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Buffalo meat

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:04 pm
by Marc
Does anyone have any idea/information why whale meat was changed to buffalo meat for the Sega CD version of Snatcher, considering the consumption of whale meat is an actual issue in Japan?

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:18 pm
by Rick Deckard
It was certainly an issue around the time of Snatcher's release. I've just dug out a recording from 1994 of R.E.M. rather uncharacteristically doing a Japanese commercial advocating whale hunting:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/91ixoc

I suppose buffalo is slightly more American, if that means anything.

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 3:48 pm
by Marc
Yeah, that's my only guess. But if you look at the interview Chris Barker did with Jeremy Blaustein, he says,

My personal feeling is that I like to encourage gamers to learn about the culture where the game was made. I also think that game players are interested to learn (something large Japanese game companies sometimes have a hard time believing), I only adjust for the target audience if I feel that any translation simply couldn't be "pulled off".

Maybe it was something Scott Hards changed.

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 3:53 pm
by Rick Deckard
Possibly, yeah. I hope you listened to that track - it's pretty rare!

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 5:17 pm
by Marc
Ha ha, come on, this isn't R.E.M.

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 5:20 pm
by 8bitsonic
Well, Alice's intestines were made static to keep away the PETA people, so I would guess that whale meat was changed to buffalo meat to keep away the Save the Whales people. That's how fucked up this country is.

Whoo! Two hundredth post!

Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 7:09 pm
by Rick Deckard
Osiris wrote:Ha ha, come on, this isn't R.E.M.
Hard to believe, but it genuinely is! Michael Stipe's made plenty of effort to attempt to bury that piece of the band's history, and you can really see why.

I had no idea that it was originally whale meat, though, but I suppose it explains Mika (and all them lot)'s disgust at the eating of buffalo meat. Would have made a very poignant point, as it is it's all just rather amusing.

Re: Buffalo meat

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2018 9:56 am
by powderehss
I personally felt like they should've kept in the whale meat; it still would've given the player an "Oh... ewwww..." kind of reaction if anything.

Also 'cause especially these days, folks are chowing down on buffalo burgers and buffalo jerky left and right, lol :lol:
(...I want a bison burger with barbecue sauce and onion rings now... Ungh I gotta find a place that sells buffalo patties...
Not sure if Trader Joe's does. :cry:)