Japanese Games Released First in the West

[apatheticTurd]

For instance, I strongly doubt that the Saturn's much-maligned surprise release in the US had been approved by Sega's Japanese execs.

It's the opposite. The surprise launch was forced by the Japanese execs even though Tom Kalinske knew it was an horrible idea.

[Limbrooke]

I mentioned this (not in as much detail, though) a few posts earlier. Dual Strike was the exception and came to Japan first. Funny how the Famicom Wars series went from a series that stayed in Japan to a series that mostly came to the west first.

I missed that, my mistake. The entire Wars series has an odd lineage - I don't know how popular it is in Japan but I would think that has a good fanbase despite seeing a really assortment of releases. Perhaps it is more popular outside of Japan thanks to the positive feedback garnered from the first GBA showing. That's probably why the series is essentially finished although I would be pleasantly surprised if IS and Nintendo ever went back.

StarTropics / StarTropics 2 for NES--never released in Japan

These are interesting ones. When I originally learned of this I was curious if English to Japanese translations had been made by those in Japan interested. Despite not seeing such evidence myself it does appear Japanese do have interest in the game albeit quite limited.

As for another game BrianC has mentioned but I'll repeat anyway is Power Strike 2 on the Master System. It's a strange case when so many Master System games were only released in the west. That's an odd case.

[BIL]

Just remembered the superlative Double Dragon Advance was released in the US first. The Japanese version is only mildly enhanced (sound test available by default, gallery for clearing the game) and supposedly fixes some bugs, though the only one I know of is still there. Also has better boxart and a much nicer manual, as JP releases often do.

US one benefits from some of the greatest English VG prose ever though.

"Willy lay still from exhaustion."

[Obiwanshinobi]

Wasn't OutRun 2 home port ureleased in Japan before 2006? I guess it's technically one of many western home versions virtually nobody would play over there (Green Beret and Midnight Resistance for ZX Spectrum etc.), but in the year 2004 more or less arcade-perfect conversion staying on Xbox for so long was something else.
Was HotD3 for Xbox even released in Japan?

[Pretas]

Was HotD3 for Xbox even released in Japan?

Yes, and they also got a Typing of the Dead PC version of it.

PS2 couldn't have handled HotD3 without some major cuts. They already had to omit several graphical details for the PS2 port of OutRun 2 SP - the space shuttle just sits there instead of blasting off as you drive by, for instance.

Furthermore, Virtual On Marz was originally meant to be a port of Force, but ended up being gimped into its own thing because it was beyond the PS2's capabilities. Sega eventually made good on it with the 360 version of VOF, though.

[Imhotep]

Wario World (NGC), the later Japanese version seems to be slightly modified. Enjoyed the game back in the day, genuine 3d action platformer.

Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Bad Dream (GBA), another Treasure title, never released in Japan. Game's like a prototype of Astro Boy, (which got a later, modified western release).

Blade (GBC), seems to be developed by HAL.

[GaijinPunch]

Wario World (NGC), the later Japanese version seems to be slightly modified. Enjoyed the game back in the day, genuine 3d action platformer.

And that was by Treasure, right? I recall that being substantially later.

[BrianC]

Blade (GBC), seems to be developed by HAL.

As far as I know, it's a different HAL than the one that made Kirby. I heard that this HAL has former Technos staff.

[cicada88]

According to wikipedia Kirby's Dreamland 3 came out in North America 4 months before Japan

[Obiwanshinobi]

Also from Wikipedia (can't remember if it refers to any sources), High Seas Havoc predates Captain Lang and Capt'n Havoc; also, Pocket Bomberman for GBC wasn't released in Japan (I think it works on plain old GB so it's only colour that Japan didn't get).

[Despatche]

i used to know a LOT of games like this and i appear to have forgoten them all. boo

the japanese version of super pang was released a month after the world version. i theorize the original pang was like that too

i think most sonic games are released in either the us or europe first, it's just something sega always did. sonic colours was even announced as that (with a u) well before any other version

they fixed the spike glitch (So invulnerability actually works on spikes)

that's not a glitch

Wonder why it was held back from JP so long when they got shit like Sonic Labyrinth at launch.

labyrinth is actually a really good game, way better than 3d. it's a much much better pinball game than sonic spinball is. game needs some sort of followup

[BrianC]

I can't believe I forgot about Metal Combat, the sequel to Battleclash for SNES. The first one came to Japan under the name Space Bazooka, but Metal Combat was only released in the west. Nice game too. Plays similar to the original with the addition of a new female character to play as.

[Pretas]

labyrinth is actually a really good game, way better than 3d. it's a much much better pinball game than sonic spinball is. game needs some sort of followup

First words of praise I've ever seen for Sonic Labyrinth. Of course, I have my own unpopular opinions around these parts.

[Obiwanshinobi]

From English Wikipedia again - Dashin' Desperadoes US-only, titled Rumble Kids when running on Japanese systems. Graphically reminds me of certain (European) computer platformers (and of course Metal Slug, but DD predates that).

[BrianC]

From English Wikipedia again - Dashin' Desperadoes US-only, titled Rumble Kids when running on Japanese systems. Graphically reminds me of certain (European) computer platformers (and of course Metal Slug, but DD predates that).

No mention of Spinmaster (which uses the same characters)?

[null1024]

labyrinth is actually a really good game, way better than 3d. it's a much much better pinball game than sonic spinball is. game needs some sort of followup

First words of praise I've ever seen for Sonic Labyrinth. Of course, I have my own unpopular opinions around these parts.

Labyrinth gets its detractors from the fact that you move slow as hell, even though it's a Sonic game.
been forever since I played it, but I enjoyed it

[Obiwanshinobi]

No mention of Spinmaster (which uses the same characters)?

Now I'm thinking Titus Interactive might have been great fans of Data East's. Prehistorik (never liked it personally*)) seems like a poor man's Joe & Mac in the cold light of the year 2015.

*) I mean it: back when I thought Elf was pretty playable, I'd steered clear of Prehistorik.

[BIL]

Metal Storm was released a few months earlier on NES than Famicom. The biggest alteration to the latter was stage 6's level design. On NES you're free to loop the screen vertically. The FC has less enemies in 6-1, but adds a pair of electric barriers running the length of the entire stage that'll fry errant gravity jumpers.

The palette is different too. NES player mech is orange/red, FC is white/orange. This also affects a few backgrounds, and bullet visibility - it's slightly better on NES, though not really an issue in a game as methodical as this one. If something's firing on you unexpectedly, you're doin it wrong!

Finally, and most weirdly, the FC's rather nice intro cinematic is present in the NES version's ROM, but nowhere to be seen under normal circumstances. I wonder if they just didn't have time to get it translated. The NES's ending text is different too, being comic book goofy as opposed to the FC's direct to VHS science fiction goofy. (UR GR8, M8 vs Does Humans Have Future ???). The last boss's brief protestation and last words aren't in the NES version either.

Other than the above, the NES and FC versions seem identical, at least comparing UraniumAnchor's superb 2-ALLs to my own runs.

edit: I've posted all this before in various places around the forum, but I stumbled over this thread while looking up some old info and it bugged me it wasn't here tbh. :V

[copy-paster]

Snake's Revenge NES, Mission Impossible NES (West exclusive)
Gradius Galaxies GBA (West release first, later EU and JP, JP version adds more features)

[dingsbums]

Felix the Cat (Hudson Soft) NES
Low-G-Man (KID) NES
Zen: Intergalactic Ninja (Konami) NES
Noah's Ark (Konami) NES
Widget (Atlus) NES
Tale Spin (Capcom) NES
Darkwing Duck (Capcom) NES

Tiny Toons (Konami) Mega Drive

[NeoStrayCat]

A more modern example, though yeah, about the Metal Gear Rising thing as one...

Zero Escape 3: Zero Time Dilemma (US: 6/28, JP: 6/30, EU: Same week, I guess.)

[Shepardus]

Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours kind of - the global digital releases came 1-2 months before the Japanese release (which I think was just the physical Vita version? I might be wrong about that).