The European (PAL) versions

The European continent has always had a relationship with computers and platforms of different games, as the Americans and Japanese have. Machines that are successful in one area are unknown in others, differences in languages, operating systems, methods, etc., always showed Europe as a very particular market to the detriment of the axis Japan / United States.This probably should not be anything new for you. In this issue of differences between regions, i talk about another point: the stories about versions of games launched in the countries of the old continent(Europe).

 

For some reason that i don't know, many games have to change the identity and / or be changed to enter the European market. To say a few quick examples, Mario Hoops 3 on 3 of the DS turned Mario Basket 3 on 3, No More Heroes (Wii) need to withdraw the blood not to be censored , and the game Dead Rising (X360) was banned in Germany.

 

Let's move back to the 8 bits era.Here begins the "dance of the versions." Who does not remember Contra, with its frenetic action and hardcore? Europeans certainly do not remember, but ask someone about a game called Probotector. On one of those mysteries of mankind, Konami decided to redraw the sprites of soldiers controlled by the player, in addition to the humanoid enemies. Why? Good question, since there was no blood and the game was neither a very realistic for violent opinion. Anyway, already in the next version, Super C, renamed Probotector 2: Return of the Evil Forces. As you can see not only the names, but until the covers were changed to look like a different game. Against 3 (Snes) and Contra Hard Corps (Genesis) also became a Super Probotector: Alien Rebels and Probotector, respectively. The funniest thing is that the following versions for Playstation and Playstation 2, suffered no such changes.

 

Contra and Probotector: Same game,different covers

 

Another interesting point is that for some time simply no game with the word ninja in the title was launched in Europe with the same name. The Ninja Gaiden series, switched to generic Shadow Warriors, because there was only a character . The game Shadow of the Ninja, Natsume, was changed to Blue Shadow. Already the series of games based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had to be changed to Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. The strange series that in particular, is that the game TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist, launched for the Genesis, retained the name of Ninja in three versions, already Tournament Fighters of the game console and even the NES, won the European title in Hero ( something that has not happened in the version of the same game for the Super Nes). To make even less sense, the game Joe & Mac (Nes and Snes) was renamed for Joe & Mac Caveman Ninja (??!!).

 

But there's more. How to explain that a game called SCAT turned into Action in New York? Or that Bomberman II turned the horrible Dynablaster? How about instead of River City Ramsom, you play Street Gangs? There are hardly bad taste for so many names. The only event of a change of name I found a logical reason was the game Star Fox, whose version Snes was renamed for Star Wing, as the name Star Fox belonged to an obscure game that was launched for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and Armstrad. The later version of the Nintendo 64 has also changed, of Star Fox 64 for Lylat Wars, a name that would make a lot of sense as a sub-title.

And what about the Biohazard series?I leave you with this question...