The Japanese Version is NOT Always Better

[@TheLokiBiz]

Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior is another good example. It was improved a ton graphically and had a battery so you could save without use of a password

[@FeralInferno]

I played the Japanese version of DQ a long time ago and was surprised to see how different the main character sprite was.

[@spoonybardtoma]

Was going to mention DQ/DW 1 and 2 and this was the first comment I saw hahaha

[@angelriverasantana7755]

The Japanese DQ1 played on fucking early Ultima rules, with 1-way sprites and the talking and checking options had an extra menu for cardinal directions

[@mirabilis]

Zelda 2 was arguably better in the US, at least better than the FDS version.

[@MidoseitoAkage]

​@@mirabilisYeah US doesn't have that annoying sound when you talk with the NPC, has a bew boss instead to used Horsehead in the Ocean Palace.

[@SmeddyTooBestChannel]

Doki Doki Panic has a ton of things that they cut out of Mario 2 like having to *replay every level as each character* that I'm stil amazed people consider it THE REAL VERSION, especially after it was planned as a Mario game to begin with

[@caucasoidape8838]

The Lost Levels should have remained lost. lol

[@hhhh82user]

apparently the smb2 prototype is very much based on doki doki panic, including the fact that, like ddp, you cant run, thank f*cking god that was changed

[@ssg-eggunner]

i feel like that if doki doki panic was never conceived and the mario idea was done from start, it would still end up different

[@MrHurricaneFloyd]

The changes made SMB2 too easy. By far the easiest Mario game ever.

[@asackboyplush6508]

​@@MrHurricaneFloyd nsmb2

[@TurboPikachu]

Generally, Pokemon games are also a lot rougher around the edges upon their Japanese release as the localization process allowed a lot more time for bugfixes in the GBA/DS entries. Now with the games essentially launching simultaneously in all major regions, everyone has to deal with the most broken and buggy entries the franchise has ever had, with basically all post-launch efforts being focused on adding DLC to the game and almost no efforts being made to actually improve performance or fix glitches

[@affegpus4195]

That's not just pokemon, that's literally gaming till PS3/360 era when Japan stoped being the main producer of games. Games were stable and worked because we literally were always getting the 1.1 versions

[@ccricers]

I like the way it happened with the PSP launch. The firmware version 1.00 was only found on Japanese launch PSPs and the only one that let people run homebrew without exploits so you could just run any unsigned code in it. Then Sony went oops, better fix that and patched the PSP with 1.50 for the US launch where the need for custom firmware began

[@Medachod]

Though I definitely prefer a strong amount of sprites in Red and Green. Also HGSS has the Game Corner. Both can be restored with patches, at least.

[@Medachod]

Though, one thing I will say sucks is you can't actually play the slots in the HGSS hack. Would be nice if somebody just translated the Japanese version and redid the whole hack to accommodate it.

[@Medachod]

Don't forget Iwata being on the debug team until BW2.

[@splatjam64]

There's tons of outliers to the "Japanese version is better" claim, the US version of Super Mario Bros. 3 lets you go back to super Mario instead of small Mario when you get hit with a power up, which greatly improves the overall experience and makes the game feel more fair. Another example (although not as extreme) would be how the American/International version of Mario Kart 64 actually has better voice acting compared to the Japanese version. One last Nintendo related example would be how the European version of Luigi's Mansion 1 is better than any other version of the game due to it having a better new game plus mode that flips the entire mansion and even changes boss fights.

[@ssg-eggunner]

the voice acting being better is quite subjective, i like the jp voices as much as i like the us ones

[@Javeton]

@@ssg-eggunnerI was gonna mention this lol

[@CassiusStelar]

​@@ssg-eggunnerWario's "d'oh I missed/so ein mist" is iconic

[@gregorymirabella1423]

Yup, I haven't played the hard mode yet but I made sure to play through the PAL version so I could have it unlocked.

[@keithsnow534]

Well Luigi's mansion was still a time when games still had huge gaps im release between regions allowing developers to tune and add things. Like kh1 japan only had sephiroth and the other secret boss besides the xemnas one were added in the american release. Heck the name of the desert boss was from a contest

[@pigfish99]

for speedrunning, the US version of illusion of Gaia is surprisingly the fastest version. a majority of its textboxes draw out all of the text in 1 frame, meaning that they can be mashed through a lot quicker than the japanese, which do 1 character per frame. this saves around 11 minutes in the speedrun, which is quitea bit for an action RPG!

[@Ryusuta]

Plus, you can get a Y U M M Y R O A S T L E G O F Y A K !

[@tammid8423]

​@@RyusutaOk this must be a second Welfz Twingo case because I keep seeing you everywhereee

[@Roxor128]

I recall hearing that Spyro The Dragon on the PS1 was a case of the Japanese getting an inferior version due to executive mandates. The game was originally developed in the US with a player-controlled camera, but the Sony executives thought their audience in Japan wouldn't understand it and mandated a fixed camera instead. It was not well received as a result, and yet the idiots ordered it done again with the sequel. Insomniac didn't bother porting the third instalment.

[@SorakuFett]

At least Ratchet and Clank seemed to fare somewhat better in JP after that.

[@Gotmilk0112]

This is correct, yeah. Japan was worried about "3D sickness" so they changed the camera to be really slow and mostly-fixed, basically minimizing the amount of camera movement. They also slowed Spyro's movement speed and made it so charging is.....literally the same as your normal walking speed. There's other bizarre changes like the levels are all numbered, and the first world has these signs all over the place that tell you how to play the game. Yeah, it's no surprise that only two Spyro games were localized over there, with these weird and annoying changes.

[@dimelo8826]

Strange they worried about camera sickness when half or more of their shmups, run n gun and action games are crazy movements and seizure inducing lights and fast paced action

[@LoneWolgon1991]

@@Gotmilk0112 imagine what they would do with reignited trilogy…

[@Benjawin6671]

In the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 3 when Mario takes damage instead of reverting to whatever powerup Mario had previously, he'll always revert to small Mario. The international version made it to where you'll instead revert Mario to the mushroom state which I believe to be not only easier but also more fair. It's really strange that Super Mario World goes back to the Mario 1 approach in ALL versions up until Mario Advance 2 especially considering it was clearly designed to be a much easier game than Mario 3.

[@IAm-zo1bo]

But world lets you keep the previous powerup

[@DumbBunny5328]

probably because super mario world started development before mario 3 was even out in the west. that and honestly, the gba version becomes too easy because of the different damage system.

[@maroonmball]

What's odd is that in all versions of Mario 3, on the title screen, Mario downgrades all the way to small Mario when getting hit.

[@bulb9970]

So they dumbed down the game for americans, got it 👍

[@PauClaireIsUnderratedAF]

​@@bulb9970*screams in pain*

[@wardrich]

3:44 dude became Duke Nukem lol

[@pepperjackttv]

Power Blazer - Australian Megaman Power Blade - Australian Duke Nukem

[@MsTatakai]

Excatly what i thought ! hahaah

[@EmberBlitz]

3:43 He looks like Duke Nukem.

[@atifarshad7624]

Haha yep. Replace the blue tanktop with a red one and voila, Duke Nukem

[@whome9842]

Terminator for me

[@civilwildman]

"Let's rock!"

[@EmberBlitz]

@@civilwildman Come get some.

[@supersaiyanwhatever3009]

kick gum and chew ass

[@Larry]

Great video Sir, Was Power Blade 2 released in Japan?

[@EmberBlitz]

Ayyy hello Larry Bundy, remember watching your videos when I was younger. Love from Northern Ireland

[@kenwheeler3637]

Apparently it was, under the title of Captain Saver (キャプテンセイバー ).

[@pojr]

Thank you! Always great seeing you on here. Yeah it was released under Captain Saver, but the gameplay is exactly the same. Same character sprite and everything.

[@AwesomeHairo]

You misused a comma.

[@BlueMSX.]

It's weird to see the US version of a game being better than the original, but we got a pretty great game out of it. Great Video Pojr!

[@pojr]

Thank you! Yeah it's nice to see that for a change. There are a few other examples out there

[@catsaregovernmentspies]

Super Mario Bros 2 is way better than Doki Doki Panic.

[@EWOODJ]

Not that weird if at all

[@ShanetheFreestyler]

In addition to Power _Blade_ getting a sequel over Power _Blazer,_ Power Blade II would also see a Japanese release under the name "Captain Saver." Whether Captain Saver has anything to do with Power Blazer or how the story differs from Power Blade II, I don't know. (Judging from screenshots, it uses the same "serious" graphics.)

[@FeralInferno]

Hey, awesome!! I made a surprise guest appearance on a Pojr video! That made my day and thanks for the shout out! Power Blade is one of my favorite NES games.. I had no idea there was a Japanese version because of the name difference. After seeing this I agree, the US version is waaaay better. Power Blade 2 is probably the better game, but I'm in the same boat, I prefer the first one. Probably because it maintained some of the charm the Japanese version had. Great video Pojr!

[@SylveonTrapito]

When I was a kid I always loved the japanese versions and hated the internationals because censorship and all. Today, I can really apreciate the differences and like them all. With the excepction of pokemon green sprites. They are are the stuff of nightmares :')

[@pojr]

Yeah, I wanted to offer a very rare exception to the rule!

[@Ziggaton]

The sprites of Pokemon Green is a very good example of "programmer art" all around

[@Medachod]

I actually preferred a handful of the Green sprites a lot. Off the top of my head, Blastoise and Koffing look a ton better.

[@Ryusuta]

The absolute biggest example of this for my money is Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link. While there are a couple of features that the Japanese version has that are lacking in the US (such as animated water/lava on the overworld), overall the US version is better in virtually every possible way. The effects are better, the graphics are more varied and clean looking, the dungeons all have unique appearances, the leveling system is completely reworked and is much more balanced and intuitive, there is an extra boss enemy, and overall, it's just the definitive way to play this underrated game. They also completely redid the "encounter" music in the US version to be less dull and droning; and they added a chord change in the boss music to make it much less repetitive. And they fixed the Barba/Volvagia encounter to remove an exploit. Though the very last boss (which I won't spoil just in case) has an exploit that isn't in the Japanese version. Swings and roundabouts. Overall, standing side-by-side, the Japanese version is more of a novelty than anything else compared to the international release. It's basically no contest.

[@pojr]

Very true.

[@MidoseitoAkage]

Same with Yūme Kojo: Doki Doki Panic, when they've changed into SMB2 (USA): - They put a dash button. - They slowed down the waterfall speed. - The Albatross bird has a better flying animation. - You can change your characters on each level - An extra boss such Clawgrip And the most importantly. - No need to beat the game 4th time in the row to see the ending.

[@beauwalker9820]

Agreed, Zelda 2 is better in America. Arguably Mario 3 also as it gives you an extra hitpoint.

[@beauwalker9820]

​@@MidoseitoAkageDon't forget Clawgrip. Funny both the USA version of Zelda 2 and Mario 2 have a new boss.

[@MidoseitoAkage]

@@beauwalker9820 Ah yeah, Instead the white Mouser.

[@friendlyninja5048]

Many Squaresoft/Square-Enix titles had additional refinements and balance tweaks when brought to the US (a few were also modified even further in Europe), particularly the Kingdom Hearts series and PS2-era Final Fantasy games. Oftentimes, these games would have optional bosses and other side content that wasn't in the original Japanese version. Though this content would often be retroactively introduced to Japan through rereleases (Final Mix for Kingdom Hearts and the "International" versions of Final Fantasy games).

[@IMissBionix]

The same was also true for a lot of Level-5's early output. Dark Cloud and Rogue Galaxy being the biggest examples.

[@nimaiiikun]

I remember seeing a preview of Power Blade/Blazer in a gaming mag, thinking it was a megaman in a tank top. then it never showed up. later i realized they changed the design when they released it in the US.

[@Lowmandavis]

Another example is Mario 2 vs doki doki panic, better animations that aren't seizure enducing in some cases

[@gusdotd894]

Yeah, and a run button (you couldn't run in Doki Doki Panic).

[@saltendo2177]

And you can change characters between levels iirc in SMB2, which you would only be able to change between worlds in DDP.

[@Hello-hz7gj]

Another example is Super Mario Bros 3, they made Mario turn into big Mario instead of tiny Mario when he gets hit while having one of the power ups other than just the mushroom. Mega Man 2 also because it has an easy mode, the "normal mode" while the difficult mode is just like the original Japanese version.

[@gregmariotti8425]

Would love your take on games that are better in Japan than the US. There’s definitely some well-known ones but would love to hear about more obscure titles.

[@pojr]

Yeah that would be a cool idea. I talked about a few of them in the " Konami nerfed their own games in the US" video, including contra and life force. I may do some others in the future though

[@CptJistuce]

I can throw irem's Metal Storm out for you. The US release is essentially a beta for the JP release several months later(yes, we got it first). They added a cool opening cutscene, changed some of the colors, and reworked one of the stages to be more challenging by adding force fields along the top and bottom of the screen.

[@samuelpounds1475]

Castlevania 3 Dracula's Curse

[@johnellis3383]

Pojr, I only found your channel recently but I've ve been having fun going back and watching your old videos. Love seeing you channel grow!

[@maniacaldude]

Two things I will say regarding Power Blazer/Power Blade: 1. This is me personally, but most of the time, I do not like when games with cartoony designs get a more realistic "serious" makeover in an attempt to appear more "grown-up" and appeal to hardcore-loving Americans that might be under the impression that cartoony designs are "kid's stuff". I don't see why they couldn't have stuck with the cartoon aesthetic when they were updating everything else about Power Blazer for its Western export. I'm sure Western audiences could have still accepted it. 2. You forgot to mention the time limit that was added in the Power Blade games. I also do not see why THAT mechanic was included when it wasn't in Power Blazer. As far as other games that are superior in the US or outside of Japan, the main one I can think of is the first two Spyro games. Those got bad exports for the Japanese market.

[@zabustifu]

9:30 That probably goes without saying, but even though Power Blade might look like a "ROM hack", it is definitely not one. They had the game sources, so there was no need for them to have fun hacking the binaries like cavemen.

[@JoeStuffzAlt]

I'm thinking this. They probably had it on a basic game engine

[@karlschipul9753]

buddy, you have to find a way to soften the edges of the greenscreen

[@noop9k]

Overall, green screen intro is a bit cringe. With good headphones there is a lot of slurping sounds when he talks.

[@FromBeyawned]

I love Power Blade, one of my favorite nes games. I recommend Prison City for anyone who enjoys Power Blade. It's on Switch (and other platforms) and feels like an updated power blade - you even need to collect keycards from other agents to get into the boss rooms.

[@ssg-eggunner]

i think a romhack that replaces power blade's presentation with blazer would be very neat

[@VOAN]

Here are a few games that are better in the western version than the Japanese one. 1. Mortal Kombat II for Super NES - Japanese version was heavily censored and had green blood. Fatalities are grey out instead of darken. 2. Super Mario Bros. 3 for NES - In the international version Mario could take 3 hits before death if he had a power-up instead of 2 hits like the Japanese version. 3. Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold / Street Fighter Zero 2 Alpha for PS1 and Sega Saturn - The Japanese version didn't get Cammy as a hidden fighter. 4. Legend of Zelda for NES - You can enter the 2nd Quest at anytime by entering the name Zelda as your profile. In the Japanese version you had to beat the game first and had a save file from the 1st Quest in able to get the 2nd Quest. 5. Tetris - The Famicom version of Tetris had input lags with awkward control, the revised Tengen and Nintendo versions for NES fix this. 6. Tetris Attack / Panel de Pon for Super NES - You could continue from where you last left off in Tetris Attack via continue or passwords, both which are not in Panel de Pon. CPU Mode is also not in Panel de Pon, this mode lets you watch the CPU play the game for you while you collect passwords. 7. Final Fantasy for NES - In the Famicom version during a battle, if one particular character is targeting an enemy like say with a Fire spell or something and that same enemy was killed by another character in the party before that one specific character could use the spell then that spell would get its charge wasted indefinitely so if the Fire spell had 3 charges it'll dropped to 2 regardless if the character use it or not. In the USA version if the same thing happen, the charge spell won't be wasted so instead of losing one charge the cancel spell charge won't decrease. You'll still retain 3 charges like before.

[@amimirmimir512]

spongebob atlantis squarepantis for the ds patched skips in the japanese version so the us version is better

[@BenHughes81]

Power Blazer has my boy Nova looking like Great Value™ MegaMan.

[@FeralInferno]

LOL 😆

[@keyblader1985]

And then Power Blade gave us Great Value Duke Nukem

[@FinalVibes]

In SMB3, the Famicom version would set you back to mini Mario when you take a hit even with a power up. In the US NES version, you revert to Super Mario from a power up.

[@hazureito04]

I’m Japanese and in my childhood I played Power Blazer and found it too difficult. I didn’t know it has such a cool international version.

[@PEProzent]

Jumping height is part of gameplay, not controls. Most people use the word incorrectly. Things like button delay or uncomfortable button mapping are part of controls. Or whether you use a thumbstick or Dpad etc.

[@Phoenix2312]

I don't remember who recommended your channel, It must have been Slopes or Stika... But have been watching and really like what you do... Simple, Effective... And Fun! Chalk me up as a new sub!

[@jordongutierrez1219]

At the conclusion section at 10:38 ; anyone know the song thats playing? It sounds like something from the genesis id enjoy. Thank you

[@pojr]

It's from Cosmic Carnage on the Sega 32x

[@jordongutierrez1219]

@@pojrthank you I appreciate it

[@nightbirdds]

I'm trying to think of if there were other examples of this, but can't think of anything. I think Natsume actually did make a lot of changes to their games based on region, but how many of those were gameplay related and made it better I'm unsure of. Another great video, pojr. All the best!

[@TheLokiBiz]

Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior is another example. The US version has a lot of improvement graphically, as well as a battery save (the Japanese original only had a password system)

[@pojr]

Apparently Air fortress is another example of a game that was buffed in the US

[@callumsparrow4379]

Spyro 1 & 2 are also prime examples of the non-Japanese versions of international games being superior.

[@DesertRainReads]

I believe there was a game called Magic John in Japan that was redone as Totally Rad in the US. Apparently while the stages and gameplay are identical, the hit boxes were improved and character designs were overhauled for Totally Rad. Otherwise they were identical. I do feel we got the better game as a result of the overhauled character designs though.

[@koteynikoi-kotei9301]

We played Totally Rad on a knockoff NES back in the day. The music still lives in my head!

[@Baker-2111]

Hey Pojr just wanted to say I'm glad I found your channel. I've been a gamer since the 80s and know a lot of the history yet you still manage to show me things I never knew about. Keep up the good work!

[@williamrodriguez8957]

Natsume made some kick ass games. The fact that they were able to fix power blazer makes total sense.

[@JoystickVersusMachine]

Another odd one is Magical Chase for the PC-Engine/Turbografx-16. The games are basically the same, but the TG16 version got a substantial glow-up. Also R-Type, when the US version shipped on one cart, where the Japanese version had to be shipped on 2.

[@schar1024]

I think most US or EU Versions are better than the Japanese Versions and that is for one simple reason. These Games where released later. So bugs and glitches that exist in the earlier version of the game, often got patched out in the later version of the game, which was usually the US/EU Version. Of course there are some cases where features where taken out because for political reasons, but i think they are rare. If a translation is botched up, i have a good laugh about it. As Example Extreme G III for the PS2, in the German Version the controls tell Press R1 to Lift the Weapon and L1 to Lower the Weapon, what they actually meant was to switch up and down between the weapons. So in my opinion when someone claims that the Japanese Version was better, was for the fact that they want a broken game. So that they can exploit bugs or glitches.

[@the-NightStar]

One thing that I should point out that you got pretty wrong in this video is that Natsume didn't decide on the changes for the international version of Power Blazer to Power Blade. It was actually an American US representative from Taito that once had previous experience working at Nintendo (and who famously worked as a Game Counselor for Nintendo of US, who also originally pitched the Captain Nintendo concept which later became Captain N The Game Master) that revamped Power Blazer into Power Blade. So, no one from any Japanese office nor anyone from Natsume had anything to do with it. It was mainly one guy at Taito from their American branch that is responsible for how Power Blade turned out.

[@Ratchetcomand]

The main character in Power Blade looks like a Arnold knock off

[@RalonsoF1]

Amazing Video again, man! You have a really clean and very enjoyiable style to explain and showcase things! You really deserve way more subscribers and stuff! But I'm sure they will come! Great Work, congrats and a big thanks for Maki g this video!

[@pojr]

Really appreciate that!

[@mattb6522]

Good review! I've played Power Blade before and it is definitely a top-notch NES action game! It is a shame Power Blazer just isn't as good, though. I'd love to see someone in the hacking community create an improvement patch to fix the controls, upgrade system and tone down the difficulty for Power Blazer just to make it a more enjoyable experience. It is always interesting to see what is changed during the localization process with games! I recall some classic games in the US were actually harder than some of the Japanese versions due to the rental market. They didn't want to make games that kids could beat during a rental period.

[@flamingcheese4650]

In the Japanese version of Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn, Edward and Leonardo had really low stats that were actually raised slightly in the localized versions. Edward, Leonardo and Nolan received an unique weapon each (Caladbolg, Lughnasadh and Tarvos). Wrath's activation changed from requiring 20% HP or less to 30% HP or less, and the activation rate was changed from Skill% to 100%. Resolve's activation changed from requiring 20% HP or less to 50% HP or less, and the activation rate was changed from Strength% to 100%. Master Crowns are no longer needed to promote a character from Tier 2 to 3. And in the JP version, Mist needed to use a specific item called a Holy Crown to promote to Valkyrie. In the localized versions, all you need to do is maximize her level.

[@letcreate123]

Quick example I can think of (and I haven't yet watched the video) is Jackal. Because it was first released during the FDS's heyday, they had to severely compress the level layouts to make it fit into a floppy disk. But when it came over to bringing it overseas, suddenly that problem was nonexistent, because cartridge storage had come quite a long way and they could store the full level layouts in cartridge form.

[@dorksours3912]

If you like tough games, another example is Mr Bones for Sega Saturn. The US version was balls to the wall difficult, and the Japanese version released later is greatly toned down in terms of difficulty.

[@RiccioSoter]

The reason the character got changed between jp and usa is because they thought "this is more appealing to americans"

[@JohnyTheWizKid]

It is more appealing. We don't get attracted to cute nature. We like action muscular heroes. It's a good role model to grow up to become so we can get girls.

[@daddad9978]

@@JohnyTheWizKid To Be Fair As someone who live in egypt I Prefer The Power Blazer Design Because I Think he look more cute

[@samuelpounds1475]

Mega Man: Huh, I wonder who that's for

[@daddad9978]

@@samuelpounds1475 Bad Box Art Mega Man has enter the chat

[@dimelo8826]

Well mega man was changed a bit. They changed his “Rock” name because the name “Mega” man is a better fit for American culture. And they didn’t over do it with anime. Also they didn’t want the box art to be cutesy so they got Artists to draw the American box art which the artist didn’t know anything about the franchise he sent why we got the infamous box art for mm1 which I kind of like. It’s ugly of course as I first noticed as a kid since I got MM2 first. But in a retrospective, nostalgic and reasons artistically... I appreciate now and would not change it. MM2 pal version box art is badass as well. I kind of loved the US box art of NES games over their anime counterparts in Japan which was the main art. It’s almost like a cultural phenomenon and impactful now and it should be a cool NES thing of the past we should cherish and think is neat that that’s how we were and thought and made back then. Part of the NES story and legacy.

[@JoeStuffzAlt]

Japanese to English change: Silhouette Mirage. I rented it from a video store and that game was really hard. It turns out that when the company ported it over to the USA, they made it more difficult. The game had a really cool aesthetic.

[@CebolaBros]

That's Working Designs for ya. They did this for pretty much every game they ever localized 🫤

[@AngryCalvin]

I prefer Renegade over the Japanese Kunio. The 1950’s atmosphere is really compelling and makes the game far more fun and exciting. Had no idea the Japanese version of Power Blade was so terrible. Especially considering how great a game it was in the USA. I did collect the Famicom Mini over the Nintendo Classic because I much prefer the disk versions most of all and the Japanese versions in general.

[@KenMasters.]

All I saw in Renegade was a Warriors knockoff with generic characters and a bare-boned story. Kunio-kun is where it’s at, Japan even made a live-action series based on the game.

[@alvarochaves1999]

Power Blade II was released in Japan as Captain Saver. Edit: Fixed

[@marioxb]

Power Blade II

[@alvarochaves1999]

@@marioxb Thanks, I fixed the comment.

[@raphaelsolo]

I think it's hilarious that Blazer looks like a Mega Man game and Blade looks like Ninja Gaiden.

[@MarcelisKhaldern]

So it's not quite fair as it was an American game first, but Spyro the dragon 1 was made SO much worse in Japan by forcing fixed camera , apparently some people felt ill with the normal camera? Which is weird

[@kandigloss6438]

I can't think of any names off the top of my head, but there are many games that had improvements when localized for the west. Usually much more minor improvements than the game presented here though. Developers would often fix bugs or minor gameplay issues that they didn't catch the first time around.

[@lpfan4491]

Yeah, that is the biggest reason why the issue is less black and white than many people make it out to be.

[@kynmasters8670]

Regarding not being able to grab ladders: are you playing on an emulator with an Xbox controller? Those controllers have a bug where if you press up too hard on the d-pad it doesn’t register.

[@MCastleberry1980]

I think the ultimate "better in the international version" award has to go to Doki Doki Panic becoming SMB2

[@pojr]

You're absolutely right!

[@Tarquin23]

Not really a topic about when western games are better than the Japanese ones, but more a video simply about Power Blazer 🤨

[@marioxb]

Exactly what I was thinking.

[@bigbangbot-SuperSqank]

Spyro the Dragon is a prime example of this. The Japanese version of the game significantly slowed down/altered the movement and they messed the camera up. The Japanese version is definitely interesting but it is overall a significant downgrade to its international counterpart.

[@jsr734]

The nerfing in the Spyro games was on purpose. Apparently the japanese publisher thouht the game was moving too fast and that could lend to japanese kids to get motion sickness. Also in Japan Spyro and Crash Bandicoot games were marketed towards small children instead of pre-teen or teenage kids.

[@FloofPuppy]

Like that you're tackling other games that not a lot of people I'm subbed to have tried~ You have a unique set up in your videos!

[@pojr]

Thank you so much! I try to cover the more obscure games and stories

[@Agent-jc6ww]

Always excited for a new video. More power POJR.

[@pojr]

Thank you so much!

[@fabzter]

Awesome video, please make it a series!

[@jamesstaggs4160]

Is the big end of the stick what I want? I think I'd rather get the small end.

[@RaposaCadela]

I thought this was insane when I first found out! I remember being able to beat Power Blade, but then couldn't beat a single stage in Power Blazer... the small changes they made really were game-changers. Dying from falling off-screen was bad though, and I guess limited the level-design in some ways. I also personally think the scenario graphics fit perfectly with the realistic art-style, but look too detailed with the anime art-style originals. I could never get into Power Blade 2, it's a very impressive game but tbh, too gimmicky! You forgot to say Power Blade 2 did get a japanese version, and called it Captain Saver. No idea if there were more changes though, but it'd be cool to hear! Good vid tho :D

[@morita_rian]

確かに子供向けの少年ヒーローがブーメランを振り回すより、シュワルツェネッガーがブーメラン振り回してる方がより良いアイデアですね！

[@BvsMAcosh]

Sooo. That is a total of 1 example.

[@StomachPlug]

As others here have pointed out it's actually hardly uncommon for international releases after the initial Japanese ones to have a ton of bug fixes and additional content or gameplay tweaks. Some commonly cited examples: • Super Mario Bros. 2 is much better than Doki Doki Panic • Super Mario Bros. 3 gave Mario an extra hit point if he has a power-ups instead of always downgrading to small Mario • the vast majority of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts titles Some things I would like to point out: • Some titles like Decap Attack (it finally a tie-in game for the Magical Hat anime series)_ and Yo Noid! _(originally part of the Ninja Hanamaru series)_ are two examples among many where they have extensive graphical changes and even gameplay tweaks where it is strictly a matter of taste as to which version is better • Zelda 1, 2, Metroid, and really any game that was originally on the Famicom Disk System that later became a cartridge title in the US. Yes, often the music was a bit weaker or small things were cute _(such as being able to defeat Pol's Voice enemies by shouting into the Player 2 mic in Zelda 1),_ but not needing to pause the game to periodically flip the disk/insert a second disk/3-10 second load times seriously bogged down the pace of a ton of these games and makes them borderline unplayable in the modern day • a lot of games that were maybe a little too easy; _such as Metal Gear Solid 1 and 2 as well as Resident Evil 4,_ had complimentary difficulty increases that make them a more satisfying game • people that love ridiculously difficult games will find a lot of US releases push the player extremely hard by comparison to their Japanese counterparts, _such as many games by Konami like Contra and Castlevania or the difficulty chanhes that Working Designs applied to many of the games that they localized,_ though that's a matter of taste • speaking of Working Designs, when it comes to a loud sector of the internet there is a major demand for translations to be more accurate but Working Designs and some noteworthy translators such as Ted Woolsey went in the opposite direction and altered the script quite a bit. This process can be hit and miss and vary based on opinion, but there are often gems to be found in the rough for these titles that even more accurate retranslations keep _(such as FFIV's famous "You spoony bard!" line, as well as many of Kefka's lines in FFVI)._ There are also English translations with an insane amount of effort poured into them that vastly outshine their original Japanese scripts, such as Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions delving into borderline Shakespearean quality wordplay and flow So yeah. I still think that overall the Japanese versions of most games are better, but it's not down to a single title here or there going against type, oftentimes it's a bit of a mixed bag or personal flavor.

[@sdgdhpmbp]

Honestly, 10 minutes on a single game comparison is overkill. Comments are there to provide more, and these days most of us are wiser than thinking all localisation ruins JP media.

[@NisseDood]

A modern example would be Resident evil 2 remake. They got 2 different rated versions and the higher rated one is still more censored than the western release.

[@arubinojr5670]

Aside from possibly 7th Saga, which was almost 100% an accident, making the game easier for American audiences was pretty standard back in the day. Good ones just made it so in interesting ways.

[@CptJistuce]

Actually, the trend was to make games harder, due to the rental market and player preference. Despite some high-profile examples, easier was the exception.

[@LoneWolgon1991]

You know there are some things you should actually know that I discovered about power blazer and power blade. 1. The chubby kid is actually has a name being Steve Treiber would later have his name changed to Nova in power blade. 2. The plot of power blazer is actually has the same story as its US counterpart even though the JP version came first so technically power blade has the same story as power blazer. 3. The name power blazer is actually the name of the boomerang in game. 4. You might be surprised but power blade actually made it on the front cover of Nintendo power, specifically in issue 23 from April 1991. 5: doesn’t the game feel like mega man?

[@piotr004]

Great analysis and video. I did not know presented games at all. Subbed!

[@matju2]

The shape of the "wave" emitted from the suit makes it look a lot like one of the powerups in Metal Storm (NA 1991, JP 1992, one rare game to be released in NA before JP). But it seems like it is but a coïncidence, as they were released just a month apart by two different companies.

[@dimelo8826]

Those first screens of contra in video is not the Japanese version shown. Probotector is the JP version

[@pojr]

Probotector is the European version. In Japan, it was Contra

[@kevlarvest7375]

Got 3/4ths the way through this before I realized that this wasn't a multi-game comparison, like the title and intro might've hinted at, but merely just a Power Blade review

[@hughmongus6191]

One other good example is the "No More Heros Series. The main reason being is that the Japanese government will censor; gore and dismemberment.

[@CptJistuce]

Resident Evil 4 has the censorship issue too. JP players don't know to fear the chainsaw man, because his insta-kill decapitation move was cut.

[@shis1988]

Yes, that has... historical reasons. Crash getting stomped by tree trunks in Crash 2 is changed in JP because a serial flatliner had an M.O. involving how Crash looks after the tree lifts up.

[@ryun.8072]

it's more of CERO (japanese equivalent of ESRB and PEGI) than government and seems midway and warner knew that censoring mortal kombat will be the 2nd coming of snes mk1

[@theogutenberg4169]

3:19 Twin Towers

[@alexrexaros9837]

I always preferred Probotector over Contra. Sure, playing strong men fighting aliens is bad ass... But Robots are even cooler and - I dunno, they fit the vibe of the game best.

[@mikiofunamorijr.1374]

I finished power blazer multiple times when I was around 14 years old. My favorite boss is that bee hive where I can grind then after I got buffed from power up dropped by bees, I finish it off.

[@luisreyes1963]

Still doesn't explain why Konami removed the end credits to Life Force (Salamander) when it was ported for the American NES. 😟

[@Sinn0100]

It is with Contra for the Nes...but look at Contra for the Genesis and you will find that we got hosed.

[@fgfhjfhjfbhfghf5771]

Now for a real challenge. PAL versions of games that are better then the NTSC versions. Bonus points if they're games that weren't developed in PAL countries

[@Joey3264]

Is power blade related to shatter hand?

[@McNibbler]

Small example but Mother 1’s US release had a more complete ending and a run button

[@MrHurricaneFloyd]

There are actually 3 versions of Famicom/NES Contra. The 3rd being the European release which had robots instead of humans and had the name changed to Probotector. Europe did get the moving scenery though, lol.

[@jurassicpinbot]

Prison City (available on several modern platforms) looks to be a modern-but-retro remake of Power Blade, if you were interested.

[@TonyStarkCLC]

6:31 my best guess is that they tried to make the game more "realistic" (in a NES/FC context). So falling from a considerable height would mean the death of the player character.

[@DCol]

I had no idea the Japanese edition of Contra had extra story content. Gotta play an english romhack translation now.

[@johns6265]

Japan still got the better box art though, they tend to win that one most of the time.

[@the-NightStar]

I'm going to completely disagree on this one. The Japanese box art for Power Blazer is an ugly mess that is not at all even coherent or sensible to look at at a first glance. The US box art is objectively better in every way.

[@johns6265]

​@@the-NightStar Well. that gives me some insight into how Rob Liefeld managed to have a career.

[@CptJistuce]

​@@johns6265Rob Liefeld also introduced a much more dynamic style to comic books that was a much-needed breath of fresh air. He has problems drawing digits, and actively gives the finger to scale, but he also draws cool-looking pages. He's also just a nice guy that genuinely loves comic books, and being affable and enthusiastic goes a long way. The people that don't like Liefeld for the most part aren't the people that buy comic books.

[@hithere01]

Crash Bandicoot much?

[@Vyz3r]

Although it never officially released during the NES days, Earthbound Beginnings/Mother 1 is also another example.

[@ChronoMoogle]

Really, just one example? There’s countless games in the 8bit & 16bit era that were updated in a positive way (but a lot more that got downgraded obviously, but that’s not the topic here lol)

[@AllieRX]

Another example of a western game better than the Japanese original is Super Mario Bros. 2 vs. Doki Doki Panic. Our SMB2 made a lot of gameplay improvements over Doki Doki Panic. The only downside was that you couldn't save your progress like Doki Doki Panic.

[@cravdraa]

I don't think this is really a fair comparison. They might have been built in the same engine but they're clearly different games. I mean, it's cool that they saw the game had issues and completely redesigned it for a US release, but that not really the same thing as Contra where they're the same game but one is better.

[@seishino]

Check out Zelda 2 and Final Fantasy 7. Zelda 2 seems like a game where they put out the Japanese version to hit a deadline, weren’t happy with it, and took an extra year to polish it up for the US release. In porting it off the disk system, they improved a ton. And FF7 was so much better in the US, that they are-released it in Japan as Final Fantasy 7 International.

[@ConsoleCombat]

Is that a Windy City accent pojr?

[@darkerfalcon3747]

An example can be Star Force. While the Hudson Japanese version is excellent and makes a vaillant effort to replicate the arcade original, the Tecmo US version greatly improves it. The music was revamped (being more Ninja Gaiden-like styled), sound effects were redone and adds more content that the Japanese version doesn't. Also the European version, ease a bit the harder difficulty of the US version and let you continue 3 times instead of end your game and going back to the beginning.

[@MidianPOfficialytch]

Another example are some Japanese games with gore from Japan get's censored due to CERO however when released overseas there is gore.

[@dalejohn609]

I believe that some games that had Japanese animation and some games’ difficulty settings were changed to appeal to American audiences. It’s something I’ve read long ago but I think it needs citation.

[@MisterPenguin42]

This content is great; keep being awesome

[@Jordan_Morgan]

The japanese version of the megaman zero series has a blood like splash when an enemy is cut in half that was remove in the global release

[@CalmBoostR]

Great review, never know that Power Blade has predecessor. 👍

[@oscarjosefsson9300]

They should have included the Japanese version as a difficulty setting and called it Nightmare or something. Of course it is super hard to do the job of an action hero when you are just some chubby kid.

[@MrClawt]

Another great video POJR!