting on races. Games that can be used to accrue in-game rewards such as currency or usable items. North America and Japan don't care so much about them as long as no real-life money can be used to play these minigames, they are entirely optional, and players do not receive any monetary benefit outside said game. This is not the case in other parts of the world which are much stricter on gambling. This has caused actual changes made to the games (see the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' entry below), or for certain regions to give games a higher age-rating (such as ''VideoGame/NiNoKuni'' being given the Korean-equivalent of an "18" rating) as even ''simulated'' gambling can be seen as illegal. |
| 25 | * ''7 Sins'', which is probably the closest thing in Europe and Brazil to an eroge, features an interesting set of this when it comes to erotic content in gaming (read: softcore sex scenes). PEGI (which covers Western Europe) and USK (which covers Germany) gave it a 16+ rating while the BBFC (which covers the United Kingdom) gave it an 18+ rating. It seems that the UK has quite different ideas from the rest of Europe when sexual expression is concerned. |
| 26 | * Music/FiftyCent once mentioned he played [[VideoGame/FiftyCentBloodOnTheSand the games he starred in]] with his kid, saying that violence wasn't an issue as long as he was around to explain it but that he would turn the sound off because of the swearwords. Some people in Germany, where people no longer give a shit about swearing but violence remains a hot topic for several people, burst into laughter at his priorities. |
| 27 | * ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' |
| 28 | ** Godot, the third game's main prosecutor, is viewed by Western audiences as sexist and patronizing towards women. He refuses to take Franziska seriously (though partially because she's 19 and he finds her immature) and tends to refer to her by condescending pet names, not to mention his insistence that Mia needed to be protected, if not by him then by Phoenix, even though he had no idea she was working on such a dangerous case. While it is still presented as a character flaw in the Japanese version (given that his guilt over his failure and resentment toward Phoenix [[spoiler:led him to become the last case's killer so that he could have a chance to save Maya to assuage his own guilt [[PoorCommunicationKills rather than working with Phoenix]] to thwart Morgan's plan before it got off the ground]]), the sexist elements are downplayed and it's presented mostly as overprotectiveness of Mia specifically, making him much less a BaseBreakingCharacter in Japan. |
| 29 | ** This trope may also account for why Dahlia Hawthorne repeatedly makes mean-spirited jabs at Mia's age, calling her "[[MaamShock Madame Fey]]" and a "spinster". At the time of her death, Mia was twenty-seven and ''very'' attractive, leading these insults to seem pretty out-there to Western players. In Japanese culture, though, a woman tends to be considered [[OldMaid past her prime when she's over twenty-five]] (though this is becoming a less-common view). Similarly, during the flashback episode of Mia's first trial in ''Trials and Tribulations'', Edgeworth calls Armando an "old man", despite the guy being only 27-years-old and Edgeworth himself only being seven years younger than him--and even though Edgeworth will then turn around and call ''Mia'' an impetuous youth. Like Mia, Armando looks ''damn'' good for his age. |
| 30 | ** In ''Justice For All'', Maximillion Galactica, Benjamin Woodman, and Bat all have a crush on [[CircusBrat Regina Berry]]. This would not be a bad thing, if not for the fact that Regina is sixteen and all three men are over twenty (and in Ben’s case, ''nearly over twice Regina’s age''). This is due to Japan’s age of consent, and while it isn’t a big deal in Japan, it ''definitely'' rubs American players off in the wrong way. This, alongside other factors, is why Turnabout Big Top is seen as ThatOneLevel, and why Ben is seen as a [[PaedoHunt pedophilic]] [[TheScrappy scrappy]]. |
| 31 | ** An occasional plot point is that it's very difficult to come by guns; Turner Grey in ''Justice for All'' is said to have bought his pistol off the black market, the Kitalkis only have guns because they're criminals, and the culprit of ''Turnabout Serenade'' had to use his victim's own gun (a HandCannon that dislocated the killer's arm from recoil) to do the deed. This is par for the course in Japan, but owning a hand gun is nothing out of the ordinary in America. |
| 32 | ** In December 2021, Capcom (the ''Ace Attorney'' series' developers) collaborated with the Osaka Prefectural Police to create an anti-''marijuana'' campaign using characters from the ''Great Ace Attorney'' games in the series to discourage its usage. In Japan, [[DrugsAreBad weed is still very illegal to own and sell, with possession carrying a 5-7 year prison sentence.]] Most other developed parts of the world [[DrugsAreGood have come to recognize that marijuana's medical benefits, or at the very least that it's relatively harmless, and have made it legal for medical purposes, decriminalize it, or in some cases completely legalize its usage.]] Japan is notoriously one of the ''few'' developed countries where possession for any reason is illegal and still carries a hefty prison sentence, so in many other parts of the world this campaign comes off as grossly out of touch and tone-deaf. |
| 33 | ** Phoenix not having a driver's license at the age of 24. In Japan (and other nations with highly developed public transportation networks) this is not uncommon among adults. In America, it's very hard to get by without one because even in many major cities--Los Angeles being one--public transportation is terrible. Getting a license is also a major rite-of-passage for adolescents, and adults who lack one for non-medical reasons tend to get a hard time about it, so it ends up enhancing the haplessness of Phoenix's daily life outside the courtroom. |
| 34 | ** Misty Fey abandoning her daughters after her involvement in the botched DL-6 investigation, [[spoiler:only returning under an alias 17 years later to foil Morgan's plan]]. Some players find it strange how [[spoiler:she doesn't reveal her true identity to Maya, her daughter that she dies protecting, with some finding her actions neglectful]]. In Japan, it wasn't uncommon in the past for parents to leave their families in shame after a significant wrongdoing. |
| 35 | ** Western players often express confusion at Ron [=DeLite=] not telling Desireé [[spoiler:he was fired and turned to theft as a result]], despite her not minding at all. [[spoiler:Ron's fear is much more understandable in Japan, where being fired is considered dishonorable, especially since he was fired for selling company secrets]]. |
| 36 | * ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'': |
| 37 | ** In the Japanese version of ''VideoGame/{{Animal Crossing|2001}}'', Gracie is depicted as a stock [[https://legendsoflocalization.com/okama-in-game-translation/ okama]] character, being a highly effeminate and deep-voiced man whose real name is "Nabenosuke" (which both means "saucy woman" and incorporates an anagram of "onabe", a slur for butch lesbians). In the international versions, she's instead a female whose real name is simply "Gretchen Grunch", lacking the Japanese version's anti-LGBT undertones. Later installments would give Gracie a female, snooty voice throughout regions, but the Japanese and Korean releases [[ShesAManInJapan keep her male]]. |
| 38 | ** [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore The various overseas localizations]] of [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing2001 the original Nintendo 64 game]] have become notorious in later years due to the villagers' treatment of the player bordering on WorldOfJerkass. Villagers tend to get upset over the smallest things and will insult you as a result, with cranky, snooty and peppy villagers in particular coming out as flat-out [[TheBully bullies]] at times. Some of the insults used by the snooty villagers also seem to imply that they think of the player as mentally disabled (with some examples being calling the player a "freak mental case" or sarcastically asking if they were "the mental runt of the litter"), which would definitely not go unnoticed if the game was released today due to the obviously ableist nature of the insults. Later installments of the series are much more loyal to the original Japanese scripts, and thus heavily tone down the villagers' behavior, with each personality (especially cranky, snooty and peppy villagers) becoming far more polite. |
| 39 | ** The first game features two villagers that resemble Native Americans; a Chicken named Leigh and an eagle named Quetzal. Neither of them have appeared in any subsequent games ever since, most likely because some people may find them to be an offensive representation of Native Americans. Similarly, in the Japanese version one of the gorilla villagers, Jane, has white fur, brown skin, tired eyes and large lips. Due to this being too similar to an offensive depiction of African-American people, the overseas versions redesigned her completely, giving her purple fur, pink skin, irritated eyes and smaller lips, which was a change that was reverted in [[NoExportForYou the Japan-exclusive]] ''[[UpdatedReRelease Dobutsu No Mori e+]]''. Interestingly enough, Jane hasn't appeared in any subsequent game in the series, just like Leigh and Quetzal. |
| 40 | ** The Japanese release of ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingWildWorld'' depicts the Mini Mustache accessory item as a toothbrush mustache, a style commonly associated in the West with UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler. Japanese society generally treats Nazi Germany as just a long-gone part of Germany's history, while Americans also associate it enough with Creator/CharlieChaplin that the style isn't totally obsolete, but in Germany itself, the era is such a huge point of regret that the European release of ''Wild World'' alters the accessory to a more innocuous pencil mustache. |
| 41 | * ''VideoGame/AstralChain'' is a game in which you play as a heroically portrayed SuperCop fighting alien monsters, and therefore has a largely rose-tinted treatment of law enforcement. While it would go by without comment in Japan, where public attitudes towards the police are still largely positive, the game's themes received a divided response in America, where highly-publicized instances of PoliceBrutality, especially against minorities, had resulted in several protests against the police, [[https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2019/6/17/18682365/astral-chain-nintendo-switch-e3-2019-platinumgames-interview-nier-automata something director Takahisa Taura acknowledged in an interview.]] |
| 42 | * ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie'': While [[WitchDoctor Mumbo Jumbo]] is more ethnically vague, Humba Wumba is very clearly a stereotypical [[MagicalNativeAmerican Native American]], complete with a noticeable TontoTalk. The visual cues already don't age well, but what's worse is that during [[GameShow Tower of Tragedy]], Gruntilda outright calls Humba an {{Indian|Maiden}} in one of her potential questions. |
| 43 | * ''VideoGame/BoongGaBoongGa'' is a game about performing Kancho (a prank where you sneak up behind someone, make a FingerGun, and jam it into their rear) on a character of your choosing. To the Japanese and Korean players this game was originally made for, it's childish and lighthearted. To those who aren't familiar with this practice, it's sexual assault. This may be why the Western release puts more emphasis on spanking the fake butt protruding from the arcade cabinet, rather than poking it directly in the anal region. |
| 44 | * ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'': |
| 45 | ** The primary motivation for the nightmares being experienced by men is to weed out men who won't marry and father children, with the main argument being that the world is undergoing an underpopulation crisis. This may make sense in Japan, which is known for its aging population and low fertility rate (and the idea is present in some other countries as well, such as Poland), but this entire premise can come off as laughable in the rest of the world; many countries experience the ''exact opposite problems'' with people having far more kids than they can support thus leading to major strains on population-sustaining infrastructure. |
| 46 | ** The nightmares affect men who are not willing to have children. Problem is, a trans woman character also experiences those nightmares... Which may be intentional, as no ending really paints the nightmare system as a fair or effective way to help the population. That said, the game has received some complaints over its treatment of the trans character, such as her so-called friends (particularly Vincent) insinuating she's not a "real" woman, and getting uncomfortable with the idea of her dating Toby, behaviour that make them feel a lot less sympathetic. |
| 47 | ** A more minor example, but the size of Vincent's apartment is subject to this. In Japan, where the game was made, it's a fairly standard size for an apartment. However, in the West such an apartment would be considered way too small even for someone living alone like him. It's even more strange considering the game is intended to take place in the United States, where most standard apartments include at least one or two bedrooms. |
| 48 | * ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' from 1995 endures as a timeless classic, but the "Dream Team" ending features {{Author Avatar}}s commenting about the amount of crunch they went through developing the game, joking about how much weight they've lost and how they've prematurely aged. Crunch culture (i.e. unpaid overtime for a lengthy time period to meet a deadline) has since become recognised as a serious problem in the video game industry, and such a thing would not be discussed lightly nowadays without risking some ''serious'' backlash. |
| 49 | * ''VideoGame/{{Clayfighter}} 63 1/3'' has one fighter named Kung Pow, who looks like a caricature of the Asian stereotype, but is played straight. Aside from the typical squinty eyes, Kung Pow uses woks for one of his attacks, has typical kung fu acrobatics, and pulls out a Chinese carton of food when he wins and asks if it's to stay or to go. While no one would have batted an eye to the stereotype in 1997 when the game was released, looking back on it in today's time makes the whole character be seen as terribly racist or the developers simply not thinking things through when they designed the character. |
| 50 | * MsFanservice Tawna was PutOnABus after the original ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' due to her design being deemed too sexualized. She's lost her edge since the 1990s, and these days there isn't much inappropriate about her design for a kids' game. In the trilogy's remakes, she appears with minimal changes, and is even PromotedToPlayable in ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'' and ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime''. |
| 51 | ** Other characters have received retroactive criticism for being obvious stereotypes, such as Papu Papu for being a stereotype of Indigenous peoples, and Ripper Roo for being a negative depiction of mental illness. This eventually led to them being disbarred from ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'', with a minor exception of Ripper Roo making a brief cameo in the secret ending. |
| 52 | * In Japanese media, crossdressers are sometimes viewed as UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} by a portion of the Western audiences, with [[spoiler: Naoto Shirogane]] from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' and [[spoiler: Chihiro Fujisaki]] from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' being the most prominent examples of this issue, as a handful of Western fans insist that they are trans despite canon saying otherwise. This is due to misunderstanding their problems in regards to Japanese culture; in Japan, it is extremely important for a person to conform to social norms. If they don't conform enough, they are shamed for it or not taken seriously. [[spoiler: Naoto]] was insecure about [[spoiler:her femininity]] because [[spoiler:she wanted to pursue a career in a male-dominated field but knew they would dismiss her skills if they knew she was a girl, so she cross-dressed in order to make sure that didn't happen]]. [[spoiler:Chihiro]] was constantly bullied [[spoiler:because he was too frail and shy to be considered a real boy by Japanese standards, and started cross-dressing as a means of escape since his personality was seen more proper for a female, not because he identified as such. In fact, dressing up as a girl only ''worsened'' Chihiro's insecurity]]. Both are examples of individuals who couldn't live up to the gender standards of Japan and had to find a way to conform to it instead. |
| 53 | * ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'' has a lengthy plot about how [[spoiler: Phenotrans]] is keeping life-saving medicine from the public due to the cost exceeding the benefits from giving it. This is just plain strange to countries where medicine is a government-provided service. Of course, the game is set in the United States, where such services are underdeveloped and costs of medicine are hight. |
| 54 | * The ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' series is consistently rated A in Japan, the equivalent of E or a low-end E10+, and is marketed accordingly. In America and Europe, the games are rated T and 12+ respectively, and aimed at teenagers and adults, as the games have a lot of {{fanservice}} designs and shots, particularly after a battle is completed. The English translations also tend to have a moderate amount of profanity. |
| 55 | * ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' is still a pretty bloody game, but it's very hard to imagine it attracting the controversy now that it did back in the day after the release of other games that top it in the {{gorn}} department several times over (''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' being a shining example). |
| 56 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein}}'' and ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' were also shocking, ''Mortal Kombat'' because the entire point of the game is to kill people for sport (although the blood just looks like thick tomato juice) and ''Wolfenstein'' because at that time it was unprecedented for a video game to contain bloodshed ''at all'' (even though the graphics on that game were so primitive that the blood looked more like red confetti than anything else). |
| 57 | ** ''VideoGame/CannonFodder'' was accused of glorifying war (although it was more of a [[PoesLaw tongue-in-cheek condemnation]] of WarHasNeverBeenSoMuchFun). Nowadays, with games that glorify war unironically, people are saying that that game is a predecessor to ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' and ''VideoGame/ValiantHearts''. |
| 58 | * The original Playstation version of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'' features a few: |
| 59 | ** In Ballymaloy, the [=PS1=] translation has a person say a village was "Raped of its women". While it's actually a correct usage ''of'' the word, [[HaveAGayOldTime this was not used in in the 3DS remake's localisation]]. |
| 60 | ** There is one village where you see a few children trying to milk a cow and not having success... only for [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar the party chat to point out that's a bull]]. Mervyn says "I've milked many a teat in my day", a line which was ''not'' put into the 3DS version... however the gag about children trying to milk a bull ''was'' retained! |
| 61 | * The 3DS version of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'' had some people ([[VocalMinority mostly in the US]]) complain that it was "censored" because of a few scenes being changed, as well as some of Jessica's outfits that were made to cover up more skin compared to the original version on the [=PS2=]. [[MisBlamed Nintendo actually didn't have anything to do with these]]. This was actually because what CERO deemed acceptable in 2004 for an "All ages" game was different than in 2016 -- Nintendo meanwhile didn't care, they were happy to allow it to maintain its "T" and "PEGI 12" ratings. |
| 62 | * ''VideoGame/DukeNukemForever'' has humor dissonance thanks to its decade of DevelopmentHell. The previous games of the early nineties were considered funny and the eponymous character was a fresh take on a video game protagonist rather than being a [[ASpaceMarineIsYou faceless, voiceless space marine]]. However, when ''Forever'' came out, Duke's dialogue, humor, and the overall tone of the game [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece felt wildly out of date]], since the things that once made the franchise, the gameplay, and the title character seem so outrageous and innovative had become [[OnceOriginalNowCommon commonplace and unsurprising]], and things that seemed hilarious in the [=90s=] were considered unfunny at best and unpleasant at worst. |
| 63 | * Japan insisted on [[NuclearWeaponsTaboo partial removal of nukes]] from ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' before it would permit release in the country. Specifically, the nuclear bomb in Megaton could originally be either permanently defused (good option) or rigged to blow up the entire settlement (evil). The Japanese version removes the latter option and also renames the "Fat Man" nuclear grenade catapult to "Nuka-Launcher". Strangely enough, the weight-reducing modification kit for the weapon apparently retained the name "Little Boy". Then again, [[UsefulNotes/AtomicBombingsOfHiroshimaAndNagasaki considering what they went through]] near the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, [[JustifiedTrope who could blame them?]] |
| 64 | * ''VideoGame/FatalFrame'' may come across as a well-balanced game that can be enjoyed by Western and Japanese players, but are actually very Japanese. Aside from most ghosts being based off of Japanese mythology or belief in ghosts, most of the games involve {{Human Sacrifice}}s. ''Fatal Frame I'', ''III'', and ''V'' are the most noticeable in making it clear in their endings that a human sacrifice is the ''correct'' choice in the end; a Western game would usually focus on [[TakingAThirdOption finding a third option]] to appease whatever calamity has occurred, rather than choose to sacrifice someone. |
| 65 | * ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': |
| 66 | ** Shirou Emiya earned [[TheScrappy a large amount of fan hatred]] for his seeming StayInTheKitchen attitude towards Saber's fighting in the Grail War. Some argue he's actually a ''subversion'', just mortally afraid of Saber dying -- although heroic spirits don't actually 'die' (and painfully aware that he's not qualified to fight alone) and initially doesn't understand why, settling on this as a random excuse (although he says Kiritsugu taught him 'girls should be protected'). Notably, he doesn't act this way towards ''any'' other woman, even Saber herself in the non-Fate routes, and the very idea is even mocked on occasion. This doesn't dismiss his bizarre approval of Ayako's attempted molestation for 'teaching her femininity' (though even the other characters in-story were angry with Shirou over that remark). However, this along with StayInTheKitchen fades from the later arcs, and in another arc where Ayako is attacked by [[spoiler:Rider]] but Shinji spreads rumors implying she was raped, he is horrified. |
| 67 | ** In the more comedic sides of the franchise, a recurring gag is that Rider is tall enough that people find it off-putting, and she's self-conscious about this. Not only is HeightAngst among women far less severe outside of Japan, but Rider is 172cm, or 5'8"--very tall by Japanese standards, but only a bit above-average by Western standards--leading many to view it as an InformedDeformity. |
| 68 | * ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': |
| 69 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears'' has among its cast WhiteMagicianGirl Porom. Her outfit is a sheer dress that is nearly transparent and Porom does not appear to wear underwear underneath it. In Japan, this outfit would emphasize her virtue and purity. In America... not so much. It was censored in America to be peach-colored. |
| 70 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' is remarked upon for its strong female characters, who still stand up as such today. Unfortunately, it also has multiple heroic male characters who are sexually violent or possessive towards women, with this being played as a charming mild flaw (child-flirting Edgar, celebrity stalker/kidnapper Setzer). This was accepted as a normal trope in [[TwoFistedTales pulpy fantasy fiction]] in Japan in 1994, and at the time signalled a DarkerAndEdgier, HotterAndSexier tone that averted the PoliticallyCorrectHistory of previous ''Final Fantasy'' settings. Nowadays it comes across as being quite awful. Even Squaresoft felt embarrassed about it, to the point where an intentional goal for ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' was to make it less sexist. |
| 71 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'': |
| 72 | *** On the stairs in the Shinra HQ, the English translation of the game has Tifa casually insulting Barret's intelligence by calling him a "retard", as the word was commonplace at the time the game was produced. Nowadays, the word is considered an extremely offensive and discriminatory slur, and totally unacceptable for usage in conversation. It especially jumps out because, in the rest of the game, [[OutOfCharacterMoment Tifa is the exact kind of person who'd be horrified at someone using a slur like that]]. In the original Japanese line she simply asks Barret to stop lamenting about "having wanted to see Marlene one last time" because it's bad luck. |
| 73 | *** In the original game, Cloud gets to go through a load of bizarre sexual events in the RedLightDistrict in order to get items to disguise himself as a woman so he can HoneyTrap a man who is 'not into men'. The sequence has a strong LGBTFanbase that regards it as {{Camp}}, but it's also full of jokes sneering at Cloud's humiliation by taking a female gender role. In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'', Cloud instead disguises himself as a woman with the help of a sexy CampGay cabaret dancer who dances to "gay anthem" pop with him before telling him that "notions of gender do not apply", and Corneo [[AdaptationalSexuality is clearly aware Cloud has a male body and isn't bothered by it]]. The writers said they regretted the things they wrote out of ignorance in the mid-90s, and had been talking to people from community groups to make the sequence more respectful, though they wanted it to still be funny. |
| 74 | *** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'', one quest has an old man with bad legs ask Cloud to go into the graveyard and kill a monster there so he can mourn his wife. Cloud does this, but then asks the man to return the key to its owner elsewhere in town. The man is offended by this, pointing out he just told Cloud about his bad legs, and Cloud says he'd return the key "for 5000" (significantly more money than Cloud made doing an ''act of terrorism'' at the beginning of the game). In Japan, this is meant to be understood as Cloud subtly encouraging the man to pull himself together and stand up on his own two feet -- the Quest progress description in the menu suggests Cloud's harsh words drove the old man to snap himself out of his depression -- but in the West, it came across to many players as Cloud bullying a disabled person. |
| 75 | ** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', Rinoa and Squall's courtship seems rather unromantic to American gamers. The characters do not say "I love you" or do anything remotely couple-y (although they do kiss in the final scene) -- which is in keeping with Japanese attitudes to public displays of affection. Rinoa's more [[ManicPixieDreamGirl cute and childlike]] presentation don't tend to come across well in English, either; a Western audience is less likely to view her as a cute, innocent girl who [[DeclarationOfProtection wants the boy she likes to protect her]] and more of a spoiled brat who can't be left alone for five minutes. Squall's end of that stick is being seen as a whiny emo for agonizing in his bed instead of voicing any of his thoughts to the people directly asking for them, rather than keeping his issues politely out of everybody's way to the point of detriment. |
| 76 | ** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', many critics and analysts note that the game's central themes (the inevitability of death, duty versus personal aspirations, conformity versus individuality, and having a place to belong) are all expressions of important Japanese cultural mores. Zen Buddhism is centered around the inevitability of death and how one should live in the meantime (represented by Vivi and the mages). The [[PillarsOfMoralCharacter Pillars of Moral Character]] are about how one juggles a divide between personal feelings and duty (represented by Dagger, Steiner, and Freya). Zen Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism, and Shintoism are largely about knowing one's place in the world and how an aggressive ego leads to suffering for oneself and others (represented by Kuja), while over-conformity leaves one soulless (represented by Garland). Japanese society, in general, is based on in-group culture, where everyone needs a place to belong and can both achieve more and live happiest once they've found a place to fit in (represented by Zidane, Eiko and Amarant). For these reasons, FFIX is very poignant and beloved in its native Japan while in the Anglosphere, the reception to it was a bit more mixed and some of the characters and messages (Zidane, Garnet and Kuja especially) are interpreted a little differently. In particular, Western audiences tend to think of Kuja's fear of losing his soul as being [[CessationOfExistence akin to losing out on an afterlife]] from a Christian perspective. In comparison to the principally Shintoist Japan, Western fans can very much relate to doing anything it takes to save your eternal soul. |
| 77 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': |
| 78 | *** The entire Tidus/Jecht relationship, which goes a long way towards why fans in the US and Japan think differently about our main character. In Japan, hating your father is a huge deal, because of how much importance is placed on family ties in what is a heavily Confucian-influenced society (which places loyalty to one's family above all). In the US, it's seen as just someone with "[[{{Wangst}} daddy issues]]". |
| 79 | *** Also, Tidus's childhood abuse. While obviously, neither side supports it, in Japan people are told to "stay out of it" when finding evidence of such things, and as a result, a lot of children suffer in what has been found to be an epidemic problem in the country. This probably made Tidus's character a lot more relatable to Japanese players. |
| 80 | *** In the ending, [[spoiler:Yuna's last words to Tidus was changed from "Thank you" in Japanese to "I love you" in English specifically to address the cultural difference, and make it more explicitly romantic to western audiences. It has never been said in any previous Final Fantasy game, even ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' where Rinoa/Squall is core to the story.]] |
| 81 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyAllTheBravest'' was not exactly a critical hit in Japan, but it was not reviled at the level it was in the west. ''All the Bravest'' is centered around DLC characters, which are randomly selected after you purchase it. There is a chance you could get duplicates, and you are not compensated if you do. Outside of Asia, this created an outrage, with reviewers and players seeing the game as a shameless money grab and a roll of the dice, especially since downloadable content itself is divisive in North America, Australia, and Europe, and the microtransactions common in mobile gaming even more so.[[note]]Blind boxes, blind bags, and collectible card games DO give you randomly selected things inside, but plenty of hobby shops exist where they open them up, and people will buy the opened goods knowing what's inside at substantial markup just to eliminate the randomness. That's how disliked random goods are outside of Asia.[[/note]] That is, outside of Asia, ''All the Bravest'' was considered a way for Square to wring as much money out of their fans as possible with little to no gameplay benefit. In Japan and nearby countries, however, it was seen as a natural digital extension of the Gachapon and UFO Catcher machines found everywhere there, which dispense random display figures, and they didn't see a problem in randomly-allocated characters you have to pay for. It certainly didn't help that the gameplay was totally brain-dead (just run your finger up and down the screen endlessly to have your units attack.) |
| 82 | * An interesting example happened in ''VideoGame/FinalFight'', in which [[{{Bowdlerise}} changes to the game]] were brought about by temporal Values Dissonance. Poison was originally a transgender woman, but because of the [[WouldntHitAGirl cultural stigma surrounding beating up girls]] and the general taboo regarding transgender characters of the time, [[ShesAManInJapan she was palette swapped and made into a male character]], despite Capcom of Japan's insistence that she was a trans woman. These days it would be perfectly okay to have her as cis female or trans woman from either-to-respective-other. |
| 83 | * ''Franchise/FireEmblem'': |
| 84 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'': |
| 85 | *** The Western release had its skinship feature removed, with Nintendo openly stating the change was due to values dissonance between what is considered acceptable in Japan vs. what is considered acceptable in North America. It didn't stop many fans from protesting the removal and other changes as unnecessary [[{{Bowdlerise}} censorship]]. |
| 86 | *** Additionally, the fact that ''Fates'' features a bisexual protagonist with two same-sex options was seen as quaint (and in some cases, not good enough) by Western gamers, since same-sex romance options are a fairly common feature of franchises like ''Franchise/MassEffect'' and ''Franchise/DragonAge''. However, this was indeed ''quite'' progressive... in Japan, which is actually ''not'' as LGBT friendly as [[YaoiFangirl some people]] like to believe. Meanwhile, Forrest is mocked in the west for his [[DudeLooksLikeALady appearance]], even though ''that'' isn't seen as controversial in Japan. |
| 87 | *** The localization ''itself'' -- with the amount of innuendo, amount of stuff that slipped past the ESRB, and [[GayOption the fact that there are openly bisexual characters]] that remained intact, it's somewhat surprising to believe that this game got away with a "T" rating and as much intact, especially given that even as recently as 2005, many would have been bowdlerized a ''far'' deal more. |
| 88 | *** The fact that the game pushes a pair of cousins ([[spoiler:the Male Avatar and Azura]]) as {{Implied Love Interest}}s for each other. This is actually a double-whammy of Values Dissonance: first-cousin marriage is legal in parts of America, but it tends to get side-eyed more than it does in the rest of the world, which considers such a thing perfectly fine. Marrying one's cousin was also not that uncommon in the medieval ages, the time period the game is set in. Asugi and Midori, whose fathers are brothers, can also get married, and in what may partially be an oversight, it's possible for characters to marry their father's sister's child.[[note]]For example, Leo's son Forrest, and Odin's daughter Ophelia are normally unrelated, but if Odin marries Leo's sister, Elise, Forrest and Ophelia become cousins, but can still get into a relationship.[[/note]] This was also in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' wherein Owain and Lucina can still S support despite being cousins. The localisation says that they are "Companions" rather than husband and wife, and the support is far less romantic in nature. [[AvertedTrope This does not apply if Owain reaches an S support with Kjelle or Cynthia]], if their father is Chrom. |
| 89 | *** Shiro's paralogue involves Shiro getting into danger and needing to be rescued. His father, Ryoma, merely tells Shiro off for being reckless in the English version - while in the Japanese version, Ryoma very explicitly ''smacks'' Shiro. While quite common in the timeframe the game replicates, corporal punishment is also seen as a form of child abuse at the time the game was localised (TheNewTens). |
| 90 | *** Elise, Sakura, and Hayato are implied to be from 12 to 15 years old, yet they can marry and have children. This wouldn't be out of place in the timeframe the game takes place in (when people could be married off at that age and where teen mothers weren't uncommon) but in modern times would be seen as illegal and immoral. The localisation also made sure to point out that yes, Elise, Sakura, and Hayato are legally adults by the standards of the fictional universe while not mentioning what those standards are. Nyx's own appearance as well dramatically up-plays that she is ''not'' a child. Corrin is similarly able to be made to look very young, but will be stated to be an adult. |
| 91 | *** The child characters are implied to be teenagers or very young adults. While they can't have children (except with Corrin), they can indeed "S" support with others. As above, this was legal (and common) in the timeframe they lived in; not so much in the modern world. The localisation avoids this by having their supports be more platonic in nature and in some cases, ends with them deciding to go out with one another rather than get married. |
| 92 | *** Hisame was seen as a no-nonsense serious person who was considered somewhat boring, not even being TheComicallySerious... but one gag in Japan was his hobby of pickling vegetables. Why was it a gag? Because that was him acting like an "old man". In the west? That would just make people confused. Hisame acting like an "old man" is referenced in his last words upon being permanently killed, a reference that makes less sense without the context. |
| 93 | ---->'''Hisame:''' I lived my life as an old man... and now I'll die like one, too. Urgh... |
| 94 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'': |
| 95 | *** Gilbert leaving Annette behind after failing in his duty suffers from this. In Japan, a father running away in shame is relatively normal and somewhat common, or at least was more common in the past. If the father failed in something great such as a job, he was seen as having shamed his family, and therefore did not deserve to have the comfort of loved ones as a failure. Thus, they would leave to ease the pain they caused (that said, Annette insists that she and her mother would have stood by him even if no one else did, and ultimately persuades Gilbert to return home). As a result, Gilbert is sympathetic from a Japanese perspective because his situation can hit home for many who suffered such a thing. In western society, however, this line of thinking and logic makes no sense and is frowned upon, with it being seen as immature, selfish, and socially wrong to abandon your family because of something like that. The result is that Gilbert is seen negatively for abandoning his daughter and is not very popular among Western players. |
| 96 | *** Ingrid's hatred of the people of Duscur is often looked on more harshly in Western communities, where ethnic bigotry is often based on unequal power dynamics, and especially where a light-skinned blonde character hating on a race of dark-skinned people has some unfortunate connotations. Within the narrative, her hatred is strictly based on trauma she and people close to her experienced as a result of the Tragedy of Duscur, which public knowledge holds the people of Duscur responsible for. This resonates more strongly for Eastern audiences, thanks to the cultural impact of bad histories between countries like Japan and South Korea. |
| 97 | *** Most people view Ingrid's father, Count Galatea, as a well-meaning father despite his actions. However, some Western fans view him in a rather negative light due to him giving his daughter arranged marriage proposals constantly. In Japan, arranged marriages are more commonplace to a degree, which makes Count Galatea more understandable there. In Western cultures, his arranged marriage proposals make him look more greedy than intended. Interestingly enough, the narrative proposes that this is necessary [[ImpoverishedPatrician to ensure the well-being of the Galatea family and their people]] (even if he comes to regret marrying her off to the noble that becomes the villain of Ingrid's Paralogue), and in the past had set up a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage for Ingrid with Glenn, while Mercedes' adoptive father marrying her off [[ItsAllAboutMe to improve his own social standing]] is unambiguously portrayed as a bad thing, and even [[NiceGirl Mercedes]] has little but contempt for her father. |
| 98 | *** Sylvain is a skirt-chaser, and his "C" support with Ingrid has the latter call him out on it. But when she gives examples of him skirt-chasing, in Japanese one of her comments is that he hit on a guy in drag, and the IntendedAudienceReaction is to laugh at Sylvain for this. When the game was released internationally this would be seen as transphobic - so the English dub [[{{Woolseyism}} changes this to having Ingrid point out Sylvain hit on a scarecrow]]. |
| 99 | *** Manuela being an OldMaid and being unsuccessful in finding a romantic partner is a bit more {{Downplayed}} compared to other examples. Being in her thirties at the start of the game and the stress she feels about her love life comes from Japanese traditional views of marriage; a woman is usually pushed to get married as early as they can (usually closer to their early twenties), so her still being single makes it look bad on her part. This doesn't make as much sense from a western perspective, where this kind of belief is not really present socially and has been slowly dying. |
| 100 | *** The TeacherStudentRomance aspect between Byleth and their students, while not seen as completely uncomfortable in Japan, is more divisive among the Western fans due to the age gap and power difference, [[spoiler:even after the 5 year time skip where they're not students anymore]]. Some players defend the pairings, noting that Byleth is close to their students in age and treats them as an equal, as well as how [[spoiler:the A- and S-Rank events, which have romantic implications, do not occur until after the TimeSkip]], but others note that the students still consider Byleth their teacher and thus find the pairings unacceptable regardless of circumstances. |
| 101 | * ''VideoGame/GameAndWatch'': Nintendo did a lot of things that they would probably never get away with now [[GrandfatherClause with the exception of rereleases]]. |
| 102 | ** ''Fire Attack'' features stereotypical [[TheSavageIndian Savage Indians]] as the antagonists, which is something that has become much less acceptable as time has gone by. Nintendo preemptively edited the feathers off of their heads in ''Game & Watch Gallery 4'' to make them appear more like generic bandits. Later, when Nintendo tried to include an homage to the characters with one of Mr. Game & Watch's moves in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', they received complaints that it was racist, which prompted them to apologize and alter the move in a Day 1 patch for the game to match its ''Gallery 4'' depiction. |
| 103 | ** ''Mario's Bombs Away'' has Mario (yes, ''that'' Mario) fighting in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, [[NoSmoking with someone visibly smoking]]. This is available as an unlockable minigame in ''Gallery 4''. |
| 104 | ** In ''Donkey Kong Circus'', Mario forces Donkey Kong to juggle pineapples and dodge fireballs while balancing on a barrel. The miss animation even depicts Mario laughing at DK. Fat chance getting away with that now that the general public has turned against animal cruelty in circuses. |
| 105 | * The entire ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' franchise can be enjoyed by non-western players despite the constant use of symbolism and imagery regarding the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek Gods]] (and [[Myth/NorseMythology Norse Gods]] in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4''), thanks to them already being characterized in-game and lore tidbits. But the plot twist at the end of the first [=PS4=] entry revealing that [[spoiler: the true name of Atreus's, the ChildHero and son of Kratos you've been following up until now, is Loki]], is insignificant to non-western players since they may not know about Loki's nature the same way they'd know about myth and legend in their own culture. |
| 106 | ** While any non-western player familiar with the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, or Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse movies would know Marvel's version of [[spoiler:Loki]], and ''could'' make the connection, it would pale in comparison to what a western player would know to google even if they knew jack about Norse mythology. |
| 107 | * In the earliest 3D ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games, it's not rare to hear the pedestrians and people on the [[Radio/GTARadio radio commercials]] casually using the words "retarded" and "retard" as insults. While all the games are well known for being a huge WorldOfJerkass, it's unlikely these lines would have been included if the games were to be released today, as those words are now regarded as slurs. |
| 108 | * In ''VisualNovel/HotelDuskRoom215'', Melissa, a 10-year-old, invites Kyle, a grown man, into her hotel room to keep her company while her father's gone. Kyle goes along with it without worrying about being MistakenForPedophile, and when her father comes back, he's upset, but for reasons other than what a stranger might have been doing with his daughter unsupervised. The game is set in the 70s, but in modern day America the situation would be viewed with a lot of suspicion. |
| 109 | * The European and Japanese covers of ''VideoGame/IceClimber''. The seal enemy was replaced with a yeti-like WaddlingHead in the international version so ''Creator/{{Nintendo}}'' could avoid implications of seal-clubbing, a practice that doesn't exist in Japan, but does in certain parts of North America and Europe, where it's viewed as highly controversial, if not outright prohibited. Notably, ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'' kept this consistency by having the seals show up in the Japanese version's Adventure Mode, while the yetis remained abroad. |
| 110 | * ''VideoGame/{{Killer7}}'' has high ratings in most of the world (in the US it got an M and in Europe, it got an 18+), but in Japan, it was so controversial that it has gotten a ''Z'' rating after some of its scenes were censored. This is one of the few cases where a Japanese game is less offensive to foreigners than it is to Japanese themselves. |
| 111 | %%* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' is filled to the brim with zombies that can be blown apart to pieces and have their blood and guts spill all over the place. Most places in the world are used to this type of violence in media, but Australia and Germany are heavily against such violence and consider this type of content too extreme for minors. The German and Australian versions of the game are heavily censored by disabling dismemberment and zombies immediately vanish upon death. The fire effects on zombies are also disabled, which can actually make the game harder if you can't tell whether or not you set zombies on fire. |
| 112 | %%** [[TakeThat This prompted a jab]] against the censorship in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', in one of the Soldier's domination quotes against the Sniper (an Australian). |
| 113 | %%----> '''Soldier''': "Your country did not prepare you for the level of violence you will meet on my battlefield!" |
| 114 | %%** In Australia, this may be less to do with Values Dissonance and more to do with the fact Australia didn't have an R18+ (i.e. adults only) rating for games until ''2013''. The reason they didn't have one boils down to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Atkinson#Media_classification_and_censorship one politician]] believing [[AnimationAgeGhetto "... it will greatly increase the risk of children and vulnerable adults being exposed to damaging images and messages."]] (Video games are a relatively niche market in Australia compared to other countries) Fortunately, after several attempts, a bill finally got passed. |
| 115 | %%** The censored versions of the game also removed the riot infected (zombies in body armor) because Germany and Australia heavily frown upon violence against authority figures. Sometime later, Valve was allowed to put the removed zombie back in the game after they removed the "Security" logo on the chest. |
| 116 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': |
| 117 | ** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'', the third dungeon is in the shape of a Manji, which is sometimes called a reverse swastika. While the Manji itself has a more religious meaning, most western players saw it as the swastika used by the Nazis. On the subject of religion, the game and its sequel have the holy cross symbol on Link's shield and on the gravestones found in the graveyard. The Magic Book item not only had a cross on it as well, but it was called a Bible in the Japanese version. Originally, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen the games were going to feature Christianity as the main religion everyone followed]], but the idea was changed to having fictional gods. While Japanese games usually have no problem using religious references and characters, they are widely seen as taboo for Nintendo games due to the main audience being young children. The cross idea was dropped by ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', but the Japanese version still referenced gods and the title was called ''Triforce of the Gods'' instead of ''A Link to the Past''. By ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', characters and text talking about goddesses and gods were done more freely in the English version since there were no real life religions or symbols being used. |
| 118 | ** The portrayal of Gerudo in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' has been subject to scrutiny since the 1990s. They're the Arabic-inspired main antagonists against the predominantly white Hylians. Though it's stated that Ganondorf conned his people, and one of the Sages is a Gerudo who disagrees with Ganondorf, this doesn't stop the Gerudo from being depicted as sneaky thieves. They're also dressed as oversexualized {{Bedlah Babe}}s and it's implied they have {{One Night Stand Pregnanc|y}}ies with Hylians. ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', released two decades later, fixes much of the dissonance. Gerudo are a benevolent ally to the Hyrulean Royal Family and aren't thieves anymore. Though still {{Bedlah Babe}}s, they're less sexualized and more emphasis is put on portraying them as a culture. It's also shown that they marry Hylians, rather than just using them to reproduce. |
| 119 | * ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'': Given that this is a series about members of highly traditional and conservative Japanese organizations, some culture clash, even with contemporary Japanese culture (let alone Western culture) is all but given. |
| 120 | ** A ''big'' one that comes up several times in ''VideoGame/Yakuza1'' is corporeal punishment in regards to children, with two young girls getting slapped by their respective father figures for what essentially amounts to backtalk. To Western audiences, this should have been enough to send both characters careening past the MoralEventHorizon, but in Japan, where corporeal punishment is much less of a deal and disrespecting your elders ''much'' more of one, it passed without comment. |
| 121 | ** In ''VideoGame/Yakuza2'', the police chief casually mentions that no civilian, even an ex-cop PrivateDetective like Date, has any business owning and carrying a firearm. An attitude like that would be political suicide [[EveryoneHasStandards even in the most left-leaning parts]] of the US, and a bit excessive in most of the rest of the world. |
| 122 | *** Also in ''Yakuza 2'', Kiryu and Ryuji choose to duke it out once and for all at the end. This is in spite of both of them suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, the building being set to blow, and Kaoru pleading for them to not go through with it. To honor-bound Japanese men who believe they are running out of time, wanting to die at the hands of a WorthyOpponent makes perfect sense, but to the rest of the world it comes across as both men being willing to die for the sake of [[HonorBeforeReason completely worthless and unnecessary macho posturing]]. |
| 123 | *** Yet another example is the character of Jiro "Killer" Kawara, a CowboyCop with a reputation for gunning down suspects and a preference for going after foreigners in general and Koreans in particular. He has his reasons, but even with them, he still comes across as [[PoliceBrutality a raging]] [[BigotWithABadge racist douchebag]] to a modern Western audience. The narrative, on the other hand, treats him [[DesignatedHero as a clear-cut hero]] (for a given value of "hero", at least; this is a ''Yakuza''-game). |
| 124 | ** ''VideoGame/Yakuza3'': The whole orphanage subplot was heavily disliked by most western audiences, who saw it as needless filler in their [[MemeticMutation serious crime drama]]. In Japan, however, where families and families' status are ''extremely'' important and orphans are heavily discriminated against, the ways and differences in how the kids, Kiryu and the BigBad deal with their respective orphan status and the social stigma that follows with it is considered one of the most important themes in the game. |
| 125 | ** A cutscene in ''VideoGame/Yakuza4'' shows a flashback of Goro Majima giving a watermelon as a gift. In Japan, watermelons are extremely expensive, so this is a significant gesture. For people in countries where they can be bought at any supermarket, this looked [[{{Narm}} goofy enough]] to [[MemeticMutation become a meme]]. |
| 126 | ** ''VideoGame/Yakuza5'': Several {{Idol Singer}}s are forced to abandon their singing careers for reasons like [[HalfBreedDiscrimination being half-Korean]], [[SlutShaming being sexually active]], or [[SinsOfOurFathers having familial connections]] [[MafiaPrincess to organized crime]]. In the Western world, where it is not unknown for people with multiple criminal convictions to maintain careers in entertainment, most of these things would be ignored, decried for rampant hypocrisy (given how deep the yakuza's ties to the Japanese music world are), or at worst raise a minor stink until the tabloids move on to the next juicy tidbit. However, the idol scene takes ContractualPurity to an extreme degree, and girls who are found in any way less than the pinnacle of virginal Japanese womanhood will quickly find themselves replaced by [[WeHaveReserves the next batch of hopefuls]]. |
| 127 | ** Majima's introductory scene in ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' contains another prime example. A brutish man who turns out to be a high-powered executive, gropes a hostess, full on hand-in-bra, and assaults two staff members who attempt to stop him. However, as he is being carted off to the police, Majima maneuvers him into agreeing to paying for drinks for the club instead, stating that he does not wish to see a customer made a criminal, and also pays a bonus to the hostess. To a Westerner, the only thing in this scene that is comprehensible is Majima's desire to make money, which he inevitably will, given that the club is drinking on someone else's dime. However, that someone who attacked multiple employees would be allowed to just walk... simply wouldn't happen. Japan, however, has a significantly higher tolerance for drunken stupidity (according to legend, it is completely acceptable to punch your boss, provided you are drunk enough to forget it in the morning and apologize when someone tells you) and a much lower tolerance for police involvement. A man at that social level who was arrested, let alone tried and convicted, would be fired immediately to preserve the company's reputation, and be unemployable as anything other than a menial. Meanwhile, a hostess is very emphatically not a prostitute, and those kinds of services are not for sale, but being groped by a customer who is drunk and handsy is one of the risks of the job, and receiving monetary compensation from your employer for it would be considered quite generous. |
| 128 | ** ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'': Masato Arakawa's self-loathing is quite strange to many people in the world. Granted, being wheelchair-bound is not something anyone would want, and IJustWantToBeNormal is a common and powerful enough motivation to be its own trope. Still, the sheer depths of his self-hatred and resentment, and the lengths he is willing to go to in order to get out of his wheelchair, are staggering to most of the world. In Japan, where people with physical disabilities were considered perfectly acceptable targets for public ridicule well into the 2010s (and, as of 2021, still are to an appalling extent), and that Japan didn't ratify the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_the_Rights_of_Persons_with_Disabilities Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities]] until 2014, it becomes a lot more both understandable and poignant. |
| 129 | ** Behind the scenes, Tanimura's voice actor Hiroki Narimiya was [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor fired from the series]], and the character was quietly written out after Narimiya was accused of having used cocaine. Narimiya was tried and acquitted of all charges against him (something which, in the Japanese legal system, simply does not happen), but in Japan, the fact that the accusation had been made at all was enough that he needed to be fired in order to [[SlaveToPR preserve the company's reputation]]. In most of the world, a drug charge might be serious enough to get an actor fired, but a mere accusation would just be laughed out of the building. History repeated itself with ''VideoGame/{{Judgment}}'', where Pierre Taki's arrest for possession and use of cocaine led to the game being recalled so Sega could replace his character's voice and [[InkSuitActor appearance]]. While [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor changing the actor for future games]] would be understandable, doing this with a product that was already released comes across as extreme from a Western perspective. |
| 130 | * ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourney'' was made in 1999 and 2000, and it was rated "M". Playing it today, you would actually be ''wondering'' why it is rated "M", as any violence, gore, and innuendo is what the ESRB actually allows in a game rated "T" today. |
| 131 | * The manual for Interplay's PC adaptation of ''[[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' had a section explaining that the portrayal of some elements of the setting reflected the source material and might conflict with modern sensibilities. |
| 132 | * ''VideoGame/{{Mappy}}'': In TheEighties, having a video game with a [[ByTheBookCop police officer]] as the main character was considered a benign and rather fresh concept. In TheNewTwenties, a game with a police officer being the protagonist would have a hard time catching on, especially in {{America|ns Hate Tingle}}, with concerns over PoliceBrutality being on the rise. |
| 133 | * While all eight of the Robot Masters in ''VideoGame/MegaMan6'' are based in NationalStereotypes, they're low-key enough to not come across as racially insensitive. That is, with the exceptions of Flame Man and Tomahawk Man. Flame Man embodies the stereotype that Saudi Arabians are known for their [[ArabOilSheikh oil harvests]], in addition to repeatedly [[MiddleEasternTerrorists setting it on fire]], whereas Tomahawk Man not only embodies TheSavageIndian stereotype of Native Americans, but his stage is an [[InjunCountry Indian reservation]] which [[SettlingTheFrontier cowboys are invading]]. |
| 134 | * ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': There is a difference in how Japanese and American fans see the game's heroine, and this may account for some of ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'''s different receptions in each country. In the Japanese-made 2D games, Samus is a somewhat understated character, not much known outside the Federation's upper brass and the Pirates she fights. In the American-made 3D games, Samus is a celebrity hero, universally feared by the Pirates and well-respected by even the newest recruits in the Federation. Her job as a bounty hunter is also seen differently, that Americans see her as an amoral anti-hero who works alone while the Japanese see her as part of a military hierarchy. There was a proposal in ''Prime 3'' by Retro for side quest bounties, that was denied by Nintendo as something a good person like Samus would never do. Incidentally, the Japanese 2D games are also the ones to show Samus scantily clad. It was the Americans who first made an attempt to cover her up, with ''Prime'' never showing more than her face, and ''Prime 2'' featuring her slinky but functional-looking Zero Suit. ''Prime 3'' goes back to a simple helmet removal. |
| 135 | * A lot of early marketing for the early ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' games featured teenagers or even preteens despite the games being notoriously gory. Likewise, almost all adaptations (including the [[Film/MortalKombatTheMovie movie]] and [[WesternAnimation/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm cartoon]]) were toned down and aimed at a young audience. Modern advertising aims the games exclusively at adults. They would never get away with implying youth can buy the games like they did in the 1990s, especially with how the violence has become less cartoony and over-the-top than it originally was. In fact, ''Mortal Kombat'' is one of the reasons the [=ESRB=] system was even created in the first place. |
| 136 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Mother}}'' series gets hit with this in several moments: |
| 137 | ** ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}'' (''Mother 2''): |
| 138 | *** In the Japanese version, in the land of Magicant, which exists only in Ness' mind, [[OutOfClothesExperience he is naked]] (but has BarbieDollAnatomy), while in the English localization he appears in his pajamas as he did at the beginning of the game. While it is seen as a symbol of purity in Japan, nudity -- especially child nudity -- is considered extremely sexual in the US. |
| 139 | *** Any mention of [[WouldHurtAChild inflicting corporal punishment to children]] was changed for the English localization. When Aloysius spanks Porky and Picky off-screen for sneaking out late at night, the sound effect is changed to a synthesized yell (though many players still caught on to what really happened). Porky's line about his butt hurting was also changed to him complaining about not getting any dessert for the rest of the decade. Likewise, Tony's warning that Jeff will get spanked if he gets caught sneaking out of boarding school was changed to a generic claim that he'll "get punished big time." While there are many adults that still believe in corporal punishment, it's rarely portrayed positively or for laughs anymore due to the implications of child abuse. |
| 140 | *** In Fourside, the (underage) protagonists can walk into a building labeled "Bar" in the Japanese version. Kids aren't allowed in bars in the states, so this was changed to "Cafe" in the English localization. Interestingly enough, the sprites for an NPC with a slightly pink face and who is holding what is clearly a glass of beer (though the dialogue ''[[BlatantLies insists]]'' that it's coffee) was unchanged, making him drunk on FrothyMugsOfWater. |
| 141 | *** ''Mother 2'' shows that Porky's behaviour throughout the game is a result of him [[AbusiveParents being a product of an abusive household]] who only ever wanted to feel loved and have friends, which in turn made him susceptible to Giygas' evil influence. Due to ''[=EarthBound=]'' censoring or downplaying any mention of child abuse throughout the game (like the beating he receives from his father at the beginning of the game and his mother being implied to be way worse, his father leeching off his success in Fourside, and both of his parents insulting him at the end of the game) this would be lost on many players in the states, who may only see Porky tormenting Ness [[ItAmusedMe because he wants to]]. |
| 142 | ** ''VideoGame/Mother3'': |
| 143 | *** Nintendo allegedly cancelled the overseas localization of the game fearing controversy surrounding some of the game's more "colorful" aspects. No specific examples were given, but it most likely had something to do with the Magypsies, who resemble and act like stereotypical {{drag queen}}s. Acording to Itoi, the Magypsies were added in as a positive portrayal of his gender non-conforming friends. While it was indeed very progressive for 2006 (they're the BigGood of the setting, and [[spoiler:with one notable exception]] are nothing but friendly and helpful), it's not a portrayal that's aged particularly well, and their [[CampGay campy]] appearance and mannerisms would likely cause offense in The New Twenties without extensive rewrites. It doesn't help much that in-game they are referred to as being weird, but good people nonetheless. |
| 144 | *** The game has an in-universe example when Tazmilly has been changed by Fassad and the Pigmask army after a 3-year TimeSkip. Mike, who's forced to live in the [[BleakAbyssRetirementHome jail-like]] "[[IronicName Old Man's Paradise]]", remarks that he's fine with it since he's surrounded by Nan and Linda, whom he refers to as "cute nurses" (in the translation, "nice-bodied girls") and gets to stare at. Linda comes in and reminds him he's not allowed to say such things anymore since that's now considered sexual harassment, and ''that'' makes Mike think his living conditions are terrible. |
| 145 | * The ''VideoGame/NancyDrew'' game ''Shadow at Water's Edge'' plays with this trope, as it is set in Japan. Part of Miwako's resentment towards Yumi, apart from sibling rivalry, is that she left the Ryokan to start her own career-making bento instead of staying to run the hotel as expected of her. According to Miwako, this makes Yumi "selfish". This logic only makes sense if you understand that in Japan, independence is frowned on and you're supposed to do what's expected of you. However, it is also revealed later on that [[spoiler:the girls' mother actually ''wanted'' them to lead their own lives and not take care of the Ryokan unless they wanted to do it, proving that the general attitude towards an issue does not necessarily hold up for everyone.]] |
| 146 | * ''North & South'' was released in 1989, and displays [[WarHasNeverBeenSoMuchFun a rather lighthearted view]] of UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar and [[NobleConfederateSoldier a rather impartial depiction of the Confederacy]], with slavery not once being mentioned -- and also including both TheSavageIndian and a lazy Mexican {{Bandito}} as map hazards. With increased scrutiny towards both racial stereotypes and the "Lost Cause of the Confederacy" narrative that downplayed slavery's role in kickstarting the war starting from TheNewTens, ''North & South'''s treatment of its premise comes across as inappropriate nowadays. |
| 147 | * ''VideoGame/NightTrap'' was very controversial when it came out and was partly responsible for the creation of the ESRB (though much of this was due to misinformation about the game). Nowadays, it looks downright tame, and very {{Narm}}y. The re-release made of it made 25 years later only got a T rating, and was released on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch despite then-president of Nintendo of America Howard Lincoln testifying before Congress that the game would never appear on a Nintendo console. |
| 148 | * In ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'', Ophilia's relationship with her adoptive family involves significant cultural differences between Japan and the West about adoption. |
| 149 | ** Ophilia addresses her adoptive father Josef by his title of "Your/His Excellency". The few times that Ophilia refers to Josef as "Father" is [[YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious when something really bad is happening]]. This comes across as oddly formal to a Westerner, especially when the story emphasizes [[SoProudOfYou how proud Josef is to have Ophilia as a daughter]], how Lianna instantly grows attached to Ophilia when they first meet, and how [[HappilyAdopted Ophilia is aware that she's adopted, but still unconditionally loves Josef and Lianna]]. In Japan, orphans have a long history of being in a socially-awkward position, and are encouraged to be constantly deferential to their parental figures, [[JapanesePoliteness even more than is usually considered appropriate]]. Traditionally, taking in an orphan was considered a huge act of charity on the part of the adopting family in Japan; the adopted child was expected to treat their adopting parents with almost-reverent gratitude. Ophilia's deferential behavior and language are thus in line with how an orphan is expected to act toward their adoptive family from a Japanese perspective. |
| 150 | ** Josef and Lianna insist that their kindness toward Ophilia is just what family members do for each other. This is meant to show them as exceptionally remarkable and compassionate people in Japan, whereas this attitude would be expected towards an adopted child in the West, so it comes across as them being CaptainObvious instead. |
| 151 | ** Ophilia is surprised when she is told by a local resident that Josef considers her one of his daughters. This comes across to a Westerner as her being incredibly naïve, whereas in Japan, orphans being viewed as outsiders in the family is the norm, and the average first-time Japanese player would be just as surprised as she is. |
| 152 | ** Japan's views on adoption are reinforced by Lianna's word choice in the beginning of Ophilia's Chapter 1. She refers to Josef, when in conversation with Ophilia, as "My father."[[labelnote:Context]]She does so when mentioning that her father was the one who took on the Kindling years ago, and that she will follow in his footsteps[[/labelnote]] She repeats this, also in conversation with Ophilia, when anguishing over his illness and the effect it has on her. Each time it emphasizes to Ophilia that, while Lianna acknowledges her as family, there remains some disparity in her mind about her place in their family and Ophilia's place in it. This may be part of the reason why [[spoiler:Lianna believes that Ophilia doesn't love Josef as strongly as she does when Ophilia protests her stealing the ember to try to bring Josef back to life]]. This is also why Ophilia outright calling Josef her father during the finale of her story is a big emotional moment, and helps [[spoiler:Lianna snap out of her grief]], as it reaffirms that Ophilia truly loves her and her father. This wouldn't seem as big of a deal for a Western player, because it would seem obvious that Ophilia cares for Lianna and Josef. |
| 153 | ** Interestingly enough, the game's synopsis alternates between referring to Lianna and Ophilia's relationship as "friends" and as "sisters." For example, the final entry for Ophilia's story [[spoiler:has the title, "Friends Forever,"]] and Cyrus refers to Lianna as Ophilia's "friend" in his Chapter 4 party banter with Ophilia. |
| 154 | ** In conclusion, while a Westerner would still see the three of them as a loving family, Ophilia's overtly formal behavior towards her adoptive father and sister would be seen as a bit odd. |
| 155 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Pico}}'' series was initially conceptualized in 1999, and it shows through a lot of jokes that [[HarsherInHindsight have not aged well]]: |
| 156 | ** The flagship ''Pico's School'' plays, for [[BlackComedy dark humor]], a bunch of outcasts [[AxesAtSchool shooting up their school]], with the titular character picking up a gun of his own to stop them. In the wake of UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}}, this would have been seen as catharsis. Not so much in modern-day America, in which school shootings have become a disturbingly more common event. |
| 157 | ** There is also ''Nene's Interactive Suicide'', which revolves entirely about an [[VagueAge implicitly young]] girl killing herself and it [[SuicideAsComedy being regarded as humorous]]. Considering the furor that arose from a ''dramatic'' presentation of teen suicide in ''Series/ThirteenReasonsWhy'', it's safe to say that the blasé treatment of its subject matter would not fly today. |
| 158 | ** ''Darnell Plays With Fire'' depicts Darnell as having rigged explosives to blow up a pair of skyscrapers, reacting with glee to a plane crash said to result in hundreds of casualties, and outright mentioning the ingredients he uses in his homemade bombs. Even when not taking into account the SuicideDare given to the viewer at the end, there's no way this wouldn't have been widely condemned as tasteless or even inflammatory had it not been released two years before [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror 9/11]]. |
| 159 | * At the start of ''VisualNovel/PlumbersDontWearTies'', the male lead John's mother [[GoodMorningCrono wakes him up by calling him]] to complain about him not having a girlfriend. She asks if he's gay and is relieved when he honestly says no. This isn't too out of place for 1993, when the game was first released, but comes off as homophobic now that society has become more accepting of same-sex couples. |
| 160 | * ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': |
| 161 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' implied that humans and Pokémon were [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Sinnoh_myths#Sinnoh_Folk_Tales once able to be married]], among other things. The English version censored it. |
| 162 | ** The European version of ''Platinum'' removed the slot machines because PEGI has gotten harsher on gambling references. MoralGuardians elsewhere complained too, and in ''[=HeartGold=]'' and ''[=SoulSilver=]'', the slot machines were replaced outside of Japan (even in North America, which ''did'' have slot machines in ''Platinum''). Every game (including remakes) released afterwards lack Game Corners entirely, even in Japan (this is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in ''Omega Ruby'' and ''Alpha Sapphire''). When ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' were rereleased on the 3DS Virtual Console with slot machines intact, [[SameContentDifferentRating the game's PEGI rating went from 3 to 12]]. The same happened with the Gen II games. For ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee'', the Celadon Game Corner's slot machines are arcade machines instead. |
| 163 | ** The ''Pokémon'' games also give a meta example: The idea of splitting the content between two games and requiring players to trade for version-exclusive content is often viewed very differently by different audiences. The Japanese players see it as a SocializationBonus. A lot of Western players see it as [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo a money-grab]] that forces them to buy the same game twice for 100% completion. This has lessened with the advent of Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing players from all over the world to interact with each other. |
| 164 | ** Some believe that this is why the starters and other special Pokémon like Eevee, Lucario and fossil Pokémon are generally predominantly male. In Japan, gifts are SeriousBusiness, and female Pokémon are considered more valuable than male Pokémon due to their role in the breeding mechanics (females determine what species of Pokémon is born, males determine the child's move set, the latter prior to Gen. VI). Thus, since each Gen's starter is a gift to you from the region's Pokémon Professor, the male to female ratio for Starters is heavily on the male side to discourage trading it. |
| 165 | ** The ''Pokémon'' series usually treats children leaving the house at a preteen age to become Trainers as perfectly natural. In some other countries, as has been addressed throughout the page, an 11-year-old leaving the ''neighbourhood'' unsupervised can cause mass panic, much less walking around the country. Starting from ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', where the regions start to be [[FantasyCounterpartCulture based on Western countries and locales]] [[note]]''Black and White'''s Unova is New York City and New Jersey, [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Kalos]] is France, [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Alola]] is Hawaii, [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Galar]] is the United Kingdom and [[VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet Paldea]] is Spain[[/note]], this aversion to FreeRangeChildren is acknowledged, with protagonists now being ambiguously between fourteen and seventeen. Even then, ''Black and White'' has Bianca's father as very apprehensive about letting her go off by herself, and appears to try and bring her home when she reaches Nimbasa City. |
| 166 | ** The entire concept of ''Pokémon'' to certain animal-rights advocates seems like the idea of capturing monsters and forcing them to fight, seeming suspiciously similar to bloodsports like cockfighting, and trapping the Pokemon in Poké Balls has been compared to caging circus elephants. PETA even released various... [[ShallowParody parody]] [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndBlue games]] (for lack of a better word) in which the Pokémon fight their abusive trainer, or similar. (For whatever reason, they waited until long after the series became an established Nintendo franchise to do so; at least the ''Mario'' one referred specifically to a then-recent release.) Nintendo did fire back on these, however, with threats of legal action. Originally, it was actually intended to represent a game that captured the childhood passion that the original Creator/GameFreak creator Satoshi Tajiri had for collecting bugs and letting them fight against each other. However, as the company switched from CEO to CEO it has become established that the Pokémon in-universe are sapient, and willing to fight and compete with each other. This isn't unlike several real-life animals (if anything, Pokémon battles are ''less'' dangerous than that). |
| 167 | ** Game Freak has a reputation of doing absolutely nothing to deal with hackers and {{griefer}}s populating the Pokémon games' online presence, which was at least as early as Japanese players spamming Magnemite ''en masse'' in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''. This is because in Japan, a company is not supposed to step in due to bad player behavior; the idea is to let the players handle it themselves by shutting out the players who behave in bad faith. (This is the same case in the Anime and Manga section in regards to ''Anime/GundamBuildDivers''.) In the west, bad behavior like this regularly happens on too large a scale to be stopped outside of direct intervention from the developer. Since westerners are used to the developer stepping in, it's jarring to see Game Freak take no action to stop them, even by the time of ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' when it grew into a thriving black market for hacked Pokémon and "Bad Eggs."[[note]]Bad Eggs are data-corrupted Pokémon depicted as non-interactable eggs; depending on their nature, they can have all sorts of nasty effects when given to someone, up to bricking the game system on which it's played.[[/note]] |
| 168 | ** Overlaps with AmericansHateTingle, but Western critics gave the ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'' spinoffs lukewarm and tepid ratings for its bland gameplay focus, but the Japanese critics gave them better (if not perfect) ratings for unique gameplay and story finesse. Also qualifies as CriticalDissonance, as fans on both sides of the Pacific have had very nice things to say about the spinoff series. |
| 169 | ** Similar to one of the ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' games, the Sailor trainer class sprite had to be altered in localizations due to the use of the BicepPolishingGesture. |
| 170 | ** Jynx likely counts as an example as well. She was based on a Japanese subculture called ''ganguro'' that’s characterized partly by dark skin and light blonde hair. However, she also had an uncomfortable resemblance to blackface, the derogatory shows in the U.S. where white actors would color themselves black and act out derogatory stereotypes of African-Americans. Japan never dealt with this sort of thing, and so the developers there would’ve been less likely to recognize the potential problem in the design. Jynx was recolored and given purple skin to negate the issue when the games were exported. |
| 171 | * ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoSun'': In the story mode, Incubus swears by shouting "Shit!" verbatim, which is even read out loud by his voice actor in the console versions. This is treated as his yet another GratuitousEnglish schtick and nothing more than a silly gag, but decades later, it's perceived as a complete MoodWhiplash even in Japan and definitely won't fly in Sega's kid-friendly branding of the series. |
| 172 | * While most racing games, even the infamously violent ''Videogame/{{Burnout}}'' has largely an Everyone (or E10+ at worst) rating in ESRB, or 3+ or 7+ in Europe, racing games in Japan are generally split between closed circuit racing games and street racing in terms of rating. Closed-circuit racing games or fantasy racing games (such as ''Videogame/MarioKart'') had got an CERO A (All Ages) rating, while street racing games usually got an CERO B (Ages 12 and up) rating. |
| 173 | * ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'': The use of {{crossdress|er}}ing as a form of making [[BigBad Alfred Ashford]] come across as creepy appears rather tactless about halfway through TheNewTens. His voice coming across as [[CampGay flamboyant]] also comes across as cheap, and this line said by Claire Redfield when Alfred hacks her emergency plane is one that could only have been seen as acceptable in the TurnOfTheMillennium, when the game first released. |
| 174 | -->'''Claire:''' Alfred! You [[CreepyCrossdresser crossdressing freak]]! |
| 175 | * ''VideoGame/RiverCityGirlsZero'': [[spoiler: Sabu, a ruthless Yakuza leader, shot Misako, Kyoko, and Ken during different parts of the game.]] While it's already considered to be a MoralEventHorizon as the aforementioned victims are school-aged teenagers (though they survived), the Japanese gun laws prohibits most kinds of firearms to the point that even some {{Yakuza}} refuse to hold one with the penalties being high (firing irresponsibly ranges from three years to life in prison). It also means that [[spoiler: Sabu]] lost his honor after those acts. |
| 176 | * ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose'' was subject to this trope in many parts of Europe where the publishers were pressured to pull it off of the shelves. All because it depicted children as something other than innocent little angels, capable of extreme cruelty and spite, and possessing early signs of developing sexuality -- even though nothing unwholesome happens with preteen children in that area, and the sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl is treated with all the horror it deserves. |
| 177 | * ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}} II'' has a barmaid in [[TheEighties the British Colony of Hong-Kong]] thank Ryo for being so honest about being too young to buy alcohol at age 18. For the record, legal age for buying alcohol in Britain (and Hong Kong) ''is'' 18, but it's 20 in Japan and 21 in the US. |
| 178 | * The ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' (and ''especially'' ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'') games, being heavily steeped in Japanese culture but having an audience worldwide, were bound to run into this: |
| 179 | ** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' is rated "all ages" in Japan, though it (or rather "''[[MarketBasedTitle Lucifer's Call]]''") is rated 11+ and 12+ by PEGI based on the region; the ESRB, on the other hand, has it as M (17+). The same is true for the vanilla ''VideoGame/Persona3'', except that it has a [=CERO=] "b" (12+). |
| 180 | ** In ''VideoGame/Persona2'', the portrayal of Tatsuya Sudou echoes society's attitudes towards mental illness around the turn of the milennium - he's a contemptible manchild who needs to get over himself. In modern times, he comes off more as an UnintentionallySympathetic TragicVillain who is in clear need of legitimate psychiatric help that he isn't getting. |
| 181 | ** In both ''Persona 3'' and ''VideoGame/Persona4'', doing well on your exams makes you more popular. Viewers of Western media are typically used to [[IntelligenceEqualsIsolation the opposite trope]]. That said, Shu, despite being the top student of his class, doesn't have any friends until he [[spoiler:gets caught cheating, and his greatest academic rival (who also isn't very popular himself) stands up for him]]. In addition to that, while ''VideoGame/Persona5'' does increase your charm if you do well on your exams, the two smartest Phantom Thieves (aka Futaba and Makoto) don't have a lot of friends even before the former became a shut-in, and the protagonist doesn't have a lot of friends in Shujin Academy as a majority of his confidants don't even attend that school (his criminal record and the rumors surrounding him causes most people to steer clear of him). |
| 182 | ** It says something about the United States' thoughts on the concept of a teenager [[MayDecemberRomance romancing a 10-year-old]] when an already M-rated game tones down the [[LoliconAndShotacon implications]] on dating Ken. And in case you thought Americans would be more tolerant of a young man dating an older woman as seen in ''Persona 5'', they're not. Many found that while the reasons behind the protagonist being able to date older women may be much better in words, it's still showing a teenager with an adult who should know better and not stopping herself regardless. That rubbed a lot of Western players the wrong way. |
| 183 | ** Yukari Takeba's [[AmericansHateTingle sizeable Western hatedom]] stems predominantly from her having the unfortunate combination of this trope and a ScrappyMechanic. In a game that depends on you [[LevelUpAtIntimacy5 mastering Social Links]], and with the ability to [[YouLoseAtZeroTrust Reverse and Break Social Links]], Yukari's Social Link depends ''heavily'' on [[ItMakesSenseInContext understanding a Japanese perception about personal strength, responsibility and maturity]]. These are so contrary to typical Western perceptions that she is the absolute easiest character in the game to accidentally mess up with. Of particular note is one case in which you can Reverse her Social Link by choosing to hug her when she's at a low point. As mentioned elsewhere, hugging is a highly intimate act in Japan, but one that many Westerners wouldn't think much of since hugging a friend who is feeling down is considered socially acceptable, at least as long as the person being hugged feels close enough relationship-wise. At the point that the hug comes up, many Western players felt it was appropriate to do so given the connection developed by that point, when in truth Yukari is not quite there yet with the player. In ''Persona 3 Portable'' and ''VideoGame/Persona3Reload'', the Reverse-triggering dialogue option is to say you stepped in because Yukari's a girl, a comment that comes off as sexist. |
| 184 | *** Rise has a similar situation with [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff ironically the opposite outcome]], whilst at an extreme low point on her route that has brought her to tears, choosing to hug Rise immediately initiates a relationship. In Japan, this is an obvious and expected outcome of giving a ''very'' intimate gesture, while by staying back you're simply being a friend to her. Americans are far more used to platonic hugging and so they tend to see it the other way around; by hugging her, you're being a supportive friend, and standing back and watching as she has a breakdown comes off as [[NoSympathy really]] [[LackOfEmpathy cold]]. |
| 185 | ** There's even a bit of Values Dissonance between English speaking countries on the series, since America is the only country that rates the ''Persona'' series as high as M (17+). There, "sexualized imagery" (Mara and some female Personas having exposed breasts) is enough to warrant an M rating, whereas other countries don't consider that nearly as harsh, since there's no ''actual'' sexual acts depicted in the series. Looking at the ESRB page for ''VideoGame/Persona4'' also shows that a major factor in its M rating was the "King's Game" scene, where the teenage protagonists go to a bar and start acting drunk and playing "drinking games"... despite the game making very clear that their drinks are non-alcoholic (the bar they do this in hasn't served alcohol in years). This is probably due to America's legal drinking age being much higher than most other countries. |
| 186 | ** ''VideoGame/Persona4'': |
| 187 | *** A problem arose with Kanji Tatsumi. To a lot of Western players, his Shadow and problem is often seen as his being ArmouredClosetGay. According to WordOfGod, Kanji's sexuality ''is'' supposed to remain ambiguous to each player, though his actual problem is stated to having to do with his hobbies: drawing, crafting things with his own hands, which includes knitting things. Essentially, his problem is Naoto's but gender-flipped; Japan has a lot of trouble accepting that RealMenWearPink, so Kanji fears that he'll be rejected as a man for liking craft work. Even with Kanji outright admitting that his problem wasn't about being attracted to men or women but his fear that women would see his hobbies ''as'' gay, a lot of Western players remain on the whole gay idea. |
| 188 | *** Unfortunately, that led to an even bigger problem for Yosuke Hanamura, as a lot of things he said throughout the game to tease Kanji about his issues [[PoliticallyIncorrectHero ended up making him sound homophobic]] to Western audiences. The LGBTQ+ rights movement in Japan has not yet made the same strides its Western counterparts have since ''Persona 4's'' original 2008 release, which consequently means it's way more common for Japanese media to have comic relief characters [[QueerPeopleAreFunny whose sole joke is that they're gay]], or outdated views on homosexuality in general. |
| 189 | *** In the ''Golden'' re-release of ''Persona 4'', Adachi complains about having to serve as a peacemaker in a domestic dispute as an example of how boring Inaba is, reflecting Japanese attitudes about outside intervention in family affairs. That said, Adachi's boredom over being stuck as a detective in Inaba [[spoiler:results in him killing two people and sitting back to watch as the end of the world happens]], so it's unclear how sympathetic he's supposed to be when complaining about his work. In another bit of Adachi-related Values Dissonance, he also claims that he wanted to become a police officer so that he could legally carry a gun, something that would naturally happen as a result of Japan's strict gun control laws (and makes one wonder how Naoto, a teenager, got permission to carry one). In the States, Adachi would have no problem getting a gun since he doesn't have a criminal record or documented mental health problems. |
| 190 | *** Many things in ''Persona 4'' about Rise in particular would only make sense if one knew about the IdolSinger culture. I.E., Rise casually mentioning that information on her measurements (including her bust size) is public knowledge or that there are calendars ''of'' Rise InUniverse. Rise, as a first-year in high school, is 15 at the start of the game and turns 16 early on in the game (June 1, before the party meets her). While Rise's oversexualiation is meant to come off as creepy, the above facts aren't considered anything out of the ordinary. Japan is okay with some level of teenage sexualization, but if Rise were American a ''lot'' of her fans and some of her staff would be getting arrested. |
| 191 | * ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia'' has a notorious scene where the heroes are captured and held in a prison in Valua, and the [[AbhorrentAdmirer lecherous Admiral Vigoro]] enters [[PirateGirl Aika's]] cell to ''rape her'', and the entire scene is PlayedForLaughs. By the time Vyse and Gilder make their timely arrival and save her, Vigoro's snuggling up against Aika's leg while she's clinging to the bars of her cell window. There is no way you could possibly get away with this scene in a post-Me Too world. |
| 192 | * The ''Sly Cooper'' series had several issues in the entries that would be a lot harder to outright impossible to get in today: |
| 193 | ** In ''VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus'', [[MsFanservice Carmelita Fox]] is constantly objectified in the post-mission newspaper stories. This is somewhat balanced out by her actually being a very effective police officer. |
| 194 | ** ''VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves'' has one job in Episode 3 where the Cooper Gang steals an Indian ruby from the temple the ArcVillain is hiding in and sells it to the black market, in exchange for a bomb for the heist. In the current decade, it would be impossible to depict the selling of a cultural artifact on the black market in a remotely positive light, especially for buying explosives. Though it is worth noting that the Cooper Gang are still criminals. More heroic and helpful criminals, but still criminals. |
| 195 | ** ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'': The Guru is portrayed as a [[MagicalNative magical Aborigine]] who is in touch with nature, possesses supernatural powers and does not speak English, though the other characters can still understand him. This characterization would be seen as a racist stereotype today. |
| 196 | * Creator/HideoKojima's self-confessed fetish for demure, quietly emotional women was never so bad as in ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}'', where the 32-year-old protagonist has a number of sexualized interactions with a demure, quietly emotional '''14-year-old''' model. To give an idea of the sexualization, she has a birthmark on her inner thigh shaped like a heart, and you actually need to know that (to prove to her that you have access to the Snatch organization files) in order to continue the game. You can also make the protagonist [[PervertedSniffing sniff her panties]] and, at one point, he accidentally bursts in on her naked in the shower. While side characters complain, it's because the man is technically married, although no side characters comment when another female character asks him out and he accepts. The localization aged her up to eighteen and removed the panty-sniffing and nudity. |
| 197 | ** Something similar happened in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''. It's worth remembering that the plot involves [[AgeGapRomance an 18-year-old who has never had a previous relationship hooking up with a 32-year-old]], and that no-one at all thinks this is odd -- in fact, the other characters actively encourage it and point to her youth as a reason why she's perfect for him. It gets worse when you remember that Meryl was originally going to be ''thirteen'' (modeled after Natalie Portman's character in ''[[Film/TheProfessional The Professional/Leon]]''), and was only aged up to an adult because the character designer had trouble imagining a 13-year-old handling a Desert Eagle like in the script. |
| 198 | ** Related to the ''Snatcher'' example, ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker''. [[http://kotaku.com/5529527/sexy-time-with-metal-gear-solid-peace-walker/gallery/ Check out these sexy screenshots of Paz]], the ''16-year-old'' girl rendered as jail-baity as possible. This is itself an example of Values Dissonance -- 16 is the Age of Consent in most of the developed world, including most states in the US. People in the US tend to think of treating 16-year-olds as sexually available adults creepy [[HollywoodProvincialism because 18 is the age of consent in California]] (and because 16- and 17-year-olds are below the Age of Majority nationwide), which produces much of the US's entertainment and exports its ideas about the appropriate age of consent and when someone can be considered a mature adult to the rest of the country. This is also slightly mitigated by the fact that [[spoiler:Paz is not actually 16-years-old.]] |
| 199 | * The Polish edutainment game ''[[VideoGame/FamilijnyCDRomek Królewna Śnieżka i Siedmiu Wspaniałych]]'' (localized by Creator/PhoenixGames in a stripped-down form as ''Snow White and the Seven Clever Boys'') has a character who is a BlackfaceStyleCaricature, which is extremely offensive to most people, but wasn't considered taboo in Poland at the time. |
| 200 | * ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'': |
| 201 | ** The BigGuyLittleGuy dynamic that Pearl and Marina share is somewhat lost on international players. While Pearl's official height of 145 cm/4'9" is diminutive everywhere, Japanese people are shorter on average, so Marina's height of 178 cm/5'10" is intended to paint her as a StatuesqueStunner, when in most other countries she'd be considered a tall woman but not overly so. |
| 202 | ** Marina's DubPersonalityChange most likely owes itself to this trope -- the average European and especially American player wouldn't recognize Off the Hook's ''senpai/kohai'' dynamic and would just see a black woman acting in a clearly subservient, almost fawning way towards a fair-skinned woman, so the international scripts give her more sass and cheek [[{{Woolseyism}} while keeping her close relationship with Pearl intact]]. |
| 203 | * ''VideoGame/TheSpongebobMovieGame'': The final driving level in the home console version is named ''Drive of the Knucklehead-[=McSpazitron=]'', after a line in [[WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie the movie]]. While this went by without issue in the US, among UK audiences it can raise eyebrows thanks to "spaz" being a highly offensive ableist slur over there. |
| 204 | * ''VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage'': Bombo is a ''very'' poor depiction of a Saudi Arabian, having a stereotypical accent, scorched {{red|is violent}} skin, and most unfortunately of all, [[MiddleEasternTerrorists being specialized in bombing]]. The ''[[VideoGame/SpyroReignitedTrilogy Reignited Trilogy]]'' attempts to alleviate this by having him be renamed to [[{{Bowdlerise}} Bob]], removing the accent, and redesigning him to look more like a [[JackassGenie genie]], but he still retains his proficiency in bombing. |
| 205 | * Many non-Japanese players of ''VideoGame/StarFoxZero'' wondered why [[BigBad Andross]], a primate, loathes canines like General Pepper and the Cornerians as a whole, during the final battle, while in previous continuities he was mean with everyone regardless their species. This is because in Japanese culture, [[AnimalJingoism monkeys and dogs are considered natural enemies]], in the same way cats and dogs are this in Western countries. In fact, Andross is vehemently ''more racist'' towards dogs and foxes in the Japanese version. |
| 206 | * Natsume and [=xSeed=] have run into this a few times while translating the ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' games: |
| 207 | ** The Japanese ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS Cute'' (2005) had a PseudoRomanticFriendship[=/=]GayOption, where your girl could engage in a "Best Friends Ceremony" with some of the other female characters, at which point they'd become essentially the same as a wife. Although relatively mundane for Japan, this would've been considered shocking to certain parties in the US, particularly at the time of release, so the feature was quietly dropped from the US version of the game. Both dropping it and the way Natsume handled dropping it have upset fans, though, and it wasn't helped in retrospect by the fact that, not even a decade later, the feature probably would've survived thanks to America's rapidly changing attitudes toward gay marriage. |
| 208 | ** There was also ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonGBC3,'' which gave a choice of playing as either a male or female. The male character could get married and have a child and continue playing. The female character's game ended as soon as she married. Also, the love interest for the male character was completely useless until livestock was purchased, which could only be bought after growing a certain amount of grass. The love interest for the female character merely began as incompetent. |
| 209 | ** In ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonBackToNature For Girl'', your game also ended after you became married. Though this was changed in the enhanced remake, ''More Friends of Mineral Town''. |
| 210 | ** A few games feature a mini-game which is essentially a LighterAndSofter version of chicken fighting. |
| 211 | ** Many games feature OlderThanTheyLook love interests, such as Luna from ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonTreeOfTranquility'' and Fritz from ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons2014''. These characters appeal to Japanese fans who find them "cute", however older western fans are often weirded out by marrying and having kids with someone who looks like a child themself. As a result, they tend to be TheScrappy or are at least a BaseBreakingCharacter. |
| 212 | ** Several games have your significant other or child wanting to bathe with you. While innocent and familial in Japan, it raises eyebrows in several other countries. |
| 213 | ** The localization blog for ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsTrioOfTowns'' noted how the game's fruit/vegetable classification system is based on ''Japan's'' views, which are based on whether or not the food grows on trees. Because of this, some items westerners would consider fruit, like pineapples, are considered vegetables by the game. They had to deal with this via {{Woolseyism}}. |
| 214 | ** Quite a few American fans feel uncomfortable about Kai from ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'' being an AmbiguouslyBrown man working at a vineyard. He calls his (white) bosses formal terms like "the master". This is just supposed to be politeness on Kai's part (and it likely has to do a bit with the awkward translation of ''64''). Kai is a worker, not a servant or slave, and he can even marry his boss' daughter if you let him. |
| 215 | ** In ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'', {{tomboy}}ish Ann and TroubledButCute Cliff's BelligerentSexualTension-laden behavior often leads into outright DomesticAbuse... on ''Ann's'' part! Cliff often ends up bruised after arguments while Ann cheerfully says that Cliff has "become quite the fighter". It's treated lightheartedly and no one outside of the couple mentions it. Future games remove this aspect of their romance. |
| 216 | ** The lack of a GayOption is often chalked up to this. While many predominantly western-made {{Spiritual Successor}}s either go for the EveryoneIsBi route or have at least one GayOption, the ''Harvest Moon''/''Story of Seasons'' series wouldn't get this option until ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsFriendsOfMineralTown''. The differences between the LGBTQ rights movements in Japan and several other countries is cited as a reason why the series has been so slow to the pickup. This would finally change with ''VideoGame/RuneFactory5'', whose Western localization was [[RegionalBonus altered so the player can marry any bachelor or bachelorette regardless of gender.]] |
| 217 | ** In ''Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility'' and ''Harvest Moon: Animal Parade'', several of the bachelorettes more-or-less stop working after marriage. Even previously career-oriented characters like Kathy, Luna, Candace, and Maya only work once a week. This rubs many fans as sexist but it wasn't uncommon in contemporary 2000s Japan for women to stop working after marriage. |
| 218 | ** Kathy and Owen's relationship in ''Harvest Moon: Animal Parade'' rubs many fans wrong, especially the marriage proposal scene where Owen offhandedly proposes while drunk. It's supposed to be quirky and cute but hasn't aged well since the game came out. |
| 219 | ** The LovingBully portrayal between Julius and Candace has fallen into this. Some fans have complained about how, as a child, Julius bullied Candace so hard that she developed a SpeechImpediment. It's supposed to be cute and Candace doesn't mind much as an adult, but Julius is seen as a KarmaHoudini by some. |
| 220 | ** Won's original design is a negative Chinese stereotype, complete with a stereotypical design and money-hungry personality. The remake ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsFriendsOfMineralTown'' fixes this by changing his design. |
| 221 | ** 2019's ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsFriendsOfMineralTown'' reintroduces the "Best Friend" system as a GayOption in all-but-name. The player can "befriend" any bachelor or bachelorette of the same gender. This has been met with criticism by non-Japanese fans because it seems too close to HideYourLesbians, especially compared to similar games like ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' which have gay marriage. [=xSeed's=] localization into English removes the separation of terms and uses the same phrasing for all marriage candidates (also removing the extra step the original requires for displaying hearts for same-gender relationships), which has been supported by the original developers. |
| 222 | ** In ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonDS'', Muffy bemoans that her skin isn't as white as a duck's. This reflects the Japanese favour towards pale skin but seems unhealthy to westerners. ''DS Cute'' changed her dialogue. |
| 223 | ** One of Julius' Heart Events with Candace in ''Harvest Moon: Animal Parade'' comes off as homophobic and/or transphobic in language. Julius worries that Candace thinks he's a {{crossdresser}}. The English translators censored it by making Julius worry that Candace thinks he's short. |
| 224 | * ''VideoGame/SuperGemFighter'': [[Franchise/StreetFighter Sakura]] writes a letter to [[JokeCharacter Dan]] during the latter's ending, describing how she's going to completely disregard everything he taught because "All your moves look retarded". While the word was commonplace in 1997, it is now regarded as an offensive slur in the modern day for its ableist connotations and can make Sakura come across as UnintentionallyUnsympathetic. |
| 225 | * ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': |
| 226 | ** In Japan, Birdo is a gag UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} character named "Catherine" (but she prefers being called "Cathy"). This was used in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'', but over the years the English translations [[InconsistentTranslation change]] between keeping her as explicitly trans and [[ShesAManInJapan keeping it ambiguous]]. With trans people becoming increasingly accepted in many countries, Birdo has also had a different issue come up: her gender tends to be treated as a joke and she's consistently referred to by her species name instead of her preferred name, Birdetta. As a result, Nintendo of America [[{{Retcon}} typically leaves out]] the "she prefers being called Birdetta" part of her character. Later games would also portray her more respectfully. For example, in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing'', there's a scene where Birdo kisses Mario to restore his HP, which Mario is fine with, rather than being used as an AbhorrentAdmirer or UnsettlingGenderReveal gag. |
| 227 | ** The Japanese version of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' allows Yoshi to eat dolphins, harmless creatures that only appear in a single level. Likely because of the controversy of dolphin hunting internationally (though possibly also because it could make the level {{unwinnable}}), this was removed in other regions. |
| 228 | ** In the Japanese and American versions of ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', Mario raises his hand when talking to another NPC. In the European releases however, Mario doesn't do such gesture. This most likely got censored because it could be confused with the Nazi salute. |
| 229 | ** The Sunset Wilds track in ''VideoGame/MarioKartSuperCircuit'' features Shy Guys wearing Native American headdresses that grab racers and makes them lose coins if they crash into their tents in the Japanese version. The overseas versions of the game removed the Shy Guys headdresses to avoid racial controversy with Native Americans. Furthermore, when the track returned in ''VideoGame/MarioKartTour'' the tents were redesigned completely and placed in off-road sections and the Shy Guys were all replaced with Explorer Shy Guys carrying prospector equipment. |
| 230 | ** The Update 1.10 of ''VideoGame/MarioKart8 Deluxe'' removed an Inkling Girl gesture due to this. The BicepPolishingGesture was edited into a fist bump by removing the part where she grabs her arm. In Japan it's just an excited gesture, but in many regions it's an offensive gesture. |
| 231 | *** Similarly, the same gesture was censored in a much older Mario game -- ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', where Bowser's battle win animation was changed from the BicepPolishingGesture to him simply giving a double fist pump when it came to the West. |
| 232 | ** ''VideoGame/MarioParty8'' ran into this with a line that uses the word “spastic”. In the U.S., it’s a mildly offensive term but not enough to get angry over. In the U.K., however, it’s a very derogatory term for people with mental disabilities and so many complaints were generated that the game’s original version was recalled. |
| 233 | * ''VideoGame/TalesOfArise'': |
| 234 | ** The Ranch mechanic allows players to (offscreen) raise animals for meat. Among these animals are horses. In North America, horses are not what comes to mind when one thinks of "Meat livestock" since horses are more often seen as companions. In fact, it's flat out ''illegal'' in much of the United States to sell Horse Meat. |
| 235 | ** In one scene, Law seems to flat out defend a villain who crossed the MoralEventHorizon - in that he tells Rinwell to ''not'' strike them down right then and there. This makes more sense when you take into account that in Japan, doing things "in the right mindset" is much more important, whereas western socieites often place more onus on the outcome. |
| 236 | * ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'': In the past, Lee has received a lot of dislike from Western players, as so many people perceived him as CampStraight or even MistakenForGay because of his very feminine manners and bright costumes. Such an attitude arose because of the fact that, that in Japan there are different from the West view of men's beauty and ChickMagnet consider a rather feminine man with a gentle appearance, while the Western ideal is considered rather rude. That said, a lot of Lee's Western fans embraced him precisely ''because'' of this queer reading, and they see his flamboyance and showmanship as a perfect fit for [[BraggingRightsOption how it feels to win with him once you've mastered his tricky, technical playstyle]]. |
| 237 | * ''VideoGame/TheTowerOfDruaga''. The game boasts a 60-floor dungeon with many treasures to uncover, many of which are required or else the game becomes much harder at best and UnwinnableByDesign at worst. The treasures often have [[GuideDangIt absolutely obtuse requirements for revealing them]], and just to make matters worse, some treasures actually ''hinder'' the player despite their obscure requirements. The game was a hit in its native Japan, but failed to find an audience in western market tests, and was never officially exported as a result. Part of the reason it succeeded in Japan is that Japanese gaming communities tend to be more communal; players at arcades will often exchange strategies to help benefit each other, and some arcades will have guestbooks for customers to write in, often to discuss these strategies. By watching others play, one could learn how to unlock each floor's respective treasure without having to commit a lot of TrialAndErrorGameplay; in the '80s, well before the age of the Internet as an affordable service, discussing with and watching other players at the arcade was the only way to finish the game if you didn't subscribe to magazines or the like. The idea of arcades being places where players socialize is somewhat lost on Westerners, and especially would've been back in the '80s. In the current day, "barcades" are becoming increasingly common, and some parts of the U.S. (such as Seattle, in particular) have embraced more sociable arcades, but it's not a widespread attitude save for scattered pockets of FightingGame players, RhythmGame players, and {{pinball}} players. On top of that, there is the commonly-Western [[StopHavingFunGuys idea that using guides and others' playthroughs to facilitate one's own progress in a video game is a sign of weakness]], or at the very least [[RevenueEnhancingDevices extortionary]]. |
| 238 | * In 2020, ''Vice'' [[https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/5dmayn/games-marketing-toxic-gamer-culture-online-xbox-live-dreamcast took a look back at game ads from two decades earlier]] and took note of the role they played in, possibly, fostering the toxic gaming culture that had become a serious problem by then. Some of them ''are'' truly cringeworthy by today's standards: |
| 239 | ** An ad for ''VideoGame/ChuChuRocket'' features supposed gamers talking trash about each other, with rants like this that would get whoever said it banned from most platforms today (of course, the ad attracted complaints even back then): |
| 240 | --->"I stuck a cat in your rocket, you backass Tuscaloosa cracker. He's in there chewing your mice. But you probably eat mice yourself when you run out of possum, you monster truck-loving, buck-toothed hillbilly. And you other two mentally challenged dopes. Hang up, I won." |
| 241 | ** Sega promoted Heat.net with a "Cyberbullets" campaign that suggested it could prevent real-world violence by redirecting it online. Sample copy: |
| 242 | --->"I used to take out my bullets, and on each one I would write the name of each person on my bus. Then a friend showed me I could purge my violent urges in Net Fighter on Heat.net against other people. Thanks to Heat, the people on my bus will never know how close they came." |
| 243 | ** Ironically, ''[=ChuChu=] Rocket!'' itself displays several netiquette warnings before playing online, in complete contrast to its ad. |
| 244 | --->'''Caution: when you are online...'''\ |
| 245 | You'll be playing with people you don't know so remember to be polite.\ |
| 246 | Many people may be reading your comments.\ |
| 247 | Please do not use offensive language. |
| 248 | * ''VideoGame/WildARMS3'': |
| 249 | ** Gallows's portraits depict him, the only person of colour in the party, with prominent lips. This can be seen as somewhat resembling blackface - which Japan doesn't see as much a problem with. Additionally, some also interpret him as a MagicalNativeAmerican which is less of a problematic trope in Japan. |
| 250 | ** Virginia's prologue depicts her being smacked right across the face by her uncle in an act of AngerBornOfWorry. Appropriate in the 19th century-ish time period the game emulates and less frowned upon in Japan, but in the [=2000s=] seen as somewhat abusive. Some may even view it as questionable since Virginia is actually eighteen years old - ''possibly'' seventeen in the prologue. |
| 251 | * Blizzard repeatedly had trouble distributing ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' in China because Chinese culture considers desecration of the dead, and any depiction of bones or mutilated corpses, obscene. Among the changes that had to be made were removing exposed bones from undead models, replacing the skeletons left by player deaths with headstones, and changing the graphics for decapitated heads with bags implied to contain them. Lord Marrowgar, [[http://static3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091114060161/wowwiki/images/9/96/Lord_Marrowgar.jpg a large monster that's made up of bones]], had to get an [[http://static1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100817142523/wowwiki/images/6/64/Chinagar.jpg entirely new model]] in the process (and presumably, so did his PaletteSwap, Earthrager Ptah). None of those would make a Westerner bat an eye. |
| 252 | ** Another problem was that China worried about game addiction a lot more than the western markets, forcing Blizzard and other companies to implement stronger AntiPoopSocking measures. |
| 253 | ** A noticeable aversion was the ''Mists of Pandaria'' expansion. Despite showing China's beloved national animal, the panda, in scenes of brutal fighting, explicit torture, and less-than-upstanding social situations, China was too flattered by how incredibly badass they were and how well they captured the most endearing parts of their scenery and culture. This meant that Pandaria was the first expansion that didn't have to be {{Bowdlerize}}d and got a truly global release. As an aside, the original reason Pandaren hadn't appeared in the game earlier? China was angry that the Pandaren brewmaster in ''Warcraft 3'' had a Japanese style instead of a Chinese style, that Blizzard got it right in Pandaria may have been another contributing factor. |
| 254 |
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