10 Baffling Changes Video Games Made AFTER Release
3. Changing The Drunk Man Into A Coffee Fiend - Pokémon Red & Blue
In the same vein as Final Fantasy magically transforming opium into bananas, we now have this peculiar content change in Pokémon Red & Blue.
In Viridian City, players can stumble across an old man lying on a path, blocking their way forward. In the original Japanese release, the man is passed out drunk, and only after delivering a parcel to Professor Oak does he sober up, get over his hangover, and move along.
But for the Western release, the man was changed from a boozer into a caffeine abuser, as after you deliver Professor Oak's parcel, he'll explain that he was caffeine-deprived but now feels much better after getting a cup of java down him.
Even accepting how fiercely protective of their branding Nintendo of America is, it's a thoroughly daft change. One drunk man in a Pokémon game isn't going to ruin kids' lives, and even if the change had to be made, could they really not do better than making him a caffeine fiend instead?
Even the most caffeine-dependent among us surely draws the line at just giving up and passing out in the street, right? Right?