Editing Region

{{game icons|p=y|p2=y|p3=y|hp=y}}
{{otheruses|the real world locations in which games are released|the areas in the ''Pikmin'' series|Areas}}
{{split|There should be a distinction made between gameplay differences between regional versions and text differences between languages.}}
Due to the different cultures and languages in the world, some aspects of the {{pg}} had to be changed in each '''region'''. These changes are most pronounced in ''[[Pikmin 2]]'', where the in-game [[treasure]]s are actual items in the real world, and due to the cultural differences, not all players would recognize the objects and brands existing in the original Japanese version of the game.

There are three main game release regions: Japan, United States of America, and Europe. The ''Pikmin'' games are released all over the world, but there are only three main versions for each, one focused on each region.

==Release order==
The headquarters of {{w|Nintendo EAD}}, the ''Pikmin'' game developers, are located in Kyoto, Japan. As such, the development of each game is done in Japanese and consequentially, the first version to be developed is the Japanese one. Either shortly before release or after, the game is then sent to be localized for the United States (by Nintendo Treehouse) and Europe. More than just a translation of the Japanese game, some graphics, sounds, scripts or objects may be altered in order to fit the culture of the region.

This holds true for the ''Pikmin'' games. For all three main titles, the Japanese version is developed first, and content is then altered to suit the American and European consumer base. The Australian version uses the European changes.

==Naming==
[[File:Pikmin2boxart.jpg|thumb|The European boxart for ''Pikmin 2'', with the word "PAL" on the bottom-right.]]
Commonly, the terms "NTSC" and "PAL" are used to describe the different regional versions of the game. These terms are, however, partially incorrect, as the words themselves refer to the color encoding systems used for analogue television. In order to play a specific version of a game, the television must match the color encoding. This has since been discredited for the [[Wii U]] onward with the use of HDMI cables. For the most part, the US uses the NTSC system and Europe and Australia use the PAL system. The boxart of the European and Australian versions of the ''Pikmin'' games also contains the word "PAL" next to the Nintendo logo, as do most GameCube and Wii games. These factors helped popularize the use of the terms "NTSC" and "PAL" to categorize the game regions, inadequate as they may be.

Other common names and terms for the region versions of a game are:
*'''Japanese''': J, JAP, JP, NTSC-J.
*'''United States''': U, US, USA, NTSC, NA (North America).
*'''Europe''': E, EU, EUR, PAL.
*'''Australia''': A, AU, AUS, O, OC, PAL.

{{clear}}

==Regional differences==
{{external|the regional differences in the games|[http://tcrf.net/Category:Pikmin_series The Cutting Room Floor]|TCRF logo.png}}
In order for the games to be enjoyed in several places along the world, the in-game text is written in a different language, depending on the version that's being played. The Japanese version of the ''Pikmin'' games has Japanese text, the US version has English text, and the European version has the ability to choose between English, Spanish, Italian, French and German. Another common change between versions is the boxart: the front normally contains a logo in Japanese or English, and the back contains text in Japanese, English, or the aforementioned European languages.

It's also quite normal for the English used in the European version to be British English, but this isn't always the case (the European name for the [[Armored Cannon Larva|Armored Cannon Beetle Larva]] is the same in ''Pikmin 2'', but the first word is localized as "Armoured" in ''Pikmin 3'') &ndash; even the same game can alternate between American and British spelling.

Other types of changes can exist for several reasons. One persistent difference that became standard for the European version of [[Pikmin series|''Pikmin'' games]], starting on ''[[New Play Control! Pikmin]]'', was the rename of [[Wollywog]]s, [[Yellow Wollywog]]s and [[Wogpole]]s to Wollyhops, Yellow Wollyhops and Wolpoles, respectively. The reason for this change is likely due to Nintendo assuming that British players would find the term "wog" offensive. Regardless, the [[enemy reel]] in ''New Play Control! Pikmin'' was not updated to reflect this.

===''Pikmin''===
In the case of ''[[Pikmin (game)|Pikmin]]'', it was decided before the European GameCube release that skipping the [[sunset]] [[cutscene]] by pressing {{button|gc|start}} would be convenient, so that feature was added for that version of the game This feature returned in all versions of {{npcp1}}. In addition, the Japanese version contains an option in the [[options menu]] that allows the player to toggle between a "child" mode and an "adult" mode; the former makes the text easier to read. Finally, the [[Secret Safe]] requires 85 [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] to [[carry]] it in the Japanese version, and 40 Pikmin in the other versions. The title screen in Japan shows flower Pikmin forming the game's name in Japanese, {{j|ピクミン|Pikumin}}, and has leaf Pikmin below it forming the English word "PIKMIN". Other regions instead just have the game's name in English, "PIKMIN", formed with flower Pikmin.

Due to the need to support 50 Hz displays, ''Pikmin'' runs at a slower [[frame]]rate in the European version, running at only 25 frames per second in-game, as opposed to the 30 frames per second framerate of the other regions (which use 60 Hz displays). Due to the game running slower and events taking longer, some cutscene [[Music in Pikmin|songs]] were extended for this version. Support for 60 Hz displays in the European version was only added in ''New Play Control! Pikmin''.

In the Japanese version of {{npcp1}}, an exclusive fifth [[Cutscene#Attraction mode|attract mode]] movie is present where ''[[Ai no Uta]]'' is the song. The European and Korean versions of ''New Play Control! Pikmin'' also correct most of the sped-up enemy sounds that the Wii version of the game has, but made some Onion sound effects slowed down.

There are a couple of differences that were first introduced in revision 1.02 of the Japanese version, meaning that for these points, revision 1.01 of the Japanese version is different from the US version, the European version, and revision 1.02 of the Japanese version:
* The [[Glitches in Pikmin#Sunset cutscene softlock|sunset cutscene softlock]] was fixed.
* Players in [[The Impact Site]] cannot go from the [[cardboard box]]'s top to the left side rim of the tree trunk, but this became possible in revision 1.02.{{cite youtube|VboX7kFuwxY|demonstrating how it is impossible to go up the rim in [[The Impact Site]] in version 1.01 of ''Pikmin''|published={{date|30|June|2020}}|retrieved={{date|2|July|2020}}}}
* If the player whistles several Pikmin together, the Pikmin counter for the Pikmin in the group will instantly jump from the old number to the final number, in revision 1.02. Revision 1.01 and all versions after 1.02 have the number run up gradually.

===''Pikmin 2''===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; width:150px;"
|-
| align="center" | [[File:Yell Battery icon.png|link=Yell Battery]]
| align="center" | [[File:Optical Illustration icon.png|link=Optical Illustration]]
| align="center" | [[File:Abstract Masterpiece EU icon.png|link=Abstract Masterpiece]]
|-
| colspan = "3" | <small>Comparison between the Japanese, US and European icons for '''denchi_2_red'''.</small>
|}

During development, ''Pikmin 2'' needed more than just a translation, so that the in-game [[treasure]]s would reflect items familiar to each region's culture. An example would be the treasure with the internal name <code>denchi_2_red</code>: in the Japanese version, this corresponds to a red battery of the Japanese brand "National Hi-Top". During localization for the US, it was likely decided that there were [[Mystical Energy Series|too many batteries]] in the game, and that the American players would not recognize the brand, so this treasure was instead replaced with a [[Optical Illustration|lid of Ragú pasta sauce]]. For the European version, it was assumed that European players would not recognize the Ragú sauce brand, so the treasure was replaced with a [[Abstract Masterpiece|PscHitt! lid]]. The differences between the game's treasures are better detailed on the '''[[treasure]]''' article.

While most treasure changes in ''Pikmin 2'' come in the form of including items that are familiar to the players on each region, there are a few changes that have been enforced due to potential controversies. One of the most noteworthy examples is ''Pikmin 2'' is the [[Arboreal Frippery]]: in the Japanese version, [[Olimar's notes]] hint at it actually being a marijuana leaf. In the US, this reference was removed, but the leaf's green color was kept. Finally, in the European version, the leaf changed color entirely, in order to remove any and all similarities to the drug. The reason for these changes comes from each region's views on drug-related themes.

Other differences in ''Pikmin 2'' also exist, for varying reasons:
*At times, treasures are changed not because of cultural differences, but possibly because they were deemed too uninteresting. For example, the treasure with the internal name <code>kan_b_gold</code> is a simple popsicle stick in the Japanese version, and was changed to a [[Lip Service|tube of lipstick]] for the following versions.
*In the Japanese version, [[e-Reader]] support exists, which was removed for all later rereleases, including the Japanese [[New Play Control! Pikmin 2|New Play Control!]] and [[Pikmin 2 (Nintendo Switch)|Nintendo Switch rereleases]]s of ''Pikmin 2''.
*In the Japanese version, the "[[Hocotate]]" in [[Hocotate Freight|Hocotate Transportation Company]] is written as "Hokotate", which is the way it is written in Japanese.
*In the Japanese version, the intro cutscene lacks [[The President]]'s face next to the money counter after the [[Hocotate ship]] counts the value of the bottle cap.
*In the Japanese version of ''New Play Control! Pikmin 2'' exclusively, there is an extra [[cutscene|attraction mode cutscene]] with ''[[Tane no Uta]]'' as the song.
*The Nintendo logo when the game is booted up is blue in the Japanese version, and red everywhere else, as is the norm with some Nintendo games.
*The [[Silencer]]'s value was changed from 666 [[Poko]]s in the Japanese version to 670 in the other versions, in order to remove the relation to the {{w|number of the Beast}} from the biblical book of Revelation.
*The sign on the landing site of the [[Wistful Wild]] is a stop sign in the Japanese version, as stop signs are triangular. This was changed to a Yield sign in the other releases, so that the triangular shape would not be changed.
*In the Japanese version, the [[Beady Long Legs]]' feet can be damaged by any Pikmin type. In all other versions, only a [[Purple Pikmin]]'s stomp can inflict damage.
*The [[Spherical Atlas]] and [[Geographic Projection]] have their models rotated in each version. For the Spherical Atlas, this makes it so that the version's region is shown on-[[camera]] by default.
*Sometimes, glitches are discovered after a certain release, but before another. If possible, they are fixed before the new release. This happens with the following:
**The [[Decorative Goo]]'s appearance in the [[Treasure Hoard]] depends on the region, where it can show up floating in mid-air, or without a shadow. Details can be found [[Decorative Goo#Treasure Hoard appearance|here]].
**If the [[Volatile Dweevil]] on the Piklopedia is petrified just before exploding, that causes a freeze in the Japanese version, but [[Glitches in Pikmin 2#Volatile Dweevil suicide|kills the creature]] in the overseas releases.
*In the US and European versions, the [[Music in Pikmin 2#Wistful Wild|Wistful Wild sunset theme]]'s melody was changed to use flutes instead of a music box. This only lasts for one loop though, before the game uses the music box like in the Japanese version. Interestingly, none of the ''New Play Control!'' versions of the game have this melody change, and they all use the music box like the Japanese GameCube version.
*On the [[saved game selection menu]], there are two labels explaining what {{button|gc|x|gc|y}} do. The buttons are represented with the normal letters "X" and "Y" inside bubbles in the Japanese version, while the US and European versions use the GameCube button icons. For the {{npcp2}} versions, the {{button|wii|1}} and {{button|wii|2}} icons are similar between all versions, but a bit simpler in the Japanese version.
*In the Japanese version, a wild Pikmin can be sent to its Onion if there are [[Pikmin limit|100 Pikmin on the field]] and the game needs to spawn a new sprout from an extinct type. In the US and European versions, wild Pikmin are not eligible to be removed from the field in this scenario.
*Text differences:
** The word "monstrous" in the [[Flare Cannon]]'s entry in [[Olimar's journal]] is written that way in the US version, but misspelled as "monsterous" in the European version. The same happens in the Wii release, except the two regions have the words swapped.
** The ship's dialog on the [[Brute Knuckles]] was fixed for the European release to correctly call the [[Exploration Kit]] item "Rocket Fist", instead of "Rocket Punch". This change only exists in the GameCube version, since the Wii release uses the correct "Rocket Fist" in all regions.
** Olimar's journal entry for the [[Fleeting Art Form]] does not have a space between the word "out" and the word "The", in the US version of the Wii release. The European version, as well as all GameCube releases, do not have this typo.
** The US Wii version of Olimar's journal on the [[Patience Tester]] uses the same low-quality text as the [[Permanent Container]] in the GameCube version.
** The [[Activity Arouser]] is called "Activity Booster" in the European Wii version.
** The [[Frigid Series]] is called "Frozen Series" in the European Wii version.
** The [[Lustrous Element]]'s entry in Olimar's journal calls [[Hocotate]] "Hokotate" twice, in the European GameCube version.
** Olimar's journal on the [[Utter Scrap]] uses the text "I was able to open up some new areas for exploration" in the European Wii version exclusively, and uses "to exploration" instead in all other versions.
** Olimar's journal entry for the [[Vorpal Platter]] writes "could effortlessly sheer through the armor plating" in all versions except the Wii European one. That one uses the correct word "shear".
** Louie's notes on the [[Ranging Bloyster]] contain the text "an herb". However, the Wii European version changes that to "a herb".
** Olimar's notes on the [[Orange Bulborb]] say "with deep orange body" in all versions but the Wii European release, which writes "with a deep orange body" instead.
** The scientific name of the [[Dwarf Bulborb|Dwarf Red Bulborb]] is ''Pansarus pseudoculii russus'' in all versions of ''Pikmin 2'' except for the Wii European release, which uses two 'o's in the species name. Since all other [[breadbug family|breadbug]] mimics use two 'o's, the single-o'd spelling is presumably a typo.
** Olimar's notes on the [[Glowstem]] have the misspelling "resemblence" in all versions but the European Wii release, which uses the correct "resemblance".
** In the European version of ''Pikmin 2'', the rules for [[2-Player Battle]] say, for the boulder item: "Boulder drops on opponent". The US version, as well as all GameCube versions, say "Boulders drop on opponent" instead.
** The on-screen message when the player enters the [[final level]] of a cave says "FINAL LEVEL!" in the European region of the ''New Play Control!'' version. In the other two regions it mirrors the GameCube version by saying "FINAL FLOOR!" instead. The sublevel indicator in the [[HUD]] has the same difference, saying "FINAL LEVEL" or "FINAL FLOOR" respectively.

While not regional differences, it is worth noting that some treasure notes are of considerably lower quality than all other treasures, exclusively in the European version. This is due to numerous typos and rather confusing English. These problems were later spotted by Nintendo, and some were resolved for the [[New Play Control! Pikmin 2|''New Play Control!'' release]], in the form of typo fixes and [[Plentiful Tank|full rewrites]]. For a list of such treasures, see [[:Category:European treasure notes with written mistakes|this category]].

Like in ''Pikmin'', ''Pikmin 2'' also has an option in the Japanese version to swap between katakana/hiragana and kanji.

The European version supports both 50 Hz and 60 Hz displays in both the GameCube and ''New Play Control!'' releases. Unlike in ''Pikmin'', while the game still runs at 25 [[frame]]s per second on 50 Hz displays (instead of 30), the gameplay is adjusted in order to be at the same speed.

=== ''Pikmin 3'' ===
As it uses online features, {{p3}} does not have completely different editions between regions. There are no differences in objects and mechanics between regions, for example. Regional differences still exist, however, in the form of language differences. Various pieces of text, such as [[Pikmin 3 voyage log|voyage logs]], [[Check in|character dialog]], and [[Brittany's notes|fruit notes]] have to be translated into each language, and various differences in meaning were introduced in each translation. There are separate American English and British/Australian English versions, and besides spelling differences (e.g. "Armored Mawdad" / "Armoured Mawdad"), there are a few things given different names (e.g. "Check-in" / "Talk", "cosmic-drive key" / "cosmic drive key"), and the personality of the [[Koppai]]tes are slightly different between them. Some of these differences between English dialects were removed in {{p3d}}, which standardized some American English text.

Besides that, the following differences exist:
* In the [[pause menu]] of ''Pikmin 3'', the text for the day end notification that states how many Pikmin will be left behind does not include a number in the English text in the US and European versions, but it does include a number in other languages.
** Do note that this difference does not exist in [[Pikmin 3 Deluxe]].
* Obtaining a platinum rating in a [[Side Story]] will make [[the President]] in the results screen give a comment using a shocked expression in the Japanese version, but not in the English versions. This is the only use of this shocked icon in the game.

===''Hey! Pikmin''===
{{hp}} does not have significantly different editions between regions, and instead has multiple sets of text files and game assets that are substituted depending on the [[3DS]]'s language setting. The game is available in Japanese, American English, European English, American Spanish, European Spanish, Canadian French, European French, German, Italian, and Korean. While these settings primarily change text, there is one known model difference between different versions: the [[Revenge Fantasy]] treasure is a cartridge of the NES game [[nintendo:Ice Climber|''Ice Climber'']], and uses the different Japanese and American cartridge designs in the different regions.

Text differences between the two English versions of the game are common in treasure and enemy descriptions, but some things have entirely different names between the versions. This includes one [[area]] ([[Scorched Earth]] in the American version is [[Charred Plains]] in the European version), two sections of the [[Pikmin Park]], and the following [[treasure]]s:
{|class="wikitable scrollable"
!American English
| [[Colossus in Suspenders]] || [[Electric-Lime Hairdo]] || [[Incomprehensible Life-Form]] || [[Metamorphocistern]] || [[Sloshy Nostalgia]]   || [[Grown-Up Dynamo]] || [[Attitude Adjuster]] || [[Evidence Pulverizer]] || [[Quantum Traveler]] || [[Constitution Gate]] || [[Single's Seesaw]] || [[Consolation Prize]] || [[Un-Damaging Javelin]] || [[Life-Form Prototype]]
|-
!European English
||  Dungareed Colossus        ||   Electric Lime Hairdo   ||   Incomprehensible Life Form  ||   Metamorphosis Tank  || Concentrated Nostalgia ||   Grown-Up Cell     ||   Rift Ripper         ||   Evidence Pulveriser   ||   Quantum Traveller  ||   Attractive Gate     ||   Single's See-Saw    ||   Blues Eradicator    || Lefty-Loosey Lance      ||   Life Form Prototype
|}

===''Pikmin Bloom''===
{{pb}} does not have regional differences besides language differences. As the app is a location-based game, it uses real-world geographic data, and hence the app is only available in regions where there is sufficient geographic information in Niantic's database for the game to be playable. An official list of regions where the game is available to download and play can be found at https://niantic.helpshift.com/hc/en/23-pikmin-bloom/faq/3056-availability-by-country-region/.

==See also==
*[[Unused content]]
*[[Glitches]]
*[[Prerelease information]]

==External links==
*[http://tcrf.net/Pikmin The Cutting Room Floor's article on ''Pikmin'', which details regional differences amongst other things]
*[http://tcrf.net/Pikmin_2/Version_Differences The Cutting Room Floor's article on ''Pikmin 2'''s regional differences]
*[https://tcrf.net/Hey!_Pikmin/Regional_Differences The Cutting Room Floor's article on ''Hey! Pikmin'''s regional differences]

==References==
{{refs}}

[[Category:Real world]]
[[Category:Technical]]