AMERICANIZATION

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There's a black girl on the American cover and it's immediately politically correct? Wow, people pull stuff out of their asses all the time. I also call hypocrisy on the anti-PC brigade being just as sensitive on this subject as the politically correct. Personally, I don't care either way, but really? The "PC" card is just as bad as the "racism" card. In fact, they've become one and the same.

Anyway, this doesn't just happen in America. It happens all over.
Versalia
must be all that rtp in your diet
1405
to be fair I also view/ed a skin tone difference on the black-haired girl in the back and assumed "let's +1 asian and +1 black to make sure it's balanced" but clearly I'm retarded because NEVER is there a 'token' ethnicity included in a group of people for no reason other than to purposely represent some form of diversity, though it is increasingly less popular today to use them as just a stereotype

(and that girl I thought to be asian might be a visual trick from being next to the girl whose skin actually is darker)
I just think the whole "politically correct" stuff has become way overblown, more so than it really is. It very well could be pandering to the sensitivities of minorities, but honestly, people will complain either way. If it doesn't have any minorities on it, people will claim racism. If it does, others will decry it for being politically correct. No one can win. Such an unfortunate circumstance that has become the norm nowadays.
Hmm, Crimson. Whenever I remake something, I tend to make it resemble the original work somewhat, am I right~? If there were ethnic characters in it, that's totally fine because that's how they were designed! But the point is they added them even though the original cover (even the game!) didn't contain them at all. Now that's political correctness. (╥﹏╥)

Seriously, it isn't about race, it's about the GAME. And like Verse said, they added them to be icons more than anything, which is wrong. ^^

author=Miracle
Hmm, Crimson. Whenever I remake something, I tend to make it resemble the original work somewhat. If there were ethnic characters in it, that's fine because that's how they were designed! But the point is they added them even though the original cover didn't contain them at all. Now that's political correctness. >o>b

Seriously, it isn't about race, it's about the GAME. And like Verse said, they added them to be icons more than anything, which is wrong. ^^


I don't think Japan had a very high level of racial diversity, due to apparently (form what I've read, so I'm happy to be corrected by better sources) hellish immigration, the fact everything is expensive there and that immigrants have various awkward national policies that they're subject to.. Anyway.. Japan doesn't have a very diverse racial topography. So there's little need to make products featuring representations of various races because there's hardly any target audience being missed.

America on the other hand has a lot of racial diversity and as a result.. Products will tend to try and be appealing to the various racial demographics of that country - To make more money more than to be politically correct.
This reminds me of the SNES Japanese games having He-Mans and Conans on the North American and European covers, when the heroes were really bishonens in-game. Kinda funny if you think about it.

I understand that this could be a case of pandering to the sensitivities of your intended audience, since the original cover had no such thing. Then again, maybe I just see it as being twisted outside of its original intent. All this... for an ice skating game none of us will ever play. :(
who fucking cares about the canon of japanese cookie cutter anime art. yes, they added a black person. yes, there weren't any on the original cover. so what. the original art is leagues worse anyway (they do not even look like people) and there are barely any black people in any anime that aren't caricatures of GAIJIN MAN. would you like it if everyone on the american cover of every game had an inhuman milky face with eyes like an electrical socket because that is basically your argument taken to its logical conclusion.
Starscream
Conquest is made from the ashes of one's enemies.
6110
Yeah, I definitely think some folks are confusing political correctness for marketing and localization. Most young girls in the United States don't even have a passing interest in anime art anyways, so the original cover is probably a detraction here -- despite whatever you may think of the "local flavor".
Umm...what's all this about political correctness, anyway? You guys are really thinking too much into it...

Though I myself would prefer originality over anything.
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
I can't state how much I dislike Americanization shit. It's like a good way to ruin something really quick. I've never, never, played / watched / read something that was changed in translation and was GOOD.

One Piece, hell even Sailor Moon, DBZ all those things were destroyed in the localisation and editing to fit american standards. One Piece and other manga I've read are slight example of this, but at least some of them include notes on the puns that couldn't properly be translated. For the most part this is fine, but then there's ones like that D. Grayman or whatever which had the whole book flipped so it could be read in the american way of read (left-right) a little strange...
As for movies or shows, the localization of these have terrible voice acting. Subs > Dubs.

Americanization = Bad. Even the games, Final Fantasy included, are poorly translated and bursting with crappy writing, spelling errors and the like.
how dare you besmirch the good name of ted woolsey
author=Dudesoft
I can't state how much I dislike Americanization shit. It's like a good way to ruin something really quick. I've never, never, played / watched / read something that was changed in translation and was GOOD.

One Piece, hell even Sailor Moon, DBZ all those things were destroyed in the localisation and editing to fit american standards. One Piece and other manga I've read are slight example of this, but at least some of them include notes on the puns that couldn't properly be translated. For the most part this is fine, but then there's ones like that D. Grayman or whatever which had the whole book flipped so it could be read in the american way of read (left-right) a little strange...
As for movies or shows, the localization of these have terrible voice acting. Subs > Dubs.

Americanization = Bad. Even the games, Final Fantasy included, are poorly translated and bursting with crappy writing, spelling errors and the like.


you have no idea how much i want to beat you up and take your lunch money right now
Versalia
must be all that rtp in your diet
1405
author=rcholbert
Yeah, I definitely think some folks are confusing political correctness for marketing and localization.

I actually work in Marketing Research, and to be honest, the line is pretty blurry. We frequently have to cap the amount of survey information we use from non-caucasian ethnic groups so that we make a realistic depiction of the target market; but clients are also upset when you don't include a minimum of like, one hispanic, one asian and one black person in a group of ten as a token sample. We also frequently have clients stereotype people (not just racially, but including race) in a very blunt way to convey to us their target audience - and we can find plenty of people who match those descriptions.

But Dudesoft hit on the REAL point of the topic here. Godspeed *bows out*
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
author=Jericho
you have no idea how much i want to beat you up and take your lunch money right now


Bring it!
You, me, outside the Welp, welp forum.
author=Jericho
who fucking cares
author=Jericho
who fucking cares
author=Jericho
who fucking cares

p.s. who gives a shit

they took bad art and changed it into other bad art

big whoop

hey i'm fucking gabe newell, welcome to half-life 2 feat. my dream girl who is black but not too black

list of improvements from left 4 dead to left 4 dead 2:
twice the black people

in conclusion if you have ever thought about anything in this thread join my suicide cult
author=Dudesoft
I can't state how much I dislike Americanization shit. It's like a good way to ruin something really quick. I've never, never, played / watched / read something that was changed in translation and was GOOD.

I guess the exception that proves the rule would be that movie... The Departed.


On the actual topic I don't mind minor localization things. Changing a joke to make it culturally relevant or renaming locations (and with it currency and whatnot) to a different place. That's the stuff I sort of expect. Of course there's always a limit and the worst is when translators think they are better than the original authors and sit down to improve upon the original work. (like the original Swedish translation of The Lord of The Rings. An infamous example.)

In the example in the original post is it more than the box art that has been changed? Because haven't American box art always been horrible?
In the example in the original post is it more than the box art that has been changed? Because haven't American box art always been horrible?
I haven't played the game myself, but from the screenshots it looks like they altered all art in the game to resemble the cover art. Also, Dudesoft, I approve.
Craze
why would i heal when i could equip a morningstar
15150
Animu turns me off of something incredibly quickly. I have nothing against Japan; I have everything against Nipponophiles. No, not everybody wants your desu desu all over them.

Localization is bad, what? Given that not everybody wishes they could be super-deformed on command, and that American game players aren't Japanese, why the hell would a game/whatever keep Japanese humor/puns/whatever? If you were playing a game translated and localized from Spanish, you'd likely be put off and confused by phrases like "go fry asparagus" or "to another dog with that bone." Literal translations just don't work.

The Japanese art for that game is horrible. Eye shadow aside, I vastly prefer the style of the American release.


http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AmericanKirbyIsHardcore

This is a well known trope regarding box art. While it doesn't apply to the example you made above (unless you consider the ice skaters hard core strippers because with that kind of makeup they totally look like they are.) It is very common. Kirby is a well known example, as well as Legend of Zelda titles, and probably one of the most well known is Ico.

(The Portuguese one is a joke I think)
Craze
why would i heal when i could equip a morningstar
15150
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Woolseyism/VideoGames

The gurus in Chrono Trigger were originally named Bash, Mash, and Gash. Woolsey changed them to the Biblically influenced Belthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar, much more appropriate for three old wise men. Plus, they start with the same letters!

Sabin >>>>>>>>> Mash, thanks.

EDIT: Also, Phoenix Wright would be a worthless series to me and plenty of others if it didn't have the amazing localization.