Trivia Browser
subdirectory_arrow_right Nintendo Switch (Platform)
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Within the Nintendo Switch firmware prior to Version 4.0.0 (for Japanese, US and European systems only), there is a hidden NES emulator stub called "flog" that can be unlocked under very specific conditions. flog can only be unlocked on the Home Screen and when the console's internal clock is set to July 11th (if the date is changed in System Settings, but the console is connected to the internet and can see the actual date, this method will not work). The method to unlock it involves detaching the Joy-Cons from the console, holding them pointing forwards/downwards, then moving them to a vertical position and holding it for a few seconds. This gesture may take some time to hone due to it being a specific movement tracked by the Joy-Cons, but when it is matched, the system will check to see if flog is installed. When checked, an audio clip of a man saying "chokusetsu" ("直接"), the Japanese word for "direct", will play and the screen will cut to black and launch the 1984 NES title Golf. This emulator is unique in that it includes specific instructions in English and Japanese on how to play depending on how the Joy-Cons are held, and has a more stripped-down and simplistic appearance than the emulators that would be used for NES games on Nintendo Switch Online. Pressing the Home button while playing Golf will return you to the Home Screen without any visible software running there.
With Version 4.0.0, Nintendo removed all of the code required to launch flog and play Golf, but the company seemed unusually hesitant to even acknowledge its existence when asked by news outlets. One month before its removal, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Amie released two statements regarding it when asked by Kotaku:
While this seems to allude that the secret emulator and Golf's inclusion were not authorized within Nintendo, this all but confirms that their purpose was to act as a tribute to Nintendo's late CEO Satoru Iwata. Iwata, who programmed Golf and previously hosted the company's Nintendo Direct showcase series, passed away on July 11th, 2015, with the method to unlock the emulator mimicking a gesture he used during Nintendo Directs. Japanese fans on social media referred to the Easter egg as an "omamori", an amulet purchased at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan that if kept close are said to protect the bearer and bring good luck, speculating that Golf was included by Iwata as a secret charm to watch over every Nintendo Switch unit after his death.
With Version 4.0.0, Nintendo removed all of the code required to launch flog and play Golf, but the company seemed unusually hesitant to even acknowledge its existence when asked by news outlets. One month before its removal, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Amie released two statements regarding it when asked by Kotaku:
"So, two comments on this. It was identified by folks playing around in the firmware. We've got nothing officially to announce for that content or what the plans are for that content. So that's that. Certainly anything that pays respect to my friend Mr. Iwata is something that is near and dear to me personally, but in terms of that execution and what it was meant to do or what the plans are, we've got nothing to announce."
"I'm struck whenever I go back to Kyoto and spend time in our headquarters and spend time in the offices where Mr. Iwata, myself and others would be meeting. It's always personally touching. And so, again, no comment on that particular execution."
"I'm struck whenever I go back to Kyoto and spend time in our headquarters and spend time in the offices where Mr. Iwata, myself and others would be meeting. It's always personally touching. And so, again, no comment on that particular execution."
While this seems to allude that the secret emulator and Golf's inclusion were not authorized within Nintendo, this all but confirms that their purpose was to act as a tribute to Nintendo's late CEO Satoru Iwata. Iwata, who programmed Golf and previously hosted the company's Nintendo Direct showcase series, passed away on July 11th, 2015, with the method to unlock the emulator mimicking a gesture he used during Nintendo Directs. Japanese fans on social media referred to the Easter egg as an "omamori", an amulet purchased at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan that if kept close are said to protect the bearer and bring good luck, speculating that Golf was included by Iwata as a secret charm to watch over every Nintendo Switch unit after his death.
Video demonstrations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGN6QXv7sfs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmkAvnnFICE
Polygon articles covering the discovery and removal of Golf:
https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/17/16323452/nintendo-switch-golf-emulator
https://www.polygon.com/nintendo-switch/2017/9/20/16338508/nintendo-switch-golf-iwata-theory
https://www.polygon.com/2017/12/27/16822340/nintendo-switch-golf-game-hidden-removed
Reggie Fils-Amie statements:
https://kotaku.com/nintendo-is-still-oddly-tight-lipped-about-the-switch-s-1820050815
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Nintendo_Switch#Golf
Chokusetsu definition:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ちょくせつ#Japanese
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGN6QXv7sfs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmkAvnnFICE
Polygon articles covering the discovery and removal of Golf:
https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/17/16323452/nintendo-switch-golf-emulator
https://www.polygon.com/nintendo-switch/2017/9/20/16338508/nintendo-switch-golf-iwata-theory
https://www.polygon.com/2017/12/27/16822340/nintendo-switch-golf-game-hidden-removed
Reggie Fils-Amie statements:
https://kotaku.com/nintendo-is-still-oddly-tight-lipped-about-the-switch-s-1820050815
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Nintendo_Switch#Golf
Chokusetsu definition:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ちょくせつ#Japanese
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The title card for the Underworld stage contains a typo as the word "Summoning" is instead spelled as "Summning". This typo is only present in the USA and PAL versions.
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Mecarobot Golf is a partial reskin of Birdie Try, a generic, non-robot-themed golf game starring Japanese professional golfer Nobuo Serizawa. Only the characters were changed, and the only sci-fi element in the US version is Eagle, the titular Mecarobot. Otherwise, the game remains a generic golf game, and the other three introduced characters are two white women and one white man, replacing the Japanese version's three Asian men.
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In PAL releases of the PlayStation 2 version, the player is normally only able to access the tutorial in English, French, Italian, Castilian, and Dutch. Despite this, versions in the other supported languages (German, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Norwegian, and Portuguese) are present in the game's data and can be accessed either through hacking the game or selecting a supported language and switching to an unsupported one with debug features just before the screen fades to black. It is unknown why these six variants of the tutorial were made inaccessible in the final game, given that they are fully translated.
The Cutting Room Floor:
https://tcrf.net/Mr._Bean#Unused_Tutorial_Versions
YouTube video showcasing the tutorial in all 11 languages, including the 6 unused ones:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WCuxNP0oHk
https://tcrf.net/Mr._Bean#Unused_Tutorial_Versions
YouTube video showcasing the tutorial in all 11 languages, including the 6 unused ones:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WCuxNP0oHk
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During the final battle in the Japanese version, Spoiler:a voiceover from Zelda states that the monstrous form that Calamity Ganon assumes is due to his obsession with maintaining his longevity. However, in the English localization, Spoiler:Zelda claims that this form is the result of him abandoning his ambitions for reincarnation and giving into his primal rage, which directly contrasts the Japanese script.
This also opens up a plot hole with Spoiler:Zelda's dialogue in the game's ending, where she says that "Ganon is gone for now" (emphasis added), implying that he will reincarnate anyway (as is the case in other entries, including the game's sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom); in the Japanese version, she simply says that "the threat of calamity has passed."
This also opens up a plot hole with Spoiler:Zelda's dialogue in the game's ending, where she says that "Ganon is gone for now" (emphasis added), implying that he will reincarnate anyway (as is the case in other entries, including the game's sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom); in the Japanese version, she simply says that "the threat of calamity has passed."
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The North American arcade release of Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone is believed to be the first game to incorporate microtransactions, allowing players to purchase extra lives, characters, energy and moves by putting more quarters into the arcade cabinet. This would be removed for the Japanese release, and replaced with a conventional character select screen that lets you play as the previously paywalled extra characters, and the game's difficulty was rebalanced to be easier to adjust.
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For the game's English dub, Spike Chunsoft requested that NIS America keep Monokuma's name intact. He would end up becoming the team's favorite character to localize, working to keep him both funny and threatening like in the Japanese version. This, however, led to difficulties finding a suitable voice actor for the character, as they wanted somebody that could embody Monokuma's "hyperactive psychopathic nature", not helped by how beloved the original Japanese voice actress was. When asked what Monokuma was like in the English version, script editor Phoenix Spaulding stated:
"We like to think he’s not all that different from the Japanese version – which is to say, kind of all over the place. He’s bossy, condescending, smarmy, goofy, quick to anger, quick to forgive, quick to anger again, devious, and totally lovable."
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After Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door's announcement in 2003, some Mario fans incorrectly believed that the character of Madame Flurrie was going to be the ghost of Bowser's wife, based off of her character design and Japanese name. This is due to Flurrie's Japanese name, "Cloudia", sounding a lot like "Clawdia", a popular urban legend name for the Koopalings' mother supposedly created by the Mario fan website "Lemmy's Land", as well as Flurrie sharing a hair style with Ludwig and lip-shape with Wendy, who were at the time considered Bowser's children by Nintendo.
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X was originally pitched under the name Eclipse and was developed under the title Lunar Chase. The single-letter rename came at the request of Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi, who contacted director Yoshio Sakamoto early in the morning after playing the game.The Lunar Chase name was retained for a planned English localization of the game, which was ultimately scrapped due to fears from Nintendo of America that international players would find the game's presentation and design too complex for a handheld title. Creator and programmer Dylan Cuthbert additionally blamed the cancellation on a presumed lack of interest from retailers in the United States. A prototype of the English version would eventually surface in 2020 as part of the Gigaleak, a massive leak of internal server data from Nintendo. The Eclipse pitch, meanwhile, was released to the public by the Video Game History foundation three years later.
Video Game History foundation article:
https://gamehistory.org/eclipse-the-demo-that-sold-3d-to-nintendo/
US Gamer article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190210151024/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/dylan-cuthbert-star-fox-game-boy-hacking-feature-interview
ArsTechnica article:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/exclusive-legendary-star-fox-coder-on-series-history-surprise-sequel-launch/
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Proto:X/Lunar_Chase
https://gamehistory.org/eclipse-the-demo-that-sold-3d-to-nintendo/
US Gamer article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190210151024/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/dylan-cuthbert-star-fox-game-boy-hacking-feature-interview
ArsTechnica article:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/exclusive-legendary-star-fox-coder-on-series-history-surprise-sequel-launch/
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Proto:X/Lunar_Chase
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According to art director Ikeno "Daigo Ikeno" Metaka, Dragon's Dogma's cover artwork was inspired by the Japanese covers of Dragon Quest, and also Dragon Quest II, because of the pawn placement on that cover. Both covers were illustrated by Akira Toriyama, and this information was revealed after his death was announced in March 2024.
Daigo Ikeno tweet:
https://twitter.com/goidanokei/status/1766244020274200862
Article by a Dragon Ball fan website compiling over 100 tributes to Akira Toriyama:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240401173328/https://www.kamisama.com.br/mais-de-100-homenagens-ao-falecimento-de-akira-toriyama/
https://twitter.com/goidanokei/status/1766244020274200862
Article by a Dragon Ball fan website compiling over 100 tributes to Akira Toriyama:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240401173328/https://www.kamisama.com.br/mais-de-100-homenagens-ao-falecimento-de-akira-toriyama/
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In August 2015, location tests for DanceDanceRevolution (2014) were held in North America. This marked both the first time the series was location tested in North America since Dance Dance Revolution X2 and the first time eAMUSEMENT was officially supported in the region. The English translation was a more completed version of the one present in the Korean version. Furthermore, 47 songs were removed from this version due to copyright restrictions, mostly being licensed songs from previous entries and all the "U.M.UXBEMANI" songs.
In the end, DanceDanceRevolution (2014) was not released in North America, with the following game Dance Dance Revolution A becoming the first Arcade release in North America since Dance Dance Revolution X2.
In the end, DanceDanceRevolution (2014) was not released in North America, with the following game Dance Dance Revolution A becoming the first Arcade release in North America since Dance Dance Revolution X2.
Article from RemyWiki:
https://remywiki.com/AC_DDR_2014
NeoGaf discussion on the location test:
https://www.neogaf.com/threads/ddr-2015-arcade-location-test-of-newest-dance-dance-revolution-at-round1-phm-july.1070864/
Gameplay of location test:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taq8Yeiep3c
https://remywiki.com/AC_DDR_2014
NeoGaf discussion on the location test:
https://www.neogaf.com/threads/ddr-2015-arcade-location-test-of-newest-dance-dance-revolution-at-round1-phm-july.1070864/
Gameplay of location test:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taq8Yeiep3c
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BlazBlue: Central Fiction is the first title in the BlazBlue series to not feature an English dub for its international release. According to Aksys Games, this was done to ensure that the game would release sooner, as they would have had to delay the game by six-to-eight months if they tried to add an English dub. This lead to a fan petition to try and convince Aksys to either delay the game or add an English dub as DLC, which even included support from various actors involved with the BlazBlue series, such as Patrick Seitz (the English voice of series protagonist Ragna the Bloodedge).
subdirectory_arrow_right Nintendo GameCube (Platform)
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The Brazilian release of the Nintendo GameCube has special code that patches a crash glitch that can only be found in NBA Courtside 2002. This patch does not exist in any other version of the hardware.
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In a 2005 interview with the game's producer Koji Igarashi published in the official Konami strategy guide, he explained the decision to change the series' title in the domestic Japanese market from "Castlevania" back to "Akumajo Dracula".
The title change to Castlevania in Japan initially occurred because the Akumajo Dracula games enjoyed a larger market share in Europe and America compared to Japan. Consequently, more reports and information about the games were available in those regions, and they were released there first. In the recent past, news from outside Japan was harder to access, but with the advent of the internet, Japanese users could now easily stay informed. However, there was a concern that Japanese players might not immediately recognize the equivalence between Castlevania and Akumajo Dracula, so the main title of the previous game Lament of Innocence was changed to Castlevania in Japan to address this.
Subsequently, for Curse of Darkness, the decision was made to revert to the original title because the team felt that the Castlevania name had become associated with trilogies, inadvertently making it challenging for fans to find information about the Akumajo Dracula titles. The team wanted to ensure clarity for Japanese fans and clear up any confusion among Akumajo Dracula fans about if Castlevania was supposed to be Akumajo Dracula.
The title change to Castlevania in Japan initially occurred because the Akumajo Dracula games enjoyed a larger market share in Europe and America compared to Japan. Consequently, more reports and information about the games were available in those regions, and they were released there first. In the recent past, news from outside Japan was harder to access, but with the advent of the internet, Japanese users could now easily stay informed. However, there was a concern that Japanese players might not immediately recognize the equivalence between Castlevania and Akumajo Dracula, so the main title of the previous game Lament of Innocence was changed to Castlevania in Japan to address this.
Subsequently, for Curse of Darkness, the decision was made to revert to the original title because the team felt that the Castlevania name had become associated with trilogies, inadvertently making it challenging for fans to find information about the Akumajo Dracula titles. The team wanted to ensure clarity for Japanese fans and clear up any confusion among Akumajo Dracula fans about if Castlevania was supposed to be Akumajo Dracula.
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Planet Zoness was originally a beautiful water planet similar to its twin planet, Aquas. It was famous for its resorts and was where Peppy Hare had taken his wife, Vivian, for their honeymoon. However, Andross' forces would invade and pollute its waters with their bioweapons, mutating the local wildlife to become larger and violent.Early footage of Star Fox 64 circa 1996 actually show Zoness in its pure, unpolluted state, which seems to indicate that making it polluted was decided on later in development. There's actually appears to be dialogue remnants of this cleaner version in the developer's dub:
Peppy: Be careful of the wildlife on this planet.
Falco: Huge, these guys!
Slippy: I want to live in a sea like this, ribbit.
Falco: Huge, these guys!
Slippy: I want to live in a sea like this, ribbit.
When finishing the stage:
Peppy: I didn't know this planet was under Andorf's power too.
Slippy: I will come back when there is peace.
Slippy: I will come back when there is peace.
But in the final polluted version, this exchange in the JP version goes:
Peppy: 何て事だ・・・これがあのゾネスか？ (What the... is this Zoness?)
Slippy: 泳ぐ気にもならないよ (I don't even feel like swimming.)
Falco: お前 海でも泳ぐのか (Do you swim in the sea, too?)
Slippy: 泳ぐ気にもならないよ (I don't even feel like swimming.)
Falco: お前 海でも泳ぐのか (Do you swim in the sea, too?)
Zoness beta footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snoshsyMmIc?t=61
Star Fox 64 Rejected Developer's Dub:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpsHjFBK164?t=338
Zoness development history Reddit thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/starfox/comments/11n99ss/beta_zoness_water_safe_enough_to_drink/
User's English translation of official Japanese Star Fox 64 guidebook:
https://www.reddit.com/r/starfox/comments/y8cwc9/finally_got_around_to_doing_translations/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snoshsyMmIc?t=61
Star Fox 64 Rejected Developer's Dub:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpsHjFBK164?t=338
Zoness development history Reddit thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/starfox/comments/11n99ss/beta_zoness_water_safe_enough_to_drink/
User's English translation of official Japanese Star Fox 64 guidebook:
https://www.reddit.com/r/starfox/comments/y8cwc9/finally_got_around_to_doing_translations/
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In the Japanese version's commentary with the game's composer Hitoshi Sakimoto, he stated that the original name for the song "Remnants" was "zun zurizuri zunzun" in reference to the rhythm of the opening motif. However, this name was too long, and it was shortened to "zun zun".
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The go-to term for the initial conflict of the Star Fox series, as told in three different installments (Star Fox on SNES, Star Fox 64, and Star Fox Zero), is the "Lylat Wars". This name originates from the original PAL release of Star Fox 64, where it was renamed to Lylat Wars due to trademark issues (similarly to why the first Star Fox was renamed to "Starwing" there as well). In comparison, its 3DS remake, Star Fox 64 3D, would retain the Star Fox 64 moniker in all regions. Nintendo would later actually canonize the "Lylat Wars" moniker as the official name of the conflict against Andross' forces in the opening prologue to Star Fox Zero.
Star Fox Zero prologue where Fox mentions the "Lylat Wars":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8vgF1mSj5c&list=PLAV-xzjVBR0Wr2JIdD02pefR7CLz18wg2
Lylat Wars page on NOE website:
https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-64/Lylat-Wars-277897.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8vgF1mSj5c&list=PLAV-xzjVBR0Wr2JIdD02pefR7CLz18wg2
Lylat Wars page on NOE website:
https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-64/Lylat-Wars-277897.html
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When the game's logo is shown in the intro of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, the word "BATTLE" has a shining effect, which is another video file overlaid over the 3D logo. There are two versions of this video, one with Japanese kanji and another with Latin script, however due to an oversight, the shining effect will only show Japanese kanji overlaid upon the English text. This would be fixed in the 2012 rerelease, but only for the English language, so other languages with an English logo still experience the error.
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Adventures of Tron was released in Europe as Adventures on GX-12 without the Tron license. The only difference between the two versions is that the title screen was removed.
AtariAge:
https://atariage.com/software_page.php?SoftwareID=2215
Cutting Room Floor:
https://tcrf.net/Adventures_of_Tron
https://atariage.com/software_page.php?SoftwareID=2215
Cutting Room Floor:
https://tcrf.net/Adventures_of_Tron