Same game different name????

This is something that confuses me and I can't work out a logical explaination why the publishers do it. Why do some games have different names depending on what part of the world they are released?

It might be because of the definition of certain words in different languages or the beliefs to the usage of certain words. In Japan, the word "trophy" means "devil", and Nintendo thinks that "devil" is a very bad word, so any Japanese game with the word "trophy" in it must be replaced with another word of similar definition, like the Japanese word for "figure". The word "trophy", thus, may only be seen in American games. This knowledge comes from what I know from SSBM; when you change the language setting to Japanese, you will notice that wherever you would see "trophy" has been replaced with the Japanese word for figure, see?

The same applies for the names of the games.

The European version of a game has exactly the same texts(if it has any)as the North American version would.But as for the other countries changes are made.Even though they are in different languages the words mean different to what they would in English,therefore changing the words to their own language as different words.lol I know I'm confusing.

Here's one I do know about:

Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando

This is the name of the game in North America, looks pretty harmless? You North Americans probably look at Commando and think Green Berets and Special Forces.

Well in England the term 'Going Commando' is when a girl goes out and she decides not to wear any knickers. So for the European market the game got changed to:

Ratchet and Clank: Locked and Loaded

What are knickers?

On 28-Feb-2005 darkboarder_77 said:

What are knickers?

I think North Americans refer to them as 'panties'

Oh... Yes, that would be funny if they called it in England "Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando", hehehe...

Yeah and pants are known to them as underwear.

(snickers)
I can picture walking into a public place in England and saying "Like my pants?"

Trowsers over here are what you call pants.But saying 'like my pants' in the UK(NOT JUST ENGLAND)would be very embarrasing.

Going commando can be related to both men and women in America. It means the same if you talk to the right people. Except for men you can change it to free-balling, if you know what I mean.

As for the initial question, publishers might do it for stupid travelers. Some idiot from America goes to a different country and sees a game he knows with a different name and thinks it's a different game.

So what you're saying is you think the publishers change the packaging of a game on purpose to fool the general public into trying to buy the same game twice making them think it is some kind of different version?

I think the word definition theory holds more weight to be honest, but I could be wrong.

It's possible isn't it? Maybe not probable but possible. It's all about the money.

On 28-Feb-2005 Sanzano said:

Here's one I do know about:

Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando

This is the name of the game in North America, looks pretty harmless? You North Americans probably look at Commando and think Green Berets and Special Forces.

Well in England the term 'Going Commando' is when a girl goes out and she decides not to wear any knickers. So for the European market the game got changed to:

Ratchet and Clank: Locked and Loaded

Yeah, that happened with Ratchet and Clank 3 as well. It's Up Yer Arsenal in America yet here in Britain, it's only Ratchet and Clank 3. Even the front covers have drastically changed from what I've seen! It gets confusing when you have to read stuff about the game that has a different name. I read a walkthrough for "Going Commando" before when I was trying to solve something on "Locked and Loaded".

I actually agree with Sanzano that the meaning could be what makes the name change. Although, I see no harm in the name "Up Yer Arsenal" (maybe it's got something to do with Arsenal being a town in Britain?) they just changed to Ratchet and Clank 3.

Arsenal a town in Britain? The only Arsenal I've come across when I lived in England was Woolwich Arsenal in South East London which was a town basically called that because of the army barracks there.

Arsenal football club originally came from Woolwich before they moved to Highbury in North London and retained the name Arsenal.

That doesn't sound right, "Up Yer Arsenal"... Now that I think about it, it sounds more like "Up Yer ****" to me... (LOL)