|
|
Post by parrothead on Sept 19, 2008 3:50:13 GMT -5
After reading the Wikipedia article and watching some gameplay videos of it on Nico Nico Douga, I noticed that there are four reasons why this game never was released outside of Japan:
* The game is a text-based adventure like Shin Onigashima, Yuyuki and a few others. It contains a lot of text, making it quite difficult for some translators to work on. Perhaps reading was boring to most children back then.
* One of the largest reasons why this game never came out of Japan is that it featured religious beliefs, satanism and references of Nazism, African-American racism, a touch of violence (e.g. the Klu Klux Klan shooting an African-American woman) and several other stuff that aren't safe for children.
* The game was released about eight months later after the Super Famicom was released in Japan, which was quite late.
* Usually, the amount of space a Famicom Disk System game in one disk is about equal to a Famicom/NES cartridge. Time Twist came in two disks, which probably makes it a little too large to fit in one cartridge.
This next thing I'm going to say isn't one of the reasons why Time Twist never was released outside of Japan. After watching some gameplay videos of it, I noticed something similar to Geist: the protagonist and the antagonist can move their spirits into anyone's body and control it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Fryguy64 on Sept 19, 2008 4:16:52 GMT -5
A while back I found an online step by step players guide for the game in Japanese, telling you all the options you needed to click on to advance. I don't know if it's still online, but I'll check it out and post it for anyone interested in the game.
|
|
|
|
Post by nocturnal YL on Sept 19, 2008 4:32:08 GMT -5
I guess the reason is very obvious: It is a text adventure. Shin Onigashima, Yuu Yuu Ki, both parts of Famitan, Time Twist, and later-Nintendo-published HAL game Metal Slader Glory... none came out of Japan, eh? A while back I found an online step by step players guide for the game in Japanese, telling you all the options you needed to click on to advance. I don't know if it's still online, but I'll check it out and post it for anyone interested in the game. I've seen similar online step-by-step guide for the SFC version of Famitan PART II. This next thing I'm going to say isn't one of the reasons why Time Twist never was released outside of Japan. After watching some gameplay videos of it, I noticed something similar to Geist: the protagonist and the antagonist can move their spirits into anyone's body and control it. Why didn't Geist enter Japan, then? Here's a question: Whatis this topic doing in the Smash Bros board? |
|
|
|
Post by Arcadenik on Sept 19, 2008 6:48:38 GMT -5
^^^
Maybe there's no stickers of Time Twist in Brawl?
|
|
|
|
Post by TV Eye on Sept 19, 2008 8:49:42 GMT -5
Here's a better question to ask...
Why didn't Takamaru leave Japan while Goemon did? Why didn't Stafy leave Japan when Kirby did? Why didn't any game that you guys like that I've never played before ever not leave Japan?!?!
It's obvious why text adventures never left, but why we never got the actual adventure games confuse the hell outta me.
|
|
|
|
Post by Smashchu on Sept 19, 2008 8:59:25 GMT -5
Here's a better question to ask... Why didn't Takamaru leave Japan while Goemon did? Why didn't Stafy leave Japan when Kirby did? Why didn't any game that you guys like that I've never played before ever not leave Japan?!?! It's obvious why text adventures never left, but why we never got the actual adventure games confuse the hell outta me. Well, Stafy I assume is becuase of the amount of Japanese culture in the game (things we wouldn't get). Takamaru I have no idea. Back then though, Nintendo didn't let many things out of Japan, so that alone may be the reason. |
|
|
|
Post by Fryguy64 on Sept 19, 2008 9:05:30 GMT -5
Goemon barely left Japan though. He's still trapped in this little whirlwind of "too Japanese" and so many of his games are passed over for Western release. We got the SNES game, we got the N64 game (which I love)... but there's dozens more games in the series.
It's safe to say anything very Japanese put the fear into Nintendo of America. In a way it still does. Meanwhile, Sega recognised the coolness of samurai and ninjas and made their fortune.
I'd guess most of them are a combination of xenophobia and localization limits.
Time Twist was never going to get released given Nintendo of America's strict "no religious symbols" policy, and it would struggle to even be released today with all of the touchy historical subjects covered. But all of the text adventures didn't hit, I expect, due to localization. That's a lot of translating to do for a game that isn't going to be a surefire hit.
Stafy stands out as one game franchise that doesn't have a single reason for not being released outside of Japan. It's a 2D platformer, there's nothing particularly Japanese in it, localization would be easy, and it's better than the majority of 2D platformers on Game Boy Advance.
|
|
Grandy02
Balloon Fighter
I'm so happy today
Posts: 847
|
Post by Grandy02 on Sept 19, 2008 9:13:15 GMT -5
Here's a better question to ask... Why didn't Takamaru leave Japan while Goemon did? Why didn't Stafy leave Japan when Kirby did? Why didn't any game that you guys like that I've never played before ever not leave Japan?!?! It's obvious why text adventures never left, but why we never got the actual adventure games confuse the hell outta me. Well, Stafy I assume is becuase of the amount of Japanese culture in the game (things we wouldn't get). I played the third game of the Stafy series, and I couldn't see more Japanese culture than in the world-wide released WarioWare series. And there, NoA either let it be or they edit/censor it (they did the the latter one a lot in Twisted and Smooth Moves). Actually, the only references to Japanese culture of which I think NoA would edit them are the costumes. But as I told, I only played the third Stafy game, is it different in the other ones? |
|
|
|
Post by parrothead on Sept 19, 2008 15:18:33 GMT -5
Besides the costumes, I saw a few things popular in Japan that is in the Stafy series, like the board game Mah-jong, played by some fish who sells some costumes and stuff in Densetsu no Stafy 4. Here's a question: Whatis this topic doing in the Smash Bros board? I apologize for putting this thread in the Smash Bros. board. I kept forgetting that the Smash Bros. board and the Classic Nintendo board switched places. |
|
|
|
Post by Manspeed on Sept 19, 2008 16:48:56 GMT -5
I know this isn't about Nintendo, but a lotta Bomberman games didn't make it outside Japan either, most of which were the usual Hudson sequel storms. Is Bomberman that much more popular there than here?
|
|
|
|
Post by parrothead on Sept 25, 2008 0:59:52 GMT -5
Well, I hear a lot about their Turbografx/PC Engine games being ported to the Virtual Console. I don't know how long Hudson Soft will last, but it's being supported by Konami and I guess Takara Tomy. Some of Hudson Soft's most popular NES/Famicom games in Japan besides the Bomberman series are Challenger, Milon's Secret Castle, Ninja Hattori Kun for the NES, Lode Runner for the NES, The first Doraemon-based game for the NES and Nuts & Milk. Hudson Soft is one of the most popular video game companies in Japan. They made one of the NES Doraemon games and Challenger. They were also responsible for numerous PC-Engine/Turbografx-16 games, which the console even outsold the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis in Japan. |
|
|
|
Post by Manspeed on Sept 25, 2008 14:58:21 GMT -5
You repeated yourself twice, and I already know about Hudson's famous franchises. I'd say a new Adventure Island would be the bee's knees.
|
|
BeamClaws
Balloon Fighter
Beam claws closes the gap with his excellent foot speed!
Posts: 934
|
Post by BeamClaws on Oct 1, 2008 10:23:34 GMT -5
Was adventure island really that good?
I'm thinking of getting stafy right now, If I can.
|
|
|
|
Post by Manspeed on Oct 1, 2008 14:35:21 GMT -5
Megabyte from the Fungi Forums told us that Stafy is stupidly easy, and that I guessed right when I said it was Kirby minus abilities plus 70% more water levels.
|
|
|
|
Post by Fryguy64 on Oct 1, 2008 17:39:59 GMT -5
Stafy's not stupidly easy. It's not HARD, but it's not like the original Kirby's Dream Land, for example. It's a good and enjoyable game series.
|
|
