Editing Region

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Due to the different cultures and languages in the world, some aspects of the [[Pikmin series|''Pikmin'' games]] had to be changed in each '''region'''. These changes are more pronounced in ''[[Pikmin 2]]'', where the in-game [[treasures]] are actual items in the real word, and due to the cultural differences, not all players would recognize the objects and brands existing in the original Japanese version of the game.

[[Nintendo EAD]]'s headquarters are located on Kyoto, Japan. As such, the development of each game is done in Japanese and consequentially, the first version to be released 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 fan base. The Australian version uses the European changes.

[[File:Pikmin2boxart.jpg|thumb|right|The European boxart for ''Pikmin 2'', with the word "PAL" on the bottom-right.]]

Commonly, the words "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.

{{external|the regional differences in the games|[http://tcrf.net/Category:Pikmin_series The Cutting Room Floor]|TCRF.png}}

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 Beetle Larva]] is the same in ''Pikmin 2'', but the first word is localized as "Armoured" in ''Pikmin 3'') – even the same game can alternate between American and British spelling.

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. All regional versions of {{npcp1}} also allow skipping the cutscene. In addition, the Japanese version contains an option on the [[Menu#Title screen|main 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 [[Carrying|carry]] it in the Japanese version, and 40 Pikmin in the other versions.

A glitch was also solved in the US and European versions: the [[Glitches in Pikmin#Sunset cutscene softlock|sunset cutscene softlock]].

Because of the way screen refresh rates work, ''Pikmin'' is one of the few games that 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 games (besides ''Pikmin 3'').

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During development, ''Pikmin 2'' needed more than just a translation, so that the in-game [[treasures]] 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.

*At times, treasures are changed not because of cultural differences, but presumably, 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 had been removed for the other two releases.

**The [[Decorative Goo]] can be seen floating on the [[Treasure Hoard]] in versions prior to the European one

*On the [[Menu#Saved game selection|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 [[100 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.

*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.

It is worth pointing out that some of the [[:Category:Europe-only treasures|European exclusive treasures]]' descriptions have a notably lower quality compared to the remaining treasures. This is due to the numerous typos on [[Olimar's journal]] and the [[sales pitch]]es, as well as the arguably 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]].

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