Japan is one of those countries where everything goes. From tentacle porn to… what, tentacle porn wasn’t enough for you?, the Land of the Rising Sun’s got it all! Even more so in the games they make. Unfortunately, the Comstockian societies of North America and Europe evidently aren’t ready for the degree of… fascinating content in these games, and force developers to tone it down. Here’s a quick look at some games that have been bowdlerized for NA/European consumption:
1. ”Monster Monpiece”
From Idea Factory comes Monster Monpiece, a duel card game like any other! The rub (pun very much intended): you’ve gotta rub characters in intimate places in order to upgrade your cards. The more you rub, the better your upgrades. With the possibility of clothes springing off entirely.
https://youtu.be/KjsZNOlhFug
Obviously, this was very much intended to be a game for THAT demographic. When it entered the American market though, the nudity was cut out of the game. Doy. In the wry words of immortal Detective Munch, “Click here so your children will never again be exposed to the mind-warping trauma of a nipple on television!”
2. ”Final Fantasy VI”
Next up on the censor board, it’s Final Fantasy VI! Too many things didn’t make the cut, especially with characters ranging from Kefka, The Goddess, Power, Magic, Siren, Alluring, Rider, Lakshmi, Chadarnook, to Lady. However, unlike most censored titles, this was actually done in-house as per Nintendo policy.
3. ”Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Link”
Believe it or not, even something as innocuous as Yu-Gi-Oh got censored for English-speaking countries, with cards like Mai Valentine and the Harper Ladies bearing the full brunt.
4. ”Bravely Default”
From Square Enix comes this massively popular RPG! But only for Japan, though. But Nintendo couldn’t let that slide, so guess what? It’s CENSOR TIME! Besides some of the ‘vulgar’ character designs being modified, their backstories (for those under 18) were changed to make them just this side of legal.
5. ”Street Fighter V”
Well, the peeps behind Street Fighter couldn’t find the time to modify the really really bare armour of the game’s female characters (what is up with that, anyway?) So they used camera tricks instead!
6. ”Tekken 3”
Yet another fighting game that was also censored for release outside Japan, there are two different endings for Anna in Tekken 3. In the version released on the Home Islands, Anna and Nina are sunning together on a beach when a group of men approach only Anna and starts chatting her up. Annoyed, Nina pulls her Anna’s bra off! That doesn’t happen in the worldwide release.
7. ”Xenoblade Chronicles X”
Xenoblades Chronicles X is yet another JRPG censored because ARGH TOO MUCH SEX. Changes include: (1) 13-year-old becomes 15-year-old (not much of an improvement, doy) and (2) character designs were altered a bit, (3) Just watch the damn video, eh. Nintendo claims that it was a cultural translation, because apparently the rest of the world are still living in the Victorian era.
8. ”Final Fight”
Capcom was in a bit of a pickle. Final Fight is a beat ’em up game, so obviously you can’t have… girls [gasp] in the game! They’re too delicate and pure and innocent to be defiled by the hands of a filthy, greasy, stinkin’ man-warrior! So what did they do with the already token two female characters in the game? They designated them transgender. As if that made them any less of women. Capcom, you transphobic shmendriks.
