DS Comparison: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! and Elite Beat Agents
An interesting write-up of the differences between a recently released game for the Nintendo DS called "Elite Beat Agents." The game went through a major overhaul in story, graphics, and music before making the jump to the states. The changes all deal with the interesting cultural gaps between Japan and the U.S.
The most dramatic change is the story (and subquently, the graphics are altered accordingly). The plot in the Japanese version is barebones, revolving around a group of 3 guys who are dressed in high school uniforms and use their "cheering" powers to help those in need. In the U.S. version however, the protagonists are CIA agents using their rockin' grooves to take on cries of help detected on their spiffy machinery.
The cries of help also vary from one game to the next. While the Japanese version features a kid needing help on his exam, attacking aliens, and ghosts trying to contact the living, the American version reflects many of it's cultural values; a girl trying to win over the football jock, making a huge blockbuster movie, and a bunch of stranded girls on an island. I can't really speak for Japan, but vanity/sex, media, and stranded girls is a pretty accurate analysis of what's on the mind of most people here in the states.