You say Vega, I say M. Bison...

[Zerodash]

(Forgive me if this topic has been done before)


I cant stand it when the Japanese names are changed in their US counterparts.

Balrog is Vega, Vega is M. Bison, M. Bison is Balrog. Nash is Charlie.
Gallon is J. Talbain, Phobos is Huitzil, Buletta is BB Hood.
Final Fantasy VI is FF III, SF Zero is SF Alpha.
Mr. Satan is Hercule

So, which names do YOU use, the original Japanese or the localized namesakes?
Someone once told me that if you use the Japanese syntax, you are hardcore. I'm not too sure if thats true, but...

[NeoZeedeater]

I usually use the domestic names for characters but for the Final Fantasy series I use the Japanese numbers.

[Regus]

Domestic.

I call Eggman: "Dr. Robotnic" and Peach: "Princess Toad Stool".

And so on and so forth.

[Tommy Tallarico]

Personally, I am annoyed to no end with non-Japanese people using the Japanese name. Guess what, saying Famicom when you're talking about a game you played on the NES doesn't make you seem l337, it makes you seem fucking irritating. If you're an American, use the American names. Knowing that Balrog was M. Bison in Japan or that the Genesis was the Mega Drive doesn't make you part of some inner gaming circle, it makes you seem smarmy and makes people want to punch the living shit out of you. I feel though that Final Fantasies should be referred to by Jap numbers to avoid confusion though.

[bahn]

Originally posted by AFX
Personally, I am annoyed to no end with non-Japanese people using the Japanese name. Guess what, saying Famicom when you're talking about a game you played on the NES doesn't make you seem l337, it makes you seem fucking irritating. If you're an American, use the American names. Knowing that Balrog was M. Bison in Japan or that the Genesis was the Mega Drive doesn't make you part of some inner gaming circle, it makes you seem smarmy and makes people want to punch the living shit out of you. I feel though that Final Fantasies should be referred to by Jap numbers to avoid confusion though.

My my...

Sounds like quite a volatile statement...just because someone chooses the opposite respective to their region does not make them swarmy, and the fact that it annoys you seems to me like you're making a bigger issue out of it than it really is.

Now unless someone's preaching to you that it's politcally correct to acknowledge the characters based upon their native name to no end...then I could understand one becoming irritated. Otherwise your disposition is a sign of not respecting one's opinion and personal tastes...

[Dolemite]

I don't know if this topic has been done before, but I'm diggin' it.

Anyway, I flip-flop between using the Japanese and US names for games and characters...I guess I just say what feels right at the time. usually, I try to use the US names, though. I went around calling BRAMA Force "Beltlogger 9" (it's original Japanese name- cool game, BTW) and people didn't know what the hell I was talking about...

Other name changes include (why is Capcom the most guilty of this?):

Powerstone- Fokker becomes Falcon
Darkstalkers- Zabel becomes Lord Raptor, Lei-Lei becomes Hisen-Ko
Warzard becomes Red Earth
Vampire becomes Darkstalkers (though I kinda like "Darkstalkers" better)
Megaman- Rockman becomes Megaman, Blues becomes Protoman (again, a change for the better)

[Clash!]

When I play the American game, I call them by their American name, because thats the name. Plus I am more used to calling them by thier American names, I will always call Balrog Vega, Vega will always be M.Bison and so forth. Eggman is a stupid name, Dr. Robotnick is better, so I call him Dr. Robotnick because its the american name, plus Eggman is retarded. And when they started to call Peach Peach in Mario 64, I call her Peach or the Princess. I also think that Street Fighter Alpha sounds better than Street Fighter Zero, plus it makes more sense. Street Fighter Zero 3 makes no sense. And people who tell you that calling them by their Japanese name makes you hardcore are retarded, why would that make you hardcore when calling them by a differant name really has nothing to do with how much you play games?

[rama]

for me it depends on who i'm talking to and what i'm talking about. with my friends i can say rock man and they know who i'm talking about. if i'm talking to someone that doesn't know allot about gaming, i'll say mega man, and just stick to american names of games, systems, characters or whatever. i find it kinda iritating when all these fan boys get mad at my friends for not knowing the correct or exact name of something. no.1, it's not really that important to some people, and no.2, people who aren't into it don't usually wanna hear a long drawn out explanation of all the name changes and stuff 'cause it doesn't matter to them. there are allota fanboys at my school. they usually asume that i don't know anything about anime and games so they treat me like a dumbass and go on explainin' stuff. i usually just blow them off 'cause i think it's rude to do that. but oh well.

[Zerodash]

In terms of consoles and game names, I use the domestic name if it came out here. If it is japan-only, I use the Japanese name.
For instance, Vampire Savior came out on the US PSX as Darkstalkers 3. I will call the PS version DS3, but not the Saturn version because it never came out domestically. Similarly, I will not claim that YuYu Hakusho came out on Genesis, because it only came out in Japan and hence the Mega Drive.

In terms of characters (specifically Capcom names), I use the Japanese names mostly. SF was made by Japanese folks, and I choose to stay as close to the designers intentions as possible. Thats how I feel about the anime sub vs. dub debate. Try to imagine something like Casablanca or Gone With the Wind being renamed and dubbed into Japanese. It detracts from the original vision the creators had for the movie.

I, however, have no problems with anyone using only domestic syntax, and I expect no disrespect from those who do so. Don't crap on me and I won't crap on you.

[Cheebs]

I have no consistancy on the issue whatsoever. I don't even know what I'm talking about when I say Vega. I will usually refer to the boxer as M. Bison, because to me he looks like an M. Bison and nothing at all like a Balrog. However, I will usually refer to the evil dictator as M. Bison as well. Doh! The Spaniard looks like either of his names, so some days he's Vega, some days he's Balrog. Mr. Satan is always Mr Satan because it's just so much fun to say when pronounced like it is on the show. Meesta' Satt-an!

With Transformers it's wherever they originated. I call all of the G1's by their American names, but I call the Car Robots by their Japanese names (Fire Convoy instead of Optimus Prime, Speed Breaker instead of Sideburn, Wildride instead of X-Brawn).

Oh, and B.B. Hood is the best name in any video game ever.