Games that Japanese version is best?

[Nightwolf]

Well, as someone pointed before, Shadow of the Beast japanese version handle more sprites than PAL or USA counterpart.

I ran to play it Japanese Shadow of the Beast with Fusion. I owned the original PAL cart, and i liked that game... then its a shame what they did to us... Japanese version had nice sounds when you hit something, and when you are hit too!! The main theme was change too (and seems better)!! Why? (costs reason?) Seems better graphics too!

So, is there more game that are far better in Japanese version, than the PAL/USA version? (other than BK3/Sor3)

[Ace]

Contra Hard Corps. The game is already pretty brutal, but the Japanese version is much more forgiving since you can get hit 3 times before you die, you have unlimited continues(you only get 5 in the US version:daze:) and there's a certain cheat that can start you off with 70 lives. I don't know what the code is, however.

[Zebbe]

Bare Knuckle III is better than Streets of Rage 3 because of the stereotype sexist clothing and the gay boss you can play as (I actually wrote the aforementioned word like "ass" before realizing it's a typo, I wonder why).

Strider Hiryu has more sound samples and harder difficulty than the western version.

Sonic 1 has more parallax scrolling and some wavey water effects not in the western version.

Devil Crash MD has all the Satanic content intact, making the censored western version MUCH inferior.

But best of all, is definitely the JP version of Jungle Strike, which spells its name as "Jangle Strike" on the cartridge, hahaha!

[GeckoYamori]

The Japanese release of Sonic 1 I believe had some minor touch-ups like separate scrolling clouds in Green Hill and a better underwater effect.

[Christuserloeser]

Streets of Rage 3 - original version was Bare Knuckle III, it's basically an entirely different game

Dynamite Headdy - much easier, http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?p=312633#post312633

Mystic Defender - nicer costume for the playable character

Marble Madness - same name, different game, http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?p=100197#post100197

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine - original game was Puyo Puyo, different soundtrack, different characters, etc.

Decap Attack - original game was Magical Hat, basically an entirely different game, http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?p=202100&highlight=magicalhat*#post202100

Rocket Knight Adventures - has an additional intro sequence missing from the PAL and US version

Shove-it! The Warehouse game - original game was called Sokoban and featured twice as many levels and totally different title and intro screens, http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?p=204677#post204677

Ristar - the original game had no narrated story, much like Sonic 1

[Curryman123]

Contra Hard corps may be fair in jap version, but once you have enough practice, it becomes too easy.

The difficulty the USA version is perfect. Sure, it's difficult for new players, But once you learn the patterns, It becomes a fair play.

[Nightwolf]

Thanks for the info! Seems i should test my favorite games, but this time, japanese version :)

I dont mean about difficult settings, i mean about changing graphics (other than main menu), sounds, etc :)

Could be a great idea to make a list with those differences :)

[TmEE]

Socket is called Time Dominator #1 in Japan and has different speed stages.

[ReBirFh]

Super Volleyball the japanese version has:

*Two times the number of selectable teams (They are from the Japanese League).
*Japanese League Mode + the other two modes that exists in every version.
*Two cheats (Credits screen and match against the secret "team ???")

[roundwars]

In Thunder Force IV, the zero lives option actually gives you zero lives instead of 99.

[Jesse813]

Bare Knuckle III Definitely better than SOR3 which was butchered

Magical Hat Adventure I just Prefer the art style of this game to Decap Attack

Dynamite Headdy quite a bit easier than US & Pal versions

Puyo Puyo & Puyo Puyo 2 I just prefer the art style in these games over art style in Mean Bean Machine

[BrianC]

Mystic Defender - nicer costume for the playable character


The US cart for this actually plays as the JP version when played in JP mode on a switched Genesis or on a JP Megadrive.


Strider Hiryu has more sound samples and harder difficulty than the western version.

Examples? I know of the sound samples, but aside from no continues, what's different with the difficulty?


Devil Crash MD has all the Satanic content intact, making the censored western version MUCH inferior.

The US version alters the graphics in very poor ways, as well. However, doesn't the game still play pretty much the same? There's no argument that the western version is inferior, but when I think "MUCH inferior", I think of something that removed modes or has gimped gameplay compared to the JP version. The US version did mislead me into thinking the TG-16 version has better graphics, when the inferior graphics of Dragon's Fury were the result of the graphical changes done to the game. The original MD version has excellent graphics that look just as good, and even better in some instances compared to the TG-16 version.

I like how some US games have the JP version on the cart. No need to import the game to play the JP version, just switch the Genesis to JP mode or use a Game Genie code. I noticed Fire Shark and Truxton are both harder in JP mode. Too bad Strider isn't one of those games with the alternate version on the cart.



But best of all, is definitely the JP version of Jungle Strike, which spells its name as "Jangle Strike" on the cartridge, hahaha!

Pics? I would love to see this. I love Engrish!

Is the actual game any different?

[Zebbe]

I don't know, haven't played the western version in many years. But having continues in that one makes it easier at least.

[WaverBoy]

The US version alters the graphics in very poor ways, as well. However, doesn't the game still play pretty much the same?

Nope. The US version has a programming bug that allows the ball to go through the dip on the left side of the bottom play area, which makes it go right down the drain. No such bug in the Japanese version.

[Mark Robert]

The Japanese Version of Dynamite Headdy has some far cooler bosses like the girl with the bonnett and the boss with the komono outfit that were westernized for the u.s./pal releases and made more generic.

[Nunzio]

Flicky - Flicky Island has parallax scrolling in the background during the bomb disarming sequence.

[Da_Shocker]

Does anybody on here car about Flickies? IDK how that terrible game ends up on so many Sega Compilations. And I still can't youtube on here any more.

And here my choice.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sc22nAwbWzk?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sc22nAwbWzk?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

we got this

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ui3AdBg6wdw?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ui3AdBg6wdw?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

[Christuserloeser]

You'll need to copy sc22nAwbWzk from the URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc22nAwbWzk and add it into the tags. Quote my post to see how I did it (that's how I learned how to do it).


And here my choice.

[YOUTUBE]sc22nAwbWzk?fs

we got this

ui3AdBg6wdw


....I always thought it looked strange with the two blond guys punching each other.
Not including a black guy because he's black actually is pretty discriminating, I think.
And they could at least given the other guy darker hair to make up for the visual loss, but instead they just re-used the same color palette twice. That's rather lazy.

[ThugsRook]

SOA destroyed pretty much everything it touched :daze:

[NeoVamp]

White guilt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_guilt) at its finest, Great job there Sega of America!

[Ace]

In Thunder Force IV, the zero lives option actually gives you zero lives instead of 99.

What causes the 99-life glitch in the US and European versions of Thunder Force IV? It's always left me scratching my head.

[Joe Redifer]

It's not a glitch, it's a cheat.

[Ace]

Not a glitch, you say? Then I guess TecnoSoft put that in intentionally in the American and European versions of Thunder Force IV, since the Japanese version does not give you 99 ships if you set the Stock to 0.

[Nunzio]

ui3AdBg6wdw


....I always thought it looked strange with the two blond guys punching each other.
Not including a black guy because he's black actually is pretty discriminating, I think.
And they could at least given the other guy darker hair to make up for the visual loss, but instead they just re-used the same color palette twice. That's rather lazy.

I guess they wanted Aryan Fighter 2...

[Megadragon15]

DJ Boy was heavily censored in the US.
Trouble Shooter lacks the secret intro of Mania stomping on a Super Famicom that Battle Mania has.
Last Battle was heavily censored from Hakuto No Ken.

[Barone]

It's a Sega CD game, but Final Fight CD has blood only in the japanese version.

Fatal Fury 2 has a voice sample for the title of the game only in the japanese version.

[BrianC]

Nope. The US version has a programming bug that allows the ball to go through the dip on the left side of the bottom play area, which makes it go right down the drain. No such bug in the Japanese version.

ahh. Doesn't surprise me considering how poor the graphics were changed.

[Aarzak]

It's a Sega CD game, but Final Fight CD has blood only in the japanese version.

Fatal Fury 2 has a voice sample for the title of the game only in the japanese version.

Did you not hear the raspy, yet enthusiastic "FATAL FURY 2!" during the U.S version's intro? :D

[BrianC]

I noticed a lot of games listed only have minor changes. I don't buy imports for a single change (though that change in SFII is incredibly stupid) to the intro or a single voice on the title screen, I buy imports because of major changes to games like Devil Crash MD, Dynamite Headdy, or Bare Knuckle 3. When I'm trying to find out which version is best, I care more about major differences than something minor that has no effect on gameplay.

I'm confused about Flicky being mentioned. Was it meant to be for Flicky or Sonic 3D Flickies' Island (which as far as I know didn't come out in Japan on MD)? The US Flicky has the JP one on the cart, and the character names are changed when played in JP mode. It's also a game that was only on SEGA's network service and on SEGA CD in JP. I don't recall a bomb sequence in Flicky.

I'm surprised at the Flicky bashing. It's a port of a 1984 arcade game. I like the gameplay of it quite a bit myself. I also like the version for Sega Saturn in the Sega Ages Memorial Selection v. 1.



Shove-it! The Warehouse game - original game was called Sokoban and featured twice as many levels and totally different title and intro screens, http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?p=204677#post204677

To add insult to injury, it looks like there is a screen from the JP version on the US case, as well. Life Force NES did the same thing.

[Firebrandx]

The Japanese version of Last Battle was better because it had blood. Blood always makes a game better. ALWAYS.

[BrianC]

The Japanese version of Last Battle was better because it had blood, Kenshiro, and the Fist of the North Star license. Blood always makes a Fist of the North Star game better. ALWAYS.

Fixed

[Firebrandx]

Yes I know it was Fist of the North Star, but I felt it was less confusing to just say "the Japenese version".

[BrianC]

Yes I know it was Fist of the North Star, but I felt it was less confusing to just say "the Japenese version".

I think you misunderstood. I feel the FotNS characters are much cooler than the generic ones in Last Battle and that blood and FotNS go hand and hand. Where did the assumption that I was saying you didn't know it was FotNS come from? Anyway, it may be less confusing, but if one of the reasons you like the game better is because it has a much cooler license, why not just go out and say it?

[Nunzio]

I just think that Last Battle had such a ridiculous solution to the exploding heads problem that it ruined the game. I have no problem playing a fake FotNS game, but the guys can't comically fly off the screen like that.

And also, you're already dead.

[BrianC]

I just think that Last Battle had such a ridiculous solution to the exploding heads problem that it ruined the game. I have no problem playing a fake FotNS game, but the guys can't comically fly off the screen like that.

And also, you're already dead.

One thing I find funny is that the enemies in Black Belt SMS die in the same way as the JP Hokuto no Ken version. Lacking in blood for FotNS, but still a nice game.

[Barone]

Did you not hear the raspy, yet enthusiastic "FATAL FURY 2!" during the U.S version's intro? :D

Sorry, I missed that... But I still think that the japanese title logo and the background color for title and options screens are better. The same for "Mystical Fighter".

[BrianC]

Sorry, I missed that... But I still think that the japanese title logo and the background color for title and options screens are better. The same for "Mystical Fighter".

What's the point of buying the same game over again for a single title screen change or getting the more expensive Battle Mania only for a minor cheat? I know the title of this thread is "games where the Japanese version is best", but many of these games only differ slightly from the JP version. Sorry if this is a late bump, but I'm interested in hearing about more games with major differences like Puyo Puyo, Marble Madness, Magical Hat, Bare Knuckle III, etc.

[Obviously]

Assault Suits Leynos has the one scene where the guy fails to get to the shuttles in time and burns up in the atmosphere that's not in Target Earth.

Pretty cool but definitely doesn't ruin the game not being there.

[kool kitty89]

The Japanese release of Sonic 1 I believe had some minor touch-ups like separate scrolling clouds in Green Hill and a better underwater effect.

What was the better underwater effect? (better management of the flicking sprites hiding CRAM garbage?)

[Tasuke]

Assault Suits Leynos has the one scene where the guy fails to get to the shuttles in time and burns up in the atmosphere that's not in Target Earth.

Pretty cool but definitely doesn't ruin the game not being there.

my No. 2 favorite game, right after HERZOG ZWEI.

LEYNOS, by way of the U.S. "Target Earth" was the first
Anime style VG i ever played, and one of the prime factors
that steered me to Anime fandom.

i have both my original, heavily played "Target Earth" copy
and a nearly minty copy of LEYNOS;

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll310/shaorin-chan/VIDEO%20GAMES/SEGAGENESISCOLLECTION1-5-111.jpg


i also ended up retconning an old model from the 1980's Anime "SPT LAYZNER" into a LEYNOS ASSAULT SUIT,
using the GANYMEDE BASE scene on the opening story sequence as my color guide;


http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll310/shaorin-chan/VIDEO%20GAMES/LEYNOSASSAULTSUIT1-5-11.jpg